//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Muny Company // Story: Fallout Equestria: Action Hero // by Popcorn Chicken //------------------------------// Epilogue: Muny Company This was not part of my plan at all! No-where did I mention being a slave and I most certainly had absolutely no intention of working for free! If I was I was going to shoot something I was at least going to receive and equal amount of caps or fame and recognition! And I certainly did not plan on wearing stupid exploding collar! It keeps chaffing against my feathers! I’ll never look cool with it on. “Chicken, stop fiddling with the darn thing Celestia-darnit!” droned the brown pony with an explosive mine for a butt-mark. “You’ll set the darn thing of and we’ll be cleaning feathers, fur and brain from our coats.” “It’s uncomfortable!” I shot back, continuing to fidget with the collar. “You don’t have feathers! You don’t know what it’s like!” “Maybe not brains then. That other griffon hasn’t kicked up a fuss about it. Make like him, chump.” Reluctantly, I stifled my attempts to shift my collar and my legitimate complaints about its uncomfortableness. The other griffon – the golden one from the bar – was not complaining about how it ruffled his feathers. In fact he found amusement in my exchange with the brown pony, chuckling quietly to himself. This was also not how I planned to network. Feeling resigned, tired and hungry – since we had skipped breakfast – I breathed a quiet sigh and marched ahead with the seven others swindled into the Major’s errand. What were we even doing? Acquiring some sort of… thing for him? I forget what; wasn’t really listening. No doubt whatever it was only served to tighten his diabolical hoof-grip on the region. Some sort of weapon, ancient zebra artefact or a stockpile of alcohol for use in fiendishly enslaving others. He needed a new name to reflect on exactly how scummy he was. Major Scum? Nah, he dressed to fancy for that. Major Jerk? He wasn’t really that rude. Major… Evil? Yeah, that’s more like. After all he was… the… “Chicken, why’d you stop?” the brown pony bumped into me but I ignored him, too focused on my sudden epiphany. “Hello? Anypo, err, griffon there?” I don’t know how I missed it so easily! I should have picked it up the moment I stepped into the bar last night. When I turned to start talking to him. Heck, even when mum and I flew into town! He was the villain here! And I? I was the… “Hero.” “What?” Where I had expected delight and appreciation of my sudden enlightenment, I instead received the rustling of the wind and a single response from the golden griffon. The ponies had left us and were now a fair distance down the road. “I’m the hero! Me!” I said, rounding on the griffon. “The Major! That dork with the funny hat and exploding collars! He’s my nemesis! The villain and my ticket to fame and fortune! It all makes sense now!” I spun to his side, grabbing his shoulders and panning my talons across the cloudy sky, then down to Camp City while monologing my epiphany to him. “Gwynne telling me to abandon my script. ‘Modest opportunities’ mum had said! She knew what was going on here and she’s gonna let me handle it!” “Your… mother?” “You! You can have some of my fame too! I could use a sidekick.” He just stared at me, one brow slowly rising above the other. “Maybe that collar is too tight.”