Fallout: Equestria - Beyond the Badlands

by A Pony Typewriter

Canine Comrades

Canine Comrades

WOOF! WOOF!

Fear.

An emotion best describe of being scared, horrified, petrified.

A feeling that had taken the lives of many. The thing that fueled suspicion towards others. One of many factors that detonated conflict. One that had snuffed the flames of uncountable conflict, and turn it into nothing but ash in a matter of seconds. The young Bostonian felt fear before, now and always will be. He knew he was afraid of many things. Some he shared, some he kept for himself. Most of the times he blanketed fear with ego.

But fear was also the Boston youngster's companion. A fuel he often use to power his body in creating distance between him and the things he was afraid of. In this case the creature that had appeared behind him. A creature that had sharpen claws, shark like teeth and horrible smell.

He sprint as fast as his thin leg would. In a direction unknown to him. As long as he was away from it he didn't mind. The screech he let aloud didn't spooked the creature away, instead it brought its kin outside the many houses he had passed. Scout's screamed louder.

One of the creature he was running from exited from the ground. Jarvis jumped above it. The Hellhounds of Ponyville weren't hiding, instead they investigated the high pitched tone that echoed through the street of their sanctuary. All they got was something running and screaming. To most of them it was one of their teens. But it gave them worry, as the alleged teenage hound was only skin.

The Boston youth kept running. With breath short, and sweat running down. His eyes moved left and right while he ran. Desperate search for somewhere safe to regain his breath. He found one. The Scout ran toward a building that retained a circular shape. Like many surrounding it, the building was olden, and in a condition which any one would labeled condemned. The building was barely roofed, the walls were violated with profanities written in paint. The fact the building was unsafe didn't stop the Boston youth taking shelter under its tattered roof and walls.

He ran through the door and swung it back closed. Scout then move furniture and debris in front of the door. Entrance blocked, he sat against a wall. Catching his lost breath slowly.

His heart beat began to slow. Sweat wiped from his face and forehead. He peeked outside through the broken windows of the structure. Outside, he can see a pack of Hellhound in front of a tree.

WOOF! WOOF!

The Hellhound baby ran towards him. The young hound leaped to the Bostonian lap.

"Shut up, boy," Scout scolded, "you're gonna get me busted ya mutt."

A voice from the darkened end of the building said, "Rufus where are you ?"

"Crap !" cursed Jarvis softly.

"Lil' brother c'mon outside," cooed the mysterious voice.

The voice were followed by footsteps. Steps that were closing in to where the Scout was. Jarvis moved to a nearby wall, hiding just next to an open door way with bat at the ready. The steps came closer and louder, with all fell silent he could hear someone was breathing beside him. It was close. Seconds became eternity, sweat became cold, and muscle stiffened.

WOOF!

"Oh there.."

TWACK!

"Home freakin' run !" the Scout cheered.

The bigger hellhound was on the ground in a moment notice. But Scout's victory was short lived. Although the hound he had struck with a baseball bat had sustained injury, it wasn't enough to put it down. It came to its feet once more with a menacing growl and the mixture of saliva and blood running down the hound's mouth.

Scout stared at his still conscious opponent, he muttered, "this ain't good."

Within seconds he found himself outside. He had been thrown through a window with a souvenir intact to his tiny build. Wound on his chest. Ignoring the pain he grabbed his fallen cap and began to sprint once more. This time there was a big dog after him.

For the second time Scout's high pitched cry for help reached the ears of those who had taken cover behind a rock. This time they came out charging. Led by Jane Doe, with guns at the ready they ran to the pack of Hellhounds in front of a huge tree. The hounds readied their weapons also. The result was a stand-off between men and hounds. Then more hounds came bursting out of the ground, adding to those involved in the stand-off. Surrounding the men in red. Neither men or hounds let out a shot.

"Lower your guns !" commanded one of the hounds.

The men took notice of the capability of speech of the hound. Though they were pointing guns at them, the Texan noticed that at first his Pip-Boy had labeled the hounds with the color of green. Now, those green blips was blinking red and green.

"Surrender now maggots and you will not be harm !" the Soldier announced.

Past Tale saw her savior encircled by the horrendous creature. She began to panic. The beige mare was now faced with decisions.
If she was to ran in and began picking off the hounds, the chance of death would be one to one. She was sure of it. If she was to ran away and called for reinforcement. Her saviors would likely be minced meat by the time she got back. Her eyes closed and tear began forming.

"Damnit ! Damnit ! Damnit !" she rasped, "Why ? Why again ?"

She opened her tears ladened eyes. A white Hellhound had appeared in front of her. Her horn glowed and her magic found her rifle. The merchant mare aimed, her shot was stopped by sweet sounding voice that told her not to. It came from a pegasus right beside the hound.

"Oh, are you okay ?" the sweet voiced mare asked.

Past Tale didn't budge from her position, her magic still held the rifle pointing toward the hound's head. The pegasus mare plead for her to lower her weapon but the merchant weren't in a position to comply. Then the albino hound moved toward the encircled men.

"Take another step and I'll blow your fucking head off dog," Past Tale warned.

The albino hound told her, "You do that pony and you will not see them live."

She didn't answer. But kept the rifle trained at the Hellhound's head.

The pink maned pegasus told her, "Please, trust him."

The beige mare faced the pegasus with eyes still wet. The pegasus nodded. The merchant mare magic slowly dissipate and the albino hound approached the surrounded men.

"Brothers, lower your weapon," the albino hound commanded.

The other hounds slowly comply. Eventually, all of them lowered their wide range of weaponry. The team also lowered their weapons. The albino Hellhound greeted them politely by calling the men clad in red their brothers also, their furless brother.

"Uhm," Scout said, "If ya all finished with the introduction I can really use a hand over here."

They all looked up to the tree they were standing in front of. Above their heads, on one of the branch was Scout. Holding the aging wood like he depended on it. He was, until the hound that had chased him loose interest and took interest to the rest of Jarvis' team mates.

Soldier ordered him, "Get down here right now Scout !"

"Uh I'm kinda stuck here Soldier can't ya..."

Before he finished, Soldier shot the branch. It snapped and let gravity took the young man to meet the ground.

"I'm good," Scout informed with a thumb in the air. The thumbs up quickly fell.

--- --- ---

The tension between the men and the hounds was quickly blown away. The white furred hound had announced that they weren't hostile in any way. The guns were replaced by friendly paws. Men gave back the hounds friendly palms. But the beige mare was reluctant to do so. Avoiding any kind of contact with the dogs. The hounds took them inside a store as rain started pouring down on the run down little town.

One of the white one asked Dell, "Well I never seen my kin have so much skin before."

Dell answer the best he could, "Uhm....we ain't exactly yer kin either...I think."

"Oh my. What happened to your fur ?" asked the pink maned pegasus.

"Ma'am, we ain't got fur," Dell explained, "only hair."

"Oh my that isn't good we have to get you checked and..."

"Team have no fur," Misha said, "only hair since we were babies."

Demoman complimented, "Yer English get'in better lad."

Heavy gave the black cyclops his gratitude through a simple thanks.

"Uh... we never got fur ma'am only hair," the Engineer, "and we're called humans."

"Humans..."the albino hound said, "well this would be the first."

"Can you tell me your names, If you don't mind that is," told the yellow mare.

"Ma'h name's Dell," he pointed to the others, "this is Tavish, Misha, Jane, and Viktor. The one ye got on the bed is Jarvis."

"What strange names," said the albino hound, "but what were you doing here in the first place ?"

Dell told the hound their intention of being in Ponyville. The hound apologized about the incident not long ago. Over bottles of colas, they talked about Ponyville. Dell was the first to asked. He told Dell most of the hounds here came from Splendid Valley, when it blew up the survivors were scattered all around the Wasteland. That was until the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy as the hound said, round up his brethren and transformed Ponyville into the sanctuary it is now. With the help of the newly formed NCR they were able to extradite the Raiders in Ponyville. It was also the reason that raiders activity had increased outside but not inside Ponyville.

They shifted their talk. Before it could happen the light flickered and went off. The hound stood up and told them he had to check on the generator. Dell asked whether if he could tag along, wanting to help, but also curious. The hound considered the offer, it was rude for a host to ask for help from the guests, but it was Dell who offered it. He accepted his offer and let the short creature known as Dell to come with him.

"You guys will be goin' anywhere ?" asked Dell to the team.

"Negatory !" announced the Soldier.

The rest shook their heads. Dell along with the hound walked out of the building and to the downpour outside. Today was different, the day brought nostalgia to the many that now reside within Ponyville. It was like the olden days. The days before the rainbow swept over the Wasteland. Past days before Balefire on Splendid Valley. Rain and thunder that would go on days without end. Days lived in fear and violence.

After being completely soaked by the raging water from the sky, the white hound and Dell found a dry spot inside a house right across the shack that held the town's electricity source. Dell sat on a couch. His bottom didn't met cushion. He took his eyes to what was between him and the couch. Bones of a pony and another much smaller than the first. Quickly he removed himself from the skeletons. Dell turned on the light on his Pip-Boy and shone a light to the shadow in the house.

The now Pip-Boy lit room revealed it's detail. The ceiling of the shelter they had took had paint chipping of it and in some spots water had seeped and dropped to the floor. The walls weren't in better condition either.

"The generator is just across the street," informed the albino hound.

Dell moved closer to the window the hound was looking from. He looked down to his Pip-Boy. The it showed him red blips just across the street. Dell turned his head to the hound. The hound just stared at him. The Engineer pointed to the direction of the shack and the hound followed the direction of the finger with his eyes. Swiftly they took cover behind the wall that held the window.

The Engineer pulled out his Rescue Ranger. He took a peek through the window, but it wasn't helping him. The darkening sky and rain didn't support visibility at the moment.

The hound asked, "See anything ?"

"Nope," the Engineer said.

Although there was nothing to see, Dell kept himself vigilant. Eyes trained on the shack. Lightning cracked. For a brief moment the street were lit up. They saw shadowy figures flanking the shack's door. Dell switch on the one feature his Pip-Boy had that he never used before. M.A.T.S.

All of it was new to the Texan. The screen zoomed and locked on to one of the dark figure across the street. He now knew that the figure was a four legged creature, as it was highlighted by his Pip-Boy, also decorated with percentage on each limbs. He thought it was just another pony.

"It's a pony," Dell told the hound.

The hound shook his head and said, "Ponies wouldn't venture this far into Ponyville."

There was a ruckus from the shack. Items being thrown and came clattering onto the floor, those sound reached the hound and Engineer pair of ears.

"Human turn your lights off," the albino hound told Dell.

The light on Engineer's Pip-Boy went off. When it did, the shack door was left open and the fading sound of hooves was heard among the rain and thunder. The mysterious figures had disappeared and so did the red blips. Both hound and man ran to the shack intending to investigate what were those figures doing. Without hesitation Dell rammed the door in with his shoulder.

They found the shack painted in blood. Inside the small structure that held the generator now held more than source electricity, it held two dead bodies. One was a Hellhound in overall, the other was a pony, clad in brown armor. Both had sustained fatal wounds and the evidence where those wound originated can be found within the shack. The blood covered claws of the deceased hound explained the dead pony. The pistol clamped loosely on the dead pony mouth explained the lifeless hound.

"Fluttershy have to know about this," the albino hound said.

--- --- ---

Scout went back to the world of consciousness. The young man found himself staring at the ceiling. He removed the blanket and sat on the bed. He put his hand on to his chest, it wasn't met by skin. He found himself wrapped in bandages on his chest. He tried to stand up. But it brought only pain. He tried again.

Half naked, he rose from the bed searching for his duffle bag. He found it hanging on an old hat hanger. Jarvis went through his bag, buried under the many Bonk! Atomic Punch cans was his Luger. He found his bat and hat in the room but not his shirt. The Boston youth opened a dresser, then a cabinet. Still no shirt.

Armed with only his Luger, Scout opened the door that separate him from the outside. He looked left and right before entering the hallway.

"You're awake," said a soft voice.

Scout jumped and turned around aiming at the source of the voice. The source let out an 'eep'. It indicated Scout that whatever he was aiming at wasn't a Hellhound. He opened his eyes and found a pink maned pony that has wing. The Boston youth put away his weapon, and apologized.

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry if I scared you," Fluttershy apologized.

"Eh no sweat this guy ain't afraid o' nothin'," Scout boasted, then asked, "You seen my clothes anywhere ?"

"Your friend is sewing it downstairs," the yellow pony pointed out, "But you really shouldn't be going anywhere."

Scout said, "Don't worry I've had worse."

He thanked the pony and found himself the way downstairs. The Scout emerged from the stairs to found that the ground floor of the building was also dark. Only a few spot were candle lit. One of them is a booth containing the people he had worked with for several years. Some weren't there when he got there.

"Hey where's Engie and Solly ?" asked the Jarvis.

Misha answered, "Engineer...Dell is out. Checking the power generator," the burly Russian continued, "Soldier is in kitchen cooking dinner.

Tavish gave him a thumbs up. Then the albino hound came barging in. He asked where was Fluttershy. Everyone shrugged, not knowing where was the butter yellow pegasus.

"What does it look like ?" asked the Scout.

"Pink mane pony," the albino hound told him.

"Upstairs," Scout said pointing to the ceiling.

The hound made a beeline for the stairs and disappeared into the second floor. Then their helmeted team member emerged from the kitchen through a double door with cans of bean wearing an grimy apron. Soldier served his team mates their ration for the day, along with some food that he had found in the kitchen. Next to came out of the kitchen was a female hound, serving the same menu as Jane did to the other hound inside, beans. Before devouring his meal, Scout noticed there was white topping on his tomato sauce and beans.

He asked, "What's the white stuff all about ?"

"Medicine, I know you need it soldier," said Jane.

Scout then tend to his ration without any question. As he ate there was a hint of mint. The albino hound and Fluttershy came downstairs in a fast pace. Without noticing anyone what they were in a rush for, hound and mare exited the building. Seeing them ran outside, curiosity ran high, followed by fear. Shortly after they left the power came back and the lamps brightness filled the building once more.

Outside, the albino Hellhound and Fluttershy quickly traveled to the generator shack. They reached the shack to find the power had came back and the Texan near the generator.

Dell told them, "Ah' turned the power back on. Whoever tried to cut it off did a rookie job."

The hound and Fluttershy weren't interested in the generator at the moment. They were more intrigued by the lifeless bodies inside the shack. The pink maned pegasus recognize the hound he was living in Ponyville, once lived, she corrected. The albino hound noticed the fact that the hound belonged to the sanctuary. Their junior mechanic. The dead pony, recognized by the armor attached, was a member of NCR.

The thought any member of the New Canterlot Republic military attacking Hellhounds this close to Ponyville was far fetch. They wouldn't kill a hound inside Ponyville, it was in the term of agreement Fluttershy had laid down to the NCR president, the albino hound thought. But yet the evidences were all in front of their eyes.

"They couldn't..." Fluttershy wept a little, "they wouldn't..."

The Engineer examined the scene. The Texan smelled something fishy. He sensed the scene he beheld wasn't natural. The wrench-beater kept examining area between the lifeless bodies.

"Somethin' ain't right here," he announced.

The albino hound gave him an odd look.

"Tell us what are seeing that we're not," the albino pleaded.

The Engineer asked, "Did ya hear any gunshot ?"

"No," the albino hound admitted.

The Engineer pulled away the gun clamped on the dead pony's mouth. He tried putting his fingers on to a firing position, it didn't work as the design didn't support the current wielder appendages. The Texan then ejected the gun's magazine and examined the round ready fire. He found that it was a caliber 12.7mm round, or a .50 Cal as he commonly called.

Dell let out a whistle and said, "This thing can blew anyone's brain out."

"And your point is ?" the albino hound inquired.

Dell explained, "This kinda bullets fits in a machine gun. Anyone stupid enough to be in front one o' these gonna have a really bad day. That ain't happenin' to yer friend there."

The albino hound raised a brow. He knew about guns, but he specialized in energy weapons. Anything concerning bullets wasn't really his forte. Dell gave him the pistol. He disassembled it. It was recently fired.

"Recently it maybe. But it sure ain't 'ere," Dell told the hound.

"Where are you going with this ?" the hound asked.

"Ah'm sayin' is that the pony didn't kill yer kin." He pointed out, "If he did. Yer friend's head would be gone by now."

It was true. The dead hound head was still intact with an hole between his dead eyes. It wasn't messy, rather it was a clean shot with no exit wound. There was no blood splattered on the wall behind the lifeless hound. Dell continued his explanation, unbeknownst to him he was saving a relationship. He told them that there was no way that the bullet in the deceased NCR trooper pistol would made that small of a hole on the dead hound's forehead.

"Then who did it ?" asked Fluttershy.

"That's the million dollar question." Dell added, "Ah' can get Mr. Viktor to check what happened fer ya ?"

"You do that," the albino hound told him.

Dell quickly departed from the shack back to the store where his team had gather. It was then Fluttershy and the albino hound alone in the shack. The former Ministry mare investigate the body of the dead NCR buck. She found an oddity on him, although she hated the sight of blood the yellow mare looked around the corpse. She was a little surprised when she didn't found any tag on the body. It was getting stranger by the minute.

The Engineer shortly returned with Medic following. He told what he knew so far about the scene and let the unlicensed doctor tend the scene. Viktor first observed the scene from afar then examined the wounds on each creatures. There were several 'ooh' and 'ah's emitted by the Medic. Fluttershy and the albino hound can only watch as the man in lab coat worked.

"I have come up with a conclusion," Medic announced.

Dell said, "Shoot it Doc."

"The cause of death for both is broken cervical spine," he informed them.

Dell and the hound stared dumbfounded.

Fluttershy said, "You mean their neck was broken."

"I'm impressed zhat something such as you know this. Yes their neck vas broken, ze bullet hole and gaping vound is just decoration," Medic told them.

"You're saying they weren't killed here ?" the albino hound asked.

"Ahaha. No, but zer is a possibility they were. But to know how did these two came here isn't within my range of skills." Medic said.

"I'm just glad it wasn't them." Fluttershy then told them, "We should give them a proper burial."

"We will," the hound agreed.

--- --- ---

Dell and Viktor came back to the store all soaked in rainwater. Both of them sat in the booth next to the others as it was fully occupied. Soldier cam and gave them their ration. Seeing that the Ten-Gallon wearing Texan had returned, Past Tale hopped off the booth and sat on where the Engineer and Medic was sitting. She ate her given meal in silent.

After diner was done, Scout gave the marinated Brahmin meat to the female hound that had served dinner. She then gave him caps which half of it snatched with the beige mare magic.

"Hey! I earned those caps!" Scout complained.

"I made the deal," she coldly stated.

Hearing how the mare said those word Scout said okay and back downed. He thought it was fair either way. Without the right connection he wouldn't be making those bottle caps as he would selling Tom Jones merchandises. The beige mare then moved towards the only creature she would gladly talked to.

"Thank you for everything but we have to go," she told Fluttershy.

"You shouldn't. It's dark and still raining out there." She offered, "I can give you a place to stay If you want."

"Thanks but no thanks," she declined.

The yellow pegasus said, "I insist. And that friend of yours is still healing."

"Can you just give him a healing potion or something ?" the beige mare asked.

"I wish I could but I'm not familiar with your friend kind," Fluttershy told Tale. "And beside Dell fixed the generator. Giving you and them a place to stay is the least I could do."

Past Tale looked back at the men in red. Friends. A word she hadn't heard in a long while. But she was unsure whether if she could afford another friend. Let alone six.

"I guess we could spend the night here," she said.

"I'll take you to your rooms," Fluttershy told her.

Following the pink maned mare outside into the rain. All six men and a mare walked to the the direction of another building. Another rundown looking building that was once an inn for travelers alike. The lobby was, like most the buildings in Ponyville, dark, dusty, creaky-floored and old. Fluttershy lit a candle and led them upstairs where their rooms were located.

All of the men picked a room. Except Jane who insisted on sleeping outside in the hall. But the rooms wasn't for one each. Viktor and Misha was in one room, Tavish and Jarvis ended up sleeping together. Dell and Past Tale took another.

Inside the room, Dell undressed himself until boxer short and shirt. He quickly flopped on to the bed and fiddled with his Pip-Boy once more. The bed was for two and Past Tale would have to share it with Dell in order to dwell the realm of dreams. She climbed the bed and lay beside the wrench beating Texan.

"You've been quiet lately. Anythin' botherin ya ?" Dell asked.

She answered, "It's nothing."

"Ya can tell me if ya want," Dell offered.

At first the mare hesitated. What was bothering her was something terrible. Something that had to do with the Hellhounds. She wanted her story to be heard. But the time and place wasn't the correct one at the moment. Yet there was the urge to do do. She turned her vision towards Dell.

"Can you...do that thing with my mane again ?" she asked.

"Uh...sure," Dell answered hesitantly.

The Engineer did what he was asked for. The Texan began combing the mare's mane, then his hand traveled downward and gave the beige pony a neck message. She was enjoying it. He was enjoying it.

Past Tale suddenly said, "I'm going to tell you what's bothering me. But promise me you're not gonna tell anyone else."

"Ah'm good at keepin' secret," he smirked.

She started the tale of a pony who had been close to her. The mare told Dell about the adventure of roaming another part of the wasteland that wasn't here. An adventure of scrapping history. A journey about a mare and a stallion jumping from one place and another to make a living out of anything they could find in the once irradiated land they called home. They weren't just selling scrap and junk but also stories held within those items held. Alas, those days ended with hound's claws through her companion's neck.

Their conversation went on through the night. The topics changed from time to time. From about the Wasteland to a little about the Badlands. At one point Dell told her the stories about killer robots. She had heard of them before. Unfortunately for her most gone unheard as her eyes became heavy and drifted into the realm of unconsciousness. The realm of dreams. Luna's realm.

Comments

[Wilfred Warfstache]

Is good, but needs some editing in the typos that pop up.

[Lion Tale]

"You've been quite lately. Anythin' botherin ya ?" Dell asked.

By the way, it's Quiet, not quite.
But other than that, it's pretty good!