Fallout: Equestria - Unity

by OrdDiff

Chapter Four: The Beginning

Chapter Four: The Beginning
“I’m sorry Pinkie, but I can’t tell y’all the truth! I just can’t!”

“Alicorn, I think you may have a problem.”

What’s that? Thanks to my telepathy, I did not have to stop drinking to answer Moon Shine’s question.

“We’ve been walking for three hours. How many Sparkle-Colas have you had in that time?” There was something odd in her voice.

Nine. Is there a problem? She deadpanned at me, and even Fizz raised his eyebrows. Do not worry, there is still plenty left in the crate. I looked back and smiled happily at the wheeled box trundling along behind us, full of sparkling bounty.

“No, that’s not the problem. You realise those are addictive, right?” Concern, that was what had been in her voice. She kept her eyes on mine as much as she could, looking away only to avoid tripping as we walked back to Broken Pillar. “What would you do if I took that bottle and emptied it?”

What? I would take another one and inquire as to why you would do such a thing.

She nodded. “You prioritised the drink. I ain’t judging you, everypony needs something.” She hopped over a small crag, and I felt a tiny twinge of fear around the hole. “Just, y’know, be aware that that supply is gonna run out a lot faster than you think.”

Hmph. You think we are dependent on this nectar? Preposterous!

“Alright then. I dare you to not drink another drop until we hit town.”

Very well! I took a sip of my cola. At Moon Shine’s exasperated glare, I spat it back out over the dirt. My heart sank as I watched the ground voraciously absorb the black gold. Moon tugged at my floating bottle and I yanked it away from her with my superior magic. Meeting her challenging gaze, reluctantly, I emptied it, watching the precious liquid pour out and splash over the parched ground. I will be fine. It is not as though I need it.

Moon half coughed, half laughed as she spoke. “Yeah, of course.” She shook her head as we walked, in the manner one would after watching the antics of a foal. I wasn’t sure I liked the motion. “Listen, back there in the resort. Those Steel Rangers, what’s your problem with them?”

I sighed. The Steel Rangers are a pre-war relic that insist on pretending they still represent the Ministry of Wartime Technology, or in some cases even Ministry Mare Applejack herself. It is an unfortunate coincidence that their pre-war authority by government decree is functionally similar to their post-war authority by ‘biggest gun’. Their nature is the reason why they, and not an organisation like the Pink Police, are the presence they are today.

“That doesn’t explain why they hate you.” she countered.

The Rangers are easily threatened. The Goddess is great and powerful, and the Rangers fear her. When she offered her hoof in friendship, they rejected her. When she tried to help the other ponies of the wastes, they attacked her to keep their position of power. Steel Rangers, along with gryphons, are the only ones who can realistically challenge a flight of alicorns.

Moon Shine nodded. “I’m guessing that when a bunch of you get together, you end up greater than the sum of your parts, right?” I confirmed her theory. “So an individual Ranger can take on an alicorn but three alicorns will pound three Rangers.”

A crude way of putting it, but yes. Rangers typically shoot our kind on sight, and you saw Parmesan’s armament. I recalled his grenade launcher and the complicated mechanics needed to operate it. While strictly inferior to alicorn magic, it was an impressive feat of technology and awesome to behold in action.

“We’ll be avoiding them, then.” We agreed, and continued on.

We needed to camp before reaching Broken Pillar, and luckily Moon Shine knew of a cave not too far off our path. Fizz circled us way up high, relishing the open air. He had been in that underground room for so long. Had he been conscious all that time? Did he remember who he once was? All of that seemed to fade away as I watched him playing, doing flips and rolls, flying this way and that. It brought a smile to both Moon Shine’s face and mine.

We reached the cave not long after nightfall. It had been difficult to stop myself from consuming more Sparkle-Cola, but I had resisted well enough. Fizz and I kept watch while Moon set up camp, including her alarm talisman.

Where did you get that? I have never seen such a trinket. It was a small thing that appeared to be made of marble, with small blue sapphires encrusted near its tip.

“Found it at the bazaar over in High Buck, a way’s south-east from here. Cost me almost the entire pay I got from a job down there,” she stopped talking to set it up manually with her mouth, “but Luna damn me if it wasn’t worth it. It wakes me if anything approaches, which gives me enough time to get to safety.”

I looked at the little device while she laid the bedrolls out. Such an item would be of great aid to Unity’s forces, should we be able to replicate it. With the great minds of Unity, and the magical power of the Goddess, that would be child’s play.

Fizz walked past me and into the cave upon smelling Moon Shine opening a tin of beans. I too felt the pangs of hunger and joined them. “This one’s for nibbling while I get the fire going,” she warned, “and I’ll heat the rest.”

She’d been collecting firewood as we travelled, carefully probing each dead branch to ensure it was actually dead. She prepared our campfire, using stones to prevent it from spreading further than we wanted. As she struggled with her flint and steel, I told her to stand back. First she was confused, then she was startled as a bolt of lightning from my horn kickstarted our little blaze. She pouted at me adorably and started cooking. I smiled and left her to it; I would be of no help to her now.

* * * * *

Rise, my child…

Rise… and fall.

Leave!

* * * * *

I awoke in a sweat. Night had fallen, and the fire was nearly dead. After I’d fallen asleep, Fizz had curled up against me. Moving as carefully as I could so as not to disturb his gentle slumber, I rose and shakily crept to the open cave mouth.

I levitated a cola from within the cave and made myself comfortable, I was unlikely to sleep again until tomorrow. Sitting by the large, empty world, I found uncomfortable thoughts worming their way into my mind. Doubt that I would make it back home, fear of the unknown wastes, loneliness…

“Alicorn?”

I’d forgotten about the alarm talisman. I apologise, I did not mean to wake you.

Moon Shine quietly sat next to me. She noticed the Sparkle-Cola, but thankfully did not say anything about it. “Don’t worry about it. This is the second time you’ve snuck away in the night though. Something wrong?” She looked up at me with caring eyes.

Of course not. We are fine.

“Because if there is something wrong, I ain’t gonna think less of you for it.” She was probing, and I did not like it.

We said there is nothing wrong.

“Alicorn, if you -”

We are lonely! I snapped with a fraction of the Goddess’ fury and she recoiled harshly away. I am sorry, but you couldn’t possibly understand.

“Oh, I’m not enough, am I?” She challenged me.

No! I mean, yes. We… Seeing her angry and hurt made me sink so much further. You are different. You are not one of us.

Her expression softened. “Alicorn, why do you sometimes say ‘we’ instead of ‘I’?”

I sighed. How could I explain? When I talk about being connected to Unity, I am speaking literally. When connected, there is no meaningful ‘I’ to speak of. When one of us thinks, we all hear. When one of us acts, we all act. We share our knowledge and our power. If one of us is unsure, ten more will act for her. When we speak to an outsider, they speak to us all at once.

In the Unity, we are not bound to a single body. If one of our skills is needed elsewhere, we will travel along the connection into another. If we do not know the spell, one who does will take our place. And always we hear the voice of the Goddess.

I looked straight into Moon Shine’s eyes, and she stared back into mine. It’s so quiet.

I tensed as she sprang, then melted as she swung her hooves around me. She buried her head in my neck, wrapped her legs around my body and shared her simple warmth. A tear fell from my eye into her yellow mane. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Her muffled voice comforted me in a way I had not felt before.

Thank you. Your companionship is different. It is… unspoken. We are separate, and yet I trust you anyway. I feel concerned when I can’t see you and relieved when you come back. I sighed, struggling to find my words. I do not understand it.

She squeezed me tighter and laughed into my chest. “I think you’re discovering a little thing called ‘friendship’. Hold onto it. Not many ponies have it these days.” Her voice was like silk in my ears.

I looked back out into the empty wasteland. What a terrible way to live.

-----

The morning came quickly. Moon Shine had fallen asleep on me, but said nothing of me floating her back to her bed. Being close to town, and hence other ponies, we decided it would be best if I were to don my dress before leaving. After ensuring the others were not looking, I slipped the midnight blue garment over my head, noticing with cool satisfaction that the fabric barely aggravated my wing as I pulled it on. I would have to try flying again later.

As Moon Shine and I walked, with Fizz floating overhead again, I noticed something. The cloud cover appears to have thinned overnight.

Moon looked up then nodded. “Yup. The pegasi don’t farm this part of the sky, something about air pressure or something, so they keep it closed just out of spite.”

I frowned. Why would they do that? Expending resources on petty vindication does not befit an organisation like the Enclave. Moon Shine clicked her tongue in agreement.

“Met a Dashite a while ago, one of those Enclave pegasi that’s had enough of their shit. Apparently, the local branch is under pressure to keep the cover up to stay in line with the rest of them. They tell the populace that it’s for their protection, so that the mutants on the surface don’t break into the sky.” My jaw dropped, that couldn’t possibly be right. “Thing is, most of the ponies up there believe it.” The pity in her voice was clear.

I looked up, able to just make out the glow of Celestia’s sun behind the barrier. The Goddess will change that.

“How?” she asked, seemingly half skeptical and half curious.

I don’t know, but the Goddess will. I was sure of it. Moon Shine was less convinced, but that did not matter. The Goddess could accomplish anything, regardless of whether or not ponies believed she could.

“If you say so.” she said with detachment.

We continued our journey back to town in companionable silence, broken only by the occasional small talk. I drank another Sparkle-Cola, and Moon Shine warned me against another. Fizz flew back down to rest and tried to ride in the cola box before I shooed him off. By noon, we were approaching Broken Pillar. I looked forwards to seeing the barpony again; perhaps I would catch his name this time.

“Hold up, Alicorn.” Moon Shine blocked me with her hoof and spoke in hushed tones. “See that group coming out the gate?” We crouched down as she pointed. Seeing the ponies she was talking about, I nodded. “Slavers. We really don’t want to tangle with them.” There were at least twenty of them, and they all appeared to be wearing barding. They moved slowly away from the town, heading south-east. I tried to get a closer look, to see if there were any gryphons with them, but they were too distant to make out such a detail.

Once they had passed, Moon Shine felt confident enough to move again. “There might be some left in town, so I really don’t want to stay too long. When we get in, I’ll go sell our stuff and get your cultist out of jail, you go to Doc Kindhoof’s and see if you he can teach you anything, maybe sell you a book. I’ll come find you as soon as I can and we can leave.”

I knew that slavers were not liked by many ponies, but this seemed excessive. Why are you so anxious about this?

She hesitated. “I’ll explain later, when we’re miles away from them.”

We entered the town quickly, trotting under the large wooden sign. Moon pointed me towards a relatively new wooden building, emanating a slight stench of blood. I hoofed our goods over to her and bid her a temporary farewell. As she struggled with the weight of our salvage, Fizz and I entered the bloody clinic side by side.

The inside was very much what I’d expected. There was pony blood on most of the surfaces, the vast majority of it being many weeks old. There were a few chairs for waiting ponies, a counter with a cash register, and the operating area. That area held a surgical table, complete with unconscious pony, various medical implements, a bookshelf and a very, very tired looking unicorn in a medic’s gown.

“Unless your face is falling off, come back tomorrow.” The blue stallion was old, and his aggressive voice did not hide it. “Is your face falling off?” He turned to face me, and Fizz started growling.

Hold, Fizz. He is not our enemy. He calmed instantly, but stayed wary of the doctor.

“Shit, was that what I think it was?” The doctor approached almost instantly, throwing me off guard. “That was telepathy you were using, I recognise the waves. You… you’re an alicorn, ain’t you?” No! I looked back to my wings, I thought I’d hidden them! I had. “Never forget an aura. Don’t worry, ain’t got nothing against your kind if you ain’t here to cause trouble.” I felt inclined to believe the old stallion. “Pleasure to meet you. Folks call me Doc Kindhoof, on account of it being my name.”

You may call me Alicorn. Seeing his raised eyebrow I quickly added an addendum. As my name, not as a title.

That seemed to satisfy the doctor. “Alright then. Pleasant enough. Say, you up for helping your fellow pony for once?”

What do you mean?

He led me to the operating table, and Fizz followed near behind. “This lass needs a major regen spell, but I can’t cast it without frying myself.”

The pony on the table was in a bad way. It took a moment for my eyes to separate the red of her coat from the crimson of her blood. Her body was covered in cuts and holes, and one of her eye sockets was horribly empty. From the mass of scarlet lead piled up around her, I could only imagine at the internal damage. There was a heavy gash splitting her cutie mark, a pair of bloody intertwined doves. She breathed unsteadily, and her legs twitched. What happened?

“Hunter here got in a firefight, and got majorly fucked up. I owe her a favour, so she didn’t die on the spot. It took almost all my energy just to stabilise her, and that’ll wear off in a few hours if she don’t get some proper mojo in her.” The doctor levitated a leather-bound spellbook from the shelf. “Can’t use healing potions on account of her bones being snapped, an’ I don’t have the power to fix ‘em.” He flipped through the pages and set the book on a stand so he could read it without having to hold it aloft. I began to grasp what he wanted to do.

You intend to cast a matrix with me? Because of our unique telepathic nature, green alicorns were naturally able to cast spells simultaneously with other casters with ease. It was one of the things I’d most enjoyed with my sisters.

“That’s the plan. Used to use ‘em all the time back in Tenpony.” He stopped flicking on a page with various magical diagrams and symbols. “Found it! It’s a simple spell, just channels restorative magic into key areas. Lacks the finesse of higher level stuff, but it’s the most thorough process you can find. Cranking it up to eleven should do the trick.” He proffered the page for me to read. It seemed simple enough.

You will be acting as leader? He confirmed with a nod. It was always best to have the magician most familiar with the spell shaping the magic. I took up position opposite the doctor with the injured pony, Hunter, between us.

“Okay, you ready?” I nodded. He took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Constructing spell matrix.” His horn lit up with a white aura, growing steadily in power. The gentle hum of magic built into a powerful whine as more and more magic was funneled through the unicorn. Just before the first overglow appeared, the magic leveled out and stabilised. “Matrix constructed.”

Now it was my turn. Augmenting matrix. My own horn started glowing green. My light quickly overpowered the doctor’s, giving the entire room a hazy green hue. A large ball of power slowly crawled up my horn and escaped through the tip, floating over the unconscious pony before splitting into three. I had to close my eyes to keep my concentration on the intense magic flowing all throughout my body. I arranged the orbs to reflect the doctor’s pattern, providing the magic of three ponies. Matrix augmented.

“Casting spell.”

My magic beamed straight into the unicorn’s horn, and the patient began to glow bright green. I felt my raw power being processed into healing energy, my life force being used to replenish somepony else’s. Bones snapped back together, flesh made itself whole once more. Her heart grew stronger, her breath came back, her vision…

Her missing eye was taking far more energy than the rest of her. I pushed more and more, but it refused to regrow. I pushed harder. I dimly heard a voice, but it didn’t matter. I had the power, I could bring her sight back. I pushed even harder. My horn started to spark, to hurt, but I had to push harder. I was strong enough!

Crack!

I fell to the ground. Fizz lay atop me, panic and worry all over his face. The doctor was swearing and injecting himself with something. I looked up to see my horn smoking, blackened near the tip. I… I’m sorry.

“Sorry?” The doctor came right up in my face. “You’re fucking sorry!?” He started pacing angrily around the room and Fizz put himself between me and him. “You just did in thirty seconds what I would have needed a day to do!” I rose to my hooves, shaking unsteadily on uncertain legs. The red pony was… fine. Her hide was unblemished, her breathing easy, her coat clean. Those two doves on her flank were white once more. I’d done it! I’d healed her!

Then she turned her head. No, I hadn’t healed her, not properly. Her left eye was still gone, and I would never be able to revive it. I’m sorry.

The doctor groaned in frustration. “I was trying to tell you, she lost her eye years ago! It’d take a megaspell to regrow it now. No sense in burning yourself out trying to bring it back.” As I watched her breath rise and fall, I tried to convince myself that he was right.

-----

As payment for the service provided, Doctor Kindhoof was, well, kind enough to lend me a medical spellbook. It contained some basic information on medicine and pony anatomy, as well as the formulae required to cast basic healing spells. I promised to return it when I could but he dismissed my offer, saying something about ‘permanently borrowing’ it; as if that made any sense.

We spoke for a while, talking about magic and how it was related to pony physiology. Despite some of the medical terminology flying over my head, it was highly enjoyable to discuss such a topic with a pony who knew what he was talking about. I had never before considered that ponies outside of Unity could have a professional knowledge of such a specialised field. He explained the rudimentals of health casting in a patient voice, apparently thankful for an attentive student.

As I attempted to explain the difference between the drain of a standard spell matrix cast by unicorns and the joint casting performed by a group of alicorns, a deflated Moon Shine sluggishly appeared at the door.

Ah, you are back. She gave me a look and coughed. Do not worry, the doctor is aware of me.

“I see. Hello, doc.” She greeted informally. She and he exchanged polite nods of the head before she continued. “We have a problem.”

What is it?

“The cultist is gone.” She preempted my next question. “The slavers took him as part of their protection money. Mayor Cufflinks said he didn’t know what they wanted with him, but he was apparently in no position to argue.” The bile she said the mayor’s name with was audible. “I can’t get you home.”

That... Was it necessarily a problem? I thought for a moment, but the solution was perfectly simple. Then we follow the slavers and retrieve him.

She balked at me, and even Kindhoof looked skeptical. “Did I hear that right?” Moon asked. “You’re actually willing to follow the most dangerous ponies in the wasteland into their own territory and steal one of their prisoners?”

Of course.

“But that’s suicide!” Moon Shine exclaimed.

“Pardon me,” Kindhoof interrupted, “but I seem to missing something.” I looked quizzically at the doctor. “You want to go home?” I nodded. “To Maripony?”

I looked at him in suspicion. What? You know where Maripony is?

“Not directly, but I studied in Tenpony. It was rather hard to avoid hearing about your Goddess’ antics.” He smirked, but ceased when I reacted to his contempt. “Sorry. The point is, I know that Maripony is near Tenpony, and I know where Tenpony is.”

That would take me close enough that I could reunite with my sisters. I could go anywhere in that region, I didn’t have to find Maripony specifically! Then, you can provide me with directions? He nodded, and I fought the urge to bounce.

“Wait, you’re just going to leave?” Moon asked.

Yes. That has been my goal from the start. Why?

“What about the cultist? You’re just going to leave him?” I wasn’t sure I understood the tone of her voice.

I thought that would please you. We were only locating him to secure passage to Maripony. Now it is obvious that there are other ways home. Why didn’t she look happy about that?

“But, you were willing to go and save him. You were going to do it.” she said, her voice laced with disappointment.

I hesitated. Yes…

“So what’s changed? You were gonna go save somepony,” she accused, “but now you won’t because he’s no longer useful to you?” But, of course! That was how things were done. There was no reason for me to try and go after him, so why did I feel like I should?

I… I’m confused.

Moon sighed in relief. “That means you know what you have to do.” she said with conviction.

Yes. My instincts were telling me that I should rescue our cultist, and in the absence of the Goddess my instincts were my moral compass. As always, you are correct. Moon’s eyes and smile grew wide. I will find him and bring him back. We will shield him from those who would wish him harm.

Will you come with me?

She nodded. “Thank you, Alicorn.”

Fizz nuzzled my sides, and I chuckled at him. Will you come with me too? He didn’t nod, or respond properly at all. Thank you, Fizz.

“Your choice. Normally I’d throw the book at you for being so foolhardy, but you’d probably catch it.” Kindhoof shuffled to take position behind the counter, a grin slowly creeping onto his aged face. “Tell Walker I sent you if you need a room for tonight, he owes me a favour. If you’re still in town when she wakes up, I’ll let Hunter know it was you who saved her.”

We thanked the doctor again and left. As we walked away from the clinic, my heart was racing. We were going to do good! We had seen a problem, and we were going to fix it. The Goddess would be so proud of us.

* * * * *

No…

Leave her.

* * * * *

Telling Walker, the barpony, that Kindhoof had sent us had quite an effect. He gave us free lodging and breakfast, and even a free Sparkle-Cola! The three of us sat round a table in the bar, empty save for the barpony himself during the morning lull. He respected our privacy, conspicuously turning his back to our conversation.

“So those are our options. We either go straight to their headquarters in Maine and force them to let our pony go,” Moon Shine did not seem overly enthusiastic about that idea, “or we travel to High Buck to gather some information on them first.” I wasn’t convinced that the second option was great either.

What would we gain by the detour if we already know where they are based?

Moon scratched her chin. “Honestly, I’m not sure. We might get other locations, or maybe a caravan route. We have the money from selling the talisman, maybe we can straight up buy him from them.”

That was utterly repulsive. I will not strike a deal with those fiends. She shrugged in response.

“I just don’t want to go in blind, that never bodes well. At least if we go to High Buck first, we always have the direct assault option as a back up. Can’t say the same if we do it the other way around.” She made a good point. “The two places are rather close anyway, we’ll only lose a day or two if we go by the city.”

Tell me about this High Buck. You’ve mentioned it before.

“Aye, because it’s a great place.” She seemed wistful. “Massive settlement built out of the outskirts of the city, with trade links to most of the wastes. We even get caravans coming from the Crystal Tundra! They bring in a lot of gems and metal, and we use the old Vanhoover facilities to build things.” She was rather enthusiastic about the topic.

We? I asked playfully.

Moon feinted a gunshot wound. “Aah, you caught me. Here I was trying to keep my past mysterious and shrouded, and you go and figure out where I come from. I was - what was that?”

As a group our ears twitched; there was somepony shouting outside. Moon Shine’s aura appeared around her holstered revolver and I readied a shield spell with my still-aching horn. Moments passed, but nothing happened. Moon relaxed, but I still felt wary. “Right, yes. As I was saying -”

“Alicorn!” I heard the aggressive shout coming from the doorway and placed myself between my companions and the offender. “Where’s that Luna damned alicorn?” Standing on the threshold was the red earth pony from before, frantically scanning over the bar. Her violet eye widened when she saw me, and she raced straight at me! “You! Y’all going after the slavers?”

We…

“Are y’all going after the slavers!?” She bellowed into my face and my shield came up reflexively. “Well?”

I hastily tried to regain my composure. I could feel Moon Shine and Fizz behind me just as confused as I was. I picked up their slack. Yes. Do you intend to stop us? I had my shield up, and she wouldn’t be expecting a horn sandwich…

“Ah’m coming with you. Get your shit and move.” She pointed to our saddlebags and snorted impatiently.

“What? Wait, wait a second.” Moon Shine’s soft voice soothed my ears after the red earth pony’s vocal assault. “What’s going on?”

She barged past me to glare at Moon Shine, and it took all of my self control to not blast her right there. “Y’all deaf or stupid? You’re going after the slavers, ah’m tagging along.”

Moon took a small step back before answering. “Says who?” She anticipated the intruder’s answer. “By which I mean, who are you?”

Her eyes were hard, guarded. “Hunter. Name’s Hunter.” Even I could tell she was lying, but it was what Kindhoof had called her yesterday. Speaking of which…

Are you sure you should be exerting yourself in such a manner? Your injuries were severe.

“Royal Cadenza, ah’m fine! Y’all sound just like the doctor. Get your shit together and meet me outside. Ah’ll be leaving at noon whether y’all are with me or not.” She flagged for a moment, losing some of her angry momentum. “Thanks, by the way. Appreciate what y’all did.” I nodded in approval, and she kicked the ground in frustration. “Fuck it. Ah’ll be waiting at the gate.”

At that, she turned and left, flicking her short fiery mane at us as she did. None of us could take our eyes off her as she walked away. Walker exchanged a quiet word with her as she reached the door, but it was beyond my hearing.

Moon Shine turned to me with confused eyes. “What just happened?”

I tried to figure it out myself. I think we just gained a follower. Seeing her shaken like that worried me. Are you alright?

“Yeah, sure. Just a bit shocked.” She took a deep breath and shook. “What do you think? Do we let her come?”

Should we? Having more help would certainly be appreciated. I had seen first hand how hardy she was, earth pony magic at its finest, so I would not need to worry so much about her getting into trouble. Though if she acted like that around potential foes, her getting into trouble would be the least of my worries. Would she cause more problems than she was worth? Moon Shine’s skills were rather subtle, would the earth pony’s presence make her job harder? On the other hoof, what choice did we have in the matter? It was clear that saying ‘no’ would not dissuade her, and without attacking her we’d have no means of stopping her from coming with us. If she was as capable as her confidence suggested… “Alicorn?”

On the third hoof, there was something about the way she’d acted in the bar. She didn’t flinch at my telepathy, nor at my shield. There was a line between fearlessness and courage, and her behaviour fell on the former. What was wrong with her? She’d been near-fatally wounded yesterday, and now she was running straight into the next fight. She said she’d go by herself if we didn’t take her with us. Would she be okay on her own? Somehow I doubted it. When I helped Doctor Kindhoof heal her, I made an unspoken promise to make her better. Clearly I wasn’t finished.

Yes. We will talk with her, and then we will take her with us.

Moon seemed uncertain, but she acquiesced. “If you’re sure. I’ll get my things ready, you finish your breakfast.” Her eyes lingered on my drink longer than I was comfortable with.

-----

When we met Hunter by the gates, she had acquired rather a lot of equipment. She was covered neck-to-tail in barding and had a pair of goggles hanging around her neck. Her saddlebags lacked the telltale bulge of being overstuffed, but she had guns and bullets strapped all over her body for easy access. From the way she looked and moved, I found her nom de guerre rather believable.

“You sure about this?” Moon Shine asked, a modicum of fear in her voice.

Yes. Of the three ponies in this town that I have met, three have been unconcerned by my form. I held my body proud, no longer hiding my powerful wings underneath the delicate dress.

Moon Shine did not share my confidence. “You’ve met two nutjobs and one of the nicest ponies in the wastes, they’re not exactly representative of the population.” I ignored her, she was just paranoid. Besides, we were leaving and I did not want to ruin my dress if we found a fight. Fizz was staying close to me, as he was wont to do when danger abounded. Clearly Moon Shine had gotten to him. “Case in point.” She pointed to an alleyway with her black armoured hoof; she’d found some paint after all. The pink pony looked out of place in the pre-war security barding. “You’re supposed to follow the line of my leg, not stare at my hoof.”

Oh! I, I was simply inspecting you. Why did I feel myself changing colour?

She visibly relaxed and chuckled, and I found myself turning even redder. “Silly filly. There was somepony watching us over there, but they’re gone now. Let’s go before they come back.”

We approached the gate and our potential companion, who was tapping her bright red hoof impatiently. “‘Bout time y’all got here. You fillies ready?” Fizz cocked his head.

“Yep.” Moon replied. “You know where we’re going?”

“Maine,” she said, “obviously.”

I am afraid that is not the case. Hunter snapped her head around to glare at me, but I did not back down. That path holds too much risk for uncertain gain. We will go to High Buck to gather information, to meet ponies and to plan. I stared down at the earth pony, meeting her resolve. But you, however, will not. Moon’s mane flicked as she spun her head around in surprise.

“Ah told y’all -” she tried to interrupt, but I would not be silenced.

You have not told us anything. A day ago you almost died, now you are using us to try again. She balked. I carried on. I will not allow those in my care to come to harm. Should you wish to come with us, I demand two things in return. The first is for you to do your utmost in protecting the group. That includes, without limitation, not starting unnecessary battles. The second is for you to be forthcoming and honest about your intentions.

Hunter was stunned. It was clear from her shock that nopony had spoken to her in such a way for some time. “Alright. Y’all need to know? Slavers got mah sis. There’s your sob story. Can we go now?”

I nodded.

“No, that’s not everything.” Moon Shine interjected. “You’re not a very good liar. There’s more to it than that.”

What?

“Ah don’t need to prove mahself to you!” She huffed and turned, and Moon ran around with her.

“You do now. You want to come with us, you at least tell us why.” Moon spoke with an authority I hadn’t heard from her diminutive frame before. “What do you want?”

“Why do y’all care so much?” Hunter shouted back.

“What is your problem? We can’t travel together if we can’t trust you.” I considered stepping in, but Moon’s words were so much more concise than mine.

“Let’s hear your big complicated past then.” Hunter retorted. Moon Shine went silent. “Didn’t think so.”

Moon Shine hesitated for a mere moment. “Okay. If that’s what it’ll take to get you to open up, fine.” she said, her voice eerily flat. Hunter hesitated, not expecting acquiescence. “I’m travelling with Alicorn because she makes it very easy for me to do good.”

Huh?

“When I travel by myself, I find it difficult to justify not acting in my own best interest. I don’t pay any attention to the consequences of my actions because, in my eyes, I need to do them to increase my odds of survival.” As she spoke, emotion started to creep into her words. “Looking back now, I’ve done some really bad things. I’ve sold out caravan locations to ponies of ill repute so that I could afford better equipment. I convinced a stallion to scavenge somewhere else because I knew that the building he wanted to pick through held Stable-Tec technology. The reason I was worried about coming into town with those slavers about?” She struggled to look me in the eye. “I was worried they’d recognise me and reveal to you that I’d worked with them before.”

I stared in horror at the little pink pony before me. You dealt with slavers?

She nodded, grimly. “I’ve done some soft work for them, building relations with merchants and negotiating discounts, convincing guards to let them take their, erm, cargo into towns. I’ve never fired a gun for them, and I’ve never slapped a bomb collar on anypony, but I might as well have.” The guilt in her words was heavy, as it should be. “I didn’t think of it as bad when I was doing it. It was just business. Whenever I thought back to it and started regretting, I told myself that it was just business and the guilt went away.

“But around you, it’s different. You make me want to help ponies. If you were there, I’d have shown that stallion how to get around Stable-Tec’s auto locks. I would have told the bandits to get stuffed.” She sagged, looking even more deflated than before. “I would have tried to free the ‘cargo’.”

I knew what I had to do. I make it easy for you to do the right thing? Being around me gives you a moral compass?

She nodded. “I know I should have one myself, but it just doesn’t work.”

Hunter groaned in frustrated exasperation at Moon Shine. “Sweet Celestia, do you -”

Be silent.

She froze and was silent. She didn’t matter right now. I looked down at Moon Shine and raised her chin with a hoof, forcing her to look me in the eyes. I ask of you two questions. First, will you do your utmost to protect the group?

Confusion, and then understanding bloomed on Moon Shine’s face. “Yes.” she said.

And what are your intentions? Be honest and forthcoming.

“I want to become a better pony and help you do what you think is right.” she proclaimed with a smile.

Then you may travel with us. Welcome, Moon Shine. She squee’d and embraced me in a light hug and I responded in kind, albeit slightly more dignified. Fizz joined in, throwing his rotten legs around us in friendly contact. I looked over their heads at the baffled red pony before me. Well?

Hunter looked unsure as to what to say, so she stumbled with her words. As our group hug slowly ended, she seemed to grasp what was happening. “Alright, y’all are weird, but ah guess ah should at least tell y’all why ah’m coming with you. Just, ah can’t tell you everything.” At my raised eyebrow, she quickly added, “At least, not right now. It’s personal.”

It would do for the mean time. Very well. As before, will you do your utmost to protect the group? What are your, I searched for the right word, immediate intentions?

She bowed her head lightly in thanks. “Ah’ll make sure nopony fucks you up, and mah intention is to get some revenge on the bastard who took mah sister from me.” Despite all her bravado, the conviction with which she said her goal was clear. With that, for now, I was satisfied.

Then you may travel with us. Welcome to the group, Hunter.

---

Footnote: Level up!
New Perk: Additional Vocation

You ain’t a one-trick pony after all. You’ve gained some rudimentary instruction in another school of magic, and can now learn new spells.

Comments

[Need More Gore]

Lol poor alicorn suddenly group leader, and having some very intresting feelings about moonshine.

[Yoater]

Nice to see another green alicorn story. Just an idea you might want to consider. When speaking with the We, Us and Our, it might be better to capitalize them. As an example: Because we cannot do that. Because We cannot do that. The first sounds like she's talking about her and some other ponies while the second is referring to herself.

[OrdDiff]

4385730 Thanks for the comment! I like your idea, and my initial reaction was 'of course, the royal 'We' is capitalised for that very reason'. The more I thought about it however, when Alicorn says 'we', she's not using it like, for example, Princess Luna used it. She's using it, as force of habit, to mean all of Unity or, in other words, herself and some other ponies.

[SuperMattor]

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[The dragon hunter]

I really hope to see this story continues

[AlmanacP]

Your book has been advertised on the new facebook group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foebooks/ :)