Gritt

***** ***** *****

Goofball

***** ***** *****

"Since you're ten now, I expect ten times the effort at the range. Specialist Jade is waiting for you." That was it? That was all she had to say? To be fair, it was more than she'd say to me on most days, unless she was mad.

"Yes, ma'am." I finished my biscuit, and slipped into my uniform. Even after attempts were made to tailor it, the black fabric still hung loosely from my scrawny body. I'd surely grow into it any day now.

Heading downstairs, through our quarters at the Fun Farm, I found Jade waiting at the ground floor exit. She was tall, and had green eyes like mom, but that's where the similarities ended. Her coat and feathers were a mix of vibrant greens and dark blues, which were juxtaposed against the suit of black combat armor she wore. A 10mm pistol was strapped to her thigh, an anti-machine rifle was slung around her midsection, and I could see a notepad and set of binoculars sticking out of the pouch on her side.

She tossed me the case my own rifle was kept in, a standard .308 hunting rifle with the most basic scope imaginable. Even after bracing myself, I nearly fell backwards catching it. I tried to hide my embarrassment as I slung it on.

"Are you ready, cadet?" She smiled at me like she usually did, though it seemed a little warmer today.

"Yes, specialist." I smiled back. She turned and trotted out, and I followed.

*****

I'd lived with the industrial scent of Fillydelphia my whole life. The aroma of ash, chemicals, and blasted steel had been hitting my nostrils ever since I hatched, and I still wasn't used to it. Grimacing, I unfurled my wings and took flight as Jade did. It was early enough in the morning to still be quite dark, but my natural night vision made it easy enough to follow her as she banked... north?

"Aren't we going to the range, specialist?" I was confused, since mom made it pretty clear that was today's itinerary. It had been for almost every day for four years, ever since I was physically capable of operating a rifle. My mom had found the one thing her weak little runt of a son showed talent at, and was hell-bent on making me the best at it.

Jade shook her head. "You've outgrown the one in the metro tunnel. You're ready for sightlines longer than five hundred yards. I've got a new one set up for us."

*****

My trainer took me out into the deserted boneyards of the city, beyond the factories where unfortunate ponies toiled. Something I was thankful to not have many up-close experiences with. After a few minutes of quiet flying, we touched down on a rooftop that had already been set up with rolls and sandbags.

I looked out at the empty husks stretched out ahead of us, once buildings that made up a great city. "Where are the targets?"

The specialist chuckled and laid prone in her spot. I followed suit and started getting my rifle ready. "You'll have to find them. Targets won't just announce their location in a real battle, and as overwatch, it's your job to take them out before they take your fellow Talons out." She readied her binoculars and notepad. "I will tell you there are ten of them, between ranges of two hundred fifty yards and one thousand yards. I'll also tell you I started the timer twenty seconds ago."

My eyes went wide as I hastily set out fifteen rounds, opened my bolt, loaded one, closed the bolt, and searched through my eight-times optic. It was difficult in the low light, but I eventually made out a plywood cutout of a raider pony caricature. Seven hundred yards... Account for windage and elevation... Control my breathing... Squeeze the trigger...

Crack!

"Good impact. That's one." In my peripheral vision, I could see Jade smirk as the supersonic round turned the wooden pony's scrunched nose into a gaping hole.

As that target fell backwards from the force of the shot, I scanned for another. Ah, There's-! No, this one was painted to be a griffon, with a white Talon insignia on its chest. Damn, she put up do-not-shoots? Scoffing, I kept looking. Sure enough, I found more targets, both valid and invalid. You can't trick me, specialist. One by one, the remaining nine targets went down.

*****

I felt Jade pat my shoulder. "Final time, forty-seven seconds. And not one wasted round. Fantastic job, cadet." She pouted. "I'll have to step up my game next time. I was really hoping to give you a real challenge."

I smirked smugly and eye-balled the massive gun she had stowed away. "Well..."

Her face hardened. "No, you'll hurt yourself."

I groaned. "But!"

"Cadet Gritt!" Jade didn't take such a serious tone with me unless she was, well, serious.

Unfortunately for us both, I persisted. "It's my birthday! My tenth birthday! I'm big...ger, now. I can handle it!"

The specialist's scowl slowly softened, and she eventually let out a sigh. "You can fire it once. And I am burying it in sandbags first."

I giggled like an idiot as she worked.

True to her word, everything but the barrel, optic, and grip was reinforced with heavy, lumpy cushions before I was allowed to set up behind the anti-machine rifle. Admittedly, I felt intimidated by the heavy weapon. I'd seen them fire plenty of times. They were scary.

I also felt brave. Stupidly, stupidly brave.

Finding the scope was already lined up with a steel barrel, all I had to do was brace, steady myself, and squeeze the trigger...

CRACK!!!

"Auugh!" I couldn't even register if I hit the target or not as pain ripped through my shoulder and upper side. Rolling onto my back, I immediately felt Jade hovering over me, a mix of anger, worry, and panic in her eyes.

"Try not to move!" She fetched a flare gun from her pack and she examined me. "Dammit, Gritt, I told you!" She studied my shoulder first, gently as she could. "Definitely dislocated..." Her claws lowered to my chest, and I let out another pathetic squawk. "Shit. Definitely broken. I can't risk moving you. A medic team needs to come with a stretcher." She opened the flare gun to load it.

"No! No, no, mom can't know!" I pleaded with her. "Just... Fly to the clinic and tell them in person. I'll be fine up here."

She shook her head. "I can't leave you by yourself. And there's no way the Captain won't find out about this."

"Yes there is!" I countered. "One of those super restoration potions! It'll be like nothing happened. She won't find out."

"I can't stop reports from being filed." Jade sighed. "I get that your mother can be scary, but you're worrying too much. She isn't going to hurt you for getting hurt."

My body was trembling. "I know that. I'm worried about you. She'll... She'll make you work in the Crater. Or break your wings and make you fight in the Pit, or..." I started to cry. "Because of me."

I felt her gently wipe my eyes. "Hey... Hey... That won't happen." Jade scoffed. "Who's been filling your head with that crap, anyway? The Captain isn't that bad." The specialist rubbed my cheek. "And don't start thinking this was your fault. I made a bad call. This is on me." She sighed and sat up, stowing the flare gun. "Now, I'm going to get help in person like you suggested. Don't move, okay?" I nodded, and she took off.

*****

Pain flared again as I was carefully moved onto a stretcher, but it subsided as the light dose of Med-X I was given took effect. It wasn't long before we reached the school campus turned Talon clinic. Damn. I think the last time I was here, I was an egg.

There were two griffon hens hovering over me soon enough, one yellow and the other pink. The pink one called out for a 'Dr. Longtalons' as she checked me in. A speckled gray griffon soon arrived and began examining me. With the bags under his eyes, I wondered if he felt as bad as me. He asked questions about the nature of my injury, and Jade began to answer.

I patted the doctor's arm, and he turned to face me. "I flew into a wall. Like... say I flew into a wall or something. In the report. I don't want anyone getting in trouble with the captain except me."

He turned to Jade, tiredness vanishing from his expression at the mere mention of Stern. "Um..."

The specialist frowned at me, but conceded. "Yes, that's what happened. Birthday boy flew straight into a wall."

"Ooookay then." Dr. Longtalons gave me a nervous smile before he got to work. "Uh, happy birthday."

*****

The exhausted griffon at least knew what he was doing. I was fit to fly in a matter of hours. All the pain had been expelled and replaced with dread.

The flight home was far shorter than I would have liked. Or maybe a long flight would have felt worse. Who knows. Either way, Jade and I were outside Stern's office before I realized it. The specialist told me to wait, and went in.

Mom already knew I'd gotten hurt. The clinic reported my arrival as soon as I got there. Thankfully, Jade and I were the only ones who knew how I really got hurt. Unless she was fessing up.

I couldn't make out their conversation, and mom didn't raise her voice too much, so I figured Jade stuck to the lie. My trainer soon came out, gave me a comforting smile, and left. Time to face the music.

Entering, I found the large, black-feathered griffon waiting in the center of her pristine office. Without a word, she pointed at the ground directly in front of her. After closing the door, I dragged myself to the target she had marked.

"Look at me." I hesitantly obeyed her command.

Slap.

It wasn't hard enough to knock me over. It was barely hard enough to hurt. It was just hard enough to tell me I'd done something wrong and to not do it again. I stopped myself from crying. She'd yell if I cried.

Then I felt her arms wrap around me and pull me to her chest. I instinctively pressed into my mother's rare embrace. "Happy birthday, goofball."

***** ***** *****

Sunshine

***** ***** *****

The basic, scoped hunting rifle in my tiny black arms was comically large in comparison, as was the helmet drooping down the side of my head. An anti-machine rifle would be more effective, but anyone with a brain would be kidding themselves thinking a twelve-year-old runt like me could even hold one. At least I had some fancy bypass rounds sent in from the Cathedral.

I was panting, drenched in the heavy rain, clutching my weapon as if it was my stuffed toy back at home. Glancing in the direction of the false barn at the center of the old amusement park, I wondered if I should find mom. No… she was busy, and she’d told me to stay at my post no matter what. There were orders to engage the pegasi in the air once they arrived, but my partner, a griffoness named Jade, and I were personally exempted by the Captain.

Word of Red Eye’s death at the Cathedral spread like wildfire over the radio, which put Captain Stern in charge. Everyone knew what that kind of loss meant for our chances, but the arrival of a colossal cyber dragon allied to us gave us hope.

This was going to be the first combat I’d seen, but I’ve been an excellent shot at the practice range ever since I could hold a gun. Mom was always proud, and said I’d be Talon’s best sniper. I intended to live up to her expectations.

Rubbing my eyes, not realizing I’d been crying, I asked my partner for a smoke. She obliged and lit it for me. She lit one for herself and took a drag. “Can’t believe fledglings are being thrown into this… But I guess this is an all-claws-on-deck situation. You’re a damn good shot, though.” She rubbed my shoulder, and I felt calmer.

*****

Then we heard the music. The booming classical Enclave anthem began to echo through the city. I snuffed my cigarette and took a prone shooting stance. My right claw was on the trigger, the left stabilizing the rifle, and my right wing ready to operate the bolt and load rounds. My left did its best to keep rain out of my eyes. My heart beat hard in my chest.

“Thunderhead! Incoming Thunderhead, and at least a dozen Raptors!” The radio operator from the third platoon was just as terrified as I was. All at once, the hulking flying machines descended from the black clouds. One agonizingly calm moment passed, then all hell broke loose.

Our artillery barely deterred the Cloudships, and their powerful magical beam cannons began obliterating Filly’s skyline, raining debris on our forces. Only the dragon managed to destroy one of the ships. My bell tower foxhole was tucked away enough not to get hit, but had a good view of most of the fighting. Airborne griffons were quickly decimated and forced to retreat into buildings. As soon as pegasi started to descend in their black carapace armor, I opened fire.

My partner got to work calling out shots, as I did for her, focusing on wing leaders. “Eleven o’clock, seven hundred yards.”

Crack!

“Two o’clock, three-fifty.”

Crack!

Cheers sang across our lines as Red Eye’s Cyberdragon took out a second Raptor. Our forces rallied, but it was short lived.

Terror began to set in after the Cyberdragon was slain, only having destroyed the two Raptors. I caught a glimpse of a Talon squad barely escaping the building it crashed into, only for one of their gunners to get vaporized by a pegasus who noticed them. If I saw that Enclave soldier faster, I could have… Damn it, it was pushing fifteen hundred yards, but I could have made the shot. Whoever you were, I’m sorry.

With most of our artillery destroyed, nothing could oppose the remaining fleet. A wing of pegasi blasted our foxhole in a hail of lasers. I've never been shot at before. All I could think to do was curl into a ball. I felt Jade throw herself on top of me, and then she wasn't there.

When I looked up… Jade was dead, and her body seemed to disintegrate in slow motion above me. Specialist Jade Brightwing. I’d known her for six years, my personal marksmanship trainer alongside mom. She was my closest friend. Her twisted face evaporating into pink dust was seared into my brain. I threw up.

Then, I blew the brains out of the pegasi who killed her.

My radio was also hit, leaving me in the dark regarding intel. Lieutenant Blackfeathers was about to say something about Captain Stern… No, no… Mom is fine. She has to be. She’s the toughest there is. Just focus on shooting…

*****

B O O M

The entire battle collectively froze as all of Fillydelphia was engulfed in a glowing green shockwave.

Was this a balefire bomb!? Was I about to die!? Were we all about to die!?

I dared a glance to the sky. We all did. The endless blue sky above us, with the sun shining bright, was revealed through a hole in the clouds that spanned the entire city.

The deafening crashes of Enclave cloudships falling into the buildings and streets snapped us out of it. Nearly all of the Raptors, and the Thunderhead, were disabled. Filled with renewed hope, we started a counterattack against the pegasi.

My right eye stayed locked open, staring through my scope as one winged pony dropped after another. A large group managed to get close, having gone through a collapsed building, catching me by surprise. They were only thirty yards away, far too close for comfort. Staying low, I swung around and took aim.

“Sixty-two, sixty-three, sixty-four…”

Then, pain. Pain, and blinding light. The group of pegasi and griffons in front of me were replaced by an eruption of solar fire from the sky, having shot through one of the remaining Raptors above us. I was outside the immediate blast, but I was looking through a tube of magnifying glass…

I couldn’t even hear myself scream as I fell backwards, kicking and writhing, clutching the semi-cauterized flesh that used to be my eye. Blood streamed down one side of my head, tears down the other. Everything went black as I passed out.

*****

I wasn’t sure for how long. It could have been hours. Felt like it. It was dark and raining again when I awoke. And quiet, aside from an occasional shot in the distance. Looking around with disorientating half-vision, I couldn’t see anyone else alive. I searched my bag and downed healing potions until my face stopped bleeding. When my eye didn’t get better, I screamed and cursed. It was gone. All the potions did was smooth over the scar tissue.

Dragging my rifle behind me, the scope now a melted slag, I walked towards the command center. Eventually, I saw other Talons, nearly all of them injured, looting and discussing what they should do.

“No point sticking around here. Might as well fold in with Grimfeathers or Blackwing” Others expressed similar sentiments. What were they talking about? They’re under Stern’s contract! They can’t just leave!

I picked up my pace, and noticed griffons I recognized giving me pained glances.

“Oh, great, her runt survived.”

“Should we tell him what Lieutenant Blackfeathers announced? After Gawdyna showed up?”

“He’ll figure it out.”

A sickening panic filled me, and I unfurled my wings and took flight. A group of griffons were bartering for a familiar rifle and set of armor. Those don’t belong to them! Unless… No, no, no….

Time stopped when I saw her. My wings quit working, and I fell into the mud. My numb limbs carried me forward to her broken body.

“M-mom…” My tiny voice was barely a choked chirp. “Mama…” I touched a claw to her face, an expression of shock and pain etched forever to it. The way her body was contorted, her spine had certainly been snapped. Hoofprints were indented in her back. No one had even bothered to close her eyes. She can’t be…

I pressed my claws to her chest and began to do compressions, but the sickening noise of shattered ribs nearly made me vomit. I tried to pour a healing potion into her beak, but another Talon snatched it from me and downed the rest of it.

“Save these for the living, you stupid fucking cyclops.”

*****

One by one, the bystanders shuffled off. With each passing minute, the weight in my chest sank deeper. I collapsed into her onyx coat, sobbing. Stern was dead. My mother was dead.

I couldn’t leave her like this, stripped and forgotten in the rain. There was no way I could get her to the incinerators across town, assuming they were even standing. Damn it, why would no one help me? Did they all hate her that much? Couldn’t even be bothered to lay her to rest? I had to do… something.

After closing her eyes, I got a pair of long coats from my bag and put them over her. Over the next hour, my small, weak body dragged stones and slabs of concrete to bury her in.

I placed a twisted piece of rebar as a marker, and struggled to shove my heart down my throat enough to speak.

“In all our contracts, there are three clauses for ending service in Talon Company. Serving your tour, dismissal by the… or losing your life in its service. By giving your life, you have fulfilled your contract and are now absolved of all duties.”

The sky was opening again as I finished. All of it this time. Tears welled up in my remaining eye, and I collapsed onto my mother’s grave, wailing and sobbing.

What a terrible day for sunshine.

***** ***** *****

Inheritance

***** ***** *****

I was eighteen, and had already gained a bit of notoriety in my field. Killing for caps. After four years spent in the Bloodfeather Talons, killing those who deserved it had become as easy as breathing. When I turned sixteen, I was ready to go into business for myself. Two years into it, I was certain I made the right call. The flexibility of freelance work gave me a freedom I'd never known before.

It also made it easy to respond to something urgent. I'm not sure the NCR patrol was looking for me specifically, they were just looking for anyone who could help as quickly as possible. A massive force of raiders, over a hundred of them, were marching from Galloping Gorge. Glyphmark was the first settlement in their path. I happened to be nearby.

Apparently, Deadshot Calamity had gotten wind of it as well. I could imagine how that conversation went. Killin' raiders? Where do ah sign up? Ah don't care how many there are! Jus' point me at 'em! I'd encountered him before, in similar circumstances. Just not on this scale.

There wasn't any talking between us. I'd found my own perch on one end of the Angel Bunny veterinary pharmacy, and he'd found one on the other. The little zebra town below us was mostly kids. Some were my age, and there was a minority of adults. They had some weapons and training, but not enough to repel the incoming attack. The legendary pegasus sharpshooter, a handful of NCR soldiers, and I were desperately needed.

The majority of the raiders were going to be common scum. Cannon fodder. The real problem would be their leaders. A rogue Steel Ranger named Atlas, and an Enclave war criminal named Achilles. Strange bedfellows, to say the least. Dangerous, too. Neither could be allowed to reach the town. None of the raiders would step a single hoof past its border.

*****

The army of diseased, bloodthirsty trash approached from the west, the sun setting behind them. They must have thought that would give them an advantage.

Crack!

The first raider, a dingy dirt mare, dropped as she trotted within two thousand yards. The others gave a brief pause, then charged at the boom of Atlas's cannons. Calamity and I dropped them as they galloped. Once they were within a thousand yards, the NCR soldiers opened fire as well. At five hundred yards, the zebras added their bullets to the fray.

Less than half of the raiders remained, and their fear of us was beginning to overrule their fear of their leaders. Atlas finally made his presence known by turning those who attempted to flee into meaty chunks. His armor was barely recognizable as that of a Steel Ranger, with the abundance of bones and junk adorning it. The raider camouflage had effectively made him hard to pick out from the crowd. I had to assume his second in command had adopted the same strategy, which would explain why I hadn't seen her in the air.

Now that I had Atlas figured out, he was done for. First, an armor piercing round through his visor. He dropped, and became still. That didn't mean he was dead, since that armor had all sorts of ways to keep its occupant alive. To guarantee the kill, I followed up with an explosive round, straight into the hole I had already punched. The contents of his helmet exploded out the back.

"R-Retreat!" A shrill voice sounded from the raiders' back ranks. I briefly saw Achilles' wings unfurl, but she stayed on the ground, with a number of meat shields between us and her. Coward.

"That was it?" I muttered as the last of the surviving raiders vanished over the horizon. "A braindead frontal assault was the best they had?"

Calamity flew down with me as I got down from the roof. "What 'cha expect? Ah reckon they didn't think we'd have a defense ready fast enough to stop 'em."

"Fair enough." Raiders typically weren't the brightest, but I expected more given the leaders' backgrounds.

*****

We helped the town drag the bodies into a pile to be burned. I wrenched Atlas' helmet off to keep as a souvenir. After a gag-inducing momentary glance inside, I flew to the river to wash it out. Whatever brains the stallion had, they were gone now.

Trotting back, I noticed Calamity speaking to a specific pair of zebra mares. They had been giving me weird looks ever since I arrived. In fact, as soon as I got here, they both looked like they'd seen a ghost when they laid eyes on me. Their expressions now, as the pegasus spoke to them, looked like... guilt?

I unfurled my wings and closed the distance. Whatever they were saying, they stopped and turned to me as soon as I was in earshot. All of their ears laid flat, and their expressions looked worried.

Calamity stepped forward. "Gritt, could you... Could you set your guns on the ground?"

My head rotated almost ninety degrees at the absurd request. "Huh?"

"Just... please." The worried sincerity in his eyes formed a pit in my stomach. What was this about?

"Oookay?" I did as he asked, laying all my guns on the ground in front of me. I felt extremely vulnerable without them, but I trusted the famous wasteland hero.

He rubbed his neck, then took off his hat. "These two are Xenith and Xephyr. They... They, um..."

The younger of the two mares stepped past him towards me. "We are the ones who killed Stern."

Her lips continued to move, but any sounds they made became droning white noise. I couldn't move, my veins turning to ice and my limbs becoming numb. My tongue became cotton, and every breath became a conscious effort that stung my throat.

They were the ones. They killed my mom.

I took a step toward my guns.

Calamity had a hoof pressed to my chest by the time I had a grip on my revolver. His wings were unfurled, shielding the zebras who turned me into an orphan. He could feel how badly I was shaking. I could barely see him through the tears welling in my eye.

Neither of us spoke a word as I stowed each of my weapons.

I turned and flew away into the night.

***** ***** *****

Trickshot

***** ***** *****

A cigarette served as my candle to blow out that morning. Happy Birthday to me. Time to go to work.

Shuffling through the boxcars turned homes, and other, more traditionally constructed buildings, I made my way to an NCR station. Gawdyna Grimfeathers had just been reelected as President, and was expected to give a speech. Her security expected an assassination attempt.

Protecting someone from an assassin was not something I'd been hired to do before. Quite the opposite, actually. Maybe that's why they want me, to get a better idea of how a shooter would approach the task of murdering the figurehead of the New Canterlot Republic in the middle of their capital.

I took a moment to study the podium she'd be speaking from. Troopers, griffon and pony alike, were sweeping it for bombs or whatnot. Scanning the surrounding buildings, there were plenty of soldiers patrolling them. There were hills way off in the distance that would have line of sight, but a shooter would be hard-pressed to find a rifle capable of a five kilometer shot. It wasn't impossible, but the bullet would have lost its lethality by the time it reached its target.

With the number of unicorns with threat detection spells among the guards, the odds of an assassin getting a weapon close to the podium were slim to none. The surrounding buildings were the only real option, but the killer would have to be very slippery to sneak past or incapacitate the patrols. Even then, they'd have a short window of opportunity to take the shot before security spotted them or realized some of the guards stopped reporting in.

Still, it wasn't impossible.

*****

Another thing to note, Grimfeathers may not be the only target. Or even the target. A number of representatives and senators would be in attendance. Sabre Whiteclaw, Freija Ironclaw... Shit, I haven't seen her since... Should I say hi to her? Would she even recognize me? Probably not unless I squeezed into my old uniform, which was definitely not a good idea around here.

I don't hide who and where I come from. My regular clients, Grimfeathers included, know. I also don't shout it from the mountaintops. No need to risk a former slave deciding to take revenge on a 'Talon' having a beer. Wouldn't they have red on their face if they realized they'd attacked someone who'd been spending the last few years picking off slaver bosses?

Speaking of appearances, I was certainly out of place among the guards gathering for the security briefing. Most were in fatigues and simple ballistic vests, and a few were in full armor and helmets with red-tinted visors. Meanwhile, I just had jeans and a leather jacket. Being as unassuming as possible had always been my saving grace across the wasteland. Even my gear at least looked basic. A single action .357 revolver on my hip, a standard 9mm pistol in my jacket, and my old bolt action on my back.

Well, it wasn't quite the same rifle. The only part that was the same was the wooden stock. I'd gutted everything else and upgraded from .308 to .408 precision rounds. Not great on my shoulder, but doubling my effective range was worth it. I never bothered replacing the scope after the original melted.

*****

The briefing didn't tell me anything I hadn't already gathered. A trooper made a snide comment wondering how a one-eyed wastelander was going to spot an assassin better than they could, and I was quick to point out that he couldn't even notice his zipper was undone. He kept future comments to himself.

Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe the worst part of today would be the speech itself. Gawdyna was a good leader, but she was far from the most eloquent person in the universe. I could only hope she got someone else to write her speech for her.

The distrustful stares from younger soldiers were getting on my nerves. The older ones knew who I was and trusted me, but others would wonder if I was the assassin. They were not thrilled to learn I'd be posted right beside the podium platform, rifle in hand. I'd have to hope their superiors kept them in check.

*****

We were all in position as guests began filling seats. As expected, most were other NCR officials, though I saw Whiteclaw chatting up a familiar grey unicorn mare with a blue mane... Oh, bloody pinfeathers. An Element was in attendance. No wonder they were so worried about an assassin.

I shuffled nervously as a troupe of foals and fledglings from the local school began to play the NCR's trumpeted anthem. President Grimfeathers trotted from her office building towards the platform, flanked by four veteran troopers. Judging by the twin 5.56 pistols one of them carried, Regina Grimfeathers was among them.

As Gawd took her place at the podium, the music swelled and died. We all braced for the worst as she opened her beak.

CRACK!!!

"Shi-!" was all the microphone picked up before it was obliterated. My rifle joined a dozen others, all snapped towards the source of the shot, but I didn't have an angle. Many opened fire. Regina had tackled her mother to the ground, but in the wrong direction. The shooter had a clearer shot of them than ever.

CRACK!!!

The second .50 caliber shot missed Gawd's skull by millimeters, taking off feathers. The assassin would not miss a third.

I'm not entirely sure how I did what I did. Instinct? Luck? Some cosmic entity taking the reins? Whatever it was, for whatever reason, I took aim and shot at nothing.

CRACK-PING!!!

My bullet met theirs, halfway through the air. An instant later, I heard the shattering of metal and a scream.

I must have just stood there like an idiot for a few seconds, bewildered by what had transpired. NCR soldiers swooped into the injured assassin's perch and arrested them. Gawd and Regina were, miraculously, fine. The third bullet had been deflected wide, into a pole. Troopers rushed them both to someplace secure. I couldn't help but notice Homage gawking at me before she was rushed to safety as well.

*****

The assassin turned out to be a unicorn stallion. I never got his name, but interrogations found that he acted alone. No one hired him. Story was, he was displaced by a recent territory annexation and wanted to get back at the NCR. A lone, dedicated nut job. Any security detail's worst nightmare.

Few saw what I did. Most among them, including me, were having a hard time believing it. There was 'being a good shot' and then there was straight-up wizardry. Never in a million years will I pull that off again. A pat on my shoulder broke me from my stupor.

The trooper who forgot his zipper was beside me, grinning wide. "Hey, let's hear it for the one-eyed kid! You just saved the President, dude!"

The other soldiers in the station broke into applause. One muttered, "Someone's gotta come up with something better than the one-eyed kid."

"I'm sure someone will." Regina's arrival snapped the soldiers back into attention. She pointed at me, and gestured for me to follow her. Time to get paid.

After arriving in Gawdyna's office, we found the President stroking the bare spot where she received a high-velocity close shave. We exchanged a cycloptic glance, and she had me take a seat.

She took a deep breath and smiled. "Hell of a thing, 'tat was. Thanks, kid."

"Yeah, well, it was my job." I'd have to start digging to undersell it any harder.

Gawd snorted as she started putting my fee on the table. Followed by a document. A certificate of NCR citizenship. "Quit bein' humble. You earned more than 'yer pay today."

I blinked at the waxed sheet of paper. This normally required four years of enlisted service to the NCR, something I'd rigidly decided against. No one would ever own my contract. Freelance for life. But this... "You're sure?"

"As long as you are. Won't force it on ya if you don't want it." She smirked.

After a few seconds of hesitation, I picked up a pen and signed. Gritt, citizen of the New Canterlot Republic. I'm not just an ex-Talon wastelander anymore. This was one hell of a birthday present.

"Congratulations."

*****

I decided to stick around for a couple weeks, get some real rest before I went looking for another job. Despite my new status, I still needed caps. Had plenty for a little vacation, though.

A few days in, I was enjoying a little food stand run by a blue and white griffoness with an odd but attractive accent. As I sipped a whiskey, the music on the radio ended.

"Hello, Equestrian Wasteland! This is DJ Pon3, with some shocking yet uplifting news!

A lot of you have probably already heard, but an assassin recently tried to take out President Grimfeathers right in the middle of her town. Praise the Lightbringer, the attempt was thwarted, and you'll never believe how. I thought my assistant had lost her marbles when she wove this tale, but she swore up and down that a freelance bodyguard bounced his bullet off the assassin's bullet into their rifle! You better look out, Deadshot. You've got competition. There's a new kid on the block, and his name is Trickshot!"

"Trickshot, huh? Better than One-Eyed Kid." The griffoness, who introduced herself as Gwen, smirked at me. "I have to say, I'm honored ze big hero chose my humble establishment for a meal."

I chuckled. "You kidding? This is the best food in town! I heard nobody cooks rat like you."

She smiled, and got a plate and drink for herself before taking a seat beside me. "...I owe ze NCR a lot. I moved to ze east with nothing, but Grimfeathers gave me an opportunity to make something of myself. Thank you for saving her life."

My attempt to downplay what I'd done was halted by a kiss on my cheek, and a talon on my leg. She didn't have to say another word, as her eyes did all the talking.

It was a few days late, but... Happy Birthday to me.

***** ***** *****

This Machine

***** ***** *****

It was a pleasant evening, a couple of months after I received NCR citizenship. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, and not a rain cloud in sight. A good night to stop by the Gun Runners, though not for my usual reason. Sure, I’d stock up on ammo as always, but I also had a job in mind. Hopefully, a pretty safe job. Certainly not boring, if the tip I got was accurate, but safe. After some news I recently got, I couldn’t afford to put myself in significant harm’s way. However, I needed caps as always.

As the little factory and vendor stall came into view, I hoped to see Lita around. Out of everyone here, I felt I could count on her to be interested in what I had in mind. Sure enough, I saw red-tipped yellow feathers and landed next to the familiar griffoness.

“S’up.” I greeted as I joined her for a smoke.

She gave me a knowing smirk. “Not much, Trickshot.”

My newly ordained title elicited a groan from my beak, which in turn got a chuckle out of the fellow ex-Talon.

“I knew that DJ was talking about you.” She gave me a gentle punch to the shoulder. “He’s full of shit, right? About you bouncing a bullet off a bullet?”

“Nope. Really happened.” I retrieved my souvenirs from that day, two elongated pieces of jacketed lead with matching dents.

My evidence didn’t seem to completely convince her, but she did change the subject. “So, here to stock up? Usual order?”

“Yeah… and I have a proposition.” My attempt to be enigmatic fell apart as I caught her smirk. “Not like that. No, I got a tip off about a place to scavenge a bunch of guns, ammo, and armor. Figured your employers would be interested in exchange for a finders’ fee.”

Carmelita chewed on her cigarette. “They might… Where is it?”

I took a drag out of mine. “Old abandoned town near Rambling Rock Ridge. Raider territory, I know, but hear me out. According to my source, the building in question should be safe. The raiders treat it like it's haunted. Won’t go near it.”

“Place has raiders freaked out enough to ignore a stockpile?” She seemed intrigued, but not sold. “What’s the story?”

My turn to give a knowing smirk. “Ever heard of Wrath?”

Lita snorted and cocked her head. “The old Talon legend? The one they told in basic to scare cadets?”

I nodded, undeterred by her skepticism. “The griffon whose real name was lost to time. Among the first Talons to sign up with Red Eye, decades ago, alongside the love of his life, Hope.”

She continued. “Yeah, yeah, then his lover got killed in a raider attack, and he went AWOL to go on a hunting spree. Killed so many raiders, so fast, that Red Eye and Stern just decided to ignore his desertion and let him do his thing.”

“And then he disappeared.” I waved my claws dramatically. “No one knows what happened. He was never seen or heard from again. Not even a body was found.”

“Please, he probably died.” She scoffed. “If he was ever real to begin with.”

“My source says he was, and where he was last seen. The site of his last stand.” I finally returned a bump to her shoulder. “And you’re gonna help me verify it.” I gave her a smug grin. “If you’re not too busy.”

“Eh… I just took some time off to visit some old friends in Sunburn not too long ago. Might catch some flak for leaving again so soon.” Her excuse didn’t sound very sincere.

I rolled my eye. “Oh, as if you of all people care about that. Besides, this is for work, remember? Salvage! Weapons, parts, whatever. I’m sure your bosses will be happy when you come back with a big haul.”

“All right, all right!” She relented, the grin she’d been suppressing spread across her face. “Head out in the morning?”

*****

Catching up passed the time during our flight. Lita, as expected, wanted more details on the President’s assassination attempt. She remarked how it might temper her enthusiasm to annex every inch of Equestria. I admitted that I hoped that was the case. As much good as the NCR was doing, they shouldn’t be so forceful about it.

I decided to ask about her. “So, you visited some old friends? What was the town, Sunburn?”

She nodded. “What was left of my old squad, from back in the day. It was the first time I’d seen them since, well…”

Yeah… “So, how’d it go? Awkward at all?”

“No, it was fine. Good to see them again.” She snickered. “Kaz and Amy had a kid. Honestly, I didn't expect that. Like, at all.”

I racked my brain, not sure if I recognized the names. “Would I know them?”

“Maybe? Kasimir Longtalons and Amalia Silverwing,” she elaborated.

The first sounded familiar. Longtalons… Longtalons… “Wait, Doctor Longtalons? I think he patched me up once at the clinic. Glad to hear he made it out of that mess alright.”

She smiled, then squinted. “Hold on, how’d you get hurt bad enough to need the clinic? You were the most sheltered griffawn in that whole city.”

“I, uh, flew into a wall.” No one needed to know that the weakened recoil of an anti-material rifle buried in sandbags was still enough to send my scrawny flank to the hospital.

“Uh huh. Maybe you should visit Sunburn and catch up. Sounds like you have some things in common.” Her teasing tone didn’t make it seem like they were good things.

Well, one was. “Oh, speaking of having kids…” I immediately heard her wings flap faster as she closed the distance with renewed interest. “Guess who’s gonna be a dad.”

I felt another punch to my shoulder, which had too much excitement behind it to be gentle. Ow.

“No way! Who’s the lucky hen? Anyone I know?” Lita was smiling ear to ear.

I rubbed my sore shoulder, wondering if I’d need to visit Doctor Longtalons again. “Definitely not, she’s from the west coast and lives in Junction Town. Her name’s Gwen.”

Lita folded her arms. “Kind of sounds like that’s all you know about her.”

My cheeks burned as I stammered. “Ah, well, yeah… It was a one night stand.” I huffed as I caught her mocking glare. “I, just, look… I was riding high off of saving the President, and she was really cute, and…”

The yellow griffoness laughed. “I get it, the hero gets the fair maiden and all that.”

“No! Nothing like…” I sighed. “I plan to do right by her. Support the kid. Be a part of their life.”

“Good on you, then. You’re not the type to be a deadbeat.” She smiled. “Any ideas on a name?”

I nodded. “If it's a girl, yeah.”

There was a long pause. “You’re not going to name them after your mom, are you?”

A choked snort escaped me. “Oh hell no. Might as well name them Red Eye Junior if my plan was to ruin their life before it began.” I waited for her to stifle her laughter. “No, though it will be something… personal.”

We quieted as we entered Rambling Rock Ridge.

*****

Using some clouds for concealment, we flew above the raider turf. There wasn’t much to see, aside from groups of small houses around entrances to abandoned mines. If ne’er do wells were holed up anywhere, it’d be there. Fortunately, that's not what we were looking for. Going off my info, I searched along the cliffs surrounding the area. Sure enough, the large building I was after was tucked away between walls of rock.

“You’re joking.” Lita’s jaw fell agape. “Is that…”

An excited giggle revealed my own giddiness at the find. “A fully intact Brownwing Arms factory.”

The griffoness shook herself. “How the hell did Red Eye miss this? Who is your source?”

“My old boss. Crimson Bloodfeather.” I saw Lita do a double take. “He had a habit of keeping his beak shut about things Red Eye didn’t need to know. For over a decade he kept stuff like this to himself.” I chuckled. “Hell, he might have undermined the bastard just as much as the Lightbringer.”

“Well… shit.” Lita remarked as we touched down in the courtyard. “If the equipment really is intact, the Gun Runners might just pack up and move the whole operation here, raiders be damned.”

Speaking of… we weren’t alone in that courtyard. There were bodies, skeletons adorned in junk armor. Dozens of them. Taking a moment to study them…

“Wow, whoever did this was precise. Efficient.” I ran a talon over a hole in a scrap metal chest plate. It fell directly over where the raider’s heart would have been. Others had the same, or equal-sized holes in their skulls.

“I can see why the locals avoid this place.” Carmelita looked over the scattered weapons, all of varying quality. After being left out in the elements for so long, they’d need a lot of work.

Anything inside the building had to be in better shape, so we moved on.

*****

There were way more bodies inside. We had to tip-toe around the bones and rusty gear.

“Sheesh, somebody was out for blood.” I hopped over the remains of a large pony wearing a machine gun battle saddle. “All those stories about Wrath seem to be true.”

“No way one griffon could do this. No offense, but not even you could pull this off.” As much as her words hurt my pride, she was right.

While the factory, inside and out, had plenty of the typical raider redecorating, something caught my eye. A large mural spanned the back of the lobby, depicting the griffon weaponsmith John Brownwing surrounded by diagrams of all his designs. Painted across it was a taunting remark.

These machines kill for fun!

With access to firepower like this, this large gang must have been a serious problem. If the story was true, this might just be the gang that attacked Filly, killed Hope, and sent Wrath on his crusade.

Trekking through, we found that the offices had little of interest. The factory floor, however, nearly got a squeal out of my companion. Everything was completely intact. Aside from all the bones and dust, this factory was ready to go. If the Gun Runners moved here, their business would skyrocket.

As Lita started examining everything in detail, I made my way to what looked like a floor manager’s office turned pillbox. The dead were all facing it, surrounding it, aiming at it. Metal and sandbags were perforated by what seemed like hundreds of bullet holes. Blast marks evidenced the use of grenades. Climbing inside, I found him.

A lone, skeletal griffon, adorned in black Talon combat armor and still clutching an old but pristine battle rifle. He rested against his fort, holding his weapon across his lap. Still in disbelief that he was real, I reached out and rubbed grime off his breastplate, where his name tag should be. Whatever his real name had been was thoroughly scratched out, replaced with his new one. Wrath.

His armor was absolutely riddled with wounds. It was impossible to know which injury was the fatal one. By now, Lita had joined me.

“I’ll be damned. He is real.” She glanced at the wood and metal in his grip. “He did all this, by himself, with that antique?”

I looked at the rifle over again. Definitely an old, but effective design. Thirty caliber, clip-fed, semi-automatic. Then I noticed… There was something carved, by claw, across the side of the gun. A message? No, a retort. To the defaced mural in the lobby.

Well this machine kills raiders.

“It certainly does.” I gave the legend a respectful pat on the shoulder.

“He must have been wounded long before he made it this far, but he got the job done.” Did Lita sound genuinely impressed? That was rare for her.

“Rage is a hell of an anesthetic.” I noticed her glance. “Just something Crim said sometimes.”

While Lita continued to look around, I continued to pay my respects. I almost didn’t see it, but there was a small chain clung to Wrath’s bony neck. ID tags, tucked into his armor? Pulling it out, no, it was a locket. The front was dented, possibly from a bullet impact. On the back was a name, written with beautiful calligraphy. Hope.

Opening the locket, I was met with a tiny photo of a griffoness. She was lovely, having a light blue coat and blonde-tipped feathers, and the kindest smile I’d ever seen. A smile made warmer by happy amber eyes.

It struck me, all at once, and I had to wipe my eye. This wasn’t some legend, some story… This was this poor kid’s history. Who he loved most was taken away from him, and he threw his life away making everyone responsible pay for it.

I thought about the child I was going to have soon. I’d have someone I could call family for the first time in eight years. If something happened to them, if someone took them away from me… I’d do the exact same thing.

***** ***** *****

How A Father Should Act

***** ***** *****

They took her. They took my little Jade.

I don’t know how they knew about her, or how they knew Gwen was taking her to a farm a few miles outside Junction Town to visit some friends, but they were waiting to ambush them. Gwen got shot, but thank whatever’s up there, not seriously.

This wasn’t random. From Gwen’s description, it was a slaver gang I’d been disrupting for a while. Clients from Tenpony had me taking out their leaders and customers. Unsurprisingly, quite a few had connections to Red Eye’s old forces. I guess they’d had enough of me and decided to hit me where it hurt. It was the last thing they’d ever do.

I’d already almost lost her a year ago. A nasty flu swept through most of Equestria, Blue Fever, and my little girl caught it. I was terrified. There was nothing I could do except stay at her side until she pulled through. But this? I could do something about this. That alone, that sense of control, kept me calm. It’s them who are going to be terrified.

*****

I wasn’t going after them stupid, or alone. Regina Grimfeathers and a platoon of her best were with me.

Normally, it wasn’t my style to slaughter whole gangs. Normally, I’d just get paid to cut off the head of a snake. It gave those under them a chance to… rethink their life choices. A lot of times, they weren’t there by choice. This time, however, I was not in the mood for mercy. This time, these fools would find out just how much like my mother I can be. Jade, sweetie, you best keep your eyes and ears shut.

The gang was mostly ponies, so their base wasn’t that far. Bold of them to set up so close to the NCR. Stupid of them to think they could embarrass Gawdyna like this for long and live. To be fair, their base of choice was defensible, especially from the air. It was a stable that had still been under construction when the bombs fell. A wood and scrap fort had been built around the numberless door.

Night and clouds gave us concealment as we picked off patrols. I did my part with a suppressed 9mm. As for the main fort, stealth wouldn’t work. There were too many guards and lights for that. Time to make an entrance.

*****

Mud splashed under my paws and talons, and I trotted into the light. About fifteen guards with machine guns and rifles swung their attention to me while the NCR took hidden positions. Seeing my weapons were stowed, they didn’t fire. That was the difference between slavers and raiders. Slavers had the capacity to reason.

A big earth pony stallion trotted out to meet me, grenade rifles mounted to his battle saddle. “What do you think you're doing here, Trickshot?” He sneered, then grinned wickedly. “Here for your precious little tyke? Ain’t happening. You shouldn’t have screwed with us.”

I stood up on my paws to meet him at eye level, but I was fooling myself if I thought I could physically intimidate anyone. That’s where my reputation came in handy, and the revolver my claw hovered over. “Whatever any of you had done before, what crimes you’ve committed, and what you have against me for punishing them… That is a three-year-old griffawn. That is not the way you do things.”

More ponies stepped out, clutching guns in their teeth, holding them in telekinetic magic, or wearing them on saddle mounts. The big stallion laughed. “You’re going to get the hell off our turf, or she’s going to watch her daddy die before she follows.”

Deep down, I hoped they wouldn’t listen. “...If you’re not going to be civilized about this…”

The stallion, and five others, had new windows in their skulls after a second-long exchange of flash and smoke. Ducking to the side, and switching to my rifle, I helped Regina and her troops mop up the rest.

*****

My long rifle had to stay on my back inside the bunker, and I favored my Hi-Power. Regina ordered her griffons to keep their weapons on semi-auto and watch their aim. Jade could be anywhere down here, and if a stray bullet… I didn’t want to think about that. We kept the sweep and clear professional. Two teams, led by Grimfeathers and I, went door to door, floor to floor, and we did not take prisoners.

My team eventually reached what was supposed to be the Overmare’s office while Regina’s reached the reactor level, which never received a reactor. Everything down here that had power got it from auxiliary generators. Call it a father’s intuition, but I knew my little girl was behind this door. I’m here, sweetheart. Just hold on.

We stacked up on either side, and on my signal the metal slid open. Three unicorns opened fire, striking two griffons, but the rest of us took them out. The medic quickly got to work helping our wounded, but I didn’t pay attention. My full focus was on the whimpering green ball of fluffy feathers tied up on the central desk.

I wrapped myself around her in an instant. “Shh, you’re alright. Daddy’s here, Jade. It’s alright, You’re alright. You’re-” I felt something metal on her neck. A bomb collar.

The other soldiers noticed it too, and scrambled to search the bodies for the detonator. They didn’t have it. My child’s fate was in Grimfeathers’ claws, and we quickly radioed her to inform her.

None of us had the expertise to disarm one of these things, so I did the only thing I could do for my daughter. Stay at her side and hold her tight, until the beeping stopped, or…

*****

The next few minutes felt like an eternity. My constant reassurances were all that was keeping my daughter and I from breaking down. For the second time, her life was on the line, and I was helpless. Regina, please…

The collar went silent. The flashing red light stopped blinking. It was disarmed. Everyone in that room let out a breath we had all been holding, and I fell into a fit of relieved sobs.

Reggie, you could ask me for my room at Tenpony, all my worldly possessions, and half my organs, and I’d happily live the rest of my life as a broke, homeless cyber griffon.

When I met her outside, still clutching Jade in my arms, I was too incoherent to express my thanks so eloquently. She told me she was just doing her job. All part of the service. As soon as I could properly speak, I insisted that all her future drinks were on me. The General just laughed and graciously accepted. We made our way back to Junction Town.

*****

Gwen looked like she had completely ignored the doctor’s orders to get some rest, and further ignored her injury to meet us in the air and pull our daughter in a tight, tearful embrace. I couldn’t understand a thing she was saying as she cheerily rambled in Old Griffish, but I knew she was more than pleased. Jade let out happy chirps as she nuzzled her mother, and Gwen and I exchanged a thankful glance, with each other and with Regina.

The General spoke to Gawdyna in length about the whole ordeal, and it wasn’t long before she decided to implement some policy changes. She’d been getting plenty of criticism about the NCR being too stretched thin to take care of its own, but an incident like this, so close to Junction Town, made it sink in. Settlements already under their jurisdiction now took priority. Expansion would be halted until she had better footing on what she already had. This would never happen again. She promised that to me, personally.

If it's all the same to you, Madame President, I’ll be the one making sure of that. Making this world safer for my daughter was my responsibility.

***** ***** *****