The Equestrian wasteland was changing.
It was a slow painful change, like the world had grown so used to it's own destruction that it didn't remember what it was like to be healthy and was rejecting the medicine as a disease.
The ponies cold feel it. They would stand and shiver as the winds of change blew by. The ponies were starting to wonder if it wasn't the world that didn't remember, but themselves.
There were a few who did remember.
But they didn't have the sense to speak their words.
That's how the hunters came to be.
The world may be healing, but the ghouls weren't. They traveled the world in great herds, destroying and easting anything and everypony in their path. It was devastating.
The hunters were brave ponies, usually in groups of five or six who killed the herds.
They followed them until they had the ammo and then they killed every one. At first ponies did it for themselves alone, but soon, like everything does, it grew into a business. Hunter's were for hire. Every trophy they brought back got them a cap, and then it was three, then five. Soon the hunter's were a booming collective. Dozens of squads, all looking for a quick cap. Those who couldn't make it were hunted themselves. It was harsh but so was the rest of Equestria.
And of all the hunters in Equestria there was one who ponies whispered about.
Rogue.
She emerged out of obscurity. No pony was quite certain where she was from and no pony was brave enough to ask. After all, she was famous for something no pony dared try.
She hunted alone.
And she always brought in quite a few caps. She must have been the richest pony in Equestria by now as far as they were concerned. But for all of her accolades…
She rarely spoke.
She never ate.
Some ponies even claimed she didn't even sleep.
They didn't know what to think of her. And that suited her just fine. She liked to be the mysterious thing that Hunters wet their flanks thinking about. All the while she laughed at how they thought she acted. What they thought she would say if she spoke. Rogue just rolled wit it. She wasn't any pony special… they made her special.
She was just chasing a dream.
A dream that she knew deep down wasn't really there anymore.
But still she chased like a filly after a butterfly, running as fast as she could knowing that without a net there was no way to catch it.
She'd done too much.
Seen to much…
She was old…
She was rotting.
But still she chased.
In the middle of the barren fields where Clousdale had fallen some idiot had decided that it would be a great place for a bar. Needless to say, it turned out to be a horrible idea. The stallion had abandoned the place decades ago, probably because the place was crawling with ghouls. Well, that very fact made it a perfect place for the hunters to stay. And stay they did. The place became a little outpost. What had once been a single room with a bar became three houses, two being three storied tall. There was the bar, which had gained two floors, both of which worked as brothels. There were the free beds, all bunks lining all the walls of the makeshift shacks. And the third was a medic hall, which doubled as a public bathroom, and every Thursday gave out free showers. The little settlement was called the Hunter's Nook, owed by a decidedly wealthy fellow name Whiskey Drops. The hunters all stayed there at least once in their lifetime. It was were you started out for every new hunter got a gun, 25 bullets, barding, and a single bottle of Sparkle Cola. If you used those up right away you were fucked and the wasteland chewed you up and spit out your bones. It was the one who knew how to conserve that lasted in the hunter's race. Sometimes, but rarely, a wanderer would stumble upon the Hunter's Nook. Whiskey would jack up the prices just for them and they'd be on their marry way by daybreak. Such a thing happened one rainy day in the summer. It was pouring rain, thunder and lighting rumbled overhead when a gray unicorn pounded on the Hunter's Nook gate. The ponies guarding the door opened the slate.
"Can I help you?" the bored blue stallion asked. The mare stared at him
"Come on man, it's freezing! Let me in!" the mare said angrily. The stallion shrugged.
"Whatever, just know that if ya pull a gun out you'll have sixty more pointing back at ya." He said before he and his partner pulled two ropes on the side of the gate. The pulleys hefted the gate up and the mare galloped in as they released it and let in fall with a bang. "Welcome to the Hunter's Nook. Whiskey's at the bar, he owns the place, probably want to talk with ya." The guard said before he and his buddy leaned on the gate again and continued their card game. The pony nodded and walked over to the bar. As she walked in a few ponies looked her way but weren't interested. She sat at the bar.
"Hey bartender, can I have a scotch!" the tumbler was slid over. "Thanks… now where can I find whiskey?"
"I am Whiskey Drops deary." The bartender said settling down with his elbows on the bar top. He was a golden-coated earth pony with a wild brown mane and a big mustache and beard. "Now how can I be helping ya?" he had quite a thick accent, like northern Trottingham.
"Just saying hi, guard at the door said you'd want to meet me." She said. The pony stared at her.
"Ya know deary, we hunter's get a bit skittish when a pony doesn't lower her hood, be a good lass and show us yer face?" the mare took off her hood and shook her blue mane.
"Sorry bout that, hadn't even realized I left it up." she took another sip of her scotch "the name Homage."
"That lad Pom-3's assistant from Tenpony? Deary me, you've come a long way lass." Whiskey said handing the mare another scotch bottle with a bright smile.
"Yeah, I'm not staying, I'm on a quest."
"Oh are ya? What might ya be quenstin for?" Homage looked at the stallion with scrutiny then leaned on the bar.
"Tell me… do you know any pony particularly generous?" the stallion laughed heartily.
"I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place lass. We hunters only care about one thing, caps. If ya don't have the caps, yer not worth your skin, AM I RIGHT LADS?" there was a holler of affirmation from the crowd.
"AND GIRLS!" one female voice screeched. The collective laughed as Whiskey faltered
"Right! And lasses! Sorry Gunner." He said. The dark gray pony nodded angrily and slid back down next to the four mares beside her. Homage sighed.
"Too bad, guess I'm still looking." Suddenly the door burst open. The silhouette looked intimidating. It was a big lumpy pony. But as the pony stepped into the light everyone could see it was just a mare not even 30 holding a bulging sack. She walked up to whiskey.
"Is the guys from Filly still here?" suddenly a hush fell over the bar. Homage looked around and could see everyone was looking at the mare. Some with disgust, other with reverence.
"It's Rogue Ranger." One stallion beside her whispered to his comrades excitedly. Homage looked back at the mare. She was kinda short and little sickly looking with a dark brown palomino coat and roan red hair that was cut short in the back and left her bangs out in the front. Her cutie mark was scared on the side she was looking at but Homage could make out a crosshair covered by two crossed bullets. Her barding was normal leather barding the only discerning feature of her outfit being a red scarf and a metal neck brace of some kind. When another pony stepped forward Homage looked at the stallion
"I'm here… are they all gone?"
"Yep, every one." she dropped her bag and out tumbled ghoul pony ears each with a hole through them either punched or shot Homage couldn't tell. "You owe me 750 caps." She said quietly. The crowd hushed again as the ponies eyes widened.
"750! I only have 500!" the pony stuttered. The mare looked at him unimpressed.
"Got anything else?"
"I have some food, and a few bullets but."
"I'll take the bullets and call it even, keep yer food," she said. The pony stuttered again.
"But how will I get home!" he cried. The mare looked at him.
"Not my problem. I did a job and I expect payment, you don't have the caps so I'm taking your bullets, I daresay I'll use them better then you." She said before she turned away from the blubbering pony. The sight disgusted Homage.
"Come on man, he's gotta go all the way to Philly, cut him some slack!" She said angrily at the mare. The pony turned to her.
"Do I know you?"
"No but-"
"Is what I do any of your business?"
"No but I-"
"You're right, it isn't, so go fuck yourself." she said angrily before she took the bottle of whiskey being handed to her. The gray unicorn's face turned red and steam began to pour out of her ears.
"You're the worse pony I have ever had the unfortunate instance of meeting!" she screamed at the earth pony mare. The brown pony turned to her.
"Look okay, you're wasting my time, do you have a job for me? Something you want me ta do? If not piss off, I don't have time for this." She said drinking the whiskey. Homage paused. She looked around the bar. Most of the ponies had gone back to their drinks and conversation but some would look up at the lone mare beside her every few seconds. She turned back to the mare.
"How good of a hunter are you?" she asked slowly. The mare blinked.
"One of the best, are we talking caps here?" she asked.
"Yes, definitely talking caps." Homage said
"What do ya want me ta do?"
"Do you follow DJ Pom-3's channel?"
"Off and on, why?" the mare asked. That floored Homage. She didn't think any pony missed DJ Pom-3's show.
"There's a herd of ghoul in the basement of Tenpony tower. If ya clear it out there'll be a heck of a lot of caps for ya." Homage said. The mare stared at the gray pony with wide eyes and a slight smile.
"Done!" she said holding out her hoof and giving the mare a hearty shake. "Hey Whiskey! I'm paying this mares tab!"
"You sure lass?"
"Yeah, I got money." she said slamming the caps on the table before she emptied the bottle of Whiskey and got up from the bar. "Come on, we've gotta get moving!" she said nearly dragging Homage out the door.
"Hey hey hey! I don't know about you but some of us mortal ponies need sleep! I've been on the wasteland for days! I'm going to head out to the bunks and crash! Besides, it's pouring outside. The storm won't be done until sunrise." Homage said. The mare in front of her sighed.
"Fine, but we leave at dawn, I want ta be in Manehattan by night fall tomorrow. We'll walk up friendship line." Homage nodded and walked out of the bar. The rain was falling in cats and dogs. Homage shivered and lifted her hood again before walking in the direction of the bunks. "Hey Tenpon!" the mare shouted after Homage. She turned back to her "Name's Rogue!"
"Homage!" the gray mare said over the din of thunder and lightning.
Level: 16
Stats:
S:8
P:10
E:6
C:4
I:7
A:6
L:1
An eager Rogue roused Homage at dawn.
"Come on! We gotta get movin!" she said. Homage groaned and covered her eyes.
"Five more minuets."
"Fuck man how are you not dead? A raider who have shot and raped you by now." Homage turned to the mare.
"I know I'm in a place where raiders would be shot at the door, that usually helps with sleep." Rogue scoffed
"Whatever man, but what if the raiders pillaged the town over night?"
"Then I'd be awake wouldn't I?" Homage said with a laugh. Rogue scoffed. After about ten more minutes of coaxing Homage out of bed the pair left the Hunter's nook with a bang from the sliding door. Homage yawned widely, causing tears to prick in her eyes. "Celestia fuck me, don't you sleep?"
"Not really." Rogue said with a bland tone.
"How do you function?" Homage asked. Rogue rolled her easy and began walking. The pair walked for a while in silence. Homage found in disconcerting how quietly the mare could walk without levitating herself. After a while Rogue held her hoof over Homage's chest.
"Stop… there's a Ghoul pony behind us." She said. The mare's turned very slowly. Indeed a ghoul pony was a few meters away. Rogue took out her gun. Homage was shocked by what she saw. The gun had a hoof trigger. Not a tongue trigger, a HOOF trigger! How!? Rouge swung it around and with the pop of a silencer the ghoul went down. She had moved so fast that Homage hadn't see how it worked.
"Your gun has a hoof trigger!" Homage said excitedly. Rogue just turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"What were you a steel ranger in another life? It's just a hoof trigger. There not even usable by most ponies." she said walking up to the ghoul she fitted some kind of weird shoe with a spike on her hoof and stomped on the ghouls left ear. A perfectly round hole appeared in it when she pulled it away. She put her knife in her teeth and cut the ear off before throwing it in her saddlebag.
"Yes, which means you have some awesome ability that make you able to use them!" Homage said following the pony as she walked past her.
"It's called being far-sighted." Rogue said with a laugh. "And I'm not anymore."
"Not far-sighted?" Homage asked.
"You could say that… I was partially blinded by a balefire bomb detonation." Rogue said quietly. "I miss half the time nowadays, it's getting worse the older I get." She stopped fro a moment next to a sign. Homage looked at it. It read: Hunter's nook with an arrow pointing in the direction they had come from. A rustling turned her attention back to her travel companion. The mare was sliding some kind of big gun apparatus onto her back. There was some weird kind of radio in the side of it.
"What is that?" Homage asked
"You wouldn't believe me unless I showed you and the ammo is way to rare to waste on a demonstration. It has my travel music wired into it, thanks to an old friend of mine name circuit board. He was a massive nerd, wouldn't have lasted more then a day in the wasteland."
"Back from your home town?" Homage asked. Rogue looked at the mare.
"Yeah." She fitted the metal hoops attached to the thing to her legs. It was as she was doing this that Homage realized the second thing the mare had said.
"Music? I'm sorry I don't think I heard right, did you say music?" Homage asked excitedly. Rogue laughed.
"I was waiting for that, with somepony so obsessed with that DJ Pom-3 guy I was certain you'd want ta hear my jams." The pony said before she kicked up her hoof. She counted with her hoof slowly to two before she began walking normally. Quite suddenly the music began playing. 'We've got this song for you-' "no way." Rogue said lifting up her leg. The song stopped and a new one began to play. 'come little children-' "no." Homage was salivating, that was two new songs already! 'I'm not a fan of puppeteers! Bu-' "naw, not in the mood for that…" and another! 'You've come such a long, long, way and I've watched you from that very first day-' "no thank you." Rogue said with a scoff "why do I still have that song?"
"WAS THAT CELESTIA!?" Homage shrieked in glee. Rogue froze and turned to her with an unimpressed look. Homage's voice echoed over the plain impressively. Homage covered her mouth with her hooves "oops." She and the pony stood stock still as the ground rumbled slightly and a sound echoed over the plain.
"Run." Rouge said in annoyance. Homage didn't need telling twice. She bolted as fast as her hooves would carry here but when she turned to her companion she realize the pony had not followed so she turned back to the mare, fearing she'd been taken down by the herd. What she saw amazed her. At least Fifty ghouls were attacking the brown mare. She was fighting them all and, even more surprisingly, she was winning. But even Homage could see that Rogue was becoming overwhelmed. As the ghouls swarmed the hunter Homage froze in fear. As soon as they were done with the brown mare they would come after her. She only had a dozen bullets on her.
"Fuck." Homage said quietly. Suddenly the swarm of ghouls exploded impressively. Their bodies were thrown into the air leaving nothing but a crater and falling limbs. Suddenly a body fell from the sky in front of Homage. It was Rogue. She had blown herself and the ghouls up "Fuck." Homage said with a slump of her shoulders. She wiped her face and thought about going back to the hunter's nook when a whooshing sound caught her ear. She watched in shock as the pony was lifted into the air by a pink magical swirling power before she landed in front of the mare with nary a scratch.
"Fuck, I'd hoped to keep that hidden for a bit longer." Rogue said quietly. Homage just left her mouth drop open. After a while she opened her mouth to shout. Rogue stuffed her hoof in the mare mouth and look around at the carnage around them before looking at the mare pointedly. When she removed her hoof Homage whispered angrily
"You're a Canterlot ghoul pony!? You don't even look like a ghoul! How?!" Rogue sighed.
"Look okay, contrary to what every pony thinks regenerating like that take a lot out of a pony, I'd like to sit back chug down a few Rad Cola's and relax for a bit, a ways that way there's a house on the edge of Manehattan we can crash in. Let's get there and settle down. I don't know about you but I'm exhausted."
"Ha! So you do need sleep!" Homage said triumphantly. Rogue laughed.
"I'm a ghoul, ghouls don't sleep. But I do need to not move for a bit. It relaxes my muscles that have just been violently thrown into the air and turned to mush before being violently slammed back together again." Homage groaned
"Lovely image."
"Sick! Rad Cola!" Rogue said picking up the bottle in the vending machine she was pillaging.
"You must love the stuff." Homage said as they walked through the ruined city outskirts, looking for the friendship line station.
"Oh yeah, almost as awesome as being struck by lightning." Rogue said pulling the cap off one and taking a long swig. "Except I fucking hate radishes." She said quietly.
"Lightning?!" Homage asked with a shocked face. Rogue nodded while drinking.
"Yeah, it gives me a super charge, I move faster then normal, that's why a lot of ghouls are faster at thunder storms, they get struck by lighting."
"Neat… so, you never answered my question, how are you a Canterlot ghoul exactly, you don't even look... ghouly." Homage said. Rogue laughed derisively
"Yeah… I wasn't in Canterlot."
"You were outside?"
"Yeah, when the pink shield went up I could see it from my outpost, I ran back and pounded on it trying to get home and help my family… my mom was waiting at the gate. She kept telling me to run… I didn't understand it, and when the dome filled with that pink shit she still kept shouting at me to run. So I did, I ran done the road as fast as I could. When the shield broke and pink stuff stared flying around I got a face full of it. It wasn't enough to turn me all nasty like, but it was enough to kill me… I didn't realize… I ran back to the gate to see what I could do… my own mother attacked me… I… it was the scariest thing I ever saw… I ran back to my station and I got my guns… then I did something," the brown pony blushed "something really stupid." She said with a strained laugh.
"What?" Homage asked.
"I decided to go down to the zebra town under the city and kill every single zebra I saw."
"What?! Why?!" Homage asked in outrage. Rogue sighed.
"I was pissed at the world, pissed at them for murdering my family… if it helps I almost got killed myself… somepony saved my life though." Rogue said.
"who?" Homage asked.
"Sergeant Steel Hooves," Rogue didn't notice Homage's shocked sad face. "saved my life, twice actually. Once in training with the army and another time in that village… if I ever saw him again I'd love to say thanks… haven't seen his sorry steel ass in years though…"
"Ha ha… yeah." Homage said tensely. Rogue's ear twitched and she turned to the dark grey unicorn
"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded angrily. Homage's ears flattened.
"Oh god Rogue I'm so sorry… Steel Hooves was killed out in Splendid Valley by Hell hounds." The unicorn said delicately. Rogue stared at her with a blank face and turned away. Homage smiled weakly following the mare. "You're not upset?"
"Oh no, I'm pissed." Rogue said with a dangerous voice.
"Oh… well um."
"Shut up!" Rogue shouted angrily with a throaty snarl. Homage froze in shock. The ghoul looked kind of shocked herself and turned quickly and almost galloped ahead. Homage swallowed and followed the mare from a distance.
"We gotta stay low, we're getting into raider territory." Rogue said. Homage and her crouched low over the track, and as they were going around the track Rogue swore.
"Moriarty." She ground out angrily. Homage looked ahead and saw that somepony had set up a toll on the track.
"Ah fucking bastards, come on, it's a track through a city."
"It's Moriarty, he makes money out of everything he can. His cutie mark is a tollgate. His story is that he got it when he started charging people to use a hole in the ground to piss." Rogue said with a huff. Homage froze.
"Wait, you know him?"
"Yeah…" Rogue said with a regretful glance at the tollbooth. She walked up to it, gun held at the ready, and pounded on the door.
"HEY MORIARTY!" she shouted angrily. The gate was slowly opened and a dark purple mare with red and blue hair stepped out
"Rogue! Honey! It's been AGES!" she cackled evilly and turned to Homage "Oo you brought a snack! Hold her down Hack Saw! I want her horn!" the pony said. Homage realized something with a jolt.
"Raiders!" she said with a gasp. Rogue stepped in front of the crazed mare and her steel gray stallion friend who was holding evil looking stained saw.
"Piss off Switch Blade, she's mine. Find your own kill." Homage stepped back in fear.
"You're a raider!?" she asked in shock. Rogue turned to her.
"Rogue Ranger!" shouted the gray Pegasus stepping forward. Homage was shocked to see that he wasn't a dashite. When she looked up to his face she shouted out in alarm. Half of the skin on his face was ripped off leaving knotted muscles and a grey cloudy orb where his eye was. The stallion raised his eyebrow at the ponies face. "What's wrong with her?" he asked with a sneer.
"She's not used to seeing a real lifeless shitpile." Rogue said with a growl. "What the fuck Moriarty, a toll gate, really, seems like an old act, shouldn't you be out looking for a flank to rip open?"
"You see my dear." As the stallion lifted up his hoof to put it on Rogues shoulder Homage realized with a jolt of nausea that the skin on half of his body was melted off in certain places. "The ponies have been scarce in these parts, some pony up in tenpon has been warning them away." He put on a sleazy smile "you wouldn't happen to be going down there would ya, maybe you can-"
"I'm not doing your dirty work Moriarty… never again." Rogue said with a growl. The stallion chuckled.
"Suit yourself, but if that's the case you owe me a thousand caps." He snarled holding out his hoof. Rogues eyes shrunk to pin pricks and twitched.
"1000 CAPS!" she shrieked angrily. "WHAT THE FUCK MORIARTY!"
"Your accolades are very far reaching Rogue my dearest, I know how many caps you've got in that pack of yours." Rogue growled and got right up into the pegasus's face
"Fuck you Moriarty." He just stared at her with a smirk. Rogue's eyes narrowed. "500."
"800."
"650."
"700."
"Done." Rogue said holding out the caps. The three ponies fought for the bag but Moriarty snarled and pushed the other two ponies away.
"Guard the gate you idiots! Rip tide!" a unicorn stallion with a dried blood color coat came out. "Put that in the safe! And if you pocket it I'll get hack saw to rid you of your horn!" he turned back to Rogue "you're free to go through, you there!" he pointed his rotting hoof at Homage. She jumped and stared at the three raiders. "You owe me twenty caps!" he said grimly. Homage swallowed and slowly walked through the gate. Switch Blade and Hack Saw were watching her with wild eyes. As she passed by them Hack saw whistled.
"She's got a nice flank Rogue, can I have just a nibble." He asked stepping forwards. Homage turned around and put her pistol to his nose.
"Take another step, I dare you," she said dangerously. The raider crossed his eyes and stared at the gun with a wide crazy smile. He backed up, still smiling. Moriarty laughed at the dark gray mare.
"Shes got sass, I like it. Twenty caps please." Homage levitated the cap in front of the rotting pony. He smiled at them both, bowing slightly.
"See ya soon Rogue?" he asked. Rogue said nothing and walked away. Homage followed her. after a while she couldn't hold her curiosity.
"So, did you pay him to keep you alive or something." Rogue said nothing. "Cause it kinda sounded like he knew you really well." Rogues shoulders slumped mildly. "You din't you know… kill ponies, did you?" silence "Rogue?" the pony stopped.
"I was a raider after the war, I raped, I pillaged, I maimed, I slaughtered… it was how I found solace, by making others feel how I felt." She said quietly. Homage stared at her.
"You what!" she shrieked in anger and disgust "What the fuck man! That's sick!" Rogue looked up to the sky.
"It is was it is."
"How do you fucking live with yourself?" Homage shrieked in anger. Suddenly she was thrown backwards. Rogue had punched her in the face. Homage stared at her wide eyed.
"THAT WAS THE FUCKING POINT!" Rogue shouted angrily dragging the unicorn up. "I'M NOT LIVING! I'M DEAD! I'VE BEEN DEAD FOR 200 YEARS! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT'S LIKE?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO DIE AND COME BACK NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO?" Rogue shouted shaking the mare. "Don't lecture me about what's right and wrong! I don't give a shit! One day I'm gonna leave this hell hole and find some island to rot away on and for the first fucking time in this Celestia forsaken existence I won't have to listen to ponies telling me what's right and wrong!" she threw the mare back on the ground. Homage stared up at the mare with anger.
"You're a sick bitch!" she shouted. Suddenly Rogue was in her face. She snarled in a ghoulish growl mouth wide and teeth ready to sink into Homages face. She froze, eyes widened in shock before she squeezed her eyes shut and galloped down the track towards Tenpony tower. She didn't look back.
"Don't come up. I never want to see you ever again." Homage said with a twisted snarl by the entrance to the basement. Rogue didn't look at her either. She simply set up her weapons. She pulled out something and witched it on. It made a crackling noise before she turned on her music. 'I'm not a fan of puppeteers, but I have a nagging fear someone else is pulling at the strings…'
As she opened the door she threw it down the hall. There was the sound of growls but the ghouls were attracted to the wired mobile speaker rather then the mares. She went through the door and closed it behind her. Homage stood for a while listening at the sounds of bullets mixed with the pre war music she wanted so badly. She sighed and walked over to the elevator. As she got off on the top floor she sighed and slumped on the bed.
"Come on Homage… it's not so bad, sure she's a bitch but-"
"I don't want to talk about that Littlepip." Homage said with a huff. The sprite bot hovered for a bit silently. Then it settled down on the bed side table.
"Well, what do you want to talk about?"
"…I don't know…" Homage said with a quiet voice. Littlepip huffed
"Why don't you do another news segment?"
"Naw."
"Play some of Velvet's tracks?"
"No…"
"I could sing for you!"
"You suck at singing." Homage said with a slight smile.
"Hey, I'm not that bad!"
"Have you found any pony?"
"Nope… we've been looking around the clock, no ponies stood out… I've gotten the same from Velvet and Calamity, Zenith hasn't seen anything either. Ditzy said she thought she had a lead but that the pony hasn't shown up in a while, shes not even sure if they're still alive or not…"
"Fuck." Homage said with a sigh, lying back down. Suddenly the building shook. "What the hell!" she looked out side to see a huge explosion just outside the city. The streets were suddenly swarming with ghouls and out of the fray stepped the brown mare with the red mane. She charged out, guns blazing, shooting every ghoul in her sights. Homage watched with a slight awe. The mare did miss but apparently her blindness was partial enough to be minor, or so she thought. As the pony stopped and tried to fire a ghoul charging towards her from down the street she fired three times before the forth struck the ghoul in the leg. Homage could see the mare curse and fire a fifth bullet into the ghouls head. Soon it was just a matter of playing her music and attracting the ghouls. Homage listened to the new song. '-GIVE ME A DASH OF Looyalltyyyy!' "Man… I want her music." Homage said with a sigh. Littlepip laughed a bit at that. Homage went back to her recordings. She set up the news line an began talking.
"Hello my fellow wasteland ponies. DJ Pom-3 coming to ya loud and proud from good old tenpony Tower. Now some of you may have heard the explosion out by Manehatten and even if ya didn't I'm here ta give your minds a settle. I'm sure you've all heard by now of our little pest problem down in our basement. Damn place was crawling with ghouls. Well my charming assistant was down by the Clousdale crash site at this place called the Hunter's Nook and she recruited one of the best of the best to clear out the place. Now don't worry little ones, the tower is perfectly fine but she's a fiery one. She likes to blow stuff up. Anyways, that's all we have for news today, and now, some sultry sound from our dear Velvet Remedy." With that Homage took off her head phones and played Velvet's song on air. She sat back down on her bed and was about to relax a bit when the com radio crackled to life.
"Uh Pom 3?" it was one of the guards at the gate
"He's busy right know, what is it?" Homage asked.
"The pony you got to clear out the ghouls, she left us this disc thing… do you want us to send it up?" Homage blinked in confusion
"Yeah sure, whatever." After a while a unicorn wearing barding came to her door and handed her the disc. she open the case and a note dropped out.
Ten Pon,
I know you're pissed at me. Whateves, I don't really care, but I know you like my music so I thought what the hell, you might just appreciate it. Here's a list of the songs I gave ya, should be enough to fill some radio time.
1.Discord-by Living tombstone and the stripes
2. Celestia's ballad-recorded by the original Pom-3
3.A true, true, friend-recorded by the original Pom-3
4.Children of the night- duo cartoonist project (Circuit Board helped with this one)
5.Septmeber- by lolman7 in collab with the stripes
(oh yeah, don't play this one often, it's kinda shocking)
6.Loyalty-by AucousiticBrony and MandoPony
7.Friendship-by the aviators
8.This is war-by 30 seconds to mars (all bat pony punk band, they were a protest band)
9.Smile-recorded by the original Pom-3 (this is a ministry of morale song. I hope you know what that means.)
10.radioactive- by imagine dragons (yeah I thought you'd appreciate the irony, also, they were all, that's right, dragons, fucking sweet huh)
-Rogue
p.s. the stripes were an all zebra band.
Homage stared at the CD and the note.
"Fuck, now I can't stay mad." She said angrily. Littlepip laughed as the unicorn retreated to the recording studio to test the disk out.
active Affects:
Feral(1): you are going crazy... sorry about that.
(you may feel the need to feed on pony flesh. +15 more health from flesh eaten from the cannibal perk.)
Blindness(2):my eyes are dim I cannot see I have not brought my specs with me... what?
(-45% accuracy with E.F.S. -2 perception)
Skills:
Sneak:46
Repair:35
Small Guns:43
Explosives:52
Barter:29
Speech:30