> FoE: Vagabonds
>  by StapleCactus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        A ghoul’s heavy steps disturbed the barren dirt landscape, sending small clouds into the air as he marched on through the whipping winds. His thick barding was marred with the scars of bullets and his steps were steady and slow, carrying him through the whipping winds of the open wasteland air. Icy-blue eyes told a lot more of how old he was than his wounded, rotted body ever could, even as he lacked a mane. 

The old being plodded over the open land in silence and continued on into a valley between two cliff-like edges. It was here that he witnessed something common enough for the wastes, a group of ponies running for their lives. As they saw the old ghoul walking toward them, they all picked up speed and, within a moment, they were standing in front of the being, their appearances telling their story. Just as the oldest of the ponies had opened his mouth to speak, the first shot was fired. 

The bullet originated quite a distance away, from a sniper rifle, and it ended its path by liquefying the oldest of the ponies present. The ghoul didn’t blink, didn’t even react as the gore was splattered across his barding. Then, his gaze drifted over to the other two ponies, another stallion and a young colt. The second stallion was put to death as he stared at what used to be his sibling, leaving only the young pony alive. The youngster had just dropped to the ground next to his would-be rescuers’ corpses, when a high pitched beep echoed from his collar a short second before he was decapitated via explosion.

As if nothing had happened, the ghoul stepped over the lifeless bodies and continued through the canyon. A few steps passed before a bullet bit into the stallion’s barding, right near his shoulder joint. Pausing only for a moment to look at the hole, the stallion’s walk was mostly unhindered and he continued. A few steps later and he found himself standing in front of a tall building. Upon the second-story balcony was the sniper rifle responsible for the deaths of the ponies.

He knocked on the door and waited, knowing that there was somepony in the building. His patience was awarded moments later when the door swung open. He was met by a wicked grin when the slaver pony looked at him before shouting behind him to some unknown ponies. “It’s that wicked crazy ghoul I toldja ‘bout! The one with barding that can stop one of our sniper bullets!”

The ghoul returned a deadpan look before speaking up. “Do any of you happen to have a silver amulet?” 

“Silver amulet?” the pony said, his grin still solid on his face. “I don’t think I do.” Then his smile widened as he pulled a shotgun from somewhere behind him and held it tightly in his mouth while he spoke around the handle. “Since you’re here though, I don’t think you would mind giving me that barding, eh? Maybe I’ll let you leave in one piece if you give it to me now.” The shotgun cocked while the ghoul continued his impassive look.

As the gun was lowered toward the ghoul’s head, a flash of magic encircled the weapon. It was then torn powerfully from the slaver’s jaw, a fair amount of teeth exiting his mouth with it as the uncared-for bones were torn from their roots. Before the slaver knew what was going on, the shotgun had been taken and pointed back at his own head. Without waiting for a response, the stallion’s head was smeared across the wall behind him from the explosive discharge of metal.

Following the firing of the shotgun, a hail of automatic bullets pounded into the door jam, just inches from the ghoul’s face. Unmoving from his position, the old pony waited patiently for a pause in the hasty fire. When the sound of a clip dropping came from within, he stepped in slowly, his pace normal, as if he were merely going for a casual walk. WIth practiced ease, he spotted the shooter who was reloading and fired another shot from his shotgun that, even at this range, dropped his target with a heavy wound. The slaver was struggling to fire his weapon when a blow to the face from the blunt handle of the shotgun knocked him out. A smashing of the gun to his forehead finished him off while the gun fell apart from the impact.

Grabbing the dropped automatic, the ghoul leveled the business end toward the stairway and filled the first pony down full of lead. As the second slaver made his way past his companion, another stream of bullets flew for a moment before the automatic fell apart. The slaver paused for a moment to praise his luck, but was interrupted as what was left of the handle was slammed into his temples, knocking him to the ground from the force.

When he stood from his position on the ground with his gun ready, he was met with a shot to the head from the gun of the slaver who had come down the stairs before him, a pistol this time. The ghoul remained unfazed, as if it was a simple thing that he had practiced for days prior to the event. Collecting the gun from his most recent kill as well, the stallion continued his slow walk up the stairs and past the other two corpses.

After turning a blind corner, a bullet streaked past his face and left a streak of blood along his muzzle where it had dug into his hide. Only one other bullet had the opportunity to be fired, this one digging into the heavy barding of the ghoul and leaving him unharmed, before the life of the fifth slaver was ended by the undead pony. 

The ghoul glanced at the fallen slaver’s rifle, but passed on it and dropped the pistol next to her, leaving the stallion with only the semiautomatic gun from before. He paused to look down the length of hall that lead toward a door at the far end. Then, with his same steady, slow pace, the ghoul set off down toward the room, his eyes set unblinkingly upon the door. 

Without any form of warning, the door burst open and a rounds of bullets hailed upon the ghoul. The armor-piercing rounds easily cut through the barding like a hot knife through butter, but the rain of bullets was erratic due to the unsteady aim of the wielder. When the stream of consistent fire ended, there were holes in just about every surface that had been on the opposite end of the hall. 

The last slaver took several deep breaths as he calmed himself while the debris and dust swirled from where the stallion had stood earlier. His heart stopped and his breath froze in his throat when he became aware that, despite the collection of wounds littering his barding and his skin, the ghoul was still standing. A single round from the semi-auto was fired and dropped the last of the slavers.

The ghoul walked slowly towards the dying pony. As he passed over the slaver, he became aware of a scratchy voice and he glanced down.

“Why?” was the only thing that the slaver asked, his voice desperate to know why he and his accomplices had been killed.

“Why not?” came to cold reply as the slaver exhaled his last breath and fell limp. Continuing on his path, the ghoul opened the door and looked around at the shoddily created prison cells that held all the slaves that were set to be sold. A hole in the building off to the side cast uneasy shadows across the room and blocked the sight of the ghoul from the ponies. The collective breath of the captives was held for a moment before the ghoul stepped into the light.

“Any of you seen a silver amulet?”




    
    “-bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts.” The sounds of music began playing from a PipBuck on a dark green unicorn’s leg. The dark grey, lightweight armor he wore kept him hidden on the ridge he lay upon, facing a large valley below. A black bandana held his mane away from his face as his yellow eyes stared towards the horizon. After turning the radio off, he brought his rifle to his prone form in a glow of yellow telekinesis and peered through the scope.
    
    Past the receiving end of his weapon, a battle could be seen. Two rival gangs, one wearing rags and the other in universal bodysuits, were attacking with bludgeons, swords, and any guns they scavenged from the wastes. The most notable thing shared by the fighting ponies was, quite simply, their complete inability to fight correctly. It was like was watching children attempt to box.
    
    As he scanned the battlefield, the sniper spotted a ghoulish figure in heavy armor walking slowly towards the battle, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “What is that thing doing?” the stallion said to himself as he checked his ammo. After ensuring his rifle was ready, he looked down the scope once more. The figure he saw before was nearing the edge of battle. “Stupid,” he muttered as he pulled the trigger.
    
    Down range, one of the ponies in rags lunged toward the ghoul, only to be pierced by the sniper’s round and fall to the ground in a heap. The green stallion watched as the figure didn’t even flinch, continuing its slow, deliberate steps through the battle. With a sigh, he sighted targets again and again, clearing a path for the dimwitted being through the violent imbeciles. Occasionally, when he needed to reload, he would watch the gang members rush the ghoul, only to be knocked away when their own weapons were used against them.
    
    “Really stupid,” he muttered as he slammed a different round into the rifle chamber manually. With another pull of the trigger, a red streak flew through the air in front of the ghoul, low enough to penetrate and ignite one of its would-be attackers. Again, there was no response from the being as it walked onward, the enemy flailing about and catching his neighbors on fire as well, the dry rags they wore being excellent fuel to the flames.
    
    The sniper watched as his round dropped four members in flame, then chambered the next, normal, round. “Good thing these two groups are dumber, or I’d run a bullet through your own head, ghoul,” he said and looked to his pipbuck. “Damn, only a few dozen rounds to go.” He scrolled through the machine’s inventory display for a few moments before sighing and loading up a different clip. “I hate surplus ammo.”
    
    After shooting the chambered round towards his latest target, he studied the field. He pulled the rifle’s bolt back slowly, allowing the spent shell to eject and a worn shell to take its place. Then, he slid the bolt it back in place, just as carefully. With a new target in line, he fired.
    
    The round zipped through the air and penetrated its target, but did nothing to stop the pony from continuing his assault until he realized the wound. The ghoul strolled past as the attacker struggled to keep fighting through the hole in his side. A second shot rang out, passing through the flailing pony and leaving another wound behind. Soon enough, the stallion finally fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood.
    
    The battle raged on as the sniper randomly fired at the ponies below, whether they were attacking the ghoul or not. In time, the sniper observed the figure exit the other side of the battle, bullets and wounds marking his body in just about every nonlethal position. With one last shot, dropping a trailing bodysuit-wearing pony in a spray of grey matter and blood, the unicorn lifted his rifle and stood.
    
    “Exceptionally stupid, but at least not violently so,” he said as he removed the bandana holding his grey mane away from his face.
    



    
    The unicorn ghoul drank heavily of a clear bottle as he stood near a two story building, his wounds healing as he quaffed the drink. With a sigh, the left saddlebag was opened and the bottle was replaced, revealing a slight blue glow from within the bag before it was closed once again. With a glance to the surrounding area, the ghoul unicorn entered a small bar, seeking a way to get some form of sleep that night, regardless of the cost in the morning. The task had become much harder to accomplish when he found himself as part of the undead and his alcohol tolerance increased as a result. As the door swung open, his sharp eyes informed him of all the separate ponies seated within the building. Among them, was a single empty seat that caught the ghoul’s eye.
    
    With his slow pace, he made his way over and ordered his drink as he sat down. To his left, a green unicorn stared impassively at the barkeep as his rifle carefully rested against the counter and his saddlebags were slumped on the floor. A moment later, both of the stallions received their drinks as the ghoul glanced to the sniper and nodded.
    
    The pony returned the gesture before picking up his glass and throwing the liquid within down his throat. “Yer the idiot that decided id be a good idea to walk THROUGH a battlefield. Guess I’m not surprised,” the stallion said when he set the shot glass back down and stared at the container, the alcohol slurring his speech slightly.
    
    Rowdy ponies were making a ruckus in the bar as the ghoul drank and didn’t respond, the sniper awaiting another fill on his glass and letting himself be ignored. Seeing how quickly the green one was downing his drinks, the bartender set the three-quarters empty bottle of whiskey down. He then eyed the ghoul and slid a bottle of wine to the undead pony.

    In an attempt to learn more about the ghoul, and whether or not he saved a worthy being, the sniper turned and said, “What’re you doing out here in the wastes? Most of your kind stays near Canterlot.”

     Again, there was no response. The stallion poured himself another shot as the din within the bar quieted suddenly. Just as he was about to drink, he was forced to pause when he spotted two ponies beginning to walk over.
    
    “Oye, I think thems be the ones that killed so many of us,” came a scruffy voice from the shorter of the two earth ponies.
    
    “Yeah, I thinks you’re right,” the high pitched voice of the taller one said in return.
    
    The ghoul glanced over his shoulder at the ponies who were approaching, then back to the sniper at his side. In response, the green unicorn drank his shot and placed it back on the bar without looking away from the two newcomers.
    
    “Oh! They speak! I thought neanderthals like them weren’t smart enough to know basic language skills, considering their complete disregard for talking through their problems,” he said as he stared at the two in mock shock.
    
    The ghoul took the time to look at the surroundings of the building and, just as he finished taking in all he could, the two gang members realized that they had just been insulted, lunging at the sniper and the ghoul. Both horns activated at once as the unicorns grabbed each other’s drinks and smashed them into their attacker’s faces.
    
    The sound of two glasses shattering on the thick skulls of the ponies alerted the remaining bar goers. In seconds, the two unicorns were surrounded by mares and stallions covered in rags and holding whatever blunt object in reach in their mouths. Towards the back of the crowd, a unicorn stood and charged her horn.
    
    “I got the unicorn!” the green stallion yelled as he charged his own horn and fired a concussive blast in the mare’s direction. The narrow blast was absorbed by the ponies in between the two, however, and were knocked to the ground by the force. “Have fun!” he added as he grabbed his gun with his magic and hopped over groaning ponies. He slammed into the female as she fired her own spell and followed her to the ground, her concentration breaking as her magic fired wildly into the air.
    
    As the green unicorn tackled the caster, the ghoul levitated several stacks of plates from the nearby bar and placed them at his hooves. Just as the ponies who were knocked down by the concussive blast started to stand, several others were dropped to the ground under a constant barrage of dinnerware. Keeping his stoic demeanor intact, the ghoul continued to dish out punishment to the gang members.
    
    “You’re cute,” the green unicorn said towards the pinned mare. “Too bad you’re an idiot.” He struck the mare hard enough to force unconsciousness and looked up at a few ponies smiling around the weapons they carried. He sighed and floated his weapon above him. “I have a gun, guys.” Four large objects swung down as he rolled out of the way, cringing slightly as he heard the weapons impact the mare he left behind. The unicorn stood and trained his rifle on the left-most pony before pulling the trigger.
    
    Eventually, the ponies grew tired of the plates being thrown in their faces and a gun was quickly drawn when they heard a shot ring out. The second it came into view, it was immediately yanked from the grasp of the pony by the strong telekinesis of the undead pony and it began to rain bullets into the gang members at an incredible speed. Within seconds, the ghoul looked coldly at the victims of his attacks and fired a few more rounds into each of the ponies again, just to make sure they were dead. “Now I don’t feel like drinking.”
    
    Between the first pony going down, and the scuffle by the bar escalating into gunfire, the green unicorn managed to drop the second and third pony, taking a second or two to line up the shots and backing up to keep his distance. The last enemy shakily stared down the stallion’s barrel before pulling his own firearm. A final shot rang out within the bar as the threat of the weapon forced the sniper into sobriety. The pony dropped, a hole bored straight through his skull. “Remove the violently stupid...”
    
    Silence filled the bar as the two unicorns glanced between each other and the glass shards surrounding the first two ponies who started the fight. “You spilt my drink,” the green sniper said as he stepped over the fallen, more worried about not tripping than he was about disturbing the corpses. His hooves took him around the bar as he lifted his bags and slung them over his back, where he grabbed another bottle of Wild Pegasus. As he pocketed it within his saddlebags, he looked towards the other unicorn. “Hey, ghoul, what’ll ya have?” he asked in a fake southern accent as the previous bartender was nowhere to be seen.
    
    “My name is Steel Wall,” responded the ghoul in a bored tone to the sniper.
    
    “Uhuh, and I asked you what you’ll have, not your name. Regardless, call me Force,” the stallion said as he turned and pushed bottles around on the shelves.
    
    “A silver amulet, about the size of my hoof. Do you have that?” Steel replied as he began to search all the bodies of the dropped gang members, tossing aside the occasional gun and loose rounds like trash as he scoured all the pockets of his victims.

Force hummed as he searched through the bottles of liquor. He stopped at a deep emerald-colored bottle and chuckled. “Nope, no medals here. But maybe I can interest you in a drink?” he asked as he grabbed it and brought it to the bar.

The stallion glanced at the liquid for a moment before shaking his head and looking back to his work. After scouring for another moment, a healing potion that the unicorn mare had been carrying was sent spinning through the air with a toss of his head, causing it to shatter against the far wall.

The impromptu barkeep shrugged and set a shot glass down, immediately filling it with a green liquid from the bottle. As he knocked the shot back and set it back down, he said, “Suit yourself. I got what I wanted. Have fun rummaging.” He grabbed a second bottle of whiskey from the shelves and headed for the door.

As he finished searching the corpses, Steel went back to the first corpse and started through the rags of the pony once again. A few seconds later, he looked to the unicorn humming in thought as he exited the building and looked off in different directions. A moment passed before Force turned left and disappeared from the doorway.

    After another pass over the bodies, the ghoul stepped out as well. He looked around at the empty wastes before heading east and, at the edge of the building, he spotted the green unicorn next to a workbench. Force had his bandana on and his rifle disassembled for cleaning. The corpse-like pony shook his head and continued his journey eastward with his normal, sluggish pace.
    
    Roughly an hour later, with the two story bar still slightly visible, the ghoul was passed by the sniper with his PipBuck radio on. The radio’s music stopped and the disk jockey started to speak, but the voice faded as the green unicorn continued further away from the ghoul. Just as the stallion was about to head over the hill up ahead, he stopped. After a few seconds, where the ghoul slowly made his way up the incline, the pony turned around and trotted back with the radio off.
    
    “C’mon, we’ve got a job,” Force said flatly to the ghoul when he got within range of Steel’s senses.
    
    



    
    Footnote:
    
    Force Factor
    
    Strength:              4
    Perception:          10
    Endurance:          4
    Charisma:             2
    Intelligence:         10
    Agility:                   6
    Luck:                      4
    
    Steel Wall
    
    Strength:               6
    Perception:           8
    Endurance:          10
    Charisma:             1
    Intelligence:         4
    Agility:                   1
    Luck:                     10
    
    Authors’ Note: Special thanks to Kkat for the original Fallout: Equestria; and Somber of Project Horizons and No One of Heroes, cause they’re awesome.
        


> Chapter 1: Lavender
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Oi, seems we got a pair a ‘eroes comin’.” A mare stirred from her nightmares as the voice spoke, dragging her back into the very real world where she was imprisoned with several other ponies. Her tired emerald eyes scanned the dim room from within her cage and she spotted the familiar faces of her other captives. She caught the eye of a stallion in another cage across from her. With all the strength she could muster, the mare smiled at him, only to have the stallion sigh and look away.

“Oh? And why are they coming here then?” a feminine voice called back as the leader walked into the room. The mare looked away from her cellmate and let her smile drop, turning her attention instead to the evolving conversation in front of her.

“Seems somepony let loose a call ta come save that there little mare there.” Both of the slavers turned their gaze to look at the captive, who looked towards a corner to avoid sharing eye contact.

“How many of them?” the boss asked as she turned her gaze back to the scarred stallion who had brought her the information.

“From what the lookout says? Two.”

“Ha, just two? Fill them full of lead.” The lead mare waved a hoof before starting back towards where she came from, a small office room.

A wicked grin crossed the slaver’s features as he nodded. “Aye, It’ll be me pleasure.” A moment later, he set off towards another doorway, where the captive mare believed the exit to be, if only a few extra doors and hallways first.

“Do you think you’ll be saved?” came the leader’s voice from the other room. “Don’t think I haven’t seen you smiling at the others. There’s only two of them, girl. Don’t get your hopes up.” A shrill laughter rang forth. The mare knew not to respond; she had seen the others beaten for talking, regardless of the reason why.

The sound of gunfire, more gunfire than was necessary for two ponies, filled the chamber. Even the thick walls of concrete and steel could not stop the loud battle waging just beyond. Two younger ponies, what looked like fillies, started cowering in their shared cage while the stallion across from her looked bored and defeated. The noise and the slaver’s words did nothing to stop the mare’s optimism though, and she sat up in wait for her rescuers.

She looked over at the fillies and tried her best to calm them without speaking, but it was for naught. Just as she was about to speak, the gunfire ceased and the room grew quiet. The mare closed her mouth and looked towards the door the stallion left through, waiting on hope.

“You Celestia-damned idiot! What did I fucking say just moments before we crested that hill?!” At the end of the stranger’s voice, the hinges of the doorway barely held onto the metal frame as the door swiveled around and slammed into the wall it was connected to. Dust stirred into the air at the busted entry and, as it settled, two figured appeared. 

One, a large ghoul in heavy combat armor riddled with bullet holes, brought his rear hooves back to the ground from where he bucked. The other, glaring at the stallion, was a dark green unicorn in a much lighter barding with a rifle floating alongside him in a yellow glow. The rotting being turned around and ignored the smaller pony as he entered the room. 

“It’s a good thing I have a fucking healing potion on me, or this whole excursion would be a bust!” the green one said as he followed the first one in and levitated a small glass jar out of his saddlebags.

“Who the hell are you two?” The mare turned to see the leader come out of her room with a shotgun set on her side, a trigger mechanism reaching around to her mouth. 

Unfortunately for her, the two intruders responded with a bullet slamming into her chest mere moments after leaving the rifle of the green unicorn, who had his head turned to the side with the glass jar pressed to his lips. The projectile was slowed by her barding and just missed a vital organ as she slid back from the force, but continued to stand. Before the leader could get her bearings, the ghoul slammed into her and forced the weapon out of her battle saddle. Then, in a quick turn of the gun, the being leveled the firearm into her face and fired.

The mare quickly turned away and shut her eyes, hoping the fillies didn’t look and upset at the, what she thought was, unnecessary killing. Hooffalls echoed in the now quiet chamber as they got closer to the mare’s cage. Expecting the violent ponies to yell at her, she meekly peered towards the cage’s front.

“Are you Lavender?” the green unicorn said as the mare spotted the ghoul digging through the fallen slaver’s possessions.

“Y-yes.” As soon as she said that, a key was floated over in a field of pale blue magic and set into the cage lock. A quick turn and pull on the cage door later, and the mare was free.

“Go play scavenger, Steel. I’ll get the others out of here,” the unicorn said as he grabbed the key and proceeded to do so. After a moment more of digging, the ghoul walked back out of the room, paying no attention to the rifle wielder.

“Who are you?” Lavender asked as she slowly stepped out of her prison.

“Force Factor.” The cage for the fillies was opened and he walked towards the stallion. “That one was Steel Wall.” Then, the stallion was freed. “Radio sent us to save you.” Finally, he headed into the slaver’s office and began looking through the desk within.

“Thank you.” She watched as he finished looking through the furniture and started on the nearby file cabinet.

“Don’t bother. I did it for the caps.”

“What about the ghoul?”

“Steel? He just wants to search the bodies. Something about an amulet. Blast!” Force slammed the cabinet shut and started towards the busted door. “This better be worth it, there’s not a damned thing in here I can sell for good money.”

“What’s wrong?”

Force stopped in the middle of the room with cages and turned around. “You sure do have a lot of questions. If you want to know, I just spent one-hundred caps worth of ammo to get to you because that fucking idiot didn’t listen to me. The closest thing I have here to sell is that shotgun,” --he pointed at the discarded weapon in a corner where Steel had thrown it-- “and I’d probably get thirty caps at best for it. I’m not carrying around useless junk that may get me enough money to restock when I could just find something useful, which there is none of!” He finished his speech with a yell towards where the ghoul left earlier before continuing his walk.

“What about the slaver’s battle saddle?”

“Fifty caps.”

“That is worth at least one hundred.” At this, the stallion paused and looked back at her.

“What.”

“One hundred caps, at least.”

“I heard you the first time,” he said as he trotted over to the slain mare. “How do you see this as one hundred caps? If I tried to sell it, I’d get fifty.” He undid the clasps and floated the saddle off the body before stuffing it into his saddlebags. “Look, even my PipBuck says fifty.” He toyed with the device on his leg before setting his leg out for her to see.

Lavender leaned over and studied the screen for a moment. “Even so, a friend of mine has a similar model he sold for that much.”

“Hmm. Hey, Steel!” Force pulled the object back out of his bags as the ghoul came in from the call. “How much do you think this is worth?”

Steel walked over and looked closer at the battle saddle. “Twenty-five caps.” Then, the large stallion left the room again. The mare looked between Force and where Steel left for a few moments.

“You two don’t barter much do you?”

“The price is the price, but I’ll take your word on it just this once,” he said as he folded the cloth to fit better in his saddlebags and added it to them. “Come on, I think he’s about done anyway.”

“Wait! What about the fillies?” Lavender asked just as he was turning around again.

“Throw them a gun and let them figure it out. I’m not here to babysit.”

“What? But-” the mare started before being cut off from the stallion leaving. She stared after him before trotting over to the two fillies in their cage. She stooped down to look them in their quivering eyes. “It’s all right, you two. Let’s get out of here, okay?”

Slowly, the two young ponies crept towards her. When they got out of the cage, Lavender brought them both close into a hug. “It’s okay. We’ll save you,” she said as the two girls started to shake. 

“Hurry up!” Force called from further away.

“You can make it. Just be strong, okay?” the mare said and the two fillies nodded. They broke apart and she smiled at them. In return, they attempted their own smiles, but they came across as fearful. With a nod, she stood up and headed for the doorway, the sound of two sets of small hooves following after her.

A number of hallways later, and Lavender found the two stallions standing by the entrance. The light pouring in from the open entry shone on her magenta coat as a wind blew through and tousled her raven hair. She relished in the freedom brought on by the fresh air and smiled genially. Her entourage hid behind her as much as possible when she got close. Force and Steel were arguing, or one was arguing and the other was silent.

“Just think next time, would you? That’s all I ask,” the green unicorn said before turning to the mare. “Ah, it’s nice to see you in the light. Now let’s get go- What’s with the fillies?”

“They’re coming with us.” Lavender’s voice brooked no argument.

“No, they aren’t.” Not that Force understood that. “I told you I’m not a babysitter.”

“They’re coming with us.” She glared this time. After a few moments where the two stared at each other, Force huffed and walked out of the building.

“Their funeral,” he called back. Steel simply nodded and followed after the dark green unicorn.

“What’s with those two?” she said aloud before looking over her shoulder at the fillies. “It’s okay. They’re good ponies, I just know it.” Then, she started after the stallions, her charges right behind her, still nervous of the two ponies in the lead.

As soon as she reached the two, Force stopped and turned towards her. “Where are we going?”

“W-what?”

“The radio said to meet your associates at ‘that place’. So where is it?” He brought up his PipBuck to look at the map it showed, but extended his leg enough for her to point out their destination. Lavender studied the map for a few moments. 

Meanwhile, Steel lumbered over to the two fillies behind the mare. When they saw him coming, they huddled together and started shaking in fear. “Seen a silver amulet?” he said, unconcerned. They quickly shook their heads.

“Head south, then follow the mountains around. From this, it looks like about a day or two’s walk,” Lavender said when she determined their location.

Force traced the directions on the map with his eyes before sighing. “Right through raider territory. Of course.” He dialed in a location along the eastern edge of the mountains and set his hoof back down. “All right, let’s go.”



	

Several hours later, the group came across a small encampment of raiders holding up in a dilapidated building. They were a good two hundred yards away when Force laid upon the ground, using a slight dirt mound as cover. Copying his movements, Lavender did the same and called for the fillies to lay down. Steel continued to stand as the green unicorn brought his rifle to bear and peered through the scope.

“Looks like we’ve got two raiders keeping an eye out. There’s three patrolling inside, but there might be more. I can take out the-” Steel stepped forward and cut him off as the ghoul walked towards the building. “Celestia damn it, Steel! Not again!” Force sighted the rifle towards the ghoul, but thought better of it as the raiders didn’t begin firing immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Lavender asked quietly.

“Steel is what’s wrong. Fucker just can’t get it through his thick skull to think before rushing in.” He turned the barrel towards one of the raiders on a ledge and waited. “Not that he rushes anywhere by the looks of it. Damned slowpoke.”

The mare winced at the continued vulgar language, but said nothing. She crawled towards the fillies and held them close for the upcoming battle. Then, a shot rang out over the hill they were hiding behind.

Force returned fire, his bullets pounding into the raiders. Two well aimed shots dropped the first lookout. Barely acknowledging the kill, he swiveled the rifle to the second guard and used another two shots to drop that one. Just as he trained his rifle towards a third at ground level, Steel filled the pony full of rounds, the gun having been stolen from one of the two corpses that lay at his hooves.

As the raider hit the ground, a sixth pony ran out of the building, training a large gun on Steel as it spooled up. “Fuck! He’s got a minigun!” Force exclaimed as he slammed a red bullet into the rifle’s barrel and swapped clips from his bags. The bullet fired and a fiery stream sped through the air before slamming home in the pony’s shoulder, just as the big gun finished speeding up and rained bullets upon the ghoul.

The incendiary round did little to stop the pony from shooting, only burning a small patch of his barding before winking out. Force fired again and again, doing little damage upon the raider’s helmeted head. Steel stood his ground and fired from the small caliber rifle he picked up earlier as bullets racked his body. Just as the ghoul dropped, an armor-piercing round finally made its way into the enemy’s skull and he followed Steel onto the dirt.

“Fuck!” Force screamed. “There goes another two-hundred caps worth of ammo!” He switched clips again and started towards the building slowly.

“Steel!” Lavender ran ahead, leaving the fillies to stay behind Force. She stopped next to the ghoul and looked him over, thinking of what she could do to help. Then, the green unicorn met up with them and stared straight at Steel’s eyes.

“You Celestia-damned idiot,” he stated as he pulled a jar out of his saddlebags and set it next to the mare. “Step back and throw this at him if he needs it.” He stepped over the fallen ghoul and headed into the structure.

Lavender looked at the jar and saw a radioactive symbol painted on the side when Steel suddenly wheezed.

“Barding... Remove it...” The mare did as she was told, carefully undoing multiple straps and peeling parts of the armor away. The fillies watched on from a few paces away as she finished removing the ghoul’s gear.

“Bags... Jar...” She shuffled through his possessions until she found a bottle of liquid and set it next to Steel. Slowly, the ghoul twisted the cap off and tilted the container into his mouth, drinking greedily of the dirty water she now saw it was.

When the last of the liquid was drained, he asked for another and drank that one too. The multiple holes perforating his hide began to close as five caliber rounds were pushed out. In some places, the wounds were too deep and they closed without removing a bullet. Then, Steel asked for yet another bottle before downing it as well.

With the danger averted, the mare looked the stallion over. Many scars were littered across his skin where it wasn’t decaying. A small stub of skin and bone protruded from where his tail would be. Where there was no damage to the hide, small fluffs of silver hair could be seen. Just as she had finished searching for more wounds, the stallion stood and put his mostly destroyed barding back on in a field of telekinesis. Then, as if he had never been wounded so badly, he started digging through the fallen raider’s belongings.

“Damn it, there’s nothing good in there either,” Force said as he walked out of the building. He turned to see Steel’s actions. “Oh, you’re still alive. That’s good.” A small nod towards the ghoul, and he placed his jar back into his bags before trotting over to the stallion with the minigun.

Lavender looked around and called the fillies towards her and headed into the building. Steel stopped rummaging through the ponies outside and followed after her. Force, after grabbing the raider’s battle saddle; weapon, in an aura of yellow telekinesis; and nearly two-hundred rounds of ammo, went back into the structure.

The old building was in need of repair, due to both time and abuse from raiders. Wooden floorboards were rotted away in the corners where rainwater would seep down the walls. The wooden ceiling above had multiple holes in it where the roof could be seen with even more holes. Within the room the group entered in, there was a ruined couch, a stained mattress, a rusted metal desk, and stairs leading up.

“Find a silver amulet?” Steel asked as soon as Force was inside. He shook his head and looked around to see the mare getting the two young ponies to lay on a nearby couch. The ghoul then headed up the stairs to check the two raiders above. The sniper looked at the setting sky and sighed.

“All right, looks like we’ll be spending the night here. It’s defensible enough, I guess,” he said as he walked over to the mattress in the corner and looked it over, finding blood and other disgusting fluids staining it. He scowled and set his bags, rifle, and the large gun down. Then, he pulled a dirty blanket out from the bags and laid it over the bedding. Finally, leaving rest for later, he walked to the nearby rusted desk with his rifle and started tearing it down, turning on his PipBuck radio, but keeping the volume low.

Steel came back down and Force told him the plan. With a simple nod, the ghoul laid down by the doorway, staring out at the wastes. Lavender looked between the two stallions and started to wonder what could have possibly put them together, when one of the fillies hiccuped.

She looked down at them on the couch and saw that it wasn’t a normal hiccup, but one from crying. She leaned closer to them and started to shush them quietly. Then, she sang.


Listen not to the sounds of war
Shroud your eyes from the sights of gore
Feel not the pain of loss this day
Fall ye not to endless dismay

Clear it all from your soul this night
Rest your body, forget your fright
Close your eyes, drift into a dream
And when dawn comes, look at life’s gleam

Rest now, young ones. Sleep through the night
Rest now, young ones. To dreams of white. 


Soon enough, the lullaby calmed the fillies. She repeated it just as they fell into a quiet slumber. When she looked up, she saw Force staring back at her, but he quickly turned away and continued working on the gun as the sounds of music was replaced by a DJ on the radio.

“Got a late night update for all you wastelanders out there. It seems that team from earlier cleared out the slaver nest after all. And get this: they actually saved the ponies inside! I’ve always said there was good out there, and if they keep it up, maybe things can change.

“In other news, the stable dweller looks to have saved yet another village in her crusade...” Force set the volume down even lower before turning the radio off entirely. 

Just as Lavender was going to ask why he turned it off, he simply said, “Reruns.” As he continued to work on his gun, using small bursts of magic to blow the barrel clean, she stepped over to the desk.

“Why are you two working together?” she asked just as he started assembling the weapon.

“Caps and backup for me. Like I said before, Steel’s just looking for an amulet.”

“And he listens to you without argument?”

“I’m sure there’s some argument in his head, but he doesn’t voice any of it, so why should I care?”

“But you’re working together. Surely you should learn about your teammate.”

“Ha! As soon as this is over, we’ll be parting, I’m sure.” Force finished his maintainence and went back to the mattress to lay down, facing away from her and setting the weapon down next to him. She glanced towards the fillies and the ghoul, as well as around the room, before deciding to get some sleep upon the hard wooden floor next to the couch.



	

The group slept soundly enough, except for the ghoul next to the entrance. The dark building made it slightly easier to see the wasteland as what little moonlight that pierced the cloud cover gave just enough light to see. In this dimly lit land, two figures could be seen approaching the structure. They walked confidently onwards before they spotted the darkened building.

The figures looked to each other and back at the building. Then, they bit down on their weapons and cautiously made their way closer. One held a shotgun while the other carried a nailed plank of wood. As they neared the structure, they found the bodies of fallen raiders. The two crept forward until they saw a pony resting by the doorway. Slowly, the one with the shotgun lowered the barrel towards the ghoul.

Steel’s eyes flashed open, instantly gripping the gun in his magic as he did so. Before the raider could react, the gun was pulled from his mouth and then used to pin him against the wall in one swift movement, blocking off his oxygen supply. The sound of the pony slamming against the wall awakened Force, who levitated his rifle and spun around to see the battle. In the dim room, the unicorn quickly slipped into SATS and watched the other raider bring his nailed board to the stallion slowly. 

Without flinching, a bullet fired from the gun with lethal accuracy, flying straight through the head of the raider. With that one dead, all that was left was the single raider still being choked to death against the wall. The shot awoke the females and they all watched as Steel pressed the gun tighter and tighter to the raider’s throat. 

Shocked silent, Lavender watched as the eyes of the raider rolled into his head and his body went limp. Steel pulled the gun from its position and let the pony fall like a ragdoll to the floor. As soon as the body was down, the ghoul turned the weapon and fired a finishing shot through the skull. 

Silently, Steel moved to the position on the floor he had been earlier and closed his eyes once again. Force also took his sleeping position on the mattress, leaving the mare and fillies wide awake and looking at the corpses. After the shock left their systems, one of the ponies started to cry loudly, causing Force to stir.

“Make her shut up,” he said with a look to the mare.

 “You just killed two ponies in front of them. What did you think was going to happen?” the mare asked just as the second girl joined the first.

“I didn’t expect anything to happen. I don’t usually deal with children, but then you had to bring them along anyway.”

“We couldn’t just leave them there.”

“I said to give them a gun. They’re your problem now, so you make them shut up.”

“Well, it would help if we took the bodies outside and hid them or buried them or something.”

“Great. You go ahead and do that then.”

“By myself?”

“Fine. Steel? Help her out.” Force then rolled over and closed his eyes, attempting to ignore the crying fillies.

The large stallion stood from his position on the floor slowly and walked over to the first corpse, lifting it onto his back with magic. Lavender frowned at the green unicorn before turning around and hugging the children. Slowly, the two quieted down to sniffles and she released them. As she asked them to stay still, Steel came back in and picked up the second body.

Lavender trotted over and followed the stallion out. They walked around a corner of the building before the ghoul unceremoniously dropped the corpse where he set two others. Then, she asked him to get the others as she started gathering debris, sticking with him to find enough to cover the bodies.

“Steel?” The pony made no response. “What do you think of working with Force?” He threw a body over his shoulder and picked another up in telekinesis, but made no move to answer her. “You fight pretty well, do you have any training?” she asked as she picked up a few dead branches.

They walked back around the building and placed the last two ponies down. She brought the branches over and set them on top of the bodies. After a small sigh, she asked, “Could you at least tell me about this pendant you’re looking for?”

Steel started helping her bring trash and dead plants over to hide the bodies. Then, he spoke up for the first time that night. “The pendant belonged to someone I knew before the bombs dropped, it’s all that’s left of them.”

He said nothing further as he stepped around the corner and headed back inside. Lavender followed him, thinking the job was done well enough, and saw him lay back down near the doorway. With one last sigh, she headed over to the couch and hopped up on it, cradling the still sniffling fillies close. After some time, they finally fell to sleep and the mare followed them into slumber.



	

Footnote: Level Up!

Force Factor: New Perk: Gun Nut: +5 to guns and repair
                Skill Note: Small Guns: 50

Constant maintenance of your weapons allows you to understand them further, helping you work with them even easier than before.

Steel Wall: New Perk: Little Leaguer: +5 to melee weapons and explosives

Using other people’s weapons against themselves has increased your ability to utilize common objects. That is to say... bludgeons and things that go boom.

Authors’ Note: Another round of thanks to the greats that came before us. We’ve got a little challenge for you readers: Can you tell who made which characters?
	

> Chapter 2: Change of Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Lavender woke up hours later, just as the sun started to peek over the horizon and a small hole in the clouds allowed its light to shine directly on her. Her magenta coat was spotted with dirt and grime from both her capture and the subsequent journey to their rest stop. Just as she raised her head to look, the cloud cover closed the gap, but the light was enough for her to view the room. Everything was as it sat last night while Force and Steel were sitting by the rusted desk, eating quietly from a few unlabeled, rusty cans.

The green stallion looked up and locked eyes with her, then glanced at the two fillies. His magic activated as two cans and a box of cereal levitated out of his bags by the mattress. “Eat up,” he said as he placed them on the side of the desk opposite him. “These raiders had food around, so I’ll let you share with the fillies this time.”

The magenta mare glared at the statement, but said nothing to avoid upsetting the girls or the sniper, and possibly losing the food for them. How could he allow the fillies to starve if the ponies didn’t have food? she thought. With a small nuzzle to either filly, she stirred them awake and they hopped off the couch, allowing her to do the same. All three girls yawned as they approached the furniture, but then the two young ponies froze in their tracks.

Noticing the sudden stop, the mare turned to see them staring wide-eyed and fearful towards the table. She followed their gaze to Force, who was looking right at them with a thoughtful gaze. “Force, stop that. You’re scaring them,” Lavender said as she stepped up to the desk. She waved the fillies over while offering words of encouragement.

Against her words, he continued to stare at them, just as much as they tried to avoid looking at him. Lavender brought the cans to them before opening the sealed containers. Just as she was opening the Sugar Apple Bombs, Force jerked forward. The two fillies jumped back and started shaking.

“Force!”

He narrowed his eyes and sat back. “Scared of dead bodies, scared of me, scared of everything. Where did you two come from? The wastes shouldn’t have children your age afraid of such things.” They continued to quake and he sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you two. I’m not a raider and you’re not a raider, so calm down and answer my question.”

His words did little to calm them down, but Lavender said nothing this time, only watching. Eventually, time in which Steel finished his meal and stepped over to the entrance, the girls calmed down enough to speak.

But they were interrupted before they could start. “Why do you care?” All of the ponies present turned to see Steel by the doorway, looking at Force with his normal steady gaze. “The world’s all gone to hell. Why do you care where two fillies originate from?”

All was quiet as Force studied the ghoul, his eyes searching Steel’s own as well as the being’s composure. He switched to the fillies, roaming between the two and their nervous expressions.Then, he looked back at the ghoul and seemed to think something over. He glanced to the girls once more, his face blank, and said, “Answer the question.”

“S-Slade,” one of the fillies responded quickly.

Force immediately turned back to Steel. “I don’t,” he said simply before starting on his food again.

Lavender watched as Steel silently left the building, leaving Force and the girls to their food. He sat down on the ground outside, settling into a comfortable position, and let his gaze search the surrounding landscape for any potential threats. Force finished up and grabbed his gear, putting on the saddlebags and setting the rifle on his back before levitating the minigun next to him. With a quick word for the girls to hurry up, he joined the ghoul outside.

Lavender sat with the fillies and ate at only a moderate pace, enough to placate the sniper and not rush the girls too much. As they were in the middle of eating the mysterious food in the cans, the filly on her left spoke up.

“Miss? Where are we going?”

“To some friends of mine. Hopefully we’ll get you two someplace safe after that,” the mare answered as she worked on the last crumbs of cereal.

“They scare me,” the other filly added with a glance to the stallions outside.

“I know, but they are good ponies. They won’t hurt you like the others did.” Lavender stood up and looked the two over. “Finish up now; we don’t want to keep them waiting.” Then, she walked over to the doorway and listened in on the stallions’ conversation as they scanned the wasteland with their backs to her. All she caught was the tail end of it, though.

“Just carry it for me. I can’t shoot and hold this thing at the same time,” Force said.

Steel stood, grabbing the heavy minigun with his magic and placing it securely on his back. Turning around, he saw both the fillies and the mare standing behind them. Without a word, the ghoul turned away and set off towards the mountain range. Force nodded to himself and waved the girls to follow after him as walked after Steel.



	

The voyage continued in silence as the stallions tread onwards with a lackadaisical gait. Only rarely did the group stop, to Force’s irritation, so the fillies could rest their hooves. This caused them to occasionally whine until they would receive a look from Force or Steel and fall silent again. Slowly, the base of the mountain range came into view and, as they reached the shadow of the mountains, the hush of their journey was interrupted by Lavender.

“Force, why did you want to know where the children came from?” she called from behind.

A heavy sigh escaped the sniper, and he slowed down to walk beside her. “Why do you want to know?”

“Is it wrong to know more about your travelling partners? Why are both of you so unforthcoming?”

“Because it’s none of your business and I, for one, don’t care to expose any weaknesses by telling you anything.” They finally reached the foot of the mountains and turned eastward, all the while letting Steel lead silently.

“Surely there’s nothing about the question that could make it a problem to talk about.”

“You’re certainly too weak to cause harm, but if someone forces the information out of you, then what?”

Lavender shrugged off the insult and thought about another route of inquiry. “If you are looking for answers, I might have them. I may have seen something.”

Yet another sigh left the stallion’s lips. “I’m not looking for answers, but if it will get you off my back, then fine. I’m warning you now: speak a word of this to anyone, and you’ll be the first to go down.”

She smiled in satisfaction and responded, “My lips are sealed.”

“I grew up in a town of relative safety, away from most problems in the wasteland. I wanted to know if they came from there.”

There was a moment of silence where the mare waited for him to continue. Unfortunately, he did not. “And?”

“And that’s it.”

“No!” she said indignantly and stomped a hoof. “You haven’t said anything about why you really wanted to know.”

“If they were, I was simply going to ask why they left. Happy?” Force said in a huff and trotted up to Steel, leaving the mare to stare after him in both confusion and irritation at the stallion’s continued silence.

Steel Wall and Force Factor. I just don’t understand them. Why are they so silent and yet expect me to follow unquestionably? she thought. Psychologically speaking, Steel should open up at any mention of the pendant and Force should have told me more than he did. Are all wastelanders as complicated as this?

With Force once again with the ghoul, Lavender was left with the two fillies at the back of the group. “Miss?” one of the fillies said, snapping the mare out of her musings. She looked down at the young pony with a smile that told the pony to continue. “You said we’re going to see your friends, right? What are they like?”

“Well, Time Watch is an Earth Pony. He’s always on time and carries a pocket watch, though it’s more for decoration more than anything else. He can usually tell the time just by looking at his surroundings,” the mare answered, a reminiscent smile on her face as she thought of her old friends in which she would soon be reunited.

“Then, there’s Wind Stroke. She was unique among the other members of our stable, as she’s a pegasus.” Both fillies ‘oohed’ over that. “Ever since I can remember, she wanted to leave home and fly in the free air.” She giggled. “It took me and Time Watch hours to convince her to land so that we could walk relatively unnoticed. She’s excitable and fun-loving and I’m sure that you two would love her.” The mare’s mind started to travel back to the day she had left her stable with her friends.

Soon after, the group began to round the mountain bend as the fillies once more began to complain of sore hooves with the distraction of Lavender’s story gone. As luck, whether it be good or bad, would have it, the new view showed a trio of approaching ponies, each in a set of heavy power armor. Force brought his rifle to bear as the girls stepped closer to the large mountainside. Steel, not caring about the approaching ponies, continued onward.

The Steel Rangers marched in the direction of the group, before coming to a stop as Steel’s silhouette swiftly solidified in their sensors. There was a brief moment of hesitation while the rangers examined the old stallion, then conversed with each other. One of the ponies stepped forward, but was halted by another. A small shake of the head to the pony and the three allowed the ghoul to pass. Force and the girls followed cautiously behind Steel, with the green unicorn’s rifle trained on the soldiers the entire time. The rangers paid the other four ponies no heed, though, and kept their gazes on the heavily built stallion.

As the sniper and girls caught up to Steel, Force set his rifle upon his back once more. Lavender glanced between the two, awaiting any response to the event and unsure what to make of it herself. After a minute or two of walking, during which Force studied Steel as well, she watched the sniper return his attention back to the wasteland before them. Seeing no forthcoming answers, and filing it away as a normal occurrence to the stallions, Lavender repeated the fillies’ plea for rest. Force told them to wait, as they were nearly at their destination and they could rest there.

By ‘nearly’, the green stallion had obviously meant ‘a few more hours’, as they continued on until even Lavender was growing tired. The fillies had just voiced their discomfort again, when a destroyed building started to come into view.

As they approached, realization dawned on the mare. A wave of panic began to run through her bones. “Nonononono,” Lavender rambled as she galloped ahead, leaving the girls with the stallions. In her panicked run, the mare easily forgot about her weary legs, dead set as she was on getting to the building. When she arrived, she paused to survey the damage that told the tale of a recent battle.

The structure was built of metal posts and sheets of thin steel. A thin stream of dark smoke rose from above the building. Bullet holes and laser burns scoured the walls. The makeshift door lay on the floor of the building, having been knocked inward from someone charging it. Just as the mare took a step forwards, a wall panel fell off, revealing the chaotic mess within.

Old cans and trash littered the floor. Anything of value she remembered the building housing had been stolen. Embers from an indoor campfire were the cause of the smoke she saw earlier, giving a slight sense of normalcy that proved to be only a small comfort. Finally, after her hesitant look around the building, Lavender spotted a pony in a pool of blood next to a glowing pile of ash. 

She pushed herself forward, legs accelerating her through the doorway and over to the figure, hoping he was alive. When she reached him, she knelt and spotted holes burnt through him, one having gone straight through his chest and hitting the heart. Giving no more attention to the area around her, she dropped her head on the dead stallion and wept.

“Energy weapons,” came Force’s voice from behind her a moment later. “My guess would be those Steel Rangers we passed.” She continued to mourn as she heard the stallion walking around, occasionally hitting a tin can or digging through something.

The stress of the situation was too much for the mare, and the nonchalant care of the unicorn only made it worse for her. “Force... please...” she choked out through her weeping. It did nothing to stop the sniper from looking around, however. “Please... stop.” After a pregnant pause, she heard him step out and she returned to her solitude in tears.

Shortly thereafter, her loneliness was interrupted once again by the steady gait of the ghoul, who had immediately entered the building upon arrival. She heard him begin to search the room and had just started to speak up, when she was cut off by Steel’s voice.

“Why do you mourn for them? For they are not here. They are gone from this tormented existence and all the better for them,” he said with the same tone he had when he spoke with Force earlier that day, though there seemed to be something behind it. She looked up, shocked, towards the stallion as tears ran down her cheeks. After a moment of silence, a sad smile graced her lips.

“You are absolutely correct.” There was a pause where she stood from her position on the floor. “Thank you, but I need more time.”

After one more look through the room, the hoofsteps retreated back towards the entrance. “Time is the one thing that I’ve never had the right amount of.” The ghoul paused in his words for a moment before shaking his head. “Just don’t keep us waiting too long.” She watched as he left the building and then turned back to her fallen friends.



	

Roughly an hour later, Lavender stepped out of the ruined building. Her tears had stopped, but the redness in her eyes showed the fillies just how upset she had been. She attempted to smile calmly towards them, but even they could see the hurt left inside. Force turned toward her, completely indifferent to what he had seen and heard within the building.

“You done now? Can we go?”

The mare shook her head and looked over to Steel standing next to the door. “Could you help me give them a proper burial?”

With a grunt, the ghoul stepped into the house and Lavender followed after him. Force sighed and waited, but it only took a moment before the dead pony was carried out by Steel, with the mare carrying a rusted tin can of glowing ash. He watched as the two walked around the building and trotted after them, leaving the fillies to follow as well.

There, at the foot of a small mountain, a grave was dug for the deceased. For the ashes, Lavender climbed up and spread them in the wind as she reached the crest. When she came back down, she sat at the grave in silence. The others, too, sat, letting the mare grieve. In time, she spoke.

“Wind Stroke always loved the sky after we left our home. I’m glad I could set her off on those currents she loved and wish her all the best in the afterlife with Celestia. Time Watch was a constant friend, even through our arguments with what we should have done next.” She pulled out an old brass pocket watch and it glinted in the filtered sunlight. “I’ll keep your time for you, always.”

After she tucked the watch back into her bags, Lavender looked at the stallions and fillies near her, their countenance ranging from bored to sorrow. The girls ran up to the mare and hugged her, just as new tears threatened to fall. Then, as she returned the hug, she mustered up her courage and looked at the stallions.

“I have nothing left here,” she said. “If it’s all right, I’d like to join you two in your travels and help these fillies find a new home.”

Steel nodded and Force brought a hoof to his chin in thought. After a minute, he set his leg down and leveled his gaze at the mare. “Fine. I think I can deal with you two and the fillies for a bit. And besides, I need you to pay for your rescue, after all.”



	

Footnote: New quest perk for Steel Wall and Force Factor.

Two Jokers: When traveling with, and near, another with this same perk, you get +2 to whatever single SPECIAL your teammate has the highest (in alphabetical order).
        Steel Wall: INT +2, Force Factor: END +2

Authors’ Note: Another round of applause to those that came before us, and the person that started it all (Kkat, btw). SC- I hope y’all are enjoying this story, cause we ain’t stopping. NF- And if you aren’t enjoying then you should because if you don’t you’ll find yourself drowning in a swirling mass of death and pestilence. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yea, I think I need to find something to get me out of this mindset.

> Chapter 3: Two steps forward, One step back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Things were moving at blinding speeds for the mare. Mere days after leaving her stable, she had been kidnapped during a scouting mission as her two friends stayed behind to plan their next course of action. In the process of being rescued just a day later, she became a surrogate mother to two fillies while following a calculating sniper and a ghoul that seemed not to care for his own life. Then, she learned of her friends deaths, at the hands of a group of ponies she thought civilized if what Force said was true, and ended up sticking with the two vagabonds.

All this was running through her mind as the group continued onwards, leaving the dilapidated shack and her friend’s grave behind as they headed northeast. Their new destination, Stalliongrad, lay in that direction, chosen by the stallion who seemed to have the answers to everything.

The two fillies were ever-present behind her, still unsure about the two ponies that had rescued them. They continued to flinch at every sound the wasteland created, from a simple tumbleweed to a stray molerat skittering away. Lavender’s heart went out to them. Whatever town Slade was, it must have been a paradise for them to be so unaccustomed to the world.

Her mind wandered further, this time to her own experiences after leaving Stable 15. She had heard tales of the changed lands from ponies returning from their pilgrimage. Stories of battle and strife continuing even after the great war had ended filled nearly all reports. A mixture of that and her friends joining her prepared her, at least a little, for her own journey.

When she finally did leave the stable, a vast emptiness covered in an extremely high ceiling of clouds greeted her. The constant stream of information fed to her as a child allowed her to know what everything she saw was called, but not how to react or feel towards it all. So, as she and her friends began their trek, their minds were filled with wonder.

“Scouts.” 

Force’s voice snapped the mare out of her thoughts, bringing her into reality where the sniper was once again laying upon the dirt at the top of a knoll, his rifle scope being used to look ahead. Lavender stopped a few feet away and the fillies came up on either side of her, trying to take a look. Surprisingly, Steel actually halted as well, standing next of the green unicorn. 

Minutes ticked by as the group watched the faraway ponies move about, a gentle wind blowing dust and debris about the air.

“Those aren’t scouts,” Steel said, finally speaking up. “Or at least not for anyone threatening. If I were to guess, I would say that they belong to a caravan and they are checking ahead for ambushes.”

“Oh? What’s got you talking, then?” Force asked, eyeing the ghoul out of the corner of his vision.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Fair enough. Anyway...” The sniper stood and angled his rifle to reflect the meager sunlight towards the scouts. Using a hoof, he began signalling below, covering and uncovering his scope in a precise order. “I was thinking the same thing. Hopefully, they’ll turn this way. Getting rid of this useless baggage early would be nice,” he said, though with an undertone the mare picked up.

Lavender placed a foreleg over either girl defensively, hugging them close. “They are not useless!” she said, glaring towards Force. He paused in sending his message and regarded the mare to his left, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t think I said that, but it sounds about right. Good job making them feel worse,” he said. The stallion then got back to work on his message, ignoring the sudden pouts of the fillies.

“He’s talking about the minigun and saddles,” Steel explained, glancing to the girls for a moment before turning his attention back to the scouts who had finally noticed the flashes of light and began sending their own glimmers.

The magenta mare furrowed her brow in confusion, running the conversation over in her head. She was sure Force had meant the fillies. His tone, combined with his previous statements, proved it.

“Right, we’ve got the go ahead. Come on.” Force slung his rifle across his back and started down the slight hilltop at a trot, the ghoul following close behind. Lavender looked at either filly and nodded before standing and chasing after the stallions with the girls.

One hundred yards later, the group met up with the scouts. They were a small contingent, only an orange unicorn mare and a blue stallion, both with metal plates on their joints and across their chests. Dirt and grime covered their faces, just as it was upon the group’s, from the long trek between destinations. Dings and scrapes told of a battle they had been in not too long ago, as dried blood stained their clothing and coats.

“Hello!” the orange one said with more joviality than to be expected as everypony got close. “I’m Sunburst, and this is Sky. We were just on our way back when we got your message. You want to trade, yes?”

“Yes, now where is the caravan?” Force asked, impatience marking his voice.

“Woah, now. We have to make sure you guys are actually here to trade, first.”

The sniper sighed heavily. “It’s kinda obvious, is it not? What do you want?”

“Just empty your weapons of ammo and I think we’ll be good, right Sky?” she asked, ignoring the sniper’s annoyance as she turned to her partner.



Steel glanced at Force for a split second before starting to walk, the minigun shifting slightly with his steps, but remaining on his back. “Talk to the sniper then, he’s the only one with ammo in any weapons.”

“Really?” Sunburst asked, looking about the entire group. “Out of a group of five, only one of them has ammo?”

“Yea, yea, yea, these guys are all slouches. The mare won’t even let the fillies carry a gun.” Force used his magic to remove the rifle from his back, pressing against the magazine’s release and tossing the metal container to Sky. Then, he slid the rifle bolt open, extending his aura to catch the spare round as if pinged out of the chamber and tossing it in his bags. “There, can we go now?” he asked as he reset the slide.

The pair looked toward the ghoul for a moment, as if expecting something, but disregarded it. “Eeyup. Everythin’ seems to be in order,” Sky replied, leading the way when the ammo was safely tucked away in his saddlebags. The mare stayed next to her partner and the group got in line behind the scouts. 

“Have either of you seen a silver amulet?” Steel asked, turning his head to the ponies as they caught up to him and matched his sluggish pace.

“A silver amulet?” Sunburst repeated, looking over the ghoul with a thoughtful expression. “I don’t believe I have. How about you, Sky?”

“Eenope.”

The ghoul simply nodded and continued on, turning his gaze forward once more.

“So where are y’all headed?” the mare asked with a glance back to the others. “Especially with your little ones?”

Force glared at the back of Sunburst’s skull as Lavender tripped on nothing. “They are not our anything,” he said, the scout confusedly looking back at him. “If anything, they’re all hers. Stupid mare wouldn’t just leave them be when we rescued her.”

“Of course not! I told you, there’s no way these two could fend for themselves with the way they are,” Lavender rebuked. The two fillies, young though they were, rolled their eyes at the upcoming argument.

“That’s why I said to give them a gun! Any half-wit can use any one of the weapons that were lying around that building. Hell, they could have easily taken up shelter there permanently,” Force countered, switching his attention to the magenta mare.

“They’re barely eight! Not everypony is smart enough to know what to do in situations like that!” she countered, voice rising

“Then, maybe, they just should have ran before they got caught in the first place!” he said, increasing his voice to match.

“You don’t know how they were captured, Force! Why do y-”

“Woah, now!” Sunburst cut in. “You two are getting a mite loud, and we don’t want to be getting any attention, alright?” Lavender and the sniper looked away from the other with irritated scowls, though her’s slowly changed to contemplating one.

Am I wrong? Did I get the wrong impression of these two? the mare thought, desperately searching for anything that could prove otherwise. They seemed so good, but what if they really were just bored? Does an indifferent action, even if it was a good one, mark a pony as good?

Her thoughts continued as the scouts led them over another hill. Two large covered wagons parked abreast of each other started to rise from the hilly landscape with a campfire lit between them. A few ponies were milling about here and there, securing the wagons or settling down for the night. The group picked up the pace when the escorts sped up, though the ghoul did not and started to lag behind.

“Well, me and Sky here need to check in with the others, so we’ll let you be,” Sunburst said as they reached the border and she turned towards the wagon on the left. “Just see us when you’re ready to leave and we’ll give you your ammo back, okay?”

“Yeah, sure. Bye,” Force answered, still irritated at the earlier conversation. He grabbed the minigun off Steel’s back in an aura of magic just as the ghoul caught up and looked towards the raven-haired mare. “You’re coming with me.”

Lavender quietly followed after the sniper as he turned towards the other wagon, the ever-present fillies trailing behind her. She still didn’t have a clue what to think about the stallion, but she hoped he was better than his demeanor portrayed. Both were unaware of leaving the ghoul behind. 

“You’re sure you can get a lot of caps for this junk?” Force asked, his voice returning to its flat and calculating tone. Two ponies of the same tan color were sitting on a sheet a few paces away from the pair with various wares laying upon it.

“I’ll get you your money, just let me do the talking,” she responded as they got closer, determined to get her so-called ‘debt’ out of the way. She believed that the stallion wouldn’t open up until it was taken care of.

“Have at it then.” He stepped aside and swept a foreleg along the path they were taking to the traders. As soon as she took the lead, he stepped between her and the fillies and they continued. 

When they approached, the salesponies looked up with gleaming smiles that did nothing to aid them, covered in as much road grime as the guards were.

“Hello!” the one with a red moustache greeted.

“Fine day we’re having!” the one without added.

“Cu-”

“Ah-ah. Let me talk,” Lavender said, giving a bemused grin to the sniper. He glanced between the ponies and the mare before sitting upon the ground in a huff, the minigun placed beside him. The girls giggled behind him.

“A fine evening to you two as well,” she continued with a smile towards the twins. “How’s the caravan?”

“Wonderful!” moustache exclaimed.

“We just finished our stops on this side of the wasteland,” clean-cut explained.

“Where are you two headed now, misters...” Lavender let the sentence hang, allowing the traders to answer the unspoken question.

“Chance.”

“Chase. Heading back home, but we’ll be stopping in Slade, first.”

The mare hummed in thought and her eyes trailed to the fillies. Force saw this and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as her attention was snapped back to the the twins.

“How can we help you, my dear?” Chase asked. The sniper pulled out the two battle-saddles and five millimeter ammo from his saddlebags and placed them next to the mare, quickly adding the large gun as well.

She looked at the pile of goods for a moment, watching the two ponies eyes widen out of the corner of her eye. Gotcha, she thought, but kept the grin from appearing on her face. Lavender turned back to the two. “Oh... I was just wondering what I might get out of this...” she said with a slight flutter of her eyelids.

Chance and Chase started to look over the items, moustache checking the ammo and saddles while his brother inspected the minigun. All the while, Lavender had a smug grin as she glanced Force’s way. He returned the look with apprehension, obviously not believing a bit of what was happening would actually result in any profit.

The mare’s expression turned sultry when the twins completed their work. “We can do three-hundred and fifty caps,” Chance said, his eyes gleaming at the easy sale. Force rolled his eyes in return, but the mare wasn’t done yet. 

Her lips pursed and she let her eyes grow large. “Oh, that’s all? Can’t you go a little higher?”

The mustachioed stallion wilted slightly and Chase took over. “I do believe that’s all we can do, Miss.” 

Seeing the stronger willed brother take over, she changed tactics again, this time narrowing her eyes and hardening her voice. “Those two saddles are made with genuine Neighvarro brahmin leather. They’re guaranteed not to rip. And that gun is cleaned and well-maintained, good for many hours of service. I won’t go anything less than seven hundred.” She punctuated her claims with a stomp.

Now Chase was wilting, but once again, Chance took over. “You won’t strong-arm us, Miss, but we’re willing to go to four-hundred,” he said in a business-like manner.

Lavender’s narrowed eyes roamed between the twins and the goods. “Six. Take it or leave it.”

His eyes also glanced between them and the items, but he looked towards the unamused sniper and fillies and smirked. “I’d like to see you try to carry all this between you two and the fillies, since it looks like he’s your only defense.”

Without saying a word, the mare turned towards the other wagon where Steel could be seen wandering about. The twins followed her gaze before freezing at the sight of the large ghoul. They started to whisper to each other. She started to frown, shifting her weight between her hooves to show impatience. Seeing this, Chase spoke up. 

“Five-hundred.”

“I said six-hundred. If you won’t take it, we’ll go elsewhere.” Lavender stood and nodded to Force, whom started to gather up the items without a word. Just as all the items started to float, she turned away and started to leave.

“Wait!”

She smiled. “Yes?”

“We’ll do it. Six-hundred caps, it is.”

With the price agreed upon, Force set the items down upon the blanket as the twins begrudgingly passed a sack of caps over, Lavender carefully counting them out. As she did so, the sniper browsed the slightly poorer stallions’ wares.

Most of it was junk, but two boxes of ammo caught his eye. He set them aside and continued, finding a gun cleaning kit and some spare parts he could rig to use in his rifle. Again, he set those aside. But then he looked back at the mare, studying the fillies next to her.

“How much to secure passage to Slade?” he asked the traders, though his eyes never left the girls. Lavender stopped her counting and stared, wide-eyed, at the sniper.

“One hundred caps a head,” Chance answered, still miffed at the last exchange, but at glare cast his way from the mare, he changed his mind. “Fifty caps, I mean.”

Force turned to the stallion. “And how much for what I set aside?”

Chase looked over the items on a corner of the blanket and said, “Two-hundred caps.” His voice brooked no argument.

“Done,” the green unicorn replied, grabbing another coin purse from his bags and tossing it their way. “Three-hundred caps, for these items and passage to Slade for the two fillies.” He pulled the larger bag out of Lavender’s hooves and tossed it in his saddlebags with the newly purchased items.

Force stepped over to the girls, looking down on them indifferently. “Now you two can go home and get out of my mane,” he said flatly.





Deciding against following the duo, Steel ambled about the area. His eyes searching for any sign of the amulet dangling from somepony’s neck. The ghoul would stop a random caravaneer or guard to ask them about it, but not a single one knew what he was talking about.

He wandered towards the wagon opposite of the traders and caught a glimpse of the magenta mare looking at him, followed shortly after by the ponies with which she was conversing. The gazes didn’t bother him, nothing did, and he continued his slow trek to the caravan.

“Help!” came the cry of a young mare from the wagon.

Having nothing better to do, Steel slowly made his way behind it to get a clear look at the insides. Within the darkened cart, a stallion had a filly pinned down. She was struggling against the strength of her elder in vain as the male laughed darkly. 

“No one can ‘ear you scream. You’re mine now, girl.”

It was at this point that the filly managed to kick the stallion in the face. Though it did little damage to her attacker, it broke his concentration, allowing her to get out of the pin. As she jumped from the back of the wagon, the green filly caught sight of and dove behind Steel, her blue and white tail the only thing not hidden behind him.

Moments later, the stallion emerged, rubbing his burgundy cheek. Seeing the filly’s tail behind the ghoul, he promptly drew a gun from his saddlebags and pointed it at the ghoul. “Move out of the way.”

Without a word, the pony felt the gun pulled from his grip. The barrel was flipped around and pressed firmly against his own skull, the firing pin cocked. Despite his quick actions, the stallion looked on with a bored expression as the trigger was beginning to tighten.

 “Steel!” The sound of his name halted him from ending another life. It was Lavender. Of course it was her. Who else would it be?

She ran towards the two stallions and the filly, each of them frozen in fear or concentration. “Steel! What are you doing?”

The ghoul glanced to her, then to the stallion opposite him. 

“Please don’t let him hurt me,” came the whimpering cry of the filly.

“Oh, Steel wouldn’t hurt you, dear.” 

“No, not Steel, that other one.” The filly glanced to the stallion in question, followed shortly thereafter by Lavender’s gaze as well.

“Oi, I bought ‘er. I should be able to use ‘er ‘ow I wish,” the stallion responded nervously, yet indignantly.

“And if you hadn’t pointed this gun at me, I would have let you,” Steel said coldly. 

“Steel, time to go.” It was Force now, having arrived on the scene. “Let him go. Useless scum will probably end up getting himself killed anyway.”

The ghoul nodded and was about to give the gun back to the stallion when he decided better of it and handed it to the girl behind him. “Can you shoot this?”

“Y-yeah, I think so.” 

“Good, fight your own battles,” Force replied, eager to be done with it all and be on his way. 

The filly nodded and Force moved back to the other wagon, where several ponies had turned to watch the events. He looked at each of them, picking out a blue stallion and holding up his rifle. The scout got the hint and dug through his saddlebags before removing the weapon’s magazine and tossing it to the sniper. With all of his items secured, Force started away from the caravan campsite, ignoring the others.

Steel followed, glancing behind him to see the green filly shakily holding the gun towards the assaulting stallion.

Lavender, in all the world, could not understand just what was happening. Both of the vagabonds confused her yet again, this time through charity. With nothing to lose, she walked over to the filly and placed a hoof on her shoulder. 

When the girl looked up, she was met with the mare’s kind smile. A few moments passed where the caravaneers waited for what would happen next, the stallion before the filly not making a move to avoid any action that might cause him harm, being on the wrong end of the gun he had held in his teeth not moments earlier. Then, looking to Steel, she tossed the weapon to the side. 

“If mister Steel doesn’t need a gun, then neither do I,” she said loudly before turning from the stallion and chasing after the ghoul.

“Oh joy. Someone is using Steel as a role model now. Isn’t that just great.” Force mumbled from his position farther away from the caravan. Lavender simply shook her head with a smile and followed after the filly.

The campsite was still well within view when the sniper stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around to look at the group following him: an indifferent ghoul, an optimistic mare, one annoying filly. 

Wait.

“Who said the kid could come with?” he asked, annoyance marking his voice as he raised an eyebrow.

The filly’s eyes filled with fear. With all due haste, she once again took up hiding behind Steel. “N-no one; I just th-thought that I could come with you guys.” 

Force stalked up to the girl and raised to his full height, bearing down on her with as much threatening aura as he could manage. Her eyes shook as she stared at the green unicorn from behind her would-be protector, shaking, while Steel didn’t make a move.

The sniper’s head lunged forward, stopping only inches away from her face. In response, the filly jumped back. Surprisingly, she continued to watch him, unlike the other two who tried to avoid his gaze. His eyes narrowed.

“Wh-” His pipbuck started to beep, cutting off what he was about to ask. Sitting down and raising the object to his face, he started to scroll through it. A new station had appeared on the radio. His curiosity piqued, he tapped it with his other hoof. Loud static started to emit from the device.

Lavender’s hooves clapped over her ears as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately to quiet the sound. Steel simply covered the ear closest to the sound, while the filly cowered behind him with her own folded back.

Force slammed a hoof against the device, turning the station off before rubbing his head from a sudden headache. When he glared at the filly again, she ran to the other side of the ghoul.

The new station disappeared. With an eyebrow raised, the stallion set his forelegs back upon the dirt and stood normally.

“She can come with us,” he stated simply and without explanation as he set off again. The filly’s eyes lit up in excitement and she started bouncing around Steel as he followed Force. 

Lavender stayed next to the ghoul, glancing between him and the girl. Curiosity filled her thoughts once again, before she looked back at the slowly shrinking caravan. I hope those girls find their way home safely.





Footnote: 80% to next level.

Authors’ notes: See?! You see what happens when you don’t enjoy the story? N64Fan has run off to make a death and pestilence story to drown you all in after all! Anyway, standard love for the previous FoE guys and such; blah blah blah, you know the drill. Also, next chapter will be filled with action and plot! ...hopefully...


> Do I even need to say anything on this cancellation?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------