Chapter 3: New foes and… friends?
“I’ve never seen you before.” “Kid your smarter than ya look.” 
Darkness… that’s all there was, wait no there was breathing too. Who was breathing and why? 
It took my brain much longer than my body to return from the land of the dead, opening my eyes I had been expecting to see the smiling faces of the goddesses ready to take me up in their embrace. Instead my returning vision was greeted with grey metallic walls. 
The breathing, I realized, had been my own. Sitting up with a groan I took stalk of my surroundings, there was a long metal hallway that led to a staircase and a large trapdoor while behind me the great stable door stood shut like it always was. “But if the door is shut how did I get out here… wherever here is. More importantly how am I still alive and where is Emerald?” 
Before I could think too much about it there was flashing light on my pipbuck, it was a new message. Pressing play the voice of the overmare rang out in the silence 
“Hello Snowy, I’m truly sorry I had to stun you but I couldn’t let you leave the stable… at least not without finding out why. You see Snowy its orders from stable-tec that are keeping us trapped here they ordered the first overmare of stable 22 to not open the stable door without express permission from stable-tec. 
If we do open the door without their orders they said they would destroy the stable with high explosives buried under its foundation. I wasn’t ready to risk the stable and all the ponies inside. However when I saw that look in your eyes I knew you would try and leave no matter how great the consequences so I decided to open the stable one more time and let you out. 
I know you must hate me right now, and I can’t blame you, but I need you. You have to find stable-tec’s headquarters and find a way to make the stable safe. Till then you are banished and cannot return. ”
I listened quietly, my mood worsening. So the same overmare who stunned me and Emerald then banished us now had a job for me. It was very tempting to just scream, to cry, and to buck all the stable residents straight to the moon. But I knew that wasn’t going to happen, even after all that happened, in my heart of hearts I was going to try and help them. 
“Well I won’t get very far just sitting here.” I said and walked up to the stairs. Emerging from the trapdoor I found myself in a small room that looked like the shop in the stable. Two things that were immediately apparent, there was nothing on the shelves or the old coolers and there were ponies that must live here. 
I thought that they might be able to help me but those thoughts were squashed as the front door opened and one of the ponies started talking  “I’m telling you those guy what came out of the sky were scary as hell. Not to mention they came and got that unicorn before we could play with him” the voice in the other room seemed to brighten “Although I bet you there’s still other ponies down there and if that one got out then maybe we can get in and have some fun.” 
It suddenly struck me that I didn’t think I wanted to meet these ponies, they sounded mean. Sneaking out the back door I looked for cover on the front of the building but there wasn’t anything other than some small rocks. So I did the only thing I could, I took wing and flew, really flew, for the first time. 
The flight was short lived as I crashed almost immediately, thankfully right in front of the ruins of a town, unfortunately the ponies in the small shop heard the noise and started running after me. Pulling myself up from the dust I took cover behind the small wall of one of the more ruined builds and brought my pistol to bear as a shot rang out and pain lanced up my cheek.
The ponies chasing me looked horrifying. There were three of them, all earth-ponies, one was grey and had some kind of old shotgun in some kind of saddle, another was a black pony with a scar all down one side of his face. He was carrying a small handgun in his mouth like I was; the third had half of its coat missing but the part that was left looked blue under the dirt and blood.  
I aimed down the sights as best I could, holding guns in your mouth is hard, but didn’t fire, there was blood flowing from my cheek but they were sill ponies, at least I think they were ponies so I had to try diplomacy so I pulled the pistol out of my mouth with a fetlock “Wait please don’t fire. I don’t know where I am so can you help me?” I asked.
“Oh we’ll help you sweetie, just you come over here and we’ll have lots of fun.” the black pony shouted as he raised his handgun *bang* my leg exploded in pain and my vision flared with red. 
So much for diplomacy, I put the gun back, flicked the safety off, and fired *bang, bang, bang * the first pony, the one with the shotgun, suddenly found himself with a 12mm bullet in his eye as the one who had shouted screamed as his shoulder and chest blossomed with red. I panned my gun towards the third pony but my vision was started to swim and grow dark. I was firing rapidly but my rounds went wide. The half coated pony surged forward, rusty ax held high. 
*POW* the raider’s head exploded, dimly aware that the shot didn’t come from my gun I tried to find the source of it. But before I could my vision lurched and I slipped back into blackness.
I groaned as I came back for the second time in… was it the same day, it was hard to tell. Somepony was talking but I couldn’t make out the words “Hello …….. hear me? Please tell...you’re …there.” 
Opening my eyes my gaze was locked with a cute earth-pony with a blue coat and a black mane and tail. She was wearing a leather duster and patchwork clothes, there was a rifle on her back in another saddle-thing and I could see a pistol on her foreleg as she stared down at me, her aqua colored eyes wide in worry as she spoke softly “You with me again?” I nodded a little “Good now I’m going to have to take you’re barding off.” 
My eyes went wide “Wait what! No you can’t do that please.”  The blue mare blinked saying “What’s wrong you’ve been shot and I need to see if the round is still in you so I can help. Look we’re both fillies so I’ve seen it before, your safe I promise.” Blushing like a foal I replied “Uh…ok.” 
I had wanted to say no but the pain was too great, I had to let this cute pony help me. “Ok then just relax and it will be ok.”  The older pony smiled trying her best to ease my nervousness “Ok then just let me look… yep looks like the bullet went right through without hitting anything important. Take this healing potion and I’ll bandage you up.” 
Downing the potion I whinnied as the healing magic washed over me, my cheek wound mended right up and the one in my thigh closed enough for the magic bandages to stop the bleeding. “Um thank you for helping me but who are you and what were those… things chasing me?” 
Smiling sweetly at seeing my pain ease away the mare spoke “Huh? Oh right my name’s Glitter Lens nice to meet ya. As for those ponies, haven’t you ever seen a raider before?” As Glitter helped me to my feet and started to walk with me through the decrepit bones of the former town I blushed “No I haven’t. Why were they attacking me, I just got out of my stable I couldn’t have done anything to them.” 
At this realization the pretty blue mare stopped and had to hold on to me as she asked “Wait you said stable, are you telling me you came out of the stable down there?” 
Nodding slowly I affirmed “Yep I lived down there my whole life till I…” I winced a little at the remaining pain as Glitter and I took the weapons and ammo from the dead raiders “Anyway I lived there till I found out there was still a world out here. After hearing the truth I had to come out and be free.” 
Glitter’s eyebrows rose in disbelief “You came out here to the wasteland, but your way too young to be out here on your own. Although I must admit after seeing you in action you know how to handle yourself.” 
If I didn’t have a leg wound I probably would have been prancing with pride, as it was I just grinned bashfully “Thanks for the… complement but I wasn’t alone. There was another pony with me, a unicorn, but I don’t know where he went.” Glitter frowned “A unicorn, I don’t know anything about that but if he came out here first he may be in Baleville.” 
“Baleville?” I questioned “Is that a settlement of some kind?” The blue mare nodded and smiled “Yep that’s my home, nice town just north of here. When we get there we’ll have Anesthesia look at your leg.” Taking that in I felt relief flow through my body. After seeing those raider ponies I had thought that there was no civilization anywhere in Equestria… or what was left of it.
As we came up to the big walls I had only one comment “It’s…bigger than I expected.” And it was, Baleville turned out to be a large town with walls made of old sky chariots and abandoned train cars, on top of said walls were guard ponies. 
One of them saw me and Glitter and waived at us as the large gate opened up. The blue mare giggled at the look of wonder on my face “Well what do ya think. It’s not quite as clean or high tec as you’re stable but its home.” 
Once inside my wonder over the town didn’t decrease in the slightest. There were three levels all connected by ramps. There were houses and shops all about the edges of the town, in the center however was a large crater of some kind and inside was some object that was casting up a blue and purple glow. 
I couldn’t see what was causing the light show but it was dazzling. Seeing that I was entranced Glitter gently pulled on my arm “Hey come on now we have to go see Anesthesia. Once we’re done there I’ll take you on the full tour ok?” 
I winced as the pain in my leg finally cut through my awe. Once we got to the towns small clinic we met Anesthesia who, it turned out, preferred to just be called Ana. 
The older pink unicorn mare was kindly but stern, she took one glance at my leg and gave me a look that only a doctor can give to a patient, the kind that makes me feel like it was my fault I was injured. As Ana used her horn’s magic on my leg I took the opportunity to check out the building, it was small and sparsely decorated, only two beds and some small medical boxes, their pink and yellow crosses matching Ana’s dress. 
The older mare smiled sweetly “Well you’re going to be just fine sweetie, just give me a second and I’ll use a healing spell on it.” “Praise the goddess that’s good to know.” The smile I had on my lips died as Ana’s face tightened “What… what did I say?”  
The medical pony looked toward Glitter for help but the blue Earth-pony but she was busy face-hoofing. Seeing that she was alone Ana spoke up “Well uh you see it might not be a good idea to praise those two ponies around others. Many ponies feel to this day that the so-called goddesses abandoned Equestria.” 
My mind could not accept that fact so instead of arguing I simply asked “You’re kidding right?” The door opened “Nope she’s telling the truth little one.” said a gravelly voice from the entryway. 
All of our heads turned and I glimpsed Glitter’s eyes light up “Daddy!”  At the door the Thing stood as the blue pony rushed into its forelegs and gave it a hug “hey there sweetie I’m glad to be back. Now who is this you brought here with you.”  
Giggling like a foal Glitter replied “Oh hir, shi followed me home can we keep hir.” The creature looked like a pony… if the pony had lost some of its skin and a good portion of its mane, catching my stare the pony…thing smiled “What never seen a ghoul-pony before?”
After I calmed myself I found that the ghouls name was Lawman. He was the mayor/sheriff of Baleville although till today he was leading a caravan out to small hamlet called New Doge Junction. 
Before we went on the tour I asked of the ponies in the clinic could explain some things to me “First off why do ponies hate the goddesses?”  
Lawman looked me over before replying “Well let’s see, how much do you know about history after the war started?” Thinking about it I realized it wasn’t very much, the stable’s records of history during the war were extremely sketchy. After saying what I did know the ghoul nodded and continued “Like you said a few years after the war started the princesses and the heroes of Equestria went to a small town called Ponyville for the start of some secret mission only to disappear entirely along with the town. What you don’t know is what happened afterward.” 
I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer but I asked anyway “So what happened after the town disappeared?” Glitter picked up where her father left off “Well it’s said that one pony crawled out of the Ponyville crater. From what we can tell his name was Shadow Hooves, after returning to Canterlot and finding the castle blocked by the Goddesses’ magic he convinced the acting head’s of the six ministries to move their operations to Manehattan. After that Shadow Hooves used the ministries to run Equestria for the next eleven years till the megaspells went off.” 
This was a lot to take in and it would seem that I would be learning new facts about the wasteland and about Equestria’s history for a while. “So that’s why ponies think the goddesses betrayed them, because they disappeared with the town.” 
The ghoul smiled grimly “Yep that’s pretty much the reason.”  I was about to argue about how silly and petty that sounded when Glitter cut me off with a wave of her hoof “Now hold on a minute. before we worry to much about that we have other things to take care of first...right Snowah."
   *** *** ***
I was still fuming as we left the clinic to do other things in town. Glitter must have thought the look on my face was priceless because she wouldn't stop laughing  
Realizing how silly I looked I blushed and slowed my step down to a walk “So where are we going? You already showed me the bar and the diner.” Glitter smiled well we’re heading down to the crater so we can go to the Baleville Emporium. We need to get you a battle-saddle.” 
I was about to ask her what a battle-saddle was when we got to the bottom of town and I  saw the glowing blue and purple orb laying there. “What is this thing… it’s beautiful.”  Glitter pushed her foreleg over my eyes saying “That thing isn’t beautiful it’s a balefire bomb… and don’t look directly at it you’ll get entranced by its magic.” 
I swear I felt my blood turn to ice, tearing my eyes away from it I stared at Glitter in disbelief “You have an undetonated balefire bomb sitting in the middle of your town! Are you ponies insane!?” Seeing that I was about to run as far away from the town as fast as I could Glitter put her hoof on my shoulder “Hold on there Snowy, it’s ok the things been deactivated.” 
I squinted my eyes to keep from being entranced the thing and glanced to where she was pointing. There was a small object with a picture of some kind of gear on the outside of the bomb, seeing that there was an inscription I read aloud “No Boom 5000 by Clara Cog.” Glitter smiled at me in a reassuring way saying “Clara’s the owner of the emporium and is kind of a tinkerer; she’s a good mare if a bit of an airhead.” 
Trying to put my mind off the megaspell sitting in the center of town I asked the question I had meant to ask before the distraction “So can you tell me what a battle-saddle is and why I would need one?”  
For a second the mare looked confused but she quickly regained her composure “Oh right, I forgot you never saw one.  We earth-ponies and pegesi use battle-saddles to hold guns that are too big for our mouths since we can’t use magic like unicorns.” That seemed simple enough to understand, the actual device on the other hoof didn’t.
As she went on to explain the use of a battle-saddle I had to marvel at earth-pony engineering “So let’s see if I understand… you flick the bit up from the side, you tug the bit backwards to cock the gun, and then you bite down on the bit to fire.” 
Glitter nodded “Eyep then ya just pull the bit back again to work the guns action… unless it’s a semi or fully automatic gun. For semiautomatics you just bite down again and for automatic guns just hold the bit down.” Ok that was easy enough to understand “And I just push the toggle on the saddle to reload right?” “Eyep” Glitter affirmed. I was about to ask more about the internal workings of the things when we came to the shop and words failed me. 
The store looked like somepony had gotten a train car drunk and had it mate with a sky-chariot and an industrial chimney, then used the resulting offspring as a building.  I heard Glitter beside me laughing her plot off at the look on my muzzle “I told you she was a bit of a tinkerer.”  Thinking that calling her a bit of a tinkerer was an understatement I walked in shop’s front door. 
Inside we were greeted by a cheerful and bubbly mare’s voice “Hello and welcome to… oh hi Glitter who’s your new little filly friend?”The shops interior was just as jumbled and cluttered as its outside but at present I was too busy getting a hoofshake form the shop’s owner to notice. 
The mare in front of me looked the part of an inviter and shop owner, she was bright yellow and wore a grease stained jumpsuit, and her short red mane and tail were tied back to keep them clean. 
After getting the introductions over with we started to barter for a battle-saddle and I found out that ponies used bottle caps for money…for some reason. Clara didn’t seem to mind that I didn’t have any money as she offered me the best battle-saddle she had in stock “This one here is a real gem. It’s got room for two guns, uses a magi-science field instead of mechanical parts to work, and it even has subspace ammo storage. So you can just feed in ammo and it will be stored in a gemstone till it gets loaded.” 
I wasn’t sure I knew how the barter system worked but I did know there was no way I could afford that thing. Clara obviously read my mind as she spoke up before I could argue “Now don’t worry about payment, I have a job I need done that you could help with. You do that and we’ll call it even, ill even throw in some weapons and leather armored barding for free.”
*** *** ***
After putting the lever-action rifle form Clara and the shotgun I got from the raider into my new battle-saddle and putting on my armor we found ourselves outside of Bucktown. 
Lawman had found us after we left the emporium. There was a job he needed done and he was going to be heading back to New Doge Junction, there had been some kind of creature that had come out of the Everfree Forest and the small hamlet had called for aid. 
Unfortunately Baleville’s water purifier had been on its last legs and had picked that exact day to finally give up the ghost. All we had to do was go to the Bucktown School and find its purifier and scavenge the parts form it. 
The only problem was that the northern part of Bucktown was raider territory and several of them were holed up in the school. With that in mind we were low to the ground hiding behind a crumbling building across the street from the school, I wasn’t sure I was ready to have to kill another pony but the town needed those parts. 
Glitter was crouching next to me looking through her flip-over rifle scope “how many do you see?”  At my question the young mare flipped up her scope and looked over at me “Well as far as I can see there are two at the front door and I saw a few more through the windows so I’d say no more than thirteen.” She said and then nudged me with a forehoof “Are you sure that your ready to do this I could go in by myself if you want.” 
Truthfully I didn’t want to go in at all but Glitter needed my help and after she saved my life there was no way I would let her down. “Let’s go be heroes.”
Being heroes, as it turns out, is a lot harder and more frightening than the comic books make it seem. At first it had been a breeze, Glitter took out the two guards and we bust in through the front doors. In front of us were two surprised raider ponies, I wasn’t sure I wanted to kill but I didn’t have any choice. 
Turning to face the first pony I hit S.A.T.S. and put two rounds on the first and a third on the second one. *Pow* the fist raider went down, a 30.30 round lodged in his brain. My second and third shots weren’t so lucky only grazing the raider, my targeting spell was still recharging so I did the only thing I could, biting down on the left bit of my battle-saddle my shotgun roared to life. 
The raider’s forehoof and chest exploded in red just before he could bring his own gun to bear. Looking to my right I saw Glitter dispatching two other raiders who had rushed in to help with her revolver. Rushing through the hallways we cut a swath through the raiders, alone or in groups of two or three they weren’t very dangerous.
But eventually the last five of them had us pinned down in a narrow hallway and they were shooting at us… a lot. “I’m starting to think that busting in through the front door was a dumb idea.” Glitter said with the smuggest grin I had ever seen. 
I wanted to hit her, and point out that while it was my idea she was the one who went along with it, when I felt a lance of fire hit my breast.
Looking down I saw blood leaking from a hole in my armor, one of the bullets the raider were shooting had gone through the thin table we were using for cover. There was a lot of pain but my pipbuck’s medical spell told me the round hadn’t hit anything vital, still we needed to get out of here before one of the raiders got lucky
“Glitter we need to… go… I’ve been shot.”  I heard the mare next to me give a loud swear then pull something from her saddlebag, it looked like a metal apple with a ring in the stem, grunting she heaved herself up and tossed the thing in her mouth. 
“Um Glitter what was…” there was a huge explosion “Celestia fuck me gently what was that!!” The blue pony was giving that smug smile again “That…my stable dwelling friend was a high explosive grenade, I had hoped to save it but we have to get you patched up.” 
Once we made sure the raiders were dead I found myself lying on my side in the same hallway and screaming like I never had before.  Glitter stood above me with a pair of tweezes held in her mouth and her muzzle splashed with my blood “Hod on I amos got it.” 
There was a small clack and I felt something more than just the tweezers being pulled out of me, it hurt a lot but I managed to keep form screaming again. Downing the healing potion Glitter hoofed me I managed to pull myself to my hooves “would you care to tell me why you had to dig around in… me before letting me heal?” 
My companion looked angry for a second before she seemed to relax and replied “Because if I just gave you the potion the bullet would still be in you, a pony can get by with lead in them but that one was close to your vitals and could have shifted. Now come on we need to find that purifier so we can get back to Baleville and have Anesthesia look at you.” It was a bit hard to walk as I wasn’t completely healed but I staggered to follow after Glitter. 
We found the thing as well as every weapon, bullet, and valuable the raiders had on them and headed back to Baleville hoping that we didn’t hit anymore raiders.
Footnote: level up
Skill notes: 
Flying now at 25

Fallout Equestria © to Kkat
My Little Pony: Fim © to Hasbro
Snowy flanks and other oc’s © Me