open Fallout Equestria: Ground Zero [RP]

[MasterCombine 316]

@

@@Defender of Tomorrow

 

Heretics and executions. Were all Steel Rangers as cheery as this guy?

 

“That is all I request of you, and if you choose to assist me further I promise you, your rewards will be great,” the ranger finished.

 

Rewards. Ragnar’s ears perked up. Now he liked the sound of that. If it meant some caps and a free pass on not getting blown the fuck up, he was in. And a brothel? There were worse places they could be going.

 

Ragnar relaxed his stance. “Sounds fair enough. Just hold up a sec.” Ragnar spun around and disappeared back into his tent, reemerging moments later with a double-barreled shotgun slung across his back. He’d taken the weapon from a dead caravaner on the way to town. It wasn’t like anybody was going to miss it. “Alright, pal, you’ve got Ragnar Grimwing at your service,” he said, feigning a bow. “Lead the way.”

 

He gave the unicorn mare another glance. She was in this, too, like it or not. “Well, kid, look’s like you and I get to play partners for a bit.” Ragnar laughed, slapping her lightly across the shoulder.

Edited August 23, 2014 by MasterCombine

[Defender of Tomorrow 323]

(As Shinon)

@MasterCombine

 

The Ranger had pushed me aside, the weight of my sniper becoming uneven almost toppling me over to one side. I grimaced as I adjusted the sniper back on me, the Ranger had given Ragy a box, by the looks of it probably more drugs based off the expression that came off the half-breeds' face. The Ranger sounded like he was mumbling an awful lot of words to Ragnar, the only thing she could make out was that she had to now go and 'help deliver something'. As I stared at the two conversing the ranger suddenly pulled a gun on me,  it wasn't the first time someone put a gun to my face and threatened to take my belongings. "I'd like to see you try." I mumbled under my breath as I heard him rant on about heretics and technology, blah blah blah!

 

Ragnar had disappeared into his tent for a moment, before coming out with a decent looking shotgun slung on his back and giving a proper introduction, at least this junkie had a sense of humor, or class, couldn't tell which one he was trying for there. He liked calling me kid, and touching me, seriously buddy, hands off! "So what do I get for helping?" I inquired to the ranger as he clearly forgot about me, seriously what is it with everyone trying to exclude the little guy! 

 

I awaited his  response as we began walking, he was either too damn old to hear or just a jerk! "Play partners Ragy? Like the three musketeers?! One for One and All for Me!" I squealed in excitement as we, in our slow pace made progress. I was honestly trying to keep our spirits up, the wasteland does a good job putting you down if you don't keep yourself entertained, or the very least happy to be with good company...and by good I mean ponies that aren't trying to kill ya!

[Ranger22 179]

The little mare was a energetic and showed no fear in combat, she could be really useful. " Sorry for ignoring you earlier dear you asked about your reward yes? Well if you do aid us in this endeavor I will deem you fit to handle and use technology and I won't take action against you. Also you may loot whatever we may find if things get violent. If you wish to further aid me you will be rewarded as with the griffon,"I said before continuing to walk. After asking around a bit it didn't take long to get to the local brothel. The large worn out sign still shined brightly showing what I would say the words sultry and lewd matched. The entrance was guarded by a griffon with a rather bored look on his face. He was an ideal choice for his position and would probably deter any pony that wasn't armed or as big and armored as me. He let out a surprised squawk as I firmly grabbed him by the neck turning him towards me. " Look I got a delivery for Big money and you know what happens when somepony waste his time, so let me and my friends through or you'll see what happens when you waste mine!" The griffon didn't respond, I was about to say something before I noticed he was having a hard time to breath. I also noticed his feet were not touching the floor beneath him. I let go his neck being rewarded with a loud clank as the griffon fell on his haunches."Agh...fuck, fine...go on in...agh," the griffon said with a slight stutter. I responded with a grunt before walking up and opening the door getting blasted with the noise of upbeat music as I did.

 

The indecent building was flashy and obnoxiously colored. Loud music tore through my ears having a beat that made me just wanna dance. People of all races gathered and joined the orgy of indecency that flooded the room. So called employees flocked every pony they could get caps out of including me and my companions. Offering me pleasures they say I couldn't imagine anywhere else, what a bunch of crap. After showing I didn't want any of their services they went to my companions behind me or wandered of to find some other customers. The unicorn looked annoyed and uncomfortable while the griffon looked right at home, what an odd pairing those two. After exploring a bit and keeping ragnar on a leash we finally found a door hidden in the back guarded by two ponies clad in combat armor. The guards tensed up as they saw me and my companions walk near their little station. The way the guards looked they were not having it."Nobody gets by this door, no exceptions tin can!," the left guard responded firmly before aiming his rifle at me. " Look I got a delivery for big money and I was ordered to deliver it personally." I told the guard, I was responded by the look of annoyance on his face. ' You think I'm stupid tin can no pony gets in through this door and big money never takes packages directly so get out of my face." The guard spat out at me. Well this diplomacy crap never worked out for me anyway I thought to myself. I quickly brought my hoof into his solar plex the pistons in my armor adding a little extra push. The other guard didn't have a chance to react before I swung my hoof at his temple kicking the now gasping guard behind me as I did. I opened the door a bit and peeked inside, after I found no guards I dragged the unconscious guards in with me. The griffon silently closed the door after the mare walked in. "Alright, diplomacy failed with these guys so uh I don't think peaceful is an option anymore. I'm also seeing a lot of movement on my E.F.S in the room ahead. Watch out for any guards that try to come in our way, I'm gonna go take out the guards up ahead while you do." I responded to my companions as I made sure my medical features were still running, this is gonna be bloody.

Edited August 23, 2014 by steelranger22

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

Hazmat took out a bottle of purified water. He disconnected the tube that fed him oxygen and took off his glass mask. He remembered that he hadn't eaten or drank anything in a while. He didn't want the ponies back there to see his face so he didn't eat at the shack. Hazmat drank half the bottle of water and closed it, before putting his mask back on, and re-connected the tube that fed him oxygen. He took a deep breath before he continued walking. ED-E made a beeping noise. Hazmat took out his revolver and said "sure, I could go for some Gecko Steak" Hazmat loaded his revolver with 'special' rounds, he was not going to waste all his good ammunition on Geckos. He then went off the path and went Gecko hunting.

 

(Shh I'm hunting geckos...)

[Lil' Lovebug 1,041]

"I have two things. One, Anaphora was unable to be retrieved. A group of, apparently, ex-slaves have taken her, and she's probably long lost by now." I sighed. "I know you didn't know her well and maybe didn't like her, but every loss is disheartening. The second piece of news may be a bit more important. There happens to be a group of ponies heading towards the shack. We should pack up and leave now to avoid them. A group that large can't be any good.

[MasterCombine 316]

@@Defender of Tomorrow

@

 

A wall of sound hit Ragnar as he stepped over the threshold, pulsing through his body like an electric heartbeat. The music was old–prewar to be sure–but the rhythm, the tempo… It was the type you could dance to. None of that sad, Sweetie Belle bullshit that made him want to slit his wrists. Ragnar found himself nodding unconsciously to the beat.  

 

Now this is more like it. It was a small wonder that the saloon had felt like a graveyard. This is where the real party was at.

 

Spend weeks at a time traveling the wastes with a bunch of shabby caravaners and you almost forgot what it was like to live. But here? In a place like this, for a few precious hours, you could forget what it was like to suffer. It wasn’t just pussy brothels were selling. It was comfort. And these days, that was a commodity sweet as clear water.

 

The interior of the place was garishly painted and furnished like a prewar lounge. Polished floorboards, long leather sofas, and patterned rugs gave off a veneer of class, while the low red lighting said otherwise. The air was thick with laughter and the smell of smoke and sweat. It was a hotbox of carnal delights, and Ragnar wouldn’t have had it any other way.

 

Judging from the look on the stable-dweller’s face, she wasn’t so comfortable. Ragnar saw her hunched over, looking like she was trying to shrink down into the floor and disappear. He didn’t imagine she’d seen a place like this before. “Hey, ease up, kid. People are gonna think you’re here to kill somebody.”

 

Ragnar laughed, but how far was that from the truth? The ranger had said they were here to deliver a weapon, but from the way he’d said it, Ragnar wondered if he didn’t mean to make it a bullet instead. And he was drawing looks already. Clients, hookers, guards; Scores of people couldn’t help but stop and stare. It wasn’t every day a Steel Ranger just up and waltzed into your establishment, let alone one so huge and well-armored.

 

But Ragnar wasn’t going to ask. He'd already accepted the job.

 

There was a large bar off to one side, its shelves stocked with countless bottles of liquor and flanked by a pair of fancy, woodworked columns. To the left, a staircase wound up and over the main room, turning into a balcony that spanned the length of the back wall. A hallway extended back beyond that, presumably to rooms where the girls plied the more physical half of their trade.

 

Following the ranger’s lead, they wove their way past groups of tables and a small seating area. A bunch of mares sitting on couches around a low glass table, their manes done up and their faces caked with makeup, chattered and giggled, pretending like they were interested in what a group of stallions were saying.

 

One girl, draped over a long leather divan, reached out and pawed at Ragnar’s bicep as they passed. “Hey, hunk,” she purred, “why don’t you stop and sit a while? I could use some company…” She had on black mesh stockings and a frilly skirt that hid the smooth curves of her rump. What was it about clothing on mares that made them so damn sexy?

 

Ragnar opened his mouth to say something, but one silent glance from the ranger quashed that notion. “Eh, sorry, babe. ‘Nother time, maybe.”

 

Breaking free, they made it to the back of the main room. There in the center of the wall, flanked by two stallions, was a plain wooden door. The guards were smaller than the ranger, and even Ragnar, but their armaments caught his eye. Both were decked out in combat armor, and one even had an assault rifle slung over his shoulder. So Big Money was just the local brothel owner, right? Bullshit. Even a cathouse doesn’t rake in enough caps to outfit your guards like they’re some kind of private fuckin’ army.

 

Both guards tensed up when they saw the trio approach. Mr. Assault Rifle stepped forward and shouldered his weapon, raking it across the group and stopping on the ranger. “Nobody gets by this door. No exceptions, tin can.”

 

Bold words, Ragnar thought.

 

“Look, I’ve got a package for Big Money and I was told to deliver it personally.” The ranger stared down the guard, daring him to object.

 

The guard paused, like he was chewing over the words for a moment, before his face twisted into a look of annoyance. “You think I’m stupid, tin can? No pony gets through this door, and Big Money never takes packages directly. Now get the fuck outta my face.”

 

For a second, the ranger was silent, unmoving. There was a pneumatic hiss as his left leg whipped out and struck the guard dead in the chest.

 

Crunch. Ragnar heard something snap. The guard’s mouth shot open, but all that came out was a soft wheeze.

 

The other stallion’s eyes widened, the pistol at his side sliding just inches out of its holster. The ranger spun and slammed a hoof into the side of his head, sending him careening into the wall. As the force of his momentum carried him around, the ranger lashed out with both rear legs. The kick hit the first guard in the face, snapping his head back with the sheer force of it. Both stallions crumpled into motionless heaps.

 

The music must have covered the sounds of the scuffle, Ragnar observed. No one so much as looked their way, and no one came running.

 

Wordlessly, the ranger stepped over the guards’ bodies and pried open the door. He peeked inside, his head disappearing past the threshold. A moment later, he drew back out and nodded.

 

Ragnar didn’t need to be told what to do. He seized one of the guards’ bodies by the legs and dragged it inside, following behind the ranger with the other. When the stable-dweller had filed in behind them, Ragnar gave one final glance out the door and shut it firmly.

 

The room beyond looked like a small office. There was a table, a desk, and scattered filing cabinets and bookshelves leaning up against the walls. Save for a dim lamp on the desk, it was dark.

 

“Alright, diplomacy failed with these guys, so I don’t think ‘peaceful’ is an option anymore,” the ranger said, starting towards another door set into the back wall. “I’m seeing a lot of movement on my E.F.S in the room ahead. Watch out for any guards that try to come our way. I’ll deal with the guards ahead while you do.” Before Ragnar could respond, the ranger threw open the door, lumbered through, and vanished, leaving him alone with the mare.

 

Shit. So that was the plan now? Forge ahead guns blazing? Ragnar smiled. He liked how this guy thought. Shrugging, he dropped down and frisked the guards’ bodies for supplies. No luck. The guard with the pistol was carrying a shitty .45, and Ragnar didn’t care for rifles.

 

He glanced up at the mare, then back to the guns. Well, at least they wouldn’t be totally useless. Ragnar snatched up the assault rifle and the handgun and slid them across the floor to the stable-dweller. “Here kid, I hope you can shoot,” he whispered. “These’ll do you a hell of a lot more good than that fancy blade of yours. You go waving that thing around in a room full of guns and you’re likely to get shot full of holes.”

 

Thud thud thud. Three heavy knocks on the door to the main room shut him up. Ragnar raised a finger to his beak. “Shhh,” he hissed.

 

“Hey, Pinwheel, you in there?” It was a mare’s voice coming from the other side, but harsh and terse. Another guard. “Hey, you fuckin’ hear me?” And she didn’t appreciate the lack of a response.

 

“Uhhh, yeah, I’m here,” Ragnar said. There was no way this was going to end well.

 

Silence, then “The two o’ you are s’pposed to be guarding the door, dumbfuck. The hell you doing in there?”

 

Ragnar tried not to cringe, exchanging a quick glance with the stable-dweller. “Um…just...chillin’?” Why the fuck did he say that?

 

“Then get your ass out here and stop ‘chillin’!” She was getting agitated now. “You see that buckethead and his little lackeys come back this way?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I saw ‘em.” Ragnar motioned for the stable-dweller to stay put, creeping closer to the door and pressing up against the wall to the left.

 

“Well where’d they go? They didn’t just vanish into thin air, dumbass, and you know how Money feels about Rangers. Get out here and help me find ‘em!”

 

Ragnar reached up and slid his .44 from its holster. “I’ll be out in a second…”

 

There was a longer pause from the other side, like the guard was thinking about something. Every second that passed by felt longer than the last, and Ragnar had to keep from biting his own tongue. Then she spoke again. “Open this fucking door right now.”

 

Jig’s up. Ragnar reached one hand over to the doorknob, and nodded at the stable-dweller. “Sure thing, babe.” A flick of his wrist tossed the door open, and Ragnar stepped into the frame.

 

It took the guard a long moment to process what she was seeing. She was an oddly attractive mare, if not a bit rough-looking, with a medium cut mane and dark blue coat. Her eyes performed a slow drag from Ragnar’s face to the gun in his hand, before settling on the barely-visible forms of the unconscious guards behind him.

 

“Yep…” Ragnar muttered.

 

She made a move for her gun.

 

Ragnar was faster. His .44 roared as he fanned it twice in her face, exploding the mare’s snout into a red pulp. Her head snapped back grotesquely, bone and brain matter raining out the back of her skull. She slumped to the floor, leaking blood and viscera.

 

There was a scream. Like a tide rushing out to sea, the collective of whores and clientele on the main floor surged towards the exit, stumbling and shouting.

 

Game on.

 

Ragnar’s brain flipped into threat assessment mode. The stallion behind the bar, dressed as neatly as he was, drew a hunting rifle from beneath the counter and braced it against the wood. Two more guards, including the griffon the ranger had nearly choked to death, burst through the entrance, pushing and shoving against the wave of ponies trying desperately to get out.

 

There was a muzzle flash from the corner of Ragnar’s vision. A piece of the door frame exploded, hitting Ragnar’s chest with splinters of wood. He grimaced and ducked back behind the wall. Now came the tricky part.

 

Another shot bounced off the opposite side of the frame. The buck with the hunting rifle had opened up on them.

 

Bang. Bang. Bang. Click. Five shots. Hunting rifle was out.

 

Ragnar flung himself around the door frame and into the open. The rapid-fire punch of an assault rifle filled the air, accompanied by the tinny pinging of a ten millimeter. Bullets tore into the wall behind him, choking his lungs with sawdust.

 

Ragnar dove behind a table, flipping it on its side as a makeshift shield.

 

Pop. Pop. Hunting rifle was back online, and taking chunks out of the table. Ragnar crouched, hiding as much of his bulk behind cover as equinely possible. He threw one hand over the top, blindfiring a couple rounds in the direction of the bar. Glass shattered, liquor gushed onto the floor.

 

The assault rifle was still firing, punching holes through his cover. The table wasn’t going to last much longer. Ragnar had to move. He twisted his head, looking up. The second floor balcony was directly overhead. One good jump and maybe he could-

 

Boom! The floor next to Ragnar exploded, peppering his flank with shrapnel. He gasped at the pain, like a million hot little needles had just pierced the flesh of his leg. One glance at the staircase revealed a unicorn firing through the banister, a shotgun floating at her side.

 

Ragnar had to move now. “Cover me, kid!” he screamed back through the doorway. Ragnar spread his wings and kicked off the ground, rocketing up into the air and reaching toward the balcony. Beneath him the table dissolved, the combined shotgun and assault rifle fire shredding it to pieces.

 

He grabbed ahold of the guardrail and pulled himself up onto the balustrade. And came face to face with another startled guardspony. He slid his knife from its sheath and lodged it between the stallion’s eyes before he could react.

 

Boom! A section of the guardrail next to him was blown to splinters. Ragnar spun and leveled his revolver at the unicorn on the staircase. Bitch was out of ammo. Tough luck.

 

Two rounds from his .44 slammed into her chest, spattering the wall behind her with blood. She screamed, and slid to the floor.

 

His revolver was out. No time to reload. Ragnar shoved it back into its holster and tore the shotgun off his back.

 

“Die, fucker!” There was a yell from behind him. Ragnar whirled around, staring down the length of the second floor hallway. A unicorn was galloping full-steam towards him, a knife leveled and floating beside his head.

 

Bad choice. Ragnar raised the weapon and emptied both barrels. The kick was immense, driving the stock back into his shoulder, but it was nothing he hadn’t felt before. The blast nearly tore the stallion’s head off, stopping him dead in his tracks and flipping him end over end. He crashed to the floor, gurgling.

 

Ragnar ducked behind the guardrail. There were three guards left on the main floor: the bartender with the hunting rifle and the two near the entrance. They’d all found cover of some sort or another, and one was creeping along behind a couch trying to make for the staircase. “Could use some help, kid!” Ragnar shouted. “Short, controlled bursts! Aim for the head!”  

 

He snapped open the shotgun and chambered two more shells. “Now let’s do this, motherfuckers!”

Edited August 24, 2014 by MasterCombine

[Defender of Tomorrow 323]

@MasterCombine

(As Shinon)

What the hell did I just walk into? The Brothel was crowded with ponies of all kinds, mercenaries, guards, prostitutes, basically whoever could afford to be inside a 'luxury' such as this establishment. The music was insanely upbeat, it was almost like it was magical-enhanced to force you to dance, and many ponies were dancing, rather provocatively that is.

 

Frowning I tried to shrink down to the size of an ant, I had never experienced a place as wild as this before, it was not someplace I would come to out of my own will.

 

Many Eyes darted towards us as we walked through the crowd of ponies, shrinking into an ant was not something I could afford to do anymore and gave the starers a menacing glare, it was sufficiently intimidating as I adjusted the sniper with a resolute tug. I had a rather smug face as we neared the back of the Brothel, I didn't want to give off the vibe of a pony to be easily taken advantage of. I cast a glare at a mare that began tugging at Ragnar, she spoke a bit seductively as she offered her services to him, Ragnar of course turned to her, eager to accept the offer until mister ranger gave him a disapproving look. 

 

As we made it to the back of the brothel we were greeted by a very plain door and two not so plain guards that bore expensive combat armor and weapons. They were the first to speak "Nobody gets by this door, No exceptions Tin Can." 

 

“Look, I’ve got a package for Big Money and I was told to deliver it personally.” The ranger stared down the guard, daring him to object.

 

The Guard stood silently, he was probably contemplating shooting us. “You think I’m stupid, tin can? No pony gets through this door, and Big Money never takes packages directly. Now get the fuck outta my face.” And with that last comment of his, Hazel slammed his hoof right into his chest, giving out a audible 'Crunch' and promptly bucked the other guard in the head, snapping it as he fell limp. 

 

I stared at my two partners, Hazel was quick to check the next room and nodded to Ragnar as it was clear, they dragged the bodies of the dead guards into the room and I followed in before they shut the door. 

 

Ragnar was quick to search the bodies and Hazel disappeared into the other room before I had a chance to form a plan with them, but apparently winging it was the plan. I joined him and scrapped pieces of their armor to repair mine, it gave me a boost in confidence, now if the bullets flew I wouldn't injure so easily. The half-breed slid the a small pistol to me, a .45, the same pistol I had used when I.." I lost myself into a memory, everything became a blur as I let myself go into it.

 

"Daddy Can I get desert, pleasee!!" I begged my father, inside the Stable desert was a rarity, usually only served during birthdays and I badly craved the sugary treat today.

 

"Alright Shi Shi, but only this one time!" My father had waived the waiter to come over and he talked to him quietly for a small while, and the waiter nodded and went off to the kitchen.

 

The Waiter came back a few minutes later with a delicious and small looking piece of cake dabbed with a small scoop of ice cream on top, my favorite desert! He placed the small white plate with the cake on it right in front of me, just as I was about to dig into it the doors of the restaurant swung open violently, followed by a crazed looking unicorn magically levitating a .45 pistol right by him. "Everypony get the Fuck on the floor NOW!" He said before firing a shot into the ceiling, I fell down to the floor along with everypony else, covering my head as he walked slowly towards me and my family.

 

 I snapped out of the memory as I heard Ragnar shouting in a tone I never had heard before, a mix of anger and fear in his voice. “Could use some help, kid!” Ragnar shouted. “Short, controlled bursts! Aim for the head!”  

 

Setting my sniper down on a corner in the room I magically levitated and activated my energy-sabre, the bright purple/blueish blade glowing harshly at full charge. Glancing back I took a deep breath and levitated the .45, the same gun I used to murder a pony a long time ago, and probably about to murder some more ponies with it. I peeked out of the room and saw three ponies with their eyes directed upwards, Ragnar was probably wounded behind some cover as one of them was slowly making their way to get a clear shot at him.

 

I stared at the energy sabre and .45 as they levitated in front of me, and thought about all the training I had done, was it enough to pull of what I was about to do? With that last thought I took a deep breath and got into my special stance.

 

"Die fuckers!!" I shouted angrily and loudly as I ran out the door getting a clean headshot on the pony that was hiding from Ragnar behind a couch, a portion of his head spraying blood everywhere.

 

As he fell I directed my gun towards the two remaining ponies as they came out of cover to fire off a barrage of bullets, some grazing my ear and others stopped by my armor. I Returned fire in small bursts and swung my sabre with high precision I managed to disintegrate some bullets as I continued charging the ponies,

 

Pain filled my body as the frequency of bullets hitting me increased slightly, some punching through the armor, but I fought through it and fired my last bullet into one of the ponies torso bringing him down and thrusted my sabre into the body of the other, and slicing upward, effectively killing the pony as his body sizzled as it fell down to the floor.

 

Breathing hard I fell to the floor in exhaustion and pain as blood dripped from my armor "Ragy, I-I got em!" I shouted as my vision blurred a little, the fight was over...I think.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Defender of Tomorrow

[NinjaCPU 270]

@,

@@Windbreaker, 

@@Defender of Tomorrow,

 

Ah, the north. Though Equestria is a equal-opportunist heap of junk. There are times where certain cities (including the one she wants to venture forward) where she didn't have much adversary there. Cult, robots, Factions who control the city, maybe mindless drones of the tomorrow. She didn't care for much as they seem to be not care about her either. It worked both ways. A small house with some caps hidden away (some that werent' invest in weapons or items to be sold later). Best play to return back to. Hopefully it hasn't changed since the.... three years she's been away on business. "Trotonto. It's a bit of a cold place, but it's worth it for the peace-" she stopped. 

 

As Steady appeared, the other worried over something she didn't know about. Something about a missing pony, sucks, but nothing new under the clouds here. You don't have any survival skills, you better have caps to pay for someone to give or protect them. Though dealing with raiders up front, she'd admit to be in a small trouble. Though, that's what mines and grenades are for me. As for his second piece of news.

 

"Oh, I already knew about the group." she said flatly, "You ponies decide to squat on somepony's shack and they'll be pissed." She seemed to be done with her ravaging. Time was of the essence here and looking for me would be useless. 

 

A distraction would help. The shack was there destination and triggering some  The only possible conclusion was either waste her mines and grenade for a good-bye present or just burn the place down. "I'm going up north to Trotonto. You ponies can come if you want. There might be something there for ya if you have no conceivable idea of what you're doing. It's bit of a big town. We might be going off to another town down north for supplies. It's a bit of a trek. So you can come and go as you please, but I'm going to be burning this shack down and bailing. What you ponies do after is on you." She went into her saddle bag and took out the pivot light, now her skill can come forth.

[EcstaticWind 572]

@,

@@Defender of Tomorrow,

@@NinjaCPU,

 

At the news of Anaphora being taken, Noble dropped his relaxed air, returning to his more formal tone from before. “We can’t spend the resources to go looking for her. Not when we’re likely outnumbered and outgunned and we need all the resources we can get to make it to our destination. We should stop by Wind Barb, as per the original plan and resupply. From there, we could head for Trotonto. It just so happens I have an old friend of sorts who lives there. As well as a certain amount of evidence on his…less than legal activities I can use as a bargaining chip. He’ll help us, or there’s going to be a bounty on his head.”

 

Noble looked to the ponies currently in the room, from Steady and Amber to Kayle and then to the new pony whose name he didn’t know. “Any objections?”

[MasterCombine 316]

@@Defender of Tomorrow

@

 

Ragnar’s flank stung like a bitch. He reached back, grazing his leg with one hand. It came away bloodied.

 

He took one glance at the wound and quickly wished he hadn’t. There were slivers of wood and bits of metal amidst the blood and ragged flesh. If the shooter had been any closer, she might have done some real damage.

 

Ragnar bit his tongue. He would need medical attention, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

 

Gunfire tore apart the guardrail. Fuck! Ragnar threw himself to the floor while wood and sawdust rained down around him.

 

“Keep his head down! I’m moving to flank!”

 

Ragnar peeked out, just over the edge of the balcony, and saw the stallion with the ten millimeter creeping along behind a couch. He was moving towards the staircase.

 

The bartender and the griffon with the assault rifle were firing without pause, trying to keep him suppressed. If he stood, he was dead. The only other option was to move back, into the hall, but Ragnar didn’t feel like playing a sitting duck. Where the fuck was the stable-dweller?

 

“Die, fuckers!” Right on cue. The mare’s voice cracked, but she came tearing out of the office like a pony on fire. She swung her sabre wildly, its glowing blade flashing to and fro like a beam of pure light, and the .45 he had given her hanged in the air by her head.

 

Ten Millimeter broke from cover, his head popping out above the couch as he burst into a dead sprint.

 

The mare’s pistol jolted, firing off a single, well-placed shot. It tore a hole clean through the stallion’s head, a ribbon of blood geysering out behind him. His mouth gaped open, and he collapsed mid-gallop.  

 

Well I’ll be… Ragnar pressed himself up off the floor, clambering to his feet and draping his shotgun over what was left of the railing. The bartender and the griffon weren’t looking at him anymore. They had a new threat to deal with.

 

The stable-dweller kept screaming, swinging her blade in quick, wide arcs and firing her pistol in bursts.

 

The two remaining guards had opened up on her, but she was galloping straight towards them.

 

“Take cover, kid! Take cover!” Ragnar shouted. But she wasn’t listening.

 

The hail of bullets coming her way didn’t seem to slow her down, pinging off her armor and grazing her flesh. The look on her face was one of pure fury, like a mare possessed.

 

The griffon took one step back, then two. Ragnar watched him readjust his aim, trying to draw a bead on the mare’s head.

 

In mid-stride towards the bar, the stable-dweller twisted her head and fired off another burst. It caught the griffon in the neck, throwing him to floor where he remained still.

 

In a panic, the bartender raised his hunting rifle. A single shot rang out, hitting the mare point-blank in the chest, but she leapt, sailing through the air the last several feet and burying her sabre hilt-deep in his flesh.

 

The rifle clattered to the floor, the buck’s eyes widening. The mare pivoted, slicing upwards through his neck and head. The stallion staggered back, the two halves of his bisected upper body peeling apart, and then fell.

 

The main room was silent, save for the howling of the wind outside. The smell of blood and gunpowder filled the air.

 

“Ragy, I- I got ‘em!” the mare shouted. She turned shakily, her grip on the pistol and energy sword faltering. Both weapons clattered to the floor.

 

Aw, fuck. Ragnar slung the shotgun over his back. The mare was breathing hard, blood dripping from a number of cuts and holes in her armor. She took one, hesitant step forward and sank to the floor.

 

Ragnar vaulted over the guardrail, dropping to the floor below. The impact jolted his legs, but he broke into a trot, keeping his head low in case there were any more surprises. He scurried over to where she was laying and grabbed her with both hands, holding her steady.

 

“Hey, hey, easy, kid.” Crazy bitch had taken more than a few rounds. But he’d be damned if her little kamikaze rush didn’t work. He could respect results. “Easy…”

 

Ragnar laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Just that morning he’d been drinking by himself, and now he was sitting next to a stable-dweller in a brothel full of dead bodies. He reached down, unbuckling some of the straps on her armor. Blood welled out from underneath.

 

“You got ‘em, kid. You fuckin’ got ‘em.” Ragnar grinned. She didn’t deserve to die here, like this. But all he had on him was a few lousy rolls of bandages. “You took a beating, though. That you did…”

 

Ragnar wrapped one arm around her neck, and checked her baggage with the other. She was from a stable. She had to have something that could deal with this. “Don’t try to move, kid. Just listen to me. You got any potion?”

Edited August 25, 2014 by MasterCombine

[Defender of Tomorrow 323]

@Windbreaker

@Windbreaker

 

(As Shinon)

“Hey, hey, easy, kid.” His Voice so distant, yet so close.

 

My vision blurred as I struggled to keep awake, I could hear a loud THUMP and feel his hands as he wrapped them around me. Blood rushed out of my armor as he undid the straps, and felt lightheaded.

 

“Don’t try to move, kid. Just listen to me. You got any potion?” He asked after he wrapped his hand around my neck, his warm bird hand. "Ye...it's in m..left pockt." I managed to spit out as I clung onto life. He was quick to search my left pockets, and found my half-finished potion which he piratically shoved down my mouth, I drank the fluid as I had no other choice and life began to fill my body once again, well that was until the fluid stopped coming and my wounds only half-healed at best.

 

"You don't need to cry Ragy.." I teased as as he held me, the pain was still mostly there. "Rags, If I pass out, don't leave me here, okay?" I gave him a soft smile as my horn glowed a light blue, as I cast a healing spell on myself, my wounds glowed a soft blue as they began to close a bit more and I felt little to no pain, but the effect it had on my body was significant, I was exhausted, or atleast I had the illusion I was.

 

With the little energy I had I levitated my weapons back to me, an empty .45 and a three-quarters charged energy sabre. "Ragy...my sniper rifle...it's still in that room." I grunted as I shifted in his arms.

 

(As Kayle)

 

I didn't like Ana, but I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, she had been taken by whoever was hunting her, and by the looks of it they had some unfinished business with her. 

"I didn't really plan on going to stay here anyways, so Wind Barb is it then?" I turned to Noble, he seemed confident that we could resupply there and be safe for awhile, something everypony in the shack valued given yesterdays events, rocket launching steel rangers and a missing Anaphora.

 

"So you ready to go then, Noble?" I asked as we gathered out belongings and started for the door, if anypony was coming they would follow now, I didn't need to pester anypony by speaking if they were dead-on heading their own direction.

[EcstaticWind 572]

@@Defender of Tomorrow,

@,

@@NinjaCPU,

 

Noble quickly finished his breakfast, deciding to ditch the spoon in favour of just tipping the food into his mouth and scraping the dregs out with his knife, which was swiftly cleaned and placed back in its sheathe, with Noble feeling like an idiot for not thinking of this obvious answer sooner. “Almost. Just one thing to take care of.” He said, fishing out the .308 clips and handing them to Steady, along with Frizzen’s carbine. “In case we end up parting ways, you should take this.”

[Ranger22 179]

I kicked in S.A.T.S as I entered the room, the room was a decently large room with a decent amount of furniture especially couches. Must have been a a lounge area for guards or important people on break or something. After looking around a bit I counted the amount of guards in the room, four in the front, three on the left and right, while there was two guards right next to me. I targeted the guards in the front and aimed for their heads and let my rifle do its job. Blam Blam! the loud noise that came with a large caliber rifle rang as the rounds hit their target, both of the guards slumped against the wall ignored by their peers as they slowly shuffled to the protection of furniture. I barely had enough time to pull out my combat knife as I exited S.A.T.S before the guards next to me could fire a round. Assisted by my pistons in my armor I leaped with a sudden burst of speed as I brought down my combat knife on the guard left of me. The other guards opened fire on me not caring for the other guards safety as they tried to focus down on me. Pain surged through my body as rifle rounds repeatedly impacted my armor.

 

 Clenching my teeth and ignoring the pain I did what my opponents did and took cover behind a couch, eyeing the other guard killed by friendly fire. i peeked out to get a quick glimpse before receiving a bullet to the noggin as a reward. My head ached fuck, my cover wasn't lasting long either as round per round tore it apart. I quickly pulled out the one grenade i had on me and kicked into S.A.T.S, I targeted the group on the left. To me they were slow to them I just had the damn best pitch in the wasteland. S.A.T.S ended and the flow of life continued as I heard the curses from the group and then the loud bang from the grenade as it sent hot shrapnel into their flesh. I quickly got up and made my way to the left taking fire and returning it as I made my way to the couch the formerly alive guards used. I apparently won the trade as one of the armored guards brought his hoof to his chest revealing multiple bloodied smokey holes before he groaned and slumped to the ground. 

 

 I took a moment to take a breath and observe the damage of my suit. I was bleeding a bit, a couple of bullets made it in, and a lot of my skin was bruised. My armor was filled with bullet holes and the dents of the many bullets and shells that didn't make it through which reminded me. The armored mare kept firing while the group ahead of me reloaded. I took that time to charge the armored mare with the assault rifle. She panicked as I ran to her and I was fed half a magazine of rifle rounds before her gun jammed. The look on her face was glorious to bad my hoof was in it the second later, the impact of my hoof knocked off her helmet as she hit the wall behind her. I turned to the group of three that was left and charged them firing my rifle at the one with the shotgun. The shotgun guard got a shot off me before being filled with the rest of my ammo sending him to the wall and filling him with smoking holes splattering the wall with his blood.

 

 The guards left looked at each other before one of them yelled and charged at me catching me off guard. The bigger of the two charged at me and tried to out muscle me as the one in the back floated his sub machine gun trying to get a shot without hitting his friend. Before I could do anything I felt something suddenly grabbing my neck. I turned to see the armored mare I punched a few moments ago helmet off and bleeding from her forehead, with ripper in tow. While I tried to keep the ripper from being brought upon my head and trying to push away the decently muscled stallion the one in the back charged and used the bigger stallion as a stepping stone before leaping at my face firing her gun as she did, toppling all of us in the process.

 

 I breathed heavily as I tried to get up pain anchoring me down. My armor hissed in defiance as my legs pushed me upwards. I pulled out my machine pistol I dubbed from its hidden holster. I aimed it at the armored mare laying helplessly as she could only stare, her life in my hooves. I looked back at the other two, they were at least in their early twenties. They just stared and waited for me to finish the job, they expected it." Get out of here and don't you dare let me see you working for a pony like this again got it!" They simply nodded their heads, took the other mare and bolted out the door. I had no idea why I let them go, this was probably gonna bite me in the ass later but whats done is done.

 

 What was left of the room was a mess. Blood and bullet holes littered the walls, the furniture torn to shreds by bullet fire. I picked up the ripper the mare had tried to kill me with earlier, it was in decent shape so I kept it another weapon added to my personal armory. The gun fire from the other room ended signifying my friends did their job or worse they all died. I never really had much to say during fights wasn't my way of doing things. I walked past the door where the three armored guards remained leading me to a hallway with four doors. Two of them were bathrooms and the other was a storage closet in which I found a healing potion and some magical bandages. Which left the last room were the asshole named big money lounged in, I didn't want a pep talk or some villain monologue I just wanted to waste this prick. I opened the door to only be greeted by a large turret on the roof of the room and two guards in black combat armor with plasma rifles. Before I could kick in S.A.T.S the turret and guards fired a burst of concentrated laser and plasma. Thankfully S.A.T.S activated before I was turned to ash by their firepower. My missile launcher launched two missiles at the turret the explosion enough to knock both of the guards down to the floor.

 

 I quickly pulled out executioner and fired two shots at the guards on the floor. My breathing was heavy and my suit was practically torn apart. I didn't know how long I could last. I pulled out my emergency radio and set it to maples frequency "cough...wheeze...Maple... send in two apcs to garrison this town, and uh bring my tortoise suit no buts this time." The guards had finely painted black armor with energy weapons, who was this brothel owner working with? I walked with a limp as my left arm was torn apart and the internals damaged heavily, i pushed opened the door with my good arm revealing big money cowering behind his desk. Before he could say anything I fired executioner making his head split like a watermelon. I quickly checked his terminal no password what so ever. I found local business information, his not so kind opinions on various factions of the waste, a sweetie belle album and information which proved my suspicions. The Berry family, I remember hearing about them. They were the number one in dealing with energy weapons around the waste, something I could not stand for. Last time I checked they were based in central equestria not north, it's surprising how far their power spread.

 

 My suits emergency medical feature kicked in and injected med x and the needed amount of healing potion so I didn't bleed out. I eyed my companions both injured and one of them passed out, dammit. Before I could say anything to them a sudden large amount of force knocked me down onto the floor. It was a large red stallion in metal armor, how did I miss this guy? We traded blows for a bit before I managed to kick him off. We paced in circles for a bit waiting for one of us to make the first move. He made his move first and lunged at me, what a stupid little pony he was. I wipped out the ripper I had acquired earlier and shoved it into his chest the sound of metal cutting metal was loud and made my ears ring but it was non the less satisfying.His eyes widened as the ripper made its was past the armor and into the flesh, blood bursted out as it effectively tore through his flesh and bone. I tore the ripper out of his chest and grabbed his head and wrestled him to the ground. I punched his face anytime he tried to struggle to hard, my left hoof grabbed his muzzle as my right hoof grabbed his jaw. I pried his mouth open to get a good grip on his jaw, my armor whined as I pulled as hard as I could until I heard a loud pop. The stallion went limp and blood leaked from his chest and mouth, I yelled furiously in victory before calming down a bit. I limped over to my companions as the deed was done."Wheeze...you guys having a moment hehehe cause you uh drank a potion with bullets still inside of you, that can cause muscle and bone deformities you idiots. Hahaha, you guys can handle yourself I can give you that but uh I think you need treatment there griffon." I said before taking out my medical kit and removing my helmet. I took the time to clean the my armored hooves with abraxo,water, and good scrubbing with a rag. I wrapped a sterile glove around my armor as I pulled out my medical tools. I stared at him with my grey eye before pulling out a stick." Yeah this procedure is gonna hurt like a bitch so uh your gonna need this," I said before putting the stick in his mouth and making sure he bit on to it.

 

 I took the remaining purified water in the bottle pouring it over the wound, a hissing sound and smoke came off it. I then grabbed a bottle of medical alcohol and swabbed it across his injured flesh. My scalpel and graspers were next in my hooves, carefully cutting away dead flesh allowing the shrapnel and other foreign objects to be removed easier. I wrapped a piece of cloth around his leg to restrict blood flow to make sure he didn't bleed anymore then he had to. I then carefully did a little song and dance of cutting and pulling out pieces of uneeded flesh and shrapnel. After that I added another layer of medical alcohol to make sure infection didn't happen. I pulled out a bottle of healing potion and gave it to the griffon to drink, I watched as the miracle healer did its work sealing the flesh and restrengthening damaged bone." Sorry for pulling you away from our little friend there but you were gonna catch an infection sitting around a dirty brothel floor. She's gonna be fine don't worry about it we might need to open her up again to remove bullets and to make sure nothing deformed, other then that she needs some rest." I said before turning my head to cough out blood, " oh that's not good." I put away my healing supplies back into its compartment, fuck me another suit this month ruined.

[MasterCombine 316]

@

@@Defender of Tomorrow

 

“Leave you here?” Ragnar chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He cradled the mare closer and sat still. The adrenaline rush was fading by now. Every muscle in his body ached, and his flank felt like it was on fire.

 

He looked back down at the mare, brushing back a wayward strand of mane that had fallen into her eyes. Any enmity he might have had for her was forgotten, at least for the moment. Right now they were just two wasteland warriors, sitting and bleeding together on a dirty brothel floor. It wasn’t much to have in common with somepony, but it meant a lot more than some might think.

 

The place was a mess. The fancy leather couches were shredded. The bar was little more than shelf upon shelf of jagged broken bottles, their contents trickling down and pooling on the countertop. Blood, bodies, and shell-casings littered the floor.

 

And he was a mess. Aside from the wound on his flank, Ragnar was covered in the blood of at least three different people. It was warm and sticky, matting his fur. The mare’s flesh had healed up from the potion, but her coat was wet and stained as well. Ragnar sighed. He was gonna need a nice, hot shower after they got done with this shit.

 

He could feel the mare breathing against him, soft and shallow. When he looked down, her head was sinking back towards the floor, eyes closed. He shook her firmly. “Hey, keep awake, kid. We’re not outta the woods yet.” It suddenly struck him that he didn’t know her name. He hadn’t even bothered to ask.

 

The mare’s head jolted up, her eyes blinking like she had just woken from a nap. She started talking like nothing had happened. “Ragy, my sniper rifle…it’s still in that room,” she grunted, squirming in his arms.

 

“Easy. I got it.” He wasn’t about to leave her lying on the floor by herself. In her current state, he didn’t suppose she’d object too much if he carried her.

 

There came a sudden holler from the adjacent room, almost like a cheer. The voice was deep. Ragnar hoped it was the ranger, and not someone that had killed him.

 

A moment later, the buck in question came lumbering through the office door, a thin wisp of smoke trailing in his wake. He was still alive, and he had put that rocket launcher to good use, no doubt.

 

The ranger halted a few feet away, staring. His armor was spattered with blood, covered in scratches, dents, and bullet holes. In the silence, Ragnar could hear him wheezing softly. Even he had taken a beating.

 

The ranger spoke, rasping through the filter on his helmet. “You two having a moment?” He nodded at the stable-dweller. “She drank a potion with bullets still inside of her. That can cause muscle and bone deformities, idiot.”

 

Ragnar arched an eyebrow. “It was that, or let her bleed to death. You can fix the first one. The ‘dead’ part, not so much.”

 

The ranger made a noise that sounded like a chuckle. “You guys can handle yourself, I’ll give you that. But you need treatment there, griffon.”

 

Ragnar sneered. “What, you a doctor, too?” Still, he shifted over, revealing his battered left flank. “And I’m a hippogriff, pal. Big difference between us nasty crossbreeds and those noble purebloods.” He jabbed a thumb at the mangled body of the griffon by the door, laughing.

 

The ranger grunted, snapping open a panel on the side of his suit. He pulled out what looked like a medical kit, then reached up and popped the clasps on his helmet. Slowly, he pulled upward, and there was a hiss as the suction broke.

 

Ragnar didn’t know whether he should be surprised or not. The stallion beneath the helmet looked older, about middle-aged. His coat was khaki, and covered in little pink scars where the hair didn’t grow anymore. But it was his left eye that caught Ragnar’s attention. It was pale grey, and crossed by another thick scar. He looked amused.

 

The ranger went about cleaning his hooves, scrubbing the armor with water and abraxo. When he’d finished, he pulled on a pair of thick plastic gloves and retrieved his tools. Scalpel, forceps, rubbing alcohol. The sight made Ragnar’s stomach churn. He clenched his beak, waiting.

 

“This procedure is gonna hurt like a bitch,” the ranger said, fixing Ragnar with his pale eye. “So you’re gonna want this.” He drew out a short, thick length of wood and passed it to Ragnar.

 

Ragnar was used to pain, but when someone tells you that something is going to hurt, they generally aren’t lying. Ragnar accepted the stick, put it crosswise in his mouth, and snapped shut his beak.

 

The ranger snatched up his water bottle and poured the rest over Ragnar’s flank. Ragnar winced, but the pain was manageable. The ranger took up a bottle of rubbing alcohol and swabbed it generously across the wound. Now that stung. Ragnar bit down harder on the stick, squinting.

 

There was a pause, and when Ragnar looked down the ranger had the scalpel and forceps in his hooves. Fuck. Now came the rough part.

 

All at once the ranger went to work, slicing away bits of ragged flesh to get at the splinters and pellets. Ragnar felt like he was going to bite the stick in half, cringing in pain. I’ve been through worse, he thought, but it wasn’t much comfort in the moment.

 

Long seconds passed without either of them speaking. When the ranger deemed his work satisfactory, he stretched out a roll of bandages and wound it around Ragnar’s leg. Another dabbing of alcohol, and the job was done.

 

Ragnar sighed in relief. He stretched his leg out carefully, pulling the muscles taut. It still hurt like a bitch, but he’d be able to walk.

 

The ranger had one more gift for him. He pulled out a bottle of healing potion and thrust it into Ragnar’s hands.

 

Ragnar undid the top and knocked it back. Almost immediately he felt a warmth spreading through his flank, and he knew that underneath the bandages the flesh and bone were being mended.

 

“Sorry from pulling you away from our little friend there,” the ranger said, gesturing to the stable-dweller, “but you were gonna catch an infection sitting around here. She’ll be alright, don’t worry about it. But we might need to open her up again to remove the bullets and make sure nothing deformed. And she needs rest.”

 

No shit. Ragnar shrugged. “Thanks.” He muttered a quick expression of gratitude, and stepped back over to the mare. She was just barely awake, nodding like she was in a daze. “Hey, sorry about this, kid,” Ragnar said. He reached down, scooped her up gently in one arm, and slung her over his shoulder, her rump hanging next to his head.

 

He stepped carefully over the corpse of the mare near the office door, and set the stable-dweller down against the wall. Stepping inside, he spotted her rifle and snatched it up. The damn thing was heavy, definitely not practical enough to be fired in any position but prone, at least for a non-magic-user.

 

Ragnar took the rifle back outside and set it next to its owner. He turned to face the ranger. “So, finish what you came here for?” he asked. “And how about that reward of ours?” He realized he didn’t know the ranger’s name either, but that could wait.

Edited August 26, 2014 by MasterCombine

[Ranger22 179]

" Oh yes your reward, I'll make sure your rewarded nicely as soon as my garrison comes here." The loud engine of two apcs rang out identifying my troop arrived. The doors flung open as two rangers stormed in with combat stances before noticing us and lowering their guard. What made me shake was a rather angry looking maple stomping her way towards me. "How many fucking times have I told you to not to fight organized opponents without help! Dear fucking celestia what did you do you do to your suit!! That's it, no more power armor for you until you learn to control yourself!" Two more steel rangers trotted towards us with box in tow holding my...kiddy gear. I propped open the box as it revealed my beloved EOD suit with its special LMG. I turned back to maple who still had a rather adorable angry face. " You know you look cute when your angry hehehe," I quickly said before being on the receiving end of a metal covered hoof. 

 

 " Just take off your sorry excuse of power and put on your tortoise armor and be happy with it, and let me guess you hired mercs to be your best friends again instead of calling back up from your battle brothers and sisters. Scribe tea cup get in here and pay this griffon his due!" Maple yelled as the scribe in glasses known as tea cup scurried through the door with a decently large box in tow. She placed it in front of the griffon then turned back around and went through the door. I took off my suit piece by piece as I looked at the still puffy faced Mapel. " Look Maple I...I know sorry won't cut it but this times different, my target had deals with the berry family. That means there here and can really slow down our expansion progress." I finished pulling off the pieces of my suit as I was done talking to Maple.

 

 "That still doesn't excuse nearly getting yourself and others killed, and don't forget the suit you just destroyed. I'm just worried alright, every time you go on your own I fear you wont come back." Maple calmly said as she helped me into my heavy tortoise suit, surveying my wounds as she did. " Alright I'll be more careful, just make sure my tortoise suits temperature enchantment is working this time." Maple simply rolled her eyes as she placed the helmet on top of my aching head. When she was done she patted my head and walked out the door with her troop following besides her. She suddenly stopped as if she has forgot something, a black helmet with a clean hole through it was tossed in front of my hooves. Before I could say anything Maple walked through the door. Turning to my companions in my rather puffy suit of heavy gear looking more like a walking pillow instead of a ranger." So uh willing to go do more jobs?" I awkwardly asked the griffon as he just stared the sudden events go by.

Edited August 26, 2014 by steelranger22

[Defender of Tomorrow 323]

(As Shinon)

 

I had been to exhausted to have been paying attention to what was happening, all I knew was that I was being carried for a short bit and then placed by a wall, followed by my sniper being placed beside me. I glanced up to see the ranger, well he looked more like a heap of scrap metal to be honest and Ragnar talking to each other. A loud sound had tore through the brothel, was that a motor? 

 

A parade of mildly upset rangers filed inside the small door of the establishment, taking their positions as if the premises were still dangerous. The Ranger that spoke to hazel had a tone of relief and irritation, she cared about him as she scolded him. An unusual pony emerged from the back and brought a box to Ragnar, so he got his reward while I had this nice wall to rest on. 

 

"What about my Reward?" I coughed up from all the way in the back, I certainly did not just help this suicidal ranger out of the goodness of my heart. "You promised me something too!" I swear if my reward is a pat on the head or that ridiculously stupid 'I allow you to use your equipment', that ranger was going to feel my wrath. I took a look at Ragnar as he stared down the box that was ominously given to him, probably was caps...,or drugs. That poor bird had no self-control, he probably spends all his caps on Dash and then wallows from withdraws as he risks his life for another pay to sate his addiction. 

[Lil' Lovebug 1,041]

I looked at the gun Noble held in his hooves. "Keep it," I said after a moment. "I'll take it when I leave. For now, I feel like staying with you all, and we need all the firepower we can manage. It'd  probably be of more use in your hooves than in my bag anyways." I walked to the door and looked out at the approaching mob. "I don't care where we go or what we do. I have nowhere important to go. Getting away from here would be nice actually. To much has happened here, best to leave this place." I peered down the scope of Silence and aimed at one of the ponies' heads. As tempting as it was, it would just put us in more danger.

 

I sighed and put Silence away. I'd start sniping when we left. "We defiantly need to get more supplies soon. I know that the cart has barely enough for two meals for Amber and I. I don't know how you all are faring. Plus, I need to trade some stuff. Since we lost Ana, Amber should probably be our group trader. Anything you may want to sell should be given to her once we get there. For now, let's worry about getting out of here, eh?"

Edited August 27, 2014 by 2 Happy 4 You

[EcstaticWind 572]

@,

@@Defender of Tomorrow,

@@NinjaCPU,

 

“We’ll have to start thinking about hunting soon, because I doubt we’ve got much food.” Noble said, checking the mag on the carbine. Empty. He sighed and replaced the clip, leaving him with one on standby. Time to remember what he’d learned about firing a rifle. His mind drifted once more, back to a day long gone as he slung the carbine over his shoulder and touched his left foreleg…

 

Noble lay on the ground, bleeding from a gunshot wound while Raiders advanced on Serene. They paid no attention to her screaming and pleading. He tried getting up, but his body refused to respond. The next thing he heard was a gunshot and a Raider fell down, dead with a bullet in his skull. The command he placed on Serene had triggered and she was doing whatever she could to survive. Determined to help, Noble injected himself with Med-X to dull the pain. With no fear and possibly sensing death coming for him, Noble charged at the Raider behind Serene, smashing his Pipbuck in the pony’s face. A few bullets flew Noble’s way, cutting into his skin and one embedding itself in his side. He held up his Pipbuck against the onslaught, but even with the Med-X, he’d lost a lot of blood. And the world turned black in seconds…

 

When he woke up, they were in a town and Noble was practically covered in bandages. “Where…where am I?” He asked groggily. The surroundings were unfamiliar and there was nothing around he could use to make a guess. ‘Is this what the afterlife looks like? It’s just as shit as the wasteland…’

 

At the sound of Noble’s voice, a certain Pegasus looked up from an old comic she’d been reading. “About time you woke up. We’re in some small little town that I didn’t catch the name of, but we’re alive. By the way… Sorry about your Pipbuck, Noble.” Serene said, presenting Noble with his busted gadget.

 

“Forget about it. It was just a shackle to an old life anyway…” Noble said, his expression cold and unfeeling. Inside, however, he realized just how far past the point of no return he was. Ever since he stepped out of the Stable, he couldn’t go back.

 

Noble snapped out of his daydream, looking down at the floor with a distant expression. ‘I left all of that behind. Why does it bother me now?’ He shook his head to bring his focus to the present and turned towards the door, standing beside Kayle. “Everypony, check your weapons. In case we have to fight.”

[NinjaCPU 270]

@@Defender of Tomorrow,

@, 

@@Windbreaker, 

 

Steam had to admit, she wasn't excepting everypony to stick to their guns. As much as Kayle they weren't part of a group. They seem to be okay with working together. Maybe it was the sense of danger or it could be some bond they have created. She wouldn't could not guess, more getting a nine volt battery and connected the wires to each other. She wrapped around each of the wires from the pivot light and got a spark from it. Now for something flammable, she felt a bottle, seem like a some like sugar as she pulled it out. "Sodium Aluminosilicate" she muttered to herself, something that's in non-diary creamer. This should burn.

 

She pours some of it on the ground, next to wall so that it could start burning the shack with it. The group seemingly talking about supply and the group leader. Not her problem at this moment, she'll deal with it when the time comes. "Time to head out, I'm burning it now!" she said to the group. The wire not touching the positive as she moved it close to the creamer. Steam tapped on the wire and a small spark came forth, the creamer immediately igniting into flames. Steam pulled back, throwing the make-shift lighter into her saddle bags, her rifle still strapped and rushing the hell out of there. This should be a good distraction.

[MasterCombine 316]

@

@@Defender of Tomorrow

 

Ragnar wasn’t the type of guy to get optimistic, but seeing the scribe drag in that heavy box was enough to put a grin on his beak. He let the ranger and the mare shouting at him have their little moment, and tore into the container with something approaching unbridled enthusiasm.

 

Jackpot. He hadn’t been expecting the ranger to go back on his promise, but the rewards were better than he had anticipated: bags of caps, high-grade ammunition, even a few short stacks of prewar money.

 

Ragnar thumbed through a stack of old paper bills. On both sides of each were depicted a bunch of people and places he didn’t recognize, save of course for the Princesses. It was strange to think they had been worth something once. Nowadays, caps were the only currency that meant anything. Although...he had heard something about a Commonwealth way down south that was printing its own money. Sounded like a waste of effort.

 

Anyway, the bills weren’t entirely without value. Ragnar could at least sell them to a collector or swap them with a merchant for some real money. When all was said and done, the job had more than paid its due. Ragnar’s grin widened. All this cash would buy a lot of drugs, booze, and hookers. That was for damn sure.

 

Ragnar surveyed the inside of the brothel one more time. On second thought, the hooker part would probably have to wait until the next town over.

 

He took everything he could use, stuffing bills and caps in his rucksack and stashing the ammo in pouches on his combat vest. When he was done, he turned around in time to see the ranger’s backup leave the building. It was just the three of them again. The ranger stood there in awkward silence, his ornate power armor replaced by something that looked like a big metal turtle shell.

 

“So,” the ranger finally said, “you willing to go do more jobs?”

 

Ragnar arched an eyebrow. It was a hell of a thing that he’d even done a job for a ranger in the first place. Now this guy was offering him more work? Ragnar’s gut instinct was to tell the dogmatic fucker to go screw himself, and he might have...if it was another ranger. Something about this guy was different. Ragnar couldn’t tell what, exactly, but he could tell it plain enough.

 

Ragnar smirked, checking his .44. He dumped out the spent cartridges and punched in six fresh ones. “What kinda jobs we talkin’ about?”

 

The stable-dweller piped up from across the room. “What about my reward?” She coughed, her head swaying back and forth like she was under an anaesthetic. She needed rest, and not here. But she had a point. She’d done near as much work as Ragnar had, except for the almost getting herself killed part. But bullet wounds aside, she deserved something for her efforts.

 

“Kid’s right,” Ragnar said. “You planning on paying her, too?”

Edited August 31, 2014 by MasterCombine

[Ranger22 179]

" Of course I plan on paying you, I'm not penny pinching just yet humph!" I retorted before taking a sack of caps form my fun box and tossing it in front of the little stable dweller. "This ain't as much as the griffon got but were gonna give you a free medical and gun repair so it adds up." I explained to the mare before turning to the griffon again. " The job I ask of you is more or less the same as this one, were gonna expect the berry family to retaliate for this attack. While my rangers and the local militia fight off the blunt of the attack, we go around and check the little places were the berry family forces can sneak through including the sewer." I explained while making sure my armor was in place. I looked at the tired out stable dweller before quickly noticing I loved using the letter "I" a lot sentence or mind wise. Grabbing the stable dweller I tossed her on my back to carry her to the medical center in which maple probably installed an autodoc or something. Tossing the large crap conditioned gun the stable dweller owned at the griffon we made our way outside.

 

 Everything was happening faster then I thought possible. Powered armor troopers littered the streets as they hurried into defensive positions setting up gunner positions and barricades. Pretty much every pony in town is stuck in here until finish of the coming berry family forces. I wonder how pissed the caravans are at us, probably more so then usual I guess. After a hop skip and a jump away we made it to the small building with three large glowing butterflies on it. Walking inside I noticed a less then pleased pony in medical scrubs that gave us the stink eye and two scribes in the back putting the finishing touches on an autodoc. When the scribes left I pushed a button on the fascinating machine the door opening in response. The mare on my back couldn't respond in time as I quickly tossed her into the gaping maws of the machine. Pushing the button the doors closed shut with a loud clang, leaving the stable dweller at the mercy of the glorious clap trap. Loud hissing noises rang out as I stared back at the griffon." So, what do you think of the weather this morning?"

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

Hazmat got back on the road, 3 dead Gecko's on his back "I always loved hunting..." He then looked at a rip in his suit where a Gecko bit him. "but killing Geckos don't beat the satisfaction of putting a .308 bullet right between the eyes of a raider or even better a slaver," Hazmat said to himself. ED-E made a beeping noise. "ED-E, does Broc flower grow in this part of the wasteland ED-E made a beeping noise and Hazmat said "Crap... well I guess I will have to find some substitute for stimpaks until I can get some more." Hazmat then decided to just leave the bite alone. The pain didn't bother him, he was use to it. Once He got a chance to sew it close, it would just be another scare on his body, scar number 43 to be exact. Hazmat set the dead Geckos on the ground and used his switchblade to skin them. He then began to collect meat from them. He cut up the hide of the geckos and wrapped the meat up in it. So it wouldn't get blood on anything in his Saddle bag. He then placed the pieces of meat in his saddle bag and looked at ED-E "That should be enough, so lets keep moving." ED-E made a beeping noise and bumped into Hazmat. "You want to hear another one, that's the 4th this week..." ED-E made a beeping noise "Fine I will tell you another story of before you and I began traveling together..." Hazmat sat down by the edge of the road and ED-E flew in front of him....

[TheLineTrotter 100]

Vincent stumbled down the road, weapon holstered, covered in filth, her armor punctured by several scorpion tails, He was lucky that his armor had been thick enough that the scorpion's tails couldn't punch all the way to his flesh. As it was, a few antidotes were enough to keep him going.

 

As it was, he wished it hadn't.

 

He'd searched... so long and as hard as he could for her.... he'd flown miles, back and forth, searching that scorpion infested hellhole... he'd dived deeper into dangerous caves than he would have for even the greatest riches. He became desperate, frantic... for awhile, he was just the stupid fucking emotional kid he had been when they'd split up.

 

He never found her.

 

So he walked.... he'd walked and walked, trying not to think. He hadn't felt this sadness in... a long time... he could only imagine she died... place like that, mare like her.... it wouldn't be hard to believe... some animal getting her, eating her up... she was most likely dead. The thought made his stomach tighten.  He felt... empty. He couldn't believe how much it was affecting him... for years, they hadn't seen eachother... but now, all he could see her as was the little filly with a mane that got in her eyes and a desperate want for something more than some shack to live in.

 

Vincent didn't want to move anymore. He was done moving... there was no point moving on anymore... he just collapsed in the road, looking up at the cloud-layer.

 

He wished he could have seen the sun... fully, just once...

[Nameless Knight 1,001]

@@TheLineTrotter, 

 

Hazmat finished telling his story to ED-E and they continued walking down the road, ED-E playing 'Jingle, Jangle, Jingle'. Hazmat twirled his revolver as he walked, but something caught his eye. It looked like a body just laying in the middle of the road. "ED-E, are you seeing what I'm seeing, or is all the pieces of lead and metal in my head finally getting to me". ED-E made a beeping noise. "If my information is correct that looks like a griffin...." ED-E flew ahead to check it out. Hazmat followed behind ED-E. ED-E floated over it and made a beeping noise. Hazmat stopped and looked at the griffin "Your right, He is alive." Hazmat holstered his revolver and said "Hey, buddy. What are you doing just laying around in the middle of the road?" ED-E made a beeping noise. Hazmat nodded "He doesn't look too badly injured, maybe he collapsed from dehydration or starvation?" He said to ED-E.

[TheLineTrotter 100]

@,

 

Vincent heard music playing in the distance. He assumed it was some pony walking around with a radio or something. He didn't care. They'd probably just assume he was a corpse and walk by. Or loot him. Or finish him off, if he was lucky.  He heard the music getting closer to him, assumeing that the pony had come by to examine him. "If you're gonna loot me, atleast wait until i`m dead, ya vulture...." he muttered, sitting up slightly... to spot a weird floating robot. He'd seen them before... they usually were playing some propaganda crap.  He then spotted a pony in a hazmat suit (guessing, here) coming up to him, and speaking. Presumably he owned the little robot. He heard him speaking, setting his head back down on the road and looking straight at the sky. "None of your damn business... " he muttered angrilly, seeming annoyed by the stallion. It was rather clear he wasn't in the best of moods...