BANG!
That was the last thing Braeburn heard before he fell face-first into the Wasteland's ground, getting a mouthful of dirt and a cut on his head that made the golden pony's head spin and his vision turn black. Something pushed Braeburn on his back, causing the harsh sun to pierce through his eyelids. "Yeah. This is the one." Faded voices wavered in his ears. "So, we just bring him to the boss?" One of them scoffed. "Who cares? Lets just kill him!" Braeburn's head continued to spin as words rattled about in his brain. "And if they find the body?" One of them asked. "Body? What body?" The group chuckled and started to carry Braeburn away to his death.
It was early morning in the Wasteland and Braeburn felt alive. He trotted his way through the streets of Maneaton breathing in the morning air, which was surprisingly fresh for a metal town surrounded by radiation. "Hello! Hey there! Nice to see 'ya!" He greeted everypony he passed by with a friendly smile. "Morning, Braeburn! Going to see Derpy?" Braeburn nodded. "Heard she has something special for me. I'm headed there right now." Cheerfully, Braeburn climbed the steep steps towards his friend Derpy Hooves store, Craterside Supply. Just as he was about to open the door to the building, it burst open and a yellow-maned mare stumbled out covered in black power. Braeburn caught her before she tumbled off the railing of the elevated platform. Derpy to blushed and shamefully responded. "My bad." She looked up at Braeburn and smiled. "Oh, Braeburn! You're here!" Braeburn chuckled. "Yeah. I'm here." Derpy giggled, grabbed his hoof, and began to lead him into her shop. "Come in. I have a surprise for you!" The stallion smiled and followed the bubbly pony, who, unbeknownst to her, was leaving a trail of smoke from her mane.
"Come on in! Don't mind the smell. I was just testing a few chemicals, but its perfectly safe to breathe. Really!" Braeburn sniffed the air and crinkled his nose, finding Derpy's statement questionable. Derpy leaned over the counter and pulled out a dusty box, earnestly putting it in front of Braeburn with a grin. "What's this for?" He asked. "Your birthday!" Braeburn stared blankly at her. "Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday?" Braeburn frowned a little. "I guess I don't really think about it anymore..." Derpy nudged his shoulder playfully. "Aww. Don't worry. I'll make this the best birthday ever! And one more thing." Braeburn looked up just in time to see her plant a soft kiss on his cheek. "No frowning on your birthday." They both blushed and sat in silence for a while before Derpy handed the box to Braeburn. "This is for you. I got it from my grandmother, but I don't really need it. So I thought I would give it to you." Braeburn slowly opened the box to reveal a Pip-Boy. A old, beat up, and barely functional Pip-Boy, but a Pip-Boy nonetheless. "Ta-Da! What do 'ya think?" Braeburn held the device in his hooves and looked over it. "Derpy... its great, but... Do you really want to give this to me?" Derpy nodded. "Of course, silly. Here, let me put it on you and see if it fits." The grey mare took Braeburn's arm and strapped the device on. "See? Fits like a glove. Now lets see if it still works." Derpy flicked a few switches and after nothing happened, she smacked the side of it, causing it to suddenly snap on, its green display glowing dimly. "There! Works perfectly." They both laughed and a sharp beeping sound caused Derpy to jump up. "Oh! They are ready!" She ran off to the back room and came back with a tray containing a single slightly burnt muffin. Upon further inspection by Braeburn, he saw that the muffin was in the shape of an apple. "Do you like it?" Derpy asked sweetly. "I love it. But, there's only one." Derpy looked a little sad. "Well, I only had enough ingredients to make one. Sorry..." "Oh, its okay. Here, we'll share it. And stop all that frowning on my birthday." Braeburn said with a comforting tone. He broke the muffin in half and gave one piece to his friend. She took it and smiled. "Happy birthday, Braeburn."
Braeburn left Derpy's with a grin on his face like he had never had before. They talked, laughed, and just all in all had a great time. For Braeburn it pretty much was the best birthday ever. It was starting to get late even before Braeburn wanted to leave, but he eventually left with a smile on his face and another kiss from Derpy. "Be careful out there." She said as he was walking out the door. Braeburn smiled. "I will." The large doors of Maneaton lurched open as Braeburn made his way to his small house a few miles away from the town. His journey was quickly brought short when a heard a sound behind him. Turning around, Braeburn peered off into the darkness but saw nothing. "Huh." He kept walking only to be abruptly shot from behind him, where he previously thought no one was. The bullet flew past his head and through his ear, causing Braeburn to yell in pain and fall face first into the dirt, where he blacked out.
Braeburn dreamed he was with Derpy. Just sitting with her and talking. Well, mostly listening to her talk. Braeburn loved the sound of her voice. As much as she complained against it, he really adored it and every little thing about her. He wanted to tell her that. How he felt. But now, as was carried off to who knows where, he probably wont be able to tell anyone anything ever again.
BANG!
BANG!
More gunshots rang through Braeburn's head, only this time they were not aimed at him. The ponies carrying him suddenly fell to the ground dead. Braeburn found himself staring at a large pony standing over him, but instead of moving, Braeburn simply passed out.
He woke up in a bed that was not his own, with a bandage wrapped around his ear. He tried to sit up, but his head spun and his vision went black so he laid back down. The large pony came up down to him and placed a damp towel on his head. Braeburn did not ignore his advances but nervously asked. "You... You're not going to kill me, are you?" The pony chuckled lightly. Braeburn's vision was still fuzzy, so he couldn't make out who the mysterious pony was. "Did you kill the other ponies who tried to kill me?" Braeburn pondered. He nodded. Braeburn, a bit agitated that he was not getting a spoken answer out of him asked one more question. "Are you at least... friendly?" The pony stopped for a second as if he himself didn't know before answering with a single word in a deep but quiet tone of voice.
"Eeeeyup."
*So there you go! This is a little story crossover between MLP and the Fallout universe. If you don't know what Fallout is, that's okay. You don't really have to know about it to hopefully enjoy this story (that I will continue). But if you do know about Fallout, I hope you enjoyed the little nods I put in here. Also, I'm so sorry for the 'Maneaton' pun. I just had to. See ya next story!*