War... war never changes.
As long as humanity has walked the Earth, war has followed them everywhere. From primitive rocks, to bombs capable of destroying entire cities, war has only been amplified as humanity began to become more advanced. On the 6th of August, 1945, humanity entered the atomic age with the destruction of Hiroshima with a single atomic bomb. Humanity had gained the ability to destroy itself in atomic fire.
And they nearly did.
On October 23rd, 2077, humanity's thirst for its own destruction was finally quenched when most of the world's nuclear weaponry was used to settle old scores. In less than two hours, the Earth was forever changed. Craters scarred the surface, radiation became embodied in the very ground, and humanity was almost wiped out. Any small pockets of survivors were left with the hell of the wastes, the consequences for their horrendous actions. Many tried to reclaim the planet with old world values, like in the western part of what once was America. But it was doomed to fail, of course. How could Earth be returned to a fraction of its former glory with shadows of the same civilizations that destroyed it?
This is the story of three different individuals, who each faced hardships because of these values.
John Gideon, known to the people of the Capital Wasteland as the Lone Wanderer, lost everything to the remnants of the same government that helped destroy the world.
Javan Ramirez, known to the Mojave Wasteland as the Courier, helped a government that modeled itself on the ones before, only to realize that he was fighting for the wrong cause until it was too late.
Nate Howard, known to the Commonwealth as the Sole Survivor, had his world torn apart when his home was scorched by nuclear fire, lied to by a corrupt government, and watched hopelessly as his wife was murdered and his son abducted.
When these values once again rise up in a form more dangerous than they had ever faced, these heroes must unite and find help from a source they never knew existed. The road would be hard, but these heroes were ready. Because they had persevered through all challenges before, they had survived in the hell of the wastes, they were some of the only people in history to truly know war.
And war... war never changes.
/
October 23, 2077: The Great War starts, destroying almost all of civilization and scarring the Earth. Due to the high levels of energy being released in the short amount of time, a merge between the magical land of Equestria and Earth occurs. Because of the small size of the land, Equestria is able to fit into an area from the middle of Idaho to the border of Canada. Equestria, full of many anthromorphic species, such as ponies, griffons, and dragons, doesn't notice to merge due to a magical field put around Equestria by Princess Celestia beforehand, who felt the tremors of the phenomenon a few minutes before it took place. Being another large collection of craters to wasteland passerby, the change was mostly unnoticed by both worlds' populace for some time.
July 17, 2243: A wastelander, mortally wounded by a rifle shot to the abdomen, wanders into Equestria. Celestia, wandering around her kingdom by herself, finds him and takes him back to her castle in Canterlot. There, he tells her about the wasteland, from the Enclave and the threat they were and the Chosen One and his role in defeating them, to what life was like in the wastes. Two days after arriving, the wastelanders succumbs to his wounds, unable to be helped by the Canterlot doctors due to humans' apparent resistance to magic and the unfamiliarity of his wounds.
August 26, 2243: Celestia makes the knowledge of the rest of the world public, and while they are distressed at first, they take it rather well. The government on the other hand see the outside as dangerous, and it is made known that any human found in Equestria was to be captured. After a few expeditions to the wasteland, the Equestrians deveflop the ability to build magical radios that are able to capture signals from China to DC.
March 21, 2245: After the Captain of the Guard gets killed by a yao guai while exploring near Seattle, all extrusions into the wasteland stop. The only connection to the outside world is through the radios.
August 17, 2277: The Lone Wanderer leaves his home in Vault 101 in search of his father, changing the history of the Capital Wasteland and the future of the world forever.
August 29, 2277: Project Purity is activated in the Capital Wasteland, giving the people there clean water, while the Enclave is crippled at the same time. The Lone Wanderer survives a chamber full of radiation several times over the lethal limit, and destroys the rest of the Enclave over the next few weeks.
August 30-December 25, 2277: The Lone Wanderer travels to Bailey Crossroads, Point Lookout, the Pitt, and Mothership Zeta in hopes of helping out the wasteland more. They all help, strengthening the Brotherhood's strength.
March 23, 2278: Elder Owyn Lyons dies of cancer, and his daughter, Sarah Lyons, takes his place.
April 14, 2278: Elder Sarah Lyons dies in combat.
May-September 2278: A large amount of Elders rise and fall from power, 18 in total and the shortest lasting six seconds. This eventually stops when the Lone Wanderer takes control and says that he will give the title to Arthur Maxson, the eleven year old heir to the entire Brotherhood of Steel, when he was ready. Arthur Maxson is brought under the wing of the Lone Wanderer, who teaches him everything he knows about survival, fighting, and leadership.
October 30, 2279: The Lone Wanderer passes the Mutant Equality Act, giving ghouls and any intelligent super mutants a chance to help or fight for the Brotherhood. While it didn't have much popularity at first, the devastating results of a mutant team's strike on the raider base in Evergreen Mills convince that the change is for the better. Recruitment drives in Underworld and other settlements with sizable mutant populations start up in hopes of bolstering Brotherhood numbers.
October 19, 2281: The Courier wakes up in Goodsprings after being in an eight day coma from two gunshots wounds to the head. He leaves and steps in the history of the Mojave and the New California Republic, for better and for worse.
November 22, 2281: The Second Battle of Hoover Dam takes place, and with the help of the Courier and his allies, the NCR pushes Caesar's Legion out of the Mojave. New Vegas is annexed by the NCR, finally putting the Mojave under the two-headed bear.
July 14, 2283: The Prydwen, a massive airship built and for the Brotherhood, is completed, and Arthur Maxson is bestowed the title of Elder. The Lone Wanderer is given the title of Sentinel out of gratitude. Maxson make a few significant changes to the doctrine, combining Owyn Lyon's vision and the original mission of the Brotherhood of Steel. The Brotherhood's main mission in (relative) peace time is to collect technology while protecting the innocent wastelanders, though the latter is viewed as less important. Maxson also changes the way wastelanders join; they must be sponsored by a Brotherhood member, approved by the Elder and/or the Sentinel, and must prove themselves in order to become a fully fledged member. A few months after the changes go into effect, performance rates of recruited wastelanders sky rocket to new heights.
May 15, 2284: The East Coast chapter comes back into contact with the Midwestern Brotherhood, who pledge their allegiance to Maxson when they heard the massive steps the Wanderer made for mutant equality and Maxson's approval of it. The two chapters merge as one and form the Brotherhood of Steel Alliance, incorporating their combined territories to form a new nation.
July 1, 2284: Nightmare Moon returns from her one thousand year exile on the moon in Equestria. She is stopped later that same night when six girls use magical artifacts called the Elements of Harmony to defeat her.
August 24, 2285: While on patrol near Minefield, the Wanderer gets ambushed by Talon Company remnants, actually one of the last men left. One fires a missile launcher at him, which blows up a few inches away, taking off his legs and mutilating his right arm beyond healing. He kills the remaining five before being carried back to safety for surgery. His right arm is amputated, but he is given cybernetic limbs to compensate for his injuries. After looking at his performance rates a few weeks after being cleared for duty, statistics show he is 67% deadlier. The same can't be said about his social life.
December 15, 2286: After hearing increasing reports of General Oliver's troops mistreating innocents, The Courier begins an investigation on recent military conduct. It ends a few days later in Hoover Dam when President Kimball, delivering a speech to boost NCR soldiers' morale, issues the surprise order to purge any groups that are "against" them. In the Mojave, most opposition was put down before they could rise up, including the Kings, the Great Khans, and the Powder Gangers. The only groups who escaped the carnage are the Boomers, who repelled their attackers with their powerful weaponry (and their big fucking bomber), and the Brotherhood of Steel, whose isolation finally paid off. The Courier is branded a traitor and a hunt for him starts.
January 1, 2287: The new year starts off with a bang when a large bombing is executed in Camp McCarran, destroying three-fifths of the buildings there. The bombings were conducted by the Courier and his companions, including a Rose of Sharron Cassidy, Veronica Santangelo, and an unidentified Nightkin. General Oliver, now supreme leader of the NCR Armed Forces, doubles the efforts to find the Courier and his friends.
February 8, 2287: The town of Marli is formed by the Courier. Occupied by the survivors of the NCR's lightning strikes during the event now known as "The Cave-In", the town is located far north of New Vegas, not even within sight of Nellis Air Force Base. The town, though isolated, prospers. It is the first town in recorded history since Broken Hills where super mutants, ghouls, humans- even a few intelligent deathclaws- live together in harmony. Even Marcus, former sheriff of Broken Hills and former mayor of Jacobstown, becomes part of the Council, alongside Raul Tajeda and Doctor Arcade Gannon, one of the few Followers of the Apocalypse that survived the Cave-In. Changes to the Mutant Equality Act allow intelligent deathclaws the ability to walk free, and eventually join the Brotherhood once combat armor is designed and made for them.
October 23, 2287: After exactly 210 years of cryogenic statis, the Sole Survivor wakes up, leaves Vault 111 and walks into the history of the Commonwealth.
November 3, 2287:After the Brotherhood arrives, the Sole Survivor joins and helps them destroy the Institute, which is headed by his son, who was taken out of cyro earlier in 2227 when his mother was murdered and he was abducted. He meets the Lone Wanderer, and together they rebuild Liberty Prime, a unique U.S. Army robot used by the Brotherhood and destroyed almost a decade ago, overload the Institute's reactor and blow it out of the ground, the Sole Survivor's son dying of cancer moments before it explodes. In honor of his service, he is given the rank of Sentinel alongside the Wanderer. The Minutemen, whom the Sole Survivor is the leader of, is given a civilian defense force role in Brotherhood territories.
November 8, 2287: The Synth Reconditioning Act is passed after Institute scientists are captured and start working for the Brotherhood, and a sudden cooperation with the Railroad, who was spared annihilation by the Sole Survivor. Any captured synths and/or humans within Brotherhood ranks are discovered to be synths are to be examined and have their memories wiped if they still work for the Institute. This act allows Danse, a Brotherhood Paladin that was discovered to be a synth, to come back into the Brotherhood with open arms. It also allows synth detective Nick Valentine to start working for the Brotherhood, helping them immensely with moles and espionage. Harkness, chief of Rivet City Security, joins the Brotherhood of Steel. He leaves Butch DeLoria, an eight year veteran of the force and former dweller of Vault 101 alongside the Lone Wanderer, in charge.
December 15, 2287: The Brotherhood of Steel starts a new chapter, the Nevada Chapter, near Marli when an abandoned military bunker is found near the town, with Veronica as its Elder. The Courier travels to Lost Hills to attempt to convince the Brotherhood to begin helping the people of the wasteland. Negotiations go far better than expected, because Elder Maxson had contacted them a few months prior and given them the reforms. Maxson says that he, the Prydwen, and Liberty Prime would be coming to help fight the NCR, and are expected to arrive within three months. With this move, the Brotherhood of Steel goes from a bunch of power armored shut ins with advanced weaponry to humanity's guardian angels.
January-April, 2288: The Courier starts to wander the wastes in hopes of finding a way to combat the NCR before the Alliance got there. He finds Zion Canyon, the Sierra Marde Casino, the Divide, and the Big MT, with varying degrees of success. The Brotherhood starts another war with the NCR, dealing more losses than in the past due to non-Brotherhood groups helping them, including the Boomers. They are welcomed with opened arms by the formally xenophobic Brotherhood. Despite the help, the NCR slowly but costfully pushes forward.
April 3, 2288: The Prydwen arrives, deflecting a NCR offensive by itself and Liberty Prime beating them back. The Courier, the Lone Wanderer, and the Sole Survivor come together for the first time, and the trio of heroes take the entirety of New Vegas back within a few hours. Frontlines begin to stabilize when Liberty Prime accidently falls off a cliff, damaged but still intact, with the NCR being just beyond the ruins of Jacobstown and the Brotherhood at Vegas. Even though things have cooled down, the Brotherhood desperately searches for a way to stop the NCR.
May 24, 2288: After hearing about the expertise and resourcefulness of the groups around the Mojave, Maxson commissions a second Brotherhood airship, to be named the Camelot. With the best minds of the Brotherhood coming from all across the continent to work on it at Nellis Air Force Base, it is predicted to be completed around ten months to over a year. Miraculously, the insane and impossible deadline is proven to be quite accurate with the skill of the Boomers and the smarts of the Mojave Scribes, as well as the incredible amount of spare parts for the project found in the Mojave.
July 25, 2288: After months of research and hard work, the first set of T-61a, the first variant of power armor made by Brotherhood hands, is forged by Proctor Ingram and Head Scribe Haylen. Made from alloys discovered on Mothership Zeta, and equipped with energy shields, it is very sleek and powerful, with a helmet that is reminiscent of the X-02 made by the Enclave and the U-01 found by the Midwest. After a vote, the Brotherhood gives the armor to the Lone Wanderer, and the second set to the Elder. The third set will be given to the Sole Survivor, and then will begin to phase out the T-60.
October 4, 2288: After hearing rumors of a utopian society somewhere in southern Idaho, Elder Maxson dispatches Sentinel Nate Howard, Sentinel John Gideon, and the recently promoted Star Paladin Javan Ramirez to investigate, hoping that they could help the Brotherhood and the wasteland fight and finally stop the NCR.
October 8, 2288: Present day.
The desert, with its blazing noon sun overhead, was like the sandy infinity for the trio of men travelling across it. The one on the right was wearing an old duster with the sleeves cut off and the American flag emblazoned on the back. He had two courier bags slung across his body under his duster, one containing basic necessities, including food and water, and the other had ammo for his weapons, random junk, and a custom compact guitar he built himself for his "famous" campfire songs. In the holsters strapped to his legs was a large revolver/shotgun gifted to him by his gun-nut friend called the 'Executioner' on his left, and a special 357. revolver with a white wood grip with a spade stamped into it on his right. On his chest was a ballistic vest once worn by police. In the holster on the vest was a 9mm pistol that looked more like a work of art then a deadly weapon. He cradled a service rifle that chambered 12.7mm rounds, had the word 'accet' carved into the butt in his arms. He wore a rawhide cowboy hat on his head, biking goggles over his eyes, and a special rebreather on his face, once worn by a fellow... Courier.
The one on the left was wearing a coat that was black and white, with matching gloves, pants, and boots. Inside the coat were different weapons, including modified dual full auto laser pistols. On his back was a large survival backpack that carried most of his group's supplies. Stitched into the duster's collar was the number 111, beside it the Minuteman symbol. He was wearing a hat that looked like it belonged on the heads of the militia of the Revolution, and a blue bandanna. In his hands was a laser musket that had the words 'liberty or death' etched into the stock, and had a medium distance scope attached to the top. Sunglasses that he had taken off a dead Ranger were over his eyes, helping his eyes with the glare and protecting them from the dust of the wastes. The man looked like he was full of charisma, given his choice of attire, but one look in his eyes and you could tell he was a... Sole Survivor.
The one in the middle, farther in front, was the largest of the group, wearing a set of sturdy polymer combat armor painted black with a white Brotherhood of Steel sign on the chest. Under that he was wearing a cross of the Brotherhood's black officer uniform and his old Vault 101 jumpsuit made of ballistic fiber, and had a grey military pack on his back. On his right hip held in place by magnetic plates under his armor was a modified triple beam laser pistol he got from a former loon, on his left hip was a silenced 10mm pistol, and strapped to the right side of his pack was an old 308. hunting rifle with an extended magazine and scope. He held a powerful plasma rifle gifted to him when he became a Sentinel, modified to have a long and powerful barrel and an enhancing plasma chamber. Around his neck was a black and dark blue keffiyeh, and on his head was a combat helmet with a custom polarized visor that gave him a HUD, and a ski mask with a slot cut out for the eyes. It had the number 101 in yellow on the sides. You couldn't see his face. In fact, no skin was showing at all. Even though he worked well with his team, you could tell by the way he walked that he was usually a... Lone Wanderer.
"101, this is Prydwen, do you copy?" The Wanderer raised his left hand to his helmet and pressed a button. After recovering some of the technology from the Big MT, portable radios were put into use by the Brotherhood for their soldiers on the field.
"Prydwen, this is 101, I read you." He looked to the Courier, who then checked his Pip Boy and flashed the number four with his fingers. "Status update: four klicks away from objective, ammo and food supplies are green, and we've had no run-ins with any tangos." The Sole Survivor, having been in the Pre-War military before being put on ice, taught the Brotherhood different terms to confuse and/or throw off any NCR listeners. His knowledge was backed up and added upon by the Wanderer's experience in the Anchorage War Simulation.
"Roger, 101," The voice replied, "Be advised: repairs and upgrades to the long range radio tower are to commence tomorrow morning and will be completed in about three days, you'll be on our own until then. Have your objectives complete by then."
"When have we ever let you down, sir?" The Courier asked, joining in the conversation with the communicator in his ear. The voice on the other side grumbled.
"Noted, 21. 111, be sure to keep him in line."
"I have them both covered, sir," The Survivor replied.
"You know your mission, 101, get it done... Elder Maxson, out."
"Copy all, Little Brother, 101, out." The link was cut, and the Wanderer lowered his hand.
"I still can't believe you can call the Elder that and get away with it, John," The Survivor said, "If I ever called Nora anything like that I got a slap and a night on the couch."
"At least you had a wife, Nate," The Courier said as he checked his inventory on his Pip Boy, "All I've had was a hooker in Gomorrah I would visit every week."
"Shut up, Javan," John said as he looked at the destination marker in his HUD. They were less than half a kilometer away know (almost a quarter of a mile). They walked a little farther before he noticed that the sand about fifteen feet away shifted a little. He held up a fist. "Hold up, the sand's moving ahead." They all raised their weapons in front of them. Javan pulled back the charge to load a bullet in, and Nate cranked his musket six times. Suddenly, three deathclaws popped out of the sand, claws bared. The one in the middle looked like an alpha deathclaw, the left one was a glowing deathclaw, while the other one was classified as regular.
"Weapons free!" John yelled as each of the heroes activated VATS (Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System) and chose their targets. John and Nate fired a blast of energy each at the glowing deathclaw's head, the plasma bolt and the six crank musket shot doing enough damage to blow its head apart and vaporize half of its torso. Javan fired a burst of 12.7mm rounds at the regular one's head. The large caliber bullets tore its skull and anything inside of it into ribbons. The alpha, never targeted and unharmed, charged into the group. John and Nate backed off as it seemed his target was Javan.
"Shit!" He yelled as he dove out of the way. He pulled out a machete with 'Deliverer' etched on the blade, and tossed it to John. He caught it deftly with one hand. "Brain 'em, 101!" The Wanderer ran and leaped at the deathclaw, his cybernetic legs giving him a boost that landed him on the creature's back. He tore its neck open with his cyber right arm, the servos inside having no trouble ripping the muscle into shreds. The deathclaw let out a painful roar, but was quickly silenced by the machete, which went through the back of its head and exiting out of its open maw. It fell to the ground with a thud, John still on its back. He pulled out the blade and tossed it back to its owner, who caught it with one hand in a reverse grip and proceeded to start to cut off the thing's hands as trophies. Nate whistled as John picked his gun back up, checking the sensitive parts of the plasma rifle for any kinds of damage.
"I don't think the movies of the future could do that better," he said as he peered at the carnage they made, a ghost of a smile on the Wanderer's lips, but covered by the mask. Javan, after a final loud grunt, finished chopping off the hands of the alpha. He put the hands in one of his bags and looked toward their objective.
"I'll take point," He said as he set off, the Survivor on his right and the Wanderer on his left. As they walked on, they all noticed how the valley and the collection of craters in front of them seemed like some sort of thoughts were confirmed as canon when a barrier of light materialized in front of them a millisecond before they walked through it. A terrible wave of nausea and pain went through each of them, sending them on their knees, but John was the only one that succeeded in his fight to remain conscious. His comrades, after tearing off their respective face covers, threw up their breakfast of Radscorpion egg omelets and Sugar Bombs, then collapsed right beside it. John choked back the bile and watched as the world around him changed from the bright orange he had grown used to in this part of the old country to a lush green wonderland.
"What the fuck...?" He muttered as the change stopped, revealing that they had 'spawned' in an apple orchard, and a very well organized one to boot; in his recon missions into the heart of California, any of the orchards he saw paled in comparison to this place, which outclassed anything he had ever saw in every category... except the radiation level. He picked up his rifle where he left it beside himself and put on his back, the special magnetic plate he put on the left side of his back plate, right beside his backpack, clamping it to the armor. He looked up at the night sky, never seeing anything this beautiful before. Shaking his head, he took out his silenced 10mm and the combat knife he had strapped to his chest plate. He kicked his friends in their sides, the metal behind the combat boots giving just enough pain to wake them up. They groaned as they wiped their mouths of any vomit left and put on their face coverings.
"What the hell happened?" Javan muttered as he coughed up some more vomit. "Damnit, that was a good breakfast." He gathered his bearings and his rifle. Nate was having a quicker recovery.
"It was some kind of teleportation," He said as he looked around, seeing they were in the middle of many rows of apple trees. "Though it was very different from what the Institute used or what we're experimenting on. And this place..." He placed a hand on the trunk of a tree, his grip on his musket slacking and mist in his eyes, "...Am I back?" The Wanderer pressed a few buttons on his Pip Boy, bringing up a new piece of software he had gotten specifically for this mission and future ones like it.
"No, we're not in Pre-War," He said, "I can still call in our power armor if we need it, and, hell, we can still get Radio New Vegas from here." He looked to his friend, knowing how much he wanted to go back to his old life before the bombs. "I'm sorry, Nate." The Minuteman nodded and looked in a direction. Javan followed his eyes and pointed.
"There's some kind of building over there," He said as he shouldered his rifle, "Let's check it out."
"Get some Stealth Boys ready," John said as he pulled out said invisibility device from a pouch and slinged it around his body, his friends doing the same, so it could be ready to be activated at a moment's notice. "Let's move." They started towards the mysterious building, weapons raised to check for any hostiles. As they neared the building, they hit a major snag in their mission. And it was in multiple colors.
"What. The fuck. Are those," Javan muttered as the three amigos took cover in some bushes in front of a country house... that had some pretty strange residents.
"Come on guys, we're gonna miss it!" A girl's voice rang out across the orchard, or farm, as they saw some corn fields and a plot of land dedicated to carrots. The owner of the voice looked like a cross between a human and a pony, with yellow fur, red hair and matching tail with a pink bow, amber eyes, and coveralls over a white shirt.
"We're comin, we're comin," A different one said. This one had orange fur, pink hair and tail, purple eyes, black shorts and a yellow t shirt, and a pair of orange wings. It was followed by a different one with white fur, green eyes, purple and pink hair with matching tail, wearing a pink sweater and blue jeans. In the middle of its forehead was some kind of spirally horn. "What are we missin, exactly?" The yellow one gasped.
"You tellin me you forgot, Scootaloo?" It said. The white one shrugged.
"Come on, Applebloom, just tell us," The white one whined. 'Applebloom' looked peeved.
"Only our favorite radio show, Sweetie Belle!" That got the two girls, 'Scootaloo' and 'Sweetie Belle', interested.
"When one dog ain't enough," Applebloom said as she stuck her hand out.
"And two is too low," Sweetie Belle added as she added her hand.
"It's the almighty," Scootaloo but in as she too put her hand out.
"Three Dog! Ooowwwww!" The cried out in unison as they threw their hands upwards, then ran into the house, whose doorway now had another one of these creatures in the doorway. It had red fur, blonde hair and tail, green eyes, denim jeans, a stained white work shirt, and a red cowboy bandanna around his neck. It turned its body away so the girls could run into the house. It then looked around, then turned on its hoof, and closed the door. Meanwhile, the three heroes were dumbfounded. Not only were they sentient, they spoke English, and had radios that could receive signals from DC!
"Well I'll be damned," John muttered, "That old bastard has some more freak show fans."
"Hey, you should be happy for the guy!" Javan exclaimed as he rose up to a knee, "I wish I had fans that looked like they were from a Jet trip!"
"We had something like this before the war," Nate said, drawing looks from his friends, "I read these comic books about this character named Sonic the Hedgehog. He was a cross between a human and a Pre-War animal called a hedgehog, Hollywood called him an anthro. These guys look like a cross between us and another Pre-War animal called a horse, but judging by they're size they're most likely a cross with its smaller cousin, a pony. But those wings and horns, I don't know what those are from." Javan nodded in appreciation of this knowledge.
"Stealth Boys on, we're getting closer," John said as he pressed a few buttons on the box around his body, turning him completely invisible. He crouch walked first while Javan and Nate stayed behind, Stealth Boys on.
"We just wants to see his new fans close up," Javan muttered as he went out. Nate chuckled as he followed his friend. They regrouped with John, who saw that the door wasn't completely shut. He opened it slowly, as if a gust of wind did it, and crept in, his squad following him. The red stallion dude, saw it from inside and went to shut it, narrowly missing Javan's slender build as he passed. They stopped in the living room, where a multitude of these pony things were at, sitting around a large wooden radio.
The oldest mare and creature one in the room, who was in a rocking chair, looked older than the NCR, with green fur, bone white hair and tail, amber eyes like Applebloom, and a green and red plaid dress. Another one of the mares had orange fur, blonde hair and tail, green eyes (John hypothesized that the red stallion and her were of blood relations), a red plaid shirt, a white undershirt, and a pair of stained denim jeans. One of the mares had pink fur, fluffy pink hair and tail, blue eyes, a light blue tank top, and white sweat pants. Another mare purple fur, purple and pink hair and tail, a horn AND wings, purple eyes, a white button up shirt, a loose and short purple tie, and a purple and pink plaid skirt. Another mare blue fur, rainbow hair and tail, a pair of wings, pink eyes, a dark blue tank top with a bolt with wings in the middle and short shorts. Beside her was a mare with yellow fur, pink hair and tail, a pair of wings. a green sweater, and bellbottom jeans. The last mare had white fur, curly purple hair, blue eyes, a horn, and some kind of designer black and purple dress. The last creature in the room was some kind of lizard with purple and green scales, green frills on its head, green eyes, a purple hoodie, and blue jeans. Why such a thing was wearing clothes was a mystery to the wastelanders. Along with the ones they had already encountered, they were very interested in the radio. Then the program came on.
"Hey everybody, this is Three Dog, your friendly neighborhood disc jockey. What's a disc? Hell if I know, but I'm gonna keep talkin anyway." The little girls giggled at the DJ's antics, while John wondered how his radio friend was doing. He hadn't seen him in about four months.
"Seems we got some new from our lovable Brotherhood overlords on our fight in the legitimate deserts of the West; A few skirmishes between our boys in garbage cans and those bear bitches, the NCR, have been reported in the past week, but we have always come out on top... so far. A few raids conducted by the Titanium Rain destroyed a monorail coming from Shady Sands to the NCR forward operating bases operating in Maxson, where our friends stuck underground in Lost Hills are. This gave them a much needed break. Hey, if I was stuck under tons of steel and stone for about 100 years, I would want to stretch my legs too! On the other side of Vegas, the Warriors have wiped out a large Legion holdout several miles east of Fortification Hill. In addition, construction of the air boat that the Brotherhood is making all the way in Nellis is several weeks ahead of schedule. Back over here in Adams we've finally finished repairs to the Exodus, one of the airships our buddies in Chicago used before they tried to French kiss a lightning storm. Expect some reinforcements, Maxson!"
"Yah, kick their butts, Mr. Maxson!" The pink one exclaimed before being shushed by everyone in the room.
"Quiet, Pinkie Pie! Three Dog's not done!" The rainbow haired one scolded.
"Colonel Preston Garvey of the Commonwealth Minutemen made his first visit to our little slice of hell last week, and established a small base in Hamilton's Hideaway. Nice choice, Colonel! Now absolutely NO ONE will know where to look for you, like the hat and the gun was bad enough. Now, I know what you're thinking; 'Three Dog, cut the crap and tell us what we need to know; Where the hell is the kid?' Not at his Vault, obviously; He got kicked out a third time trying to say goodbye to an old sweetheart before he left for the City of Sin. Last I heard, he was off doing some black ops bullshit somewhere in Idaho for King Arthur himself. If you're somehow listening, John, good luck! Stay tuned to GNN for more news and music! That's Galaxy New Network, in case you forgot; Now broadcasting to all four corners of the hell known as the Brotherhood Alliance! Here's that Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, comin to brighten your day." Bugles sounded from the radio as the anthro things began to converse about the report. John and his friends weren't listening as they exited out the same way they came in, again the red stallion closing the door behind them.
"Now what, boss?" Javan asked as he checked his map, strangely seeing a different map than we had ever seen, unfortunately not seeing a name.
"We find the nearest town, or if this is apart of a larger country, find the capital," John replied as their Stealth Boys turned off automatically, though it mattered little after they climbed into the trees for better camouflage. "Convince the local government to help us, take down the NCR, go back home, and shove Three Dog's mic up his ass." Nate chuckled as he aimed his musket through the branches, seeing his fields of view from his position. His grin vanished when he saw a familiar sight, one that shouldn't be there.
"Raiders," Nate told them as they positioned themselves to get a look. Sure enough, a lot of Vipers, a gang in the Mojave, creeping towards the house. It was the biggest group of raiders any of them had ever seen, about twenty to twenty-five strong. The one that looked like the leader had a suit of power armor on, with the attachments that seemed to be standard issue to raiders. The lead one, also in power armor though it was less flashy, knocked on the door, and the red stallion answered. He was rewarded in a 10mm in his shoulder as the rest of the raiders stormed in. Screams followed suit, though thankfully no other shots were heard. How they got to this place was a mystery, but such questions would be answered after they had killed all but one of them.
"Jav', distraction," John ordered. The Courier nodded as he jumped down, took out and deployed his guitar, and started tuning it. Hey, if you're the distraction, you might as well put on a show. "Nate, let's get you in a good firing position, then I'll get my armor in and shoot this place up like he did at the Tops." He tossed a beacon in the open area in front of the house, and stalked towards the house. knelt beside the house and held his hands out. Nate put his foot on the hands and jumped up, John pushing up at the same time and allowing Nate access to the roof. He cranked his musket six times and went prone. John slid into the brush just as Javan started to play. John rolled his eyes at the song; It was Big Iron, one of his least favorite songs. It caught the attention of the raiders, though, so that was all that mattered. They all ran back outside, one with that Applebloom girl at gunpoint, and hesitated when they saw their gang's bane; The Courier.
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day, hardly spoke to folks around him didn't have too much to say." An object descended from the sky and landed right where the beacon was with a thud and a plume of dirt, right in front of Javan. He kept playing the guitar as if nothing was wrong as the pod opened up. The front side, the one facing the raiders, and the anthro creatures that were looking through the windows and the doorway, was glass, showing a silhouette of something inside.
"No one dared to ask his business no one dared to make a slip, for the stranger there among them had a big iron on his hip." John sprinted into the pod and turned the wheel of the power armor inside, jumping into it and snapping his arms straight so it would encase him. He took the Gatling Laser that was inside the wall of the pod. He kicked down the door of the pod and activated his helmet's lights, the red tactical glare coming from his eyes the only thing anyone could see. Coupled with the silhouette of his helmet's horns, he looked like a demon.
"BIG IRON ON HIS HIP!" John belted out as he fired a flurry of lasers at the raiders, some being turned to ash within moments. The one that had little Applebloom hostage received a .357 round in between his eyes, courtesy of Lucky and Javan, when he tried to pull his 9mm''s trigger. The girl broke free of the now dead man's grip and ran for the others, each watching the fight with a mix of horror and curiosity. They jumped when Nate fired his musket, the six crank laser bolt shooting clean through the raider in power armor and killing the other raider in front of him in one shot, both dropping dead with smoking holes in their chests. He dropped down from his perch and threw Liberty across his body, drawing his laser pistols. The two raiders he got the drop on traded looks and were able to mutter 'oh shit' before being peppered with the relatively weak laser blasts, though the quantity alone reduced them to ash. Javan was having a field day, sending rounds through the skulls of the raiders that were too far away and blasting the one that got too close with the Executioner's 28 gauge shells, their heads simply disappearing in pink mist.
"Oh my Celestia," the purple Pegacorn(?) whispered as the raiders were outright massacred by the trio, until all but the leader remained. His power armor had parts blasted off, and his chest was smoking from where John had hit him with a burst of lasers. He should be happy to be alive, or fearful that he had the wastes' most dangerous people looking down on him.
"How'd you get here?" John asked, kneeling down to look the raider in the eye. The Viper's helmet was off, forcibly by a stray .357, to reveal a Hispanic with black and gray hair with brown eyes.
"Fuck you, Wanderer, I ain't telling you jackshit." For emphasis, he spat on John's faceplate. He wiped it off, then ripped off the mechanical hand of the raider's armor, exposing the real hand underneath. He repeated the process with the other hand.
"Now, here's what's gonna happen; You simply tell us how you got to this place, and I give you a quick and merciful death. If you don't then my associate here-" He gestured to Javan, who was brandishing Deliverer. "-will cut off your fingers, then your toes, then your ears, then your nose, until you die. Clear?" The raider hesitated, considering his options, until he saw Javan sharpen his blade on John's shoulder plate.
"Fine," the tired Viper said. "We were the last of the Vipers, and we heard about a big score around these parts. We started following you and your buddies' footprints until they vanished, we landed here, we tried to ransack this little slice of heaven, and you slaughter us like the savages that you are." John reached behind him, grabbed Lucky from its holster, and held it to the raider's forehead.
"Thank you," he muttered as he pulled the trigger, ending the poor bastard's life. He handed the revolver back to its owner, who put it back in its holster. That was when they remembered the anthro people watching them with attention they had never experienced. John hefted his Gatling Laser, and said the words he had secretly always hooped he would be able to say in this kind of situation.
"We come in peace, take us to your leader."
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Brotherhood Special Operations Division: After the formation of the Brotherhood Alliance, Elder Maxson and his Council realized they would need something along the vein of the dissolved Lyon's Pride for future situations. The result was the Special Operations Division. They were composed of the best of the best, and had different squads for different situations. As of right now, they are the most professional soldiers in Post-War America.
Titanium Rain: A Special Operations squad specializing in jetpack-toting power armor, used in high risk raids with Vertibirds to get them in and out quickly. They utilize the U-01 Power Armor found in Chicago, for their lightweight components. They use suppressed weapons when attempting to be stealthy, and after they're compromised, use the weapons usually seen in the hands of a Knight or Paladin on the frontlines. They have been deployed on different missions deep behind NCR lines, disrupting supply lines and overall blowing shit up.
Warriors: A descendent of the Lyon's Pride and mostly consisting of its former members, they are used to demolish anything that is set before them. They wear the X-O2 into battle, and wield the deadliest, and consequently heaviest, weapons the Brotherhood has on hand. Right now, they are being used to destroy what is left of Caesar's Legion.
The Minutemen: After the defeat of the Institute, the Minutemen were asked by the Brotherhood to fill in the gaps they had no chance of filling. They gladly accepted the offer, and are now seen patrolling the many settlements in the Brotherhood territories, as well as scouts when they are in frontline combat. They utilize T-45 suits of power armor when they are needed, though situations like them rarely occur.
The Railroad: After being spared by the Sole Survivor in the days before the Battle of Cambridge (destruction of the Institute), the Railroad came to the Brotherhood in hopes that they could spare the Synths as they had spared the super mutants and ghouls. After being shown by them and defected Institute scientists how to wipe the memories of captured synths, they passed the Synth Reconditioning Act. They now have operations in California, bringing defectors, people with enough money, or unfortunate refugees back to Brotherhood territories. When the going gets rough, they have agents that wear T-51 suits of power armor to protect their and the Brotherhood's interests and clients.
Galaxy News Network: Started as Galaxy New Radio in 2272 by Three Dog and his partner Margaret, it has expanded into a continent-wide network, with the station being broadcast in the Commonwealth, DC, Chicago, and soon to be in New Vegas.
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Have a good Night/Day, and may eternal flames forever illuminate your path to destiny.