Chapter 1

My head hurt, like a stabbing sensation that kept on returning, as I finally regained consciousness. It felt like that I was slammed around the ground a billion time, and then some more. In other words, I was having a big head ached. Opening my eyes, I found out that it was already day and that I was inside some sort of wooden structure. The walls of the building were old and moldy, lacking its brown color and replacing it with a color combination of gray and green. The windows seemed to be intact as well as the walls. Unlike the shop I entered earlier, this building was barely touched by the war or raiders, other than the aging seen on the walls the place looked fine. Now the only question was, how did I end up here? I didn't really remember what happened last night, other than small flashes of memory. Which, when put together, gave no proper story.

Trying to stand up, I found out that it was a much difficult task as pain ripped through my body. A terrible sharp pain came from my back and on my wings, making my body feel weak and tired. Not that I didn't feel weak already. Letting out a loud yelp, I plumped myself back down on a soft mat, which I was apparently lying on. Well, I didn't notice that earlier.

I gave out a sigh as I lay down once more. 'What happened?' I thought. 'Why does my body feel sore? I don't remember drinking last night.' Turning my head around, to check out why my back and wings hurt so much, I was surprised to see my back and wings covered in dressing. My entire back side was covered with dressing, while my left wing was completely covered with it. Whatever happened, it must have been action pack.

Although the pain of the wound, which I most likely had, hurt. The uncomfortable and itchy sensation of the dressing was annoying and getting on my nerves. Being a medic, I would have put the dressing in a safe yet comfortable way, allowing the patient to relax while having the wound protected. The proper way to do it was tight yet comfortable. But the pony who applied this to me did a terrible job, having wrapped it to tightly to the point that I felt like it was going to choke me.

Trying to shift around, trying to get the end of the dressing so I can reapply it properly, I was surprised to hear the sound of hooves on the nice wooden floor. Looking in front of me, facing the sound, I saw a brown earth pony, carrying what looked like a medical box with his mouth, approach me. Watching him approach, I suddenly realized who he was. He was the earth pony I was tied to last night. Well obviously we weren't tied to each other anymore, which was a good thing since I didn't want to be near him and his nasty attitude.

Well you can't blame me. The last time I had a conversation with him was short and got on my nerves. To me, he seemed that he was a pony who didn't' like pegasi and thought that we were just boastful creatures who loved nothing but ourselves. In a way, that was kind of true…but I do try to be nice.

"I suggest you stay still…" He said as he gently placed the medical box down. "…unless you want to reopen those wounds of yours." I was surprised at the tone of his voice, since it as kinder and didn't show a hint of distaste, unlike the first time we met. Maybe we would be in better terms with each other, which I would gladly like to happen since I was injured and all alone. But that still didn't change the fact that he did a terrible job with the dressing.

"Well I wouldn't be shifting around so much, if you didn't do such a sloppy job on patching the wounds up. How bad are my wounds anyway?"

"First off…" He said with a stern voice. "…a simple 'thank you, Mr. Bolt' would be nice. Second, don't you remember what happened to you, with all that moaning about pain and suffering as you try to swat me away while I was removing the bullet?"

"Pain and suffering?" I asked confused. But that was when it suddenly hit me. The events of last night, running away from camp, the sudden stinging sensation I felt behind my back, and the agonizing pain I felt as I tried to scream for an end of it. I was shot! At first I thought the wounds I had were minor, but being shot was a major wound in my book. The thought of being shot panicked me and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. Have I mentioned that I panic easily? Well, it's quite obvious by now.

But I didn't let the fear and panic overrun me, when I realized that I was fine. Although I felt sore and moving around made the pain worsen, other than that I felt fine. I then realized that he might have removed the bullet, the thought of him doing it with little materials scarred me, and gave me a potion to heal the wound. Other than the lousy job with the dressing, he did excellent. Maybe I can recruit him as a medic? Nah, the Enclave would never accept an earth pony. Besides, they can't even walk on clouds or fly!

Looking up to him, I could see that he was waiting for the invertible thank you I was going to give him. Which I was, since I was thankful for him saving my life. But I started to wonder, Why save me? Earlier, he was rude and seemed to hate me, and then all of a sudden he would use valuable medicals supplies, which he probably found, so that he could heal me.

So I asked in a low and shy voice "Why…"

"Excuse me?" He said, obviously not expecting that question from me.

"Why help me? I thought you hated us pegasi and want all of us gone, so why help me?"

The words processed in his head as he finally understood my question. Nodding, he looked at me with a calm and plain look on his face. "Well first of…" He said, sitting down and getting comfortable. "…I had no choice. At the moment I had no choice, since you were tied up to me. It was either dragging you, which were slower, or carrying you. Second…" He said before pausing. Studying his face, I could see his expression suddenly change. From the calm expressionless look, it turned into a mournful sad look. A look that would break anypony's heart, I know it broke mine. This was an expression I didn't expect him to make. "…you reminded me of my sister…"

"Your sister?" I asked.

"Yes… We were very young when it happened. Walking near our small town and having fun. But suddenly…suddenly a group of raiders came to town and started robbing it. Hearing the commotion, we immediately headed back, trying to make for the safety of our home. Some of the ponies in the village decided to fight back against the raiders, so we had to run through a hail of bullets. We manage to pass through most of the fighting but then…

"…then a bullet hit her, knocking her off of her feet. She landed a few feet on the ground and I immediately raced towards her. The sight that I saw broke me. There lying on the ground was my sister, her body thrown like a rag as blood spread on the ground. She lay motionless as I tried to wake her up and I knew that it was too late. That's what I saw when you got hit…my sister. Not a Pegasus who lived a life of arrogance but my sister. So I picked you up and healed you, knowing that she would want me to do that…"

I found the big tuff earth pony, who I hated last night, crying as tears streamed down his cheek. Feeling sorry for him, and the faith of his sister, I couldn't help but move closer and bring him to a hug. Wrapping my hooves around him, I gave him a tight hug, reminding him that his sister would be proud of him. This was a pony who lived on the wasteland, experiencing hardships and pain, while I lived comfortably over the clouds. He endured a lot, while mine only begun.

"Cloudsdalel… It had to be near Cloudsdae…" Bolt told me, in a hissing voice that showed his annoyance. Earlier, after letting all the pains of the past out, he promised me that he wouldn't leave me out of his sight till I got home. I told him that he didn't have to since he has already done enough for me. But he persisted by saying 'Pegasus or not, you're still an injured pony, and I can't let injured pony's wonder the wasteland alone'. So I agreed, but when he heard where the nearest Enclave out post was, he nearly blew his head off.

The Enclave's nearest outpost (Outpost Delta 5), from our location, was just south of Cloudsdale (Or where it used to lay, at least.) That was the base of operation from which I came from and the main base for this area. It housed many facilities and had a sufficient amount of troops stationed on it. But of course, most ponies who lived on the wasteland didn't know that since it was above the clouds, out of their sight.

"It's only a short trip." I told him earlier. "Less than a day, at least."

"Less than a day of flying you mean." He said, with his usual irritated tone, before snorting. "Unless you have forgotten, your wing is injured and I can't fly!"

I lightly growled at him when he mentioned my injured wing, since it was a disgrace for a pegasus not being able to fly. Our home was the skies and the air. Not having access to it is like throwing a fish out of water. The fact that my wing was at no state to be flying just made my situation worst. So it told me that the only way to get there was via walking. Which I found annoying, since I could have easily flown there if my left wing was working. But that's life, what else could I do?

Although Bolt complained a lot about the distance of the journey we would have to take to get there, I was surprised to hear that he still agreed to accompany me. True to his promise, he would join me and assist me, till I get to Outpost Delta 5. Sad to say this, but I think his sister's death might have lead him to become a noble pony.

I was actually glad to hear that he was coming, since I was sure that I wouldn't last a day alone in the wasteland. I'm pretty sure he knew that too, since he began teaching me the basics on how to survive here. He told me that there was a book called 'The Wastelander's Survival Guide' that could help me learn most of the basics. But his copy was taken away when he was taken prisoners. So instead, he thought me all that he remembered about the book. I got to tell you, surviving the wasteland sounded harder than surviving basic training.

The first step was 'Always bring at least two strong weapons with you.' This was crucial in one's survival in the wasteland, because most of the threats came from other ponies. Other ponies that had guns and want to take all of your supplies before killing us.

At the moment, we only had two guns, that didn't look very strong. Which were two small pistols, which were black from its muzzle to its grip. Studying it, I could easily see that it was obviously made for the use of either earth pony or pegasi, since the grip was shaped like an inverted U, so that it could be placed in the mouth, and that the trigger was located inside the grip. The gun was fired by biting, with a large amount of force, on the trigger while keeping the gun well aimed and secure. I was reluctant to use the gun, since I wasn't sure how I would be able to handle Sure we fired guns before in basic training, but if you remember how well that went out for me, then you could understand why I was scared. Another reason why I was scared was the thought of taking another pony's life. I joined the Medical Corps to save lives, not take them. So the thought of killing scared me, for I knew I could not undo a death. But Bolt reassured me that it was necessary, saying that I wouldn't survive if I didn't take another's life. "It's shoot or be shot." He informed me.

Seeing that we didn't have the proper amount of weapons, Bolt decided that we should go get some more. When I asked how, seeing that there were no more weapons left inside the building we were in (Since we tore the place apart, searching for supplies.) and that the nearest gun shop probably didn't exist, the only response I got was a grin.

So here we were, lying on the cold sad ground and hiding behind the hard stone boulders that littered the top of a hill, as we watched a caravan of ponies make their way through a narrow path. Looking from a distance, I counted three ponies, each carrying plump sacks on their backs while at the same time being well armed with different amounts of weapons. They carried one rifle each, all except one pony that they kept in the middle. They looked like a formidable group and I wondered what Bolt's plan was to rob them, seeing that we were only armed with tiny pistols.

But a bit of guilt was forming inside me as I knew that stealing was wrong. Did we really have to rob them? Couldn't we just ask for their assistance? So I as we lay hidden, stalking the small caravan of ponies, I asked quite possible the stupidest question in my life.

"Can't we just ask them kindly for some help and weapons?"

Bolt looked away from the caravan and faced me with an 'are you stupid' face. At that time, with the way he was looking at me, I think I might have been stupid. But who can blame me? It was my first time surviving in the wasteland, away from my sage carefree life. It wasn't my fault that I didn't know how things work.

"You can't be serious." He said shaking his head before smacking his hoof on his face, which made a soft slapping sound. I could see the irritation on his actions and knew that the answer was a no. "What gave you the idea that they would gladly accept us with open hooves and generously share us their guns?"

I shrugged, not knowing the answer myself. "Well, it wouldn't hurt asking them." I said.

"More like it would hurt, with a lot of bullets in your body…" He murmured to himself, before bringing his attention back to the caravan. Feeling embarrassed because of the stupid question I made, I remained silent as we watched the caravan go away.

"We'll try to stick with them as close as possible." Bolt said, as he stood up. By now, it was safe to move around without them noticing us, since they were already far off, yet still in our visual range. "Then, we'll wait till they set up camp and let their guard down. After that, we'll try to sneak in and retrieve the some weapons."

The plan sounded easy enough, seeing that it wasn't too complicated. It was just a matter of luck, or the lack of it, on the faith of the mission and on how smoothly it would go. Knowing how things were going for me, things might end up terribly. But who knows, maybe things would brighten up for once and I would have success. Little did I know, the success I would get would leave bitter memories.

So after stalking them for a while, with the surrounding landscape getting darker as it shrouded the land with a blurry darkness, we soon found the small caravan making camp. The camp they made was small and makeshift, obviously meant to be used only for one night before their journey continues. A small camp fire lay in the middle, while the ponies sat around it, their heavy packs beside them. From the looks of things, I could tell that their camp lacked defenses. Even as an amateur 'Wastelander', I could tell from first sight that they were vulnerable. They lacked proper cover, in case an attack happens, and weren't vigilant about their surroundings. From what Bolt told me, caravan guards were supposed to be well trained and tuff, so I concluded that they were either new to the job or amateurs. Which of the two, I would never know.

Sneaking through the darkness as we kept low to the cold ground while sticking to the cover that the shadows gave us. I was surprised that they didn't see us, but I wasn't complaining. Any factor that could help us is gladly accepted. The small black pistol was placed carefully between my jaws, trigger ready to be squeezed if need be.

Getting closer, close enough to hear their voices as they talked, I notice Bolt bolt towards them, going at full speed. Heh, I just noticed how funny that sounds. Anyways, he raced towards them, gun in between his jaws ready to fire. His hooves rang as the sound of his steps echoed around. This caused two of the ponies to suddenly become alert as they desperately reached for their guns. But it was too late, as Bolt fired two shots, hitting the first pony. The pony collapsed from the impact, making him tip over and fall with a loud thud. The loud sound of bullets hitting skin sounded like a club hitting a ball and for a moment I felt scared. But I overcame them all as I continued to approach the camp, galloping at full speed, as I head for the third pony. A sound of another shot marked the end of the second pony, who barely manages to retrieve his gun before falling. I could see blood leak out of him, as it covered the dead ground. Soon that body would be one with it.

Stopping in front of the third and last pony, I noticed that he didn't have a gun with him or near him. In fact, it didn't look like he had any intention of fighting back, as he stood there shaking in fear. Looking towards his eyes, I could see nothing but nervousness as I pointed my gun at him, ready to squeeze the trigger if he did anything funny.

"D…don't s…sh…oot me…" He said shakily as I looked at him. I had to admit that I too was nervous, since he might try to make a move, forcing me too shoot him. I tried to keep my sights steadily on him, but found it difficult as my body shook. Seemed like that we were both nervous about the situation and one wrong move might unravel the tension between us.

His eyes drifted from my eyes towards my dressing, which covered my injures. My injuries still hurt once in a while, giving of a terrible stinging sensation. But I found them tolerable, at times, especially in situations like this. "Y…your injured…" He said, as he tried to move closer. I aggressively took one stop forward, warning him not to get any closer, which he followed. "...I can help….i studied some medical treat…

Bang!

His words were cut off, when a bullet suddenly went through his head. Sending blood and bits of brain out of the other side, before falling on the mushy ground. His body collapsed, falling on the ground, as he planted himself on he's final resting place. Blood oozed out of the wound as his eyes, which were still open, stared coldly at me. I felt my fur stand up as I looked at the body, mouth hanging open and eyes begging to see life once more. I dropped my gun in shock, letting the weapon fall with a clunky sound, as my jaw hung open at the sight. It was gruesome and terrible, an image that I would not easily forget.

"Wha….what?" I exclaimed, surprise at the fact that the pony that I was talking to moments earlier was now dead.

"You weren't shooting him…" Bolt said as he approached me. "…so I did it for you."

I felt rage swarm through me, as the anger boiled my blood. The thought of killing a pony without real reason was a crime, a crime that is punishable. "But he offered help!" I told him, rage and grief in my heart.

"Help?" He said with a puzzled look. "What kind of help?"

"He said that he could help me with my wounds. Maybe treat them or something…" I told him, looking down. Right now was no time to be angry, as the sadness of the even went through me. It was at this moment that I learned that I was a moody pony. One minute I had rage filling me, the next I find myself stricken with grief. My emotions should really make up their minds.

"But didn't you say you were a Medic or something?" He asked as he headed towards the packs, starting to inspect them, as he opened them up.

"Well yeah…"

"Then he wouldn't be able to help." Bolt said to me, as he segregated the things inside the pack. "You're a pony who was trained by professionals; he was a pony who probably learned some stuff about healing, if he learned any at all. For all we know, he was just tricking you so he could kill you later on. But say he did know some healing, what importance would he be to us? You already know all the medical stuff, having another one would just be a useless mouth to feed. With the supplies and the long journey ee have, every bit of supply is important."

"But you could have at least let him go!" I complained, still in disbelief on the situation. It was amazing how things escalate so quickly.

"Let him go? So that he would die on this place called the wasteland. His chance of survival out there, without any supplies, is a negative five hundred. So he would have just dies in a more painful, terrible, if not more violent, way. The thing I did to him is 'mercy killing'. Now quit your whining and help me here. They got a lot of stuff that would prove useful to us."

Looking back at the dead body, which by now was covered by he's own blood, I realized that I learned a valuable lesson. A lesson about cruelty and the terrible place called the wasteland. The Wasteland isn't a place that could give off cruelty. It could not give pain or terror. For it was a dead land, that could do nothing but bury the fellow dead with its dirt. The only cruel one's here were the creatures that roamed it. Although I knew that Bolt's cruelty was an effect of past events, he still had the hint of the terrible shadow. The shadow of cruelty. The cruelty made by the Wasteland. The dead land, where nothing but the dead live.