"Find the raiders, kill them, get paid. It's as easy as that."
I looked at the big earth pony stallion in front of me and shook my head. Big as a f**king house, and built like one too.
"It's never that easy, Birch. And you know it."
"Oh, come on Shadowheart. You do this stuff all the time."
"Yeah, I do. But you don't. You sit here and tell me about the jobs that come in. I do all the real work…"
I shook my head and hugged my earth pony friend.
"...and if something happened to you, I'd be all alone. Dude, you and Fault Line are all I have. And I can't lose anyone else."
Birch sighed.
"Yeah, that's true. You're a better fighter than me, and you're the closest thing I have to a brother. Shadowheart, just come back. Promise me that."
I hugged Birch tighter.
"Birch, I will. I promise."
When I set out an hour later, my thoughts shifted from my best friend/brother Birch to the mission. I checked my Pip-buck, making sure of the details. It actually was simple, objective-wise. But, that didn't mean it would go smoothly. At least I have the right gear for the job. So, anyway, my Pip-buck said to head up towards the old campgrounds. At least it wasn't the Ash Heap. I really wasn't in the mood to go there. Walking out of the settlement, I put my old helmet on and got out my hunting rifle. A .308 carbine, it was a nice gun. I had fixed it up just right, and when some trader came through and had a Zebra red dot sight with magnifier, I worked my flanks off to get that. And it was worth every cap. Yeah, I'm kinda the local gun-buck. Nopony in Sumptersville can work on guns like I can. Or handle them. But I don't go around bragging. Birch does that for me. And so does Fault Line. She's my little sister. She's a hell of a shot, plus a doctor and trader. The three of us are inseparable, and this adventure that I was about to get into, would take us far from home. So when I was reviewing my objectives, she ran up to me with some medical supplies for my personal medkit and other stuff.
Fault Line: Big bro, I got something new!
Shadowheart: Whatcha got, sis?
Fault Line: Better gas mask filters, plus better stims.
I smiled and took the stuff, putting it away. I then hugged her tightly, and after we broke the hug, I left, waving to her.
And with that, I was on the move. It didn't take me long to get to the campgrounds, considering I know this place pretty damn well. It took me 2 hours to get there, and by then, the raiders had settled in. I counted ten of them. No problem. I'd taken on bigger groups. I just had to be methodical. I climbed up into a tree as close as possible to the camp and readied my rifle. I switched the magnifier on and put the crosshair over the first raider's heart. Bastard didn't know what hit him. And before he even hit the ground, I'd already shot two more of his a**hole buddies. Seven to go.
I wasted no time getting out of the tree and switching to my M16A5. It was a remnant of the past, but it still worked perfectly. With precise 2 round bursts, I cleared the camp with not a scratch on me. When only one was left, I killed him in a way only my family can: with my bare hands and magic. My little sister and I were born with a perk called Unleash The Beast and one called Undying. We're stronger than we seem and we have to be, to live in a world like this. Once I'd finished with the raiders, I got their caps and whatever I could salvage. When I was looking through their stuff, I saw a note on the last one I killed.
"The f**k is this...The Spectres...this is a recruitment ad for a merc outfit. I need to take this back and tell Birch and Fault Line."
Once I was ready, I took off again, running as fast as I could back to our house in Sumptersville. When I hit the edge of town, that was when it went down hill. The old buck who was the local doctor barely said hello when a bullet speared his heart. I knew he was dead and i couldn't do s**t for him. He was Fault Line's mentor and we loved him. I squeezed my eyes shut, tears starting to form in them, and I ran harder. All around me, my hometown was under attack, but my only focus was my brother and sister. I called out for them, and when i burst through the door, Birch grabbed me and Fault Line, and he ran like his a** was on fire. He ran as fast as he could to our old clubhouse and he didn't look back. He and Fault Line had grabbed all our stuff before I'd gotten back, so when we got to the clubhouse, he shut the metal door tight. He sat Fault Line down, but took me in his arms like I was a kid. I just curled up and cried. Thing is, I'm 18, Birch is 21, and Fault Line is 17. But you'd think Birch was like, 30 or something, with how big he is. So, basically, he was rocking me, trying to calm me down. It wasn't new, as he did it every time I had a nightmare, and he did it the same for Fault Line. Fact is, ever since our parents were killed, we had awful nightmares about it. And they haven't got any better. I don't think they ever will. As I cried, I could see flashes of what I'd run through, my imagination filling the gaps where the screams of ponies made start points. I'd smelled fire, oil, blood; heard gunfire and explosions; I was sure we'd lost our home and our neighbors and our whole town to retaliation for the job I took. Who did i piss off to make this actually happen? I've pissed off a lot of bad guys, but I killed them before they could retaliate. But...what if...i...what if my family was the target? What if…..
"What if this is all my fault…."
I didn't realize I'd said that aloud, my hope failing. I'd lost people again and I couldn't even fight back.
"Stop it. It's not your fault.", Birch said.
When Birch said that, I was forced back to the reality of then.
"Yes, it is. I killed those raiders...and the note...The Spectres.."
"Shadowheart, what are you talking about? What note?", Fault Line said.
I sat up at that, and Birch set me on the floor. I pulled the note out and showed them.
"See? Some mercs called The Spectres were trying to recruit one of the raiders I was sent to kill. They must be the ones that attacked our home."
I looked at my brother and sister.
"If I caused this…"
"Then we'll fix it together, the three of us. They didn't get us, so they didn't win.", Fault Line said.
"Yeah. We're the only survivors, and we can't let them win. So our only choice is to fight back.", Birch reminded us.
I nodded slowly, gathering myself. I stood up and equipped my M16A5.
"Then let's do this. Gear up. We're gonna go kill those f**ks who took our home and friends from us."
With that, we readied ourselves for a mission that would change everything for us. The most important thing was getting armor for Birch and Fault Line. To do that, we'd have to go back into town and scavenge through the carnage for what we needed. We hated to do that, but we needed the supplies. At this point, the resources of our now destroyed town were a gift from our fallen friends to help us get justice for them. Everybody that we could find, we buried with respect and honor. These were good folks and what they gifted to us, we wouldn't waste. Making the armor for Birch wasn't easy, but we did it. We were lucky that all three of us had Pip-Bucks, relics of Stable 76. They were our most important things that were received from our parents, and we would guard them with our lives. They were also the key to completing our mission. Once we were ready, we started walking toward the old observatory, where the Steel Rangers chapter was based. They aren't perfect, but they look out for us wastelanders. The Elder was always really sweet and nice, and she was a native of the valley, so she'd help us anyway she could.
It took us two days to get there, and when we did, the gate guards were shocked to see us. They'd just heard the news about Sumptersville and thought we were dead, it turns out. When we told them about the recruitment ad, they immediately called over the senior Star Paladin, Azalea Bloom. Azalea Bloom looked out for us, and she actually was our cousin on our mom's side. Usually professional, Azalea was sweet and kind.
Azalea: Shadowheart, Birch, Fault Line; I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. If there's anything I can do…
Shadowheart: There is, Azalea. We need to see Elder Silver Brush.
I showed her the recruitment ad.
Azalea: S**t. Shadowheart, this is very bad. The Spectres are far more dangerous than you know.
Shadowheart: Azalea, please. These bastards took our home from us. We need to stop them from hurting anypony else. Look, all we are asking for is intel on them. If we could speak to the Elder…
Azalea sighed.
Azalea: Alright. Just promise me you three will come back when it's all said and done.
The three of us promised and Azalea took us to see the Elder. When we walked in, the first thing Silver Brush did was to get up and hug me. She was Azalea's aunt, and a family friend, so when she heard what happened, she was torn up about it. After we broke the hug, I asked her about the Spectres.
Silver Brush: Shadowheart, these are very dangerous ponies, but I also know that this incident can't go unpunished. And you and your siblings deserve justice. So, I'll tell you everything I know about them, but the three of you will be taken far from home to accomplish this. Are you willing to do that?
I took a deep breath exhaling slowly.
Shadowheart: We need to do this. It's about more than justice. If these Spectres are as dangerous as you say, they need to die, so that nopony else will suffer. What they did, can not be allowed to happen ever again.
Silver Brush nodded.
Silver Brush: Then let's begin.
As Elder Silver Brush told us of The Spectres, I recorded the entire thing. She'd expected me to do that. And then came the bombshell.
Silver Brush: And your first stop is Hoofington. I know somepony there who can help you. When you get there, go straight to the nightclub and ask for Flashbang. She leads a gang there, The Dead Stars. Don't worry; she's one of the good ponies in this world. Now, we'll get you as far we can, and then it's up to you.
Shadowheart: Yeah. We can work with that.
Silver Brush: Good. You leave immediately.
When we left to get on the Vertibuck that would take us to the outskirts of the city, I looked back at the observatory. It was one place I probably wouldn't see for a long time, if ever again. That thought was chased away when I saw Birch trying to squeeze into the VTOL. It was actually comedic, until he hit his head on the ceiling.
Shadowheart: Birch, are you ok?
Birch was rubbing his forehead, and I could see a little scratch on it.
Birch: Yeah, little bro, I'm ok.
Fault Line: Just a little scratch.
Shadowheart: What a way to start a mission.
Before we left, Azalea Bloom came over to us, kissing each of us on the head and hugging us and telling us she loved us.
Azalea Bloom: I love you three, and I pray you come back to us safe when it's all over.
Shadowheart: I love you too, Azalea. I'll miss you.
Azalea Bloom: Don't worry, Shadowheart. You find a radio, you call me when you make some progress. Ok?
Shadowheart: I promise I will.