Fallout Equestria: A New Hope (On Hiatus)

Chapter Eight

I awoke looking around to see Lead still in his human form lying next to me. I nudged him with my muzzle. He opened an eye. "Hey, Sketch." He said reaching his hand out. It made contact with my mane, and I smiled. "How'd you sleep?" I asked. He said nothing. He brought his hand back to his side, and I looked worried. "Are you ok?" I asked. Again, he said nothing. He however, sat up, and stared at one spot for a bit. I looked to where he was starring to see a dead NCR ranger leaning against the wall. I trotted over to the ranger examining him. A red aura enveloped his dog tags. I looked back to Lead to see his finger glowing the same color. I then looked back to the ranger. The dog tags were lifted off his neck and over his head. I followed the tags to his hands. He grasped them tightly in his palm and stare at his fist. I swore I could hear the slightest weep. I looked up to his face, and saw a single tear. I licked the tear away. His head turned slightly. "Who is that?" I asked in a low voice. He opened his palm, and I read off the name on the tags. "Solar Flare." I repeated what I saw. "Don't you speak that name.." He said in a low tone. "Who was he?" I asked. More tears began to cascade down his face. "My best friend. He was always there for me. He- he..." He began to choke over his words. Was he... Crying? I looked back to the body of Solar and felt a wave of remorse wash over me like the heat of the sun each morning. Lead scooted over to his body as he was only a few feet away, and removed Solars helmet placing it in his lap and placing his forehead against the ponies. "May Celestia have mercy on your soul. Old friend." He muttered sniffling. Tears burned the corner of my eyes. It was hard to lose somepony. I came up next to Lead and sat next to him on my haunches.

"Leave." He said. I looked to him, then back to the body of Solar. "LEAVE!" He barked. Heartbroken and angry. I sat there shocked. Did he just yell at me? Blinded by regret and anger, he pulled out a pistol and aimed it right in between my eyes pressing it against my skull. "ARE YOU DISOBEYING AN ORDER GIVEN BY AN OFFICER?!" He yelled. I got up, and walked away. The cries of a traumatized soldier and metal filled my ears as I walked away. His cries becoming more distant. I sat a safe distance away, and saw him hugging Solars lifeless body. The tears began to flow like the water flows through a Stables pipes. I know he is hurt, but he is in a kind of pain that will never heal. A kind of pain that hurts so much, you just want to die. A kind of pain only a true friend would understand. I very slowly made my way back to Lead. Being as quiet as I could not wanting to get a bullet in my head. He began rocking back and forward cradling Solars body like a mare cradles her foal weeping continuously. It was heart wrenching. "Please come back. Please please please." He said through his tears. That was when I died inside. He wants his friend to come back, but he knows that will never happen. Oh goddesses... Lead looked to the gun still in his hand. He then took a deep breath, and pointed the gun to his own head. Finger on the trigger. He screamed bloody murder. He then threw the gun my way. It clattered to the rusty steel floor. He then set Solar back how he was before. Leaning against the wall, and helmet in his lap. "I know you can hear me, Solar. Please. Have the time of your life you arrogant son of a bitch. For me. Over and out." He said as he wiped his tears away with his arm sniffling.

He then stood up,  gave a salute. I saluted silently honouring the death of his best friend. "S- Sketch." He called. I stepped out of the shadows and into the soft glow of light that passed through from the many bullet holes strewn about the deck levitating the gun next to me. I put the gun back into his hand. He slipped it back into its holster on his hip, and looked back to the body. I gave a salute. "At ease." He said chuckling sadly. I set my hoof back down on the ground, and looked back to him. "I know it's hard to lose somepony." I said. He looked into my eyes. I hugged his legs tightly. He ran his hand through my mane. "Solar has been there with me through thick and thin. He was the first pony I met at the NCR boot camp." He explained as he began to walk away. I walked next to him. "I'm sorry for pulling the gun on you." He apologised. "It's ok." I replied. Within minutes, we made it out of the ship, and into the morning sun. He looked up the the celestial body and sighed. I looked up to him. "What's wrong?" I asked. He looked back to me. "Nothing. I just don't like the sun." He replied. "Why's that?" I asked. Lead's face gained a look that was stone cold. "What did Celestia do during the war?" He asked. I shrugged. "I don't know. I've only read about her." I replied admittedly. "She did very little. Thusly, the military was under Luna's command. Because Celestia lead the Royal Guard in the six months prior to Luna's assumption of the throne, there was a lapse in tactics. Over six million ponies died in that six months." Lead chuckles darkly, "Celestia started the war...Luna finished it." Lead's eyes burn with rage. "I only acknowledge the sun as a ruler. My heart belongs to Luna. What about you, Sketch?" He asked. "I don't know." I replied. Lead nods. "Get ready to move out. We've gotta get to the NCR after we get the girls." Lead freezes shushing me silently. Equally as silent, he draws a trench knife. He parries a zebra charge blade, only to break the neck of the zebra with uncomforting ease. I threw up at my hooves. Another zebra charges forward, only to trip over Solar's legs and break his neck. The two remaining zebras appear from under their cloaks. They are around captain rank. They smirk and down a potion. Lead glares and multiplies himself, making the zebras visibly nervous. "So you know who I am. Good. I'm a fair man. You have five seconds," he reports. "One. Two." The turn and start to run. "Five!" Lead and his copies gun down the zebras, shredding the hallway and the corpses beyond recognition.