Fallout Equestria : Sundered Steel

Fallout Equestria: Sundered Steel

Chapter 1: Emergence

Life in the Stable was simple and monotonous. Every day, it was routine followed by more routine, and then more routine to follow. My routine would be to get out of bed, check my terminal, only to find no new mail from the Overponies, then sit at my desk until it was time for the night shift to start. It was like this day in and day out, from the day I got my cutie mark. Sorry, I'm getting ahead of my self; I'll explain. Down here in Stable 127, we have a council of Overmares and Overstallions that run the Stable. We vote on who we have as our Overmares and Overstallions every ten years, at the end of each of their terms.

My name is Sawbones, and I am an earth pony. There's nothing very special about me; I'm just the Stable doctor. I deal with everything from minor cuts and bruises to child birth and radiation poisoning. I'm not too popular in the Stable, nopony wants to spend time with the local doctor, only when they need my knowledge and skill do they come crying to me;

"Oh, my little filly is sick, fix her Doctor Sawbones,”

“Oh I broke my leg when walking down to maintenance, make me better Doctor Sawbones.”

“Oh, I've gotten irradiated by playing down in the reactor, heal me Doctor Sawbones.”

I mean seriously I swear everypony is incapable of not hurting themselves like a total chump and whenever I'm needed, they come crying to me, but it's not worth my time talking to the Overcouncil. It's not like I’ll be taken seriously, and there’s nopony to talk to, as I'm the psychiatrist as well. It's a lonely existence down here.

So on with the story; my alarm went off at the normal time, 8:30am. It’s the time those from the night shift begin to make their own way to bed.

“Good morning, Sawbones. Another crummy day in a crummy life,” I tell myself in an exasperated tone. I draged my body out of bed, collapsing in a heap the moment I step out.

“Why can't I just stay in bed?” I bemoaned myself. I glanced around my basic, even Spartan bedroom. It had little more than a bed, a desk with my terminal on it, a dresser with my Stable’s medical barding, and a small selection of personal items. There was a canteen with the number of my Stable on it, along with a picture of myself with the first pony I saved from his own stupidity and ineptitude at completing the most mundane tasks, like not eating the utensils, forks are not meant for soup anyway. That was the day I earned my cutie mark. That was a great day I laughed for weeks about it not so funny now.

I glanced up to the walls, and see a picture of the goddess, Celestia, saying, “Your stable needs you.”

“Oh, that’s why,” I said with a low moan of displeasure. I lifted my disgruntled body from the cold steel floor of my room, making my way to the dresser, at that moment I looked at my Pipbuck, the thing emitting an icy, lifeless, blue glow. I’m no Pipbuck technician but I worked out most of its controls and listened in most of the classes on how to use it. The Pipbuck has many uses, from having near limitless storage capacity, helps with the application of medical supplies like Rad-Guard and Healing Potions, not like the other ponies even understand that or they wouldn't be in half as many scrapes and scuffs, though that said It’s a wonderful, heavy, clunky, glitchy device, but it’s built to last. I hear some of the ponies down in maintenance say you could drop a bomb on one and it would still work; in fact, they insist that it would.

I trotted to the dresser, peeking inside are fourteen finely pressed, perfectly kept suits of medical barding with the number 127 emblazoned on the back. It’s a constant reminder that I am part of this Stable, and this is where I was born, and this is where I will die. I got one of the cornflower-blue bardings. You would expect it to be difficult to pick things up, as I am an Earth Pony, but you get develop a knack for it after a while.

After I wacked my barding on, I turned on the terminal at my desk. As per the usual, there was nothing from the Overcouncil and only a few messages regarding the old mare cherry blossom getting her hip drained. I shuddered a little at this. I swore by the goddesses, she would live forever at this rate. She’s been coming to me since I got my cutie mark. That was over fifteen years ago, and she was very old then, pushing ninety, at least. Anyway, after I checked my non-existent messages, I left my room and walked out into the communal living space.

The air was very unwelcome as the ponies sitting there stoped their conversations and looked at me with distrustful glares, If looks could kill I would be pushing up daisies now , seriously, it was like they were trying plot my death or something, which is entirely likely. So, to avoid a conflict with somepony, with a little forced smirk I bolted away for the mess hall for something to eat. I rolled my eyes at today’s dietary choices as if there was much choice in the mater.

‘Mmmm, dried apple flakes and recycled potato paste.’

It was same as every morning, because the night shift took any rehydrated or fresh produce the moment they got off their shifts. The dried apple flakes aren’t so bad; they do have an apple-like taste but they’re not very filling. The potato paste? Well you’re better off not knowing what went into that, and you curious individual just don't somethings are just better off not knowing.

I sat down with the only pony that gets along with me, which is a miracle in it self, I would be inclined to say were friends, but Its more of a working relationship, she’s my assistant, Aroma. She’s a Unicorn with a cobalt blue mane and a navy blue coat, She’s a bit quiet, but she means well. The only reason she’s even my assistant is because she found her cutie mark while being my apprentice, and will the miracles never cease shes not with her normal circle of friends who's total IQ I can count on one hoof, there a bad influence on her they'll make her catch the dumb.

“Morning, Aroma... sleep well?” I ask somewhat gingerly.

“Just fine, Doctor Sawbones,” she replies meekly.

“Really, Aroma, I’m not on my shift. It’s just Sawbones.”

“I know, but that’s your job… and your title… and I like being your assistant and calling you Doctor,” she says in a timid voice, averting her eyes.

“Fine, whatever, Aroma. Anypony leave any messages that they need to come in to the clinic today?”

“Only Cherry Blossom, for her bi-monthly hip draining. Nothing special today, Doctor,” she calmly expresses. I sighed at her calling me Doctor....so hard.

“Eat up so we can get to hip draining and boredom.”

We finished up our meals of recycled food and drink. We walked to the clinic, and with a mechanical whoosh, the hydraulic door opens to us, revealing the clinic. Its a usual run-of-the-mill clinic; three beds for patients, a locked medicine cabinet ­ –only myself, Aroma, and the Overcouncil have a key– and my desk with a terminal on it, so I sat my rump down in my nice comfortable chair and began to wait for nothing to happen, usually nothing happens, but today decided on being an inconvenience and something decided to happen to me particularly.

I was sitting in my chair literally ten minutes before I received an urgent audio transmission. I never get transmissions from anypony so with a blend of pure curiosity, and the assumption that it must be important that I allow the audio transmission to play. Now, I've seen and heard the voice of everypony in this stable. I may not know many of them personally, but I would recognize their voices anywhere. I’ve heard them whine to me rather often, but this doesn’t sound like any pony I know.

“HELP, LET ME IN! PLEASE LET ME IN, I'M BEGGING YOU!” the unknown voice screams in my ear at me, his voice filling the room.

“Calm down! Who even are you, your not from the stable.”

I tryed to calm this mystery pony screaming from what seems to be the stable door, Well, I know it was the stable door now, but they say that hindsight is always 20-20.

“WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MATER WHO I AM LET ME IN! PLEASE LET ME IN! IF YOU DON'T LET ME IN, THEY'LL KILL ME!”

“Who is gonna Kill you, are they a threat to the stable, answer the questions please!”

“I'm Begging I need you to let me in, I'll answer all your questions, Just please let me in-”

And that was the last of the transmission before it turned itself off.

“Aroma, I need to talk to the Overcouncil. This is important.”

We rushed to the Overcouncil chambers on the upper floor of the Stable, probably bowling over some ponies on the way. Well, it’s nothing a winge and a whine at me wouldn't fix. Slamming my hooves on the door, I try to get the Council’s attention.

“Open up! I need to speak to all of you!” I exclaimed as I bludgeoned the door with my hoof. With a sudden whoosh, the door opened up. A tall brown stallion with an black mane knotted in dread locks with electrical cords in his mane appeared standing in the door way standing a whole hoof talker than me, you think trying to piss with a big pony next to you imagine what its like being dwarfed by one . It’s Power Surge, the head of maintenance. He is an earth pony, like myself, but is he more mellow he is very laid back, although that is to be expected from a pony that only works when he feels like it.

“Docta, we’re in da middle of important council bizness. What is it dat’s so important that you needed to disturb us wid dis?” he calmly tolled me in a firm, authoritative tone.

“Power Surge, I just got an audio transmission from... outside the stable,” I replied to him levelly.

“Outside da Stable? Dat’s impossible. Nothing but death and wasteland is out there,” he replies questioningly.

“Well it’s time to rethink that impossibility.”

He ushered me into the council chambers. Inside is a huge table big enough to sit twelve, and the stable’s main computer.

“Council, I have important news to bring up!” I declared to the council.

An orange Pegasus mare with a crème mane responded first.

“What is it, Power Surge?”

Power Surge speaks with a flat, serious voice. Thanks for ignoreing me orange blossom

“The Docta and 'is assistant, Aroma, just got a Message from outside da Stable"

The mare looked at me questioningly.

“Is this true, Sawbones?”

“Yes, it’s true. Why would I lie?” I Responded in an almost harsh tone. Damn it that mare flat out ignored me the first time how am I meant to feel.

“Can you confirm this, Aroma?” she questioned in a serious, but silky smooth voice.

“Um… yes. Well, I didn't talk to the pony directly, but I was in the room with the Doctor when he got the transmission,” she responded, melting under the pressure.

“Hmm, this is interesting news. This means the surface is somewhat habitable,” she openly states to the room. Another older stallion his coat an icy blue with graying mane and tail speaks up in the back.

“Should we let the outsider in?”

“Is that entirely wise?” another mare her coat a deep scarlet, and a spiked Green mane and tail in the room questions.

“How can we trust that that this outsider doesn't mean to harm the safety of this stable? How do we know this outsider won't try to kill the residents of the Stable?” she continued.

I then interjected with, “He was on his own, and he was extremely scared. Scared for his life,” I continued, “I say we take a Stable security detachment and open the door to see if our guest is hostile. If he isn't, we can let him in. If not, we have enough muscle to forcibly get rid of him.”

The mare with the crème mane looked to me again a flat level look in her eyes.

“The logical compromise as usual, Doctor. It’s settled. We take a security team and open the door to meet this buck. Myself, Power Surge, Anthology, and the Doctor, along with the security team, will go to meet the outsider. Doctor, I recommend you bring your medi-saddle along. If the outsider is hostile, we may need your skills.”

Aroma and I briskly walk back to the clinic. Once inside, I ask Aroma to open up the medicine cabinet. Inside are shelves of perfectly lined up syringes of Med-x painkiller, magical healing potions, bandages, –both mundane and magical– medical alcohol and an assortment of other medical supplies; but the one piece I am interested in within, is the Medi-saddle, a cross between a battle saddle and a Mister Handy bot. It’s equipped with a magical medical laser for precision cutting, a surgical buzz saw for amputations, and an opposable arm with fingers to use syringes and open tins and because the stable has a bit of a roach problem, have a standard issue magical Elderich pistol mounted on the saddle, so I'm not brutally eaten by roaches the size of cats. This was of my own design with a bit of help from the chaps down in maintenance; they helped me make it, some times in the rare cases when the injuries are too severe to move the patient, I need to act there and then the medi-saddle is the item I go for it allows me to do complicated surgery without the fine magical manipulation of unicorns a truly marvelous machine.

So with some help from Aroma, she gets my Medi-saddle on. It’s a bit cumbersome, but beggars can't be choosers. It’s also connected to my Pipbuck’s S.A.T.S Stable-Tec arcane targeting spell, which mostly allows me a greater level of precision when chopping up body parts... and doing surgery.

I Tolled Aroma to go to the living quarters and lock herself in her room, and not to come back out until the situation has been dealt with. I then stroll meet with the security detachment in the atrium. Twelve well armed mares and stallions in full security barding stand with the council members, who are looking imposing as they should. This possibly-a-pony in the entrance to the Stable is potentially hostile, so it’s probably a wise idea to look intimidating instead of putting up a fight themselves.

So in a hastened pace, the group of security ponies, the over council, and little old me fill the door way of Stable 127. There are massive cog-like blast doors that seal the stable from what ever lay beyond. Further, in the cavernous entrance way is an equine-shaped figure, but due to the rust and dust we can’t tell what exactly; but, as the dust begins to settle we hear coughing coming from the tunnel, and the shape walks toward us, pulling a sledge with some sort of metal suit on it.

The dozen armed security ponies leveled their weapons at the shape walking in, but it’s Power Surge who spoke out.

“Who are you? Come forward and be recognised!”

The shape just coughs and splutters. Walking out of the cloud of dust, we can see that it’s a pegasus pulling the sledge.

“Please don't shoot,” the pegasus spoke in a pitiful tone.

“Who are you, and why are you here, pegasus?” Power Surge responds.

“My name is,” He coughed. “Sigil Scope,” he spluttered.

“Please, I need a sanctuary.”

I premptively cut Power Surge off, stopping him from talking.

“It’s obvious that this pony means no harm.”

“Hmm, I guess you’re right, Doctor,” the cream mare replies, “Take him to your clinic and see to him.”

Then, pointing at two of the security stallions, she continues, “Take his sledge down to maintenance. Get them to have a look at it and his suit.”

So, while being escorted by two mares from security, the pegasus –well, ‘Sigil,’– and myself, make our way back to the clinic.

Sitting him down on one of the beds for the patients, I ask him, “Are you hurt friend?”

He only replies, “I'm...well. I don't see any holes in me, so I think I'm good.”

I smirk at his retort. Upon closer examination, I see that Sigil has an Orangy-dust coloured coat, with a short blonde mane which is a bit mangy. It would look like he was dragged backwards through a hedge if all of the hedges weren't dead and dried up. Looking down toward his flanks, examining him, it seems that his cutie mark isn’t, well, anything. It seems as if he was branded with a cloud with what looked like a lightning bolt striking.

“Sigil what’s going on with your cutie mark?” I say in a curious, questioning tone.

He just looks at me with distain.

“I lost my cutie mark for standing up for what I believed in!” he says at me in a harsh, commanding tone.

“Oh, I see,” I say, sounding regretful for even mentioning it.

Suddenly a huge explosion rattles the whole stable.

“WHAT IN LUNA’S MARE HEAT WAS THAT!?” I exclaim at no pony in particular. Looking out of the clinic window I see a fire fight. Outside, it looks like security ponies are being shot at with energy weapons, which at the best of times is discouraging.

“These guys friends of yours?” I sarcastically say to Sigil, who is pulling himself up to the singed window frame.

“Oh no... No, no, no! I need to leave now! If I don't leave soon, they will kill everypony in their way to get to me, as well as anypony found with me!”

“Well you know the obvious course of action is that we get you out of here!” I retort.

He just stands there, silently backing away from the window. He looks at me, with worry-filled eyes.

“Any bright ideas, Doctor, on how you plan to achieve that goal?”

“Uhhh...Wait for the guys outside to pass, hoping they don't come in here, and when they have their backs turned, make for the entrance. Hopefully once they've noticed you've left, they'll leave my Stable alone.” He stares at me with a 'fantastic, I'm going to be killed either way' kind of look.

“Fine. I haven't got many better options, now do I?”

I turned away from him. Peeking out the window, I could see that the security ponies had stopped firing back. That meant one of three things: One, they are dead. Those are bad but acceptable losses, necessary to save the stable. Two, they are pinned down, at which point it was only a matter of time until the intruders find us. I'll either end up as pony pate', a pile of ashes, or a glowing puddle. All options sound less than pleasant than the last, don't they? The third, and best, option is that they fell back deeper into the stable. I hope it’s the latter that is true.

I can also see that the invaders are wearing a similar sort of big, metal armour that Sigil came in with. They have what looks like plasma pistols built into the armour, but I can’t quite be sure.

“What are they wearing, Sigil?” I say, glancing back at him while he hides from view of the window.

“Mark two enclave powered armour, armed with quad plasma pistols and a stinging tail. I doubt you'll make much of a dent in the armour. You'd have to get very lucky... or be me.”

The last bit sounded almost arrogant and overconfident, so I just huff back at him looking out over the atrium watching the armoured insecticidal carapaces of the intruders pass by.

Looking back to Sigil, I say, “Come on, follow me. We're getting out of here.”

So, as quietly and as sneakily as... well, a concrete elephant with a brass band on its back, we blunder right into what looks like the intruders’ leader.

He’s a pegasus like the others, but is wearing a brown kind of padded jacket and he has a holster for a weapon that looks vaguely similar to my battle saddle’s Elderich pistol. Before I have much time to react, he reaches for his pistol. I swear, I can see my life flash before my eyes. It was... a constant stream of grey… with occasional trips… to the lavatory… Yeah, it’s that boring. But how would I be telling you this story if I had died there and then, hmm?

Here's how: As this pegasus is about to make me pony pate', Sigil some how saves my life. What he says happened was that he grabbed a syringe that was in one of the pockets of my medical barding, and he tossed it at the attacker hitting him directly in the eye, causing him to writhe in pain. The irony was in the fact that it was a syringe of Med-X painkiller. Seeing my attacker was now incapacitated and with an ironic pain in his right eye, I contemplated something. Now, while stealing things off living ponies –even if they’re trying to kill you– still feels wrong, but the cold logical part of my mind disagrees.

            ‘We may need his gun to survive. Give it to Sigil.’

So, suppressing my sense of right and wrong, beating it up, and throwing it in a dark corner of my mind, I take the pistol off the trooper and give it over to Sigil. He does something that makes me cringe. Ugh, no pony should have to die that way. I was about to be like that myself, just seconds earlier. Sigil turns the pistol on the attacker, seeing pure fear in his eyes, or rather, eye. He becomes a puddle within seconds.

I just watched what was a living, breathing pony become little more glowing gloop in front of my eyes. My mind is in shock. It was one thing to hurt and steal off of ponies, but another to kill them. Before I can shout at Sigil for doing that, we have bigger problems. One of the armoured pegasi comes back up the stairs.

Darting for the door to the entrance way, we both narrowly avoid being minced by its quad-mounted weapons. Several of its shots burn my hide. With a lucky ‘woosh,’ the mechanical door shuts, just as the bolts of Elderich fire crackle against the metal skin of the door.

“Quick, we need to move before the pegasus has the good sense to come after us with his mates.”

However, Sigil is already a step ahead of me, rushing down into the open doorway of the stable, amongst the corpses of several security ponies, as well as the still-alive Overcouncil, save Power Surge. From a cursory glance, he’s not amongst the bodies, but there aren’t any gloopy puddles, so he isn’t radioactive sludge.

Sigil grabs his sledge-pulling rope in his mouth and, sort of muffled, says “Lead fffor thed door.”

He doesn’t have to tell me twice. Without much of a second thought, I make for the open cog door of Stable 127, but stop in front of it, the immensity of its size overwhelming me. I now know that the outside is habitable but am I going to leave my home? Sure, it’s not a great place to live, but it’s still my home. If I leave, I most likely won't be let back in. I could still run and hide, leaving Sigil to his fate in the chance the invaders follow and close the door behind them.

Or, I can leave with Sigil. his near-nil chances of survival would increase to a slim chance but am I prepared to leave? Sadly, I can’t have this debate at that second. There are angry knocks at the doors behind me, so unless I leave now, I will almost certainly be killed by the intruders behind me. So, I leave, with little more than my barding, my Medi-saddle, and a slightly burnt canteen– no thanks to some near misses to my derrière. Galloping down the cavern leading into the stable, I emerge inside some kind of vehicle repair place. All the tools are lying around. But, we have little time to admire the ruins, as we know that half a dozen pissed-off-pegasi are about to kill us unless we hide, and fast. So, we drag the sledge behind the half destroyed wreck of some kind of rusted vehicle and hide like our lives depend on it, which as a matter of fact, they did. Not long after, the insect-like bodies of the pegasi emerge, flying to the north. They probably believe that was where we went, so it seemed we had successfully duped them and eluded capture. Taking deep breaths I glanced up at a hole in the ceiling of the building.

I could see a never ending expanse of the night sky.

Doctor Sawbones

Earth pony Grey coat with a Grey mane and tail with red highlights

Cutie mark: A bronze disk with a first aid cross on it

Special

S4 P8 (9) E5 C3 I10 A4 L6

Barter 9

Battle saddles 13

Explosives 16

Guns 6

Lockpicks 21

M.E.W 41

Repair 28

Medicine 43

Melee 6

Science 43

Sneak 11

Speach 14

Survival 3

Unarmed 8

Traits

Four Eyes

"my glasses I can't see with out my glasses" you need thick rims to see properly

when with out glasses your at -1 perception when with glasses at +1 perception

Stable Doctor

Your a Doctor not a Death dealer learning how to do precision surgery and repair a Medi-saddle doesn't lead you to armed combat less you want to take them on with a bonesaw or a scapulae You begin with a Pipbuck and training for it and +5 to Medicine, Science, Repair, Energy weapons and Speech But -5 to Guns, Melee weapons, Explosives and Unarmed and your Survival is equal to half your luck

Perks

Wasteland Surgeon

You may not be able to fix the wasteland but you can fix the ponies in it

You can restore crippled limbs (without needing or consuming a Doctor's Bag). For purposes of healing limb damage, you may may divide healing between the limbs of your choice.  You gain a +2% Critical Chance bonus on non-deformed creatures.