Prologue: Welcome to the Wasted North
Fallout Equestria: Crystal Dreams
Prologue: Welcome to the Wasted North
”Crystal Ponies? Hahaha, there are Crystal Ponies?! Umm, hmm. Please continue.”
“Ya know, you'd think that after a couple years, we'd grow accustomed to the cold.”
“Hmm?”
“Yeah. Like, we spend most of our lives in this freezing hellhole in these Goddess-damned suits and yet I'm still shivering.”
“Mmm.”
“I'm also sweating though. How does that work? How can you freeze and sweat at the same time?”
“Don't know.”
…
“I like to have steamy orgies with other mares.”
“Mmhm.”
“Damn it Snowbank! Are you even listening to me?”
“Hmm?” I asked, finally focusing on the pony trotting along next to me. While I couldn't see her face behind the tinted gas mask she wore, I could tell that she was glaring at me. Hell, I could feel her eyes trying to drill into my soul. Quick, think brain, what did she say? Got it! Wait, what? “I'm listening. Why are we talking about orgies though?”
I had to stop and watch as my companion sat down and brought both forehooves to the glass window of her gas mask. She then dragged them down the apparatus. Of course, this caused a very unpleasant squeaking as the rubber boots of her radiation suit ran down the glass. When her hooves reached the bottom of the glass, she let them unceremoniously plop back onto her snowshoes. Wait... when did she unstrap them?
“Of course that's the bit you remember,” she mumbled as she continued along. Falling in step beside her, I look back out at the snowy wastes that surround us. Nothing but snow as far as the eye could see. A part of me, the colt in me, wanted to just rip off the suit and roll around in the snow and play. However, this thought process was roughly beaten and shoved into a corner. The snow was no longer a thing of joy but one of dread. Ever since the balefire bombs were dropped by the warring Equestrians and Zebras, the snow that fell was heavily irradiated.
The radiation in the snow killed off millions at first. It came as a surprise to the inhabitants of the “Frozen North”. They, my ancestors, were caught off guard. Not only had their neighbors been wiped off the face of the planet but now the thing they had come to enjoy as a fact of everyday life was deadly. Those that didn't immediately die (and weren't personally prepared) were quick to raid armories and hospitals for any sort of radiation protection equipment and medicine. Then came the infuriating fact that their homes could no longer safely house them. Thus began a mass building of multiple “Habs”. These Habs were welded together with a very meticulous eye before being purged of radiation with a mixture of technology and unicorn magic. The end result? Junk settlements that rose out of the ground in the midst of old world ruins.
“Hey Snowbank?”
“Yes Snow Angel?” I asked, looking back over at my mare companion. I idly observed for the umpteenth time that her suit, like my own, was a bright white that nicely fit with our environment. Likewise, the gas mask (besides the tinted visor) was white, like mine. Our utility webbing, which wrapped around our bodies, were black. The webbing match our saddlebags. This is where we were different as she wore her saddlebag on her right side and I had mine on my left side. On the opposite side of our bags, we both had assault rifles with a belt feed running to an ammo pack on our backs. The assault rifles' bits were custom fitted with the mask, allowing us to fire the bucking things while not exposing ourselves to the hostile air. The only other weapon we had was a hatchet that was sheathed so that we could get it with a forehoof.
“You ever wonder if there's somepony patrolling a desert somewhere and wishing for a balefire winter?”
“And why would they be wishing for that?” I asked, lacing the confusion into my voice. Having faces covered meant that you had to learn how to better express emotion with tone alone. I watched as she shrugged, her forehooves bouncing from the snow momentarily because of the movement.
“Maybe they want to cool down,” she suggested, her gas masked head visibly scanning the wastes. Rolling my eyes at the response, I went back to my own scanning.
“I hope they like canned air,” I remarked before lifting a forehoof to check the watch I had strapped around the outside of my suit. I still had plenty of time with this canister. That was good. Having to hold your breath while frozen, shaking, boot covered hooves fumbled for a new canister was not a fun experience. No siree.
“We almost there?”
I sighed, “No Angel. We're not. We still have another full day of walking ahead of us.”
“I knew that silly. I meant, are we almost to wherever we're gonna be stopping? My hooves are killing me. Well, what I can feel of them at least,” she explained with an awkward chuckle.
I rolled my eyes again before stopping and sitting down. Digging out an old, laminated map, I set in the snow. Have I yet explained how hard it is to try to dig something out with a hoof? No? Well, it's bucking difficult! With the map in front of me, I unfolded it until I had a good view of our surrounding area. As I looked it over, I felt Angel sidle up close next to me in an effort to drain whatever body heat she could from me.
“I think we're here,” I started, getting a hoof free from a snowshoe to prod at a seemingly random spot on the map. I then dragged my hoof in a north-westerly manner until it came upon a representation of a cave, “and this is our rest stop. Maybe one, two hours tops.”
“I can't wait to get to a Hab and get some real food,” Angel commented as I folded up the map and hoofed it to her so she could put it back.
“And use some actual toilets,” I added as I looped my hoof back into the snowshoe.
“Amen.”
With that, we were off again. Nothing but the great arctic plains around us and the threat of agonizing death looming over us. Ah, yes, life... life was good.
**** ****
It had taken a hour and a half to get to the cave that was marked on the map. I smirked behind my mask as my prediction had been correct. I wouldn't gloat, however. There was no need for it. It's not like she had argued about the time it would take to get there. Of course, along the way I had to endure with some more of her incessant rambling and one sound of pleasant release as she emptied her bladder inside her suit. What? It's normal. At least, when you're stuck inside a radiation suit it is.
The cave we had reached stood out of the snow like the gaping maw of some serpent. Icicles hanging from the roof of the opening gave the appearance of teeth, which just added to the serpent illusion. As we approached the cave, we quickened our pace. Snow was beginning to fall at a faster rate and it was only a matter of time before the blizzard rolled in. This was how we told the day and night cycles. Daytime would be light snowfall and nighttime would be heavy snowfall or blizzards.
Once inside the cave, we shook the loose snow from our suits and trotted to the back of the cave. It was slightly warmer in the back of cave. By “slightly warmer”, I meant that instead of turning into a pony-popsicle, we'd just vibrate fast enough to be used as a gryphon's play toy. Okay, disturbing thoughts. Go away.
“You first watch or me?” Angel asked as she took off her snowshoes and set them aside before adding her saddlebag with it.
“I'll be first watch,” I replied while I also took off my snowshoes and saddlebag, setting them aside. When I was done, I looked over at Angel to see her already laying down on the ground. Her body was facing the cave entrance but she was looking at me with what I could tell was an expectant expression. Chuckling, I walked over to her right side and laid down. Once I was laying down, she scooted into me until we could feel each other beneath the radiation suits. I pressed my mask against hers.
“Get some sleep, okay Angel?”
“Alright,” she replied as she drew her mask away from mine, a yawn issuing forth from it. She shifted herself to settle more comfortably before she set her head down onto my foreleg, causing me to smile. “Love ya bro.”
“Love ya too sis,” I replied before setting my head on top of hers. I listened as her breathing slowed to the point that I knew she was sleeping. As I listened to her sleep, I kept my eyes trained on the cave mouth and the raging storm outside it. We'd probably have to dig our way out but for a few hours of rest, it was worth it.
**** ****
The night had passed without excitement. This was alright with me. Waking up and seeing that your suit wasn't ripped because of some passing by jerkwad was always a plus in my book. Then again, waking up normally would have also been a plus.
Tap.
“Mmmmuh...”
Tap.
“Shtoup...”
Tap.
“Fine!” I yelled, opening my eyes to see a gas mask peering into my very soul. Drowsily raising a hoof, I pushed the masked pony away as I stumbled to my hooves. Once to my hooves, I stretched as much as I could.
“Glad you're finally awake,” I heard Angel remark.
“Well, you interrupted a nice dream involving two mares and one very lush bed,” I replied as I went over to my saddlebag and snowshoes and began to put them back on.
“And when you woke me, you interrupted a nice dream involving a stallion's cock and a meat grinder.” Grimacing now. Pain, go away. You're not real.
“Why would you even mention that?”
“Why would you mention yourself having a threesome to your sister?” she countered. Damn, she got me there.
“I guess your right. Sorry.”
“Apology accepted, now get walking. I would like to be at the Hab before next storm. I don't like sloshing every time I take a step,” she said as she started pushing me to the cave entrance. Ew. That was too much information. Even for me. Looking at the cave entrance, I sighed. As I had suspected, snow was piled up at the opening. It wasn't too high, though. Just a little digging and... there! Freedom!
Outside, it was the same dreary view. Only a couple feet higher. With that thought, we both started in the same direction we were going before. The Hab we were heading to was called Crystallized Tears. I didn't know the story behind that particular name but every Hab bore a similar name of sorrow and lost. It was a constant reminder of the serenity we had lost when the balefires were dropped. While only a few struck the Empire itself, we were still as effected by it's fallout as Equestria and the Zebra lands were.
During the early stages of the war, the Crystal Empire stood by it's sister nation. Ruled by Princes Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, the Empire had sent it's warriors to help protect Equestria from the Zebra forces. However, as the war continued and escalated, Imperial support began to trickle away. Finally, all ties to Equestria were cut in an effort to get the Empire permanently out of the war. This Isolation Act had done it's purpose as the Zebras didn't try any attacks against the Empire. While Equestrian leadership was outraged at first, they soon settled down and accepted it.
In an effort to prepare for the worst, Imperial forces began to implement Disaster Centers in the settlements across the Empire. These were usually just the armories that were already in each settlement, along with a detachment of Imperial troops. The only thing the implementations did was assign a few more Imperial troops to each armory and make the public jittery.
Rumors had it that the Prince had hired Stable-Tec to build a Stable under the Crystal Palace. This Stable, apparently named Crystal Dreams, was supposed to house the entire population of the Crystal City. There was supposedly multiple entrances to the Stable under the city that would allow mass evacuation into the Stable should the bombs fall.
Of course, the bombs did fall and the last thing that anypony could remember hearing from the Crystal City is that “it was highlighted by a light both glorious for it's color and despicable for it's nature”. That being said, the city still stands, even after a direct balefire blast. Why it was targeted in the first place (and by whom) no pony knew. However, anypony that entered the city never came back out and those near it reported seeing apparitions in the ruins.
“Snowbank!”
“Gah!” I shouted as I jumped and began to search for a target. All I found was my sister next to me and what looked to be the ruins of a town in the distance.
“Is that the place?” she asked impatiently, pointing at the ruins with a hoof. I huffed before digging out the map with my hoof and spreading it before me. Hmm, cave here. Drag hoof along and pretend to know what direction we went. Yep: town's right there alright. No idea what I'm doing.
“Yeah, this is it,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. Luckily, in her excitement to get into a Hab, Angel didn't notice. She barely waited to help me put the map back before she took off at a trot for the ruins. Trotting after her, I couldn't help but smile at her antics. Have a look-alike was confusing at times but it sure was fun. Oh, wait, didn't cover that yet. Angel and me were twin siblings. We were the kind of twins that looked exactly alike... well, besides the gender differences.
Lucky for me, we could make out the Crystallized Tears Hab in the middle of the town as we drew closer. It was a quite big, squat dome that jutted from the old world's central park and descended two floor down with three floors going up. The above ground floors got smaller the higher you went obviously. Walkways wrapped around the dome at the second story level, allowing guards to watch the wastes in their suits and gas masks. On top of the dome were four wind turbines that spun eagerly in the wind. These powered the entire dome. Needless to say, power was a commodity.
When we got even closer, we could make out the eye and sparkly tear spray-painted onto the dome wall. We could also see the Hab's airlock, the Hab's emblem also painted on the iron door. In front of the airlock were two ponies wearing full radiation barding like everypony else. Only, these two were Tear guards. Therefore, they had a sparkly tear painted on their gas masks. It was situated so that it would be where an actual tear might hang from their eyes. They also wore light blue suits and black gas masks.
“Halt!” shouted one of the guards when we drew closer, “Identify yourselves!”
“Snowbank and Snow Angel of the Dreaded Snow Hab! We're here as couriers! We have a package for the In Her Shadow Hab and wish to use your Hab as a rest stop!” I shouted back as we stopped a good twenty yards from the guards. I watched as the guards seemingly discussed something via radio. Finally, the same guard as before spoke again,
“Approach!”
With that, the two of us walked closer to the airlock and the two ponies guarding it. Each Hab had it's own way of dressing it's occupants. The Dreaded Snow, for example, favored an all white coloring. The Crystallized Tears, on the other hoof, favored the light blue coloring that tears could take. Each Hab also had it's own specialization. Crystallized Tears were good medics and caretakers as they tended to by more sympathetic and caring. The Dreaded Snow, where Angel and I came from, tended to be scouts, navigators, and anything else direction based as we tended to be more in tune with our inner compass and were allowed to wander outside the Hab at a younger age.
The two Tear ponies did the usual spiel of: “No causing trouble inside the Hab. Once through the airlock, you will surrender your weapons, demask, and pay for your room. Once that has been done, a guard will escort you to your room. Once there, blah, blah, blah.”
Anyway, once inside the airlock, we had to wait until the out door shut. When it did, we heard the spinning of gears before the inner door swung open. Entering the security room, I quickly ripped off my mask and took in a deep breath of the Hab's air. While it wasn't fresh by any means (having to be recycled or scrubbed will do that) it was better than breath through a hyped up soup can.
“Oh sweet Goddess, I can scratch my nose!”
And I did just that for three whole minutes. Don't judge. You would too if it had been itching for the past two days. Wearing masks sucked. Period. However, it was also needed for survival, sooooo... Yeah. Amusingly, Angel and the mare guard stood and watched me scratch my nose for three minutes. Once I was done, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief before looking at guard.
“Anyway. You want our weapons right?” I asked, pushing the hood of my suit back and trying to get my white mane back to how it usually sits. Stupid suits. As I messed with my mane, I saw the mare nod. With a few curses and a lot of fumbling, I did as she asked and got my rifle and ammo box off the harness and set them onto the table in front of the mare. It was soon joined by my sister's rifle, with no less swearing having come from her. More reluctantly, I pulled out my hatchet and set it on the table. Just as reluctantly, Angel tossed her hatchet onto the table as well.
“If anything,” hissed Angel, leaning over the counter to get her face close to the mare, “happens to our hatchets, we will find you and skin you alive. Got it?”
Even though she was the guard and we were the visitors, the mare was visibly shaking as she nodded her head rapidly. Angel's muzzle then broke out into a grin as she plopped happily back onto to the metal floor beside me, as if she just hadn't threatened a Hab guard with death.
“Snowbank, be a dear and pay the lovely filly for our room, hmm?” she asked as she trotted out of the security room and into the hallway. I watched her leave in amusement. Threatening psychopath one second, happy mare the next. Shaking my head at it, I reached into my saddlebag with my muzzle and pulled out a bag that clinked as it shifted. Tossing it onto the counter, I motioned to it with a hoof.
Quietly, the mare opened the bag with her shaky hooves and dumped it's contents onto the counter. Low-caliber bullets rolled around the counter. They were pistol bullets to be precise. Since the radioactive wasteland prohibited pistol use and Sparkle Cola wasn't a big thing in the Empire due to the Isolation Act, pistol rounds became currency. Oh economy, how strange you are.
As she counted the rounds, she sorted them by caliber. Obviously each caliber was worth a different amount. Fourty-fours were the rarest, thus worth the most. Nine-mil and Twenty-twos were tied for the least valuable as they were the easiest to find. Finally, she stopped her counting and sorting. In between us lay two ten-mil rounds and four nine-mils.
“That should do it,” she finally said as she stuck her muzzle below the counter. She then came back up with a key in her teeth. She set the key down as she used her hoof to swipe the bullets into a counter that I presumed was on the floor. I took this time to examine her coat. It was crimson in color but had a dull quality to it, like most of the inhabitants of the Wasted North. Even my sister's and my bright white coat had a dull sheen to it. Legend had it that all crystal ponies used to sparkle like the items after which we were named. However, the destruction of our home seemed to have made us... dull.
“Thank you,” I said before taking the key in hoof and walking into the hall, my mask swinging about my neck as I did. Like the guard outside had said, there was another guard here that motioned us along as soon as I stepped out. Silently, we followed the guard down the halls. We passed several of the Hab citizens along the way. Most wore nothing while some had their masks dangling from their necks and even fewer were wearing their suits. The ones who had actual clothes were wearing old world suits or dresses. True to the way of the Tears, they greeted us as we passed by. In turn, we greeted them. It was the friendly thing to do after all as we were guests in their Hab.
When we reached our room, the guard wished us a good day before walking off. Opening the door, we stepped inside of the dimply lit room. A single, small bulb was barely putting out full glow as it dangled from the ceiling. However, it was enough to see without too much eye adjustment. Closing the door, I looked around to see that there was a single bed, a desk and chair, and a small table. Another door presumably led to the bathroom. The other door is exactly where Angel went. Most likely to empty her suit.
“I'm gonna go find the bar,” I told her as I started to strip off my own suit.
“Don't spend all our rounds,” she replied before closing the door. Once I was out of my suit, I fold it nicely and placed it, my snowshoes, and gas mask onto the table. In that order. From bottom to top. Before I left, I unscrewed the used canister and screwed a fresh one in. Making a mental note to go visit the market before heading out tomorrow, I put down the old canister and headed back out into the hallway.
One ask for directions later, I found myself in a nicely lit room with a scrap metal bar on one side and torn booths lining the wall on the other side. Music spilled forth from an old radio behind the counter. It wasn't too busy, only a few other ponies present. However, they all took note of me when I entered. I was the outsider. A non-Tear. Of course they'd notice me. I was also white after all. White mane, white coat, white tail. The only part of me that wasn't white was the black outline of the snowbank on my flank that had a pair of binoculars resting atop it.
Sitting at the bar, I ordered a beer. After paying two nine-mils for the drink, I took a sip from it and smiled as the alcohol burned down my throat. Oh, it was good to be in a Hab. That was when a familiar voice took over the emptiness that had been left by the previous song's ending.
”Hello my fellow Wasters! This is Gasmask with two fives! Spell it with me kiddies: G-A-5-M-A-5-K! GA5MA5K! I'm here in my radio stronghold bringing the outside news inside your Habs!
Y'all are familiar with Equestria, right? Our southerly neighbors?”
Grumbling filled the bar. Of course we're familiar with them. They and their Zebra buddies caused us to have to live in these Habs!
”Cool your hatred my fellows, this is where it gets interesting. My counterpart in the land down under, DJ-PON3, has one busy schedule, let me tell you! It's apparently heroine galore down there! Stable Dweller, Security, Ministry Mare, and Blood Angel to just name a few! Where are these gals coming from and why do they suddenly feel like trying to make everything sunshine and rainbows?
Oh well, whatever floats their boat, am I right? Though I wouldn't mind if some sexy heroine showed up here for a personal interview. Ya know what I mean!”
Chuckling filled the bar as the stallions present grinned stupidly to themselves. The mares present even laughed out of the good nature of the joke.
”Now, I'm gonna let Sweetie Belle take it away but first; this is GA5MA5K signing off with this little tip: hood first, then the mask.”
I chuckled again as I took another sip of the beer. Yep, life in the Wasted North was a treacherous thing. However, I found that I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Well... maybe for a night with a sexy heroine.
...Maybe.
CHAPTER END
STATS: Snowbank
Strength: 7
Perception: 8
Endurance: 8
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 4
Agility: 7
Luck: 4
Origin: Dreaded Snow – You are more orientation adept due to your upbringing. Even in the empty arctic wastes, you can still find your way. Intelligence increased by 1. Perception increased by 1.
Trait: Deadlier Half – When around Snow Angel, all combat stats raise by +15%.
Trait: National Fervor – After a GA5MA5K broadcast, all stats increase by 10 for 2 minutes.
STATS: Snow Angel
Strength: 4
Perception: 8
Endurance: 8
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 7
Agility: 7
Luck: 5
Origin: Dreaded Snow – You are more orientation adept due to your upbringing. Even in the empty arctic wastes, you can still find your way. Intelligence increased by 1. Perception increased by 1.
Trait: Better Half – When around Snowbank, all social stats raise by +15%.
Trait: National Fervor – After a GA5MA5K broadcast, all stats increase by 10 for 2 minutes.
END FOOTNOTE
Inspired by Kkat's Fallout: Equestria
Author's Note
Hey guys! This is just a teaser for a story that I hope to continue when I get back from Basic (which should be around Thanksgiving). I hope y'all enjoy it!
