Chapter Five, Flying With Ravens.

"Always watch your back.."

***

Cobalt looked smaller, and younger. He was also in a type of dress uniform, he had a cocky smile and was chatting with the other colts who were up in the clouds with him, other class mates for the Infantry Academy. Pegasi flew all around them training to fly, many in training armor, the first version of power armor made because it was obsolete and heavier meant to help trainees get used to flying with extremely heavy armor.

He was talking with the other colts about how they were ready to fly. Cobalt mostly listened to them rather than talked about himself, he was slightly shy but kept listening intently to some of their stories.

"Man, I am SO ready to get my first set of armor! Can't wait until I go on my first combat tour!" One said looking tough and giving a proud stance that you'd usually see on a Grand Pegasus Enclave poster.

"Same here dude, I can't wait to go and kill some of those scum down below! Bet they'd start crying right when they see us!" The other said giving the other a high five with their wings.

"Get all the mares, huh? Bitches love power armor!" Another snicked and all except Cobalt cheered in response brohoofing each other and giving wing high fives.

Cobalt was pretty quiet but had a smile as he listened, unlike the other cadets, he already had acouple medals on his uniform. Only about one or two, already from the Enclave Military Engeering School he had taken before being reassigned for field duty because higher ranks had noted his accuracy in marksmanship during an annual draft test that everypony of his age was required to take incase of a draft for new soldiers, essentially to find out who they were looking for.

Cobalt stood around in the group, surprised at the lack of any mares or fillies. They most likely have their own training school to prevent things between colts and fillies in training, or to make it fair. No clue, he hadn't seen his sister since he got his orders to report to the Grand Training Academy. Infact, he even thought she got some orders. Most likely was sent to the Officers Academy, she was always a good leader in his opinion.

Though he was very nervous, he was the second best student in the engineering school, he had worked hard, he didn't really know why he was being assigned to field training because he could shoot a gun better than the average colt who'd accidently shoot themselves. Sure his parents had always been more diciplining, and were always hard on him and his Sister, but he guessed it turned out for the best. Especially if it got him second in his class and his sister in Officers Academy.

He just couldn't wait until his letter back to mom and dad telling him how he got assigned to the Infantry Academy, and with other more personal matters. He had never told anypony who he was dating, he had been dating Kieos for awhile now, and he didn't mention what race Kieos was because of a serious distaste for Griffons by the Pegasi because of massive conflict between them, but he did note that Kieos was indeed male. He knew his parents wouldn't mind, he just didn't want to embarrass them infront of other famillies that he was a colt cuddler, it's one of those things that can in some way shape or form, give your family a bad name. So he decided to keep it a secret with his family members, he knew they'd understand him.

He smiled a little then snapped back to his dream's reaility when a colt was talking to him. "Wooah, how'd you already get medals?" One of them said getting the other's attention to his dress uniform.

"Uh, I was second in the Engineering Academy, and top marksman of my age group for the Draft Test." He shrrugged, truthfully the medals weren't much of an achievement for many of the already trained soldiers, but to already have medals at his age was outstanding to many kids. He didn't really think so, he wore them pridefully but he knew they were just medals to give your a, 'military pat on your back' for doing something that the next age group will do flawlessly.

The other kids began shooting questions at him relentlessly before he simply said. "They're just some medals, when you actually go into a combat tour and survive you'll get a medal for each tour. These aren't much of achievements." But they kept asking him questions, until the older Cadets started to notice.

"Haha! Ohhh he got two medals for being an engineer and a sniper." An older cadet mocked walking up to the crowd of small ponies with two other friends. They were big, buff. Most likely around fifteen or sixteen of age by their achne and greasy manes. But what still got his attention was big and buff. Most likely the fact they'd been here longer than the arriving class of nine and ten year olds.

"Uh yeah." Cobalt shrugged. "I told them it's not much of an achievement." He rolled his eyes until one of them stepped on his head bright him to the cloud ground in a bowing position.

"No shit it isn't, quiet flank-face. Don't think I don't know your brother, Cobalt." He snickered. Oh yeah, did I forget to tell you about my older brother? Well I dilberately 'forgot' for a reason. He's not exactly the nicest to me, but there are those times he had shown some compassion. He's currently a Staff Sergeant in the Infantry. Let's just say he knows the older brother to the colt who's currently standing on my head like a hoof rest. And when he talks shit about me, he tells his friends everything about me. Like when he walked into the house when me and a colt were making out on the couch when watching a movie. Poor New Moon, his family pretty much moved on the other side of the Earth when they found out what he had been doing.

"Hey kids? Want a warning about your upcoming academy training?" He asked with a shit-eating grin and got a lot of nods and excited faces from the kids. "Watch out for this flank staring colt. You might wake up in bed with him!" He laughed and picked up Cobalt then pretty much threw him onto the ground, taking Cobalt's academy cap and crushing it under hoof.

Cobalt shook his head and got up to tried to wail on the older colt, instead the teenager put out his leg and his hoof against Cobalt's head stopping him in his tracks. "You fucking prick!" Cobalt yelled at the teenager wailing on his leg.

"Ah stuff it colt cuddler." He snickered and laughed, getting laughs from his buddies then jumped into the air and began to fly off laughing.

The other colts looked at him, not saying anything. Some began to laugh at him and make fun of him, others just stood there not really wanting to be a part of it, not really seeing the problem with it. Just his preference.

The laughter continued and continued as the dream was ending.

***

"Ughhh..." He groaned waking up slowly and rubbing his head, he also made a yawn and his eyes were slowly opening and becoming clearer of his surroundings. He shook his head feriously to shake off the sleepiness he felt. He groaned again and started to get up. Morning from the light and less smog. Good, still a live, thats a start.

He wobbily stood up and stretched his back and groaned in pain. "Ugh... still have a bullet in my side..." He mumbled remembering the bullet that did pierce his armor. He looked around the place and saw Amber still laying against the desk, asleep. He chuckled and walked around the room and looked around as well, the place was much lighter now.

He stopped and walked back over to the desk and nudged Amber to wake her up. "C'mon we need to go. I don't trust this place." He said helping her up and she nodded in agreement. They began to leave through the way they came, passing the goo of raiders who tried to fight them. Cobalt chuckled thinking of how he had gotten through, though still puzzled at the serious lack of raiders defending. Very confusing to him, every building he had attacked had been filled to the walls of raiders to where he could kill about thirty by throwing a grenade into a single room.

But he unwisely shrugged it off, must be the high radiation and lack of survivable ways into the place. He'd truthfully be happy to get the hell out of the building, those radioactive vats we're starting to creep him out. Including the bottles.

"So, uh. I'm getting slightly hungry... How about you?" Cobalt asked and she shook her head. "Any, uh, Apples? Or Carrots? Strawberries?" He asked and she shook her head. "Then what do you eat?"

She pointed to a raider who wasn't turned to goo. "Uh... I'm good..." He looked a little sicked by his facial expression. "I think I can hold my hunger." He said with a nod as they went down into the rotunda and then were into the basement of the building and on their way tunnels. They began to walk into the tunnels so Cobalt closed the door behind them causing the room to be completely engulfed in darkness until Amber lit up her horn creating a small light.

They walked through the tunnels, Amber trying to keep the light spell going continously, Cobalt looked at her slightly worried whenever her horn glitched and she looked like she was in pain. Cobalt suddenly looked confused.

'Why do I care? Ugh, I'm starting to care for her... Not good, remember what you we're trained, emotions get you killed, emotions get you killed...' He thought to shaking his head a little then he remembered, his only reason for being in this city was his emotions. He staying here to help his mate. Dammit... I guess she's not that bad... She's been helping me a lot... I guess I can trust her enough...

They heard a hiss and a disgusting growl from ahead. Ferals... Cobalt moved Amber behind him and began to open fire his plasma casters upon the ghouls cutting them down, except one that began to charge him and had some pretty nice armor... Hell if he could see mistake it for power armor he would.

*WHAM*

The ghoul DID have power armor, Not a good enemy to fight. Including a feral ghoul. Cobalt got knocked back but he quickly got back up, turned around and bucked the armor-clad ghoul in the helmet merely hitting it back.

"GET OFF ME FUCK-FACE!" Cobalt yelled at the ghoul and kept hitting it in the helmet hearing the disgusting noises it was making from the helmet's speakers.

Despite what ponies think, Enclave armor is not the strongest. Infact, before the final day of equestria, the last armor type to be made for Steel Rangers is the strongest and most technologically advanced. Sure we have some advanced-ass tech on our armor, I've even seen Enclave scientists working with Kinetic Barriers and force field tech that they were someday hoping to implement to armor. But like I was saying, a lot of our armor has exposed parts that should NOT be exposed. Like energy circuits and air tubing, he was hoping he could prove that he was better in engineering to help work on armor rather than weapons or even in the Infantry at all. But now he was having a hoof fight with a ghoul wearing T51 power armor. Well fuck me.

Cobalt pushed the ghould off of him and hopped ontop of the ghoul and began to wail on it, hoping that carbon fiber and plastic armor wouldn't be as hard to break as steel plates. But obviously it didn't work like that as he barely saw dents in the armor as he punched away. He pulled his nearly-broken pistol out and shoved it in the neck area between the helmet and torso armor and began firing, he felt the splatter of blood but he knew just shooting it wouldn't kill it, if he was stuck in the armor as a ghoul, there'd be enough radiation in there to heal it back.

The ghoul pushed Cobalt off and began to wail on him. "AMBER! SHOOT THEN DAMN THING!" He yelled at her as it wailed on him relentlessly. Amber pulled out the plasma pistol but was hesitant. "JUST SHOOT IT DAMMIT! PLEASE!" He yelled in pain as it wailed on him. She fired at the thing, melting pieces of the armor but due to it's design it could take energy weapons quite well. But it distracted the ghoul because they can only focus on one thing at a time. Cobalt pushed it off and punched the weaker spots that Amber had made from her plasma shots until there was finally a hole in the chest plate.

Cobalt puled out a frag grenade and punched the ghoul's helmet getting it's attention. "Hey bitch! Follow me!" He said running further down the tunnel, it chased him closely until Amber couldn't see them. She heard a loud explosion and a lot of dust fly and she came running down the tunnel until she saw gorey remains and armor shrapnel. Cobalt was lying under a large slate of gore and armor but was slightly moving, dazed.

She ran to him and pushed off the gorey remains and checked over him for wounds, nothing too serious. Just some shrapnel wounds, a lot of bleeding from the beating he had taken, but thankfully nothing serious. Maybe a broken nose. That'd help him with the terrible smells of the wasteland at least. She helped him up onto his hooves. "Ugh.. Thanks..." He said to her getting a nod from her.

"Lets continue on, shall we?" Cobalt asked a little loudly. Obviously being right next to a grenade without the sound proof helmet had pretty much made him deaf, well not like she could speak so she nodded and Cobalt continued to walk down the tunnel, using his heavy armor and powerful plasma caster to his advantage to tank through the tunnels which still had a lot of ghouls surprisingly, with Amber covering his flank and directing him to where to walk down they got to the small service room that Amber had used as her hiding place quicker than when they left it.

They opened the door and the other ponies greeted them as Amber walked through the door while Cobalt stood watch then backed inside the room and closed the bulkhead shut. He looked back into the room. The marer without ears seemed calmed down more, most likely on morphine now. The other mare whom he had yelled at about her child didn't make eye contact with him, but he didn't mind. He could slightly understand why anyway. The severaly mutilated colt had a pistol nearby him and was looking at Cobalt helmet very curiously. Cobalt walked over to him and sat next to him.

"Sup." He said to the colt who nodded back and looked at the helmet.

"I guess this is yours?" He asked and Cobalt nodded. "It's a nice helmet if it wasn't so damaged. Bullet proof eye pieces are hard to find. But I know a place that has a lot of power armor parts and weapons." This got Cobalt interested.

"Go on." He said simply.

"Well, there's this underground armory in a military base called Fort McPonson down pretty far south in the city limits. Hard to get there by street. I tried getting around the park but that's how the raiders found me. If you want some heavy weapons or armor pieces, that'd be the place to go." He said to Cobalt getting him interested.

"Yeah I've heard of the place before. Crawling with military ghouls. Meaning power armor and combat armor wearing ghouls. Shouldn't be too hard. Maybe there could be something I could read to what happened in this city." Cobalt said actually smiling a little.

"Well obviously the place was bombed." Noted the colt.

"No shit. But I'm meaning why there's nothing about Stables anywhere in this city. Like they don't exist." Cobalt said and the colt raised his eye brow.

"What's a Stable...?" The colt asked.

Footnote: Level Up!
New Perk -- Tank: You may be soft on the inside, but you're protected by a hard shell! You gain a +3 bonus to Damage Threshold when wearing any type of Heavy Weight armor but you will suffer a -1 to Agility if wearing anything that is Light or Medium Weight.

Author's Note

Whew! Had fun writing this chapter. It was nice to get more of a background to Cobalt in this I guess.

Anyways, I like this perk that I made. It makes a lot of in my opinion because he was trained to have power armor and plus I like the MLP Reference to it too.

So I hope you enjoyed the chapter! <3 you all like always.