Fallout Equestria: The Long Winter

So, a couple things you should probably know about wolves. For one, we have three little digits on our paws, so if one of us is trained well, we can hold a gun with one paw....might be a little bit of a strain though. Two, our teeth are damm sharp, so that pony I bit in the ass will probably have a scar. And finally three, our fur can keep us warm, or cool us off. So I can adapt to the cold...somewhat.

Which really helped, considering how cold it was outside, combined with the snow, which was keep enough to reach my upper thighs. It was slow going....wherever I was going, and I occasionally looked back, only to see that the snow somehow filled in my footsteps I left behind. It was an advantage and a curse combined. On one hand, if any of those Unicorn Supremacists (Or Black Suns, as I've decided to call them) tried to track me; they’d have a hell of a challenge ahead of them. The disadvantage was that I probably wouldn't be able to retrace my steps, and the snow was slightly radioactive, as my Pipbuck was giving off small ticks, and....it all of these distractions resulted with me walking straight off a cliff.

...Not my smartest move.

I ended up hitting the ground below (snow thankfully cushioning my fall), rolling down a hill while getting covered in snow, and falling off yet another cliff.  I ended up in the back of a cart that was sitting on the ground. It was filled with supplies, and a very surprised Pegasus was looking back at me with two yellow-ish eyes that faced in different directions. And I must say she looked very odd for a Pegasus. Her grey coat had bright yellow patches of radiation, and she only had a few strands of what I would assume was a blonde mane. She turned to look at as I got up, one my paws feeling very sticky. It had landed in a box crudely labeled “Rad-Away” and it was covered in a purple liquid. I licked it, and found the liquid was blueberry flavored. The Pegasus mare finally turned her head, an innocent smile on her face, and pulled a chalkboard out of saddle bag, using her mouth to write with amazing speed and clarity.

“Hello there! I’m Ditzy Doo of Absolutely Everything. And yes, I do deliveries. Now then, how I can help you?”

“My name is Southpaw....and would it be correct to assume you us the chalkboard to talk?”

She nodded gleefully, a smile on her face. I was quite surprised that she was so friendly, considering I was a wolf. I’ll briefly explain. Wolves rose up with Nightmare Moon however many centuries ago and the wolves went with her, raping, pillaging yada, yada. So after that problem was taking care of, ponies weren't so find of my kind. Old habits die hard, and this is one that just keeps holding on. After gulping and wiping my hand on the side of the cart, I replied to her.

“Well, I’m kind of new to this wasteland...could you give me some tips?”

“I can do better than that.” She replied, letting herself out of the harness she was using to go into a box behind me. By this point I had right myself and was sitting on my rear end, watching her work. The grey pegasi’s wings flapped happily as she pulled out a box and a small pouch the jingled as it hung in her teeth. She tossed the book in front of me, and I read the title.

The Wasteland Survival Guide: Northern Edition by Ditzy Doo

I blinked a couple times, looking up at the Pegasus, opening my mouth to speak to her; he mouth and chalkboard were faster as the words were already written

“No worries about payment. I give these out free to every family. Take that and the bottle caps in the pouch. They’re currency.” I tilted my head in confusion.  Of all the things in the wasteland, why in the hell would bottle caps be used? She then tossed a pair of saddlebags at me and nailed me in the face. She giggled, then picked them up and helped me put them on.

“Ditzy, how can I repay you?” I asked as I finally stepped out of the cart, my saddlebags having a couple pouches of Rad-Away, a couple healing potions, and the Wasteland Survival Guide.

“Keep one eye on the sky, and one ahead of you. I make deliveries often in these parts, and I could always use someone looking out for me. Raiders are also pretty thick in these parts, so you better be careful!” She then pocketed her and went back to her harness and lifted off, heading south. I chose to do the same; following a very crude path through the white forest, a set of signs pointing toward a “town”

Ironbridge

There was a reason for that name; I didn't get to ponder upon it, as I got shot at. The bullets tore through the branches above my head and I dived to the closest source of cover, a large rock that I could crouch behind. I poked my head out to see three ponies which I assumed were raiders (I still hadn't gotten around to reading the survival guide), with assault rifles sitting in a rocky outcropping. No way up but from behind and not a lot of cover in their line of sight.  With no other choice, I activated the only magic I knew. There wasn't any official name for it, and it’s rare that I’ll use it. The spell itself teleports me extremely short distances, no longer then the length of two ponies. I teleported from one thick, dead tree to the next, slowly getting closer and closer  to the circle of rocks where the three ponies sat, scanning their lines of sight for me. I grinned; this could be a chance to mess with them. Using low hanging branches, I managed to move to a rather thick branch above them, deactivating the spell as I sat down. I then began to speak in a low, gravely voice

“The Shadow is not pleased. Perhaps it is time for The Shadow to send you to hell...”

That really got a rise out of ‘em. One, a newbie for sure, pretty much screamed and emptied his magazine managing to hit one of his buddies in the flank. The yellow-coated pony who was hit cried out in pain, dropping the rifle to the ground underneath the outcropping. The third one, a unicorn, kept his cool and talked back to me.

“Bullshit. I certainly ain't scared of no Shadow. How about you stop hiding so I can kill you?”

I wasn't really listening, as I was pulling out the pistol I had gotten back in my stable. Using the branch to hold the gun steady, I lined my first shot and fired. I managed to hit the wounded one in the eye and I saw it fly out the other side. Dead For sure. I moved to do my next shot within seconds. I fired again; hitting the newbie in the neck...probably would have helped if I had used S.A.T.S (Stable Tec Targeting System). The unicorn’s horn glowed and my branch broke in two, causing me to fall from my perch. I activated S.A.T.S in mid-air, and used it to target the leader pony.  With my pistol lost in the snow, I had only one choice. I turned my head to the left and tossed my sword at him. I saw it turn over and over in increasingly faster motion as the spell wore off. I grinned as it chopped the unicorn’s horn down to nothing but a stub, pretty much severing the whole thing off. With his buddy bleeding on the ground and no horn or assault rifle (he dropped it in a mixture of shock and pain) he tried to punch me. I caught his hoof in my teeth and bit down HARD, only letting go when I made contact with bone. I then turned and give the wounded pony an apple-buck of sorts, sending him flying into a tree that was right behind him. A mound of snow covered most of his body, but I was able to slap him across the face, talking to him in the same low, gravelly voice

“I’m going to let you live. You are going to go to your leader and tell him that if his raiders shoot at me again, The Shadow will come for him.” He nodded, now a blubbering mess that used to be a unicorn. I hit him again, this time with his fallen assault rifle, knocking him out. My PipBuck scanned it, checking to see if was in working order. I swore under my breath as I was told the thing couldn't fire again. I tossed it away, grabbed my pistol, and went back to the path I had been following. Two more raider encounters, some bottle caps and a fully automatic handgun (plus ammo) later, I finally arrived at Ironbridge.

And boy, did it live up to its name.

The whole town was on an absolutely huge iron bridge that I couldn't see the top of, with a system of ramps, ladders and poles connecting different platforms. On said platforms were lean-tos a various shacks, with the shops being built on the very bottom of the bridge, probably for easy access to travelers. The end of the bridge that I could see had a wall made out of scrap metal, with a few snipers scattered across the wall and large, mounted guns on top, aimed toward the hill. I jumped as a bullet hit the ground next to my right forepaw, and a pony’s voice, with a heavy Prussian accent, rang through the air.

“State your business wolf, or go swim in the river”

“Uhhh...to buy stuff?” I shouted back at him, followed by a pause. Then the voice shouted back at me.

“Very well. Do not shoot, stab, slice, or bite anyone. If you do, you will face immediate execution. The moment the pony was finished speaking, I began to run...bad idea. Because one I got close to the door, my front left leg stepped on something metal.

“Oh, and be wary the landmine-too late...Anastasia! Go get Axel. He’ll need his toolkit!” I gulped. Landmine means explosion. Explosion means death...and that’s something I CANNOT be. I sighed and raised my head high, taking in a deep breath before lifting my foot.

I felt the cool rush of hot air carry me over that gate, and the last thing I felt was hitting the cold, cobbled stone…

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I awoke what I assumed to be a couple hours later in a warm bed, out of the cold. For a minute, I almost thought I was back in my stable, and everything that had happened was just a really bad dream. Of course, it wasn’t true, but it was nice to dream/ I reluctantly opened my eyes to see an earth pony mare, red mane, white coat, white clothing, standing above me with a grin on her face. I chuckled sheepishly, turned over, and then sat up. After my mind cleared, I remember the landmine and looked down at my left foreleg. It was replaced with a metal substitute, and seemed unfinished. A rainbow of wire twisted its way up and around the robotic limb and I couldn't move it. Which of course, made me pissed. That seemed to be a growing trend with me getting angry with things in the wasteland. First the raiders, and now whoever was lazy enough to not finish the damn job! Suddenly a tightly wrapped cylinder of paper bopped me on my nose, which somehow calmed me down…how the hell does that work?

“That’s enough youngling. Axel was simply getting the cover for your leg.” A deep rumbling voice came from the diamond dog standing over me, his claws fitting some sort of black barding over my leg. While he worked, I took in the details of Axel, as I assumed his name was. He was an odd diamond dog, colored white or very light grey, and without the rags he wore, I was fairly sure I could see inside of him. I could also see multiple scars all over him, including one that blinded his left eye. I didn't realize he was finished until he spoke once more

“There. Leg will not only make you faster, but stronger as well. Axel even threw in the internal workings of a PipPaw. Easier for dog and wolves to use. Give us spells that unicorns use. Helps you hold guns.” I nodded, indicating I understand what he spoke. In truth, I was pretty damn excited about having an easier way to hold a gun…whatever way it was. Long as I wasn’t levitating like a unicorn. After a minute, I rolled out of the bed, walking around shakily as I tested the new leg out. It felt like what my leg was originally was, but whenever I looked down at the screen of what I assumed was the wolf version of a PipBuck, it got me to shiver. Not even a day in this wasteland had passed, and I’d already gotten myself maimed. I’d have to be more careful…and avoid landmines

“If wolf knows what is good for him, he will keep leg intact. Axel vouched for Wolf, got him warm armor while making leg. Icepick wanted to kill you. Instead, you now owe him favor.” Axel had kept talking while I tested the leg out, so I only caught what he had just said. I nodded, and mumbled something before raising the leg so I could see it, the screen popping to life. I chuckled when I saw it, a smile coming to my face. The Pip-pony had been replaced by a Pip-wolf, and it was certainly an upgrade from that smiling unicorn that I hated ever so much. I then felt something warm fall over my side, and looked back to see armor of some sort, obviously meant for me. I grabbed it gently with my teeth, taking a peek inside. It was lined with a fur of some sort, and it was thin enough to not hinder my mobility.

“Why are you giving all this stuff to me? I haven’t anything besides get blown up.”

Suddenly the door pretty much burst open, a massive earth stallion filling the doorframe. I gulped and sat right onto my rump, the grey-coated, and black-maned pony answering my question moments later.

“Because comrade, it is our fault. We did not tell about the landmines in time. Plus, we have stories of a “Shadow” decimating the raider camp along our most prominent trading road. We assume this Shadow is you.” His Prussian-accented voice practically filled the room, and he spoke with vigor.  He was happy that I killed ponies…odd. I shrugged it off, finally getting into the barding, which was much warmer than my fur, which was admittedly pretty thin. It fit well, and I managed to spy a white wolf head, raised as if it was howling to the moon, sewn into the flank. I’m not if it was extremely racist, or extremely cheesy.  Along with that, some bulletproof material had been placed in the barding, mostly around my back and sides, leaving my underside exposed. After testing out my legs, the screen of my PipPaw sprung to life once more, the saddlebags that were placed near my back legs had been sorted, and filled with healing potions. It was at this point that I had finally scanned the room, and realized my sword was nowhere to be seen.

Crap.

My grandfather had forged that sword, worked day in and day out in the mine, (Yes, my stable had a mine. Long story) to forge that blade, and I just went and blew it up!  I raised my new paw to facepalm, my digits curling into a fist. There was a small tearing noise, and before I knew it, I was staring at the familiar silver blade that was on my sword....except it was a lot shorter and sticking out of my leg. I clenched my paw again, looking at Axel with a mix of surprise and horror. I’d nearly stabbed Icepick, as he had stuck his hoof out to shake.

“What? Blade was good. Wolf needs weapon. Leg had space to spare…fine. I will turn down sensitivity.”

He grumbled after the massive grey pony gave him a harsh look and I raised my leg so he fiddle with it, my attention focused on Icepick, as he began speaking once more.

“Comrade, there is much I could ask of you to repay the immense debt debt you owe me. But there is something more important than a dispute with the Black Suns. More important than some petty squabble with raiders or Reapers.”

“Okay…can you fill me in on what this important thing is?” I replied laying down on the floor as my legs was opened up and fiddled with.

“Simple friend. Winter is coming”

“…No duh. There are signs of winter everywhere. Snow, cold wind, Ice. We are in an arctic climate”

“You misunderstand. It is the warm season, yet our crops are already freezing. Our lakes are icing over. I fear something my Papa once told me. He once told me the eternal winter would come, and freeze the north over completely.”

“So....do I need to go put some artifact back in its place, or go kill some super- magical pony? Also, why me?” I asked finally getting control over my arm again, testing the pop out blade. I’d have to squeeze pretty hard to activate it now. Then Icepick continued.

“Ha! That is a plot akin to a moving picture. You my friend, will have to kill the Wingidos in order to save the entire North, and perhaps what is left the world from an eternal winter. I also have word from my scouts that a certain canine managed to eradicate a raider nest on our trading route.” Icepick replied as he continued puffing on a cigar that had come from somewhere. He then walked out of the room, motioning for me to follow. Outside, I finally got a good look at the town. Homes themselves were built onto stilts or bolted right into the side of the massive bridge, and seemed to sway or lurch with strong winds. He took me down a spiral staircase made of metal (which was cold on my three still-bare paws) that led back down to the broken and cracked pavement that made up the road of the bridge. I kept following him to the far side of the bridge, where a contraption of sorts sat rumbling loudly. Icepick kept walking, slapping a pony sitting on a seat that was mounted on the front of this device on the back of the head.

“Jon Snow, my bastard son, do you know anything? It took us all night to put this together and you simply sit and waste the fuel?” The smacked pony turned around, a meek look on his face. He was paler than his father, his coat almost pure white and his mane (black, like his father) was styled in a messy curly Afro of sorts. He simply looked at his father with a blank face, and then gripped the reins of the machine with his teeth. It seemed to be some of machine that traveled over land via a mechanism that moved a tread along the ground, the front half of skis placed on the front. Behind the driver’s seat was a large box that had a few seats haphazardly drilled into the sides. Seemed top-heavy if you ask me.

“My son will take you to Strongcastle and pick up and ally of mine that I recruited. After that, you will get control of this machine, and you will head farther north. We saved your life my furry friend. Kill the Wingidos, or do not come back to my town.” During his last sentence he leaned very closely, his voice getting dangerously low. I gulped, and then nodded, climbing into the contraption. Ice pick gave me one last look, and then closed the wall behind me, using one hoof to push it up into place. Within seconds Jon snow, who I’m fairly sure knew nothing about driving this thing, shifted the contraption into motion, throwing me against the back wall, with odds and ends bouncing around the box. One of which was an empty metal bucket. And like everything else in this wasteland, it chose to knock me on my ass by knocking me out.

________________________________________

When I woke up, the machine was still, and I could hear voices…more than a couple of them. I opened my eyes and stood, shaking some snow out of my fur. I looked up with a scowl; this box had an open top. So that’s how I got it in my fur. The back of the box then dropped with a clatter and I whirled around, popping out my blade. A brown earth pony stood on the other side of the door. His darker brown mane was cropped short, and he wore a black jacket of some leather material over his chest and fore hooves.

“So, you must be Icepick’s canine companion! Nice to meet you…” He said in a cheerful voice, trailing as he indicated for me to tell him his name. He sounded as if he was from somewhere north of Prance. Couldn't put my paw on the name though.

“Ahiga. And you are?”

“Well, I've gotten more than a couple names over the years. Many of which I cannot repeat, as there are fillies and colts present. I am a combat medic…” he paused, pulling out a healing potion. “…and an explosives expert.” He paused once more to pick up something up with his forelegs. It turned out to be a massive tube that had a shoulder guard mounted on it, and was colored neon blue. As far as I could tell, it was his explosives gun. ON the side I managed to catch a glimpse of an acronym. T.A.R.D.I.S was what it said, but I was puzzled on what it meant.

“You may simply call me Doc.”

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This was a PAIN in the butt to write, as I had some writers block.

But I would like to announce that I will be doing a Christmas/ Hearth’s Warming Eve crossover with dirtytheseal and his story Fallout Equestria: Rough Waters.

I promise the next update will be quicker!