Fallout Equestria: The Crystal Heartby CoolWashingtonChaptersFallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart IntroductionFallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart Chapter 1: Welcome to the Outpost!Fallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart Chapter 3: LittlepipFallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart IntroductionFallout: Equestria The Crystal Heart Introduction “War, war never changes.” War. War never changes. Ponies do. Sometimes, for the better. Sometimes, for the worst. But they change. Like me. I changed. Though I don't know yet if it is for the best or the worst. So I will let you decide. No, no. Don't decide just yet. Let me tell my tale first. My name is Whirlwind. I am a former Outpost Guard pony. In case you don't know what an Outpost is, here is an explanation. Outposts are small bases that are scattered across Northern Equestria, though most have civilians living in there, who can't get into the Crystal Empire, or can't afford it, and are forced to go there due to freezing cold weather, wild animals, raiders, so forth. The Outpost takes the ponies in if they have room, and feed them, protect them. A motel, if I can call it that, with military ties. Sure, there are far more luxurious places out there in the Frozen Wasteland, but the Outposts are safest. We have elite soldiers guarding the Outposts 23/7. I say 23 because there is always some guard during the night shift who falls asleep. Ok we aren't all that great, but at least we are well supplied. We have trading hubs and frequently get traders in and out. Some even need a place to stay, so more caps for us, because ponies who don't need our protection have to pay, and usually get kicked out if someone who is in need comes along while they stay. Normally, in the city, it's vise versa, the ones who don't pay get kicked to the streets and the highest bidder wins a bed. The Outposts' goal is to protect. More importantly, protect the Empire from 'King' Sombra. Most of you should have heard of Sombra, unless you came from Southern Equestria, with all of those deserts and no snow. If you are one of those ponies who is from the South, here is another explanation. King Sombra returned along with the Empire some 210 years ago. We were able to hold off Sombra for a good while, with some outsider's help. I can't remember their names well, but I believe they were called Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Princess Cadence, and Spike. They were Southerners, unlike us, but you Southern Ponies should know the tale. Yet, even after Sombra's Second Fall, he returned again. We thought we had killed him. Boy, were we so wrong. He came back, somehow. Some say it was a simple preservation spell he made up, some say they could see his horn fly away when he fell the second time, and that he regrew from his horn. Others, say that the devil or some unholy, pure evil being willed him back to life. I say fuck all of that shit. I don't care how he came back. I just want him gone. For good this time. I want to do everything in my power to get rid of him. I don't care if I have to die for it. Death itself won't stop me. If Sombra came back from the dead to rule, then I will come back to end his rule. Though, I won't take that road alone. I alone can't undertake this path without someone. Even the smallest mare will do. The road will break my bones, shatter my will to live, blow apart my mind. Maybe even drive me insane. But I want somepony to mend though wounds. Help me in my time of need. Maybe even fall in love with me. But that is me. I'm just me. One pony. Enough with all this, let me finish what I was going to say first. I am an Outpost Guard. Squad 3. My current station is Outpost 22. My squad is OP 22-S3. We are by far the best of the best. Best defense, best medical assistance, best snipers, you name it, we got it. All but avoiding mines. We suck at that. A metal detector might help, or a mine that yell, 'WATCH THE FUCK OUT, I'M EXPLODING,' or something. Sadly, we don't get those. Just a light from our Pipbucks and three beeps. Now you might be lost. Wait, Pipbucks? Like the Pipbuck 3000? Aren't those a Stable-Tec product? Well, yea, it is. It just so happens that Outpost 22 is an abandoned Stable. We wandered into the Stable and found skeletons of the old Stable Dwellers, along with some Pipbucks. After some research, and maybe a few explosions due to failures, we got ourselves a new and improved Pipbuck. They look just like the 3000 model, but ours come with a microphone with a cable that is attached to the Pipbuck, and is long enough to fit to our heads. They get minor things too, like Stopwatches (S.T.W), Calendars (C.A.L), and a Heart Rate Monitor (H.R.M). We still get all the old setting too, like the Eyes Forward Sparkle (E.F.S) and the Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell (S.A.T.S). Unlike the Stable Ponies, however, the Pipbuck 4000 (our version) is only assigned to the soldiers. So I have one, but the annoying colt from Room 2 doesn't, even with his cutie mark. Now, 'who am I?', your asking, huh? I am my Squad's regular infantry. I handle all the automatic rifles, energy rifles, and expert at repairing guns. Only guns, though, so I didn't help out any on the Pipbucks, that was Lightning Flicker's work. Honestly, I don't like any of the guns most of the other soldiers ask me to repair. Sure, I can repair them, but I prefer my lovely Outpost Tech Solar Powered Rifle and Solar Pistol. Eeyup. Solar Powered. Means I can not only shoot bright solar flares, but I don't need ammo either. I guess it is like a solar panel, just it harnesses the energy collected into a deadly laser, solar flare, beam, whatever. Lightning Flicker's work, again. Wow, that buvk is not only cute, but he is good with making things and... Crap, I am going off topic. Though, I need to identify myself clearly. I am a male unicorn. Average sized, light grey coat, darker grey mane with blue streaks here and there, and rather cute if i do say so myself, now that I think about it. Oh, and I have light blue eyes. I think the proper color name is cyan. I am sarcastic. Very sarcastic. Sometimes I accidently get people mad because they don't know when to take me serious or not. I also like to have fun, but never really go to parties. I guess you can call me a little shy. Unless you talk to me first, I am not likely to just walk up and say, 'hey, wanna go grab a drink'. Which is probably why I have never even dated someone. I'm the bisexual colt sitting in the corner waiting, hoping, for somepony, anypony, to walk up and ask me anything of the sort. So yea, I'm free. But don't ask. Unless I know you well or I already admire you, I will say no. On second thought I'm desperate so go ahead. Ok I need to stop I'm becoming red in the face. New topic. Where was I? Ah yes, back to war. The reason why I haven't already left the Outpost was because of two reasons. Number one, I don't have anyone who will follow me. They say it's suicide. I don't care. Number two. I'm scared. I won't lie. I don't want to die. Nopony does, not even Sombra. I don't want to go on a mission I made up if I am not going to have a good and running chance. One pony won't do. Not even with this Outpost Power Armor. I forgot to tell you about Outpost Power Armor! I'll make it brief. We found some pony in the snow with some Power Armor on. Took forever to get off, but we did manage. His armor bore the symbol of a spark, some apples, and wings. Black and red Power Armor. We again examined the suit and made improvements. Some thought the improvements on the prototype were terrible. The suit was a bit stiff, hard to breath in, and had a nasty attitude. Yea, our suits talk. Well, now they only talk when the pony inside gets injured, like a broken or shattered bone, and it would say, "Back right left impaired," which will notify the medic to look at it later. The new suits also can activate a cast for a simple broken bone, depending on which bone is broken. The wearer can still battle even with the cast on, it's so durable. With the prototype you get a similar response from the suit, but it can't become a cast, so you have to take off the suit and wait for the bone to heal with the help of the medic. I have a prototype, because I like it. Sure, the new one has perks, but it's boring. I can't talk to it and have a conversation. With the prototype, you can talk to it and get an answer from it. It has personality. It can even insult you. When I first put my suit on, it said to me, 'You better take care of me, fuck ass,'. I did take care of it, and he is less mouthy now. He only insults me now when I make stupid decisions, like drink too much. I never wear the helmet though. We again kept most of the functions which the suit we found had, like repair itself to a certain point, fix us up with Med-X and other medical supplies. My suit likes to be called T-55. Why? Well, how the fuck should I know? Now, onto the last part of this. Enemies and allies. Here are the worst bad guys. King Sombra and his army of Mutated Crystal Ponies and Zecora's Legion. King Sombra magically mutates ponies into larger, stronger ponies who are covered in dark black crystals, and loose intelligence. However, they can still wield weapons, and commonly are seen with either a rifle or the bigger guns. They seem to favor miniguns and flamethrowers. I can see why they like flamethrowers. Even though they are mutated, they still want to keep warm in this weather. Blizzards 12/6 1/2 days of the year it seems. I would rather die by flame than by bullet. I would die warm. Now, I lied. I am no Element of Honesty. One more thing, I promise. Why do I want to take this quest? The Crystal Heart. It's dying. Twilight and her friends may have recovered it, but there is one thing that was never told to Twilight, that only crystal ponies know of. There are multiple Crystal Hearts. They are far beyond rare, and even harder to obtain. One can only get a Crystal Heart from a Crystal Dragon. The Crystal Heart is the Dragon's Heart. Of course it looks different when inside the dragon in order to function, but once the dragon is killed, it changes form and you get the cute little heart shape you thought was what a real heart looked like when you were a little filly or colt. So who do I want to kill Sombra? I don't want to kill him. I want to ask him where you find a Crystal Dragon. I am not sure he will answer, but I can make him somehow. After that, I will kill him. He leads the Mutated Crystal Ponies and I want that to end as much as the next pony. Only he can mutate ponies to their crystallized form, so once the source is gone, then it's just a matter of time and bullets. War. War never changes. Fallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart Chapter 1: Welcome to the Outpost!Chapter 1: Welcome to the Outpost! “They told me I needed friends. I didn’t doubt them for a second.” Whirlwind I woke up to the Outpost’s sirens roaring in my ears. I moaned and I looked over to my Pipbuck’s watch. Three AM. Damn, why couldn’t it of been at least four AM? “Wake up you asshole!” My friend, T-55 yelled to me. Goddesses-Damn this Prototype Power Armor! It is very helpful, and so annoying other times. I often wonder why I bother to keep the old thing. “Alright, alright, I'm getting up,” I said, slowly sliding out of my warm, comfortable bed. As soon as I stood up, I regretted it, and fell back onto my bed, tired and a bit dizzy. I immediately regretted laying back down, for my suit got up and stabbed me with a rather large syringe built into itself. “Ok, fuck you, fine. I’m up for real this time., I allowed myself to relax as I climbed into the Power Armor. “ What is it this time?” “I have yet to receive reports on who or what.” T-55 replied. I looked around my Stable room. Empty as always. I should hang a picture or a painting somewhere. Even though we had the stable cleaned of the cobwebs, it still looks eerie and vacant. I envisioned a colorful picture of a few happy, dancing ponies, all dressed up and with their loved ones at the Gala ,which I heard about through a post card, hanging on my wall. Even the smallest bit of color would add some small happiness. I realized that I was standing idle for too long, and telepathically levitated my Solar Powered Rifle to my side. I flipped the switch to turn it on, and the lights on the side of the gun slowly grew brighter with energy was it absorbed the artificial light from the small glowing mini-sun hovering just above my head. I floated the Solar Powered Pistol into it’s designated destination, it’s old, rotten holster on my left. “Take a guess then.” “From what I have seen lately, it could be giant bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla.” “Very funny. Now for real.” “Mutants. Just got the report. Not many, but not many.” “Not very surprising.” I slipped my black, sun resistant ski goggles on. It’s sunrise at three AM in Northern Equestria, and the sunlight reflecting off the snow requires either sunglasses or ski goggles. The helmet that came with the Armor has built in sun resistant lenses, but the helmet was never comfortable, so I never wear it. It just sits on my bookshelf, collecting dust and Frost Spiders. “Sir, we need to hurry, new reports suggest that they are using larger weapons and are receiving reinforcement.” “Ok, I am almost ready.” I placed my brown cowpony onto my head. “Ready.” I clicked the button to my door, opening it. I started to run over to the Outpost’s entrance, but was slowed down because the civilians were running in the opposite direction to the safe room. They yelled and hollered as they shoved their way past me. The more steps I took, the louder the sound of gunfire got. As I approached the door of the Outpost, which is a large Stable door, I saw my companions already outside the door, shooting at the enemy with their firearms, which are not like my Solar Powered guns. Those guns require ammo. Sadly for the Outpost, we are running low on our supply of ammunition. I saw my friend Biohazard , our demolition expert, fighting along side our medical unicorn, Lightning Flicker, but I couldn’t see the squad’s sniper, Lucky, or as we call her, Lil’ One-Shot. Biohazard and Lightning were in the Outpost’s lighter uniform, basic winterized combat uniform. I found myself distracted by Lightning Flicker’s rear. “Focus you dumbass,” I thought to myself. I stepped forward and entered the fray. I got the first greeting today from Lightning Flicker, “Morning Whirlwind!” “Uh, yea, you too,” I said, trying hard not to remember what I was looking at a few seconds ago, “Morning. Where is Lil’ One Shot?” “She is on top of the Outpost sniping. She gets a better view from up there.” Biohazard answered. “Mind lending us a hoof?” Lightning Flicker said “Sure.” I surveyed the scene before me. We were the squad closes to the Outpost, just outside the door, while the other squads were farther out, in small shacks made by ponies after the fallout. The ponies built the houses to survive the cold while they waited for the Stable’s doors to open. It never did. It never opened for anybody. Until we broke in and made our base. The passcode was “CMC4” I wonder what “CMC” stands for. The squads were only four ponies each. I tried hard to see them through the blazing white of the sun reflecting from the snow. The ones that I managed to see looked tiny compared to the mutants. The mutants were easily twice the size of a fully grown stallion, and some may have been three times the size of a pony. I counted nine before more snow started falling and the world darkened as a storm cloud passed overhead. I aimed my Solar Powered Rifle at the closest Mutant and pulled the trigger. I could see the bright yellow laser race forward and hit it’s target. One down, eight to go. I was aiming for another mutant when a beautiful, young, light blue mare with a dark black mane fell from above me and landed on me. I lost my shot, but almost managed to hit Lightning Flicker’s ear as I fell. “Damn, One-Shot. You always do this, but please don’t do it when we are in the heat of battle.” I said in a rather hateful tone towards One-Shot. We called her One-Shot because she was the best aim in the entire Outpost. On her first strike she would always hit her target, preferably in the head. Her real name was Lucky One. If we really wanted to, we would say “Lucky One-Shot”. I always liked her Cutie Mark, which I found myself staring at, which was a simple clover. She smiled at me. She wore a white coat and a dark grey shirt. Some of her clothes were stained with light blotches of blood. She had her thermal vision goggles on, which made her look bug-eyed. “It’s cold to me, my Pipbuck here says it’s negative 22 degrees. No wait, negative 23. 24.” She said while looking down at her Pipbuck. “By the way, what are you staring at?” She slid her thermal goggles onto her forehead, looked at me, and winked at me. “Erm, your, uh” I searched for an excuse, and luckily, I found one, “Your ammo clip which you just dropped. You probably need that, heh.” “Oh, yes! I do! Thank you!.” she looked around herself to find it, and placed it back into her jacket’s pocket. “I have decided to throw empty ammo clips at them, just to freak them out, like ‘oh shit she just threw a grenade’ or something, so they get distracted and I can shoot them while they hide from a ‘grenade’”. “I don’t care as long as you kill the damned things.” She had to do this now. “Smart though, right?” She slipped the goggles back onto her eyes. “Why should we fucking care?” Biohazard cut in. “Well, you should care bec-” One-Shot began, but was cut off from a missile soaring in between her face and my own, sailing freely into the open Vault door., and down the hallway. Biohazard was pissed, “Who left the fucking door open?” Shit. It was me... I was out last. Rule number one, shut the damned door behind you. I started to raise a hoof when I saw a missile flying towards me. I ducked down, and let the thing through the Stable’s door. It flew down the hall until an explosion was heard. Great, now there is something broken somewhere in the Outpost. As punishment, I got a slap on the face by Biohazard, a spanking from One-Shot, and an evil glare from Lightning Flicker. I hated it when Lightning was mad with me. I got up and closed the Vault door, preventing any further damage to the inside of the Outpost. One-Shot spanked me again, for fun this time. I resisted a blush, but only because she was hitting my Power Armor’s ass, not mine. “Oh, yes please, more.” T-55 said, trying to embarrass me. One-Shot hit me again and giggled. “Can you stop hitting my ass and kick the enemies asses?” I yelled. Some pony in the other squads was crying out in pain. “I don’t want to touch a mutant’s ass. It’s all spiky because of the crystals covering it!” Fuck you One-Shot. “I don’t care, just shoot them!” I was now screaming at her. She now looked scared of me, knowing that this was not the time for jokes. She looked a little cute. “Fuck all of you, pay attention, and don’t give two shits about what the other squad mates have to say, ya hear me you two?” Biohazard yelled at us. As soon as he finished the sentence He was shot in the arm, and then the head. “Get the fuck down!” I yelled, before my friend’s body even hit the floor. Shit just got real. _________________________________ Footnote: 50% to next level. Fallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart Chapter 3: Littlepip"I would fight to make that bright and innocent past our future once again." Littlepip I woke up, sleepy eyed, and still somewhat tired. I yawned and stretched as I got comfortable in my bed again, beside Homage. She was sound asleep. I pecked her head and whispered, “I love you.” She is so beautiful when she is sleeping, especially with the moon’s light peeking through the blinds, like it is now. I looked at my arm, my Pipbuck a part of it. It said that I am still healthy. No sickness in this little pony. I directed my attention to the alarm clock. 3:56 AM. I needed more sleep, but I was thirsty. I got up to get some water, irradiated or not. I moved the sheets off of me, careful not to wake my Homage up, and climbed out of my bed. I peered outside, it was still dark, but I was not in Tenpony Tower. I was in Velvet Remedy and Calamity’s home in Ponyville. The town was cleaned up some time ago, but I still imagined my first few nights in the open world. The library’s tree leaves had returned, the town was fixed up, and everything looked like what it did two hundred years ago, where as when I first set hoof outside, everything was messed up; covered with graffiti, flooded with raiders, pony’s bodies hanging everywhere. I saw a few lights on in the other houses. The ponies who lived here were kind, and a small amount used to be Stable 2 ponies. To believe that adventure was fifteen years ago… nothing but memories. I refocused myself. What was I up for? Oh yea, water. Or anything to quench my thirst. I walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Where is the refrigerator in here? Oh, duh, right in front of me, wake up Littlepip, said the little pony inside of me. I opened the refrigerator and found a bottle of Sparkle Cola smiling at me. I held it in my hooves and opened it with my mouth, then floated the bottlecap over to the countertop and took a big swig of the Cola. I needed this, I thought. No, I don’t need sugar before I go to bed. I couldn’t fall back asleep. Even 200 year old sugar made me wide awake. I tried to find a way to occupy the given time, but found none, other than listen to the radio and skip through the channels. I started off with DJ PON-3’s channel, or Homages channel, and I listened to her audio recorded voice that she left on while she stayed in Velvet and Calamity’s house. “Good morning, Wasteland! Or, what’s left of it now, at least. This is DJ PON-3, your all powerful host! Muahaha. Anyway, what’s the latest, oh great and powerful DJ PON-3? Ill tell you this. Some time ago, a trading caravan decided to head up to Northern Equestria to trade. You would think they would freeze to death up there, but they recently came back to our pretty little Equestria, and said that Equestria was almost as gorgeous as the city up North.” “Now whoah there, there’s a city up there? Yup, there sure is! Looks like some Empire called the Crystal Empire is up and running. They say that the trading caravan that journeyed over there was happily accepted into the city to trade, and the caravan is now swimming in precious and rare items. They also met a lot of good folk up there too! They say that they have never seen so many friendly ponies in one spot! However, the caravan is being a bitch and is not telling us where the so called city is, they won’t even tell us what the city looks like, so I wouldn’t go and try to find it just yet, unless you want to wander around freezing your ass up there. That’s it for the news for now, now here is your much wanted music!” I heard this before from Homage in person, so I flipped through the channels. No, Red Eye’s channel is down, No more radio signals from Cloudsdale, nothing good. I was tuning back into DJ PON-3’s channel when I heard someone say “Hello?”. I stopped for a minute. Did that come from the radio? I flipped back slowly. A unknown station became known to me, though I don’t know whose it is, where they are, or anything other than their voice. A stallion’s voice, a little on the deep side, but not near as deep as Steelhooves. Steelhooves… a good friend. “Is anypony there? Hello?” There is somepony there! I wanted to talk to them, badly. The little pony inside of me said that this was really important. I searched for a microphone that could fit a radio franticly. I kept the radio tuned to his channel on my Pipbuck as I searched. I looked through Homage’s stuff, and found a microphone (and some unmentionables), and I raced back to the radio in the kitchen. I found where the jack of the microphone when into, and pluged it in, and half yelled, “Yes, yes! Hello!” “WHOA HOLY SHIT NOT SO LOUD!” Said the stallion. “Sorry, are you trying to hide?” “No! I had headphones on!” R.I.P headphone users. “Sorry. What is it?” “What is what?” “Why are you searching for someone?” “Oh. Oh yes, right! I am in need of assistance.” “What type of help do you need.” “I… erm, we… are trapped inside Outpost 22. We and the civilians are the only survivors from-” “Wait, Outpost? What’s an Outpost?” “Uh, the bases where soldiers are stationed to protect the ponies of both the Outpost and the Empire, duh.” “Empire?” “What are you, a filly in magic kindergarten? This isn’t-” I was wondering why he was so frustrated. “Just tell me, ok?” “Oh my God. Ok, fine. The Crystal Empire is-” “Oh, that Empire.” Well, now I have a general idea of where this pony is. Northern Equestria. “Ah, see? Not a hard concept. Anyway, as I was saying, we are trapped in our Outpost, Outpost 22. The Mutants are-” “Uh, mutants?” “Oh God. Here we go. Mutants are mutated crystal ponies that-” “There are crystal ponies?” “OH MY GOD!” “I’m sorry, sir! I am not in Northern Equestria!” There was a pause. “Oh. I feel rude and stupid. So sorry, ma’am. Crystal ponies are native to the Crystal Empire. Mutants are crystal ponies, but mutated to be stronger and able to resist more damage by King Sombra. Oh, and before you interrupt, King Sombra is the Empire’s oldest enemy and current, biggest threat. He threatens our kingdom every day, trying to break out magical barricade and our stone walls. He wants to rule our kingdom and enslave us like he had 1,215 years ago.” This Sombra guy was like Red Eye in a way. “Why don’t you just kill him?” “Do you know how hard it is to kill the most powerful unicorn of all time? Even Princess Celestia and Luna couldn’t defeat him, which is why they could only banish him into the ice of the Frozen North and magically seal him in.” Wait, the most powerful unicorn to ever live? Even the Goddesses couldn’t defeat him? What? I allowed him to continue, “But then he escaped some 200 or so years ago, and he has new powers that he has practiced while he was banished.” “Wait, how can the most powerful unicorn not break into your city?” “Now there is a reasonable question. The Crystal Heart protects us. The Crystal Heart is a very precious item that, when activated, can protect the Empire and all who live inside of it. It keeps pure evil out, and only the best of ponies in.” I was beyond intrigued. An item that can protect an entire empire from even the most evil of souls. I wonder if they are balefire bomb resistant. “But these are troubling time for the Empire.” Of course, the twist. “The forces of Sombra grow in strength and numbers every day. Not only that, but there is a new zebra presence here as well. They call themselves Zecora’s Legion.” Zecora. Wasn’t she on the pony’s side? “They started attacking us too, though they are not allied with Sombra, and often fight with us if Sombra’s forces are present at the moment. Also, there is also a force called the Brotherhood of Steel.” I know these guys. All too well. I thought back to Stable 2 when it was attacked. No, don’t think about that. Don’t… “And some new force called the Grand Pegasus Enclave.” “That’s total BULLSHIT!” I slammed my hoof on the table, shaking the table. “I destroyed the cloud layer of Cloudsdale long ago! The Enclave went down with it!” “Ya did what now?” “Very long story. Not for right now, I presume?” “Yes. Maybe we can talk later. But the Enclave has a large presence in the Empire. Though, he have more friendlier outside forces as well. The New Canterlot Republic are big helpers. The Outcasts are also nice. We also get a little of Talon Company here and there.” I know all of these groups. They are truly good souls. “By the way, I can’t get anyone else on the radio but you. So unless you can help us, or know someone who can, then please send help.” “I can try to find a way.” What am I getting myself into? “Also, if you can-” The pony on the other end cut himself off. There was a pause. “Oh God please, no.” “What, what is it?” I asked, suddenly worried. “It’s the mutants. Th-they broke into the Outpost! B-but how did they get into the Overmare’s office?” Overmare? Wait... “Wait, oh God, they used the secret exit as their entrance. Oh, no. No! NO NO NO!” “What, what is it?” I was yelling again. “I left all of the civilians there, thinking it was safe! Oh God, please no! NO!” I heard yelling on the other end. Not screams of terror, but ponies yelling orders. “One-Shot, make sure the halls are cleared! I’ll cover Biohazard! Whirlwind, how’s the radio coming? We need you!” some stallion yelled. “It’s going ok, but I could only get ponies from Equestria!” the pony who was on the radio replied. I guessed he was named Whirlwind. “Damit! They won’t be here in time!” the other stallion said. “Sir, they are in the hallway!” a mare yelled. “Don’t just stand there! Open fire!” I heard a round from a sniper rifle go off, followed by burst shots from a automatic rifle. “Listen, ma’am, I have to go. Please come if you can, we can last, but not for too long. Just follow the railroad North West to Vanhoover, then the same railroad North East to the Empire. The Outpost should be visible from the railroad on a day with no clouds or storms. We can last a good two or three weeks. The Mutants are small in numbers, but I worry that they are making camp outside the Outpost. Please hurry. Oh, and what is your name? Your name and your name alone will be my only way to recognize you, this radio makes your voice a bit staticy so I might not recognize you by voice.” “My name is Littlepip.” “Littlepip, Littlepip, Littlepip. Ok, I have it memorized now. Good day to you, Littlepip.” I lost signal to the radio signal. I sat there for a moment. I am not ready to make such a trip on such short notice. I sat up after dwelling on the subject for a while, and I found Homage, Calamity, and Velvet watching me. I looked outside, then at the nearest clock. It was almost 5 AM. “So, where are we goin’?” Calamity asked. “Didn’t you listen to the instructions Whirlwind said?” Velvet said. “No, mah ears ain’t what they used tuh be.” Calamity picked at his left ear with his hoof. I realized Calamity was getting a few grey streaks in his mane. I looked towards Velvet and I notice a tiny bit of silver stand out of her mane as well. “Now, I know this is going on really quick, and on real short notice, but only I can go on this journey.” Homage and Velvet looked a little shocked, but Calamity said, “Just try tuh make me.” “Calamity, lets face it, you're not all what you used to be. We are getting older.” “What does that have tuh do with anythin’?” Calamity spat. “I don’t want my friends getting hurt because of this little endeavor.” “Even if Ah was crippled by bullets ya couldn’t stop me from commin’.” “Littlepip, dear, let me come, please. I don’t know how long you're going to be gone. Can I at least go to the city? I want to see the sights.” Homage said. “But the journey there is going to be long, and cold.” I protested. “Eeya-nope. The train system just got back up, so we can just take that to Vanhoover.” Calamity pointed out. “You know my luck with trains.” I said with a smile. We all laughed at that. I hate trains, and I am sure trains hate me. “It will be fine, Littlepip.” Velvet said. “And if you won’t let me go and shoot these mutants, then I will just go to the city with Homage.” I pondered a little while. I couldn’t of made it without my friends when I first left the Stable, and I might get lonely. Though, I could endanger my friends, who are getting older. Though, Calamity should still be a good shot, he still shoots. But… ugh, Littlepip, make a decision! “You are all coming with me, whether you like it or not!” I said happily. Homage squeed along with Velvet, and they immediately started talking about the city while Pyrelight seemed to smile. Calamity smiled and put on his black desperado, which I gave back to him. “Well, time for everyone’s worst part of the trip. Looking all over the house for the items we need and trying to get them all to fit into our saddlebags.” I smiled. We are going to the Crystal Empire.
Fallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart IntroductionFallout: Equestria The Crystal Heart Introduction “War, war never changes.” War. War never changes. Ponies do. Sometimes, for the better. Sometimes, for the worst. But they change. Like me. I changed. Though I don't know yet if it is for the best or the worst. So I will let you decide. No, no. Don't decide just yet. Let me tell my tale first. My name is Whirlwind. I am a former Outpost Guard pony. In case you don't know what an Outpost is, here is an explanation. Outposts are small bases that are scattered across Northern Equestria, though most have civilians living in there, who can't get into the Crystal Empire, or can't afford it, and are forced to go there due to freezing cold weather, wild animals, raiders, so forth. The Outpost takes the ponies in if they have room, and feed them, protect them. A motel, if I can call it that, with military ties. Sure, there are far more luxurious places out there in the Frozen Wasteland, but the Outposts are safest. We have elite soldiers guarding the Outposts 23/7. I say 23 because there is always some guard during the night shift who falls asleep. Ok we aren't all that great, but at least we are well supplied. We have trading hubs and frequently get traders in and out. Some even need a place to stay, so more caps for us, because ponies who don't need our protection have to pay, and usually get kicked out if someone who is in need comes along while they stay. Normally, in the city, it's vise versa, the ones who don't pay get kicked to the streets and the highest bidder wins a bed. The Outposts' goal is to protect. More importantly, protect the Empire from 'King' Sombra. Most of you should have heard of Sombra, unless you came from Southern Equestria, with all of those deserts and no snow. If you are one of those ponies who is from the South, here is another explanation. King Sombra returned along with the Empire some 210 years ago. We were able to hold off Sombra for a good while, with some outsider's help. I can't remember their names well, but I believe they were called Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Princess Cadence, and Spike. They were Southerners, unlike us, but you Southern Ponies should know the tale. Yet, even after Sombra's Second Fall, he returned again. We thought we had killed him. Boy, were we so wrong. He came back, somehow. Some say it was a simple preservation spell he made up, some say they could see his horn fly away when he fell the second time, and that he regrew from his horn. Others, say that the devil or some unholy, pure evil being willed him back to life. I say fuck all of that shit. I don't care how he came back. I just want him gone. For good this time. I want to do everything in my power to get rid of him. I don't care if I have to die for it. Death itself won't stop me. If Sombra came back from the dead to rule, then I will come back to end his rule. Though, I won't take that road alone. I alone can't undertake this path without someone. Even the smallest mare will do. The road will break my bones, shatter my will to live, blow apart my mind. Maybe even drive me insane. But I want somepony to mend though wounds. Help me in my time of need. Maybe even fall in love with me. But that is me. I'm just me. One pony. Enough with all this, let me finish what I was going to say first. I am an Outpost Guard. Squad 3. My current station is Outpost 22. My squad is OP 22-S3. We are by far the best of the best. Best defense, best medical assistance, best snipers, you name it, we got it. All but avoiding mines. We suck at that. A metal detector might help, or a mine that yell, 'WATCH THE FUCK OUT, I'M EXPLODING,' or something. Sadly, we don't get those. Just a light from our Pipbucks and three beeps. Now you might be lost. Wait, Pipbucks? Like the Pipbuck 3000? Aren't those a Stable-Tec product? Well, yea, it is. It just so happens that Outpost 22 is an abandoned Stable. We wandered into the Stable and found skeletons of the old Stable Dwellers, along with some Pipbucks. After some research, and maybe a few explosions due to failures, we got ourselves a new and improved Pipbuck. They look just like the 3000 model, but ours come with a microphone with a cable that is attached to the Pipbuck, and is long enough to fit to our heads. They get minor things too, like Stopwatches (S.T.W), Calendars (C.A.L), and a Heart Rate Monitor (H.R.M). We still get all the old setting too, like the Eyes Forward Sparkle (E.F.S) and the Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell (S.A.T.S). Unlike the Stable Ponies, however, the Pipbuck 4000 (our version) is only assigned to the soldiers. So I have one, but the annoying colt from Room 2 doesn't, even with his cutie mark. Now, 'who am I?', your asking, huh? I am my Squad's regular infantry. I handle all the automatic rifles, energy rifles, and expert at repairing guns. Only guns, though, so I didn't help out any on the Pipbucks, that was Lightning Flicker's work. Honestly, I don't like any of the guns most of the other soldiers ask me to repair. Sure, I can repair them, but I prefer my lovely Outpost Tech Solar Powered Rifle and Solar Pistol. Eeyup. Solar Powered. Means I can not only shoot bright solar flares, but I don't need ammo either. I guess it is like a solar panel, just it harnesses the energy collected into a deadly laser, solar flare, beam, whatever. Lightning Flicker's work, again. Wow, that buvk is not only cute, but he is good with making things and... Crap, I am going off topic. Though, I need to identify myself clearly. I am a male unicorn. Average sized, light grey coat, darker grey mane with blue streaks here and there, and rather cute if i do say so myself, now that I think about it. Oh, and I have light blue eyes. I think the proper color name is cyan. I am sarcastic. Very sarcastic. Sometimes I accidently get people mad because they don't know when to take me serious or not. I also like to have fun, but never really go to parties. I guess you can call me a little shy. Unless you talk to me first, I am not likely to just walk up and say, 'hey, wanna go grab a drink'. Which is probably why I have never even dated someone. I'm the bisexual colt sitting in the corner waiting, hoping, for somepony, anypony, to walk up and ask me anything of the sort. So yea, I'm free. But don't ask. Unless I know you well or I already admire you, I will say no. On second thought I'm desperate so go ahead. Ok I need to stop I'm becoming red in the face. New topic. Where was I? Ah yes, back to war. The reason why I haven't already left the Outpost was because of two reasons. Number one, I don't have anyone who will follow me. They say it's suicide. I don't care. Number two. I'm scared. I won't lie. I don't want to die. Nopony does, not even Sombra. I don't want to go on a mission I made up if I am not going to have a good and running chance. One pony won't do. Not even with this Outpost Power Armor. I forgot to tell you about Outpost Power Armor! I'll make it brief. We found some pony in the snow with some Power Armor on. Took forever to get off, but we did manage. His armor bore the symbol of a spark, some apples, and wings. Black and red Power Armor. We again examined the suit and made improvements. Some thought the improvements on the prototype were terrible. The suit was a bit stiff, hard to breath in, and had a nasty attitude. Yea, our suits talk. Well, now they only talk when the pony inside gets injured, like a broken or shattered bone, and it would say, "Back right left impaired," which will notify the medic to look at it later. The new suits also can activate a cast for a simple broken bone, depending on which bone is broken. The wearer can still battle even with the cast on, it's so durable. With the prototype you get a similar response from the suit, but it can't become a cast, so you have to take off the suit and wait for the bone to heal with the help of the medic. I have a prototype, because I like it. Sure, the new one has perks, but it's boring. I can't talk to it and have a conversation. With the prototype, you can talk to it and get an answer from it. It has personality. It can even insult you. When I first put my suit on, it said to me, 'You better take care of me, fuck ass,'. I did take care of it, and he is less mouthy now. He only insults me now when I make stupid decisions, like drink too much. I never wear the helmet though. We again kept most of the functions which the suit we found had, like repair itself to a certain point, fix us up with Med-X and other medical supplies. My suit likes to be called T-55. Why? Well, how the fuck should I know? Now, onto the last part of this. Enemies and allies. Here are the worst bad guys. King Sombra and his army of Mutated Crystal Ponies and Zecora's Legion. King Sombra magically mutates ponies into larger, stronger ponies who are covered in dark black crystals, and loose intelligence. However, they can still wield weapons, and commonly are seen with either a rifle or the bigger guns. They seem to favor miniguns and flamethrowers. I can see why they like flamethrowers. Even though they are mutated, they still want to keep warm in this weather. Blizzards 12/6 1/2 days of the year it seems. I would rather die by flame than by bullet. I would die warm. Now, I lied. I am no Element of Honesty. One more thing, I promise. Why do I want to take this quest? The Crystal Heart. It's dying. Twilight and her friends may have recovered it, but there is one thing that was never told to Twilight, that only crystal ponies know of. There are multiple Crystal Hearts. They are far beyond rare, and even harder to obtain. One can only get a Crystal Heart from a Crystal Dragon. The Crystal Heart is the Dragon's Heart. Of course it looks different when inside the dragon in order to function, but once the dragon is killed, it changes form and you get the cute little heart shape you thought was what a real heart looked like when you were a little filly or colt. So who do I want to kill Sombra? I don't want to kill him. I want to ask him where you find a Crystal Dragon. I am not sure he will answer, but I can make him somehow. After that, I will kill him. He leads the Mutated Crystal Ponies and I want that to end as much as the next pony. Only he can mutate ponies to their crystallized form, so once the source is gone, then it's just a matter of time and bullets. War. War never changes.
Fallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart Chapter 1: Welcome to the Outpost!Chapter 1: Welcome to the Outpost! “They told me I needed friends. I didn’t doubt them for a second.” Whirlwind I woke up to the Outpost’s sirens roaring in my ears. I moaned and I looked over to my Pipbuck’s watch. Three AM. Damn, why couldn’t it of been at least four AM? “Wake up you asshole!” My friend, T-55 yelled to me. Goddesses-Damn this Prototype Power Armor! It is very helpful, and so annoying other times. I often wonder why I bother to keep the old thing. “Alright, alright, I'm getting up,” I said, slowly sliding out of my warm, comfortable bed. As soon as I stood up, I regretted it, and fell back onto my bed, tired and a bit dizzy. I immediately regretted laying back down, for my suit got up and stabbed me with a rather large syringe built into itself. “Ok, fuck you, fine. I’m up for real this time., I allowed myself to relax as I climbed into the Power Armor. “ What is it this time?” “I have yet to receive reports on who or what.” T-55 replied. I looked around my Stable room. Empty as always. I should hang a picture or a painting somewhere. Even though we had the stable cleaned of the cobwebs, it still looks eerie and vacant. I envisioned a colorful picture of a few happy, dancing ponies, all dressed up and with their loved ones at the Gala ,which I heard about through a post card, hanging on my wall. Even the smallest bit of color would add some small happiness. I realized that I was standing idle for too long, and telepathically levitated my Solar Powered Rifle to my side. I flipped the switch to turn it on, and the lights on the side of the gun slowly grew brighter with energy was it absorbed the artificial light from the small glowing mini-sun hovering just above my head. I floated the Solar Powered Pistol into it’s designated destination, it’s old, rotten holster on my left. “Take a guess then.” “From what I have seen lately, it could be giant bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla.” “Very funny. Now for real.” “Mutants. Just got the report. Not many, but not many.” “Not very surprising.” I slipped my black, sun resistant ski goggles on. It’s sunrise at three AM in Northern Equestria, and the sunlight reflecting off the snow requires either sunglasses or ski goggles. The helmet that came with the Armor has built in sun resistant lenses, but the helmet was never comfortable, so I never wear it. It just sits on my bookshelf, collecting dust and Frost Spiders. “Sir, we need to hurry, new reports suggest that they are using larger weapons and are receiving reinforcement.” “Ok, I am almost ready.” I placed my brown cowpony onto my head. “Ready.” I clicked the button to my door, opening it. I started to run over to the Outpost’s entrance, but was slowed down because the civilians were running in the opposite direction to the safe room. They yelled and hollered as they shoved their way past me. The more steps I took, the louder the sound of gunfire got. As I approached the door of the Outpost, which is a large Stable door, I saw my companions already outside the door, shooting at the enemy with their firearms, which are not like my Solar Powered guns. Those guns require ammo. Sadly for the Outpost, we are running low on our supply of ammunition. I saw my friend Biohazard , our demolition expert, fighting along side our medical unicorn, Lightning Flicker, but I couldn’t see the squad’s sniper, Lucky, or as we call her, Lil’ One-Shot. Biohazard and Lightning were in the Outpost’s lighter uniform, basic winterized combat uniform. I found myself distracted by Lightning Flicker’s rear. “Focus you dumbass,” I thought to myself. I stepped forward and entered the fray. I got the first greeting today from Lightning Flicker, “Morning Whirlwind!” “Uh, yea, you too,” I said, trying hard not to remember what I was looking at a few seconds ago, “Morning. Where is Lil’ One Shot?” “She is on top of the Outpost sniping. She gets a better view from up there.” Biohazard answered. “Mind lending us a hoof?” Lightning Flicker said “Sure.” I surveyed the scene before me. We were the squad closes to the Outpost, just outside the door, while the other squads were farther out, in small shacks made by ponies after the fallout. The ponies built the houses to survive the cold while they waited for the Stable’s doors to open. It never did. It never opened for anybody. Until we broke in and made our base. The passcode was “CMC4” I wonder what “CMC” stands for. The squads were only four ponies each. I tried hard to see them through the blazing white of the sun reflecting from the snow. The ones that I managed to see looked tiny compared to the mutants. The mutants were easily twice the size of a fully grown stallion, and some may have been three times the size of a pony. I counted nine before more snow started falling and the world darkened as a storm cloud passed overhead. I aimed my Solar Powered Rifle at the closest Mutant and pulled the trigger. I could see the bright yellow laser race forward and hit it’s target. One down, eight to go. I was aiming for another mutant when a beautiful, young, light blue mare with a dark black mane fell from above me and landed on me. I lost my shot, but almost managed to hit Lightning Flicker’s ear as I fell. “Damn, One-Shot. You always do this, but please don’t do it when we are in the heat of battle.” I said in a rather hateful tone towards One-Shot. We called her One-Shot because she was the best aim in the entire Outpost. On her first strike she would always hit her target, preferably in the head. Her real name was Lucky One. If we really wanted to, we would say “Lucky One-Shot”. I always liked her Cutie Mark, which I found myself staring at, which was a simple clover. She smiled at me. She wore a white coat and a dark grey shirt. Some of her clothes were stained with light blotches of blood. She had her thermal vision goggles on, which made her look bug-eyed. “It’s cold to me, my Pipbuck here says it’s negative 22 degrees. No wait, negative 23. 24.” She said while looking down at her Pipbuck. “By the way, what are you staring at?” She slid her thermal goggles onto her forehead, looked at me, and winked at me. “Erm, your, uh” I searched for an excuse, and luckily, I found one, “Your ammo clip which you just dropped. You probably need that, heh.” “Oh, yes! I do! Thank you!.” she looked around herself to find it, and placed it back into her jacket’s pocket. “I have decided to throw empty ammo clips at them, just to freak them out, like ‘oh shit she just threw a grenade’ or something, so they get distracted and I can shoot them while they hide from a ‘grenade’”. “I don’t care as long as you kill the damned things.” She had to do this now. “Smart though, right?” She slipped the goggles back onto her eyes. “Why should we fucking care?” Biohazard cut in. “Well, you should care bec-” One-Shot began, but was cut off from a missile soaring in between her face and my own, sailing freely into the open Vault door., and down the hallway. Biohazard was pissed, “Who left the fucking door open?” Shit. It was me... I was out last. Rule number one, shut the damned door behind you. I started to raise a hoof when I saw a missile flying towards me. I ducked down, and let the thing through the Stable’s door. It flew down the hall until an explosion was heard. Great, now there is something broken somewhere in the Outpost. As punishment, I got a slap on the face by Biohazard, a spanking from One-Shot, and an evil glare from Lightning Flicker. I hated it when Lightning was mad with me. I got up and closed the Vault door, preventing any further damage to the inside of the Outpost. One-Shot spanked me again, for fun this time. I resisted a blush, but only because she was hitting my Power Armor’s ass, not mine. “Oh, yes please, more.” T-55 said, trying to embarrass me. One-Shot hit me again and giggled. “Can you stop hitting my ass and kick the enemies asses?” I yelled. Some pony in the other squads was crying out in pain. “I don’t want to touch a mutant’s ass. It’s all spiky because of the crystals covering it!” Fuck you One-Shot. “I don’t care, just shoot them!” I was now screaming at her. She now looked scared of me, knowing that this was not the time for jokes. She looked a little cute. “Fuck all of you, pay attention, and don’t give two shits about what the other squad mates have to say, ya hear me you two?” Biohazard yelled at us. As soon as he finished the sentence He was shot in the arm, and then the head. “Get the fuck down!” I yelled, before my friend’s body even hit the floor. Shit just got real. _________________________________ Footnote: 50% to next level.
Fallout Equestria: The Crystal Heart Chapter 3: Littlepip"I would fight to make that bright and innocent past our future once again." Littlepip I woke up, sleepy eyed, and still somewhat tired. I yawned and stretched as I got comfortable in my bed again, beside Homage. She was sound asleep. I pecked her head and whispered, “I love you.” She is so beautiful when she is sleeping, especially with the moon’s light peeking through the blinds, like it is now. I looked at my arm, my Pipbuck a part of it. It said that I am still healthy. No sickness in this little pony. I directed my attention to the alarm clock. 3:56 AM. I needed more sleep, but I was thirsty. I got up to get some water, irradiated or not. I moved the sheets off of me, careful not to wake my Homage up, and climbed out of my bed. I peered outside, it was still dark, but I was not in Tenpony Tower. I was in Velvet Remedy and Calamity’s home in Ponyville. The town was cleaned up some time ago, but I still imagined my first few nights in the open world. The library’s tree leaves had returned, the town was fixed up, and everything looked like what it did two hundred years ago, where as when I first set hoof outside, everything was messed up; covered with graffiti, flooded with raiders, pony’s bodies hanging everywhere. I saw a few lights on in the other houses. The ponies who lived here were kind, and a small amount used to be Stable 2 ponies. To believe that adventure was fifteen years ago… nothing but memories. I refocused myself. What was I up for? Oh yea, water. Or anything to quench my thirst. I walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Where is the refrigerator in here? Oh, duh, right in front of me, wake up Littlepip, said the little pony inside of me. I opened the refrigerator and found a bottle of Sparkle Cola smiling at me. I held it in my hooves and opened it with my mouth, then floated the bottlecap over to the countertop and took a big swig of the Cola. I needed this, I thought. No, I don’t need sugar before I go to bed. I couldn’t fall back asleep. Even 200 year old sugar made me wide awake. I tried to find a way to occupy the given time, but found none, other than listen to the radio and skip through the channels. I started off with DJ PON-3’s channel, or Homages channel, and I listened to her audio recorded voice that she left on while she stayed in Velvet and Calamity’s house. “Good morning, Wasteland! Or, what’s left of it now, at least. This is DJ PON-3, your all powerful host! Muahaha. Anyway, what’s the latest, oh great and powerful DJ PON-3? Ill tell you this. Some time ago, a trading caravan decided to head up to Northern Equestria to trade. You would think they would freeze to death up there, but they recently came back to our pretty little Equestria, and said that Equestria was almost as gorgeous as the city up North.” “Now whoah there, there’s a city up there? Yup, there sure is! Looks like some Empire called the Crystal Empire is up and running. They say that the trading caravan that journeyed over there was happily accepted into the city to trade, and the caravan is now swimming in precious and rare items. They also met a lot of good folk up there too! They say that they have never seen so many friendly ponies in one spot! However, the caravan is being a bitch and is not telling us where the so called city is, they won’t even tell us what the city looks like, so I wouldn’t go and try to find it just yet, unless you want to wander around freezing your ass up there. That’s it for the news for now, now here is your much wanted music!” I heard this before from Homage in person, so I flipped through the channels. No, Red Eye’s channel is down, No more radio signals from Cloudsdale, nothing good. I was tuning back into DJ PON-3’s channel when I heard someone say “Hello?”. I stopped for a minute. Did that come from the radio? I flipped back slowly. A unknown station became known to me, though I don’t know whose it is, where they are, or anything other than their voice. A stallion’s voice, a little on the deep side, but not near as deep as Steelhooves. Steelhooves… a good friend. “Is anypony there? Hello?” There is somepony there! I wanted to talk to them, badly. The little pony inside of me said that this was really important. I searched for a microphone that could fit a radio franticly. I kept the radio tuned to his channel on my Pipbuck as I searched. I looked through Homage’s stuff, and found a microphone (and some unmentionables), and I raced back to the radio in the kitchen. I found where the jack of the microphone when into, and pluged it in, and half yelled, “Yes, yes! Hello!” “WHOA HOLY SHIT NOT SO LOUD!” Said the stallion. “Sorry, are you trying to hide?” “No! I had headphones on!” R.I.P headphone users. “Sorry. What is it?” “What is what?” “Why are you searching for someone?” “Oh. Oh yes, right! I am in need of assistance.” “What type of help do you need.” “I… erm, we… are trapped inside Outpost 22. We and the civilians are the only survivors from-” “Wait, Outpost? What’s an Outpost?” “Uh, the bases where soldiers are stationed to protect the ponies of both the Outpost and the Empire, duh.” “Empire?” “What are you, a filly in magic kindergarten? This isn’t-” I was wondering why he was so frustrated. “Just tell me, ok?” “Oh my God. Ok, fine. The Crystal Empire is-” “Oh, that Empire.” Well, now I have a general idea of where this pony is. Northern Equestria. “Ah, see? Not a hard concept. Anyway, as I was saying, we are trapped in our Outpost, Outpost 22. The Mutants are-” “Uh, mutants?” “Oh God. Here we go. Mutants are mutated crystal ponies that-” “There are crystal ponies?” “OH MY GOD!” “I’m sorry, sir! I am not in Northern Equestria!” There was a pause. “Oh. I feel rude and stupid. So sorry, ma’am. Crystal ponies are native to the Crystal Empire. Mutants are crystal ponies, but mutated to be stronger and able to resist more damage by King Sombra. Oh, and before you interrupt, King Sombra is the Empire’s oldest enemy and current, biggest threat. He threatens our kingdom every day, trying to break out magical barricade and our stone walls. He wants to rule our kingdom and enslave us like he had 1,215 years ago.” This Sombra guy was like Red Eye in a way. “Why don’t you just kill him?” “Do you know how hard it is to kill the most powerful unicorn of all time? Even Princess Celestia and Luna couldn’t defeat him, which is why they could only banish him into the ice of the Frozen North and magically seal him in.” Wait, the most powerful unicorn to ever live? Even the Goddesses couldn’t defeat him? What? I allowed him to continue, “But then he escaped some 200 or so years ago, and he has new powers that he has practiced while he was banished.” “Wait, how can the most powerful unicorn not break into your city?” “Now there is a reasonable question. The Crystal Heart protects us. The Crystal Heart is a very precious item that, when activated, can protect the Empire and all who live inside of it. It keeps pure evil out, and only the best of ponies in.” I was beyond intrigued. An item that can protect an entire empire from even the most evil of souls. I wonder if they are balefire bomb resistant. “But these are troubling time for the Empire.” Of course, the twist. “The forces of Sombra grow in strength and numbers every day. Not only that, but there is a new zebra presence here as well. They call themselves Zecora’s Legion.” Zecora. Wasn’t she on the pony’s side? “They started attacking us too, though they are not allied with Sombra, and often fight with us if Sombra’s forces are present at the moment. Also, there is also a force called the Brotherhood of Steel.” I know these guys. All too well. I thought back to Stable 2 when it was attacked. No, don’t think about that. Don’t… “And some new force called the Grand Pegasus Enclave.” “That’s total BULLSHIT!” I slammed my hoof on the table, shaking the table. “I destroyed the cloud layer of Cloudsdale long ago! The Enclave went down with it!” “Ya did what now?” “Very long story. Not for right now, I presume?” “Yes. Maybe we can talk later. But the Enclave has a large presence in the Empire. Though, he have more friendlier outside forces as well. The New Canterlot Republic are big helpers. The Outcasts are also nice. We also get a little of Talon Company here and there.” I know all of these groups. They are truly good souls. “By the way, I can’t get anyone else on the radio but you. So unless you can help us, or know someone who can, then please send help.” “I can try to find a way.” What am I getting myself into? “Also, if you can-” The pony on the other end cut himself off. There was a pause. “Oh God please, no.” “What, what is it?” I asked, suddenly worried. “It’s the mutants. Th-they broke into the Outpost! B-but how did they get into the Overmare’s office?” Overmare? Wait... “Wait, oh God, they used the secret exit as their entrance. Oh, no. No! NO NO NO!” “What, what is it?” I was yelling again. “I left all of the civilians there, thinking it was safe! Oh God, please no! NO!” I heard yelling on the other end. Not screams of terror, but ponies yelling orders. “One-Shot, make sure the halls are cleared! I’ll cover Biohazard! Whirlwind, how’s the radio coming? We need you!” some stallion yelled. “It’s going ok, but I could only get ponies from Equestria!” the pony who was on the radio replied. I guessed he was named Whirlwind. “Damit! They won’t be here in time!” the other stallion said. “Sir, they are in the hallway!” a mare yelled. “Don’t just stand there! Open fire!” I heard a round from a sniper rifle go off, followed by burst shots from a automatic rifle. “Listen, ma’am, I have to go. Please come if you can, we can last, but not for too long. Just follow the railroad North West to Vanhoover, then the same railroad North East to the Empire. The Outpost should be visible from the railroad on a day with no clouds or storms. We can last a good two or three weeks. The Mutants are small in numbers, but I worry that they are making camp outside the Outpost. Please hurry. Oh, and what is your name? Your name and your name alone will be my only way to recognize you, this radio makes your voice a bit staticy so I might not recognize you by voice.” “My name is Littlepip.” “Littlepip, Littlepip, Littlepip. Ok, I have it memorized now. Good day to you, Littlepip.” I lost signal to the radio signal. I sat there for a moment. I am not ready to make such a trip on such short notice. I sat up after dwelling on the subject for a while, and I found Homage, Calamity, and Velvet watching me. I looked outside, then at the nearest clock. It was almost 5 AM. “So, where are we goin’?” Calamity asked. “Didn’t you listen to the instructions Whirlwind said?” Velvet said. “No, mah ears ain’t what they used tuh be.” Calamity picked at his left ear with his hoof. I realized Calamity was getting a few grey streaks in his mane. I looked towards Velvet and I notice a tiny bit of silver stand out of her mane as well. “Now, I know this is going on really quick, and on real short notice, but only I can go on this journey.” Homage and Velvet looked a little shocked, but Calamity said, “Just try tuh make me.” “Calamity, lets face it, you're not all what you used to be. We are getting older.” “What does that have tuh do with anythin’?” Calamity spat. “I don’t want my friends getting hurt because of this little endeavor.” “Even if Ah was crippled by bullets ya couldn’t stop me from commin’.” “Littlepip, dear, let me come, please. I don’t know how long you're going to be gone. Can I at least go to the city? I want to see the sights.” Homage said. “But the journey there is going to be long, and cold.” I protested. “Eeya-nope. The train system just got back up, so we can just take that to Vanhoover.” Calamity pointed out. “You know my luck with trains.” I said with a smile. We all laughed at that. I hate trains, and I am sure trains hate me. “It will be fine, Littlepip.” Velvet said. “And if you won’t let me go and shoot these mutants, then I will just go to the city with Homage.” I pondered a little while. I couldn’t of made it without my friends when I first left the Stable, and I might get lonely. Though, I could endanger my friends, who are getting older. Though, Calamity should still be a good shot, he still shoots. But… ugh, Littlepip, make a decision! “You are all coming with me, whether you like it or not!” I said happily. Homage squeed along with Velvet, and they immediately started talking about the city while Pyrelight seemed to smile. Calamity smiled and put on his black desperado, which I gave back to him. “Well, time for everyone’s worst part of the trip. Looking all over the house for the items we need and trying to get them all to fit into our saddlebags.” I smiled. We are going to the Crystal Empire.
