Ch.1 Death of a Loved One
Xenlia worked for a group of Zebras the called themselves the Sun Rune. They lived in mining complex that had been owned by the Happy Sun Rune Mining Company. Most of her people knew the Company had originally only employed ponies, but when the war started it only took a few years before Zebras were the only ones working there and none by choice. Then the Cyber Dogs, known as Diamond Dog back then joined their group in the mines, abused by the ponies they worked for. Both despised ponies and joined together to take over the mine after years of abuse during the war, though it was for naught as it was the same day the Mega Spells fell.
Xenlia’s skills as a sniper were used by the Sun Rune’s leaders, a group of Cyber Dogs and Zebras lead by a ghoul named Jeterial. The ghoul could be nice when she wanted to be but at times she was downright mean to others, but she and the others were fair leaders. Though the council did need a target or two killed that a regular unit couldn’t get to and that is where she came in. Xenlia could sneak in to an area without being noticed and take out a target without anyone knowing she was there. It did help that only the council and her sister were the only ones that knew about who she was.
Looking for supplies before she made it to her next target, she entered a home near the demolished Nero hotels and almost immediately heard a foal crying. Walking into a room that appeared to be the sleeping area of ramshackle domicile she found what the obvious work of what was a group of raiders. Two victims killed, hacked a part and eaten or body parts used as decorations. The raider looked to be searching for the filly unable to find her hiding spot.
Xenlia had decided to do the right thing and kill the raiders before they could harm anypony else. Forgoing her preferred weapon a sniper rifle with extended barrel and silencer, for a bolt action hunting rifle extended magazine which she had just bought from a group of traders earlier that day as she sneaked up to the raiders trying to stay out of sight.
She was happy they hadn't noticed her as she took aim on the first raider and pulled the trigger, noticed the kick had almost pushed out of her standing position as the raider’s head showed a new hole that entered from the back of his head and out his eye. Targeting the second raider as they took notice of her, Xenlia fired and was rewarded with another body dropping as bullet entered the mare’s skull before denting the wall behind her. Swing herself to the last target she smiled at the look of shock on the stallions face before shooting him in the left eye seeing it explode and the bullet embed itself in the wall behind the stallion.
She looked around, listening for more of the unpleasant raiders as she walked over to a hole in the floor were the filly lay, still crying. She guessed it had been her parents which were now decorations in she very room the two had sought to hide their foal. Morbid twist of fate she was sure. Looking down she guessed one of them had to have been a unicorn as the depth would have been hard to reach with just a pair hooves, and the foal would have been hurt if she had been just dropped down.
Xenlia didn't really share the same opinion of ponies her people did. She walked the wasteland more than most seeing how ponies killed, hindered, help, or loved each other throughout the wasteland. She didn't hate them for things done to her people 200 years ago. So she didn't have a problem with helping the filly other than her what the council would do. She was about to leave not wanting to be marked by the council as a traitor when the image of a filly being eating by a group of dogs while she didn't do anything.
“FUCK!” Xenlia said as she stared from the door to the hole in the floor. She didn't want this filly on her mind like her sister’s daughter was. She leaned down and began the process of trying to get filly out from under the floor listening for hostiles so she didn't get caught off guard.
==
Xenlia was roused out of dream by the sound of a filly coming to the house as she walked in with a rad-roach following her. Xenlia made note of the crumbs she saw behind the filly with a smile. Xenlia got of her bed and started to walk over to the filly smiling at her antics.
“My little bell, whom have you brought home today.” Xenlia asked with a bright motherly voice.
“I named him Steven. He lived in a factory and had some steel in side. Like kind carts are made of, but it looked unfinished.” Marry Belle said, showing intelligence as she always did.
Xenlia was intrigued about the factory her daughter described as it sounded like a steel mill. Her people could really use it if it was not claimed by the Mafia, The leader of the Bunny Ranch, the FFE, or those Steel Rangers. To control the mines and the steel mill would make the Sun Rune much stronger in the Nero region.
“Merry, where was this steel mill?” She asked.
“Over near the lake in the middle of a large rock formation nearby.” Merry Belle said with a smile. “I found some codes too, though I don’t know to what.” As she pulled out was looked like a recording mark ‘plant codes’.
“Very good my little Sun, let’s see if we can find some supplies there after lunch…” Xenlia began to say before she heard a gunshot rang out. Xenlia rushed to cover as she pulled out her rifle and used the new scope she had gotten a week ago for it to see who was shooting. Upon seeing a member of the Mafia she cussed. “How the hell would they know who, let alone where I was? I knew I should have let Rarchas take that council job. Marry Belle get back to the house.”
When Xenlia didn’t hear a door close behind her she looked back and saw it was closed. She looked to her side suspecting the filly was cowering next to her, but what she saw caused her blood to run cold. Marry Belle lying on the ground with a hole in her head. Xenlia’s mind just stopped as she stared at the dead body of her filly. She couldn’t believe the sight of her child, the same foul she saved from raiders just years before, dead as she still breath behind the fortifications they had build just the day before.
“So bitch, you going to come out and die nice and quite or are me and this savages suppose to come over there!” The Mafia member, a stallion yelled. “I’m sure my bother wouldn’t mind it if shot you in the head like you did him!”
Xenlia snapped out of her daze as she looked over the fortification and took aim at the first raider before she pulled the trigger. She saw the raider head snap back as she turned to the next while walking out of cover. She started to count as she fired round after round, barely feeling the bullets hitting her focused only on the stallion who had taken her little filly away from her. She wanted nothing more than to see his dead body before her.
“Five,” the raider jaw was blown off as a second bullet ripped his throat out, “six,” the round entered the mare’s heart as she tried stabbing the running zebra, “seven,” the stallion was backpedaling as Xenlia too her next shot hitting him in the temple and the round bounced around his skull.
“Kill Her, Celestia damn it! Can’t you savages do anything?” The mafia member yelled as he started to fire a custom 9mm wildly panic showing in his aim and eyes.
“Eleven,” Xenlia noticed the feel of a round graze her skull, but she kept firing, “Twelve,” She only had a few more till she reached her goal, she wouldn’t let the foul killer get away, “Thirteen,” She was getting closer to the stallion as he started running away pushing the raiders away from them.
“FUCK THIS! THIS CHICK IS CRAZY AND I’M NOT DIEING OUT HERE FOR SOME CHASE FROM THE MADAM. YOU FUCKING SAVAGES ARE ON YOUR OWN!” The stallion yelled not heeding the cries of outrage for the raiders as the still fought Xenlia.
“Fifteen,” He was getting away. NO, she couldn’t let the bastard get away for what he did, “Sixteen,” He had to die before she did. She couldn’t let Marry die in vain. “Seventeen,” Xenlia collapsed on her forelegs as she coughed up blood. She looked up at the stallion retreating as she tried to grab her rifle to fire to kill him, but as she tried her vision blurred she noticed a shadow drift over her.
“You fucking cunt! You just cost me a trip to the Bunny Ranch, now I’m not going to get any tail.” A raider said as he cut her right foreleg off with a machete. She screamed as she felt the stallion moving over her. “Oh well, I can still fuck you while you die.”
It was about then that music that sounded like it was from a music bow started to play.
“What the fuck?” the raider said before a mechanical like scream echoed out and Xenlia saw blood splatter on the ground in front of her. She was confused by the sudden change of event. Who had just helped her and was it part of the group that had killed Marry Belle. She looked up at a stallion with a lot blood covering his coat and black eyes that seemed to star into her. This frightened her as few creatures in her people’s lore had eyes like that. But before she could dwell on it his eyes quickly turned to normal eyes with silver irises.
"Seems like you had quite the tumble little lady." a synthetic voice said as it drew close, "You're mighty lucky I came along, or else you goose would be definitely cooked right now.” Xenlia felt a potion pressed to her lips which she drank from greedily. “Hmm, I don’t think I have enough bandages what out your house.”
It was about then at an explosion could be heard in the back ground and Xenlia felt derbies hit her. she couldn’t really comprehend that her house was just blown up as she tried to tell the stallion about her filly, to see if it could help her but she couldn’t speak. “Well that option is eliminated. Let’s get you to the old doctor in Fire Water. I'm sure she'll be able to patch you up."
The mare work up to pain, so much that she could really think too well about what was happening beside what was assaulting her mind. It felt worse at her chest but a close second was her head. Though she didn’t feel her right leg at all, and she couldn’t open her eyes.
“Shit, she’s waking up; some get me somepony of what left of the knock out gas.” A voice said before a mask was placed over the mare’s mouth. “Can’t have her awake while I’m connecting this to her nerves. Bad enough Golden Eddie brought her here half dead, but missing a limb too! Why not bring me a brain in a jar and tell me too…..
==
The mare woke darkness, slowly feeling her senses return to her. She open eyes, but her vision was blurry and she could barely make out the ceiling she was looking up at. Her hearing was fine enough to make out the voice another mare in the room.
“Oh, you’re awake.” The other mare said, “For a while there I was thinking giving you the leg was a bad idea.”
“Who are you?” the Mare said confused as to who was talking to her, and for that matter; who she was.
“And you’re speaking Zebra, prefect. Anyway names Doc, and yes I can understand you. My Zebra is bad, but I can get the gist of it.” Doc explained. “Oh and if your wonder, that is if you understand, my parents had the sense to name me Doc, but I don’t know why. They died when I was five, so I can’t ask them.”
“I understand you.” the mare said. Her vision clearing as she looked at Doc, whose coat was brown and her mane a lightning blue with eyes that were the shade of a pear. Her cutie mark was a set of stitches.
“Okay, I gather that meant you understand me.” Doc said before the Mare nodded. “Good, now can you nod your head yes and shake it your head no for my next questions.”
The mare nodded.
“Good, now first question do you know your name, I kind of need if for my records.” Doc said
levitating a chart over.
The mare nodded.
“Okay, can you tell me it?”
“Xenlia” The mare said.
“Xenlia, right,” doc asked as Xenlia nodded. “Okay, can you remember where you lived?”
Xenlia shook her head.
“Okay, what about your family?”
No again.
“What about what you were doing before you got here?”
Xenlia shook of her head.
“Anything about your past besides your name, Xenlia?”
“No….” Xenlia said in Equestrian, “Why can’t I remember that and how am I talking like you now?” Xenlia’s fear starting to show as she started shaking. Why couldn’t she remember, what had happened to her?
“Most likely General Amnesia or dissociative Amnesia, you’ve experienced a lot a trauma physically, and I don’t want to think of what mental trauma you had. The Wasteland can be terrible at times. You lost a leg by the way.” Doc said as she wrote down her findings. “And I did some facial reconstruction, though I don’t know if you look the same as you did before.”
“What do you mean?” Xenlia asked.
“Golden Eddie brought you about a week ago, the Animatronics is fast when it wants to be, but you were half dead, with enough metal to drop a hell hound. I don’t know how you were still alive, but I needed to operate right then or you would be dead. Your right fore-leg was gone, your face looked like it had a date with a meat grinder and you lost a ton of blood. I replaced you leg with an augment, I’d didn’t have any normal models around so I used an old military one Golden found on a skeleton a month ago.” Doc explained.
Xenlia looked at her right leg and saw smooth metal. As she thought about it a blade slid out of the lower part of her new leg to her shock and tore up her pillow.
“Hmm, well it is a combat model. Anyway you’re pretty much recovered, besides getting used to that new leg there shouldn’t be much more to keep you in bed.” Doc said walking away from Xenlia’s bed.
“Okay,” Xenlia said as she inched her way off of the bed. She felt awkward now that she was standing, her leg seemed rigid. “Um, is my leg supposed to feel stiff?”
“Hmm, no, let me take a look.” Doc said walking back over to Xenlia. “You’ll have to forgive me. I am not an expert on this stuff. I know how to do it, just not well.”
After looking at the leg Doc’s eyebrows frowned before she spoke again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with it. I think Tonka Gear might, he lives in gas station at the front of town, oh and welcome to Fire Water. And before you ask, there used to be a spring here before the Great War. It’s dried up now though.”
“Okay.” Xenlia said as she looked around the room. It looked like the back room of a house and not one of a hospital, so she guessed that Doc lived here. “You said someone named Golden brought me here.”
“Golden Eddie, it’s an animatronic that wonders this region of the Wasteland. I say an animatronic as it doesn’t share some qualities with robots, as far as I’m concerned anyway. You can form your own opinion of it.” Doc explained.
“Oh.” Xenlia said as she walked out of her caretaker’s home. She looked around the town and noticed a large bath house in the center of town that seemed to have been changed into a hotel. A gas station near the road out of town which she guessed belonged to Tonka Gear. The homes seemed to be mostly ruined but many had been rebuilt and a wall surrounded most of the town.
A music box started to play before a stallion with golden fur, black mane and black eyes stated singing, “Hey there! Nice to meet you! Are you new in town? I think I’ve seen you before, it good to see a pony alright in this world of ours!”
Xenlia jumped not just from the sudden singing, but the pony before didn’t really have lips, and its eyes were black and crying blood. She could get the feeling of black magic, but before she could think further on the subject the black eyes changed to a sliver color and the blood disappeared.
“Sorry about that, my singing has…an effect on ponies. Names Golden Eddie or you can call me Golden. I’m happy to see you’re awake.” Golden said as he still talked with no lips.
“You’re the one who saved me?” Xenlia asked as she stared at the thing before her with unease as it was clearly using as synthetic voice to speak, but she could swear she head a filly’s voice too.
“Yep little filly.” Golden said as if it was a recorded message. “Found you left dead among some raiders while I was getting parts for some repairs. My brothers and sisters have the service room back home, but I don’t so I have to look for my new parts.”
Xenlia just stared at Golden unsure what she should take away from the bit of info, the fact that there were more of these things, or that it could repair itself. “Okay, um thank you for helping me…I have to go now.”
“I see you leg is not reacting as it should to you, the weight should be felt as it is heavier that what your real limb had been but it shouldn’t be acting so stiff.” Golden said studding her new leg.
“You know what’s wrong with it?” Xenlia asked.
“It’s a model I ripped off of the croups of a hundred year old soldier, it would be in disrepair.” Golden opened her leg up, which hurt, but as a dulled pain. “Looks like several of the motors seized up, or the motor. Should be simple fix, but you’ll have to hold still.”
Golden hoof open to relieve a set of tools which seemed to very in use. Xenlia felt her leg go limp as she say gears and wire removed as Golden went to work. It replaced parts until it backed away from her and closing her leg up as its own hoof closed. Xenlia tested her leg feeling that her leg was moving much better than when she woke to her delight.
“That much better, thank you.” Xenlia said as she started to walk but soon stopped realizing she had no idea where she was or who she was. “I have no idea what I want to do, or should do right now.”
“I would recommend getting a weapon.” Golden said as she started to follow her. “The Wasteland is danger use and a close quarter weapon like the one in your leg are only good for a fight at personal rang.”
“Um, right, do you know the closest shop, Golden?” Xenlia asked the mechanical stallion.
“There’s Runner, he set up in the saloon over near the Bath Hotel.” Golden said as it pointed to a building with a big pony running to a mail box on the sigh, “I used to be where most of the mail for town came to be distributed or that is what Runner says.”
Xenlia nodded and walked down to the shop the she noticed read Gun Runner’s Collection. She also noticed that Golden was still following her. “Um, why are you following me?”
“I thought you might want some help. I heard that you lost your memory, and sorry for ease dropping. My ‘ears’ are really sensitive. And yes I know I’m not a real pony.” Golden explained, “And if you’re wondering which pronoun to use for me, I prefer to be called she and her. Don’t know why I just do.”
“Oh,” Xenlia said as she contemplated what Golden had just told her. The…she knew she was not real, but preferred to be called female, and seemed to have aware. Was it programming or was it really sentient, Xenlia didn’t know, nor did she understand why she cared. Golden was willing to help her and that’s was she needed right now. She guessed it was mostly from the fact that she didn’t know what to think of anything.
The two walked into Gun Runners and Xenlia was shocked by the about of everything on the walls. She didn’t know much on what many of these guns did but seeing so many was shocking. Xenlia guessed that firearms really were a big produce in the waste land. She was surprised that it didn’t seem too much of a revelation to her that this was a truth in this world, and it disturbed her.
“Um Golden, what gun would you recommend?” Xenlia asked.
“Oie, did that walking scrap heap find a friend.” An earth pony stallion with brown fur, megnta mane, green eye and a bunch of part for a cutie mark said as walked out of the back of the shop. He wore a
Stetson and a leather vest. “Seems strange is becoming more and more prominent. First it was a couple of Alicorns asking a unicorn to come with then than a Golden helping you now he’s following you around.”
“SHE,” Golden corrected the stallion.
“He, she, it, doesn’t really matter as you’re a robot.” The stallion, who Xenlia guessed was Runner, retorted. Turning his attention to Xenlia with a look that made her blush, Runner asked, “Anyway, mysterious Zebra lady with great hips, are you here to buy a gun? If not I can’t always show you my rifle, and it doesn’t have a hair trigger so we can go for hour.”
“Um ,what?” Xenlia asked as she looked to Golden who shrugged.
“You know, the stuff done behind closed door.” The Runner said looking a little nervous.
“Look, she had head trauma and amnesia so she might not know what you’re talking about.” Golden informed the stallion.
“Wait do you mean sex?” Xenlia asked.
“Um, yes, but I wasn’t trying to be so blunt.” The stallion said looking less interested.
“Runner, to be rude, but she is here about a gun.” Golden said her synthetic voice sounding a little annoyed much to Xenlia surprise.
“Alright, so what you looking for, small arm, rifle, grenade launcher, rocket, hoof held, mouth held, battle saddle, generic, or custom?” Runner asked gesturing to his selection. “Customs are going cost you.”
“You know a lot about guns.” Xenlia said shocked by the line of questions.
“It’s my cutie mark, though most assume it’s just a pile of part.” Runner said flatly gesturing to his cutie mark. “Now are you going to buy something?”
“Um, what would you recommend?” Xenlia asked unsure what she should use.
“I’d suggest a pistol, common weapon, a gun for the beginner, in other words a 9mm standard. You’ll be able to find ammo all over the area because it is the most use archetype in the area, now for the model. You want a gun that reliable, basically, an accurate gun that won’t jam often. That means a long barrel for accuracy and a good firing mechanism.” The stallion said walking over to a few models. “Take your pick.”
Xenlia looked over the weapons of war before and notice only one that caught her eye. It had attachment added to it and for some reason she knew what they were. Laser sight, silencer, and holo sight were all accompanied with a black and gray decal, and words: They who travel in the valley of shadow shall never know death, printed on the barrel. It was a gun that called to her though she didn’t know why.
“The Shadow?” Runner asked. “That’s an expensive gun, I would recommend the Standard 9mm over that beauty, if only because I don’t think you have the caps.”
“What do you mean by that?” Xenlia asked a bit of anger seeping into her tone. She didn’t know why but his statement had struck a chord in her.
“Exactly what I said, you don’t have the caps to buy that gun. Most Zebra that pass through town barely have enough for one night in the Bath House. You were dragged here have dead, losing most of your memories, and what I can only assume is belongings. And how many caps do you have, by the way. I can’t believe I didn’t ask that first, but I got distracted by your fine body. I can’t sell you something unless you have something of equal value to trade. Now figure out that out then we’ll talk.” Runner said annoyed while back to the back room. “Stupid fucking Zebras….”
Xenlia stared at the door to the back of the shop with seething anger as she run the words the stallion had just said through her mind. “Golden, did you know this stallion thought so lowly of Zebras?”
“Um, no, he’s acted decent to me most of the time. I didn’t think he would act like that.” Golden said as she pulled a bag out of a compartment in her chest. Xenlia just stared at the hole till it sealed up. “You I’m not a real pony right.”
“Yes, it just hard to wrap my mind around it, you act a lot like a real pony.” Xenlia said as she looked to the pony next to her. She had forgotten that her companion was just a robot designed to look like a pony, fur and all.
“Runner, would about 3,456, work?” Golden said as she dumped the bag of what looked like bottle caps on the table.
“I doubt you have….,” He paused as he stared the pile of bit on his counter. “Let me count them first.”
After about five minutes the stallion just started at the two in front of them. “Where did you get this many caps, you can’t have just found them. Who did you steal them from?”
A music box started to play as Golden walked up to counter. “You know my friend; I could have just found them just as I came into town. You know me I scavenge and if you call me a thief again I’m sure I can just take them back.”
“Ah, yes, right… um you want The Shadow, I’m sure this is enough. Just take it and leave.” The stallion said as he took the caps.
“Um, okay.” Xenlia said as took the gun off of the self. “Should we get going?” Xenlia asked around her new gun, it feeling a little awkward in her mouth.
“Yeah, I don’t think I like it here too much, anymore.” Golden said as she walked out the door Xenlia following behind her. “So, Xenlia what do you want to do now?”
“Um, I haven’t thought of that?” Xenlia said as she walked over to what looked a shop with FFE on the sign. “What do they sell?”
“The Future Farmers of Equestria, they sell some of the fresher food in the region. This is an outpost so I don’t think they sell the freshest food.”
“Do you think we’ll need any?” Xenlia asked.
“You need to eat.” Golden said as she walked in. “You can buy saddle bags and ammo here too.”
“Hey, do you know where you found?”Xenlia asked her companion as she looked at the bags. The clerk at the counter was nodding off when they had come in but was awake and waiting for them to make a decision. The mare didn’t seem too interested in them. Xenlia picked out a pair of small bags as Golden gathered their sullies and paid for them.
“Yes, I remember the route. Though are you sure?” Golden asked helping Xenlia put the saddle bags on. “It could be dangerous, you were being attack just as I got there.”
“Oh, well it’s the only place with some answers about my past. Besides this town doesn’t seem to like zebra’s all that much.” Xenlia said as she walked out of the shop the clerk mumbling something before going back to sleep.
“Well it is early if we start now we should reach there about late afternoon.” Golden said as they made their way out of town. “So you don’t mind traveling with me?”
“Why would I mind you? You’re the first pony to treat me with some form of kindness besides Doc, though I think she was doing for caps.” Xenlia explained as she looked around the area around town. It was mostly barren except for lights in a distant city off to the north. The sky was covered in clouds and the world seems wounded to the Zebra as she followed the robot who had saved her to find some answers hoping going to the beginning of this would help her.
