Fallout Equestria:The Bell Tolls

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.