Fallout Equestria: Old Equestria Blues

Chapter One: No Second Chances

A few days later the darkness began to recede from my vision, only this time to be greeted seconds later by the painful light coming to life directly in front of my eyes.

Immediately I groaned in pain, it was a dull throbbing ache in my skull that seemed to match the speed of my heart. I tried to move my left foreleg in an effort to shield my eyes, finding that my whole body was stiff and sore, which was only adding to the pain. Before I could block the tortuous glowing fluorescent light, I was stopped by the sound of a soft raspy female voice coming from somewhere nearby.

“Whoa now...You might want to be...a tad careful with how fast you move...” she said slowly, almost as though it took much of her energy to form the words. I was just about to try and locate said voice when a monster’s head jumped straight into my view, causing me to incoherently mumble out an incoherent expletive in shock.

No...it wasn’t a monster. My vision had begun to clear faster as soon as her head blocked the light. She was a ghoul pony. She looked like she may have even once been a alicorn, except that her horn looked to have been broken off at the base, her wings were all but gone except for the bones that jutted out from her sides and her faded pink coat was mottled with painful crimson splotches where the fur had fallen out, while her faded pink and white mane appeared to be tattered and cut up horribly. Her eyes were a complete milky white, which made me assume she was partially blind if not completely. The worst part of her condition was that the flesh along the lower part of her jaw was gone, revealing part of the bone in her rotten jaw and the many decayed teeth.

“You were...quite the mess when I was...given care of you. It’s a surprise that...you are even alive.” she said, the wind of her words escaping through the hole in the bottom of her mouth slowly. My mind raced as I tried to comprehend her words, only to be rewarded with another painful throb of agony in my skull. As I groaned she pulled away from my face, causing me to wince from the sudden light washing over me once more, giving me slow and careful directions as I tried to get up again.

“It’s okay, take your time...You don’t want to move too fast.” Taking her words to heart, I turned to face the direction she had gone and slowly sat up on, feeling what I soon discovered was a dirty decayed mattress. Part of me sincerely hoped this wasn’t her bed. I didn’t vocalize that though, only groaned once more as my body reminded me that it was extremely sore.

“It was touch and go...I will admit. You nearly died twice...while I tried to remove the bullet...in your skull.” she said in her raspy way of vocalizing. I snapped my head in her direction, regretting such behavior immediately as my skull throbbed viciously as a result. Was that why my head hurt so much, I had been shot in the head? If that was the case, I should’ve been dead. My skull responded angrily as that gave way to many more questions flooding my mind, none of which I could even answer. I couldn’t remember anything that had happened!

I felt myself started to panic, breathing harder as I tried hard to piece together what was missing from my memory. I lifted my foreleg again to stroke my mane when I saw there was a device wrapped around it almost painfully. It was old and looked to be well worn, yet extremely well made, almost as though a lot of love and dedication had gone into its construction. In golden gilded letters I discovered the initials V.R. and a small indentation where what looked to be a picture was missing. Almost mesmerized by the device I gave it further examination, turning my hoof all over to see. That was when, to my I horror I saw that not only was I wearing it but it was grafted into my flesh. With a sense of dread I lowered my foreleg back down and gazed upon my would be savior, who only nodded slowly up and down.

“In order to make sure...you didn’t expire while I worked...I affixed the PipBuck to...your nervous system. There was a chance...it would’ve made you permanently comatose...but it was what...kept you alive in the long run.”

My eyes floated back to the machine. That was why my leg hurt so badly. This PipBuck was literally attached to my foreleg and permanently affixed in place, with what I assumed could’ve been wonderglue or something else. It didn’t feel natural and I really just wanted to rip it off but the ghoul pony had said it was probably the reason why I was even still alive in the first place, so I resisted. The Ghoul, the one who had worked as hard as she could to save my life and...I didn’t even know her name. I looked back up at her and began to speak, intent on thanking and asking for her name before she interrupted me by talking over my soft words.

“I’ve managed to...do the best as I can...but I’m afraid...there will be permanent scarring.” I could feel myself frown and roll my eyes at the mention of the PipBuck but found myself surprised as she continued to speak, a faint magical glow surrounding her as she shakily levitated a cracked hand mirror to my face. “The bullet...entered right below your ear...near your horn and...shattered as it came in contact with your...skull.”

I stared at myself, speechless at what my reflection before me was. Sure enough, below my left ear was a series of three white scars, each of them running down from the base of my ear to the bottom of my horn like some sort of wasteland creature had clawed at my forehead. That probably meant that the damage had been more severe than I could imagine if this was the end result. I continued to stare into my reflection for a few moments before I pulled away, unwilling to look at the reflection of the unicorn with a navy blue coat and a dark grey mane any longer.

“If they bother you...I’d let your mane grow out a bit to...cover them up.” the ghoul pony said, her raspy words, cold, yet still oddly comforting. I nodded a bit, it would take long time for it to grow out with how short it was now, and even then I could brush it down a bit, but that wasn’t what was bothering me.

“I’d like to run...a few quick tests, ask a few questions...to make sure...you are all right...if that is okay.” she explained almost as though she could sense my twisted emotions, before she floated the mirror back to where she had gotten it.

Taking a deep breath I nodded and tried my best to produce a smile. I cringed, seeing what her face did when she smiled back, and carefully stepped out of the bed. Before I could go anywhere else though she stopped me and looked my body over as if admiring her own handiwork and then brought her attention back to my face. “Can you...tell me what...your name is?” she asked slowly, almost as though she knew the answer.

I could almost feel myself suddenly blank as I struggled to recall my own name. Finally with a flash of insight, I responded. “My name is Blue Rhapsody,” I replied slowly, almost a little afraid that it was unreal, hearing the familiar soft baritone of my voice. She gave me that same...smile, almost surprisingly pleased before she spoke up again.

“That’s a good sign...Though I...probably would’ve called you...something else, but for right now...though, I think it’s best if we...start the tests,” she said and made her way into the more open area of the room, eventually coming to a stop, ten feet away, at what looked to be a complicated medical machine with a harness connected to it. “Go ahead...and carefully make your way over...here and slip into this harness and bite down on the bit...it’ll give me a good idea of just how good...a condition your body..is in after all...that trauma.”

Carefully I followed after her, nodding slowly as I made my way to her machine and slipped into the metal contraption, finally biting down on the bit as I got comfortable as I could. Within moments the machine came to life, various different colored numbers and stats popping up on the screen in front of me. I heard the ghoul pony gasp out in surprise in such a way that it sounded more like she was wheezing from smoke.

“I wouldn’t believe it...but it would seem that bullet...must’ve done something to your nervous system...shouldn’t be that...responsive,” she commented and then helped me out of the harness. I didn’t know what she meant, at that point I don’t think I cared, I was too focused on trying to get out while not being touched by her.

*=========*

If she had sensed my displeasure of being touched by her, she hadn’t let me know, instead, once I was out of the harness she led me out and to her living room, letting me have a seat on her old worn out sofa as she began to ask me all sorts of various psychological questions, telling me that it was important to have a sense of who I was once I told her I didn’t remember how I had been shot.

“It’s called word association...I say something and you tell me...the first thing that comes...into your mind.” she started off with, her magic at work once more as she held a pencil and a pad of paper in a beam of telekinetic power. “First word is...Rain”

“Life,” I said as an image of a river flowed through my mind.

“Next is...Music,”

“Inspiration,” I felt myself frown right then and there as a memory came back to me. I could’ve sworn I once owned a guitar. In fact, I had been a musician before this had all happened.

“Finally, the last word is...Faith,”

“Confession,” I don’t know why, but I found myself growing irritated with all of this. I wanted to ask her what was the point of all of this, but before I could, she spoke up faster than I expected her to be able to. As if she was trying to prevent me from doing exactly that.

“Now, can you tell me...what this looks like?” she asked, her magic having levitated a strange sign covered with various assorted ink splatters.

I felt my cheeks burn bright, my previous irritation quickly forgotten as an embarrassing image came to mind. “It looks like Celestia and Luna embracing each other firmly.” I finally responded after a moment of embarrassed silence. Yet again, she expressed nothing negative, showing only her dedication to her work.

“And this...one?” She asked again, the magical glow of her magic shifting in color slightly. The image suddenly changed into a different set of magic inkblots.

“A series of worn out gears in a clock,” I said as the sign somehow conjured an image of an old antique shop. Maybe I had been there at some point or another.

“Okay, this...is the last picture...” she said, the color of her magic changing once more, shifting the inkblots into another completely different formation.

“That one looks like...a lonely candle in the darkness,” More specifically though it reminded me of myself, alone with a small campfire on a long abandoned railroad.

She put away the inkblot sign and scribbled a few notes into the notepad with her magic, leaving me to my thoughts. Within the moments of silence, my eyes looked around the room. Seeing all sorts of knick knacks and trophies along the walls. There were a series of dusty snow globes on a shelf behind her, a poster of a purple unicorn mare with neat and tidy purple and pink stripped mane that was signed on the wall behind me, there was even a small record player in the corner that looked to be in pristine condition, but what caught my attention the most was the painting on the wall to my left, where there was a door I presume led to the outside. I turned my attention to the ghoul pony who seemed to still be busy writing notes and stood up, making my way to the painting to get a better look at it.

It depicted a rather beautiful ivory castle surrounded by a rose pink magic shield that was built into the side of a cloudy mountain that had a waterfall rushing below to the ground. There was a small plaque on the bottom of the frame that read, “Memories of Home”. After I second realized I recognized what this place was. It was or at least had been Canterlot a long time ago, did that mean my...doctor had been originally from there? I was about to turn and ask when I noticed she had stopped writing and was staring at me with her unnerving eyes. Looks like she wasn’t really blind at all... Feeling quite sheepish, as if I had been caught doing something bad, I returned to my spot on the sofa and waited patiently for her to speak.

“I don’t have much to go on...without anything to compare it to...sadly, but I think it shows you are all there. I guess all I really need...from you now...is any past medical history that...you may remember so...I can keep you on file...” she said and gave me that same, frightening smile. Though I found myself growing a bit used to it every time.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus. The pain in my head was beginning to come back, but after a minute I nodded as I found myself able to recall something more.

“Well...I can’t remember much. It hurts a lot to think about. I still can’t recall what had happened but I do remember something, but it’s not medical history and it’s not all there. Do you think what I can remember about my cutie mark counts?”

“Well...Probably not but...talking about it may help...your memory recover faster...” she replied, floating the notebook and pen away safely. “Go ahead and...tell me about your cutie...mark Blue.”

Before I began I took a deep breath and looked at the cutie mark on my flank, a silver crescent moon with three tiny music notes trailing beneath it like shooting stars, then I turned back to face her, the ghoulicorn doctor.

“Well, I remember being music being one of the most important things in my life. I think I even used to have a guitar.” I stopped for a moment as the pain in my forehead began to grow worse, but I pushed on, finding myself able to remember more if I forced it. “I used to feel alone a lot when I was little, so I played the guitar. I think it used to be my only friend.” Another flare up caused me to growl in pain. I could see that she knew I was in pain, but I spoke ahead of her this time, still focusing on my cutie mark. “I remember sitting by the window and looking up at Luna...the moon. I had started to play the guitar and I found myself playing one of the best songs I had ever written, at that point...I remember I started to cry for some reason and turned...” I feel myself visibly shake, pressing a hoof against my forehead to try and mitigate this burning pain. “To see someone else had come into my room crying as well...” I felt myself gasp in horrible pain and realization as I recalled who I saw that night.

I didn’t exactly get to finish telling her my my story though. The pain in my head became so intense in that exact moment that it completely overwhelmed me, causing me to collapse onto the hard floor with a loud thud.

*=========*

When I had finally regained consciousness for the third time in less than a week I found that parts of my broken memory had returned, along with the trauma and the pain with them. My brother had killed me or at least very nearly did, and he had taken something very important from me in the process. So when I told my doctor, that I had to go out and find him, she was shocked, which made the this the first time I had seen what an actual frown on her looked like. It was worse than her smile.

“I don’t...think you should be chasing after him in...your condition. You might make yourself...worse than he already did,” she advised, blocking the exit.

“I need to. He took something important from me, and I mean more than just most of my memory. I have to find him and get it back...and if it comes down to it. Return the favor.” I said, trying to hold back the anger growing inside of me. I wasn’t really mad at her, heck, I still didn’t even know her name at this point. But my brother, Silver Tongue, he had done something horrible. I needed to find out why.

“You...don’t even know where to start...” she said matter of factly, in such a way I felt discouraged, the growing anger cooling down until I finally realized something.

“No... I don’t know where to start...but you do, don’t you? You found me and patched me back together. You know where I could look.” I said, doing my best to tower over her while trying to stare her down. She didn’t move or blink, there was in fact no sign of fear in those pale white eyes, if anything there seemed to be a growing resignation behind them.

“I really...don’t think you should...but...I can’t stop you if that...is what you really want...” she signed and trotted away from the door into another room, “Before you go...let me at least give you a few things...that could help you out...” she called out, returning a few moments later with a small leather saddle bag. Carefully she strapped it to my back and stood off to the side. “It contains...some preserved food and clean water...five doses of a powerful...painkiller called Med-X...please don’t use it...unless any pain you experience... becomes unbearable...finally there is a pistol, should you absolutely need to use it for self...defense.”

I looked at her dumbfounded; why was she giving me all of these things? Was where she found me really such a dangerous place? I was about to ask, just where exactly she had found me when she spoke up again, with that same perfect timing from before. It was almost as though she could read my mind.

“I...didn’t actually find you...one of...my friends found you and brought...me to you. He...was the one who...actually...rescued you.” she said softly in her own way, not quite looking at me as she spoke. “He found you...ten miles...up the road to the west...at the bottom...of a cliff. There is a grave...marker in the shape...of a cross at the top.”

Slowly I nodded, turning to face the door as I started to open it, finding myself stopped as she placed a hoof gently on my neck. “If you see...my friend...please tell him I said Hi...you will recognize him as a spritebot,” she added and slowly walked away.

Frowning, I turned my attention back to the door, pausing for a second as I considered her words one final time before I opened it up and stepped out into the Waste once more.

Level Up.
New Perk: Good as Geld -- +10% damage to the same sex and unique dialogue options with certain ponyfolk.