Fallout Equestria: The Long Descent

Chapter 0: Prologue

By: ThunderWing

“Things are never quite as they seem…”

The door hissed and steam from the water cooled machinery flooded into the air as the claw pulled the gear shaped slab of metal out of place. A few of the security ponies took a few steps out into the cool dry air of the moss crusted cave. We were in a forest.

'A forest?' the red pony thought to himself. Even at a young age, Carbon Steel was always curious to learn more about the situation. Now, in my late teen years, I trotted out behind the lead ponies, eager to see the world left behind by their ancestors. Of course they learned about such things in school, but to experience it in person? That was a whole new level. The scouting party looked around, trying to observe all they could. There were many interesting things, plants, animals, and lizards. None of which looked affected by the radiation at all... "That's odd..," I said with a slight nervousness in his voice. "None of these creatures appear to have experienced mutations of any kind. Was Stable-Tec.... lying to us..?" I couldn't be sure. I never would be sure it would seem. Stable-Tec has stopped contacting Stable 101 since its sealing nearly 200 years earlier. “I don’t know? I doubt it. I trust them. There must’ve been a good reason,” the lead security pony, Ace Fire, added, picking up a few rocks with his Cybernetic claw and looking them over carefully. “No signs of taint... hmmm, Carbon, can you send the results back to your manager in the science wing?” He had lost his hoof in a maintenance accident when he was interning a few years ago; it got sucked into a metal re-cycle machine. He was the one who invited me on this trip. And i must say it was an honor to be able to go and be one of the first ponies out of the stable in 200 years. “Huh? What? Oh... right. Sending them now.”

My Pipbuck made a slight bleep and the message was sent. I began to notice we were in a structure, based on the crumbling, vine covered stone walls surrounding us. I walked around thru the main gate of the building. “We are in a castle. An ancient one.”

The men looked confused. “What? I don’t recall Stable 101 being built in a castle,” said one of the ponies.

“The Stable-Tec ponies must not have noticed. It’s very overgrown. Looks like it has been for a long time.” I stepped outside, within the first few steps into the woods, I saw a pair of green eyes follow his path. I stopped. “Um guys... maybe we should head back to the stable and come back with better equipment.”

Ace looked confused “Why? Our equipment is just fine for this, no threats at all.” As if on cue a wolf made of complete wood jumped out of the underbrush and snarled. Another jumped in through a window and tackled Ace. The other security ponies were reaching for their batons, but Ace was already a gory heap in the dirt, throat torn from place. My role-model and mentor, dead before my eyes. One of the ponies threw up and was lunged at in the moment of unawareness. The wolf ripped his fore-leg to shreds as his screams filled the air. I ran to the castle entrance not taking my eyes off the wolf. I tripped on a stray branch, falling in the dirt. I turned in horror as the animals' razor sharp claws slashed across my right eye, tearing it out of its socket. I barely noticed, I was pumped up with adrenalin. but the moment of recoil from the wolf after his swipe at me was all I needed. I jumped to my feet and started running for my life as the wolf gave chase.

The remaining ponies ran back to the cave entrance towards the open stable door, I was not far behind. Once inside and safe, the ponies took deep breaths and they could hear the screeches of the one pony being slowly eaten alive by the wolves. Some of them threw up, I was too preoccupied with my torn out eye. I clutched the socket as medics rushed into the entrance-room. I looked at my hoof with my good eye... it was soaked in blood.

“Oh, that’s nice... just nice...” The world started to go dark as I fell to the ground... Then nothing-ness…

New Perk: Adrenalin Rush: you can now dismiss pain in the heat of battle and stay alive longer