Fallout: Equestria- The Nightmare Initiative

Chapter 2:

Wandering

“All the ponies in this town are CRAZY!”

The first thing that stuck me was the decay of my surroundings. I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it! The building around me was a husk of what it once was. The ceiling had caved in, letting sunlight filtered by a layer of clouds illuminate my surroundings. The pungent smell of mold filled my nostrils and elicited a sneeze.

The only indications of what the building once was were the burnt-out bookshelves, filled with remnants of knowledge that were now lost to time. A small twinge of sorrow pinched at my stomach.  Twilight would be devastated if she knew how neglected this library had become. I approached the nearest bookshelf and attempted to flip through a few of the books. None of the books I picked up were legible. Many were burned or torn apart. I clicked my tongue with a terse snort and moved to the front of the library to find a librarian.

To my shock, I found who I assumed was once the librarian behind the desk. Dead, just like everypony I found in the depths of Stable 117. Upon closer inspection, I realized that my initial assumptions were incorrect. Librarians didn’t wear leather barding and carry a firearm. Now that I was paying attention to the details, I noticed a trail of dried blood leading from the door all the way around to the pony laying under the desk.

Inspecting the body, an earth pony stallion, I realized that he had multiple gunshot wounds. Most seemed survivable, but the one that had killed the poor stallion was a gaping wound upon his chest, revealing the shattered ribcage underneath. The ribcage that moved ever so slightly as I watched it.

Sweet Celestia! This pony was alive!

“Hang on, I can help!” I spotted the pony’s saddlebag behind him underneath the librarian’s desk. I reached out gently with my telekinesis and started to pull the saddlebag from behind the injured pony. As I did so it lightly brushed the stallion’s flank, which was adorned with a parcel for a cutie mark. The pony seemed to register that I had his saddlebag and shifted his body enough to reveal a two-barreled nubby looking gun in his mouth. I dropped the saddlebag and held up a hoof.

“I’m here to help you. Do you have any healing potions or bandages?” The stallion kept the gun pointed at me, but nodded once. “I’m going to get those out and patch you up, okay? That’s all I’m doing.” Another nod gave me the permission to pull the saddlebag out from behind the pony and rummage through it until I found what I needed. I pulled out three healing potions and four bandages from the saddlebag.

“Okay, I need you to start drinking these. Can you put the gun down long enough to do that?” My voice was gentle. The last thing I needed was for this pony to shoot because I yelled at him. He gave me one last distrusting look before setting down the gun. I wasted no time in gently pressing the potion to his lips and letting him drink deeply of the healing draught. Bone seemed to knit itself back together before my eyes, but the one potion wasn’t enough. It took the other two potions to heal most of the damage done to the unfortunate stallion. I took care with the bandages, using two to wrap the earth pony’s wound, which looked raw still. At least he wasn’t in life threatening danger any more.

“Are you okay? What’s your name?”

“I-I’m all right now. Thanks. I’m Gun Runner, of Gun Runner’s Arsenal.” I gave him a blank look. I had a feeling I was supposed to know the name, but if I was I couldn’t see why. “You have heard of Gun Runner’s Arsenal, right? Best weapons north of Ponyville? I deliver anywhere?” Still a blank stare on my end. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Where the hell have you been? Living out in no-pony’s-land?” More blank stares from myself.

The stallion facehoofed. “I don’t got time to deal with your shit. Thanks for healing me, but I gotta make a delivery.”

“Delivery?” I cocked my head to the side. “Who would possibly need a delivery to a ruined library?”

“Some scientist-type. I dunno all the details, I just need to make the delivery. The other day I had this pony come in, real bitchy pegasus, you know how they are. Anyways, she plops down more dough than is necessary and says to deliver these things to here to somepony named Bright Idea. Sounded like a setup, but money is money, you know?” I was mildly taken aback by the intended recipient.

“Um… that’s me.” Gun Runner looked at me skeptically, but fished a brown package out of his saddlebag. “Uh… do I owe you anything?”

“Nah, everything was paid for up front. Since I’ve made my delivery, I’m outta here. If you’re smart you’ll leave too. This here’s raider turf.”

“Raider turf?” The only response from Gun Runner was a sad shake of his head before he poked his head out the library door and slipped out a moment later.

I was alone with my mysterious package. I sat and stared at it for the longest time. Finally, my curiosity got the better of me and I unwrapped it unceremoniously. Beneath the rough parchment wrapping was a white lab coat, looking pristine and fresh-pressed. I gently lifted the coat in front of myself and inspected it briefly before putting it on. A perfect fit. Beneath the lab coat was a saddlebag. This in-itself is something I would have considered to be mundane, but emblazoned on the side of each pouch was my cutie mark.

I slowly traced the image with a forehoof, inspecting the image of a blank blueprint. Above said blueprint was a yellow lightbulb with three tiny lightning bolts coming off of it. Whoever sent this knew me. I couldn’t figure out who would send me a package without putting their name on it though. Rainbow Dash maybe? I shook my head and hoisted up the saddlebag. Again, a perfect fit.

My PipBuck gave a quick notification that it had sorted my inventory before the text blinked away. Curious, I flicked through the various screens on the device before coming to rest on a weapons index. One magical energy pistol. With disgust, I levitated the weapon out of the bag and dropped it on the ground. What would I need a gun for?

Flicking through for more listed items my PipBuck informed me that I had a small supply of magical energy packs, which joined the weapon on the floor. Honestly, who thought arming me was a good idea? I scanned the other tabs of my inventory sorter in the PipBuck, which somehow knew what I wore, and only found one other item of note. Well not an item, really. It was an audio file, which my PipBuck immediately recognized and downloaded. I hesitated only a moment before deciding to play the file.

"Why so blue, Bright? Heh… You probably hate that joke by now. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but you’ll want to pick up that gun and ammo that you probably dropped out of the saddlebag. You’ll need them. Listen, things outside are going to be super-duper scary but I believe in you. I need you to head to Sugarcube Corner. There’s something important you need to get. I can’t tell you what it is yet, but you’ll know it when you see it. Goodbye. Be careful."

There was a sadness in Pinkie’s voice that brought some moisture to my eyes. Whatever was going on had her worried. I picked up the magical energy pistol and ammo (grudgingly, I might add) and placed them back into my saddlebags. With a final sigh, I moved to the library’s exit and entered an Equestria I couldn’t have ever expected.

***

Outside the library was just as bad as the inside, if not worse. Buildings all along the street I was on were disheveled and worn. A few of the buildings were essentially gone, nothing but rubble and small chunks of wall to indicate where a building once stood. I couldn’t help but wonder where the hay I was as I trotted past a headless griffin statue and down the street.

I couldn’t help but worry a little bit as I wandered down the street. I hadn’t seen a single pony save for Gun Runner back in the library. I mindlessly kicked an empty bottle as I walked. My eyes tracked the bottle nonchalantly before being torn away by movement further ahead. A winged, gray orb floated down the street towards me. I watched the thing as we moved toward each other, though it seemed fine with ignoring me. As it came closer, I realized the head-sized orb played an instrumental melody mixed with a light static.

It continued its jaunty instrumental as the orb-thing passed me. I watched it for a ways before continuing my walk towards… somewhere. I groaned in frustration.

“Where the hay is everypony?” I grumbled to myself as I walked. At the very least I should see something that would give me an indication of- Was that a scream? I stood rigid and listened for a moment before I heard the sound again.

“Somepony help me!” A mare’s cry spurred me into action and I took off into a gallop towards the sounds of distress. “Help!” I was getting closer. I cut into an alley, which I found was the source of the calls.

Near the end of the alley was a unicorn mare whose hind legs had been trapped by the remains of one of the dying buildings. I took no time in moving to help, telekinetically lifting as many of the bricks as I could.

“Are you okay? Don’t move too much, okay?” I tried being gentle as I lifted the debris. I spoke gently, hoping to avoid panicking the mare. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure how bad the damage would be.

“Thank you. I-I was just walking home when the part of the building kinda just… fell on me.” The pale yellow unicorn began helping to shift the rubble as well. “I-I’m surprised anypony was willing to help me.”

“What for? Is there nopony living around here?”

“Just the raiders. They like to ambush ponies when they least expect it.”

“Raiders? Are they like a gang of hoodlums or some… thing…?” I looked up at the mare to see a weapon in my face. The pale yellow unicorn held the wicked machine perfectly level with my eye. “What are you doing?” I struggled to keep the panic rising to my throat out of my voice.

“Goddesses are you dense. Who the fuck falls for this ploy? Sledge! Ripper! We got a real genius on our hooves here!” As if being summoned by the mare, two other ponies stepped out from shadows I ignored when running to her aid. One, a dirty stallion, carried a massive looking sledgehammer in his mouth while the other, another mare, carried a particularly sharp looking knife.

“I-I don’t understand. What’s going on?” My voice rose a few notes in scale as I began to panic.

“We’re robbing you, dumbass.” The pale yellow mare spoke with an exasperated tone.

“What?!” My voice hit a pitch that would have rivaled Rarity’s. “Why?!”

“Ugh. Fuck it. Let’s just kill the idiot and loot his corpse.”

I bolted. I heard the word kill and that was all it took. I galloped as fast as my legs would carry me. I heard shouting behind me right before the wall next to me was lit up with a rat-a-tat of bullets slamming into it. I was beyond panic. I was in complete I-don’t-want-to-die-why-are-they-doing-this-why-me mode. I ran. I ran and ran, ducking into a ruined home when I thought I had put some distance between the pursuers and myself.

I struggled with catching my breath as I briefly surveyed my surroundings for a place to hide. I had taken refuge in somepony’s ruined home. The living room offered no place to hide. I dashed down the hallway and cut right into a bathroom. I slammed the door shut and locked it with my magic before cowering in the bathtub.

There was indistinct shouting outside the house, followed by the front door smashing open. I let out a slight yelp at the sound and lowered myself down into the tub as far as I could manage to squish myself. Please don’t find me. I silently willed the ponies to go away and let me live.

“Come on out!” A deep voice called for me. “I promise we won’t hurt you. We’re just gonna take your stuff and break your legs!” The pony in the house with me let out a deep, raucous laugh as he moved past the room I hid in. Maybe he wouldn’t check here. Maybe he’d move on and give me a chance to hide out until it was safe enough to flee far away.

No such luck. The door exploded inward with a powerful apple buck and a shrill scream which turned out to be my own. My mind fumbled for the magic words that would save my life while my magic fumbled for the only weapon in my saddlebag. My magic won that race.

“Stay back! I have a gun!” I pointed the boxy weapon at who I assumed by his weapon and matching cutie mark could only be Sledge. “I don’t want to hurt you!” He stepped forward, laughing around the bulky weapon. “I mean it!” He moved closer and raised his weapon high. I shut my eyes and screamed, reflexively pulling the trigger repeatedly.

I don’t know how many shots I fired, but when I opened my eyes, the stallion known as Sledge was clearly dead. Multiple scorch marks covered the unfortunate stallion and the wall behind where he was standing. Sweet Celestia, I'm going to the moon for this.

After slightly recovering use of my legs I stepped from the tub, which now held urine in the bottom, and left the room, forcefully repressing the fact that I had murdered somepony until I was no longer in danger.

I peeked out the bathroom door, spotting nothing. I slowly made my way to through the rest of the house. In the kitchen I noticed an unopened box of snack cakes left in the mostly cleaned out cupboards. My stomach pointedly reminded me that I didn’t know when I last ate. I hesitantly added the cakes to my saddlebag. Just another reason for Princess Celestia to exile me.

“So you managed to get Sledge, huh?” A cold chill went down my spine as I slowly turned to face the voice. It was the mare who had been hiding with Sledge earlier, Ripper. My mouth went dry as I tried to explain things.

“I… I didn’t want to…” The rest of my explanation caught in my throat as Ripper charged forward, knocking me to the ground and pinning my legs down with her hooves. She unsheathed the knife on her shoulder, a look of glee in her eyes. “Please don’t d-“ My plea was cut short by my bloodcurdling scream as she dug the knife into my right foreleg.

“Scream louder for me.” Ripper leaned in close, whispering the words almost seductively. I was forced to oblige as she returned to the knife in my leg and twisted it. Through the blinding pain, a sliver of instinct forced its way to the surface. My magic fumbled for my gun as Ripper continued to whisper her sweet nothings into my ear.

“Keep screaming! I love it when you scream!” Ripper’s cries were nearing euphoric tones. My vision was starting to dim when she yanked the blade from my leg and plunged it into my abdomen, just below the ribcage. “Yes! Bleed for me!” The pain awakened a part of me that I would have never known existed. This wasn’t how I was going to die! Pinkie Pie needed me to get to Sugarcube Corner and as Celestia as my witness I silently swore I wouldn’t let her down!

Ripper was moaning in ecstasy as she tore the blade free from my body. I took my opportunity and craned my head in an attempt to get at anything in reach. By some miracle the thing I managed to reach was Ripper’s leg, which I bit down upon as hard as I could. My attacker cried out in surprise, though I’m not sure if it was necessarily a bad surprise for her at that point. Ripper’s leg buckled, and I rolled to the side, spilling Ripper to the floor.

The mare let out a psychotic laugh. “I love it when they struggle.” Ripper grinned manically as she stood, abandoning the knife. Before she made a move, I lowered my head and charged forward with a primal yell. My charge was stopped short by the surprisingly sturdy body of Ripper.

Time stopped and I realized I had made a mistake. I accepted the finality of my actions. I was going to die here. As if to confirm the thought, blood trickled down my head and dripped to the floor. It pooled around my hooves and spread across the floor, holding me in rapt attention.

Then time started moving again for me. Ripper flopped sideways and it was only then I realized that there was a gaping hole in the mare’s throat. Her body twitched as the last vestiges of life slipped away from it. I stepped back, watching the blood spread slowly across the tile of the kitchen. A noise from another part of the house pulled my attention away from the macabre sight.

I stepped out of the kitchen, pulling the magical laser pistol from my saddlebag and carrying it at the ready. Every step was a struggle; every breath a labor. I was running on pure adrenaline at this point, and I still had one more raider pony looking for me. I left the house behind, hoping to put some distance between myself and what would surely be the source of nightmares for the rest of my life.

“So… you’re still alive?” Horseapples. “I didn’t expect that from a goody-goody like you.” I turned around, facing the yellow mare. “I’d threaten to make this slow for what you did to Sledge and Ripper, but honestly I don’t think that’s possible.” She advanced slowly, with the grace and assuredness of a lioness that knew its prey wouldn’t escape. The medical warnings flashing in the corners of my visions only confirmed her right to do so.

“I don’t suppose you could let me go? I’m having a really bad day.” I spoke in earnest. The yellow mare chuckled lightly, a sweet giggle in the empty street.

“You and I both know that can’t happen.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled. The mare raised her weapon, ready to finish the fight. I quickly weighed my options and took the most appealing one. I ran.

A spray of gunfire followed in my wake, a few bullets finding their mark in my hind leg. I fell to the ground in agony and desperately tried crawling away. My body was having none of that. I turned my attentions to the advancing mare, idly noting that I wouldn’t even know the name of my killer as I squeezed off as many shots as possible.

Most of these shots missed, but they forced my would-be killer to take evasive actions. I kept up the pressure as I used my working legs to shuffle backwards. The mare’s return fire nearly put a volley of rounds into my head, one bullet coming close enough to take a bit of my ear off. As more pain joined the chorus that was already racking my body, an idea struck me. I stopped firing, dropped my weapon, and went limp.

Hesitant hoofsteps echoed off the buildings as the yellow mare approached. “I will say this: for a goody-goody you nearly had me. I hope you have something good for me after all this work.” She was standing over me, gloating with the gun pressed into my gut. Her expression matched her tone as she squeezed the trigger and forced the last round her gun held into my already wounded form. “Oh… Looks like I do get to drag this out. Goody.” She ejected a long boxy protrusion from her gun and pulled a new one from her mane.

That was all the time I needed to reach out with my magic and lift my own weapon up behind her head. I let loose with the last few shots of my own weapon. The first shot caused her weapon to drop in shock. The second shot tore a scream from her throat. The third caused an orange corona to envelope the psychotic mare before turning her and everything she carried to ash. My fourth shot hit the pavement behind me, and the fifth simply let off a slight clicking noise.

My weapon clattered to the ground. I was spent and, according to the warnings flashing in my vision still, dying in the street. Shadows began to bleed back into my vision as the horrific world I found myself slipped away. My last thoughts were of an angel ponies’ hoofsteps as they approached to carry me to the afterlife.

***

I sat dutifully outside the schoolhouse, waiting for Sponge Cake to be let out. As always the bell rang on time. A gray maned Cheerilee waved as she opened the door for her students. I waved back, waiting for my daughter like clockwork. She was the last one to leave. As we walked home Sponge Cake was silent.

“What’s wrong, Sponge? Did something happen at school?” I slowed my pace a bit as she sniffled. “Sweetie? What is it?”

“The others all made fun of me today at recess. They said I was a baby for not having my cutie mark.”

I sighed, fully expecting this conversation someday. “Do you think you’re a baby?”

“I’m not a baby!”

“Then you’re not a baby.” My tone was matter-of-fact. “Listen, just because you don’t have your cutie mark doesn’t mean you’re any less special. Finding your special talent is something important, yes, but it’s not something you can rush. Did I ever tell you I was made fun of for not having my cutie mark in school?”

“Really?” Sponge Cake stopped in her tracks. “What did you do?”

“I told the bullies that it didn’t matter to me. My cutie mark would show up when I was good and ready.”

Sponge Cake huffed in frustration. “There’s no way that worked.”

***

I awoke lying in an unfamiliar bed and staring at a ceiling as I wondered what I could say to Sponge Cake to cheer her up. It took a few moments of blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling before it sank it that my daughter was not here. I attempted to force myself to sit up, but pain decided for me that sitting was out of the question.

“Ah reckon it’s about time you woke up.” An unfamiliar voice with a country twang interrupted my solitude. I turned my head to the voice, which belonged to a chestnut mare with a brilliantly blonde mane. “You took a serious beatin’ today. I’m kinda shocked I ain’t talkin’ to a corpse right now.”

“You saved me?”

“Yep. Mostly anyway. ‘Nother healing potion and you’ll be feeling as sunny as a summer day. Speakin’ o’ which…” I felt a cool sensation touch my lips before a warm liquid splashed down my throat. “There ya go…” I started feeling better immediately. The pain in my abdomen subsided, and I sat up slowly.

“Thank you. I don’t know what was wrong with those pon-“ Memories of my day flooded back, and my head dropped in shame.

“I know that look. First time killin’ a pony?” I looked towards the wall, away from my savior. “Yeah, I figured. That’s a good thing though. Guilt means I saved a good pony.” I shot a confused look at my host. “You must be new here. See, what you were dealin’ with weren’t no ponies no more. They were what ya call raider ponies. Nutcases who don’t care for nothing but killin’ and lootin’ innocent ponies like yourself.”

“But why hasn’t Princess Luna stepped in and helped to solve the violence here? The rest of Equestria can’t be this bad.”

The mare gave cocked her head to the side with an inquisitive look. “You’re a queer one, ain’t ya? Ain’t been no Equestria for ‘round two-hundred years now.”

Level Up!

Perk Gained:

Quick Hooves: Quick thinking only keeps you alive if you have quick hooves! +1 to Agility.