Fallout Equestria: New Beginnings

The sun was disappearing beyond the horizon as the large building in the distance became hoof steps in front of me, it appeared to be a recently abandoned factory, the exterior was flawless and new.

"Well it's better than camping out in this cold, desolate place." I reasoned bittersweet.

Looking for an entrance, I noticed all the windows and doors on the factory had been boarded up to keep anypony from getting inside. Except one.

The door was made of some sort of dark metal and had a security keypad built into it, the pad itself was blinking, security code. And for some reason I felt like I knew the code, like some far off forgotten memory, I entered one- zero- two- four-, the door unlocked, winding open with a click and the unscrewing of security bolts.

Walking inside, the building's interior looked old and aged like that of an old rag doll left to rot, and the air in here wasn't any better,
It was like choking on large dust particles, "Well, it's better than sleeping out there," I sighed closing the door.
Shuffling my hoof around on my Pipbuck, I located the flashlight, turning it on, I explored the factory, old conveyor belts lined the walls in rows, with rusting springs on some and large sprockets that could easily fit over my entire body on others.

I could see the name of the factory on the wall high above me, Springs and Sprockets, the name was surrounded by images of robots and tanks.

Finding the executive office of the factory I opened the door walking inside, the soft green glow of the terminals lit up the room eliminating the need for my Pipbuck's flashlight.

The terminal farthest to the left wasn't locked, so searching through it was a breeze thanks to the lack of security. Working the terminal’s interface I found a message that was sent to it ages ago.

Arrest warrant for one Spring Top dead or alive, wanted for hiding a fugitive and three counts of accessory.

Hacking the middle terminal, I found the passcode to be “springs”. The terminal seemed to hold the unlocking mechanism for the cabinet, as I heard the green-shrouded cabinet click open to the left of me. Opening the cabinet, I found a golden apple and a long, slender gun that was broken with five shells sitting next to it and a blank black journal.

Well, it's something.

Opening the jar of carrots I had from back at the outpost, I started to eat them while walking over to attempt to hack through the last terminal. Opening the terminal, I tried and failed both times before getting lucky. The passcode was “flower”. Searching through, I found entries that had been left on the terminal.

Entry 1
The supply orders have been coming in pretty steadily since the war started, we’re expected to get orders of fifty springs and sprockets or more to help finish up the robots and tanks they have been building to help win this war.

Entry 2
It's really not my place to say anything, but I just can't believe the ministry of peace gave the zebras the megaspell, they even used it in battle to revive everyone on the battlefield. Expect a major overhaul of production, one hundred springs and sprockets per day to help fix what the ministry of peace has done. Hopefully no pony will pass out on the production line floor, I just waxed that thing last Tuesday.

Entry 3
Great, I'm being looked for by the law. I guess taking in one pony that comes out of nowhere is a bad thing to do these days,
I had hoped that they would have payed more attention to the war than my productive employees, my most productive worker has been managing to pull off making at least seventy-five springs and sprockets by herself per day and they want to take her away from me? Not going to happen!, I plan on using the shotgun I have stored in the cabinet if they come looking here for me or for her.

Entry 4
ugh, this is probably going to be the last entry I ever make, they came here, but it wasn't who I was expecting to come looking for us. I-It was a group cloaked in red cloth, almost like a forgotten old cult.
They came specifically for that mare. I don't know exactly what she did, but goddesses does it itch like a fucking bitch.

Entries End.

"What the hell?" Backing out of the terminal, I began to sweat in fear.

"What happened here?"

And is something still in here, giving understandable reason why this place was locked boarded up and abandoned? I could hear the sound of something falling down through all the metal pipes hanging above. Turning on by Pipbuck light I looked around with my flashlight frantically, I couldn't find the source of the noise. Ouf! "Ow, what was that," I fell to side with my flashlight lighting up something purple high above me, moved and was oozing, before I blacked out.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ugh, my fucking head. Wow, I didn't know my vision would come back this fast. Wait, what? I can't control my movements. -What? Am I bending springs?- And how are the conveyor belts moving? I thought this place was run down.

"Hazy, do you mind coming to my office?" Requested a very muscular, male pony.

"Sure, boss," I said with uncertainty in my voice.

Wait, Who is that? I walked off towards the office I was in a few minutes ago, and it was day.

I still can't move, It's almost like, I'm watching? I walked in and closed the door, "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, Hazy,” He confirmed, “It seems they want me in jail for harboring you and a number of others I'm helping hide from the law, I received a message this morning that was a copy of my arrest warrant."

I Followed his movements with confusion as he paced back and forth, "Why are you telling me this sir?" I questioned.

"They could be at our doorstep right now, to take me away" He exclaimed.

"Sir, I don't understand, you harbor labor."

He stopped pacing. "You were one of the best workers I have ever had working here, Hazy. Most of the workers here, I would call acquaintances, but you I would call a close friend to the end."

"Sir?" I inquired

"Do me a favor when they take me away Hazy, blow this place sky high, they must not take it."

Two sharp knocks interrupted our talk, "Spring Top?" Another voice called from outside the door. "There is a group of strange clothed ponies out here who wish to talk to Hazy."

Both he and I were surprised to hear my name instead of his. Opening the door, we saw the strange group of ponies and the pony who led them to the office itself.

One of the strange ponies walked to me, grabbing my hoof, "Come with us, Hazy, this is not the place for you."

Spring Top walked forward, "I don't know who you are, Heck, I don't even care who you are! You are not taking my best worker!"

"Stay back!" The cloaked pony threatened Spring Top with a horn, at the sudden threat, I took my hoof back, nearly ripping it out of this pony's hoof.

"Last chance, Hazy, come with us and nopony will get hurt."

Closing my eyes, I cried. The unicorn pony got closer, pulling out a clear orb, horn glowing.

I whispered, "No."

The unicorn was shocked, asking "What did you say?"

"I said NO!" I screamed.

My eyes began to glow and shocks of magic were now beading off my coat as I levitated myself upward, even the air within the factory whirled, whipping everything upside down and the ground began to quake. The shocks on my body turned to purple lightning and shocking three of the ponies working at the factory one of them being Spring Top.

"Sir, we have to get out of here!”

"No! levitate her down!”

"But sir!"

“Now!"

The factory rumbled harder, as if it was about to be lifted off the ground.

"Just do as I say and levitate her down now!" The unicorn with the clear orb got close to me as I touched my hooves to the ground.

"That's it, now back off, all of you!"

His horn touched my head, subsiding the rumbling and making the magic dispel into waves. Ripples of uncontrolled magic shocked everyone around me with purple lightning before I blacked out.

What was that? And why were they using my name? Was I a worker at this place? Is any of this real?

OoOoOoOoOoO

Coming to once more, I woke up on my side, finding the strength to stand I found my answer by shining my pip-buck's flashlight where I saw purple before I blacked out, nothing was there, Was I just imagining this thing or was it actually there?

"You remember now, Don't you Hazy?" Asked a distant voice remiss of the past.

"Who's there?" I demanded.

"Hehehehe, or maybe not." The voice returned.

Backing up towards the door, I knew I was being watched. This is bad, I don't even know what I'm up against.

"Tick tock, tick tock, Hazy.

"What are you saying?” I inquired, “That orb somehow held my memories and actually did that to you?"

"Oh, what do you think? 'Hazy Daisy' is your name." It rang from the dark.

And I'm still denying that any of that happened "And didn't those steps you took inside that memory feel familiar even the slightest?"

Okay, I still want to deny it but, damn it, he's right.

"Well? Do you remember us?" It echoed again.

"No I don't, you must have the wrong pony." I lied moving to find my way out.

"Well maybe it's time to start playing with our prey, then you might recall something," It rang loudly.

"Playing?” I asked as the fur where the purple stuff hit me started to bubble and tingle. I gritted my teeth at the sight of it and my Pipbuck started to click. Oh fuck, what is this stuff? Looking at my Pipbuck, I figured, radiation.

Pointing my flashlight up to see it, the purple mass move away into darkness.

"Ah, ah, ah. No, your not allowed to see where I am that would be cheating, And you don't want to fail now do you Hazy?"

"No, you're right, I'm still playing your game." I relented.

I need to work my way to the garage, To do what he asked me to do on that day, but not in the way he would expect it.

Carefully watching my step I managed to avoid getting any purple stuff on my hooves anymore than it already had, making my way to the garage.

"Ah, taking a stroll, I see. Where do you think you’re going?" Spring Top rang.

"Somewhere you wouldn't expect, asshole." I whispered as another spill of purple ooze touched my coat.

The splatter from the purple stuff hitting the floor spotted my coat, making my radiation gauge go hay-wire, I don't know what this stuff is going to do to me, but it can't be good, I walked around the newly-laid purple before reaching the garage door.

"What do you think your going to do in there?" Spring Top asked smoothly.

Pulling on the door, It wouldn't open. Shit, locked.

"So what is your next move, clever pony, use that broken shotgun on the door?"

"Can you shut up for five seconds so I can think?" I mumbled.

Throwing purple globs of radiation isn't enough for him he also has to taunt my every move?

"Tick click, tick click, all sounds like music to our ears." Spring Top mocked.

If that's how he want's to play, let's play.

Forcing magic to come to, I managed to make sparks fly out of my horn, before it lit up a pink tint.

"Oh?" Asked Spring Top surprised.

Fixating myself on the door I curled the bottom half up and let myself through before the large glob of purple fell from the ceiling and nearly splashed me a third time, uncurling the door I went to work
.
"I hope you know I see this as cheating Hazy, And I hate cheating," Spring Top rang.

Great, he's going to try to kill me, picking up a loose bolt I found laying on the garage floor, I jammed it into the locked door's keyhole.

"That won't keep me out for long, Hazy," Spring Top rang louder.

"I don't care, it buys me some time to find, ah ha, there they are." unscrewing the tanks of gas from their lines letting their hoses hang there. I proceeded to open up the tanks fully, as I heard the bolt drop from the door.

"Fiddle dee dum, fiddle dee dee, that old blue and grey pony has just found me." Spring Top gurgled curdling his voice.

My former boss, this transformed thing, was a large mass of purple that was standing before me, stretched-out, twisted faces. All of them were looking at me with their eyes and body parts towering over me in a wretched, smelly heap of decay, trying to grab and devour me in one foul swoop.

Dodging back into the factory, I lit a match and threw it in, closing the door, The entire garage engulfed in flames, created enough pressure to push out the large back door, making it fly out into the night. There was no sound of Spring Top, which made me nervous enough to look through the small melted glass window in the door. I couldn't see anything, the glass of the window was glossed by a thin film of black, I carefully opened the door just in case Spring Top was on the other side of it, waiting for me. The flames subsided as quickly as they came when I opened the door, as if it was extinguished by magic. There was no sign of him, the tanks had exploded into shrapnel, but that was all, no sign of incineration, no sign of ash from anypony.

Shit, I hope he didn't get out, all of the bad scenarios of what would happen if that thing had gotten out into the world played in the back of my mind. "I can't think about it that way," I affirmed myself running straight out of where the large door used to be, no sign of him, It doesn't help that I can't see in the dark, my Pipbuck continued to remind me of the radiation on my coat.

"Ugn," I gritted my teeth as the purple stuff seeped deeper into my coat, damn it, I have to find help.
I ran foward hoping to run into anyone that could help, Anyone that- "Ow"

I must have blacked out again from the pain and the exhaustion I was going through, because I was once again in a unfamiliar place that I didn't walk to under my own hooves. As my eyes came into focus while waking up, everything was upside down.

Where am I now, and why am I upside down? Even now, my Pipbuck was still clicking. "Help!" I screamed.

"Morning," I got as a response.

I looked over, at the light brown-colored pony with a cigarette in his mouth who just spoke, finish washing a knife off in his sink, and started to head my way. I panicked at the idea of what was going on and, in the process, found that my hooves were bound.

Holy shit, is he going to gut me? If not, why am I hanging by my back legs? The pony with the knife was standing under me cutting something on the back of my torso.

"Get away from me!" I shook the beam I was hanging from frantically while he was cutting me.

"Hold still, would ya? I can't get the rest of the damn taint off your coat when you're squirming like that" shouted the knife-carrying stallion.

"Taint, “You mean you're not going to butcher me?" I stopped to question.

"Butcher you? No.” He grimaced, taking in a puff, letting the smoke go out his nostrils. “I'm not that hungry to cut up other ponies for meat, but I sure would eat you if you didn't have this taint on you."

"I think I can let that one slide, considering the circumstances." I whispered to myself.

Even now, the Pipbuck continued to click, "Yes, taint,” He said, “The purple stuff that's spotted all over your fur. It needs to come off before you mutate. And after that, I'm going to get you some Rad-away for the radiation your kicking off from this stuff."

"Huh, thanks I guess."

"Look, How did you get so much of this stuff on your coat anyway?” He asked, “It's not like there is a radiation or taint plant anywhere near here."

Here, Where is here? I thought looking over at the door, where a brown coated pony leaned against the door with stuffed saddle bags minding his own business until he noticed I was looking at him, and looked back at me.

"This is the small settlement of Dynamo Feura, We specialize in wind power on account that were in the middle of a flat desert, We have our own water talisman by the windmill; that runs like a sieve so water is never a problem in these parts."

"Good to know," I said calmly.

"Oh sorry, I don't think I ever introduced myself, The name's Clay, others, call me Ben."

"Hazy Daisy," I returned.

"Nice to meet you Miss Hazy," Clay assured, taking in another puff and letting it out "And sorry for tying you up like this, I didn't know what you would be like when you woke up."

"Didn't know what I would be like," I echoed.

"Yeah, we get all kinds that come through here, even the occasional slaver and raider parties," Clay said tapping the ash off the end of his light.

Slavers and raiders, huh? If any of them are as stupid as the kind that picked me up and tried to rape and or sell me they need to drop off the face of Equestria.

"So, what are you doing out here?” Inquired Clay, “This fellow, was telling me you ran into him in the dark coming from the direction of that old Springs and Sprockets factory, fainting on the ground in front of him."

I didn't know what to say, all I had to tell him was my name. Since I can't remember much else, I just nodded.

"I'd say by the look of you and your elevated radiation levels, you wouldn't have lasted the next six hours if Goldchip didn't rush you here on his Brahman." Clay said.

Goldchip, that sounds like a cheesy brand name off the back of a cereal box. "I-I had a run in with this purple colored horror that had a couple of my old co-workers stuck, fused on him, I exploded some gas tanks in the back of the factory to try to destroy him."

Goldchip gave me a shocking stare, "You did that?"

I nodded.

"But I don't think I destroyed him, he might have, regenerated and now is roaming the area," I dropped my gaze down to Clay.

Both Clay and Goldchip locked gazes.

"What?" Goldchip asked nonchalantly.

"So what is this taint, exactly?" I asked, my Pipbuck continuing to remind me of this problem.

"Taint was the by-product of the Ministry of Magic experiments that were conducted back east, head of that ministry thought it would be a good idea to dump it in some crack in the ground where things had been living," explained Clay, "Sounds like a really bad idea if you ask me, turning them into horrific killing machines."

"The hell hounds." The Goldchip let out.

"I don't know how your boss was changed by it way out here, but I can tell you this, you opened up one hell of a can of worms if what you're telling me is correct." Clay cut me down and pushed a handful of Rad-away into my hooves as I got up off the ground.

"Drink those." Clay ordered.

"All of them?" I groaned

"We have to get the taint and radiation out of your system, yes all of them." Something told me that I'm not going to like this.

I took a sip from one of the bags, It tasted like old rubber tubing and what was supposed to taste like oranges but ended up tasting like the backside of a mule. Drinking the last one, I felt sick and needed to lay down, falling on my side I could feel every inch of my body begin to crawl in a whirling motion.

"Hey, Clay, I don't feel so, good." I complained with my Pipbuck clicking furiously as I felt my stomach begin to eject everything inside.

I vomited purple sludge on the floor that seemed like it had life of it's own as it moved in swirls on the ground.

"Damn it, that's what I thought," Clay said regretfully.

"What?" Goldchip spoke.

"You brought her here just in time, she was fairly gone when she got here. You and I just saved her life." Clay answered

"Well, thank Celestia for that," Goldchip sighed in relief.

"Uh, do you mind lending a helping hoof though" Clay requested.

"What do you want me to do?" Goldchip asked.

"Oh for fucking Luna's sake, help me get her to the couch.” Clay explained, “She's gonna be here awhile."

"Ok, but you don't have to be so pushy about it, Clay." Goldchip pointed out before the two of them shuffled to either side of me.

With a "One. Two. Three!”, everything became even blurrier than before, and I landed with a dull “thump” on what would’ve been a soft surface.

"Ow, that's going to leave a mark." Goldchip remarked.

"Well you shouldn't have thrown her like a fucking ragdoll," Clay scolded Goldchip.

Clay repositioned my body so my head wasn't on the wooden arm of the couch.

I managed a thanks before I vomited taint one more time, and my conscience fizzled out.

A single candle lit itself in the middle of the large, rusty, metallic, round room I awoke standing in.

"What?, no, not again I said smelling the same musty, metallic smell of blood that haunts me every time I sleep. Hearing two rough coughs I backed up into the darkness away from the flame.

"Who's there?" I asked, looking for the source, only to receive two more coughs in return.

A black, red-robed pony came forth from the dark rust stained metal on the other side of the room.

"You were never supposed to know.” He stated as shackles appeared around my hooves.

"No, I-I'm sorry!" I cried. "I don't even remember what I did!"

The shackles pulled into the ground, making my legs slowly sprawl out.

"You know what you did and you must be punished for it." The pony's eyes glinted blue from under those robes and began to glow a deep, bloody red as I started to sink into the ground.

"Just tell me what I did!" I yelled, "I can fix it!"

"You have already caused enough damage, What's done is done," it said.

"And what's fun is fun, hehehe! Hahaha!"

Oh no, I looked down and saw what exactly I was sinking into. It was that purple monstrosity, I was neck deep in him, getting cold from the fear of what I was about to become a part of, I tried to scream and flail as my head was consumed, but it was no use, I couldn't scream, I couldn't move, I couldn't even breath, I just felt cold.

I awoke, wet and cold from the water that was just splashed on me, shocked from the sudden reawakening, I sat right up, I was annoyed, Clay just dumped a bucket of cold water on me.

"Uh, sorry Hazy, I'm not to good at waking other ponies up and it seemed like you were having a bad dream," Clay apologized, showing me the bucket in a flowing, forward motion.

I just gave him a look and then proceeded to vomit more taint into the trash can sitting next to me, before laying back down with a roaring headache.

"I'm just going to rest a bit longer," I said simply, faintly seeing Clay's sheriff badge on his leather vest as my eyes blurred into darkness once more.

"Do what you have to, I'll be here," Clay assured.