Fallout Equestria: Nega Zone
"Whoever said 'The only thing to fear was fear itself' lied."
Crusader Sure Shot Report
Time: approximately 4:00 p.m.
Zeta squad has come across a sealed door. Scribe Icepick is attempting to open.
No other items of interest to report.
I hate having to keep records of everything when on patrols. But, the high-ups want details on everything, so we do it.
"Ma'am, why is it that Zeta Squad always has to go on the boring missions? I would rather be up top fightin' them zebras," Loud Mouth, one of my replacements from Bravo Squad. His mouth got him in more trouble than reckless shooting, no wonder Bravo didn't want him.
"Because, command is worried you'll get your head shot off and loose their favorite knight."
"Of course, how could I have doubted there wisdom?"
"Cause you spend all your time running your mouth and not your brain," Head Strong, the only other lasting member of Zeta besides myself.
"Will you please keep it down. I'm trying to concentrate," Icepick, who was still fiddling with the door, complained almost as much as Mouth.
The other current members of Zeta were Recruit and Rookie. I didn't bother knowing names until they have proven themselves. Recruit was definitely showing promise though. Rookie on the other hoof was one of the biggest scaredy-cats I had to deal with. They were currently standing guard at the end of the tunnel.
"Pick, I've been meanin' to ask. Why do you wear that rad suit?" Mouth asked.
"It's Icepick. And, it is a precaution sense we can't measure if there is radiation or not."
"But, you said there can't be magic, and radiation is from magic. So, how could there be radiation if there's no magic?"
"How about you leave the thinking to me and I'll leave the blowing stuff up to you," Icepick finished as he got the door open.
"Sounds good to me," Mouth said as he and Head Strong stepped through the door to check for hostiles. Which was followed by a gun shot.
"What is it?" I asked as Icepick and myself stepped through to have a look. All I saw was an empty hallway with a weird looking transparent, blue puddle of goo.
"Ma'am, it was a creature I never saw before," Head Strong answered.
"So you shot at it and it pissed itself and run off. Maybe, it was friendly," Icepick said accusingly as he went to investigate the goo.
"No, I shot it and it turned into that puddle."
"Really?" Icepick went to get a closer look at the puddle when it began to rise like mist. As it rose the goo or was it mist... started to take the shape of a pony. It was the same transparent, blue color and it's features were plain, like a mannequin. Even though the goo seemed to be almost solid, small wisps of mist came off of it to make its mane and tail.
As it took a few steps forward mist came off its hooves when they touched the floor. Then it opened its mouth, but instead of words only static came out.
Head Strong decided to take it upon himself to shoot it again. After it fell into a puddle from the shot it returned to its pony form, only a little quicker. Icepick seemed to be annoyed with Head Strong's methods.
"Stop shooting it. You don't even know if it is friendly or not."
"There isn't too much friendly out there. Why do you think this thing is different?" he countered.
"It isn't armed and it seems like it is trying to communicate," Icepick continued as it started its static a little louder this time.
I chose to let the egg-head try and talk to the thing. "Fine, go and communicate with it. See if it knows how to get the power on in this place."
The scrawny unicorn seemed quite elated to have my permission to due his science. We normally don't have time, but we're not on any schedule today so I let him have his moment. I took the opportunity to document this.
Time: approximately 4:10 p.m.
We found some kind of goo pony. Scribe Icepick is attempting to make contact.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Head Strong said just quiet enough so Icepick couldn't hear him.
"No, but we got nothing else from all day. And, you know command likes at least some news," I responded just as quietly.
Mouth on the other hoof made no attempt to be quiet.
"Five caps says it melts his face."
Head Strong and I shot him dirty looks while Icepick was doing his best to ignore him as he tried talking to the goo pony. Mouth just shrugged his shoulders and said, "What?"
That was when the goo pony seemed to stick itself to Icepick. Luckily it didn't seem to be harming the suit, but I didn't like the idea of that thing covering him.
"Icepick are you ok?"
"Apart from it being a little cold I'm fine. It can't get in the suit, but I do think it's best if we try and avoid this thing for now," he struggled to try and free himself from it to little success. "Do you think you could give me a little pull?"
Head Strong stepped up and grabbed the tail of his suit in his mouth and yanked him out of the goo's grasp. Before any of us could react the goo lunged at Head Strong and engulfed him.
I couldn't even comprehend what I saw as he let out a gurgled cry. His short mane and coat disappeared, his skin bubbled away from his body as the goo tore every fiber of is being apart. Head Strong flared around in agony as his muscles were exposed and pealed from his bones. His organs spilled out into the goo as it dissolved them. We all sat there in horror as it finished off his bones leaving no trace of him left.
That didn't just happen, especially not to him. He was one my oldest friends and he is just gone, literally nothing left.
Mouth snapped me out of my trance when he shouted, "You son of a bitch!", and fired a grenade at the ball of goo. Sending it splattered around the hall. But, I don't think that did anything but inconvenience it as it went misty and came together again. Only, this time it made two separate goo ponies.
"That's not fair!" Mouth complained. While Icepick chose to run away and right now that sounds like a good plan.
"Fall back!" I yelled even though we were all running for the end of the hall. When we got there Recruit had a confused look while Rookie was hiding behind her.
"What is it ma'am, zebras? Where's Head Strong?" Recruit asked. I tried catching my breathe, mostly to by myself time to understand what I saw and more importantly what to do. Thankfully, for once, Mouth opened his mouth to say something useful.
"There is this weird goo pony that dissolved Head Strong and now there are two of them."
She looked at him like he lost his mind, "'Goo' pony? Ma'am is he joking?"
"Unfortunately not. Mouth can you bring down that hall and slow it down?"
"Yes, ma'am," he saluted and proceeded to fire grenades down the hall, causing a decent bit to collapse in on itself. While he did that I decided it would be best to... record Strong Head's death.
Time: approximately 4:20p.m.
The unknown entity has proven to be hostile and killed Knight Head Strong. Zeta is attempting to fall back and inform command of the new threat.
Once Mouth was pleased with his work we went to leave the way we came. With Icepick and Rookie leading the way then myself and Mouth and Recruit bringing up the rear. It wasn't long before I heard gun shots behind me.
The shots scared Rookie causing her to trip on her own hooves and Mouth proceeded to trip over her and misfire his grenade machine gun. Icepick was still running when the shots hit above him and collapsed the ceiling on top of him.
"You scared bitch! Why don't you pay attention to what your doing!?" Mouth berated Rookie while I went to see if Icepick was still alive.
"Icepick? Are you ok?" I called out as I started to go through the rubble. Clearing some debris his dismembered hoof fell to the ground, giving me the answer. Why do I have to lose so many ponies?
Turning back I say a furious Mouth standing over a quivering Rookie and Recruit doing her best to slow that thing down. If we make it out I might ask what her name is. The only good news is that only one of those things seems to be following us. Unfortunately, it was in the way of our only path.
"Mouth let it go and let's get out of here," he still looked pissed, but he backed off. "Rookie let's go," she just kept laying there, shaking from her lecture. How did she make it past training?
Looking up that thing was getting closer so I grabbed her by her mane and yanked her up. She responded with an, "Eep."
"Look Rookie, plenty of ponies have died already and if you don't want to join them I recommend you suck it up and march forward!"
That was how I made it through life and she would have to do the same. She just gave me a small nod and did her best to stand straight, even though she still looked like she was about to cry.
"Ok, everyone get behind Mouth," Recruit got beside me as Mouth stepped forward knowing what to do. He fire his grenade machine gun and splattered that thing all over the hallway, "Run!"
We all galloped past the blobs of goo as they started misting back together. Then I herd an 'oomph' from behind me and turning I saw that Rookie had tripped again. The goo was forming just behind her as she started to get back up. Recruit quickly turned back and grabbed her with a hoof right when the goo was back together, and threw Rookie forward as it lunged. The goo managed to grab Recruit by her rear hoof. She let out a ear splitting scream as it moved up her leg and started pulling pieces of flesh off.
No! I'm not losing anyone else! I ran and grabbed her by her forelegs and pulled with all that I could. With a sickening sucking sound I pulled her away from it tossed her on my back and galloped down the hall as fast as I could.
Once I was far enough away from that thing I set her down to take a look at her. It had already taken a little less than half of her. Both of her hind legs were missing and most of the skin was gone up to her mid section. She coughed up blood, "Sorry ma'am."
"No... no, you don't have anything to be sorry for," I told her as I held her. Please, I can't keep losing everyone. My eyes started to sting, "You are one of the best soldiers that I have ever commanded."
"The... honor was... mine, ma'am," her voice getting weak as blood started to pool around us, her color growing pale.
"What... what is your name?"
"It's... Daisy..." she said with half lidded eyes and a half smile.
"Daisy. That's a silly name for a soldier," I said with the kindest smile I could manage as I fought back tears.
"Hm... I know..." she closed her eyes with a smile and let one final breathe out.
It felt like forever while I sat there holding her. Eventually, I heard shouting and turned to see Mouth yelling at me to get up as he fired another grenade. Following the shot I saw that thing explode not far from us and, rather quickly, pull itself back together. Slowly, I set Daisy's body down and grabbed her holo-tags. Once I was up I started down the hall while Mouth fired one more grenade and followed me.
Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back. I couldn't take it if I saw that thing tear the rest of her apart.
We kept going until we came around a corner to catch up with Rookie. Who was frantically trying to open a, probably locked, door. Why does every door have to have to be locked?
"Mouth, can you blow down that door?"
He smirked, "Ma'am, I'm like the big bad wolf when in comes to blowing down doors, stand back."
I called over to Rookie to get over here. Seeing Mouth get into his firing stance she ran over and we got around the corner. And, that thing was not far from us, so I started unloading my rifle into it. Bullets were barely slowing it down now. Then I heard an explosion and a half swear followed by a loud clang and crunching behind me.
Turning around I saw Mouth crushed between the door and the wall. A leg hang from the side as all his blood is drained onto the floor. I felt light headed, how could I lose so many ponies again? From around the corner I could hear the accent of zebras, but I couldn't stop staring at Mouth's crushed body.
Rookie kept calling to me, tears welling in her eyes. But, I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I couldn't think of anything as I kept seeing them die over and over again.
Eventually, Rookie couldn't stand it any more. She gave a mighty battle cry with tears running down her cheeks and charged around the corner gun blazing. I don't know if she made it or not. I really hope see did though, she might have what it takes after all.
Slowly, I turned around to come face to face with the goo pony. It just stared at me, I don't know if it was expecting more of a fight or just building suspense. But, I'm tired of fighting and I'm especially tired of losing. So I just let it go and closed my eyes.
There was a freezing sensation all over my body. I felt as it pealed away my skin. After that I felt nothing. All the pain that I felt faded away, then there was nothing. I waited for something else, anything to happen, but it didn't.
Opening my eyes I say the goo pony walking away from me and felt very confused. I guess it wasn't interested in me. Oh, I should check on Rookie.
Stepping around the corner there was a dead pair of zebra scouts. Past them was Rookie frantically trying to reach a hole that's in the ceiling.
"Hey, Rookie, I didn't think you had it in you."
She turned around and screamed, backing herself against the wall, "Stay away!"
"What are you going on about? It's just me."
BOOM.
She shot me. She. Shot. Me!
I managed to get back up, "Rookie, stand down!"
BOOM.
SHE SHOT ME AGAIN!
This time I run and jumped her, all she managed was a scream as I fell on her. My body didn't seem to have any shape as it oozed around her. Fully engulfing her as she tried to fight back. I pulled out her mane, tail and coat. She mutely screamed from inside me as I started to peal her flesh away, then tear away her muscles, turning her organs to jello, and crushing her bones to dust.
Who was she again? I guess it doesn't matter.
Some of me started to pull away. It bulged to one side of me and split itself off. Then it stood up and looked at me, that was new.
Some strange brightly colored creatures jumped down from a hole in the ceiling. I wonder what there inside look like.
***
Delta Squad's after action report:
After pursuing zebra scouts into the tunnels Delta came across unknown entities. They proved to be hostile and traditional fire arms seem to have no affect on them. Additionally, do to Zeta Squad's patrol being in the area of the entities discovery and their lack of contact, Zeta Squad is presumed to be K.I.A..
