Fallout: Lavender Wastelander

Commander Jabsco, leader of the Talon Company mercenaries, kicked his booted feet up onto his desk as he leaned back in his chair.

The man standing on the other side of his desk was a weaselly prick if Jabsco had ever seen one before. Average height, short brown hair, caucasian, and with a face that would blend in with a crowd. The type of person sent to do a job before fading away without a trace that anyone could remember.

“So, Mr. Gray, was it?” Jabsco asked, barely able to contain his contempt for Mr. Fakename Smith. “You wanted to see me personally about an exclusive contract?”

“Yes, Commander Jabsco,” Mr. Gray said. Even his voice was average and forgettable. “My employer’s organization has run into personnel shortages recently. We are willing to make your mercenary company very rich in exchange for exclusive contract rights, in perpetuity.”

“So, what you’re saying is you want to buy a ready-made army?” Jabsco snorted. “Tell you what, Gray, I’ll bite. Make me an offer or get the fuck out. We’ve already lost way too many good men trying to push into the fucking capitol building for your employer.”

Jabsco watched the man slip a hand into the pocket of his average, forgettable wastelander clothing and pull out a note.

He pushed it across the desk, and Jabsco saw all the bold black zeroes.

“You guys must be desperate for manpower if you’re tossing that kind of caps around,” Jabsco chuckled as he dropped his feet off the desk. He leaned over and picked up the contract. “This bonus for ‘The head of President Abigail Jacklyn’ alone is worth a dozen normal contracts. Is your organization able to afford this?”

The man across his desk smiled like a deathclaw stalking a wounded brahmin.

“Mr. Jabsco, I work for the government,” Mr. Gray said. “We shit money at our problems until they’re fixed.”

<>~<>~<>

How do they know about Equestrians? Twilight thought, her mind racing just as fast as her body. She wasted no time in making it through the armored bulkhead door and into the room at the end of the hall.

As she rounded the corner and joined Pinkie Pie’s side, she laid eyes on the thing that had greeted Pinkie Pie with the synthesized female voice. A robot unlike any she had seen before. It had small tracks similar to a bulldozer which held up its gunmetal gray cylindrical body. Its two arms were made of flexible black tubing that ended in metal pincer claws.

But those oddities paled in comparison to the glass dome at the head of the robot. Amber color fluid filled the domed tank, and nestled inside within a cradle of wires and probes was a spongy, gray-pink lump…

Twilight’s stomach recoiled as she backed away in disgust, Daniel joining her side with an equally horrified expression. The brain was too large to be from anything smaller than a human.

“What are you?” Twilight asked as she fought back a retch. She shook her head, realizing she may have just offended someone. The robot may have been a person. It at least had been at one point.

“I am a robobrain,” the robobrain replied. Its synthesized voice betrayed no change in emotion, offended or otherwise. “I am the product of a collaboration between General Atomics International and RobCo Industries… I am detecting an elevated heart rate within two unicorns. Do you require medical stress relievers?”

“W-what?” Twilight asked. Is it trying to offer us chems to relax? “No, thank you, I’m fine. How do you even know what unicorns are?”

“I am not programmed to answer that question,” the robobrain said in its even, synthesized monotone.

“Ugh,” Pinkie Pie stuck out her tongue, then rapped her knuckles against the glass brain-dome. “Brainies are a pain. Spike and I smashed a few of them at this prison called Turtledove. At least this one isn’t shooting at us.”

So this robobrain isn’t unique, which means the pre-war world made more than one. Where did they get the brains? Please be some sort of artificially grown fake brain.

The alternative was… unpleasant to think about.

“I am not a designated combat model,” the robobrain said. Its tubular arm pushed Pinkie Pie’s hand away. “However, I am perfectly capable of making a mess that I will need to clean up later. I would appreciate it if I didn’t have to vacuum up disintegrated remains.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the machine. Things already weren’t adding up.

You’re programmed to sass, but not programmed to tell us about how you know what unicorns are.

“Sooo,” Twilight drawled out to catch the machine’s attention. “May we come inside the vault?”

“Affirmative, potential residents,” the Robobrain said. “But first you will need a medical evaluation. Do you consent to a full medical scan?”

A medical scan? Really? Twilight thought. Her shoulders slumped as she traded expectant looks between Daniel and Pinkie. If it was the only way inside, she would consent, but only if her friends allowed it, too.

She was on the fence about letting the brain in the jar do any scans on her. She didn’t trust it.

“We have to,” Daniel said quickly. “My father has to be inside the vault.”

“Might be nice to see if it can detect anything wrong with me,” Pinkie Pie said. She tapped the right side of her head where her mane had been shaved away. Her hair was already growing back, but it would take a while before the scar on her head would be hidden.

Twilight turned back to the machine and tried her best to keep her eyes off the brain.

“Okay,” Twilight said after a moment of hesitation. “Scan us.”

“Affirmative, one moment, please,” the robobrain said before it reversed a few feet backwards. A large camera-like lens attached to the brain-dome unshuttered. A bright grid of blue lines was projected over them, followed by a green horizontal line at the base of the grid by their feet and hooves.

Electronics and machinery within the robobrain beeped, clicked, and whirred as the green line moved upwards while it scanned them. A fan mounted somewhere on the backside of the robobrain spun at a speed that Twilight swore would start a tornado behind it.

She winced after a few seconds when the green line passed over her eyes. Less than ten seconds after the line had passed, the blue light grid winked out as the shutter on the scanner closed.

“Medical evaluation complete,” The robobrain said as it rolled forwards. It turned towards Pinkie. “Unfortunately, you did not pass.”

“I knew something was wrong up there, but why exactly didn’t I pass?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Scans indicate you are missing a small piece of your brain. It is enough to negatively affect the Tranquility Lounger system.”

“I mean,” Pinkie Pie said softly, her voice distant and fragile. “Am I going to die or anything?”

“Pinkie?” Twilight whispered. What isn’t she telling me?

“I… I know a chunk of my brain is missing,” Pinkie Pie pleaded to the machine, ignoring Twilight. “What I want to know is if what I’m missing is going to do anything else to me. My Pinkie-sense only works when it wants to, like a lightbulb about to burn out, and…” She shut her eyes and looked away, muttering through clenched teeth. “I can’t remember what my sisters' names are, or what they look like, just that I have them.”

Twilight stared in shock. Parties were what made Pinkie Pie special. She remembered everyone. Every name, every face, every birthday.

It wasn’t fair.

Pinkie had told her what had happened before Twilight had accidentally teleported into Dunwich. That the giant punga fruit she had been sent to collect seeds from had sprayed her with psychedelic pollen...

Then someone had cut open her head after she had passed out.

“My medical database does not cover your specific type of brain injury,” the robobrain said. “I have attempted to contact a specialist, but all exterior connections have been severed. Please seek out qualified medical personnel.”

Twilight turned to Daniel. She was about to open her mouth to ask, but he held up a hand.

“I talked to her about it while you were away from camp,” Daniel said before he placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “She didn’t want to bring it up to you and make you worry. We hope what she’s going through is temporary, and there won’t be any other down-the-road effects, but I’m honestly not sure. Brain injuries weren’t something I dealt with on a daily basis.” Daniel took a deep breath, slowly squeezing Twilight’s shoulder before he said, “I’m going to be honest with you. I’m still not convinced part of her ‘doozy’ in Dunwich wasn’t a seizure.”

Pinkie needed to get back to Equestria. The sooner the better.

“The first chance I get, Pinkie,” Twilight said through clenched teeth. “I’m going to get you home, then I’m going to head right to Point Lookout and find whoever lobotomized you and I will make… them… pay.”

If violence is the language they speak, then I’m going to get really fucking fluent.

“Thank you, Twi,” Pinkie Pie said, her eyes misty. She rubbed them quickly with an arm. “I’ll wait for you and see if I can fix my cannon with whatever is left in the garage. You never know if you’ll need the cavalry to come charging in.”

“Okay, Pinkie,” Twilight said, “we’ll see you soon. Stay safe.”

Pinkie Pie gave a quick goodbye to Daniel and her before she left the room. Even with her gone, Twilight’s mind still buzzed with worry for her.

What if she has a seizure while we’re inside the vault? Why didn’t I ask why her head injury excluded her from entry? Why is the fucking robot an ableist? I should have demanded that Pinkie Pie be allowed inside. Visitors should get a medical pass… right?

Grinding her teeth together, Twilight spun to face the robobrain and stomped a hoof.

“What’s next on the list of stuff that can disqualify us before we can come inside?” Twilight snapped.

“The medical scan was all that was required before we move on to the next step,” the robobrain said. “An assistant will arrive shortly.”

On cue, the door behind the robobrain opened, and a strange gray painted robot marched in.

It was human in shape, though the head was a nearly featureless curved metal plate. A camera protruded from the center like a cyclopean eye. The prominent bulge in the robot’s upper chest plate gave it a feminine curve to its chest. The aesthetic followed down to the robot’s curvy hips. The feet of the machine were shaped to look like solid high-heels.

It carried a syringe in both of its three digit hands. Each of the syringes were full of a dull blue liquid.

“Before we issue your suits,” the new robot said in a much more natural sounding female voice than the robobrain. “You will need medical injections to become more compatible with the Tranquility Loungers and suits. Do you wish to self-inject, or do you require assistance?”

Twilight slowly pulled one of the syringes from the robot’s hand in a field of purple magic. She levitated it to rest between her and Daniel.

“Do you recognize this stuff?” She asked him as she levitated it closer to him so he could take a look.

“Beats me,” Daniel said with a shrug as he grabbed the other syringe in his steel-gray colored magic—the same as his eye color. He wagged the syringe in front of the more humanoid of the two robots. “Are any of you ladies programmed to tell us what these are?”

“Affirmative,” the humanoid one said. “These syringes are filled with Serum-9, developed by the overseer, Dr. Stanislaus Braun, in partnership with General Constantine Chase’s pharmaceutical company, Chase Pharmaceuticals, around two centuries ago.”

“No fucking way,” Daniel blurted, the outburst making Twilight jerk and almost drop the syringe. “I recognize Chase Pharmaceuticals from the labels of psycho syringes.”

So these serums were made pre-war, but the robot talked like Dr. Braun was the current overseer. Things are adding up, but I don’t like the outcome. Are we about to deal with some sort of old-world mad scientist who is somehow still alive?

Twilight slowly glanced at the robobrain.

Pinkie Pie and Spike fought Professor Calvert.

“And what does this serum do?” Twilight asked as she levitated the syringe in front of her and narrowed her eyes at it. If one half of the creators were responsible for the raiders’s favorite rage-inducing drug, and the other could be a brain in a jar like Professor Calvert, then what did the serum do?

“It will morph your physiology into a form compatible with the Tranquility Lane’s virtual reality hardware,” the humanoid robot replied. “In short, you will turn into humans.”

Twilight and Daniel shared a look of surprise.

That sounded a lot like magic.

The humanoid one was more fluently well spoken than the other robot, which had Twilight ask it her question from earlier. “How do you know what Equestrians are?”

It was a long shot after the robobrain had stonewalled her but—

“Dr. Stanislaus Braun’s genius paved the road between our worlds. He is a very accomplished scientist.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. In all the wide, wide world of possibilities—separated by two centuries no less—she had found information on one of the people who had made the portal to her world. If Dr. Braun was still the overseer of the Vault somehow, then she needed to speak to him.

“Is there a way to reverse the process and turn back into a pony?” Twilight asked, her hands clenching and unclenching as she shifted from hoof to hoof. I had just worked out how to get our group around quickly.

“Affirmative,” the humanoid robot said. “But you will need to get Dr. Braun’s permission to access the pharmacy.”

“And is he still alive as the Overseer?” Daniel asked.

The humanoid robot slowly nodded.

“Affirmative.”

Twilight stared at her syringe. She wasn’t about to jam the needle in herself and become a human. Was she?

But I need answers… let’s hope this doesn’t hurt.

<>~<>~<>

Twilight let out a coughing, shaky breath as she stared up at the ceiling. She blocked the light streaming down at her face with a hand, her vision blurry.

As it cleared, it took her a moment to realize she had no fur. Only caucasian skin, and very short, fine hair on her arms.

She groaned and leaned up. The rest of her body had changed as well. Clear and visible to see as she had already stripped out of her clothes, with the sole exception of her leg brace.

“Oww,” Daniel groaned as he leaned up beside Twilight. He stared at his now furless arms. “That was a wild ride, ugh.”

“I’ll say,” Twilight said. She had almost blacked out from the pain. Now she was feeling cold, and her new skin had developed bumps from being exposed to the cold air of the vault. She pulled herself up with a nearby crate before she hugged herself tightly. The friction of rubbing her arms together helped warm her up. “Can we get our vault suits now?”

“Affirmative,” the robobrain said. It hadn’t changed location since Twilight and Daniel had stripped and given over everything but their Pip-Boys and her leg brace to the humanoid robot, who had already left the room. “Please wait while I acquire them for you. I already logged your dimensions during the medical scan.”

So, you took our measurements, but you can’t tell if Pinkie Pie has any life threatening brain damage? Stupid, glorified toaster. Twilight thought as the robobrain turned around and trundled through the only other door in the room besides the one they had entered from.

“So, I guess we wait,” Twilight said, her voice strained with anger as she leaned over and reached out a hand to Daniel. He took it, and she pulled him to his feet. “This place is already creeping me out and peeving me off. Now what in the hay is virtual reality?”

“I’m not sure, exactly,” Daniel said with a shake of his head. “But I’m pretty sure we’re about to get hooked up to some very complicated machinery if Dr. Braun is over two centuries old and we need to be humans for it.”

Twilight agreed with Daniel’s observation. She wanted to get a look at the virtual reality machines. If Dr. Braun had helped create the portal to her world—or was even the sole inventor of the portal—it meant that he was an accomplished techno-mage. The virtual reality system could be entirely magic based.

“I guess we should look at the context clues,” Twilight said. “It has to be some sort of machinery if it’s kept Dr. Braun alive for this long. Virtual implies some sort of artificialness, and then we have reality, so it’s probably a machine that lets you interact with an artificial world? Maybe it’s similar to when Princess Luna influences a dreamscape. I’ve helped her in the dream world before.”

I wonder if Luna could enter an artificially induced dream. Are artificially generated simulations comparable to a dream? I’ll have to remember to ask Princess Luna later. Maybe even build my own virtual reality device if Dr. Braun’s machinery is magical or not, though it might be all electronic and mechanical. Human technology surpasses magic in some regards.

“Earth to Twi,” Daniel said as he snapped his fingers in front of her. She jerked out of her intense concentration, and Daniel chuckled. “I asked if dream magic is common?”

Right, there is a world outside of my head.

“Not really,” Twilight said. To keep her mind off thinking, she occupied herself with stretching her new, human body while she looked over herself. Her cutie mark was still there, and her hair had remained a normally Equestrian color not natural to humans, so she wasn’t fully converted to working by standard human biology. “It can often be dangerous, and if you aren’t careful, can lead to a ‘die in the dream, die in reality’ type of scenario.”

“Yeesh, didn’t know magic could be so dangerous,” Daniel replied as he backed up and watched her stretch. “You look beautiful no matter what form you’re in.”

Twilight stopped her stretching, a blush creeping across her face.

“T-thanks,” she said. She glanced at the door the robobrain and humanoid robot had left through. It had automatically closed behind the robobrain, meaning there was no one to overhear them.

Twilight took a deep breath and looked down at her feet. A knot formed in her chest as her throat closed and she struggled to choke out, “Daniel. I need to tell you something.”

“What is it, Twilight?” Daniel asked, his voice almost a whisper with how low it was.

“When I visited Rivet City, I ran into someone and—” Twilight grit her teeth, hating how inappropriately she had thought around the massive, hulking stallion. She forced herself to look Daniel in the eyes. “I had some very inappropriate, lustful thoughts when I saw this person.”

She slammed her eyes shut and turned away in shame. How could she look him in the eyes after that betrayal? How she craved someone else, only a few days after they had married, no less. What was it about standing on two legs that made her so inexplicably attracted to men? She had never sought out partners as a pony. Was it the new exotic environment? After all, she barely had friends until she was forced to move to Ponyville.

Her spiraling cacophony of thoughts shattered as a soft, gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. She opened her teary eyes and looked into Daniel’s gray eyes once more.

He was smiling softly, his jaw working as he too struggled to speak. But there was no anger or disappointment in how he held her. Only comfort.

After a long pause, he finally managed to eke out words.

“I still think about Amata, and Moira,” Daniel said with a gentle sigh. With that admission, he caught his stride. “I think that being in a relationship doesn’t mean we have to stop thinking about other people. Only that we have to control ourselves and not act on those thoughts.” He shrugged his shoulders and bit his lip before he continued. “At least, I think that’s the right answer. This whole relationship stuff is as new to me as it is to you. But I’m glad you told me. I’m not mad, or even disappointed… to be honest I’m kind of amused because you’re doing your little flustered hair twirl again that I think is so cute, and I can’t be mad at that face.”

Twilight gasped and dropped the hand away from her hair.

“Daniel, you really aren’t mad?” Twilight asked. It was like a ton of bricks was lifted off her shoulders.

“Maybe a little,” Daniel said as he held up a hand, his pointer finger and thumb almost held together, showing only the tiniest gap. It was still enough to throw the bricks right back on Twilight’s shoulders. “But you were honest with me. We’ve been through a hectic few days together. I won’t let anything like jealousy ruin what we have, unless something actually happens with someone else.”

Before Twilight could reply, the door opened, and the robobrain trundled back into the room. It carried two footlocker-sized metal crates marked on the sides with black lettering.

S-F on one crate, M-M on the other.

The robobrain sat the S-F crate down in front of Twilight with a heavy thump before it rotated and set the M-M crate in front of Daniel with an equally hefty thump.

Twilight started at her crate. She squinted and focused on the latches for a split second before she remembered that she no longer had a horn.

A chill ran down Twilight’s spine.

Even when she had awoken in Minefield, missing half her horn, she could at least make it spark.

But to be completely cut off? Was the sensation of powerlessness how Earth Ponies felt?

She banished the feeling to the deepest, darkest corner of her mind that she could manage. It butted up against so many other things from the wasteland that she had already shoved away. The dark corners of her mind were getting full.

Twilight took a deep, calming breath before she bent over to unlatch the lid and open it.

Inside the metal box was a white jumpsuit with metallic portions in several spots. Each spot was covered in stud-like sockets.

Reaching inside the box, Twilight pulled the jumpsuit out and saw that underneath the suit was a skull cap covered in wires and more studs. She ignored it for the moment and focused on her suit. It felt as if it were made of multiple layers of thick fabric, with an outer rubberized layer.

The fact it was made of layers became all the more apparent when Twilight noticed the bulges of wires running between the sockets underneath the outer layer. She flipped the jumpsuit over, and saw there were even more sockets and studs, as well as the number 112 printed just below the shoulder blades.

The suit even came with built-in boots, the soles of which were also covered in ports and sockets.

“Strange looking vault suit,” Daniel said as he opened his crate.

The robobrain answered him.

“The neural interface suit will allow you to correctly link with the Tranquility Lane system, or any other virtual reality pod.”

So the machine we suspected is a pod of sorts, and from all the connection points, likely all mechanical. Interesting. Twilight thought as she found a wire on the backside of the suit’s collar. A socket on the end of the wire seemed like it would accept the plug running off the backside of the skull cap.

Okay, I see how those pieces fit together, and why Pinkie Pie would be excluded if this cap interacts with your brain. Well, I guess it’s time to suit up.

<>~<>~<>

Daniel slowly followed behind the robobrain, taking in each new sight. They passed by the atrium via a long concrete mezzanine, which gave him a perfect view of the titanic room.

The largest mainframe he had ever seen was centralized there. It was easily three stories high, and as wide as a barn. The entire surface was covered in blinking lights and panels. The exception was an area about mid-ways up the tower, an almost five-by-five square of charred and warped metal and plastic. The lights surrounding the burned section winked in and out like candles in the wind, rather than burning strong like all the other lights.

At the base of the tower were over a dozen metallic eggs resting on their sides. The tranquility loungers, Daniel guessed. All of them were closed, but he could see the large hinge that allowed it to clamshell open towards what he assumed was the front of the pod.

Twilight hugged close to him, whispering, “I’m starting to regret rushing in like we did.”

“Yeah,” Daniel said as he nodded slowly. “I am too. But with Pinkie’s cannon out of commission, we can’t exactly make threats.”

Which wasn’t really an option to begin with. His father’s life could be on the line. He wasn’t going to make threats to the people that might be holding his father prisoner. If they even were, that is.

The vault was giving off the feeling of an evil lair.

And yet, they were walking right into the same possible trap. At least Pinkie Pie was upstairs. And even if she couldn’t fix her party cannon, she could at least throw her grenades.

Pinkie had tried explaining to him how her party cannon pulled the pins of the grenades it launched, but three seconds in he felt like he was the one with the head injury.

Daniel winced. It was inconsiderate to joke like that. Pinkie Pie had a serious, possibly permanent life-altering injury.

The robobrain stopped by a door and turned around.

“Through here,” it said as the hydraulically powered door automatically slid upwards with a hiss.

The room the robobrain had escorted them to contained even more of the tranquility loungers. Six of them in total. All were open but one, allowing Daniel a better look at the pods’ interior as he entered the room.

Inside each pod was a deck-chair-like orientation of foam padding, complete with a head-rest, arm rests, and foot rests.

In Daniel’s opinion, the interior would have looked comfortable, were it not for the bed-of-nails-like arrangement of metallic prongs jutting up through the padding and limb rests. Each prong was oriented to slot into one of the many receptacles of his neural interface suit.

Then he noticed something about the pods within the room that was out of place on the pods in the atrium. The pods in the room had six large glass tanks full of green fluid, the purpose of which he could only guess.

More exotic potions? Nutrient fluid? Something to make the pod look cool?

Daniel didn’t know. What he did know was that the pods in the atrium all had empty tanks.

He stopped by the closed pod, resting a hand on it as he turned to face the robobrain.

“Is my father in this pod?” Daniel asked, heart about to explode from his chest. It had to be him.

“We pair family members and spouses together when we can,” the robobrain said as it trundled into the room.

“Can you let him out!?” Daniel asked, stepping forwards. Twilight was right beside him.

“Dr. Braun has placed James Neeson’s pod on ‘do not disturb’,” the robobrain said. “They are busy at the moment. You are invited in. Dr. Braun hasn’t told your father you’ve arrived. He wants it to be a surprise.”

Daniel’s desperate hope whiplashed straight into confusion. The flat monotone from the robobrain didn’t help his unease.

“Well, that isn’t creepy at all,” Daniel said.

Twilight nodded.

“And why should we trust you?” she growled. “This could be a trick… I’ve already had my fill of creepy old dudes and their evil lairs.”

Same, Twi.. at least there aren’t reanimated skeletons this time. Daniel thought with a shudder.

“It is no trick,” a thickly accented, masculine voice said from the robobrain’s speaker. “Please, come inside and ve can talk. I can not take direct control for too long vithout overheating the robobrain unit. As a token of goodwill, the code to the pharmacy is four, five, one, dash, seven, four, six, three, two, six. Ampersand is the—”

The voice cut off with a scream of static as the robobrain lurched forwards. Black smoke rolled out of its exterior fan.

Barely three seconds passed before the door opened, and a Mr. Handy raced in with a fire extinguisher.

“Shit, damn, and blast,” it cursed with a posh affectation to its artificial voice. “That makes two this week.”

“Excuse me,” Twilight called as the Mr. Handy sprayed the robobrain’s backside. “Which way to the pharmacy?”

She was already ahead of Daniel on wanting to test that code.

<>~<>~<>

It was a quick trip to the pharmacy. Daniel had punched in the codes and the door opened without any danger. Dr. Braun had been good on his word.

So, with some reassurance, Daniel climbed up the stepladder to the pod beside his father’s.

Laying on the recliner within was like laying on a bed of nails. He slid around until he was able to find the appropriate direction to slot the prongs into his suit’s receptacles.

“Ready, hun?” Twilight asked from the pod beside him as she too struggled to settle in.

Daniel nodded, his voice shaky. “R-ready. Time to meet my father.”

Daniel craned his neck in the other direction, finding the replacement robobrain next to his pod. The overheated one was still in the room. He nodded to the replacement, and the metal egg closed around him with a hiss.

The darkness Daniel was sealed in didn’t last long. Dozens of tiny screens flickered to life one by one, and the uncomfortable feeling of the bed-of-prongs faded away into the back of his mind as he stared at the bright screens.

I’m coming, dad.

His brain was overwhelmed with the urge to blink. When he did so, his body shifted into an upright position with a jolt.

Catching himself against a nearby wall, Daniel looked around.

Twilight had appeared in front of him, and was just as disoriented as he was.

They had arrived inside a circular room with large glass windows looking out into another room. While the walls were mostly metal and glass, the exterior was made of stone or dark gray concrete. It was hard to tell which material it was from within the inner room.

He focused back onto the interior. Consoles and terminals lined both the inner and outer ring of the circular room. The walls of the inner ring were also made of metal and glass, housing some sort of water tank full of dark gray-brown water. Daniel could just barely make out the giant silhouette of a statue standing inside the tank.

He was pulled away from the tank as the familiar sound of chalk scraping on a chalkboard reached his ears.

“Bah, if you change zat by too much,” a thickly accented female voice said from somewhere nearby. It was the exact same accent as Dr. Braun’s. “The backflow could damage the central pump system.”

Daniel slowly peeked around the curved wall. His stomach fluttered like a radroach was dancing inside him.

“On the contrary,” his father said as he stood in front of the chalkboard, one hand on his gray goatee, and his other holding the chalk. “If we adjust this secondary outflow pipe by three degrees—”

“DAD!” Daniel yelled as he raced towards his father.

“Son?” James asked as he whipped around.

Daniel nearly crushed his father with a hug.

“W-what are you doing here?” James stuttered. “You should be back in the vault.”

Daniel let go of his father and backed off a step as Twilight joined his side. The woman Daniel had heard speaking earlier joined Jame’s side.

“Excuse me,” the woman said. She was tall, almost as tall as his father, who stood at around six feet. She wore glasses over her hazel-colored eyes, and a lab coat over a normal blue vault jumpsuit. “I can see zat your reunion was not as I hoped.” She looked over to Twilight. “Shall ve give the family time to talk alone?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, backing away from James and Daniel. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and you are?”

“Oh,” The woman said in surprise, approaching Twilight with a large, friendly smile. “When ze scan told me it vas an alicorn vanting entry, I assumed it vas Princess Celestia, or her sister returned. I am Dr. Stanislaus Braun, and it is a pleasure to meet you. Vould you like some tea?”

James leaned close to Daniel.

“So, your friend is from the other world,” James whispered. His eyes didn’t leave Dr. Braun’s back as she left. “Okay, your friend bought us some time.”

“W-what?” Daniel asked. “You aren’t happy to see me?”

“I am,” James said. But Daniel knew his father enough to hear the subtle disapproval. “But why did you leave the vault?”

“The Overseer went batshit insane when you left,” Daniel said, clenching his fists. “Officer Mack and some of the other security guards beat Jonas to death before coming after me. Amata helped me escape. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”

“I didn’t want you to follow me. I wanted you to be safe and protected inside the vault. You’re my only son, and I love you too much to lose you out in this savage world.”

Daniel wished his father was angry and raising his voice so he could justify yelling at him. His father was supposed to be smart. The Overseer had had it out for both of them ever since they had arrived in the vault

“By leaving me with the narcissistic control freak who hated both of us?” Daniel asked. “You could have at least given me a choice!”

“I-I wanted what was best for you,” James said, voice wavering.

“I loved helping you in the clinic, I could have helped with… whatever this is!” Daniel yelled as he waved an arm around the room. “Is this Project Purity? Is this what you left me for?”

“Son, please, let’s not fight,” he said as he cupped his face in his hand. His way of hiding when he was exhausted. “We’ve never fought in the past… I left with the best intentions.”

“No, I’m not going to just drop it,” Daniel said as he ground his teeth. He puffed out his chest. “I’ve been in mortal fucking jeopardy for the past three weeks, and when I catch up to you, I barely get any acknowledgement? What the fuck, dad!? The woman I’ve only spent a few days with has been more faithful to me than you! What would mom—”

The stinging handprint across Daniel’s face cut the rest of his tirade off.

He whipped his head back around, rubbing his cheek as he locked wide open eyes with his father, who was just as surprised.

“S-son,” James stuttered.

“I’m going to go find Twilight and Dr. Braun,” Daniel snarled, nostrils flaring like an enraged hound. “I’m going to have some tea, calm down, and then come back and hope I find the father I knew waiting for me back here.”

<>~<>~<>

Twilight glanced back to Daniel and his father, trailing behind before hurrying to follow beside Dr. Braun. They stepped down a ramp leading out of the circular control room. He… she… checked a monitor beforehand, then waved Twilight onward.

“Excuse me,” Twilight said as politely as she could. “But when you told Daniel and I the code to the pharmacy, your voice was male. What pronouns do you prefer when talking to you and about you?”

“I prefer female, if you don’t mind,” Dr. Braun said with a smile. They reached the bottom of the ramp and headed for a door on the far side. “It’s a comfort that Equestrians are still teaching politeness two centuries on.”

“Equestria has always strived for personal freedoms,” Twilight said.

Dr. Braun scooted faster to reach the door just before Twilight and opened it with a gracious bow.

“Allow me, Frau Sparkle,” Dr. Braun said as sunlight streamed inside. “You are a guest here.”

“I appreciate the hospitality,” Twilight replied courteously as she stepped through…

Into a small neighborhood.

There were around a half-dozen single-story houses arranged along either side of the street. To the right, the street curved as it entered a forest which obstructed any view beyond a block. To the left, however, the neighborhood gave way to several two and three-story storefronts.

Signs hung beneath the overhead awnings. Twilight spotted one proudly display a lemon slice on the rim of a small, steaming porcelain mug. The name of the store was written above it.

‘Daisy’s Delicacies and Delights’

It would fit right at home in Canterlot. It even had exterior seating on the sidewalk like many of her favorite cafes.

Twilight turned around. The exterior of the building she had left was a small single story house, but she could still see the massive interior through the open door.

Right, dream world logic. None of this is real. Twilight reminded herself as Dr. Braun followed her out and shut the door.

“The cafe is just a short valk away,” Dr. Braun said as she passed Twilight. “There is much to discuss, but I vill answer some of your questions first.”

Twilight fell in behind Dr. Braun, lagging enough to peek around without the doctor catching a glimpse of her.

She searched for any other residents. With all the pods in the atrium and the ones on the way to the pharmacy occupied, Twilight knew there had to be someone else in the simulated world.

Her efforts were rewarded when she spotted a man peering cautiously through the window of a store across the street.

That was it.

Great, from creepy vault to creepy ghost town. If I start seeing mirrors, I’m finding a way to bust myself out.

“Where is everyone?” Twilight asked, her shoulders as taught as piano wire. Her eyes darted around. What’s going to be the demonic hound chasing me this time?

“Most are inside their houses,” Dr. Braun said. “The last visitor—the one before James, that is—stole something from us. He did not do much damage, but everyone is vary of outsiders now.”

Sounds like Ponyville with Zecora.

“Did they cause the fire in the atrium?” Twilight asked as they took a seat at the cafe. She sat with her back to the cafe windows, which were too tinted to see inside.

“No,” Dr. Braun said as she took the seat across from Twilight. “That vould be the vork of my former partner, General Constantine Chase. But that is a very long discussion for later. Is Princess Celestia okay?”

Huh?

“Y-yes, she’s fine,” Twilight replied. Not going to tell her I’m the regent of Equestria until I figure out what Dr. Braun’s angle is. “What do you know about Equestrians? You were the one who built the portal to our world, right?”

“Some quacks from a ‘think tank’ somewhere in Nevada… helped. Although, they mostly sabotaged my genius,” Dr. Braun spat. “My theorems were far superior to their inane scribblings. Sure, they created a transportalponder, but that achievement is invalidated because they’re flat-earthers.”

What is she going on about? Also, narcissist much?

Dr. Braun caught her expression and chuckled.

“Sorry,” Dr. Braun apologized as she scratched the back of her head. “You vanted to know vhat I know about Equestrians. Vell, I can tell you just about anything. I vas the lead scientist in charge of the whole program.”

Okay, let’s see. Here’s one.

“Have you ever visited Equestria?” Twilight asked.

“I turned into a unicorn,” Dr. Braun replied without skipping a beat. “My test results showed a ninety-percent certainty I vould be a gryphon. But, it vas no surprise that I turned into a unicorn. From vhat data I gathered from the tests ve performed on the soldiers ve sent to Equestria, humans have a forty-three percent chance of becoming a unicorn.”

Twilight remembered the journal page. The soldier from Alaska complained about all the tests. From saliva to stool samples. Dr. Braun and her team had been thorough.

“Did any of them get cutie marks while they were on the other side?” Twilight asked.

Electrum had been tattooed to blend in with Equestrians, but the soldiers from two centuries ago wouldn’t know about cutie marks until one of them got theirs as a pony… if it was possible.

“Yes,” Dr. Braun replied. “But it vas very rare. Humans are, shall ve say, chaotic in nature. Ve push and pull against constraints. But on the other hoof, ve are also very good at grasping the theoretical. It is vy I predict ve make such naturals vith magic. Ve use our villpower and creative minds to push magic to its absolute limits.”

Electrum was a prodigy with runic magic, and Daniel had picked up telekinesis almost instantly. There was no telling if an Equestrian that Deathclaw Joe had rescued taught him, or if he was somehow self-taught.

“Do you think a human could become an alicorn?” Twilight asked.

“Honestly?” Dr. Braun said. “From what I know of alicorns—vhich is very limited—No. Ve are just too chaotic of a species. Getting cutie marks themselves vas rare. It vould take an individual of strong determination, who knows exactly who they are, and vhat they represent in order to come even close to reaching their apotheosis.”

Oh… I still need to tell Daniel that I might outlive him by a millenia.

Twilight sighed and looked down at the table, her shoulders slumped.

The bell on the cafe door chimed as it opened, but Twilight didn’t turn her head.

“H-hello, Braun, the usual?” a man shakily asked. “Is the guest clear in your books?”

Dr. Braun chuckled.

“Yes, on both counts, sir,” she said.

“And what about you, ma’am?” The waiter asked.

Twilight turned her head to ask the waiter for a menu and her heart skipped a beat.

“U-unicorn?” Twilight asked as she laid eyes on the chartreuse unicorn pony with an amber mane. He was levitating a notepad and pencil.

“Pony?” The waiter asked as they locked eyes. “Has Celestia finally fixed the portal?”

<>~<>~<>

The sun was high in the sky, and by Fluttershy’s best guess, it was approaching ten A.M. She leaned on the railing surrounding Rivet City’s flight deck, eyeing Deathclaw Joe as he walked with his entourage across the bridge out of the city.

“So what’s your take on the big guy?” Fluttershy asked, eyes narrowed at the one human she had seen so far that could look down on her.

“Deathclaw Joe?” Slim Joe asked beside her, nudging his head towards him. “The guy is heavy into neo-tribal-feudalism. He acts the savage, but there is… something… I have no idea what, behind that mask. He’s different from other raider bosses, that's for sure. He makes sure his gang stays off chems for one thing. Sure, The New Horde buys, but it’s to resell to the other gangs… I think one of the New Horde explained their no chem policy as, ‘we don’t borrow strength from chems to weaken ourselves later’ or something like that. Why do you ask?”

“Because—”

“There you are!” Rarity called, cutting her off. Fluttershy wheeled around to face her friend. She was joined by Kerri, and a man almost as tall as herself. “Darling, I’ve been looking everywhere for you since Twilight left.”

“Is that Spike?” Fluttershy asked in surprise. Spike had turned into a tall, broad-shouldered man with scale covered arms and claw-tipped fingers. His draconic tail, wings, and head crest were still there, the latter resembled a mohawk, and his ears were still fins.

“The one and only,” Spike said with a chuckle. He joined her by the railing, which surrounded the flight deck, similar to the deck below. “So, what are you doing out here? You completely missed Twilight.”

“I was wanting to spy on Deathclaw Joe,” Fluttershy said as she sighed heavily and turned back to look over the railing. “I’m not going to trust the word of a so-called raider king when he says he gave back everyone he rescued from that slave caravan. I want to know if the Equestrians who chose to stay with the raiders actually did so of their own free will.”

“Well, I’ve spoken with several of the ones who that brute brought here,” Rarity said impetuously as she, too, joined the group by the railing. Kerri followed suit. “They say they didn’t feel coerced to stay.”

“That was the ones who made it here,” Fluttershy said as she tracked Deathclaw Joe’s movement like a hawk watching a rabbit. “The ones that stayed could be a different story.”

“You could just join his gang to spy on him,” Kerri offered.

Everyone turned to face Kerri, who shrugged.

“What?” She blurted. “Fluttershy’s got to be bumping six feet, the same height as his wife out of her fancy boots. Not to mention you got battle scars from tangling with super mutants, and fought Jack one-on-one for your place as our boss.”

“Well, if she joins, I can’t follow,” Slim Joe said. “And neither can you.”

“I know I’m disqualified because everyone on the metro line knows I’m a chem-head,” Kerri said as she rounded on Slim Joe. “What the fuck disqualifies you? You were the only one in our gang who didn't use any chems.”

“One more curse and I’ll get the soap, young lady,” Rarity scoffed. “Allow me to ask… Please, Joseph, will you tell us why you are disqualified?” Rarity harrumphed. “See, Kerri, foul language isn’t necessary.”

“Yes, Mom,” Kerri groaned. “Seriously, Fluttershy, sticking me with her is like, like… gah I can’t come up with anything to say that won’t piss her off.”

Rarity’s horn flared, and Kerri gagged on the bar of soap that appeared in her mouth.

Slim Joe shook his head.

“Listen, I’m old,” Slim Joe said as he backed away from the railing, his lion-tail flicking behind him. “My brittle bones wouldn’t survive the initiation. All I got going for me now is my claws.”

“Let me guess,” Fluttershy said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Initiation means fighting someone in the gang?”

“Yes,” Slim Joe replied. “You get to choose, though, and Deathclaw Joe has to be there to watch the fight and judge if you’re worthy. It’s not to the death like other gangs, and you don’t even have to win. Just put up a good fight. Oh, and no weapons outside of brass knuckles without spikes or blades on them.”

Fluttershy turned towards the group.

“Anyone have any brass knuckles?”

<>~<>~<>

Fluttershy landed beside a rust-eaten car in the parking lot close to the tower into Rivet City. Kerri’s knuckle dusters were clenched in each fist.

“Deathclaw Joe!” Fluttershy yelled at the backside of the raider king, who hadn’t even made it halfway to the entrance to Anacostia Station. Fluttershy held up her fists as the giant and many of the raiders with him whirled around to face her.

“I want to join your gang!”

Deathclaw Joe’s skull helmet shifted up and down as the massive unicorn looked her over. He set his metal crate of punga fruit down before surrounding it with the rest of the supplies he had bought, which included a wooden keg. Where he had bought it, Fluttershy had no clue.

“Alright,” Deathclaw Joe said. His voice boomed across the parking lot, even though he wasn’t yelling. “I have many of The New Horde here. Who do you want to fight?”

His wife stepped forward with a large grin on her face. She drew her sword and planted it point-first into the ground, forcing the blade through the cracked pavement.

Who do I pick to get in the best graces with the gang? Fluttershy thought, eyes narrowed as she looked over her options. Picking the weakest looking one won’t win me any favors… hmm… that could work. Now for a persona to method act my way into a high standing in the gang.

Fluttershy struck a pose, one arm extended as far out as she could manage as she pointed.

Right at Deathclaw Joe.

“Deathclaw Joe, I’m calling you out!” Fluttershy bellowed as if she were about to jump into a wrestling ring. “I’m gonna fight you in front of your gang, and I’m gonna win!”

Silence.

Fluttershy stayed in her pose, arm extended out, brass knuckles glittering in the sunlight.

“Heh,” Deathclaw Joe rumbled. He placed a hand on his stomach before he doubled over and exploded with a cacophony of laughter. A draconic roar of joy.

“Holy shit, do you have a death wish!” Deathclaw Joe wheezed.

Even as he stood up to his full height, his body trembled with barely contained laughter.

He spread his arms wide open.

“Alright, Equestrian,” He said. “I’ll give you a free hit just for amusing me.” He thumped his chest with both of his massive fists. “Hit me with everything you got!”

Fluttershy pumped her wings as she sprinted forwards, then leapt into the air as she put everything into her wings.

She closed the distance like a loosed arrow, arm cocked back like the string of a crossbow until she was right up on him.

CRACK

She beat her wings once to fly back several paces, eyes locked on Deathclaw Joe as he stumbled back from the force of her hit. Bits of bone sprayed in a fan off his helmet as it shattered in half.

He recovered faster than Fluttershy expected. A thin trickle of blood dripped down the left side of his face from his split eyebrow. The blood stained his bone-white hair pink on that side of his head.

He was smiling.

“Ohhhh,” He hummed. “When I went to your country, the only Equestrian I saw who I thought would even be worth fighting was out of her prime… a one-eyed knight-princess with two swords. Her accent was that of royalty.” Deathclaw Joe took a single step forward as he reached for the large iron clasp of his cloak. “Let me say something in a way like she would so I remember how legendary our battle shall be…”

With his thumb, he unlatched the clasp.

“Thy blow was a mighty one…” he shrugged his massive shoulders and the deathclaw skin cloak fell away to fully reveal his rippling, muscle-bound body. He was barely covered, only his privates were hidden by a large loin-cloth that left enough hip exposed to see a crown being torn into shreds by three claw-like slashes of blue lightning.

“Thou shalt not get another.”

Two massive, feathered wings unfurled behind him, and the alicorn flew towards her.