The Wastelands Sacrifice to be

So I stood outside the stable with a shiver after a day of rest. I looked to the other two ponies behind me. Silver Shine and Apple Miles were behind me giving me these encouraging smiles. So I decided to try something that I didn’t know would work after the number Luna did on my eyes. I focused my power as best I could as I thought of my room. In an instant, I was there in my locked room with no pony there. No pony except the zompony that turned to me with a decidedly murderous look. I raised my back hooves and kicked it in the head as the heat from the phoenix fuel source blew out the back hooves plating. The zompony fell as I raised a hoof and stamped its head into pieces disgusting enough.

Wiping my hooves off, I attached a saddle bag to my back and decided to put my rejuvenation potions in my bags. There were six in here as I was afraid I’d hurt myself on my many projects I worked on in here. I grabbed my tools I kept for tinkering with the armor in the bag as well. I walked out with S.A.T.S. lit up over my eyes like a film, between magic and this beauty I can do anything for now. I decided to set S.A.T.S. off as I left my E.F.S. on for enemy marking. No one else in my apartment complex and the radiation counter went a click-click-clicking. Good think I have these potions but I would need radaway soon. So I went into my apartment living room finding the extra rations I could. Putting those in my bag, I had to make it to a clinic.

So I headed down the V.I.P. hallways towards the main atrium. That’s when my E.F.S. lit up like it was Hearth’s warming eve. I stopped to see the zomponies roam aimlessly trying to find food or something alive. I saw several animal corpses fortunate enough to have died before being eaten. With precision, I raised S.A.T.S. to aim my chest cannon at the center of the atrium. The problem with this plan is I have shield in time. I focused my S.A.T.S. as the ball of condensed, volatile phoenix flame launched to the center.

My mind instantly at work, I summoned the shield spell up as the flames brushed past. I felt the heat as I coughed from the effort of holding the shield and maintaining my own breathing. I found myself surprisingly intact, considering what I had just done. So I walked into the atrium where no more zomponies moved. I knew these ponies were my family but they died. So this was a mercy if I had heard one. That’s when I heard that laugh that haunted me. The changeling’s laugh…

“Oh… You’re a steel ranger? Lets rid this wonderful world of one more pest shall we,” he spoke sadistically as I heard magical explosions go off. His cackle was enough to tell me he killed the ranger or put it down. That’s when I stepped into gear, moving toward the clinic on the far side of the hall. I found several radaways and even more supplies. I put those in the bag as well and found another bag to put over these to have more space. The armor kept the weight from ruining my back as I got more rejuvenation potions, radaway, bandages and more than I think we’d need for a while.

I moved towards the laughter as more magical explosions sounded. I looked to see the red marks showing enemies. Three alicorns and him with the Steel Ranger. I focused my mind and bolted in with a set of three S.A.T.S. aimed shots at the alicorns. Two hit and killed them instantly, leaving only a pile of ash. The other had shielded in time to deflect into the wall.

With a quick glance, I saw the Steel Ranger as I aimed poorly through the side focus of levitating him out of the room. The two shots missed and my armor was heating up too fast. I had to stop. So I bolted into the hallway locking him in as I levitated the ranger to an elder’s room where it was empty and secure. I shot the turret as soon as its shots clipped my armor. The turret fell easily as I locked the door and put him in the back room. I looked at him and synced up a set of tools I carried to his suit. Turns out you have to have pipbuck repair tools as mine didn’t work.

Plan B, wake him up. I tapped his helmet lightly speaking quietly, “Hey… Knight… Luna sent me. She says to look to your dreams for her… Please wake up… I need you Gramps…” I spoke from my desperation as I really did. I forgot to open the door. Instead I focused on helping him first. That’s when I heard a grumpy graspy cough from the suit. With relief in my heart, I felt a wave of ease flow over me.

“I’m awake… And who are you calling Gramps? You aren’t my….” he stopped as he looked at me. He saw my hair and my complexion as he seemed to speak with a relief of all his own, “I thought you were a zompony in here… I came here because her dreams guided me here.”

I diverted his mind trying to get him up, “How can I help you? You need to get up. We have to leave. Silver Shine and Apple Miles are outside for us… I came in here for you.” I helped him get up as he sat on his haunches staring at me. My body wretched as I coughed. I released my mouth guard as I puked up the contents of my stomach, mostly prewar rations. The retching didn’t end for several minutes until there was nothing left in my stomach.

“Easy… I’ll be fine. The suits matrix is healing me. As for you, there was a radaway injection that the docs here gave to help your body cope for now,” he said as he set a hoof on my shoulder as he saw my bags. He rummaged and found it as he sounded pained in doing this, “This might hurt.” Without even counting down, he stabbed the needle into my neck.

Pain seared my body once more as I felt the radaway deal with the trace radiation I had taken in. I sunk to the ground in a heap as I felt like I was going to be sick again. He helped me to my hooves and into the bathrooms. He helped me sit as I got sick for over half an hour. I felt like it was day. Afterwards I got one more radaway shot straight into the same spot on my neck. Besides the sore spot on my neck, I felt better.

Knight spoke up with a gruff edge to his voice as he looked at my sickened frame, “Anymore time in here and you’ll be a zompony… We need out. You know the codes I assume?” He actually sounded worried to me, which was strange to hear. He helped me to my hooves and took one of my heavy bags of supplies. He looked around, “You took me to an elder’s room? Strange…”

After clearing the very last of my stomach, I stood with a weakened movement as I looked him, “Yeah… He won’t expect us here. He’s combing my family’s rooms for now. We need to get to Tiger Shade’s office. There’s something in there I need before we leave. Trust me we need it to get out.”

Knight just seemed to accept this and wave a hoof, “After you… I know they named you after me so call me Knight. You are going to be Cryo to help this… I guess I should take it as an honor they named you after me.”

Yeah an honor, I thought shaking off that train of thought. I have to get to Tiger Shade’s office. He has a stable override card as well as his prototype he said only a well-made armor could bear. I think this armor may just be it. It is a magical energy weapon from what he said. So I strode ahead not even trying for stealth with ‘Captain Heavy Hoof’ behind me.

With careful watch over my E.F.S., I had us stick to safe routes as we got to his door. It was locked as I thought. I looked at Knight speaking quietly, “Don’t wanna get bitten so stop them if they get close, quietly if you can…” I really hoped he understood quiet because from that design so far, it’s a walking explosives ordinance. I knelt in front of the door and began hacking the terminal based door lock. It was easy. He named his password after my aunt.

The door slid open as a few colt zomponies turned to me and gave grotesque moans. Without thinking on it, I focused my mind as I levitated them while simultaneously making the field smaller until it crushed them. I sighed relief as the magical wrapping fall with the crushed to pieces zompony colts. I shivered and walked past them, “Quick… Get in.”

Knight followed in and shut the door. He spoke as I moved to the large safe in the wall, “That was magic… You’re a bat pony. So explain or should I turn and shoot now?” He sounded worried and cautious all at once now. His tone worried me. He must think me one of those sadistically cruel alicorns.

I worked on hacking the safe, failing on my first attempt as I was distracted with fear, “I’m Luna’s great grand-daughter. It took a while but I was given her magic. Her spirit roams to help guide us. She showed me what to do to save this wasteland. I have her magical knowledge. As I said, she sent me here to help you too. Now let me focus…” I was curt and rude but I needed to rush. I hacked in a second time, this time more successful than the last having found the first half of the binary passcode. Now to hack the rest out of his system. This took work.

Failure… Try again… Failure… Try Again… Failure… Try Again. Each time backing out before I could get locked out. This was becoming tedious. I got the first half as 101110 but the other half was being devious. So now I figured a thought out. I knew Tiger Shade. I thought of it as I grinned. He flipped the other half. So if I got the code right it was 10111011101. With a click of my successful effort, I grinned and opened my fruitful efforts.

Knight locked the door and came over taking my bag seeing the massive side cannons that held magical energy blasts. It was simply beautiful to me but he just shook his head, “You don’t need that… You have phoenix powered armor… But I won’t stop you from taking it. It might save us from the hordes of those vile zomponies.”

As I started strapping it on with my telekinesis, I glared at him, “They are my family… Our family….” I continued my work until it attached to my armor perfectly on my side with barrels on each side of my hind. This would work. I pulled out the key card, slipping it into Knight’s bag. I looked at him determined, “I will take point. We need to go through the main halls. So follow me closely and stop asking questions or commenting until later. You don’t have that right yet.”

He stopped me as he sounded upset for once, “I’m sorry… I came here looking for you. She gave me a dream that warned me to find you…” He actually sounded worried as he visor was staring at me. I saw him lift his hoof to hug me, “Not Luna… Your sister. She’s watching out for you in spirit. She sent me to help you. I’m glad she did.”

I hugged him back as a few tears fell. No wonder he came, I thought, she told him. It was nice to have at least some family left that was here for me. So I pushed him back and smiled, “Sorry… I’ve been afraid… I lost Mech and… I know I’m doing the right thing but I just… I need to get myself to focus on the task at hand but I keep wanting to side track and help others…”

“That’s not sidetracking… That’s being you. You can’t see ponies in trouble or even in harms way. So you do what you can to save them. You have the true heart of a Knight… It comes from the family,” he said with a confident gruff tone. I thought he was full of moldy hay but he had a bit of sense left in him. I treasured that advice.

With a confident nod, I put a hoof forward, “Lets go.” I felt my stomach lurch but I swallowed it back down. I had to be strong to go on. I moved through the door as I saw the alicorn. I instantly focused my mind to put up a shield around the hallway piece behind us. I looked back, “Go… I can’t hold this long.”

With that, Knight bolted down the hall towards the stable door. I backed up slowly holding the shield until it deflected the laser into the ceiling collapsing it. I turned and smiled, as I bolted after Knight. He stood in front of a wave of dead zomponies, the ones I knew. The elders. I left a good back hoof kick to their heads as I got to the door’s console. I slid the card and typed in the password, ‘PraiseLuna.’ The door creaked as jumped the railing to get outside to fresh air. I sunk in front of Silver Shine and Apple Miles who glared at me.

Knight came after me and I heard him turn. With an ear shattering blast, I heard the console explode. The door slid close slowly as I turned to see that Changeling. He mouthed, ‘Meet you again’ before the door closed. I glared as I stamped a hoof. Quickly my stomach reminded me I was sick and I puked over the cliff. Miles put a hoof on my back massaging it slowly.

“Easy there… That there is radiation poisoning. You should be dead but I assume you took radaway. We’ll rest and give you more from my bags,” he said with a smile. He stayed with me until I cleared the little content in my stomach left. He nuzzled my mane as I smiled.

Silver Shine cleared his throat as Miles chuckled. Miles took a few steps back muttering something about jealousy to Silver Shine. Silver Shine took a good hind hoof to knock him back into the cliff wall. Silver Shine spoke up evenly, “So whats your name, Ranger? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Knight… I’m her great grandfather. I was pulled here to find her so I came. She really saved my metallic hide in there,” he smiled and became coldly serious, “We should camp far away though… That Changeling has powerful allies.” He spoke as if commanding a platoon of ponies ready for war. Now I heard the tone I couldn’t identify, authority.

Silver Shine blanched a sheet of white as I laughed at him. I think the thought of carrying Knight with us was encroaching upon him. With my weakened state, my voice was coldly ill, “I can levitate him. Just carry me with you. It’s going to take the little I have left to do so…”

Miles stood back on his hooves with a huff, “I’ll carry you. Silver Shine can carry him while you lighten his weight. Lets go before those alicorns come back.” Miles walked over to me with a smile as he helped me onto his back. My body felt heavy and tired. The shields and radiation sickness took a lot of me. So I lay on his back as he took off. Silver Shine readied for my spell. I let my mind focus as I lifted Knight with effort now becoming more difficult. Silver Shine took some of the weight and flew with us.

We had landed in a camp that night as I was let to rest after several radaway potions. My body felt half broken and demolished with unrest. Regardless, I slipped to sleep painfully as the radaway worked slowly. I found myself dreaming of Little Mech and smiled at the though. This was a good dream while I had it… Why did I think I could have one of those? That was until…