One world left behind another Entered.
The sun was bright and the sound of the television was in the background as a white coated and black maned unicorn mare walked in from the bathroom.
“Hello hunny.” Said a stallion who creped up on her from behind giving her a kiss her neck. Blushing slightly she looked at him. His earth pony build housed within tan coat and yellow mane and tail with hazel eyes that always knew how to calm her. He had served in the war against the zebras and she was glad to have him back. The war was said to be sputtering out and peace was within their grasp. She kissed him as a throat cleared causing her to become startled. A Mr Neighty by the name of Codsworth who that just unpacked three days prior. She hadn't gotten use to it just yet. The sound of a fillies cries made her ears perk up.
“Miss Arid Sky, Master Gear Shift I've changed the young master Spring Dew but, he seems to be needing some of that parental love and affection that you're so well known for.” Codsworth said. Then the doorbell rang she looked at her husband.
“I'll go look after Spring Dew, can you get that.” He smiled.
“Of course.” She turned to go comfort Spring Dew. She entered his nursery and looked down at him and smile.
“Hey you little munchkin.” her magic enveloped the little filly and she cuddled her filly. The cries turned to cooes of love and giggles as she nuzzled him. She heard a mature cuckle and looked up at her husband.
“How are my most precious ponies in the world doing.” He said walking in.
“Oh he's just wanting attention just like his father.” She said jesting. Gear Shift smiled and nuzzled Spring Dew and then kissed her cheek.
“Who was at the door?” She asked. He sighed.
“That stable tech representative I gave in to it and we are signed up for the local stable. Hope we never have to use it.” He said with a small prayer.
“Nothing is too much for the safety of our family don't you think?” Arid Sky said nuzzling Spring Dew again.
The sound of sirens broke them out of their bliss as she looked up at Gear whose face became foreign to her. He had changed after he came back from fighting but she never pushed him on telling it. But now she was looking at a solider.
“It's probably another drill but I'll get the filly's things.” He said quickly as she lifted the filly up and picked up the baby saddle carrier. She placed Spring Dew inside it firmly strapping the filly in place.
“Mame! Sir! You should come see this!” She trotted out into the living room as Codsworth looked at her with two of his three optics.
“It's terrible…” he said as the news announcer looked pale not even looking at his papers.
“There are reports...of large explosions of magical fire in Fillydelphia, and oh my Celestia… May the sisters watch over us all.” The station cut off to technical difficulties. She could feel her blood run cold and her eyes widen.
“TO THE STABLE NOW!” Gear Shifts ordering voice snapped her to her senses and she followed him out of the house. The chaos of everyone fleeing their homes all going to the stable. Military ponies were directing the crowd towards the stable.
“How is Spring?!” He asked urgently. She had gone deaf in that moment and looked at her filly who was crying from the josseling of her running.
“He ok! Keep going!” She exclaimed and as they reached the top of the hill where a stable tech representative that she assumed visited their home was in an argument with the Military pony with the back up of two fully armored heavily armed unknown ponies.
“I'm an employee of Stable Tech?! You have to let me in!” He exclaimed.
“You're not on the list so no.” He said matter of factly.
“Go Buck yourself! I'm going in!” He said before one of the Steel ponies stepped forward as the chain gun began to turn to life. He quickly backed down.
“Oh oh! Ok fine but I'm reporting this!” He said angrily and turned going past us. His eyes met mine, anger/ fear/ anxiety were all prevalent on his face. Gear Shift approached the list holder.
“We're on the list.” He said catching his breath.
“Names.” He ordered.
“Gear Shift, Arid Sky, and our filly Spring Dew.” He said looking at Arid Sky.
“You're on the list.” he said stepping aside admitting them. Gear Shift nudge her on forward and she moved quickly as the stable tech staff directed them.
“Step onto the platform!” One pegasus said as she looked to another earth pony who was at a console. As the three of them stepped onto the metal lift painted yellow with the number 111 in the center.
“Send it down now!” The pegasus ordered. The lift sprung to life as it began to slowly descend.
“We made it.” Gear said with a small smile before a large detonation shook the lift stopping it momentarily the look of fear flooded her thoughts as the shockwave wall of debris and Magic radiation raced towards them. The lift started again and descended into the darkness as the lid closed over them. A hollow emptiness filled her as she looked at Gear.
“We lost everything…” she said in shock.
“Not everything.” He said hugging her and kissing her deeply. His kiss gave her courage to keep moving.
“Let's keep going hunny.” Gear Shift said softly. Two Stable Tech employees waved them in to go into the stable which had its massive door wide open. The smell of earth and something else she couldn't put her hoof on. She ascended the stairs and went into the vault. Several pones had lab coats on which she found odd but didn't question it further.
“Welcome to Stable 111. Here is your stable suit.” She said and looked at Spring Dew.
“Don't have any small enough for the little one there but he'll grow up into a fine stallion I can see it.” She said smiling. Arid Sky smiled back forcefully. She was happy to be alive but the prospect of living and most likely dieing underground was not appealing.
“This way. We'll get you decontaminated before going further into the vault.” The stallion scientist said as we stopped in front of a row of large steel ‘decontamination’ pods. She quickly gave Spring Dew to Gear Shift as she changed into her suit. It felt cold in the room almost uncomfortably so. Gear Shift gave Spring back and she helped him change into his Stable suit. Spring Dew had calmed down by the time she stepped into the pod and nuzzled Spring Dew once more and she turned to face the door and Gear sneaked in a kiss making her smile. He backed away and the hatch closed sealing her inside she saw him climb into his pod as the hatch closed on him he smiled and his lips spelled out ‘I love you’ she smiled again as the temperature dropped dramatically but her eyes began to droop as frost began to form on the window and blackness began to envelope her. Her last thoughts were. This doesn't feel like decontamination.
“Cryostasis process suspended” a robotic voice said cutting through the blackness. She began to open up her eyes but the fog of the cold muddled her movement and focus.
“This one.” A voice said as two ponies came into view one had their face covered and was in a clean environment suit. The other had a dark outfit with metal along his right forehoof. The door opened and the warmth of the room hit her in the face warming her internally she saw movement in Gears pod as he seemed to be waking up. He looked around frantically before Arid realized the suited pony was reaching for Spring Dew. Her focus clarified ber adrenaline spiked and she struggled against the pony trying to foalnap her child.
“Don't you dare touch Spring Dew!” She growled between her frozen teeth. The older pony with a scar over his left eye leveled a heavy calibered revolver.
“Don't fight this or it will end bad for you.” He managed to say with the piece in his mouth. She struggled harder and jerked Spring Dew away from the suit pony before the sound of a deafening boom followed by an explosion of pain causing her head to jerk backward hitting her head against the wall.
“Emergency sequence initialized.” A robotic voice said suddenly and the sound of a second door opened. A shout of anger and Gear Spring was about to charge the foal nappers but the cryostasis caused him to be too slow and the older pony leveled his revolver and shot Gear point blank ending his life. The pods closed as they began to leave. The older pony looked at her again.
“We got the kid but what a waste.” He said as the temperature began to plummet again. The darkness overcame her again as tears froze against her cheeks; as within the two most important things in her life were taken away within minutes.
“Remote Cryostasis suspension.” A robotic voice said cutting through her foggy mind again. She wished she was dead but alas she was still alive somehow. The pod opened and she fell out as the numbing after effects of the freezing began to lift away a throbbing pain from the back of her head. She put her hoof behind her head and pull it back to show blood. She needed a stimpack but she looked up and she didn't care about that before she opened the hatch where Gears Body laid there lifeless. She slumped beside him and tears fell down her cheeks as she kissed his temple before she shuddered with a loud gut wrenching cry of pain. She sat there a moment before she stood up.
“I swear to you I will get out son back.” She said as she closed the hatch again using it as a coffin. She began her way down the hall which felt she had just walked down not too long ago. A door refused to open and she cursed as she felt her wound again it was beginning to flow freely and the pain was beginning to mount. She walked back and found a room that must have been the security office. A stimpack sat on the table and she grasped it with her magic and jabbed it into her neck and the familiar hiss and slight burn as it entered her bloodstream. The pain subsided and the bleeding stopped and she she had her baby saddle carrier and she began to rummage around the room finding nothing.
She looked at the computer and sat down and grazed over the contents. Civil unrest within the stable seemed to have divide the scientists and the security...the stable was an experiment. If they had it their way they would all slumber till the end of time. How was she the only survivor? She looked it up but nothing mentioned about the failure of the pods. Arid Sky leaned back and felt her stomach flip. She felt her stomach rumble and she got up and found the cafeteria. The sound of skittering stopped her and she turned to see a huge dog sized roach that looked at her and charged at her. She screamed and lunged at it with her forehooves and with a sound crunch it stopped moving. She shuddered as she lifted her hooves from the gory mess she had just done.
“Giant….cockroaches… “ she cursed to herself. She pranced around it now and investigated for any food and stopped as three skeletons of ponies were on the ground. She felt her body freeze for a moment then the thought bubbled up that they didn't care about her or her family they were just experiments.
“Serves them right.” She said angrily. She made her way through the generator room and quickly crushed two more roaches that tried to get too close to her. She walked up a small set of stairs and was assaulted by three roaches. Their incisors bit into her flesh as she screamed panicked and flailed her legs causing her to stumbled back falling down the stairs. Two were caught under her as she wrestled with the third and kicked it away. It landed on it's back and quickly righted itself and went in on the attack. She screamed and punched it with her forehoof crushing it. She breathed heavily as pain returned. She was now covered in roach fluids and smell was getting to her. The room she entered had a curved desk with a computer on the far side. Three stimpacks were closest to her and she was about to use one but thought better of it never knew when she would need one. A 9mm pistol was on the table with two cases of ammunition. She enveloped it in magic and did a function test. Never had she been more thankful that Gear Shift had dragged her out to the range to learn how to use weapons. Arid Sky heard more skittering and she felt ready with her new weapon. She scrounged around and found three more cases of ammo. She put them in her saddle carrier. She approached the computer terminal and began to investigate what had transpired and it was just from the overseers view how everything crumbled around them. She looked at what she assumed was his skeleton with a bullet hole from the top of the skull and to old gore on the roof ment only one thing. Arid selected to open the emergency tunnel. The sound of a door opening and the skittering became louder. She leveled her 9mm and as soon as the roaches appeared she put a bullet into each one. Five in total now painted the floor and wall with their guts. She stood up and saw another 9mm. She ejected the mag and left the pistol. Trotting down the escape tunnel she opened the door that led into the Stable door chamber. Another roach and it was dead just as quickly. Stepping forward she saw a Pipbuck with a skelital forehoof still on it. She approached it as a roach sprung out. Jumping back and fired three times before hitting it.
“Bucking bugs!” She swore. She levitated the Pipbuck and turned it over inspecting it for damage. She lifted her hoof up and attached it to her foreleg and turned it on. The began to tic tic tic away as thousands of numbers were displayed. She blew on the screen causing the dust to blow away showing a green back screen. Her eyes stung for a moment and a compass appeared as well as a health and radiation status. She looked at the console and lifted up a plug and saw it fit into a socket. Plugging it in the flip case opened. She removed the plug and pressed the button. The stable door arm came to life and moved forward and connected to the large door. Sparks flew from the fan located in the back as the door was pulled open. The screeching of metal on metal as they scraped against one another. The door slid free and then was rolled to the side as the extension platform bridged the gap. Arid approached the lift that had brought her and her family down into the Stable. Stepping into the lift the pain was weathered and looked old.
“How much time has passed?” She asked out loud. The lift began to ascend taking her up to the new world.
Perks unlocked!!
Gunslinger (Due to your practice with a pistol or any weapon with a small caliber you do increased damage and are more accurate.)
Iron Hoof ( Your hooves are to be feared! Crush everything with a single blow...well bugs anyway.)
