Fallout Equestria: Forgotten Roads
Copyright Robronco ®
Loader V8 Mk4 prototype
Loading version 8.3.2
64k Tb system
. . .
Error detected
61K Free
Error detected
Multiple synthetic skin errors detected
Error No programming holotape detected
Load Rom(1): Pixel
Activating subject SS32
“With an awakening…..there is darkness. The darkness of not knowing what has happened in the time you slept, this is why sleeping is for the dead.”
Pixel was awakened by the sound of sirens blaring all around her, ricocheting off the walls and piercing her skull, the sound reverberating through her head like the beat of a drum. Placing both of her hooves over her ears, she waited for the wailing to stop until a few words sounded over the speaker system.
“Security breach, all non-essential personnel must be evacuated immediately”
With a gulp, she jumped out of her medical cot, trying to block out the constant blaring of the sirens and the sound of the security warning looping over the speakers. It seemed from simple observation the only way out was a single dark hallway, which seemingly stretched into never ending darkness, Illuminated only by the revolutions of the flashing sirens.
With one last look over her shoulder, she took a single cautious step out into the darkness, making her way silently through with slow steady steps. Her only guide was the darkened, metal walls surrounding her, almost constricting her with their presence. With a soft hiss, something brushed up against her left hind hoof, squeaking softly in surprise, she folded her ears and quickly moved away from the disturbance.
Moment’s later, the flash of overhead lights blinded poor Pixel, causing her to recoil in pain. As the room came in focus, she could make out a shelf harboring an R-91 Assault Rifle along with two olive green ammo boxes in pristine condition. In yellow lettering the box identified it’s contents as 5.56 full metal jacket, 300 count, ammunition.
“Bullets? Why would they be here?” Pixel asked herself, since she believed stable’s were only used as shelters, and wouldn’t need to be so well stocked.
Propped up against the metal wall were other shelves holding more weapons waiting to be claimed. She approached one such shelf and smiled at three polished military grade combat knives awaiting an owner, each in their own brand new sheaths. Moving to the left, the next shelf held a box containing what appeared to be a security grade leather belt, with 8 individual pockets for ammunition and a sheath for a knife.
As she set this aside, something else caught her eyes. A styrofoam pony figure wearing a blue jumpsuit, marked with three bold yellow digits“117”, and next to it, a box labeled “Jumpsuits”. She approached the box, and sliced open the tape at the top with one of the knives she had appropriated. Freeing the lid from it’s sticky prison and releasing the vacuum sealed suit’s within.
After several moments of hopping around the room, rolling around, and fiddling with the suit, she managed to get it fitted around her body and hips, leaving her posterior pretty… open, to say the least. With a roll of her emerald eyes, she went over to the boots that came with it and tossed them across the room. She then laid the knife back on the shelf and went to claim her newfound shiny leather belt. Or maybe it was a survival belt? Either way, it was very shiny.
After holstering her knives and slipping her ammo into the various pockets, she came across a small brownish box hidden underneath a shelf. The label clearly reading “Pip Buck”. She quickly pulled it out, and unlatched the box to reveal a small metallic device, about the right size and shape to fit around a hoof.
Suddenly, with a flash, she found herself transported to another place. There she saw a large red stallion with a grey mane. “Hey Pixel, do you remember how to put these on?” The stallion asked, holding out a similar device.
Strangely, she found herself answering his question, not of her own volition. “Yeah, of course, come here.” She said, beckoning him closer with a hoof.
With a snap, she attached the device to his hoof, and with that her surroundings slowly faded as she found herself back in the same room, attaching her own device to her own left hoof. As she did so, it gave a low hum, and text began to flood the screen,a small paragraph appearing right in the middle.
Copyright Robronco ®
Loader V1 .2
Exec version 44.08
64K ram system
38912 Bytes free
No holotape found
Load rom(1): deitrex 320
Raising an eyebrow, she watched as the screen suddenly turned on and the image of a small pony appeared, walking in a continuous loop on the screen. It smiled up at her as if it’s entire function was simply to mock her. Different tabs at the top of the screen seemed to show off each different function, from keeping a stock of her inventory, to storing various maps, there was even a function for finding, saving, and tuning into radio stations.
She quickly flipped through each one, studying them intently until her vision began to become blurry from the strain. Stepping back, she gave her head a vigorous shake before bumping into another shelf behind her, the contents spilling onto the floor. She glanced down, noticing a pair of glasses and a lab coat among them.
She bent down, grabbing both items, slipping the glasses over her muzzle on a whim. She took a hasty step back though, as a huge bug was brought into focus, clear as day on the floor. As soon as it noticed her, it reared back with an aggressive hiss.
She quickly grabbed the shelf next to her and threw it down on the bug, only for it to jump out of the way. As she attempted to run away, she tripped over a box and fell to the ground, her face making contact with the floor.
“N...no!” she screamed, as she held up her hooves to defend herself.
A single shot rang out, splattering green, gunky blood all over the poor mare. She heard six guitar chords ring out as she looked up to see a mysterious stranger in a fedora and trenchcoat standing in a nearby doorway. In the time it took Pixel to wipe her glasses clean, the stranger was gone, a single guitar chord followed with his passing.
With that, a small popup appeared on her pip-buck which read “You’re welcome.”
Pixel looked up with caution in her eyes from her place on the ground, before slowly getting up onto her four hooves, slinging her assault rifle over her side by it’s strap as she did so.
As she made her way back to the room she awoke in, she felt her mood begin to drop as if she was missing something long gone. That was when she heard the voice.
“I knew you were something special.”
With a jump she looked around, aiming her rifle at every dark corner, but the voice never returned, disappearing into the air, never to return. With a relieved sigh, she continued down the hallway, eventually making her way back to the room she had first awakened in.
This time she looked ahead, past her last resting place, to a large metal door. She felt drawn towards it, as if it were inviting her to go through. Feeling curious, she accepted its invitation, and came across a small dimly lit hallway just beyond its frame.
Along the hallway there were various different sections, each labeled to show the purpose of each room. Living quarters for stallions and mares, restrooms, and doors that had markings that seemed to almost flicker, or were scratched out.
She took a few quiet cautious steps through the hallway until she came up to the first door on the right, labeled “Mare Living Quarters”, and pressed the button next to it, with open helpfully written above it. The door grinded and whirred as she waited for it to open, but it remained shut, the same as every other door she came across aside from the last, which opened up to reveal an elevator waiting for a passenger.
Stepping inside activated an overhead light, bathing her and the inside of the machine in a blanket of bright white light, as a voice over the speakers spoke to Pixel in a professional tone.
“We hope you’ve enjoyed staying in our advanced stable, we wish you luck in your rebuilding efforts and hope we’ve prepared you for the future!”.
Pixel blinked slowly, trying to make sense of the confusing speech, when the elevator suddenly jolted upwards into pitch blackness. Facing her as the light returned through the opened door was a small security station, and an open cog shaped door. The artificial light in the next room flooding the empty and desolate cavern.
As she took a step forward she heard a beeping sound coming from her right. Turning towards it she came face to face with a robot that struggled to look up towards her. With a static filled voice it said “Leav...e.e.e this plac...e”.
With a final spark, it slumped back over, gone forever.
Gulping nervously, she slowly made her way into the next room, revealing that the door she had seen had been left wide open to the outside world. Looking over the area cautiously, she took a step forward, only to see a sudden flash and a loud bang erupted from the shadows as a projectile struck home and buried itself in her shoulder. Blowing the top half of Pixels right shoulder off.
With a groan, she turned towards the shadow, and more flashes went off in response, multiple projectiles being sent her way. Dazed as she was, she didn’t even register the metal ting’s that followed after they hit her.
The last shot made her stumble back, eyes rolling back inside of her head. As she made to steady her assault rifle, she was greeted by the sound of a gun being thrown to the ground and an orange maned mare moving slowly out of the shadows.
“H...how did you survive that!?”
Pixel tilted her head, “Survive what…? You’re a horrible shot by the way.” Pixel stated bluntly.
Suddenly a super hot, green blob flew right by by her head and collided with the wall. When it hit the surface it began to sizzle and burn away at the thinnest layer of the wall, leaving behind the scent of burnt ozone.
She quickly turned to see where it had originated from. Three ponies in dark black, scorpion tailed armor with dangerous looking weaponry surrounded both Pixel and the mare.
“By order of the Grand Pegasus Enclave, you are hereby under arrest. Resistance is futile and will be dealt with harshly.”
One of them began to approach the pair with hoof cuffs, but as he got close, Pixel threw a vicious kick into his front hoof causing him to fall over. He squeaked in surprise as the gleaming blade went through the bottom of his jaw and straight into his head. Blood pooled out from the wound and the severed nerves caused his eyes to twitch.
Both of the survivors trembled where they stood as the body of their comrade fell to the ground, the knife embedded in his skull pulled out with a light tug. “Anyone else?”.
The one on the right side of the remaining pair quickly dropped his gun and ran towards the elevator, slamming his hoof against the button over and over again in earnest. The little one trembled, wavering for a second before running over to join him. Soon they disappeared in the world above.
“Holy buck, you just killed him!”
Pixel took in the appearance of the mare beside her, noting the fact that she was wearing the exact same suit as the ponies who had tried to arrest her. “Are you with them?”
The mare looked down at her suit and slowly shook her head. “No, at least, not anymore.” She hesitated before speaking again. “Best not to worry about it, I’m still a prisoner” with that, Pixel snickered.
“Just leave, now!” With that the mare trotted off into the elevator the others had just escaped on and made the journey upwards. Pixel watched her until she was swallowed up by the darkness.
Trotting up to it, she pressed the call button, and it slowly came back down, waiting for it’s next passenger. Not wishing to wait any longer, she took a few steps towards it and sat down in the middle, brushing her mane aside to clear her view.
Suddenly the elevator jolted upwards into the darkness, and a faint shaft of sunlight appeared from above, getting brighter with each inch she came closer. When she finally got to the top, it was so blinding that she was forced to cover her eyes with a hoof.
As the elevator neared the top, she sighed, unsure about what awaited her on the surface. As it came to a stop she took a deep breath, ready to step forward into the unknown.
“Welcome home.”