“Are you absolutely nuts?!” Rocket cried as a bullet whizzed past her head. Shimmer struggled to stay upright in the Power Armor. Rocket, frowning, pushed herself off of the ground, marching over before she pressed the rear release.

The Power Armor snapped open with a hiss and Shimmer tumbled out with a thud. Rocket circled the power armor, glaring at it and looking it over. “Power Armor is supposed to stabilize your ability to shoot straight! You've almost shot me… TWICE!”

“I'm not exactly trained to wear Power Armor!” Shimmer replied, pushing herself up. “I was a healer pony! I dealt with sick fillies and colts! I didn’t go around blowing up the nearest pony I could find!”

Rocket frowned again, ignoring Shimmer’s complaints.“There's gotta be something wrong with it.” She pushed her head inside the armor’s helmet. “Even an untrained and half brain cooked Raider can drive these things!”

Shimmer raised her front hooves over her head and waved them around. “I don't even know why I'm even trying the stupid thing on! I only have three Spark Batteries, using them is a waste!” She groaned and fell flat on her chest as she covered her head with her forelegs.

Rocket huffed as she plonked herself down on her rump,crossing her forehooves. “Good Goddesses, are all Stable Ponies as whiney as you?” Shimmer replied with a whimper under her forelegs. “What’d you say? I can’t hear you under the self-pity.”

“I said, it’s useless. I don’t...I don’t think it was meant for combat.” She spoke slowly, blinking and raising herself up to her hooves. She moved towards the Power Armor and looked it over.

An eyebrow raised on Rockets face as she looked back at the armor. After a moment, her face lit up slightly. “You know... I believe… hang on a sec…”

Shimmer looked out from behind the armor and blinked. Rocket quickly pulled out a knife from her pack and bit her lip as she used her magic to draw a simple line across her side. Blood seeped from the wound instantly.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” Shimmer cried as she quickly moved to Rockets side.

Rocket shook her head rapidly. “No, I’m testing an idea! Get in the armor.”

“What?”

“Just get in the damn armor and power it up! Don’t ask questions!” Rocket winced as she placed a rag against the wound. It wasn’t fatal, but it was definitely bleeding profoundly. The grey asphalt soon turned a dark crimson.

Shimmer’s frown covered her entire face as she climbed into the armor. The suit closed with a hiss as the seals clicked shut. A moment later, the spark energy kicked on and Shimmers’ Eyes Forward Sparkle engaged. A small purple screen displayed her direction, weight, radiation intake, and other information.

Rocket looked up at the armor as it powered up. Steam hissed from several ports as it closed and Shimmer took a step forward. Her form was completely hidden by the armor, a true one of a kind fit—most armor sets she had seen in the Wasteland had parts missing.

“Okay,” Shimmer said,the armor making her voice sound more mechanical. She turned her head looked down at Rocket. “Now-what the heck?” On the display she could see a red glow around Rocket’s side. As she focused a display popped up with scrolling letters that glowed a shade of violet.

Attention: Pony in Distress…

Injury Detected…

Superficial…

Recommended Treatment: Antiseptic and Bandage, change daily…

Alternative Treatment: Hydra

WARNING! Alternative Treatment Not Recommended

Rocket frowned as Shimmer fell silent. “Well? Anything?”

“I think...I think you’re right! I can see your injury glowing red! There’s a treatment list and everything!” Excitement coated her tone as she continued to read. “I can see every injury you’ve sustained in the past week! They’re glowing yellow. It looks like immediate triage is glowing in red.”

Rocket smirked at the giddiness seeping from Shimmer, despite her mechanical voice. “Well that’s fine and dandy. Now, can it help?” she asked as she lifted her hoof, the blood still leaking from her side.

As if on cue the armor began reorganizing Shimmer’s inventory. Several items appeared in front of her screen as she was shown different combinations of medical supplies and treatments for Rocket’s wound. Stepping forward with a treatment selected, the armor produced the supplies. How it did was beyond either of them; all they knew was that a bandage was being produced from Shimmer’s left hoof.

The Doctor in Shimmer kicked in as she began to clean the wound. Blood coated the bandage as she then began to wrap the bandage around Rocket. “This is incredible! The armor has to be designed for enhanced Medical analysis and treatment!”

A scoff escaped Rockets lips as she stood once the bandage was applied. “Seems like a complete waste of Power Armor to me.” she said shaking her mane a few times. “If you can’t use it for combat, why use it at all?”

Shimmer’s eye raised in annoyance. “You mean, like keeping soldier ponies alive when they need medicine the most? Like fixing bullet wounds?”

Rocket paused and rubbed the back of her neck, “Yeah...didn’t think about that…” A nervous smile creeped up on her face. “So...a non-combatant set of Power Armor? To keep the medic alive during combat situations?”

The Power Armor popped and hissed once again and Shimmer stepped out. “Right, which means that I’m not going to waste it.” She placed a hoof on the rear plating of the armor. “It’s a gift and I don’t want to spoil it. We’ve been practicing and I’ve almost completely burned out the first Spark Battery.” Lowering her hoof she shook her head as she looked at Rocket. “Help me put it away?”

Replying with a nod several times her horn lit up, the armor levitating with ease. “To the safe?”

“I’ll be sure to engage the lock once again. Don’t want anypony getting their hooks into it.” Shimmer replied with a small giggle, “Then again, they probably couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with it. I certainly couldn’t.”

Rocket smirked as she descended downward into the cellar. Shimmer smiled and turned, her eyes gazing up towards the sky. Despite much of the sky being covered in perpetual grey, the small bursts of sunlight made her smile. The world around her may have turned to ash, but even now, there were signs of life.

Her gazed moved downwards towards the castle in the distance. Despite the purple haze, it was still beautiful. The skyward climbing center tower still stood, though it appeared the top half had begun to collapse in the recent years. The smaller towers surrounding its base however, remained tall and proud.

The ground around the great towers however, was an absolute wreck. Homes collapsed, some completely blown away, and others remained untouched. Even though the distance was far, the view from the hilltop was enough to see the overall destruction that was caused by the Megaspell.

“So much’s gone…” Shimmer muttered as her gaze swept across her old home. Surprisingly some of the old homes were still intact. Hers was probably one of the few that could stand up to the test of time for a few more years. Others looked as if a single touch of a hoof would bring them down in a heartbeat.

BLAM!

Her gaze snapped up as a small explosion filled the air. Not far in the distance a bright orange fireball filled up a street. The hurled body of another pony appeared mere seconds before the fireball, landing nearby on a wrecked skywagon.

“Rocket, get up here!” Shimmer shouted as she drew her pistol.

BLAM!

Another explosion rocked the street, catapulting small pebbles even as far as Shimmer was as she ducked behind the porch. She looked over the small deck as she watched the pony who was previously thrown across the street began galloping, though with a noticeable limp.

Rocket came up behind her, skidding to a stop as she drew both of her pistols from their holsters. “What’s going on? That sounded like-”

BLAM!

A third explosion filled the air. The pony from before was thrown into the air again, sent tumbling down the asphalt and stopping as he smashed against the house across the street. Rocket and Shimmer peered over the deck and groaned.

At the end of the street, a unicorn Raider stood. Strapped to his body were several long red sticks. Lighting the end of one with a fire spell, he held it in his magic before hurling it away, grinning.

The red stick tumbled through the air as it landed short of the wounded pony. He barely managed to get to his hooves and move away behind the building before a fourth explosion filled the air. He panted, glancing down. Several large pieces of shrapnel had lodged themselves into the flesh of his flank and upper leg.

Shimmer and Rocket watched in horror as the Raider kept approaching.

“Goddamn Raiders,” Rocket hissed through her teeth.

“Yeah but it looks like it’s just the one,” Shimmer pointed out as she looked over the deck once again at him. “How good is your aim?”
“My aim? I can shoot anything up to-”

“I meant with your magic. Can you catch something if it’s thrown?” Shimmer quickly added as she looked again. He was getting closer; any closer and he’d be right on top of them.

Rocket blinked multiple times as she looked at the Raider. “I can catch just- Oh no! No way! Not a good idea!” she said as her pupils went wide, “You aren’t suggesting what I think you’re suggesting are you?”

Shimmer snapped her head back at her, “You have a better idea? Just catch the stick and throw it back, how hard could it be?”

“We’re all gonna die…”

“Then we’ll be dying trying to save somepony. And ourselves, if we succeed.” Shimmer replied as she pointed at the pony hiding across the street. She waved a hoof franticly as she attempted to get his attention.

The stallion looked up and blinked at the purple pony waving her hoof like an idiot. As he began to rise, though, Shimmer shook her head rapidly then slowly moved her hoof downwards towards the ground. He looked around and slowly nodded, getting as close to the ground as possible.

Shimmer inhaled sharply as she ducked out of cover. “Hey! Ugly!”

The Raider, in turn, roared loudly, another stick lifting from his belt. Shimmer took a long gulp as she went wide eyed herself. She turned on her hooves and began careening away.

“You die pony!” the Raider taunted as he threw the stick. Rocket watched as the red projectile sailed through the air, focusing her magic as she gritted her teeth.

And she missed.
The stick tumbled through the air, landing a few feet away from Shimmer. It exploded moments later, hurling Shimmer from her hooves and through a broken window of a home stood nearby.

The impact knocked the wind from her chest as she pushed herself up. “Okay...let’s not do that again…” she muttered to herself, lamely galloping outside once again. The Raider laughed in his rage.

“Pony go boom! Pony die!” he screamed as he lit another stick. Rocket frowned as she looked down the road as Shimmer turned on her hooves. Her pistol raised in her mouth as she began firing.

She was well out of range; the bullets simply pinged off of his scavenged armor. However, it was distraction enough. Rocket stepped out from behind the porch, both pistols hovering in front of her as she took aim at the Raider.

She pulled the triggers and two rounds flew from the barrels, turning the Raider’s head into a gory pile of jelly. His body slumped immediately, blood pooling around the stub that was previously his head.

Rocket smirked as she lowered the pistols. She looked up at Shimmer and pointed at the Raider, shouting, “Look Ma! No face!”

Shimmer blinked multiple times as she looked at Rocket, then the body, then back to the mare again. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“Say’s the one who just got blown the hell up and thrown through a window!”

“Says the one who broke into a Stable and-”

The stallion cleared his throat as he approached Shimmer and Rocket. “While your post-kill banter is very entertaining, I’m gonna interrupt. I want to say thank you.” He tipped his hat with a hoof.

Rocket turned to face him, “Oh. I almost forgot you were here,” she said, brushing off a splatter of blood that had landed on her armor.

Shimmer gave a sideways scowl at Rocket. “You’re welcome. Why was he after you?”

“He’s a Raider. They don’t really have much of an agenda other than kill and eat and rape.” He shrugged. “He probably wanted something to eat. Or worse Either way, when he didn’t get what he wanted… Well, I ended up learning how to fly more than once.” He gave a small chuckle.

Shimmer looked up as a piece of brown wood poked out from her mane. Her hoof lifted and began pushing the shards of debris away as she replied, “Well I’m glad we could help you get away.” She frowned as she continued to push debris from her mane, “Those Raiders are murder on my mane.”

Rocket and the stallion blinked and stared at her. “Murder...on your...mane?” Rocket said with a horrible smirk.

Shimmer stopped mid-stroke of her mane and blinked multiple times. Her face twisted into horrible guilt as she waved both hooves in front of her, “That came out wrong!”

Rocket’s smirk only grew larger as she shook her head. “You almost get blown up and you’re worried about your mane?” Her shoulders began to raise and lower as she giggled.

The stallion placed a hoof on his face. “Boy, if that’s all you're worried about, I must be in safe company.” A smile graced his face as he lowered his hoof and gave a small bow. “My name is Zephyr, I’m a trader and armorer, though my shop nearby was hit hard by Raiders. I’ve been on the run since.”

Rocket looked at him and then his cutie mark, a sign with a needle and thread drawn on it. She looked back at his face as he came out of his bow. His eyes carried the weight of nearly fifty years, but his face barely read twenty.

Shimmer sat down on her haunches and rubbed a hoof against her chin. “Well… how close are they?”

“Shimmer...what’re you on about?” Rocket asked as worry creeped up on her voice.

She turned to face Rocket, “We should help.”

Rockets face scrunched into a frown, “No! No way! I’m done being shot at by Raiders for one day!”

“Rocket that’s-”

“Quite alright.” Zephyr interrupted as he put up a hoof. “That was actually the last one. The rest met...unfortunate ends as they chased me.” His hoof then went to the back of his neck “I may or may not have lead them into a house full of mines…”

Shimmer and Rocket looked at him, blinking. “You what?”
He laughed, “I may have already put the mines there… And just remembered that they were there… Well, you get the picture.”

The girls blinked multiple times once again. “Damn.” They said in harmony, then turning to each other and smiling.

Zephyr began to chuckle, “Well now, if that isn’t something I don’t see enough of these days. You’re clearly friends.”

Rocket’s eyebrow raised even further. “Uh, yeah. I only just met her yesterday.”

Shimmer nodded, “She’s right. I was in Stable 45 until she rescued me; I haven’t met anypony yet.”

“Well, it certainly seems as if you’re both really good friends. My apologies. I hate to ask, but do you ponies live here?”

“She used to.” Rocket said pointing a hoof at Shimmer, who really looked as if she was about to run away.

“Used to?” He looked around several times, “She wasn’t a Raider was she? This is a bit… run down to say the least.”

Shimmer hung her head, “It was before the war.”

It was Zephyr’s turn to look confused. He pointed a hoof and Rocket replied with a nod. He began to scratch his head.

“When the bombs fell, Stable-Tec froze us in some sort of stasis.” Shimmer said as she lifted her head. “I’m still throwing up some of the stuff they were pumping into us.”

Rockets hoof shot out like a bullet and nearly pushed Shimmer’s muzzle inside her skull. “You throw up that purple shit again, I’m gonna make sure you can’t throw up again.”

Shimmer nodded rapidly as she clamped down on her nausea and forced it to stay down. The sensation burned her throat but she kept it in. There was definitely something wrong with how she was woken up. Why her stomach kept making the strange liquid was beyond her.

Zephyr looked on her with sympathy. “Well, I’m no Doctor, but there’s a Fluttershy Medical Clinic not far from here.”

“I remember it, but I don’t think it was finished.” Shimmer replied with a thoughtful look on her face, “Though I DO remember there being a LOT of medical supplies in the Clinic’s basement.”

“There are?!” Rocket shouted in shock as she rose to her hooves rapidly, “The Clinic is used as a free-healing spot! But all they have are traded supplies brought in from Hoofington scavengers! How much is down there?!”

With each question Rocket closed the distance between her and Shimmer. Shimmer leaned backwards with each forward advance until Rocket’s nose nearly touched hers. Shimmer’s pupils were tiny as she stared into Rockets.eyes. The determination in them almost at frightening levels.

“Maybe half a dozen cases of varied medical supplies?” she stammered as she attempted to squirm backward away from Rocket.

“It’s a gold mine! Imagine how much we could get if we sold it!” Rocket shouted triumphantly as she kicked off the ground and did a somersault in the air. “We’re gonna be rich!”

Both Shimmer and Zephyr frowned at her display as she cheered.

“Or we could give it to the Clinic, which it rightfully belongs to?” Shimmer suggested as she crossed her arms. “You know, instead of stealing it.”

“Seriously? Just give it to the clinic? Without so much as a cap?” Rocket asked as she landed with a frown. “That’s not fair! We deserve SOMETHING for finding the stuff!”

“Well, while I partially agree with that, you will need to ask to keep a small portion for yourselves.” Zephyr added as he placed a hoof on Shimmers shoulder, “You would deserve at least a portion of it.”

“And why should I take what is not rightfully mine?” Shimmer asked with a frown.
“Because you’d be using it almost immediately afterward,” Zephyr said with a sympathetic smile. “While the Clinic itself is safe, there’s no idea how well the subsurface has fared. For all we know, it could still be irradiated, even after all these years. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the subsurface even survived. The Clinic is still there, certainly, but the ground beneath, no idea.”

Shimmer frowned; the idea of taking what wasn’t hers bothered her. But the clinic would need those supplies if it wanted to continue and not depend on scavengers coming from miles away. She rose to her hooves and began to slowly walk towards the body of the dead Raider. Even without his head, he still looked terrifying.

“Do the Raiders cause trouble for the Clinic?” Shimmer asked as she continued to look at the still form. The idea of killing wasn’t something she wanted to face again, but the world she knew was gone. All she could do now was try to help as many ponies as possible—and the clinic sounded like a good place to start.

“The Clinic provides a place of neutral ground. Raiders don’t attack the clinic but they don’t exactly approve of it either,” Zephyr commented as he stepped up behind her. “It’s an odd kind of... love and hate relationship. The Clinic Ponies are afraid of the Raiders that are nearby and so they heal the Raiders when they come asking for help.”

“Where do they live?”

“Excuse me?” Zephyr asked in shock as he looked at Shimmer. “You don’t plan on-”

“I do, actually. There’s right and wrong in this world, and the Raiders are all wrong. We cannot let them simply intimidate ponies into giving them free things,” Shimmer said, stamping a hoof. “The Clinic is good and should be given the chance to be good.”

Rocket moved next to Shimmer, “Clearing out ANOTHER Raider camp? Are you crazy?!”

Shimmer snapped her head at Rocket, “If I can help somepony, make it right, then I’m going to try.” While what she said was true, she couldn’t help but tremble at the thought. She lowered her head. “As I said, there’s right and wrong. We need to help them; we can’t just let them sit there and be controlled like that.”

“You’re crazy! You’re gonna get yourself killed.” Rocket shouted as she stamped her hooves.

Zephyr gave a small smile and turned to face her, “If you’re going, then I should probably go too.”

Shimmer looked back at him, “You don’t have to. I know where the clinic is.”

Zephyr shook his head, “I won’t allow that. You saved my life, I owe you that much. And no offense, you really don’t seem to be invulnerable.”

“And you suck at shooting,” Rocket added with a smirk as she nudged Shimmer’s flank with her her hip.”If you’re going, I… I guess I am too. Can’t have you getting killed on your second day in the Wasteland. Not yet.”

Shimmer smiled, “Thank you. Thank you both.” She sighed and looked forward. “I know that I’m not the smartest pony, but I just feel like this is the right thing to do.”

Rocket smirked, “Do I look like the smartest pony either? I ran headlong into a Stable and saved you when I should’ve just left you there to die. Could’ve easily gotten myself a more skilled pal.”

“Thanks?” Shimmer replied with a raised eyebrow. She looked up at the sky, the grey cloud cover revealing small patches of blue. She looked back down at the road before her. The ground was cracked, the houses destroyed, but in the horizon the beauty of the Castle made her smile. If something so beautiful could still be standing, maybe there was still some good in the Wasteland. She just needed to find it and, if possible, help it.

Author's Note

So for some reason the edits we made weren't taking hold in the upload! So we're reuploading the Chapter with the appropriate edits! I hope everyone is enjoying Forgotten Days thus far! The Journey is only just beginning!

Thanks to Kkat for writing Fallout Equestria and giving us this amazing world to play with! And deepest thanks to Aeluna who edited my work, making it readable and getting rid of all my terrible horrible cliche plot devices!