Fallout Equestria: Cyborg's Memories

The best weapon is not a gun. Not a spell. Simply enough, it is fear.

Diamond City was indeed a Great Green Jewel. No matter what way you faced, you could always see many trading stands with different goodies. Soon after we reached the landing, Deathchain told me something about a new Ditzy Doo's shipment and enthusiastically trotted away. Deck was sleeping on the ship's... Well, deck. His injuries were almost cures and it was impossible to recognize him from who I saw in the Department of Morale. And Sparky was nowhere to be seen.

I got on my metal legs and decided to have a walk. I left the Diamond City landing behind and walked for the trading stands. As I was passing by, I noticed many ponies were scared of me. All conversations were immediately stopped, laughs weren't heard at all. I felt dozens of eyes on my back. However, I ignored them and continued walking. As soon, as I reached the trading square something hit my head. Something very heavy. Soon, I was lying on the ground, stunned. I could not do anything, I was just lying on the ground with my eyes closed. Then, I felt that I was lifted into the air by somepony. I was getting carried for about fifteen minutes and then I was put in some kind of an elevator. I recognized it because we were moving down at a very fast speed. It was that moment I managed to slightly open my eyes and saw a pony in a heavy Power Armor suit. T-51b, if I'm right. We were indeed in an elevator, which was made entirely out of glass. A glass elevator was a luxury before the War and I can't imagine what luxury it is after the spells hit. Probably, it's the richest-of-the-richest level of luxury.

We continued moving down and down, untill the elevator has finally stopped. The pony in the power suit whispered to me. "Get up. Stop pretending you are stunned, everyone has already been convinced," and before I could ask anything else he continued. "Time for us to see the Mayor."

Damn, am I involved in some kind of a new theater play, called "Stun the Cyborg"? Nevertheless, I followed pony's advice and got on my legs. Time to see what's actually happening here.

As we left the elevator, we entered a large office with a few dozens of desks. Each one has a terminal standing on it. That is quite a luxury. I followed the pony in the Power Armor to the desk with an orange pegasus mare. She was in a dirty Pre-War tuxedo. As I guessed it, she was the Mayor.

"They fell for it. Another synth captured by the guards," the pony in Power Armor said. Then, this pony asked me a question I did not expect to get. "Am I right, Jack?"

Chances that I was in a theater play were increasing more and more. Well, my best bet is to play along.

"Yes, what a bunch of idiots those ponies are," I said with a small smile.

"Very well, Mixer. You and Jackson get paid today," said the Mayor, as she was passing us a small bag (Which contained caps, as I was guessing, considering it was ringing...). The Mayor continued with a reply, that was even harder to play along with. "Mixer, leave us alone with my husband. We want to have some... Fun."

Okay, please, think. Please, think. Think of a reason, why you wouldn't want to fuck with your wife. Okay, I have never been a charming one. Meanwhile, Mixer has already left the room.

"I'm sorry. I'm in no mood for any funny games, my dear," I said, while trying to make the saddest face in the world. "That bastard hit me too hard, when he was pretending to stun me. And I have a headache now. I have to visit the doctor up there."

"Oh, dear. Let me take a look at your friend, and he will decide whether we will have some fun or not," the Mayor said. Okay, now this wasn't going OK at all. Time to run.

I turned around for the elevator and ran for it. The Mayor didn't understand what was happening, as she was staring at me with a blank stare. I pressed the button and I heard the elevator going down. Come on, come on. I entered the precious way out of this hole in the ground and turned 180 degrees to see the Mayor facing me with a revolver. Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn. I lost count of how many times I pressed button "up". The elevator started slowly going up, leaving the Mayor underground.

Phew, that was close. As soon, as the elevator reached the top floor, I found myself inside a small toilet outhouse, with a sign "DON'T ENTER". When I left the outhouse, I catched some suspicious looks and yet again, everyone stopped talking when they noticed me. Damn it, am I really so terrifying? Then, I saw a mare signing me to go inside her house. Considering all that happened, I was really confused. I guess, I could use this opportunity to ask some questions or something like that. I entered her house to see a small typography. There was absolutely everything a typography needed. Really.

"Well, hello. The synth everyone was talking about," the mare said when I least expected her to. "Name's Lyra. Lyra Longnose. Called after some Pre-War mare or something. Basically, I'm the local journalist."

"Before I answer any of your questions, I wanted to ask one myself. What's a synth?"

With a loud sigh, Lyra started explaining. "There's an old place, called the Institute. Before the spells hit Equestria, some scientists decided to collaborate and build a shelter for themselves. And for the past two centuries they lived down there, making new inventions. And one of them was a synth. A completely pony-looking machine, which is capable of thinking by itself. But there were older versions of synths. They look like mannequins with robotics inside."

"Okay. So what does it have to do with me?"

"Well. One day, a group of ponies, called the Enclave joined up with the Institute, after completely losing the battle at Navarro. And slowly, the Institute started rotting from inside. From a peaceful group of scientists, it turned into a military group, with pretty disturbing experiments. There are known cases of synths replacing real ponies. So, there is that. And folks here think you are from a new generation of synths."

"But, I'm not a synth. I'm a Cyborg."

"Well, it's a large misunderstanding then. I guess, I better continue with my Mayor investigation. If you get any dirt on her, feel free to share it with me. There will always be some caps, of course."

"Actually, I already know something. The Mayor pays caps to ponies, who dress like synths. After they dress like that, they should meet the DC guard, called Mixer, at the right time, in order to get 'killed' in public. I'm not sure, why she does that, but I think she wants to make ponies feel safe in here."

"That's a lot of info, I will need to look into. Here are the caps. Plus, something extra," Lyra said, as she passed me about 150 caps and a heavy armored duster with a fedora hat. Then, she continued. "This armor was a gift from a synth, whom I used to know. He was a local detective and a very good one. Untill, about a week ago, he was found dead in his house. I think that this set of armor will better serve to you, rather than myself."

I took a look at the duster I was given. It looked like a usual Pre-War trenchcoat at first but it was armored from the inside. A very nice piece of armor.

I could say only one thing to Longnose. "Thanks."

"You are welcome. Hope to see you around later," Lyra Longnose said with a large smile.

Well, I guess I could become a new detective here. I mean, someone needs to find out truth. Suddenly, I felt as though a small pink pony put on a detective hat, while smoking a pipe. There is only one more problem... The Mayor may have already figured it out that it wasn't Jackson she met. And in general, I had a strange sence she was involved in the detective's death.

I decided to tune for the radio station, to get some news.

...have noticed a synth in the Diamond City territory. The local newspaper is convinced that it's a cyborg and not a synthetic pony. But everyone knows that you can't trust Lyra's words, after all she has told us about the Mayor in the past. If someone finds a synth in the DC territory, they will get a 4000 caps reward. That's all... Enjoy your music.

I had to split up with my friends. I couldn't risk their lives, nor I trusted my life to them. Although, I can't just leave them without any info. I will write a letter.

I spent a few caps in the nearest store to buy a pen and a sheet of paper. Thanks to Celestia, my duster covered my mechanical parts and I wasn't recognized as a synth. Damn, Lyra Longnose is the best pony in the world.

I got to the nearest table I could see and started writing my letter. In the end, it was something like this.

My friends,

I hope you see this. It's me. The Cyborg. I'm afraid, I'm forced to split my ways with you. I can't risk your lives. There's a large bounty on synths, and as you may know, I'm easily mistaken as one. It was a pleasure to travel with each and everyone of you. I give you a choice. You can either leave my group once and for all, or you can continue traveling with me. If you do want to continue, leave a reply letter in the newspaper house.

Yours truly,

The Cyborg.

After I finished it, I rolled it into a tube and put in one of my pockets. My plan was to put it on the boat the following night, when everyone is would already be asleep. But it was only 11 p.m. and I decided to spend the rest of my time till midnight for investigating the mysterious detective's death. I was trotting through the trading stands, which were pretty much empty. Only a few more ponies were still trading. I continued my walk through the Diamond City, looking for the detective's house. I don't know what I was expecting but eventually I found a small neon sign, saying "Detective Agency" in front of a small house. I knocked one the door and heard quiet steps behind it. The door opened, and I met face-to-face with a small filly.

"What do you want?" the filly asked. "We are closed. Permanently, most likely."

"I'm not looking for any trouble. A friend of mine, Lyra, told me your detective has been murdered. I want to investigate his death," I said with a confident voice.

"If so, you have nothing to fear. Nopony cares about the old synth these days," she said and let me in.

I sat down in a small armchair and we continued our dialogue.

"I need details. What did he do prior to his murder? Was he trying to solve a case?" I asked quietly. I knew that murders are usually committed when somepony starts asking too many questions.

"Yes, he did. He was looking for a DC guard, who suddenly went missing," the filly said with a sad voice. "His name was... I can't remember it. Mixed... No... Mixer. Yes, Mixer!"

Okay, my feeling that the Mayor was involved has only increased.

"Can I take a look at his body? I want to see what the damage is," I politely asked the filly.

"His body is on the second floor," she said and pointed her hoof at the stairs.

I went upstairs to find an earth pony body on the floor, with different electronics popping out of places. The assassin didn't use a gun because there were no bullet holes. There weren't any deep cuts. There was no damage at all.

I looked at the ground to find a small metal ball. An EMP grenade, military issue. This thing can destroy absolutely any robot without a sound. Only a few of these have been produced. Whoever killed the detective was a professional with a lot of money to buy one. I took a look around to find another ball, which was zooming in and out. A small hidden camera. Clever, very clever. I needed to do something. I ensured I wasn't in its FOV and sneaked up to it, quietly pressing the button "Turn off". I didn't want to destroy it, as I could trace the signal where it was leading me to, making myself a huge advantage in my investigation. Damn, when did I become so smart?

I went downstairs to the filly and asked her a burning question.

"Did you know there was a camera in this house?"

"No, I did not. Did not know at all."

I heard loud footsteps outside. I gave the enemy my own position. But he gave me his one too. I quickly ran back for the camera, opened it and put the transmitting scheme into my saddlebags. After that, I opened the window on the second floor and silently climbed through it. When I did so, I noticed three DC guards in Power Armor. T-60, the best suit that has ever existed. I waited for them to enter the house and jumped from the window. They heard a loud clank and I started running as fast as I could. I ran forward and forward, till I reached the Lyra's house. I needed a shelter and she was the only one who I really trusted. I knocked on the door but it was locked. Well, damn. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. I looked through my junk in the saddlebags and noticed a few bobby pins. Wait, I remember now. There was a spell to open doors. Just need to remember... Remember... You need to imagine a lock from inside. How it slowly opens with your magic. Yes, that's it!

I used my magic to quickly open the lock and got in. I did not know how I made it. I closed the door and sat there, holding my breath. I waited and waited. As I didn't have anything better to do, I started analyzing the situation. The ponies who showed up were Diamond City guards. This thing is definetely affiliated with the Mayor. There is only one more proof I need to check. I carefully attached the transmitting scheme to my PipBuck. The marker showed up on the E.F.S. radar immediately. It had an arrow, pointing down. It meant that my objective is underground. Well, I will move out the following morning. But for now, I'm forced to wait in her house. I know it's not polite but what did I have else to do. And so, I fell asleep without even noticing it.

I woke up with somepony sitting near me. Soon, I recognized Lyra's silhouette.

"What the hay were you doing in my house?" Lyra wasn't calm at all.

"Wait, I can explain. Just calm down, please," I said and told her the whole story in short.

"Well damn me. So, what are you planning to do now?"

"I'm planning to go back, to the Mayor's office. You can come with me, if you want."

"Really? That's great. Let's move out."

"Wait. We have to be sneaky. Nopony has to see us. They have better equipment, we have better brains, you get it?"

"Fine. What do you propose, boss?"

"We will move out in the day time. We won't be so easy to spot in the crowd. Also, take a gun with you. Who knows what happens."

And so, we waited for the afternoon and left the house. We moved as though we were usual ponies and walked to the familiar hidden elevator. I pressed button "down" and we started moving down and down. When we reached the office I was yesterday in, I realized the objective is even deeper. I pressed "down" again. We were moving down and down. Then, we stopped in a floor, which was full of pressing machinery. I saw many, many Power Armor sets going through endless conveyor belts. Yet, the objective was even deeper. The next floor where we stopped was the one we wanted to get to. It was another office, but about ten times larger than the one higher. I saw many terminals, with many videos transmitted from cameras. We walked forward and forward, untill we found the terminal we wanted. It had a piece of paper attached to it, with my name on it. The Cyborg. I pressed "Cancel" and saw a whole bunch of info.

Status of danger: Red

Nickname: The Cyborg

Real Name: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Job: None

Actions, which have to be taken: Eliminate

Me and Longnose shared a grim look. We noticed a terminal, with "Lyra Longnose" name on it. My friend quickly ran to it and looked at the info.

Status of danger: Orange

Nickname: Longnose

Real Name: Lyra

Age: 27

Job: Journalist

Actions, which have to be taken: Eliminate

As soon, as we stopped looking at the terminal we heard a voice from behind.

"Well, well, well. A detective and a journalist. You know, you would make quite a nice couple but sadly, I got orders to eliminate you," the Mayor said.

Celestia and Luna, fuck me.

<~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~>

Level Up!

New Perk: Mare Killer.

Description: You do 10% more damage against female opponents and have special dialogue options with them.

Guns: 50.