Fallout Equestria: Cyborg's Memories

by Dark_Hoof

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 8821

The Commonwealth is a small estate of Equestria. It was a town of technology, where dreams come true. Adventure with the Cyborg, who wakes up from a cryogenic sleep and tries to recover his memories.

A place, called the Commonwealth, is a small estate North of Equestria.
Before the spells destroyed everything friendship stood for, it was a center of technology advance.
A pony, called the Cyborg, recovers from a long sleep and he is trying to recover his memories.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-08-15 16:55:35 UTC

Prologue

Lives are something sad, if you think about it. We all live, only so that our species existed in the future. Nothing else. Because one day, we are going to die out. And nopony will ever remember us. Unless, we find a workaround.

You know, when I thought that existing for an unlimited amount of time would be fun, I didn't think about staring in the nothingness for a few decades, or maybe centuries. And I'm sure, I will have even more time to think about it. Because all of the personnel, who put me in this chamber died. When the spells hit Equestria. How dumb could they be, to make a city of technology, without protecting themselves from it?! I have been here for so long, that I don't remember who am I or where am I. Or what do I look like. All I remember has been slowly forgotten over the time. Well, I could have another sleep in this cryopod. And yes, you can sleep, while being asleep. Genius.

  In truth, sleep is the only thing that stopped me from going nuts to this very moment. Sadly, this thing I'm stuck in does not let me sleep for more than 8 hours... Or was that 10? Or 12? Celestia damn me, I don't remember! Anyway, I can't sleep for too long because if I sleep too much my health gets worse.

And sometimes, I have nightmares. You see, sometimes my brain overloads this cryopod and makes it reboot itself. And when it does, the cryopod's comfort chip does not work. And if it doesn't work, my brain starts going crazy because of this damn cryopod. I relive my worst moments of life, but even worse than they were.

  -Cryopod #01 overloaded. Forced reboot initialized. Starting in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..... - said a familiar voice that I was listening to for the past eternity and a half. Well, shit. It starts. Again. I really should get used to it. And I also need to make a note that the less I talk to myself the less I dream of nightmares.

Suddenly, I found myself reliving my failures. Just the same schedule. It never changes. I saw how I was getting beaten up all over again. Then, I was getting something from my personal life, such as my hate for my father (Who abandoned the family, what a dick...). And after that... What the hay is that?! A new nightmare? It's something that almost never happens, usually I see the same one for ages. I found myself with closed eyes, while a mare's voice said: "Forced cryogenic sleep interference. All chambers opened". Then, I figured out that I was inside a blue cryopod in Vault E(ternity). With a loud sound, the cryopod's opened. As soon as I stepped out of it, I fell to my legs with a loud clank. Every breath felt like a complete challenge. It was very cold. And there also was a funny smell. Standing on my four legs wasn't so hard though. Don't know why. Then, I decided to take a look at my legs. Or what was left of them. As soon as I looked at them, I started shouting: "PLEASE! Wake up. Wake up. Wakeup-wakeup-wakeup-wakeup."

My legs were made out of pure metal. Out. Of. Metal. When I turned around to see what was my cutiemark, I found out my flank was metal too. And just under my legs was a skeleton of somepony. Decay was everywhere. There was also a smell of rotten flesh, making me want to just kill myself.

Those feelings... Am I awoken? After all this time. But by whom? And who am I? What am I? Why would they? How long have I been asleep?

And right at this moment, my thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice: "Initializing a self-destruction in 5 minutes. Any personnel must evacuate immediately."

I started looking around and saw a way leading somewhere. I ran for it. Or tried to - even with cyborg modifications I didn't get used to it. And fell down. Again. And again. I saw the door, with a light. It was giving me hope.

Meanwhile, the clock was ticking...  The door was getting closer and closer. But I started thinking - maybe this is just a new nightmare? What if I die in a nightmare? I used to be a scientist, after all. At least, I think I used to be one.

Giving up hope, I fell down, losing my mind, as the timer was going on...

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2..... 1............

And everything suddenly became filled with green, followed by a massive plasma explosion. Every bone in my body was full of pain. No, I couldn't give up just yet. Not yet. I made my last jump and at this very moment, I passed out.

A giant flash has raised in the sky, blinding a grey unicorn, who thought he could outsmart everyone. How could he be so oblivious. A flash was followed by a green wave of explosions, moving his way. He was heading towards Stable E, a small Stable-Tec pet-project. As he ran by, he saw crying fillies and colts with their parents, who had no idea what to do. Their faces were full of fear.

This oblivious scientist could help them. Offer shelter. But he was the most giant dick in the world, who cared only about himself.

As soon as he reached the Stable, he entered and shouted to everyone there: "GET THE CRYOPODS ON AND RUNNING! I DON'T GIVE A FUCK THEY WEREN'T TESTED YET!"

And so, this bastard ran through a long lab hall, with chemicals here and there.

As he reached a blue cryopod with a white number "1" near it, he jumped in. Thinking only of surviving, and hoping that somepony (in the best case, somepony from personnel) will open this chamber one day.

This oblivious scientist is me. This giant dick is me. This coward is me too.

I always thought I was someone clever but I wasn't.

And who am I now? Just a machine. A cyborg. Worst of all - I don't even know how I became one. And considering I don't remember my name, now I will be called "The Cyborg".

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

SPECIAL Note:

Strength: 4

Perception: 7

Endurance: 5

Charisma: 1

Intelligence: 7

Agility: 6

Luck: 10

Chapter 1. Wake up

Sometimes, you look at something familiar and see it in a completely new way.

I was waking up. I'm glad that was just a nightmare, I thought as I was opening my eyes. To the familiar white emptiness in my cryopod.

Or maybe, it wasn't a nightmare. I looked around and realized, that I was lying in the middle of nowhere. I looked around and saw the ruins of my house and many others. I felt the terrible pain in my legs, as I tried to stand up. And failed. And tried again. Only to fall down again.

I spent only about ten minutes to stand up, although it felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, I realized that I had so many questions that needed to get answers. How much time has passed since I went asleep? Are there any ponies alive other than myself? Why did the bunker force a self-destruction protocol? How did I become a Cyborg? And the last, but not least - where do I get something to eat?

I looked around and didn't see anyone. All I could see was ruins and more ruins. And many dead bodies.

Even if I was a machine, I still could cry. I fell to the ground, powerless to do anything. As I looked around, I saw many corpses. I remembered that day. The day the spells destroyed everything friendship stands for. The day, during which instead of helping other ponies I was a complete coward. And it was that moment I promised to Celestia, that I won't make the same mistake.

Minutes have passed, but they felt like decades. Somehow, I managed to get on my hooves. I didn't know what to do, but I decided to scavenge the ruins. I started from my own house.

The familiar living room didn't look as good as it used to. A T.V. got broken over the two centuries (Like I expected something else...).There was nothing useful there, other than an old bottle of milk I didn't risk drinking. As I entered the bedroom, I found a glowing briefcase. Suddenly, I had a flashback.

Back when I was a colt, I was quite a nerd. I liked making different stuff. And when I grew up, I decided to store some of it in case of spells destroying Equestria. That's when I made an Emergency Briefcase.

When I opened the familiar briefcase, I found a few Healing Potions and a homemade rifle, which I called "Retribution", alongside some bullets. Seemed useful enough.

Then, I went through every single house nearby. After my "scavenger hunt", I got some supplies, a nice set of leather armor I immediately put on, and most importantly - a working Pip-Buck 3000, Mark V. This baby is just awesome. Gives me a whole bunch of useful info. I also found out that I wasn't fully augmented. Some of my organs are still intact, like my heart, which was still beating.

Everything was going just fine. Untill, I decided to look at the time. Two centuries of sleeping is a bit too much.

Shocked after this fact, I was shocked even more when I found a few radio signals. I decided to tune one of them, which was simply called "Commonwealth Radio":

Hello, everyone. Or maybe... Noone. I'm not sure anyone is listening to this. Anyway, the Swatter gang is getting furious at the Mayor not being able to... You know? Stop the... the Institute. There is a rumor... Or two... Going around, saying that there are a few Minutemares left, somewhere in the South-West of the Commonwealth. It's hard to believe, right? I mean, since Fort has been taken by the Raiders there wasn't a dicky bird about the Minutemares. Thanks for listening... though I doubt you did.

Enjoy your music.

That was too much information in such a short Radio broadcast. Funnily enough, I was just where the DJ said these "Minutemares" were located. In the South-West of the Commonwealth. Suddenly, another broadcast started, called "Minutemares Emergency Radio":

If you are listening to this. Please, help us. We are stuck in a place, called "Commonwealth Departmemt of Morale". You can trace this signal to the source. Please, hurry u--

*gunshots*

Well, well. Hello, Deck. What are you doing down here, huh? If you are hearing this - do not even try to mess with the Raiders!

Those ponies needed my help. I need... To help them. I promised. To Celestia. And to myself. I opened the map and found the source. It was across a large lake. Speaking of which, I stopped near it to fill some empty bottles with water. It was Irradiated, but not too deadly.

After I filled my bottles, I went to this Department of Morale... Morale. Sounds familiar, but can't remember.

As I was getting closer, I heard the gunshots fired. A smoke was getting lifted up. I got a bad feeling.

I took out my Retribution rifle, aiming at a pony, who was marked as a hostile. Many thanks to Pip-Bucks and their technologies.

It was the first time I was using a weapon against a pony... Arghh. I can't do it.

And so I aimed a perfect shot. And it hit the bullseye - the enemy dropped weapon down, full of paranoia. And so I marched to him, saying: "Surrender now and you won't be harmed".

But some ponies never change... He took out a 10mm pistol and aimed it at me. I panicked...

And so I noticed a large rock behind this pony I later used to distract my opponent. And then he got hit with one of my metal legs. Bingo!

I entered a two-floor wooden house, which was decorated with a whole bunch of posters, featuring a familiar pink pony, which was called Pinkie Pie, as far as I remembered. These posters were quite scary, to be honest. All of them looked like they were judging you for everything you have ever done.

Anyway, I met a few more hostiles (all of which were called Raiders, according to this marvel of technology), as I was moving towards the objective. In most cases, I was just sneaking my way out (Which was hard, considering I was clanking every time I walked...). But then, I got caught. Shots got fired and I ran as fast as I could to the nearest raider, hitting him with a metal hoof as hard as possible. He did not expect such a force and fell unconscious. And then two of his friends showed up. They got an express delivery of my hooves just in time.

And so, I found the beacon. A group of captives was standing near it. All tied up. There was a large raider standing right next to the captives. He had not just a gun, but a Missile Launcher. Shit.

I needed to work out a plan... First of all. If this pony isn't dumb enough, he won't shoot a missile in close range. So I need to make a bee line until he spots me. And then... We'll see.

I started sneaking up to my enemy, as someone shouted "It's him! Get him!". I turned around to see three raiders with guns. I gave these their chance and they didn't use it. I took out Retribution and started firing at the Raider Leader. There was no other option to get his goons distracted. Soon, their leader was covered in blood after I used S.A.T.S. (Stable-Tec Arcane Targetting Spell) to lend a shot.

And then, I turned around to see a grenade thrown at the captives.

I shouted: "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

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

Level Up!

New Perk: Quick Reload.

Description: You reload your weapons 25% faster.

Sneak: 50

Chapter 2. To the North.

In war, one life means nothing. In reality, one life means everything.

A large explosion appeared, sending me flying. I looked at the Raiders, as they were laughing. Their laughs weren't something you would hear after a good joke. No, their laughs were full of craziness. Natural craziness. They were so cold-blooded that they didn't even care that a group of ponies was killed, thanks to them. Even if those captives did something to those Raiders, they didn't deserve such a fate. Well, fuck Raiders.

I reached my homemade rifle and suddenly realized that I did not have it in my saddlebags. It was out when the grenade was thrown. Shit, that gun was a nice one. And because I don't have any weapons on me, my best bet is to either attack right now with my metal hoofs, or reach for an enemy weapon with my telekinesis. Or... Both. I used S.A.T.S. to get to the nearest raider and smash my hoof into his face. I quickly levitated his pipe-revolver up and shot every single enemy. Aiming was quite hard to do, plus there was a recoil.

Then, there was only one pony left. Well, I will give this motherfucker a chance.

"Listen up, bitch, surrender now or your guts will be spilled across this room. I mean it."

And to my amusement, this pony listened to me. She had a light blue mane with a white skin. And her eyes were blue too... (Damn, she is so charming...) She dropped her switchblade on the floor and stood still, waiting for a command. She looked as though she was about to cry.

"Leave this place now. Stop killing innocent ponies. Find a job, if there are any in this shoddy place. And if you cross me again, your life isn't so safe as it was today."

Suddenly, this mare stopped crying and ran as fast as she could.

With hostiles done, I walked to the center of the room. All that was left there were bloody pieces of pony. I fell to my knees, cheeks covered in tears. Every sound I heard became some background noise. I stood there, thinking about all that happened. I killed a pony. A. Pony. I was awoken from a dream only to get into another nightmare.

Then, I heard a shout for help. I'm definetely going mad. I looked around and found a yellow earth pony stallion with orange mane. He wore a brown duster, covered in his own blood. He was in a very bad condition and if I do nothing he will die very soon...

He needs some healing... Healing potions!

I reached for my saddlebags and looked in there. One healing potion was blown up by the explosion, but the others were still OK. I levitated the potion to the stallion's lips. He drank it to the bottom of the bottle.

With that done, he got on his legs and mumbled: "We need to hide. Follow me."

Without a word, he went to the second floor and found a locked door. To my amusement, he reached for a lockpick in his duster and opened the door. Then, he said: "We go in, I close the door. Noone sees us."

This guy is the least talkative person I have ever met. But he is a smart one, it seems. With that said, we entered the office and while my companion was locking the door, I noticed a terminal standing on a hoof-shaped desk. Reminded me of something... Something from a... From a Stable.

Before the war, I was working for Stable-Tec. Basically, some fillies (Or young mares, if you say so) decided to make some Fallout shelters in case of the spells destroying Equestria. I needed a good place to work in, so I signed up. A RobronCo job was always fun to do. I mean, roboponies and stuff. But it wasn't a well-paid job. For quite some time, my job there was to just count stuff. Like, just count stuff and ensure all resources are in their places. Speaking of which, I saw some schematics too. One of them was for a weird-looking Overmare's table with a terminal on it. The main thing was that the Overmare (who was essentially a leader of the Stable) could escape at any time she wanted.

I decided to take a closer look at the terminal, because I had nothing to do and my friend hasn't finished blocking the door.

The terminal was a locked one and required a hack. About a time I remembered how to hack these things...

A password was a four-letter one. I tried "Hoof" cause it was the first thing that came to my mind. Two letters were correct, two were not. Then, I tried "Food". And with a weird sound, the terminal got unlocked.

First thing I could see were messages. Four of them, to be exact. I decided to read them and clicked at the first one, called "Morale Statistics".

Dear Ministry of Morale workers,

I'm proud to tell you that after our many deeds, the morale has been boosted by 78% from what it was at the very start. Continue doing your jobs.

Sincerely,

Pinkie Pie.

Nothing special here. I got many messages like this every year from the company I was working for. Simply, it was automatically sent to you and every other pony who worked for this company. Before you sign up for one of the Ministries, Stable-Tec or RobronCo you needed to fill a sheet of paper with your data. Including your Terminal IP Matrix.

Next message was about the morale statistics. Again.

Dead Ministry of Morale workers,

I'm proud to tell you that after our many deeds, the morale has been boosted by -34% from what it was at the very start. Continue doing your jobs like that and you will be fired in no time.

Remember - Pinkie Pie is watching you FOREVER!

Sincerely,

Pinkie Pie.

Then there was a journal entry, called "Journal Entry: They did it!"

I have got a bad feeling about this.

They did it... They... Blew up. Equestria. I'm getting terribly irradiated here. In the Commonwealth Department of Morale. I'm not sure anypony will ever see this. But if they will, please, save this memory orb on my desk. It carries most of my memories and I want ponies in the future to know there was this mare, called Marble Pie.

Wait, Pinkie Pie had a sister? Damn. Let's see if there is any other info in this terminal. And the final message, "Jurnal Entri: Gudbi"

Mi skien g0t wors. I can't thienk straight. Sitting in dis office of dis department. Gudbi.

It was this moment, I noticed a dead mare with grey skin and a dark-grey mane lying on the floor. Her skin wasn't something you would expect from a pony. It was... Different. Looking like a sponge. Then I remembered her last wish. Store the memory orb. It was just on the table. A blue globe unicorns can use to see memories of other ponies. But if you use it, you fall into coma untill you watch the memory to the end. I carefully levitated the memory orb into my saddlebags and noticed a miniature version of Pinkie Pie standing on the table. I couldn't handle myself and picked it up. It had something written on it. With a closer look I read "Awareness! It was under "E"!"

Suddenly, I have got a feeling like Pinkie Pie is watching me. Hue-hue.

Anyway, enough stuff-before-the-spells for today. My companion I already forgot about now stood silently near the door, signing me to come where he was pointing. I followed his advice and sneaked to the door. I heard voices.

"What the fuck happened here?"

"Hell if I know. All I could see was one of ours running away as fast as she could."

"Idiot! It was the one who attacked us!"

"Nah. It was Bloody Palette herself. I saw her cutiemark."

"Bloody Palette ran away?! She is not a coward. Unlike some ponies, Deathchain."

"Come on! I'm not a coward."

"I do not give a fuck. Now, let's start looking for this stupid pony, who dared to mess with the Raiders!"

"Skullspear, there isn't a Deck's body. He escaped."

"He couldn't get too far away. We didn't see him leaving, so he is still in here."

"Well, see that office? Could he hide there?"

"Do not think so. It's locked, right?"

"We better check."

Soon, those ponies went to the door, which was the only thing that was separating me and them from each other. I holded my breath in order not to give them my location.

With a loud clank someone tried to open the door. And failed.

"It's locked, man. They hid somewhere else."

"I don't think so, Deathchain."

And before I realized what happened, I was knocked back by a large explosion. Damn, those Raider ponies have way too many explosives.

While the smoke was fading, I saw a large pony, two times larger than myself, entering the room with a minigun. Instead of a helmet, he was wearing a pony's skull. A fucking. Skull. Now I know why his name is Skullspear...

Even worse, he had a working Pip-Buck. That's how he realized I was there alongside my friend, whose name was Deck. If you didn't know, a Pip-Buck doesn't just mark ponies if they are hostile, neutral or friendly using E.F.S. (Eyes Forward Sparkle). E.F.S. also locates in which direction the creature is located. So he saw two marks in the office direction.

But it didn't matter, in the end. At the end of the day, two ponies versus a metal-armored pony with a minigun is a fight that ends quickly. Very quickly. Unless, some miracle happens.

And right at that moment, the Skullspear's head exploded. Just behind him was standing an earth pony colt with a .44 Revolver Magnum in his mouth, whose name was Deathchain. He had a white skin with a black mane. He didn't have a cutiemark yet. Not yet.

"The hay? Why did you save us?" - Deck and Myself asked in one voice.

"Ya know? Living with a bunch of degenerates, like Raiders, isn't what I wanted from my life. I lived in a town, called The Mount. Far East of here, at the very edge of the Commonwealth. Untill, one day, those raiders overrun it, killing everyone alive. I saw how this bastard Skullspear killed my parents. And he made me watch how he did it. So I joined up as a Raider only to avenge the dead. And so I did. You saw how that happened." - The colt answered.

"And, what are going to do now?" - Deck asked quietly.

"Well, say I join up with y'all. The party is only getting started." - answered Deathchain.

"Are you sure? It's dangerous out here. Maybe, you are safer somewhere else?" - asked Deck with a worried voice.

"Not that I got somefin better to do. Where are ya goin'?"

"I was hoping to get to the Diamond City. And my companion here... What's your name, by the way?" - Deck asked.

"Call me... The Cyborg. I don't deserve a name." - I answered with a note of sadness in my voice.

"Let's move out, ponies! Diamond City it is!" - said Deathchain enthusiastically.

"Wait, wait. What is this Diamond City?" - I asked my companions, as they stared at me as though I said something stupid.

"You aren't from here, are you? Haven't you heard of the great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth? It is the largest and the safest place in the whole Commonwealth these days." - Deathchain said while smiling.

"Could you show me where is it located on my Pip-Buck map?" - I asked my new friends.

Deck carefully took a look at my map and pointed at an intercrossing right in the middle of my map. It was far away from here. And to my luck, there was a river passing just near it.

"Got a sweet idea. See this river?" - I asked, while pointing at the intercrossing,

"Yes?" - Deck answered, slightly confused

"We need to find a boat. That way, we will get there without any walking." - I explained.

"Well damn. That's brilliant! I know a place where we can find a boat, that would take us up the river." - Deathchain answered, as he pointed with his hoof at a small landing East from here.

"And, what's the catch?" - Deck asked, while looking at the map.

"We need caps. Lots of bottle caps. Alternatively, we will need to do some dirty work for the old ghoul." - Deathchain explained.

"Why would you need bottle caps? That's junk." - I told my friends who started laughing as hard as they could.

"You... You are totally... Not from... Hue-hue-here? Caps are our currency out hue-hue-here." - Deathchain told me.

Bottle caps... As a currency. No, this world is definetely screwed up.

We left the old Commonwealth Department of Morale the following evening. It was getting darker, so we set a small camp and used Deck's flip lighter (Which he stored in his duster... How many pockets does he have there?) to set a campfire.

The next morning I woke up earlier than my companions and I decided to listen to the Commonwealth Radio.

...heard that there was a large gunfight to the South-West of the Commonwealth. The... Minutemares... They... They faced a terrible a fate. Celestia, bless us. Enjoy your music. If you were listening to this. If you didn't. Still, enjoy.

Well. The words are spreading very fast.

Later that day, we continued our journey to the East, to the old landing, where according to Deathchain the boat was located.

After a few hours, I noticed the most beautiful thing that I've seen after leaving Stable E.

I saw massive skyscrapers of all colours, standing in front of me. They were so high that I couldn't even see their tops. The Commonwealth was always a center of technology, where futuristic and domestic fantasies became reality. I had a flashback.

I was in an office with a large Commonwealth map. A young yellow mare with a red mane was talking to me.

"Surely, you know that we're wasting a lot of our resources for your pet-project "Stable E"? We are lacking many resources because of it. We already delayed many shipments to Hoofington, Paradise and generally, Equestria." - the yellow mare told me.

"Miss Applebloom, accept my apologies. I will return your resources back to you." - I lied.

"You will, or else your Stable won't be so stable. We will ensure it." - Applebloom answered with a smile, while looking in the window.

Behind it, I saw the beauty of the Commonwealth. The great futuristic home for everyone.

Some ponies thought Hoofington was one, but it wasn't. All Hoofington could handle was making military equipment. And here, in the Commonwealth, we built our future.

A few hours later, we reached the landing. Me and my friends walked to a small wooden shack. We met a pony with an olive skin, who somehow looked familiar. Not sure how. But he didn't look better than Marble Pie did. His skin wasn't in all places, so I could see bloody flesh... Urgh.

"Hello, Sparky." - Deathchain greeted the pony. Funnily enough, I used to know a person, called Sparky, prior to the cryosleep and stuff.

"Oh, hi. It's you. How's that revenge thing you went for? Got kicked out already?" - Sparky answered.

"I didn't get kicked out. I left myself. After killing the Skullspear. Here is his helmet. I took it off him as a proof of his death." - Deathchain took out a skull from his saddlebags (When did he take it anyway?).

"Woah. Damn. That's good news kiddo. Very good news. But I don't think you stopped out here only to show off with your friends. So, what did you need?" - Sparky asked.

"We need a boat. To the Diamond City." - Deathchain answered shortly.

"Caps first." - Sparky said with a face that carried do-not-even-try look.

"Don't have any. Got any jobs available? By the way, I still remember. You owe me 100 caps after making a bet I won't kill Skullspear." - Deathchain said with a bored look.

"Usually, I take 300 caps off every ride. Consider it 200 caps, because I'm in good state of mind and because I owe you some cash. Now, about the jobs. I will make your ride absolutely free if you clear out em' Mirelurks on the opposite river bank." - Sparky said with a very, very grim look.

"Fine" - Deathchain said with a pleased smile.

The following evening we used a small Sparky's plot to reach the river bank with these Mirelurks. You see, swimming as a cyberpony is a bad idea. Also, Deathchain doesn't know how to swim yet. So we used a plot.

On the opposite river bank there was nopony, I thought and immediately vastly large creatures popped out of nowhere. They had multiple legs and two claws, alongside a thick shell. It was going to be a tough fight.

Deck somewhere got a shotgun and was shooting as fast, as he could.

Deathchain (I really need to ask him about his real name...) was using his .44 Magnum, aiming at the Mirelurks' heads. I followed his example and aimed my Pipe Revolver at the Mirelurk. A shot, and it fell dead. Simple as that.

Then, I heard screams. I turned around to see Deck getting completely overrun by the mutated monsters.

No time to waste.

I jumped in, smashing my hooves at everything I could see. Mirelurks were badly hitting me with their claws, which were as sharp as knives, but pain didn't mean anything to me. I'm not going to let Deck die because of me. I smacked my hoof into a Mirelurk's face and it turned into a mash. Same happened to each and every other one of them.

Deck quickly got on his legs and we ran for the plot. Finally, we were crossing the river. But when we were somewhere in the middle, a Mirelurk jumped out of the water and tried to cut my metal leg off with his claws. He asked for it.

I looked at the place where his eye was located. And used all my telekinesis to close it. With that done, I used the same method I used on his species before - a hoof into face. Soon, we were near the boathouse Sparky lived in.

I tried to get up but all I could do was fall to the ground again, and again.

I looked at the sky. It was getting darker. A storm was coming.

Why try to get up, when you are bound to fall? I closed my eyes and fell asleep, while my friends were trying to wake me up.

I had a dream. I saw myself in the mirror, prior to the last events. I had yellow eyes with a grey skin and a dark-grey mane. My cutiemark were two crossed wrenches. Then there was another mirror. I saw myself after the war. A machine. Only my head wasn't a contraption. Everything other than that was. Why do I need to stop there? I can't become the same pony again. What if I enhance myself further? Say, I add a yellow bionic eye on top of one eyes. That is going to be threatening. Oh, yes. Then, everything faded to black and I heard voices.

"He is a synth! We don't let his species in here." - said a high voice of a stallion.

"He is not a synth. He is a cyborg" - said a familiar kid's voice.

"You are not changing my mind, lil' kid." - said the same stallion.

"Say, this amount of caps is enough to change your mind?" - said the kid.

"Fine." - a stallion said with a sad voice.

I opened my eyes. I was on Sparky's boat, which was made out of junk. We were swimming down the river. There was a large valley up in front of us. I saw many tents alongside different buildings made out of wood and metal. There were many, many campfires. It wasn't just a small camp of ponies. It was a city full of ponies.

Welcome to the Diamond City.

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

Level Up!

Perk Added!

Intensive Training: Intelligence.

Repair: 45

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Note:

Strength: 4

Perception: 8

Endurance: 5

Charisma: 1

Intelligence: 8

Agility: 6

Luck: 10

Chapter 3. Fear.

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.