Fallout Equestria: Sin and Sacrifice

Chapters

Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1: From Yesterday
Chapter 2: Wasteland Shuffle

Introduction

War… war never changes

Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, ponies lived in peace and harmony. They worked, played, loved, and raised families under the benevolent rule of their princesses- Celestia, and her younger sister, Luna. In addition to ruling their ponies from the Equestrian capital, Canterlot, the elder sister raised and lowered the sun each day, while the younger not only raised and lowered the moon each night, but served as a warden for the dreams of their subjects. This time of peace allowed for technological innovations in the likes of which pony kind had never thought possible. But the machines of ponykind needed resources, resources that were not found in Equestria. They were soon able to forge a trade partnership with the Zebra nation, but the virtues of friendship and harmony were not enough to keep an everlasting peace, and soon the two nations descended into conflict.

The sporadic firefights that had engulfed the Equestrian-Zebra nations’ border remained as relatively minor incidents until the accidental massacre at Littlehorn Valley, a tragedy Princess Celestia took personally to heart, resulting in her abdication and disappearance from the public eye. Celestia’s absence left the rule of the country to Luna, who soon asked for the help of her sister’s prized pupil, Twilight Sparkle and her friends Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. These six ponies represented the living incarnations of Equestria’s ultimate weapon, the Elements of Harmony. Together, as they had done many times in the past, this group of friends answered the call to save their nation once again by forming the Ministries to help organize the war effort.

The great test of this effort soon came in the form of an invasion and capture of the border city of Vanhoover at the hooves of the Zebra forces. However, while the battle to reclaim Vanhoover was a great success and renewed a sense of hope and patriotism in the ponies of Equestria, the actions that the Ministries took afterward began to take the nation that once prided itself on the virtues of harmony and friendship down a path that lead to great disharmony and distrust among its citizens.

Thanks to a widespread propaganda campaign by the Ministry of Image, coupled with the secret police tactics of the Ministry of Morale, the ponies of Equestria began to cast suspicion and doubt toward their fellow Equestrians, not just against non-ponies, but their fellow ponies as well.

As war and internal strife ravaged the rest of Equestria, deep in the Frozen North, a once great empire thought lost to the whims of dark magic had returned. The Crystal Empire, a source of great wealth and mystery, had reappeared during the early stages of the Great War. Celestia and Luna decided to send their niece, Princess Cadance, and her husband Prince Shining Armor, former Captain of the Royal Guard and brother of Twilight Sparkle, to the empire in an attempt to bring it into the Equestrian fold. The isolated location of the Empire proved to be its saving grace. Since the zebra forces were more focused on directly taking Canterlot in an effort at ending the war as quickly as possible, the Empire was left in relative peace, allowing it to supply the rest of the nation in gems and crystals, two key elements that could both fund the war and fuel the magical energy weapons of the Equestrian war machine.

While the government addressed the war in their own way, three industrious young mares named Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, the younger sisters to three of the Element bearers, founded Stable Tec. The goal of this endeavor was to provide shelter for the citizens of Equestria in the event of a full scale megaspell attack, and soon enough, their fears were realized. On what came to be known as The Last Day, megaspells destroyed much of Equestria, the radiation poisoning the lush landscape and turning the land into a barren wasteland.

For over two centuries the survivors scraped by, surviving murder and rape at the hooves of their fellow ponies who saw the chaos as an opportunity to prey upon the weak, prompting small groups to band together to try and bring some semblance of civilization to the wasteland and to provide safe havens against the more dangerous elements the wasteland had to offer. Eventually, a hero emerged who, with the help of her friends, was able to bring down the ultimate threat to the wasteland and use a relic of the past to revive the landscape. From came to be called the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows, a new Equestria emerged, with the New Canterlot Republic at the head.

Fifteen years have passed since the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows. The fledgling NCR has started to expand its boundaries and reclaim the old lands of Equestria. However, unknown to the ponies of post war Equestria, over the course of the two hundred and fifteen years since The Last Day, the descendants of the survivors of the Zebra Empire had been rebuilding, known to those who lived in fear of its shadow simply as The Legion, with a new Caesar leading his army forth to reconquer the old zebra lands while the ponies of Equestria were still murdering and raping themselves and just scraping by. By the time the day of Sunshine and Rainbows had come, cleansing the majority of the old lands of Equestria of the ravages of the war, Caesar’s Legion had conquered the old zebra lands, bringing the scattered tribes and survivors into the fold, most of the time through the use of extreme brutality. With their old lands now within his grasp, Caesar has set his sights on the old foe of the zebras, Equestria, seeking to end what had begun over two centuries before.

As the ponies of the NCR struggled to remake their beloved Equestria and defend it from the Legion, a new threat emerged. Tales were told of isolated villages winding up empty, or ponies suddenly disappearing, only to turn up later, their family and close acquaintances noticing strange behavior. Following an incident involving the untimely death of one of these individuals, the citizens of Equestria were introduced to the changelings, beings who could disguise themselves and feed off of the love of other individuals. Following the defection of a changeling to the NCR, the council learned of The Hive, a hidden place where the changelings lived and followed the orders of their queen.

Now, faced with threats on multiple sides, as well as struggles within, the answers to not only the NCR, but Equestria’s future, may be found in its past.

Prologue

“Everything we do here in the past – even the smallest change – can snowball into an avalanche of trouble for the future!”

The sun shone brightly upon the sands of the San Palomino Desert. Occasionally, a breeze would stir a few grains and send them tumbling a little ways to add to the constantly shifting landscape of the desert. A small lizard scurried along, trying to avoid the heat of the midday sun by scurrying onto some artificial turf and ducking into a hole in the ground.

Up on a ridge a few hundred yards away was a very large, elaborate two story cabin which was part of an extensive golf resort. Two large wooden decks wrapped around the exterior of the cabin on the first and second floors. On the first floor deck was a set of deck chairs as well as an outdoor dining table where a trio of ponies had gathered. An older unicorn stallion with chocolate fur and a black mane and tail wielded a golf club, sending a golf ball flying toward out toward the green. The other, a younger yellow unicorn of a smaller stature than his companion, brushed away his golden mane, then floated a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

“You hooked it to the right,” he observed, gauging the distance between where the ball impacted the ground and the flag. “About one twenty feet off.”

“Shit,” growled the chocolate stallion as he floated a new ball out of a pail. After getting teed up he sent it flying on a much straighter course.

“Nice one, Deuce” said the yellow stallion before his binoculars brought the rear of a silver pegasus mare with a dark blue mane and tail laying on one of the deck chairs into his view. “Very nice.”

As if sensing the eyes on her backside, the mare turned her head and fixed the stallion with a glare.

“You don't quit looking at my ass, Mako, those binoculars are going to become permanently fixed to your eyes.”

“Sorry, Whisper. It’s like a magnetic pull or something,” the stallion snickered, giving her a wink.

“I’ll show you a pull.”

Mako had prepared to say something witty in response before being lightly rapped across the back of the head by Duece.

“Pay attention to my drive here, lover boy.”

The stallions went back to their driving game while the mare went back to her sun bathing. A short time later they were joined by a gray unicorn stallion with a mane of dark greens and blues. Following him was a black earth pony mare with a silver mane and tail. Deuce noticed the new arrivals first and gave them a nod before going back to his game, drawing Mako’s attention to the pair.

“Hey Chrome, we all good for the trip to Las Pegasus?” Mako asked as he smiled hopefully at the gray stallion.

Chrome shook his head before taking a seat on an empty deck chair. “No go, Mako. Central Command up in Canterlot elevated the threat level to red, so every base and every Stable-Tec site across the country’s on lockdown. MoM’s also got ponies crawling through every city looking for something.”

“So Pinkie Pie had another itchy nose,” Whisper deadpanned, “Well, I guess if you cry ‘timberwolf’ enough times one will show up eventually.”

“Yeah, but that one time is a real bitch.” Deuce remarked as he sent another ball flying.

Mako scrunched up his muzzle and crossed his forelegs. “Aw, that sucks. They plan on turning us into little pony popsicles in a couple days, and they won't let us go out and have one last hurrah. I was planning on showing Whisper a grand night on the town!”

“Like that would ever happen,” the pegasus scoffed.

The earth pony took a seat on the deck, “Boy I hope this crap stops when you two finally screw.”

Deafening silence descended on the group as the two flustered ponies stared dumbstruck at the mare. Chrome simply sat looking out at the desert with a smile, while a slight snickering could be heard from Deuce as he teed up another ball. Everypony knew by this point that something was going on between the two ponies- a few looks here and there, a kiss or two snuck under a stairway or in a corner, or even instance where the two of them just happen to turn up missing at times.

Fraternization wasn't really too big of an big issue with the brass, especially since the former Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, ended up marrying Princess Celestia’s niece Princess Cadance. Ponies in the military had relationships all over the place, Chrome even knew of some goings-on between the CO of the 526th Infantry Division and one of her Corporals, but technically such things still weren't officially allowed. So Whisper and Mako always played this game of back and forth, though pretty much everypony around them hoped they’d stop with the games eventually.

Whisper fixed the other mare with an intense glare, “You know what, Tig…”

Deuce quickly changed the subject, “You ever call Gail, Chrome?”

The stallion shook his head with a sullen expression. “She probably never wants to hear from me again.”

“She’s your sister, and if I know her like I do, I'm sure she forgave you that same day.”

Chrome shrugged his shoulders and leaned back. “I guess I could try and send her a message when she gets off of work.”

Whisper watched Tig as the earth pony sat down and pulled a screwdriver out of a little pouch hanging around her neck. She deftly sat with the screwdriver in her hoof, fiddling with a Pipbuck. “Whatcha got there, Tig?”

“Some new kid from the 526th got a holotape jammed in here,” she blew a stray piece of silver mane away from her eyes before working for a few more seconds. She smiled triumphantly as a little tray popped out of the top of the PipBuck from which she extracted a cassette tape about the size of a deck of cards. “It'll cost him a couple days candy bar rations, and perhaps a couple drinks in town when the lockdown is lifted, but I figure that’s a small price to pay. Considering not only was it jammed, but it was still playing the porno he had going. A quick adjustment to the program settings to turn off autoplay fixed that.”

The group shared a quick laugh but were cut off as they were suddenly covered in shadow. Looking up, they saw the silhouette of a large black warship hovering in the sky above them. As the ship repositioned and the sun shone upon it, they could see that large sections of it were made of clouds.

“The Fractus,” said Deuce, “one of the new Raptor class Cloudships.”

Whisper pulled her glasses down to get a better look before ruffling her feathers slightly, “Even as a pegasus, I still think it's creepy.”

“Well, if Stable-Tec was trying to keep this place a secret, that’s not going to help,” Mako chuckled.

Deuce laid his golf club on a nearby picnic table and took a seat. “Every high value military installation’s supposed to have one as security. Especially now if Command has upped the threat level.”

“Looks like a big floating target to me,” Whisper remarked.

The ponies looked skyward once more as a lance of green fire streaked across the sky before impacting the Fractus and blinding everypony with a mushroom cloud of green flame. The resulting shockwave knocked everypony to the ground and set the radiation counters on their Pip-Bucks off the charts. The ponies’ struggle back to their hooves was accompanied by the rapid sound of ticking and pinging as their Pip-Bucks informed them of the radiation in the air. Steadying each other, they looked up in horror as the Fractus began to violently list to port, the clouds that supported it having been vaporized in the blast.

“What was that?” Whisper shouted with her hooves over her ringing ears.

“Must have been some kind of missile,” Chrome rose unsteadily to his hooves, shaking his head.

Overhead, pegasi began to stream out of the Fractus like a swarm of bees fleeing their burning hive. In the few seconds since the missile struck the Fractus, it had lost enough altitude to the point that the ponies on the ground could just see the damage that had been done. The missile had struck just aft of amidships on the port side, leaving a large gaping hole that covered nearly the whole aft end of the ship. Many of the pegasi fought desperately to put out the green fires that were quickly consuming the Fractus, but the intense heat and radiation made it nearly impossible to get close enough.

Deuce came up beside Chrome with a nervous expression, “They need to put out those fires before one of them reaches the magazine.”

Suddenly, the piercing wail of an alarm began to sound over the resort intercom before being interrupted by a mare’s voice.

“All personnel report to the Stable. Assemble with your Officer-In-Charge in the designated assembly areas.”

Still watching the valiant but increasingly futile efforts of the pegasi up above, Chrome turned his head to the others. “Let's get going, guys.”

The others agreed with a collective nod of trepidation before they all turned and began trotting in the direction of the golf courses behind the resort building. As they stepped off of the deck and onto the artificial turf of the 18th green, the shockwave of a powerful explosion knocked Tig to the ground and forced the rest of the party to their knees. Chrome turned in the direction of the explosion and was horrified by what he saw.

Deuce’s fears had been realized. The intense fire had quickly spread throughout the Fractus and reached the aft magazine that contained the spark batteries for the main guns. The resulting explosion effectively ripped the cloudship in half, leaving two huge pieces and a hailstorm of debris falling to the ground. The largest piece, the bow, still had some control as it gradually angled itself away from the Stable. Chrome knew there was no way for the Fractus or her remaining crew to survive the fall; they would die so that others may live.

Turning back to his friends, Chrome saw their wide eyes and jaws slack. Looking up, he and his group bore witness to an even greater horror when they realized that the falling smoke trails they were seeing were not pieces of debris, but the flailing bodies of burning ponies that hadn't been vaporized by the explosion. The group collectively flinched and Tig let out a gasp as the first pegasus body hit the ground. The sound of breaking bones and crackling flames broke the group’s trance, so they broke into a full on gallop.

Looking behind him, Deuce realized that there were other, and in some cases, larger smoke trails coming toward them, one of them happening to be a burning sky tank.

“Get out of here! Go, go, go!” Deuce shouted as the group broke into the hardest gallop of their lives. Dodging left and right or jumping ahead to avoid the debris and bodies that began to impact more frequently around them, the group sprinted their way towards a small hill. Chrome had to jump and roll out of the way as the sky tank finally crashed into the ground, but was immediately helped to his hooves by Deuce’s levitation magic.

The group crested a small hill, bringing a series of four large metal doors that were set into the ground with the number 111 emblazoned in yellow upon them. Several groups of ponies nervously milled around them, their eyes all looking to the sky for danger. As Chrome’s group drew closer to the Stable they could see, the doors open and large elevator platforms slide into place where ponies would start assembling on them. When one elevator platform was filled it would begin its descent while another came back up in one of the other shafts. Luckily, no debris had caused major problems for the elevators so they were able to run optimally.

Whisper gave a triumphant whoop as they got nearer and looked behind her, “We’re gonna make it guys!”

Just as she finished her sentence, the group was once more lifted off their hooves as something crashed into the ground behind them. Chrome was propelled into Deuce before Whisper impacted his side, knocking the wind out of him. The tangle of ponies lay stunned on the ground before regaining their senses. Chrome did a headcount as he untangled himself from Deuce and Whisper and found that Mako was missing. He recounted and found that Mako was still missing. He called out for his friend, looking around to see if he was unconscious or hurt somewhere nearby or if he had been thrown somewhere further away.

As Chrome turned and spotted Tig again, he noticed that she had been standing stock still the whole time. As Chrome approached her he saw that Tigs’ whole body was shaking and her pupils had narrowed down to pinpricks. Fearing what he was about to see, he slowly followed her gaze until he saw a sight that nearly made him sick to his stomach. Another sky tank had come down behind them and sent them flying, but what had sickened Chrome was the blood that flowed from beneath it, staining the sand in a dark red trail that led up to a twitching yellow leg.

By that time Whisper had come up beside him, yelling Mako’s name. Chrome’s heart sank when he heard the strangled cry the pegasus emitted before she galloped over to dig at the sand.

“Come on guys! Help me!” She pleaded with tears in her eyes, her hooves covered in sand and Mako’s blood.

Chrome slowly walked up to her and placed his hoof on her shoulder to try and gently pull her away. “Whisper, stop. We have to go.”

The pegasus slipped away from him and began to dig in the sand again. As Tig nervously looked to the sky for more falling debris, Deuce walked up next to Chrome, and the two unicorns used their magic to envelop the sobbing mare and pull her away from Mako’s grave. Chrome quickly trotted past Whisper’s struggling form and placed Mako’s leg in the hole Whisper had made then covered it in sand to keep her from grabbing it as she floated past.

“Come on, Whisper. He wouldn't want you sticking around and getting yourself hurt.” Deuce placed her on his back and began to trot away with her forelegs desperately clinging around his neck.

Chrome stayed behind, wanting to spend a few final seconds with his friend. But they had to go. When Tig walked up and placed a hoof on his shoulder, Chrome turned to look at her with tears in his eyes. He had a close friendship with all of these ponies, but it would do him no good to lose it when he still had three others to care for; he knew Mako would understand. He turned, looking back one last time before he and Tig galloped away to catch up with Deuce and Whisper, who were standing on the elevator platform waiting for them. As soon as he and Tig stepped on, the elevator lurched downward and at an angle as it descended under the ground. Looking up one final time before the elevator door closed, Chrome noticed the corpse of the Fractus looming ominously closer in the sky.

The elevator traveled on its downward angle for a few minutes before it began to slow its descent. Within a few minutes a platform came into view. Ponies stood by dressed in blue jumpsuits with the number 111 emblazoned in yellow on the back and the collar handing out similar jumpsuits to the stunned ponies who were getting off of the final elevators. Once ponies had their suits they went down their specified corridors. As the elevator platform Chrome was on came to a squealing halt and thumped into place, locks set themselves firmly in place. All activity suddenly stopped as a rumble shook the stable and the sound of tearing metal echoed down the elevator shafts; the Fractus had made landfall.

Contrary to the atmosphere around her, a mare walked up to the elevator with what Chrome thought was too cheery of a smile considering everything he’d just seen.

“1st Special Forces and 526th Infantry, take the left corridor, 81st Artillery and 45th Supply, take the right. Be sure to take a Stable suit as you go.”

Chrome nodded to the others. They walked down the left corridor as instructed, wrapping five suits in his dark green magical field along the way.

“Um, sir?” came a voice from behind him.

Chrome stopped and looked back at the mare who had been sitting at the suit distribution table. She looked back at him with a confused expression.

“It’s only one suit per pony, if your suit gets soiled you can turn it in for a replacement later.”

Chrome was confused for a second before his mind caught up. He looked to the others who had went past him a ways before coming to a stop. Whisper still held onto the grim faced Deuce’s back, dead to the world while Tig forlornly stared at the fifth suit in Chrome’s magical grasp. Sullenly, Chrome placed the “extra” suit back into the box.

“Sorry,” he mustered up a weak smile to the mare before turning and joining the others.

The group continued on, passing endlessly dull gray walls. Tig remarked after passing the umpteenth foot of it that they could use a mural or something to break up the monotony. After going down a set of stairs they were met by a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane and tail, as well as a blue pencil thin moustache that adorned his muzzle. The group came to a halt as salutes were exchanged between Chrome and the stallion.

“Colonel Fancy Pants, 1st SF present, one absent. Sergeant Mako was killed during the attack.”

“I’m sorry to hear that; he was a great pony. Allow me to extend mine and Fleur’s sympathies.” The stallion acknowledged with a slow nod, a frown crossing his muzzle.

Chrome knew the Colonel took the loss to heart as well. He had become the group’s commanding officer shortly before the Battle of Vanhoover and had always shown great concern for the wellbeing of his troops, which made Chrome respect the stallion even more. Having grown up in Canterlot as the son of palace staff, Chrome knew of most of the nobles who frequented the castle. Fancy Pants, as well as his wife, Fleur Dis Lee, were the only ones he had great respect for. So it was no surprise to Chrome when he heard that Fancy had joined the army at the start of the war, enrolling in officer school and earning himself a commission.

“Come,” he said, turning to enter a nearby door as it slid out of the way. “Let's get you all taken care of. Your proximity to the megaspell blast has exposed you to some minor radiation. Fortunately, our status has awarded us some privilege so as not to be exposed to the standard, ‘clinical’ decontamination procedures.”

They followed Fancy Pants through the door and into a small locker room. “These will be our accommodations when we are reawakened. Stable-Tec has planned for wholesale destruction upon the surface, so we will all need a place to call home until such a time as we can start rebuilding above.” he gently placed a hoof on Whisper’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “And we will definitely bring those responsible to justice.”

He turned and led them further into the room. The locker room was pretty standard, with enough lockers to accommodate a group twice their size. On the left was a door to a shower area with individual stalls, which Fancy Pants politely waited outside while they went in to clean themselves with a stinging soap and a harsh brush meant to decontaminate them on the outside from the radiation they’d been exposed to. Chrome was glad to see Whisper able to go into a stall on her own power, though he had Tig keep an eye on her just in case.

Chrome turned the water on in his own stall and let the water warm. He stepped in and plopped down on the floor to let the water flow over him, the water washing away the tears he felt. He just sat, unmoving, letting his head hang as he tried to work through what he had just gone through, what had just happened to his friends. He wondered what had become of his parents in Canterlot or his sister in Vanhoover.

“Don’t want to keep Fancy Pants waiting.” said Deuce before turning and heading out the door. He must have dozed off or simply spaced out because the next thing he knew Deuce was prodding him with a hoof.

Realizing he hadn't actually washed yet, Chrome gave himself a quick scrub down, which left a burning sensation on his skin when he dried off. Once everypony was back in the locker room, Fancy Pants led them through a door on the opposite wall into the living quarters. The room itself was decently sized with some couches and tables in the middle along with a couple terminals against one wall, a jukebox in one corner, and a pool table in another. There were a series of doors along the wall that led to individual rooms that were big enough for a bed, a couple of dressers, and a decent sized walk in closet; there was even a room for Fancy and Fleur.

Fancy directed them to relax on the couches as a group of medical ponies entered the room as they set up IV stands and hooked everypony up to some RadAway to clean the last of the radiation from their body.

“Thank you ladies and gentlecolts, that will be all for now. I'll see that your equipment is returned to you.” Fancy smiled politely before he ushered the ponies out of the room.

Tig, meanwhile, had gotten up and went into her room to rummage through a chest containing her things that had been moved in beforehand. She re-emerged holding a Pipbuck and walked over to where Whisper laid on a couch, staring at the far wall.

“Whisper,” she said, placing the Pipbuck in front of her. “Mako gave this to me to do some work on it, and, well… I thought you might like to have it. I found a file on there that was for you, too.”

The earth pony turned and made her way back to her own couch while Whisper turned her head slowly to look at the PipBuck. Chrome watched as the pegasus stared for what felt like forever, emotions flashing across her eyes as she seemed to be at war within herself as to what to do with the PipBuck, as if she was afraid of what might be on it. Slowly, as if her limbs were fighting through sticky jam, she reached out and took the PipBuck in her forelegs and pulled it closer to herself. She pulled out the wireless earpiece and placed it in her ear before turning the knob and pushing a of couple buttons on the device. Her eyes widened as they focused on the screen before she once again became lost to the world.

Tig stopped next to Chrome and leaned in close to him. “Turns out that file has a picture of Mako and Whisper in Las Pegasus in front of one of those twenty-four hour wedding chapels. You know, the ones where you can get married by a Countess Coloratura impersonator. They must have eloped because Whisper was wearing a lovely looking wedding gown and had a golden band around her hoof. Mako, of course being Mako, was wearing a fancy suit complete with a top hat and cane with a gold ring around his horn. They looked so happy, Chrome.”

The pair looked over at Whisper, who hadn’t moved since she’d turned on the Pip-Buck. Tears made runnels down her cheeks. “It had to have been during our last R&R trip after Vanhoover, since Whisper hadn’t dyed her mane and tail yet. I turned the audio log off once I realized what it was, but I did hear him express his love for her and plans to treat Whisper to a proper wedding involving the rest of us and their families.”

The whole tale made Chrome’s heart ache, but now was the time to focus on the task of figuring out who to kill; not only to avenge Mako, but the poor pegasi aboard the Fractus as well.

Fancy Pants had given them all a few minutes to settle in before he returned. Deuce took the opportunity to ask the question that everypony had been thinking.

“What exactly did happen, Colonel?”

“Well, we did manage to get some information from Canterlot before the connection was suddenly lost. Hopefully if it is an attack, Princess Luna will be able to sort through it well enough. Last week you were all made aware that the Zebras somehow managed to attain the blueprints for our megaspells to re-engineer them.. It seems that sometime this morning, Central Intelligence was informed by the Ministry of Morale of a threat of a megaspell attack somewhere in Equestria, so the Ministry of Morale and the Ministry of Wartime Technology dispatched joint response teams to track down the suspects. While they were doing so, a missile carrying a much larger warhead than the one that struck the Fractus detonated in Cloudsdale. It would appear that because of the massive losses the pegasi have suffered and now all this, then they have chosen to abandon the surface and hide in their cloud cities.

Chrome noticed Whisper stir out of the corner of his eye with a gasp.

“Those cowards, they can't do that! I’ll fucking go to Cloudsdale myself and--”

“There is no more Cloudsdale, Whisper,” Fancy interrupted with a raised hoof, “The missile completely vaporized every inch of cloud that the city was made of in addition to every pony present, as well as those within a half of a mile. There’s nothing but empty sky where the city once was.”

“Just like the missile that hit the Fractus.” Chrome observed.

Fancy Pants nodded, “Quite, though our science ponies here in the stable surmise that the missile that hit the Fractus was smaller than the one that destroyed Cloudsdale, otherwise everypony on the surface would be ash right now. Their best guess is that since the Fractus was the closest cloudship that could mount a quick response to the Zebra attack, it was specifically targeted.

But anyway, back to the topic at hoof; right after the attack on Cloudsdale, a major facility belonging to the Ministry of Arcane Sciences in Splendid Valley was destroyed by a balefire bomb planted somewhere either in the facility or beneath it, then Manehattan was destroyed by a balefire bomb that was planted somewhere in the city. That was when we lost contact with Central Command. Some information has been trickling in through back channels that indicates Fillydelphia was struck by a large missile as well.”

The news hung like a heavy cloud over everypony, in the matter of a few hours; their home, as well as hundreds of thousands of ponies, were gone. Fancy Pants sighed and ran a hoof through his mane.

“Everypony, we were caught off guard today. It would appear that this is to be our home for now until conditions on the surface are deemed safe enough for Stable-Tec to give the all clear signal. I am also to inform you that in light of new circumstances, we are to begin the cryogenic stasis project the instant you have completed your treatment. The other ponies in the Stable have either been placed in stasis, or are in the preparatory stages.” He took note of everypony’s nervous expression and mustered the most reassuring smile he could, “Don’t worry old chaps, think of this as going to bed early before Hearth’s Warming. The sooner you get it done with, the sooner you can wake up for the good stuff.”

There was some trepidation on the faces of the others as they shared anxious glances with each other before Deuce and Tig each gave Chrome a weak nod. Whisper, meanwhile, had fallen silent once again, sullenly laying her head down on her forelegs and staring at the screen of Mako’s Pipbuck, of which she still cradled.

Fancy Pants watched the mare with concern before meeting Chrome’s eyes. “A word, Lieutenant.” He motioned towards his room with a movement of his head.

The door slid open as the the automatic lights flickered and hummed to life, illuminating a small office with a simple metal desk with one chair on one side and two on the other. On the far side of the office there was another door that Chrome assumed led to the couple’s room proper. While Chrome examined the room, Fancy Pants had settled himself into the chair on the opposite side of the desk and motioned for Chrome to have a seat in one of the others.

“I know that everypony on your team is devastated by the loss of Sergeant Mako; Fleur and myself thought rather highly of him as well. But it is very obvious that Sergeant Whisper has taken it particularly hard.”

“Yes,” Chrome replied after taking a seat, “I suppose telling you now wouldn’t make a difference, given the circumstance, but Tig had just brought it to my attention that Whisper and Mako apparently were very close.”

Fancy nodded, “Yes, and I hope you do not take offense when I say that I had already known this. During our post Vanhoover R&R, Fleur and I decided to take in the festival and splendor of Las Pegasus. While there we had run into the Sergeants, who seemed to be, shall I say, quite taken with each other. I will be honest, I never did approve of the discouragement of ponies finding love on the battlefield, as long as it did not interfere with good order and discipline. So when Sergeant Mako asked - sarcastically, of course - if Fleur and I would serve as their witnesses, we happily agreed.”

Chrome nodded. He felt the same way as Fancy did. And if the relationship between Mako and Whisper had been going on as long as it had, it obviously hadn’t affected their ability to get the job done.

“Unfortunately though, such a thing has its risks, as we have just been painfully reminded,” Chrome mused. Fancy Pants nodding in agreement.

“Yes,” Fancy said, “That is why I asked you in here. I need your assessment of Whisper’s current state, not just as her commander, but as her friend.”

“Well, Whisper is tough, but I know she cares deeply for those she loves, Mako doubly so. This obviously has hit her hard, and she is shutting down to process it. But I feel that her indomitable spirit will prevail, and with some help and guidance from not only us, her friends, but professionals as well, I hope that she’ll be able to pull through this rather successfully in the end. I know when we are awakened that the counselors will be hard pressed to help those ponies who will require their services not only to process their new reality in the future, but the memories of what happened today, but I would recommend she is seen by a professional.”

“I agree,” Fancy Pants nodded, “I will file the proper paperwork, and see that she is taken care of upon your “arrival” in our new Equestria, whatever that may be.” He glanced to the ceiling, wondering what sort of horrors awaited them on the surface.

****

A couple hours later, following their treatment and a quick nap, Chrome and the others had to walk down the dull gray corridor after dull gray corridor until they were a couple of levels down from where they started. They followed a series of frost covered pipes and red markings that indicated they were heading towards Hibernation Chamber 10-B, which Chrome figured was Stable-Tec’s way of trying to be non frightening with their phrasing.

The thought of stasis to some ponies conjured up images of those seen in Sci-Fi magazines of tubes and wires hooked up to vats of goo which held ponies floating inside hooked up to said tubes and wires while mad scientists performed all sorts of experiments on them. They began passing large windows on either side of the hall that looked in on rooms filled with metal pods, a closer inspection revealed a pony to be lying inside each one.

Chrome stopped to watch as a pegasus mare stepped into an open pod and laid down as if she were going to sleep as normal, soon the lid closed and the tempered glass was coated in a layer of frost. Even Whisper was intrigued by the wonders around them. They’d been given a briefing and seen an instructional video, but this was the first time they’d been down this far into the Stable and seen where they’d be staying for what they were told were the next few years.

“Now, I'm sure that the Lieutenant has briefed you all on what is to transpire?” Fancy Pants looked over his shoulder at the group as they passed through a door at the end of the hall and walked into a room that was indistinguishable from the rest.

“Sure, but perhaps you could tell us again?” Tig said as she nervously looked around at all of the machinery surrounding her.

“Certainly,” Fancy Pants said soothingly, trying to use his pre-war diplomatic experience of speech to calm the mare. “Thanks to a combined effort between the Joint Equestrian Forces, the Ministry of Wartime Technology, whom you all assisted in the development of the first wave of Power Armor suits, and Stable-Tec, we are standing in the first Stable developed with the purpose of observing the effects of long-term Cryogenic stasis on a pony.

In addition to this, the EDF hopes that by filling the Stable with members of the military we will provide a future Equestrian government with a ready and experienced fighting force, and the proper facilities to train an army.”

While Fancy was talking the group had entered a smaller room filled with ten pods and approached several ponies dressed in green scrubs and lab coats. Chrome figured the medical ponies were the former while the Stable-Tec science ponies in charge of the project were the latter. They were approached by one of each, an earth pony mare and a unicorn stallion.

The stallion, a grayish blue furred individual with a dark green mane and tail peered at the group through his glasses with an expression of formality and disinterest, “Good evening, I’m Doctor Juniper Sahti, and this is Doctor Vanilla Fig. My team will be monitoring the cryostasis process while Doctor Fig’s team will monitor your vitals and administer the drug cocktail that will allow you to be placed in stasis for the next few years.”

Tig raised her hoof in the air from behind Chrome. “Will it hurt?”

Doctor Fig took the question with a nod. “There will be some discomfort when the gas mixture is pumped into the pod prior to the freezing process when it mixes with the cocktail in your blood stream. But that just means everything is working normally. Trust me. Now, if you don't feel anything, there is a problem and you will need to immediately alert the medical pony that will be standing by your pod.”

“I think I’d rather get a book and some playing cards and just wait it out.” Deuce joked to Tig in an effort to get her to loosen up.

“Then it will be a long, boring wait, Sergeant Major,” Dr. Juniper looked down his muzzle at the stallion, “Until the all clear signal is received from Stable-Tec, this facility will be running at its minimum operating capacity. The environmental systems such as the heating, cooling, and of course, oxygen, will be shut off in nonessential areas; food stores will be sealed from contamination and vermin; the water purification system will also be shutdown to prevent wear and tear; to which point, both systems can only be activated and operated from the Overpony’s office, which is guarded by security turrets and sentry bots. That brings me to my final point; this facility will be staffed by robots while all of us ponies are in stasis.”

Chrome raised an eyebrow, “Everypony will be asleep?”

“Oh, don't worry,” Juniper chuckled, “This stable is outfitted with a top of the line maneframe that monitors every inch of the Stable. It takes in information from instruments as well as the robots and makes decisions based on a set of preprogrammed parameters. In the event of an emergency the maneframe is to wake up the staff so that the issue can be addressed and the rest of you can be monitored. That way immediate action can be taken should something occur that is a threat to the general population.

The group shared a wary look. To actually hear everything explained in such a way, it almost sounded like that once they were put to sleep there could be any number of ways that they might not wake up again.

“Well, not like we have much choice,” Chrome smiled in an effort to encourage the others. It was a shame Mako was gone, he would have known what to say; probably some witty remark about having a nice long dream about Whisper, “You ladies get your kerchiefs, Deuce and I will get our caps, and we'll all settle down for a nice post-apocalyptic nap.”

He did manage to get a smile from Tig and Deuce as well as a small bemused grin from Fancy Pants. Dr. Juniper’s frown suggested that he probably wasn't the joking type, while Dr. Fig simply rolled her eyes. The only one who wasn't smiling was Whisper, though Chrome figured she was thinking of Mako again; he hoped that over time that she could find some kind of peace.

“Well now,” Dr. Juniper clapped his hooves, “If everypony would please step this way, we can begin.”

They all followed the two Doctors over to a table upon which lay a tray and syringes full of a strange purple liquid. As they approached one by one, a pony would inject them, then the subjects would follow the doctors over to the pods where they were then instructed by Dr. Fig to don their Stable suits while the injection worked its way through their body.

Chrome, who had been carrying everypony’s suits, distributed them before floating his own out in front of himself. Ripping open the plastic bag, he pulled out the suit and a piece of laminated paper. A quick scan of the paper explained that the suit was made from a breathable cotton mesh, with special magically enhanced fibers that allowed the suit to provide the wearer with minimal protection from energy pulses and radiation. The enhanced fibers also allowed the suit to not only be able to fit somepony as small as Whisper, but it could also fit somepony as large as Deuce. This was accomplished by a quick press of a button on the left cuff which activated the spell that made the fibers stretch or contract as needed, which then made the suit fit to the pony wearing it. Once Chrome put it on and hit the button, it did feel pretty comfy.

Fancy Pants approached Chrome and saluted, “This is where I must leave you, everypony. I have to make a final report and then report to my own pod in the administration section.” he turned leave before suddenly stopping and turning to look at Whisper, “Again, my deepest sympathies for you loss.”

Chrome saw a perplexed look cross Deuce’s face as the group watched Fancy Pants depart. He was the only one who didn't know about Whisper and Mako, despite him being closer to her than Chrome or Tig. The pegasus sheepishly looked at him. “We ran into him and Fleur in Las Pegasus coming out of a casino near the chapel. Fleur insisted they be our witnesses after Mako brought it up and then took us out to dinner afterward. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you all.”

The group hugged her and they all assured her that it was ok; they understood. They stayed together for as long as they could, but eventually the doctors told them that everypony had to get into their pod. Regretfully, the group finally separated.

“I’ll see you guys in a few years.” Deuce smiled.

Chrome and the others each stepped up to their respective pods as medical ponies stuck monitoring tabs onto their bodies. Chrome waited and watched until the others had been locked and sealed into their own pods before he stepped into his own. He laid down on the soft blue cushion and then rolled over onto his side. Once the pod door had closed there was a hissing sound as the gas started to flood the pod; the temperature started to drop.

Unfortunately, Dr. Fig had understated how much it would hurt; because as soon as the gas mixed with the liquid from the injection in his bloodstream, it felt like every inch of his body was on fire and freezing at the same time. He winced and writhed for a bit before he suddenly felt his eyelids getting heavy. Within seconds, everything had gone black as Chrome fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 1: From Yesterday

Sin and Sacrifice

Chapter 1: From Yesterday

“The past is gone. It went by like dusk to dawn.”

Chrome felt a soft breeze that stirred him from his sleep, until he opened his eyes and looked up. Stars blanketed the sky above him, with the full moon shining down and bathing him in light. Sitting up and looking around, he found himself in a field of flowers. Looking closer, he recognized them as moonflowers, something his father always liked to grow in Princess Luna’s private garden in Canterlot Castle. After taking a few sniffs of one of the white flowers’ fragrant aroma, he stood up and shook himself lightly as the breeze ruffled his fur.

He suddenly went still as his mind flooded with confusion; he couldn’t quite put his hoof on it, but he knew something about his situation wasn’t right. While he slowly turned to take in his surroundings, he saw a willow tree a short distance away. After a few uneasy steps forward, he made his way towards it with some trepidation.

As he neared the tree, he could feel a soft humming that reverberated in his ears and throughout his body. Gritting his teeth against the discomfort, he leaned in to get a better look at the trunk of the tree and found words etched upon it. He recognized the words as the old language of the unicorns, the words that spells were written in and gave them their power.

Chrome was not familiar with this spell, as magecraft wasn’t his forte. The intense study and talent required for such was something left to ponies like the Princesses, Starswirl the Bearded, or Twilight Sparkle.

Still, for some reason Chrome found his focus on these ancient words, and surprisingly he was starting to decipher them into a coherent spell. Unsure as to why, he felt compelled to try this spell. He began to focus his magic, and its dark green glow surrounded his horn.

As the magic flowed through him, Chrome began to hear the words being spoken as if by thousands of voices all at once. At first they were little more than whispers in a concert hall, but soon enough they grew in volume and intensity. Soon the voices were overwhelming, and Chrome felt like his head was going to pop like an overfilled water balloon. Worse was that he had lost control of his own magic, his horn burning like an inferno before his magical energy vanished like a puff of smoke. He looked up in horror as an inky black liquid began to seep from the brightly pulsing words like blood from a deep wound. He tried to run, but his hooves felt heavy and rooted to the ground.

Chrome thrashed his body and head in a futile attempt to get his legs to work. Meanwhile, the liquid had stopped flowing freely and was collecting itself into a shadowy mass that continued to get larger. Finally his hooves could move and his magic was all but spent, but by then it was too late. The dark mass opened to envelop him whole, and he screamed.

* * * *

Chrome’s eyes shot open and looked wildly about. For a moment he wondered in horror if he was still back with the dark mass as he felt his body and legs refuse to move. But his mind clicked that he was not in the shadow’s grasp, but was instead in a metallic pod. Though that didn’t make him feel much better.

“Beginning resident resuscitation Stage 2: cryogenic pod thawing.”

Chrome felt the pad he was lying on emit a pleasant warmth as a hissing sound filled the pod.

“Opening cryogenic pods. All medical and scientific personnel stand by.”

The pod finally opened and Chrome was greeted by a wave of stale air as he stuck his head up and looked around. He coughed lightly as his body slowly remembered how to work. He felt his mind was an utter mess, and since his limbs seemed stiff and unwilling to move, he searched through his memories. His first thought was of his younger sister, and the huge fight they had gotten into. He remembered being at a golf course with his friend and squad mates, and things started to muddy at that point.

After a few minutes he felt confident enough to give his body a test as he landed on the metallic floor with all four hooves, searching his memories for what was going on. The room was bathed in a soft blue light that allowed him to see how filthy it looked, not to mention being in an extreme state of disrepair. He grabbed his head as he fought off dizziness and stumbled into a nearby metallic table, knocking over an empty medical tray. He looked at the reflective surface, and though slightly warped, he could make out his blue and green mane, his dark gray coat. But most importantly, he could make out a blue and yellow uniform. His Stable Suit, clearly marked with 111.

The memories of all of the events that had transpired came back to him, the loss of his good friend to the end of the world. He, along with a number of other soldiers and civilians, had been chosen to be the building blocks for a new world. It was quite the morbid thought, thinking that all he knew of the past was now gone. But there was a more pressing thought that concerned him: he was alone. Chrome then took another look around. There should have been staff to oversee the awakening, medical ponies on standby in case of difficulties, and robots handling basic maintenance of the facility. Yet there was no pony in sight. These facts added up with the appearance of the room to set his mind into worrying that something definitely wasn’t right.

He called out hoarsely for his friends, and feeling confident enough to move around, he took a few steps and instantly regretted it when a wave of nausea hit him, doubling him over. He was able to fight off the feeling for a little bit before heaving a strange purple liquid onto the floor beside him that had the most horrific aftertaste imaginable.

“Ugh, won’t hurt a bit, my ass. I think Dr. Sahti and I need to have a long talk.” He glanced around the dingy room once again, this time without feeling nauseous. “If I can find him, that is.”

His ears twitched as he heard hoofsteps approaching. Considering the state of things so far, he entertained the thought that it might be somepony hostile. He tried to grab a metal tray from a nearby overturned cart only for a sharp pain to stab through his head and stars of pain to fill his eyes, causing him to curse and grab his head.

The heavy hoof steps stopped and a familiar chocolate-colored stallion’s head poked around the pod.

“Chrome! Thank the Sisters you're ok.”

This caused the unicorn to smile. "Good to see a friendly face, Deuce. Any idea what in the name of the Sisters is going on?"

“Besides my magic being on the fritz as well, not a clue. The stasis must have knocked everything out of whack.”

“Where are Whisper and Tig?” Chrome croaked as he rose on shaky legs and shook his head. “Where's anypony, for that matter?”

“I don't know about anypony else. Tig had to find a bathroom pronto. Guess she wanted to be a bit more dignified than throwing up on the floor as our bodies purge those chemicals they injected us with. But Chrome, I can’t find Whisper anywhere.”

Chrome looked up with a concerned look. “What do you mean?”

Deuce shook his head. “Her pod is empty. Seems like it hasn't been active for a while.”

“Guys, we’ve got a big problem.” Chrome turned to find that Tig had returned, and she looked worried. "Follow me and keep quiet."

The three ponies slowly made their way out into the hallway, which was illuminated by red lights that cast an eerie glow about. They were met with the same amount of filth and decay that was in the room behind them. Tig waved them forward and they all cautiously made their way to the end of the hallway and up a flight of stairs. Once on the next floor they came upon a room that held around twenty pods and peeked through the window to see a group of ponies dressed in power armor.

Chrome recognized the gray armor as the power armor of the Steel Rangers. His team had helped the Ministry of Wartime Technology test it back during the war. The black armor was less familiar to him. It seemed specifically designed for a pegasus, while the helmet was shaped in such a way that it made the wearer look like some kind of bug. The feature that drew Chrome’s attention was the scorpion-like tail that would flick occasionally. He had heard some talk about the Ministry of Awesome developing power armor for the Wonderbolts and other pegasi, but he’d never heard if it had seen full production or not. Perhaps this was a prototype that somepony had found, or maybe they had found a way to produce it.

His attention was brought back to the present as he saw the Steel Ranger move to where a pony dressed in robes typed on a terminal at the head of the row of pods. Chrome and the others moved around a corner to a window parallel to where the power armor clad ponies stood, near the door which was being held open with an automatic jack.

“Hurry it up, Scribe. You've already jeopardized this mission by setting off the the resuscitation system.”

“I’m doing the best I can!” The mare huffed. “More importantly, that wasn't my fault. Somepony activated the Stable wide pod resuscitation system from the Overpony’s terminal, but we haven’t been able to get up there yet because of all the security bots. Not to mention that SOMEPONY-" She glared at the pegasus. "Decided to antagonize the ponies of the stable!" The pegasus said nothing in return. She turned her attention back to the computer and let out a small groan. "It's no good. We stopped the awakening process for the civilians, but we can't stop the military pods from awakening. Best I can do is slow the process."

Chrome’s ears twitched as he heard heavy metal-clad hoof steps echoing toward them from down the hallway. The group quickly ducked behind a stack of storage bins as a pair of Rangers appeared around the corner with another Scribe, a unicorn mare that looked like an older version of the other Scribe, in tow. The lamps on their helmets bathed the hallway in harsh white light before they stepped into the room.

“Word from command,” one of the new Rangers began as they approached the others, “We’re to extract the ponies we’ve already captured, seal the lower tunnels, and dispose of the rest. We’ve already had firefights on the administration level with some of the ones that escaped.”

“It will only take me a moment to adjust the systems," the older scribe spoke, moving next to the younger scribe and waiting for her to move.

"Wait...WHAT?!" The second scribe cried out. "We can't! These ponies are from before the war! The knowledge they may have, the intelligence, we can't just-"

The older Scribe stopped typing and whirled on the mare. "Are you questioning orders, Scribe?" She glared with a raised brow, her voice cold and taciturn.

The younger mare’s eyes went wide and she took a step back. "No, mo-Elder Scribe. I apologize for my outburst." Her voice cracked with fear as she bowed to her elder. She quickly backed out of the room, stopping inches from the hiding ponies. “Sisters forgive me..." She turned her gaze away from the Rangers and the room, and her eyes landed on Chrome. They stared at one another for a long time before she looked away, a tear falling down her face.

The group of Rangers and the pegasus with them left the room, one stopping to remove the jack and then smashing the door panel for good measure, jamming the door closed. The group went up the hallway from which the other two had come and disappeared into the darkness up a flight of stairs.

Chrome and the others emerged from their hiding spot and peered through the window as the pods started to open and ponies emerged. The two stallions turned when Tig gasped and followed her pointing hoof. Hanging from the ceiling in the four corners of the room were automated turrets that came out of their protective shells and began scanning the room. The first pony that left his pod didn't even have time to scream as the turrets shredded him to pieces. Chrome looked around quickly before grabbing a crowbar out of a toolbag that had been knocked over on the floor and tried to pry the door open, but the heavy door would not budge. He then turned his attention to the window and began pounding at it with the crowbar. He got in a few swings that started to crack the window before Deuce got ahold of him in his strong grasp and pulled him away.

“Stop, Chrome! Stand down!" He smacked the crowbar away from the enraged unicorn. "It's too late for them, and if you go in there in your state you'll get mowed down too.”

Chrome cursed as he turned his gaze helplessly and watched the horror inside. Mercifully, most of the occupants were killed before they even realized what was going on. But a few poor souls had managed to collect themselves, screaming as they ran futilely to the damaged door.

“The bastards reprogrammed the targeting parameters.” Tig sniffled as she slowly approached the glass, visibly repulsed by the carnage inside. She suddenly jumped back with a cry when a bloody hoof smacked against the window and a stallion looked through the glass at them, his eyes wide and body shaking as shock began to set in. Tig stepped forward and placed her hoof against the glass over his, meeting his eyes in an attempt to comfort him as his life gradually left him and he finally began to slip down out of sight, leaving a bloody streak on the window. “I want to get out of here,” she sniffed, turning to Chrome and Deuce.

“Agreed.” Deuce nodded. “But first we need to try and rescue those that have been captured.”

Chrome rose to his hooves, holding the crowbar in his shaky magic. “No, we should link up with those ponies on the administration level, if they're still alive. Right now we are good to nopony with what we have now.” He then turned one last time to his slaughtered brethren, and gave a bow. "May the Sisters watch over you."

Chrome helped gather the knocked over tools with Tig, placing the crowbar in the bag. The trio made their way cautiously up the flight of steps the Rangers had gone up, arriving in another area with a pod room. The door opened, causing the trio to freeze as a pony came out of the room. They relaxed as they saw an earth pony wearing a Stable suit come out of the room, who noticed them approaching and waved with a smile. Several explosions went off simultaneously in the pod room, sending shrapnel into his body even as he slammed hard against the nearby wall. After the ringing in their ears stopped, they looked into the room and found only pieces of equipment and ponies left behind. The earth pony had a large chunk of shrapnel in him, and he muttered something ineligible with a look of pained surprise on his face before his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Deuce grimaced. "Damn. They really are going to kill everypony they find..."

"But why?" Tig asked as she turned away from the destroyed room. "Why kill everypony when they could just leave us on ice?"

"Somepony must have gotten to the Overpony’s office and told all of the pods to activate, which means more potential hostiles they’d have to deal with," Chrome stated, gritting his teeth as he did so. He wasn't sure if he was more angry at the Rangers, or at the pony who forced their hooves. "But the question is, why didn't all of the pods activate at the same time?"

Tig thought for a moment. "Given how banged up the Stable is, my guess it doesn't have the power for a mass awakening. It can only handle one pod room at a time."

"Giving the Fallen Rangers time to kill everypony inside," Chrome said. The others didn't argue with the name he had given them. "We need to get weapons and equipment, or we won't stand a chance against them."
Deuce nodded. "Agreed. Tig, you know the vault’s layout better than anypony else. What would be our best bet?"
She pondered for a moment. "The armory, but that’s in the same direction as those murderers, and a place where they wouldn't have been able to get past the security system without a lot of losses."

"Which means they will be heavily fortified in that direction," Chrome said as he looked back into the destroyed room. "We won't make it with what we have. Any other ideas?"

Tig bit her lower lip. "The only other place that would have equipment would be the crew quarters and security office. But there wouldn't be weapons capable of taking out power armor, assuming there is anything left."
"Still, we have a higher chance of getting there then going through the pod rooms to the exit," Deuce stated.
Chrome nodded in agreement. "We’ll head to the security and crew quarters first. Sisters willing, there will be something we can use."

They slowly made their way to the main hall, stopping to check around corners and into doors and windows before moving past rooms. The Stable, Tig explained, had ten levels, not counting the entrance. The bottom six were purely for cryo storage, with six rooms of twenty pods each. The next three levels they passed through held only three pod rooms, with the rest of the space for the staff members that would watch over the sleepers, with the final floor being the entrance itself. Chrome and his team had been posted on the fourth floor, where the main generator and engineering section was located. The security and living hub were on the next level. They had chosen not to investigate the other pod rooms, in part to avoid the Fallen Rangers, and in part to avoid seeing yet more massacres.

Chrome thanked the Sisters as they were able to sneak past another group of Rangers and make it into the living hub and into their room. This area looked a little better then the pod rooms, though early stages of rust could be seen on the walls. Worn and faded sheets covered the furniture and jukebox, but the pool table was different. The dirty sheet had been deposited haphazardly onto the floor, with several used bandages and empty healing potion bottles laying nearby. Up on the pool table itself the group saw a large blood stain that had dried to a dark brown on the felt. There had been a fight in the Stable well before the Fallen Rangers arrival. Further investigation showed old bullet casings and even low level magic weapon scarring on the walls.

After an initial search in the rooms by Tig and Deuce that came up empty, they decided to split up. Tig went to explore the security hub while Deuce searched the other living quarters for anything that could be of use.

Chrome chose to investigate the main room to see what could be found. The paint on the walls had faded and begun to peel in a few places. He tried the door to Fancy and Fleur’s room, only to find it jammed shut from lack of maintenance. He pulled the sheet from the jukebox, thinking what a shame it would be if all of that classic music from his time was damaged, but to his delight it looked little worse for wear. Even better that the many records and tapes still seemed intact, though there was no power to the unit. He was about to turn away when something caught his eye. All of the holotapes were black, save for a colored strip that helped identify the music they played. But one of them was white with hoof writing, and sat ajar in its rack.

"Well, that's curious..." He checked the jukebox and found, much to his surprise, that it was already unlocked. He used his magic to gently opened the jukebox and lifted the tape out from the others. He inspected it and found that there were initials scribbled on it with a recognizably elaborate hoof, or horn, in this case.

"F.P. Fancy Pants? Why would-"

"You're doing it again, you realize?" Chrome turned to find Deuce smirking at him. "You tend to talk out loud a lot, you know?"

"Old habit I guess." Chrome then looked over his friend, noting that he had a few civilian-looking saddle bags. "No good stuff?"

As Chrome turned the tape over in his magic to inspect it, Deuce shook his head. "Other than some left over clothing, food from the cafeteria, and miscellaneous items, no. No weapons, armor, or even spare Pip-bucks. Everything is gone, along with everypony. Though it didn't look like there was a struggle here at least."

"Well that's inconvenient to say the least. Guess we'll just do what we do best. Improvise." Chrome took one of the saddlebags and then looked at the jukebox. "Well, I don't just want to leave these behind..." He then used his magic, carefully picking up each of the holotapes. Everything else had already gone to hell, the least he could do is make sure something beautiful managed to make it out. "By the way, where is Tig?"

“She needed a moment. Everything we just saw got to her.”

“She was always the more empathetic of us, kept us from going to Tartarus too soon.” Chrome tucked the last of the holotapes away before shaking his head and walking a few steps away with a hoof on his chin, thinking. “Steel Rangers working alongside these strange armored pegasi, killing their fellow ponies. Something isn't right. I think we may have awoken to a real shitshow, old friend. Or more like somepony decided to wake us.” He mused for a moment at the thought. "Think it might have been Whisper?"

“Doubt it," Deuce stated. "Tig figured the pod had been open for a few years, along with the rest in our section. Must have been something wrong with ours to not awaken at the same time. Also, if that Scribe was to be believed, they didn't do it either.”

“Well, the Rangers did mention armed resistance. Based on the fact that there has been no sound of fighting from here, best guess is they’re on the floor above us. We need to get up there as well if we’re going to stand a chance at surviving this.”

They turned as Tig stepped into her doorway looking a bit refreshed.

“Better?” Chrome asked.

She nodded, stepping out to join the two stallions. “I found some Stable Security barding that had been tucked away, along with a few security batons.” The trio went back into the security room and began to change into their new uniforms. "I was able to access the security system cameras. Bad news is that the main entrance is a no go, but the Fallen seem intent on getting to the Overpony’s office. Security bots and turrets are holding them back, and those weapons at least register Stable Dwellers as friendly."

"Any other friendlies up there?" Chrome asked.

"Yeah, looks like a small squad is holding out there.” She studied the screen for a bit longer. “Best bet is to take maintenance tunnels that lead near the Overpony’s office. Chrome nodded. He felt a little better about their chances, and the security barding would give them moderate protection now. The group made their way back out into the hallway, right into the bright white glow of a headlamp.

“You! Stop right there!” came the electronically amplified voice of a Steel Ranger.

"Beat it!” Deuce shouted.

The trio ran to the maintenance tunnel at top speed, hearing the heavy metal on metal of the pursuing ponies as they ran for their lives. Flashes from the Fallen Ranger’s magic weapon danced around them, but they were able to avoid the initial attack. Tig shut the maintenance door as Deuce used his magic to lock the door. The Ranger started firing into the door, but the trio weren't going to wait around for him. They quickly made their way through the somewhat narrow tunnels, Chrome leading the way. It only took a short time for them to reach the next level.

They finally made it to the door that connected the tunnels to the main stairway, and Chrome opened it to find two more Fallen Rangers in front of them. One of their allies lay dead nearby as a pegasus fired magical green beams at a turret, while an earth pony used his grenade launcher to blast a protectron standing in their way. The pegasi turned towards Chrome, and before his opponent could react, he brought his baton down right on top of the insectoid helmet. The pegasi screamed in alarm as the impact made her visor go dark. Temporarily blinded, she fired her weapon wildly, causing new scorch marks to decorate the walls. Chrome then turned his attention to knocking the magical weapon out of her grasp.

Deuce came out next, focusing his efforts on the earth pony. Taking two batons, he brought them down onto the barrel of the grenade launcher repeatedly, bending the barrel. Unable to discharge the weapon, the Ranger stashed his grenade launcher and reared back in an attempt to buck Deuce with his forehooves. Tig saw this as an opportunity and ran into the Ranger. With a combination of Deuce’s pushing from up high and her using her earth pony strength down low, they were able to shove the off-balance Ranger down a flight of stairs. The Ranger tumbled and clanged off the stairs before landing in a heap at the bottom. With that one out of the way, the pair turned to find Chrome using his security baton to deflect the pegasus’ flailing tail as she waited for her visor to boot back up. Unfortunately for her, in the course of her flailing, she ended up backpedalling away from where she last remembered the threat being and tumbled down the stairs as well, landing on her compatriot at the bottom.

The trio took the opportunity to make their escape, taking the stairs up two floors to where Tig indicated that the Overpony’s office would be, and skidded to a stop when they came to a wall of guns pointing at them from behind a makeshift barricade.

“Hold on! We’re friendlies!” Chrome managed to get out between hard breaths.

“Get down ya idiots!” A mare shouted.

They hit the ground and huddled around each other just as the hallway filled with the sounds of screaming ponies as the temperature around them suddenly dropped by a few dozen degrees. When everything had stilled once more and Chrome dared to poke his head up. He saw two Rangers encased in a thick ice. One was at an odd angle and fell, causing Chrome to wince as the armored pony broke into several pieces. The other Ranger fell back down the stairs, with a similar sound of shattering glass echoing through the hallway.

“Quick, get over here.” The voice reached them from the other side of the barricade once more as a hole appeared that was big enough for them to crawl through.

They quickly entered through the hole, Chrome bringing up the rear. Once they had all made it through, the hole was promptly sealed back up and had two ponies stationed over it. Chrome took in his surroundings. The hallway was barricaded from two sides, one that lead from the common areas that they had come from, and another that lead to the cryo pod area. A dozen ponies were armed with energy weapons as they took positions on either barricade. The center led into the Overpony’s office. The trio approached a young unicorn mare who was sitting with her back against the barricade wielding a magic weapon unlike anything Chrome had seen before, a tired expression on her face; he also took note of a set of chevrons hastily sewn onto the sleeve of her Stable suit.

“Lieutenant Chrome Alum of the 1st Special Forces Detachment. What outfit are you all with?”

“A little bit of each, actually.” She said with a wave of her hoof. “Sergeant Sand Star of the 83rd Field Artillery."

“Who’s in charge?”

The mare chuckled and blew a strand of mane out of her face. “I guess I am. For now, at least.” She motioned to a corner of the hallway where some bodies laid. “CO of the 526th was in charge until the third wave of Rangers came at us. Some of them broke through and put a hole in her chest. Poor bastard with her lost his shit, took a shit ton of Rage and Buck we’d taken from med bay and caved in the skull of the fucker that did it, helmet and all, before they finally got him too. Took all of them to do it, he was so far gone. Though he held them back long enough for us to finish them off.”

Deuce had stepped up to the pair and studied them where they lay slumped against the wall. The stallion, which had been the one that mostly everypony knew was her lover, had dragged himself to the mare’s side and the two had held each other as death claimed them. Chrome saw Tig look away, instead focusing on the weapon the mare had. The unicorn smiled grimly. “Nifty toy somepony based off the cryo pod technology. Unfortunately that was the last charge it had. Thing is practically useless now.” Though instead of ditching the weapon she placed in in her saddle bag and took up a pistol.

As Deuce went off to look for something to cover the bodies with, Chrome turned his attention back to the Sergeant.

“How many of you are left?”

She shrugged. “About fifty that escaped, and twelve of us left here. At first we tried to escape out the main entrance, but the elevators were busted and the only way out was by a lift the Rangers-”

“Fallen Rangers,” Chrome interrupted.

The mare laughed as she blew another strand of her mane out of her face. "Yeah, that's a good name for them. Anyway, when they initially woke us, they seemed friendly enough. Apparently they had already escorted the second level out when they got to us. Things were fine until one of our more zealous members praised the Sisters and one of the pegasus made a... rather nasty remark." Her face soured at the thought. "Poor idiot was still groggy and took a swing at the pegasus, and was rewarded with a plasma shot to the chest. All hell broke loose after that."

"You beat them back?" Chrome asked with a surprised tone.

Sand Star smiled grimly. “Well, when two hundred angry ponies descend on fifty enemies in close quarters, things get ugly on both sides. We lost half our numbers before we tried to get out of the Stable. Lost quite a few more trying to reach the main exit, and with no options left we hoofed it to the Overpony’s office, and found out there's a secret exit out of here that could be reached through a secret tunnel under the floor. So we looted the armory and prepared ourselves. Unfortunately there weren't enough weapons to deal with armored ponies. Not like we anticipated to fight our own.” She let out a forced chuckle as she shook her head. “Twenty of us volunteered to stay behind and hold here for any other survivors, as well as discourage any followers. Lucky us somepony had turned the defenses on that identified Stable Ponies as allies. Really, that's what bought us the time to hold out.” She pointed to several destroyed protectrons. “We were getting ready to leave when we caught chatter of some ponies heading this way, so I sent the last of them to be a distraction. Guess it paid off.”

“Then I thank you for the aid, they definitely helped. But, I think you can leave this place behind now, Sergeant. From what we’ve observed the Stable has been completely taken over by these Fallen Rangers. They plan to seal the lower levels and purge all of the upper ones.”

“Well, damn.” She let out a deep breath as the other ponies of the squad gave her worried looks. “That’s what we were afraid of. You’re the only friendly ponies we’ve seen in the last hour, but we just wanted to be sure before we bugged out and blew the tunnel so they couldn’t follow us.” She let out a small curse. "Damn it though, we were hoping to reach the civilians..."

Chrome nodded and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You did a great job, Sergeant. Get your ponies ready, we’re getting out of here.”

The mare nodded and hopped to her hooves, relaying orders to the ponies under her command. As Chrome looked down once more at the bodies of his fellow Equestrians lying on the floor, Deuce approached to stand at his side.

“What are we going to do with them?”

“For now, nothing.” Chrome sighed. “Right now we have to focus on the living. Like Tig said, this place has become a tomb. Their tomb. Maybe once we’ve gotten things figured out we can return and give them all a proper burial. Or at least what’s left of them.” He sighed again as he remembered the scattered remains of ponies on the levels below. The longer he stood there, the more he felt like the Stable was becoming his own tomb, pressing upon him from all directions, not wanting to let them go and instead leave the ponies of the past to the earth.

“Guys,” Tig called from the Overpony’s office, “come check this out.”

The stallions entered the office to find Tig sitting at the Overpony’s desk typing away at the terminal. As they stepped up to the desk they could see a large hole in the plush green carpet with a set of stairs that led down into darkness. Chrome poked his head into the hole and looked around. The steps led down into a dimly lit concrete hallway with a metal door at the end. He could see crates of supplies stacked up on either side of the hallway. He pulled back up out of the hole and move to stand behind Tig with Deuce.

“So the message the Sergeant was talking about is a set of directions to this town called Bunkerville, about fifty miles to the north. Also, interestingly enough the lower levels have their own generator. If they are planning on sealing it off and cutting the power, this secondary one will come online and keep the civilians alive for at least another fifty years. Guess Stable-tech really wanted to make sure they made it, and from the looks of things, they have no idea the generator is down there."

Chrome allowed himself a smile. "So all isn't lost. There is still some hope after all. Good work, Tig."

"Thanks, but when I did some poking around in the terminal I found a hidden secure message from an unidentifiable outside source about a week ago, and it’s addressed to the Darkstalkers.”

The file name filled Chrome with interest, as it was also the name of their team. “Have you been able to unlock it?”

Tig shook her head. “Not yet. I figure a few more minutes.”

Chrome nodded and looked around the room. While Tig did her work, he figured he could solve the mystery of the hidden holotape. He didn’t see any Pip-Bucks, but did spot a holotape player sitting on a shelf against the wall behind them. Making his way over, he pulled the tape out with his steadily improving magic and placed it in the player. At first there were just cracks and pops but then somepony cleared their throat. The trio listened intently as Fancy Pants’ voice came out of the speakers.

"Friends, I hope that by some miracle of the Sisters that you get this message. There is much to say but very little time." He paused with a sigh. "As I record this message, it has been over two hundred years since we were sealed away. It turns out that's exactly what this place was meant to be: a depository designed by Stable-Tec’s misguided leaders to seal away the relics of the past, never to again see the light of day. A foal putting its toys away when it has tired of them. But I am getting ahead of myself. The Stable received the 'all clear signal' and awakened the administrative level ponies, meaning Stable-Tech. By a small miracle, myself and Fleur were last minute additions to that group and awoke with the rest of them. The protocol stated that the Overstallion and others would determine if the surface was viable before allowing everypony to move to the surface.

After a few weeks of being kept in the dark, I began making inquiries as to why the rest of you were not awakened yet, only to be met with silence. When I inquired with Doctor Sahti, even he was unable to provide me with an answer.

After a time Fleur sneaked into the Overpony’s office to find out the truth, where she was able to use Mako’s lockpick tool to get his safe open and discovered the Stable directives. It would appear that one of the mares at the head of the company believed us military ponies to be the source of all of Equestria’s troubles. Instead of going along with the official mission of the Stable, which was apparently Miss Applejack’s idea that she was able to convince her sister into implementing, the Overstallion was to abandon us non Stable-Tec ponies and leave us in stasis indefinitely.

Thankfully, not all of the Stable-Tec ponies agreed with this directive when I shared this news with Doctors Sahti and Fig, who then relayed it to their fellows. We learned later that the Overstallion had lost his entire family to the war, and blamed all non-Stable-Tech for his loss. He took to his role with extreme zealousness, detaining any who questioned or stood against him. Eventually, rebellion took hold, and myself, along with those rogue Stable-Tec ponies, fought back against the Overpony.

Unfortunately, we are too small a force to claim the stable and free everypony. We have managed to secure the entrance, though even that will not last. So we are taking what supplies and weapons we have managed to get ahold of and are making our way to the old San Palomino Military Base. With luck, the underground bunker there has remained sealed and untouched by either the environment or scavengers. We can then use the resources inside to return and free everypony. But if fate should so decide to intervene again in the meantime, and you find yourselves awakened, I am leaving you this holotape. If you do find a way out of the Stable, I will have hidden some of your belongings in our rooms inside the lodge. Unfortunately, I will not be able to leave behind much in the way of weaponry, as we will need all we can if the old base has become occupied. I wish you luck and the blessings of the Sisters. Fancy Pants, signing off.”

The trio just sat there for a few minutes, dumbfounded by the message. They had been betrayed and left to who knows what kind of fate. Though the revelation still left a big question in everypony’s mind; who exactly had awakened them? The Scribe had said that the order had come from the Overpony’s terminal, but if they hadn’t done it, then who? Chrome speculated that whomever opened the pods could have also put the encoded message on the terminal as well. Furthermore, that didn't answer the question of why Whisper’s pod had been opened, yet he and the others had been left behind.

Chrome turned back to Tig. “Did you get the message decoded?”

“Yes, but all it is is a frequency.”

“Write it down and let's get out of here. This place is starting to make me uncomfortable.”

The Stable shook slightly, telling the surviving ponies that the lower levels had just been sealed by the Fallen Rangers. Suddenly somepony outside shouted ‘grenade’ as one came bouncing around the corner. Thinking quickly, Deuce grabbed it with his magic and returned it to its sender. Chrome swore he heard something about cheating unicorns before it exploded.

Chrome and Deuce made their way to the door as ponies began running through the door and down into the tunnel, some dragging either bags of supplies or their wounded comrades. The Sergeant brought up the rear, dragging a wounded stallion with her as she fired a captured plasma rifle over her shoulder, bringing the final count to eight of the original twelve the trio had first come across. Chrome grabbed the plasma rifle from the mare with his own magic.

“Deuce, get them out of here.”

Deuce nodded and in one quick movement, swept up the wounded stallion onto his large back.

“You two better be right behind me!” he shouted to Chrome as he ran past Tig and down into the tunnel.

“You should leave too, Sergeant. Those ponies need you more than us.”

"Well forget that," Sand Star said. "Lost plenty of ponies fighting those idiots, and I'm not losing any more. You hold the door, and your friend here can help me set up a little surprise for our friends out there."

Chrome nodded and fired a few shots out into the hallway. As the Rangers broke through the barricades, they found themselves caught in the land mines that had been set as a gift. Chrome was somewhat unfamiliar with the plasma weapon, but quickly found it wasn't too different from a laser rifle. He used it to devastating effect, turning one of the Fallen Ranger survivors into a pile of goop. Sand Star and Tig worked together to prep the Overstallion’s office for the final surprise. Chrome’s weapon was quickly running out of power. He scanned the room and noted that there were still energy weapons on the battle saddles of the Rangers that had fallen. He focused his magic on all of them, setting each of the weapons to overload. The strain was greater than anticipated as he dropped his own weapon, his magic not fully recovered from stasis. He became dizzy as his weapon clattered to the ground, and nearly lost his head to an energy beam if Sand Star hadn't pulled him back into the room while Tig closed the door, damaging it similar to how the pegasus from earlier had trapped her fellow ponies. Moments later there were several detonations from the other side as the spark batteries in the energy weapons exploded. There had been a few cries of pain, followed quickly by a plasma torch starting to cut through the door.

“Probably won’t stop them for long.” Tig stated.

“Yep. Time for this pony train to leave!” Sand Star said. Both she and Tig balanced Chrome as they helped him into the tunnel. He regained himself about half way through and they quickly reached the end of the tunnel. Opening the hidden door, they found Deuce waiting for them, rifle pointed straight at them.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” He grinned sheepishly and turned to Sand Star. "Your troops went ahead. Said they would wait for you at the entrance." He trotted up and clopped hooves with Chrome and Tig before rummaging through a bag slung over his back. “Got a going away gift for our friends.”

Chrome’s ears flicked as he heard a series of explosions come down the tunnel from the Overpony’s office. Sand Star and Tig's trap had gone off. Colorful swearing could be heard from the Fallen Rangers, and Chrome noted it was the same one that had complained about unicorns being cheaters. “Well, whatever you're gonna do, do it fast. Sounds like our friends got through.”

Deuce nodded and stepped up to the door. He slid it closed and proceeded to stretch a cord across the bottom, connecting it to a grenade bouquet that he then hung from the ceiling with his magic.

“Probably won't do much to them with their armor, but it might give them more pause about following us too closely.”

Sand Star opened her own pouch and threw down the last of her land mines. "Let's just make this day long for them, shall we?"

Chrome and Tig nodded and the group continued through an opening on the opposite wall and followed the passage deeper into the cave. Sand Star paused to dig a few small holes which she set mines down into.

“This cave goes for about a hundred yards and then comes out at the emergency exit. Did one of my ponies give you the detonator?”

Deuce nodded, and used his magic to float the small box with a smiley face that said 'Have a Nice Day =D' and gave it to the her.

"Excellent. Before the first group left, they lined both the entrance and exit with plenty of explosives.”

The group nodded and followed Sand Star through the somewhat narrow cave. They heard the explosion from Deuce’s trap a little ways back and knew that the Fallen Rangers were hot on their trail.

After a few more twists and turns in the path, they stepped out of the narrow tunnel into a large pony-made cavern. A quick look around revealed empty crates and some litter from first aid boxes. A set of scaffolding stairs went up to a ledge where a large, gear shaped door was set into the wall of the cavern. It was already open with some of Sand Star’s group standing watch.

"Alright ponies, final stretch! Through that back door and we can leave this tomb behind!" Sand Star called out.

Chrome turned to smile at his companions, only for a look of horror come across his face. A Steel Ranger rounded the corner behind them and fired his laser weapon. Tig had seen her companion’s face and turned just in time for the beam to strike her right foreleg. At first she didn't even feel the pain as her leg sliced off and burned to ash. She didn't register that the security barding was the only thing that kept her entire body from burning away. She didn't even register Chrome catching her, the screams of her allies, or the firing of weapons. Instead, her mind registered that she needed sleep right then and there, and she passed out from shock.

"BLOW IT!" Chrome yelled, which Sand Star was happy to oblige.

The cavern appeared to fall silent before a series of thumps were heard far down the tunnel which kept getting louder and closer. "What is with these ponies and explosives?!" One of the Rangers yelled as they broke into a mad gallop to the entrance.

One was still in the tunnel and found themselves buried as the stone walls fell in on them. The sheer pressure shot out and knocked over almost everypony still in the large cavern itself, which dropped a few stalagmites. One actually pierced through one of the Rangers, killing them instantly and pinning their body to the ground. Sand Star’s crew opened fire on the remaining two, killing one and forcing another into cover. Chrome noted that it was the same one who complained about (and somehow survived) every other trap that had been set. The Fallen Ranger took cover behind some of the abandoned crates and supply boxes, refusing to come out.

Chrome had used his body and magic to soften the landing of Tig, not wanting her to go through anymore trauma if it could be avoided. Still, his horn burned at being used to lift more than a security baton, and he had to fight hard to stay conscious. He was thankful when Sand Star’s crew ran down and helped him and Tig up. She and Deuce had fared a little better and were already getting themselves dusted off. A few ponies took potshots at the hiding Ranger who had survived, but the power armored pony seemed fairly content to stay in his hiding hole.

Deuce and Chrome looked at their injured friend, her body tense and covered in a sheen of sweat from the pain that had to still be sweeping through her. Chrome hoped that Fancy had stashed some medical supplies with their stuff. Or given the way things were going, he hoped that the stash was still even there.

Chrome exchanged a look with Deuce, “Let's get out of here.”

Tig was the first to be taken out of the vault, with Deuce and Sand Star following close behind. Chrome stopped for the briefest of moments as the sun shown down on him, and a cool breeze carrying the scent of what he could swear were moonflowers. Shaking his head, he exited the Vault, and took his first step into the unknown.

Footnote: Level Up

New Perks:
Frozen in Time: Once you were a feared soldier with deadly skills. However, your time in stasis as left you muddled and slow. Your level has reset.

Lead by Example: Ponies can't help but feel inspired as you lead them into battle. All nearby allies gain 10% bonuses in combat while you are conscious and fighting.

Chapter 2: Wasteland Shuffle

Sin and Sacrifice

Chapter 2: Wasteland Shuffle

“Something tells me everything is not going to be fine.”

Chrome was buffeted by the wind and sand as he stood in the entrance to a cave. Outside, a sandstorm screamed across the wasteland with the fury of a banshee, cloaking the land in darkness and cacophony. He shook his head and turned back into the cave he had taken shelter in with his companions.

“How’s it looking out there?” Sand Star asked Chrome when he rounded the corner as she worked to heat up some rations with a makeshift cooker. “Still as inviting as it was when it started three hours ago?”

“Quite,” he began as he shook a layer of sand off of his body. “Any nicer, and I might have to call it a crime.”

Sand Star let out a small chuckle as she waved Chrome inside. “Guess that means we better settle in for the time being.” She sniffed at the rations and then nodded before taking them off the cooker. “Hey big guy, you hungry?” she asked.

Deuce was silent, keeping his eye on the unconscious Tig. The earth pony was breathing hard and covered in sweat.

Sand Star spoke up again. “Look, the wound was cauterized the moment it was hit, and that bandage has enough healing magic to keep her from getting an infection for the moment.”

“And you need to eat something to keep your strength up,” Chrome began, catching his attention. “You carried her all the way here, and I appreciate it. But you won’t be useful to anypony if you collapse from exhaustion. Now eat, that’s an order.”

Deuce glared at him for a moment before grudgingly taking a bowl from Sand Star with his magic. He looked at the food and his face cringed at the white mush in front of him. “What is this?”

“Cram mixed with potato rations. ‘Bout the only way to eat the former without killing your taste buds,” Sand Star said as she took a bite.

The unicorn looked at her warily, and then to his friend. Chrome gave a silent nod and the two took a bite at the same time. Chrome was certain that some of his taste buds had just died a horrible death, despite Sand Star’s claim.

Deuce was far more vocal. “What in the name of Celestia are you trying to do, kill us?!”

The earth pony shrugged. “Didn’t say it tasted great. Just makes it bearable, and it's about as healthy as we are gonna get on the front li-well, out here anyway.”

Chrome took a drink from his canteen to wash down the atrocity to all things tasty. “I appreciate you coming along with us, Sand Star,” he said, trying to distract himself from the ‘meal’.

She casually waved a hoof. “No worries. While I wager two elite soldiers armed with batons could probably handle themselves, you’re a team member down. I’m a medical pony before anything else, and you had the most hurt team member of the bunch.”

Chrome smirked. “The others threw a fuss though when you decided to come with us.”

“I may have held the highest rank, but I’m lousy leading with this outdoor survival business. My second, Corporal Cloud Spear, will do a much better job getting the others to Bunkerville than me. That leaves me free to keep your friend healthy until we find this supply stash of yours. But I gotta say...” She turned around and surveyed the cave and stealthily changed the subject. “You did good finding this place.”

The cave had been converted into a living area by some long gone ponies. Simple tables and other makeshift furniture dotted the cave in a somewhat haphazard style, with an array of junk lying around. While most had little value, they had found a saddle bag filled with canned food and bottled water, which really helped their meager supplies.

“Chrome did always have good eyes,” Deuce said as he looked over to them. “Saved our hides more than a few times during the war.”

“So it seems. Speaking of...” Star went over to the workbench and picked up an old looking rifle. “This varmint rifle was in rough shape, but I managed to get it working for ya, Chrome. Better than nothing in any case, and I sorted the ammo for it as well. Now neither will explode when you fire.”

Chrome took the weapon in his magic and inspected it. When it had first been found, he had written it off as a lost cause with its broken stock, rusted barrel, cracked scope, and missing trigger. The earth pony had refused to give up on it and had been working on it not long after they had found the cave. It was cleaned up and actually useable now, though still a far-cry from the finely tuned machines Chrome was used to. Still, he decided it was better than nothing as he levitated a makeshift holster the mare had also made, along with the ammo that had been set aside.

“Thanks,” he said, getting used to the weight and feel of the new items as he placed them into his security barding and saddle bag. “So you’re a medic and a mechanic?”

“I just do a lot of saving. Mostly it's lives, but saving useful machines is also-” The wind howled again, causing them to turn towards the entrance. “Ugh, that sound is creepy. Maybe we can put up a makeshift door or something, like the one we knocked over when we found this place? Might cut the sound down a bit.”

“Perhaps…” Chrome nodded as his attention turned to the back of the cave.

The back of the cave had a smaller passage that Chrome guessed went deeper inside, but it had been blocked off by a heavy piece of metal, and there had even been some barricades put up for defense. When the group had first come in they thought about exploring deeper but decided that they best avoid the area for the time being and secure their immediate surroundings. He walked up to the barricade and peered through a gap into the darkness.

“You’re thinking about it,” Deuce said from behind him.

“That I am,” he replied.

“There might be some horrible monster back there. I’m sure the ponies that used to live here didn’t leave willingly, or put up that barricade without reason. Besides, we have no reason to explore it.”

“I’d rather ensure that our flank is secure, and there could be something useful for Tig,” Chrome said firmly with a tap of his hoof.

“You can’t be serious,” Sand Star said as she approached, having heard enough of the conversation.

“He certainly is.” Deuce shook his head with a sigh. “When Chrome sets out to do something, there’s no convincing him otherwise.”

“Sand Star, how long do you think Tig can last as she is now?” Chrome suddenly asked.

The mare’s eyes went wide for a moment before she lowered her voice to a whisper. “At best? Maybe five days.”

The group lay in silence for a time, Chrome looking about as he thought over the grim chances before them. It was during an idle examination of the ceiling that he noticed something odd.

“Look there.” He pointed.

The others looked at the cave wall he pointed at and realized that there were thick black cables running through it.

“There is something down there. I have a hunch that it’s some kind of mine, if not better, and those places usually have some decent medical supplies. Besides...” Chrome looked at them with a smile. “My hunches are wrong only twenty three percent of the time.”

“Twenty three?” Sand Star asked with a cocked head.

“Don’t ask,” Deuce responded.

Chrome gathered up his weapons and supplies while Deuce and Sand Star pulled back a section of barricade large enough for the unicorn to slip through. Using his magic to hold an old empty oil lantern stuffed with some glowing mushrooms the group had found, Chrome squeezed through the opening, stopping to hold the light and scan the area in front of him. When he was satisfied there were no threats, he moved forward into the tunnel and turned to look at Deuce.

“If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, just wait longer.”

“Har har. What are your actual orders?” his friend asked in a deadpan manner.

“Wait until the storm clears, and move out within one hour after that. Do not come looking for me.”

“Understood,” his friend said as he moved the barricade back into place.

Taking a deep breath, Chrome moved down the tunnel. He passed a few empty alcoves littered with old mining equipment before the path started to slope downward and eventually opened up into a large, dark cavern.

“Well, let’s see if the ol’ magic’s back up and running.”

With a little bit of focus, his horn lit up with a bright glow, overpowering the softer light of the lantern. Eventually he arrived in another alcove, though it was far from empty. Inside was a large generator from which additional wires ran along the roof of the tunnel and past a metal door. Curiosity got the better of him, and after a quick examination he found that the spark battery was missing.

“Well that's inconvenient,” he mumbled.

He was now more convinced that something useful was behind that door, though couldn't help but wonder at why it was there in the first place. Still, it looked military grade, and it was the best lead he had to helping Tig. Just as he was ready to head back up and report his findings, something caught his eye. There were a few rocks in the corner of the cave that, to most, would look like a pile of rubble. But there was something slightly off about the placement and coloration.

“Can’t hide from me that easily…”

Clearing away the rubble, he found an emergency storage locker which was also military grade. He opened it with a smile, but his enthusiasm quickly deflated like a popped balloon. From what he could tell, it had once held a hazmat suit and other basic gear, but it was largely empty of anything useful. Rusted tools, pieces to a magic pistol, twenty drained spark batteries with just one surviving spark plug, useless potions and - he went back to the spark battery and realized it did have power.

“Well, looks like luck hasn't abandoned me yet.” With the battery in tow, he returned to the generator and placed it in the designated slot. The generator began to whir softly and the lights flickered back to life one by one.

He placed the lantern down and readied the varmint rifle as he approached the door. There were no determinable markings on the door, but there was also no knob or handle; hell, there were no visible switches or buttons for it either. For many, they would have given up right there and then, but Chrome knew better. He went to the sides of the wall near the door and began tapping them with his hoof. After a few moments he discovered a small section that was hollow. With a smirk he uncovered the fake rock to see a terminal flicker to life, but that smirk quickly disappeared when he saw the lettering on it.

“Zebra writing…” he murmured.

Questions began flying through his mind faster than Rainbow Dash at a race, but a deep breath calmed his mind as logic kicked in. Whatever the reason this was here, it was highly unlikely that any Zebras remained if the cave entrance was any indication. Taking a seat, he tapped on a few keys, recalling what he could of the zebra that he had learned so long ago. After a bit of trial and error he began to recall enough to find what he was looking for.

“Well, let’s hope Tig’s crash course in hacking worked.”

After some typing he located a hidden menu that brought up a list of letters and symbols on the screen. After some additional trial and error that required him to back out of the screen to avoid being locked out, he found the correct password and the terminal brought him to a simple command prompt.

‘Door Control. Current status: Closed’.

Switching it to ‘Open’ he heard the stirring of a mechanism to his right, leading to the door sliding back and to the left into a slot set into the cave wall.

“Open sesa...me?” Chrome’s jaw dropped at what he saw after stepping through the door.

The facility was near state of the art, resembling the entrance to a stable, albeit more akin to the prototype stable that had been on display at StableTec HQ back in Canterlot. Given his own stable’s design, whomever had built this facility had been working off outdated references.

“Well then, let’s see what there is to see.”

The left lobby door was sealed tight, possibly due to some kind of facility lockdown. The second door to the right led to a supply closet filled with an assortment of items, but none that were immediately useful. The third, however, seemed to be more promising as it led to a hallway. A body laid in the middle of the floor, though Chrome couldn’t make it out in the dim lighting. However, the smell was enough to tell him that it had been there for some time. His hoofsteps echoed as he entered the hallway, and the body stirred. His training kicked in and he pointed the weapon at the body, watching it carefully. It stirred again, and for the briefest moment he wondered if it was about to get up somehow. A low screech came from the body as it was shoved to the side, revealing a horribly ugly and giant cockroach.

“What in Celestia?!” Chrome said in surprise, and for a moment he was too shocked to pull the trigger. The idea that an insect the size of a small dog was something right out of a nightmare.

Chrome finally remembered himself as it screeched and he took aim with the rifle as the bug charged forward. A single shot later and the thing’s head exploded in a gorey mist as its body fell limp. He noticed that the sound of the weapon was near muffled, which was perfect for him. Chrome held his position and kept his weapon aimed, and was rewarded for his patience when three more came skittering down the hallway, with the lead one being even bigger than the others. Near pony-sized, in fact.

Keeping calm, he ended one of the smaller roaches again with a single shot. He then fired two shots into the larger one, and when the thing only flinched rather then die outright, he fired his last bullet at its leg, slowing it down. He quickly reloaded and fired another round into the closer roach, ending it before it could reach him. He fired two more rounds at the large one and blew off its second front leg.

Letting out an angry screech, the thing unfurled its wings and lunged at him; but he skillfully moved out of the way, switching to his baton and smashing the thing’s face. The creature wretched in pain but lunged again at Chrome, only for the security armor to stop its attack. The unicorn responded with another heavy swing that finally struck home as a terrible crunch sound echoed in the hallway. Seeing that it wasn't moving, Chrome switched back to his rifle and checked to make sure no other hostile targets were coming. After about two minutes with nothing else charging forward, he lowered his weapon.

“Ugly buggers…” he said to himself as he inspected the hardy insect to make sure it was dead.

He smashed it again for good measure, and was rewarded as something clattered to the ground from where he had struck. Curious, he lifted up the item with his magic which was already burning away any bug icor on it, and his mind came to a stop.

“No way…” Chrome said in disbelief as he looked closer.

He held a fancy kukri in a scabbard with an ornate jewel, a moonstone shaped like a crescent moon, with the design around it in the form of a deep shadow that he recognized all too well.

It was the cutie mark of Princess Luna.

He just stood there as he stared at the scabbard for a time before slowly drawing out the blade itself. The angled blade seemed to echo through the hallway as it was drawn, revealing the blade to be made of the highest quality steel, with ornate etching along the spine and Luna’s cutie mark stamped above the notches at the base of the blade. Despite the lack of a fuller, the groove that trimmed weight off of a blade, it was exceptionally light. The handle looked to have been fashioned of ash capped with a silver ferrule. When he held it in his magic he felt it interact with magic that was already present on the blade, indicating it was enchanted.

He then looked back at the giant bug he had just killed. “Why in the princess’ name did you have this?!”

He shook his head at the whole thing and turned to the first body he had seen. It looked to be a pony, one that had been here for some time, and thanks to what he guessed was the bugs’ handiwork, it was near impossible to determine what had originally killed it. Whatever armor and items it once may have had were little more than torn bits of scrap.

Chrome looked down at the dead pony and back at the blade. “I wonder if you were the one who had this?”

Such a rare find deserved far better than to waste away in some hole in the ground, so he placed it in his saddle bag and pushed forward.

The hallway came out into a large atrium which, after crushing three more of the giant roaches, he was able to inspect. To the left the roof had collapsed, possibly from actual explosions, making anything past that point inaccessible. Straight ahead was a door that led into what looked to be a cafeteria. To his right was another door with a sign that read ‘Living Quarters/Clinic.’ He couldn’t help but notice that the doors had red lights flashing above them, suggesting that they were all locked.

In lieu of a second level walkway that a normal stable would have had, there was a single staircase that led to another door with a large window set into the wall beside it. While the place didn’t follow the normal rule of a stable, he figured that had to be the closest thing to the Overpony’s office. As he approached, he found another pony body that looked shredded apart, with two other bodies that looked… wrong. The bodies looked more withered than rotted, and the insects had largely left them alone. To a casual observer, they looked pony shaped, but for Chrome, he quickly recognized what they were.

“Zebras…” he whispered to himself, confirming his fears from earlier. “Central Command will need to be-”

He stopped mid sentence and shook his head. There was no Central Command, and from what he could tell, no Equestria left. He and his fellow soldiers had fought and died for years to bring peace to Equestria, hoping to bring back the simple life of the old days. Instead, their faith and service had been rewarded with the destruction of everything they had fought for. Did that mean the zebras had won? Had Equestria been able to strike back at all? Or was the world now controlled by zebras who had twisted surviving ponies to serving them?

“What the hell was the point of all that fighting? What was the point of all that destruction? Why did Mako have to die?” Chrome looked down at the zebra with a cold rage. “Because of you, because your kind. If not for you…” He lifted his hoof to crush the dead zebra’s skull.

‘Stop blaming zebras for everything!’ A mare's voice echoed in his head.

Chrome stopped mere inches from the thing, his hoof shaking badly. Slowly he lifted his hoof away and took a step back. The words echoed in his mind again, and he couldn’t shake them away.

They were the last words his sister had said to him.

Chrome shook the thoughts from his mind and looked down at the zebra again. There was no equipment or anything that would identify it, and nothing yet to point out why they were even here. He had suspicions, but without proof he didn't want to jump to any more conclusions. Instead, he moved to the hallway door that should lead to the clinic, only to find that it was locked.

“Of course it wouldn’t be that easy,” he muttered.

Carefully avoiding the bodies, he climbed up the main staircase to reach the Command Center. Another of the strange zebra bodies were on the top of the steps, along with another long-dead pony. It raised a number of questions of what had happened, but for now he did his best to keep his focus on the objective at hoof. Luckily the door leading to the Command Center was unlocked and opened easily. The inside was little better than the rest of the facility, however. The room was filled with a number of old desks, personal storage boxes, and terminals that had seen better days.

“Well, let’s see what there is to find.”

Chrome rummaged through the desks and storage lockers, but found little of worth. A few bobby pins, a magazine about housing designs, a box of (surprisingly) edible sugar bombs, and duct tape. There were also a small number of bottle caps in each of the drawers, which he ignored.

Strangely enough, after about the third or fourth instance of ignoring the caps, he thought he heard an exasperated voice saying ‘Oh, for pity's sake.’

However, a thorough search of the room told him there was nopony else around, though it did reveal a small armory in a corner of the room. It was mostly cleared, save for some ammo for both his weapon and some 10mm ammo. He quickly stuffed the bullets into his saddle bag before finally turning to the terminals themselves. The first terminal he approached had an audio file labeled ‘Legate’s Report.’ He didn’t like the name one bit, but he opened and played the first file while moving to the second terminal to try and find the lock-down release.

“Day 1, Legate Thade reporting. With the help of our Equestrian supporters and the efforts of our forward spy Jabri, we have been able to convert this old mining complex into a forward observation post for our operations in the heartland of the Nightmare heretics. We had to kill those that helped us build this place, but it was for a worthy goal, and their sacrifice will be remembered among the countless others when Nightmare Moon and her cabal of heathens are defeated. Our supporters helped fabricate a reason for them going missing, so there should be no worries of investigations. We are going to send out scouts to attempt to observe the nearby San Palomino Military Installation and this supposed ‘Stable 111’ that is under construction to the south. We are being accompanied by the renowned Dr. Zaius on this mission, who hopes that we can learn from any captured pony technology we can obtain. With luck, we shall be able to gain information that will keep us one step ahead of the heretics. Legate Thade, signing off.”

It took every ounce of self control Chrome had to keep him from smashing the computer terminals or screaming in rage. The idea that ponies had actually assisted the zebras in infiltrating Equestria was mind blowing, but the fact that those same ponies helped cover up the deaths of their fellows? Even if they too were traitors, it was completely unacceptable. He forced himself to calm down as he found what he guessed was the main terminal for the stable. Problem was, that it was locked. As he pulled up the work around he used before, Chrome realized that this would be much more difficult than before. He glanced at the logs again and shook his head.

“I’m going to regret this, aren't I?” he asked himself as he activated another log so he wouldn't have to work in silence.

“Day 35, Legate Thade reporting. We have learned that Equestria is preparing for a ‘worst case scenario’ in which they foolishly believe we would actually resort to weapons of mass destruction to win the war. Truly they do not understand zebras at all, but this means that many of their resources will be wasted in the creation of these ‘stables’. We have also learned that Stable 111 is to be equipped with ‘cryogenics’ pods, devices that can keep one alive and unaging via stasis until they are revived. Originally it was intended to house only civilians, but thanks to our supporters in the upper levels of the EJDF and the Ministry of Wartime Technology, a number of effective military units have been selected to be moved off the front lines and placed in stasis. This should prevent a number of zebra casualties once the stable is put into use, thus making it easier to battle the heathens. To hide the facts, military reports will officially list them as re-assigned for a secret Stable-Tec project.’

“What?” Chrome said in surprise. He stopped his attempts with the terminal and stared at the message recorder. “We were saved because of spies and zebra convenience?”

The recorder ignored his question as it continued.

‘On a more personal note, I must admit that I thought the ponies that supported us were little more than greedy fools who only wished for profit. Instead, they have proven themselves exceptional allies time and time again. Special mention must go to Agent Sundrop, without whose help we would never have come this far. She truly shares our vision and realize that Nightmare Moon is a threat that can’t be ignored. Legate Thade, signing off.”

“Save Tig first, worry about implications later,” he said to himself several times, forcing his focus back to the terminal.

However, his efforts were less than successful and he had to back out and allow the system time to refresh. While he waited he once again scrolled through the messages. There were many still in the system, but he skipped through the list until he found one dated a day after the bombs fell, though it wasn’t the last recorded message.

“We really did it… we destroyed it all. Our blind devotion to our cause has been our undoing. We claimed that the ponies were heathens for following Nightmare Moon. That she, along with those who allied with her, were cursed by the stars above and would bring only ruin and despair. Yet, how can this be true, when we zebras were the ones that chose the path of destruction? The scientists back home took a tool of healing and perverted it into something terrible. A final gamble, if the world was close to falling to darkness. Yet, Caesar fired the Megaspell Warheads while the day of reckoning was still far off. He used our spotters to help guide the missiles to their targets within the San Palomino area under the false belief that they were simply tactical missiles to disable one of their damned cloudships and to encourage the activation of Stable 111.’

“You killed ponies that helped you without a second thought, yet you’re surprised that you were disposable as well?” Chrome let out a chuckle as he attempted another hacking attempt, though there was no joy behind it as the message continued.

‘Now the land is becoming an irradiated wasteland that is hostile to all life. The weather, which the ponies had kept in check through their magic, now rages across the land in the form of dangerous radiation storms. Worse still, it turns out that we have not been protected, as many of my soldiers have fallen sick due to our water supply from the local reservoir becoming contaminated by the magical fallout. There are not enough anti-radiation supplies left to properly treat all of them, and the auto-doc doesn’t have the capacity to create the amount we need.’

Chrome finally felt some relief even as the system errored out again. The auto-doc was a wonder of medical science that allowed even barely skilled physicians to accomplish even the most complicated of medical procedures with ease. The fact that it also had the ability to replicate healing potions and other medicines made it even more useful. If it still functioned, Tig’s life would no longer be in danger. The message was not yet finished however.

‘We simply weren't prepared for this eventuality that the ponies so feared. The external sensors and video feeds went down hours ago in one of the storms, so there is no telling what other hell has been happening outside. The only hypothesis Dr. Zaius can offer as to what awaits those who have left into the unknown is ‘their destiny’; I fear that the radiation poisoning is starting to affect his mind.’

There was a long pause, and for a moment Chrome thought the recording had ended. The Legate then spoke up again, his voice soft and quiet.

‘Personal note. I received a message from Agent Sundrop. She survived the initial attack and begged for us to come rescue her. But before the message could end, she was discovered and… she was… it’s too terrible for words. For everything she did for us, for what she meant to me…’

Chrome heard the Legate begin crying for a moment before the recording ended. A small part of him wondered when the zebra had begun to care for the traitor, but he didn’t have the time nor did he care to find out. Instead he activated the last message as the system became available for another hack attempt.

‘Truly we are all being punished for our folly. While some of my brothers and sisters in arms have succumbed to the radiation, others have turned into mindless monsters, akin to the ghoulish zombies from those old pony horror movies. I foolishly allowed Dr Zaius to isolate them rather than kill them, and now he has become a deranged maniac. He somehow controls, or perhaps guides, the ghouls against his former kin, and they are far stronger and tougher than what they were in life. They took the medical ward immediately, and the armory path has been collapsed. To contain them, I have locked down the facility, though I doom what few survivors that were left. Fifty three souls were entrusted to my command, and now I am the only survivor.’

Chrome finally felt some vindication for his effort. It wasn’t much, but he now had some confirmation that the medical ward had still been well stocked.

‘My only consolation is that the spy, Jabari, reported in. He still lives, and both he and the pony he mated with have begun gathering the survivors into a refugee camp in the north. While this feels dishonorable, I have no choice but to abandon those that once followed me and infiltrate the camp as a refugee. I can’t change what has been done this day, but perhaps… I can help those that survived, both ponies and zebras. But to you back home. The Senate. Caesar. If you hear this message, then listen to this well. You have not won the war with this act, you have destroyed us all. Damn you, damn you all to the Stars. This is Legate… no. This is Thade, signing off for the last time.”

Chrome was dumbfounded for a moment at the last message. While most of the Equestrian zebras turned against Caesar, it was the first time he had heard any other zebra, especially a Legate, actually speak ill of him.

A dark part of him was also happy that at least he was forced to watch his companions become monsters as a small penance for his crimes.

He quickly stomped the thought down. Nopony, or anyone else, should ever have to go through such a thing. As he did so, a ding from the terminal signaled that he had finally gotten through the security.

‘Lockdown in effect. Lockdown has been active for ten (10) years. Release?’

Chrome looked at the number for a moment before remembering the dead ponies he had come across. “So, I wasn’t the first to come through here.”

He pondered for a moment about turning back, but his memory quickly went back to Tig and what Sand Star had said. Danger be damned, he had a friend to save.

‘Release Confirmed.’

Releasing the lock-down, the screen showed that all areas were now accessible, minus those that were buried under debris. Security systems also came online, with alarms going off indicating hostiles within the facility. Another warning flashed that only three of the ten turrets were still functional, and that only one of the four protectrons were still in their pods. The turrets were off-line, and Chrome found he could only turn them on to ‘hostile all’ or ‘off’.

‘Why run risks when you can get others, especially robots, to do it for you?’ Tig’s voice whispered in his mind.

Shrugging, he flicked it on and watched the screen. Within a few moments, the number dropped to a single turret still online.

“Well. There are terrifying, dangerous things still running around here. Great.” He said the last word with sarcasm.

The protectron had a preset personality, with the ability to change it back to a default setting. Deciding that a zebra programmed bot would be less than helpful, he looked at his options. Flicking through the settings, he chose ‘Law Enforcement’ and set it to activate. ‘

‘Error, issue with Protectron Pod. Please contact maintenance.’

He rolled his eyes, and as he did so, he noticed movement in the atrium.

Looking out from the unshuttered window, he focused and immediately saw another of the dog-sized cockroaches again as it skittered about. Suddenly two of its legs snapped off as it was lifted into the air and shaken viciously as icor sprayed about. It was then slammed into the ground before something seemed to eat it. Trouble was, he couldn’t see what was attacking it.
“Well. That’s something,” he muttered to himself.
He turned to sneak out of the Command Center when a warning flash appeared on the terminal. Checking, he found that there was an error with the protectron’s pod opening and needed maintenance. He rolled his eyes in annoyance before returning to the task at hoof. Creeping out into the atrium, he carefully leveled his varmint rifle towards the dead bug and focused his eyes. He caught sight of a faint shimmer and fired his weapon.

The sound of metal striking glass echoed through the atrium as the shimmer now came into focus. The being in question seemed equine shaped, though its features were covered by the full body cloak.

“Now listen up. I’ve dealt with those damn cloaks plenty of times, and I could easily have shot your eye out. Now, stand down and we can discuss this equine-like,” Chrome said with confidence, choosing to omit the fact he had been aiming for the head. He also chose to not mention the fact that he had struck the gem that empowered the invisibility had also been a happy accident.

The being turned and looked right at Chrome, and what he saw surprised him more than the giant bug. It was one of the same zebra bodies as before, looking rotted and worn, but this one's dead eyes had a crazed look about them. Best part, it was now fixated on the pony. Chrome realized that this must have been one of the ‘ghouls’ Thade had mentioned in his last message. Which meant they had somehow survived all this time.

Chrome quickly fired and three bullets landed in the thing’s head, which in most cases would have killed any un-armored opponent. The zebra was utterly unaffected as it charged up the stairs, letting out a deep and guttural yell as it opened its still icor-covered mouth, revealing rows of rotten and edged teeth.

“Ah hell!” He dropped his rifle and quickly switched to the baton and swung it with all of his magical strength.

He felt as though he had smashed a wall, an angry wall with an inpony appetite. The blow did knock the thing off course, so instead of biting his throat, the ghoul slammed him instead. Even with the security barding, he felt the blow quite keenly and nearly lost his balance. The creature turned to take another bite out of him, only for Chrome to shove the baton right into its mouth. It backed up, gagging as its focus was suddenly getting something out of its mouth.

“Chew on that, you ugly bastard.”

It responded by glaring at Chrome, and with a single powerful bite it snapped the baton and swallowed the rest of it.

“Well, that’s some shit.” He backed up into the Command Center as the creature charged at him again.

Chrome ducked and lowered his shoulder. It hit hard enough for him to feel it, but he was able to keep his rear hooves planted as he wrapped his forehooves around the creature and lifted it up and over himself, bringing it crashing down onto the table behind him. Quickly, he scrambled to his hooves to avoid the creature’s gnashing teeth and flailing hooves.

“That seems so much easier when Deuce does it.” He staggered to his hooves.

He reached out with his magic to find something, anything, to use as a weapon. He then felt the magic grip onto something, and for the briefest of moments, he hesitated. He looked into the blank eyes of the creature that was utterly intent on killing him.

“Luna forgive me,” he said softly as he drew the kukri and held it at the ready. The creature charged, and Chrome took a low step to the left and swung the blade high.

Ichor sprayed from the creature’s body as its head was separated from its body with one clean, easy swipe. As the creature twitched on the ground, Chrome looked at the kukri, which was dissolving the ichor and skin that had touched it in a hiss of steam. Within moments it looked just as pristine as when Chrome had first found it.

He held it up to the light and turned it in his magical grasp. “Thank you, Luna. I owe you my life.”

He hilted the blade and looked down at the zebra, and found that it resembled the other zebra bodies he had found. ‘Ghoul’ was definitely the best description that they could be given, and the fact there could be more with invisibility cloaks like this one put him on edge as it was. He would have to step up his game to survive.

Chrome crept up to the door and peered out into the atrium, but didn’t see anything else moving from an initial glance. Picking up a stapler, he aimed for the middle of the room and gave it a toss. His ears and eyes scanned the room carefully as he looked down the scope of his rifle as the stapler clattered on the ground. There was no movement, and more importantly, no shimmers of cloaks. The coast seemed clear for the moment, so he made his way down the stairs and entered the cafeteria after recovering the stapler. While he wanted to hurry to the medical bay, he needed to do sweeps to ensure hostiles wouldn’t outflank him.

The door quietly slid open and he looked around and saw no movement. He switched back to the kukri for close quarters combat before moving in. The stench of rotting flesh assaulted him anew, and it didn't take long to find the source. Another decade old dead pony, surrounded by more of the ghouls with plenty of empty shell casings nearby. He started to approach, only to hear the sounds of feral growling. Two of the things were starting to stand up from different locations, though with speed and precision he struck both of them down with the blade. As with the first ghoul, their hides offered no protection against the kurkuri’s magical enhancements, though he also noted that he cut through them far easier than his first opponent. He also decided he would need to give the weapon a decent name at some point.

Pushing the thought aside for the moment, he checked to ensure no more hostiles were in the cafeteria before pondering his next move. Conventionally he would push for the original objective and not stop for anything else, especially with a friend and comrade on the line.

“But this world isn’t like the one I came from, is it?” he asked out loud, in part to speak his mind and another to potentially draw out any other attacker.

When nothing appeared, he relaxed and did a quick check for anything he could immediately use. Anything else would simply have to be acquired later. The unfortunate pony had been devoured, with both weapon and armor ripped to shreds, but this time around the pony’s saddle bags hadn’t been ransacked. Ammo for the pony’s assault rifle, two grenades, and a hoof full of bottle caps which he again ignored. But the most interesting thing he found was a well-kept book with the title Wasteland Survival Guide.

He stared at the book for several long moments before shaking his head as he placed it in his saddle bag. “This is going to be a long ride isn’t it?”

Leaving the cafeteria, he did another sweep of the atrium before moving to the medical wing door. He pushed the button on the wall, causing the door to slide open with a sound that was frankly too loud for Chrome’s liking.

He stepped through the door and found himself in a hallway with stairs that led downwards, emergency lights that occasionally flickered on and off lining the hall. He took a single step forward when he heard the familiar sound of a turret gun firing. He instinctively crouched low and looked around, only to realize that the sound was much too far away to be a threat to him. He continued along the hallway and eased his way down the stairs, ducking behind an overturned gurney at the bottom. He peeked over to see the turret hanging motionless at the end of the small hallway. Lying beneath it were three ghouls, with an additional two ghoul bodies in the middle of the hall over a fourth pony body.

“Well that’s inconvenient,” he whispered to himself.

He pondered on going back to the main hall to disable the turret, but decided that leaving it active might be useful if any more of the zombie things were still alive. It would additionally be a good opportunity to test his abilities to see if he was back up to speed. Taking a deep breath, and placing the kurkuri in his saddle bag, he began to slowly creep across the hallway. The low lights made it easier than it would have normally been to sneak past the gun, and soon enough he was at the medical lab. He gagged reflexively as a rush of air slammed into him with an overwhelming smell of death and rot as he launched himself into the medical lab before the turret could draw a bead on him. Once inside, he did his best to hold his breath, only taking short breaths when he had to, and took in his surroundings.

He found four pairs of eyes staring back at him. Three of them were zebra ghouls, with the last pair belonging to a pony. Unlike the other bodies he had found, he could make out features, and realized that it had been a unicorn at one point in time. But more interesting, none of them instantly charged him like they had before.

“Aha, more guests!” a voice called out, stopping Chrome from drawing his kurkuri. “Move aside, move aside, let me see who has come to visit!”

The four ghouls lowered their heads and parted, allowing a fifth ghoul to walk between them. Unlike the others, this one had a bright green glow to him, with his skeletal structure somewhat visible as a deep black. A smile from nightmares appeared on his face as he looked at Chrome.

“Well, look at that! The most splendid of guests has come to join us, a stable dweller!” He clapped his hooves together. “But not just any stable dweller, one from Stable 111! The very reason we came to this place, and the reason we were able to receive the great gift!” He then offered a small bow. “Honored guest, you are most welcome here! Have you come to partake in the ‘gift’ as well?”

Chrome looked at the being for a moment, and while it seemed impossible, “Dr. Zaius?”

“Oh,” he stopped for several seconds and looked at Chrome before he smiled again. “Ohho! You actually know my name! Impressive, most impressive!” He let out a laugh. “I didn’t even have to introduce myself! Truly, truly destiny has favored me lately!”

‘-now he has become a deranged maniac.’ Thade’s words echoed in Chrome’s mind as the zebra ghoul danced in delight. “It’s been over two hundred years, how is this possible?”

The zebra stopped dancing and turned his attention to the unicorn so fast that Chrome nearly drew his weapon out of reflex. “Ah, an inquisitive mind! So refreshing from the usual mulings of the mindless who answer every problem with a weapon!” His smile suddenly disappeared and he took a more serious expression. “Typically those affected by radiation end up dying as the body breaks down. Yet, there are those that are blessed; the chosen who are able to adapt to become something greater than before. The body becomes stronger, radiation actually heals rather than harms, and the aging process effectively stops.”

Chrome looked at the four ghouls who were still keeping their heads bowed. “But not all are affected equally.”

The zebra nodded. “A noted deduction. Yes, most minds are unable to process the mutation that the body undergoes. This causes only the most base of instincts to survive, leaving the insulting term ‘feral ghoul’, to come to play, even though it’s incorrect. The body is not dead, as it doesn’t suffer necrosis. Instead-”

As the doctor was talking, Chrome took the time to look around the medical lab. Though the rest of the stable would suggest otherwise, the lab was surprisingly well kept. Medical tools were neatly organized on the main counter, with a number of vials that had strange liquids that Chrome couldn’t identify. He saw at least two emergency first aid kits as well, but behind the doctor held something that truly had his attention. A patient bed stood in the center of the room, but next to it was a sophisticated looking computer on a stand with multiple armatures connected to it.

It was the auto-doc, and it still looked active and fully functional. “Dr. Zaius, a question if I may?”

“-my life to studying how one can become a sentient, and my most recent speci-oh, yes? Are you interested in helping with my research?” he asked.

“Perhaps later. At the moment I have a friend, another stable dweller like myself, who has been badly injured.” Chrome gestured to the auto-doc. “The Auto-Doc still works, correct?”

The doctor turned to what the unicorn was pointing at and nodded. “Ah yes, of course it does. It’s annoying though, it only tells me how to try and reverse the ‘gift’, not how to enhance it.”

‘Some good news at least,’ Chrome thought to himself. “I would like access to it to save my friend.”

Zaius put a hoof on his jaw and seemed to ponder. “Well, it can definitely save all but the most far gone. However, if you allow yourself to accept the gift, you and your friend will become far more than you ever have been.”

Chrome shook his head. “I can’t accept it at the moment. While it is gracious to offer, there are things that I must still do, and I cannot risk… failing the gift’s touch before I accomplish them.”

The zebra nodded. “Yes, the gift is a fickle thing, but your acknowledgement of it is commendable. I think arrangements can be made.” The doctor smiled again as his tone lightened. “After all, I owe everything that I am to your stable! Far be it from me to ignore the will of the gift!”

Chrome smiled back. He knew that he couldn’t actually trust the zebra doctor, and a part of him wanted to kill the thing on principle. But this held the best chance of helping Tig, and if nothing else, he dared not try and start a fight with such overwhelming numbers along with the risk to the Auto-Doc. Still, his luck hadn’t-

A loud crash interrupted his thoughts. As he turned to face it, Zaius began to freak out.

“Oh, no no no no no no!” He ran past Chrome and out into the hallway with his ghouls in tow.

Chrome could hear the sound of the gun turret firing, but was suddenly feeling sick to pay it full mind. As much as he wanted to blame the food Sand Star made, he knew it wasn’t the case. There was only one other time he had felt like this, and that had occured deep in zebra territory. He was suffering from radiation poisoning.

He heard another loud crash, this one much closer than before. Looking up, he saw a very angry looking doctor standing over the remains of the turret, looking no worse for wear. In fact, the only thing he noted was that the lab door was only partially open, and sparks flew from the control panel.

“Stable 111!” Zaius yelled as he looked at Chrome. “I changed my mind! You get the auto-doc only if you help me contain the specimen in the lab before it escapes!”

Chrome grumbled mentally about lady luck before nodding. “Fine, but I am unable to stand too close to you.”

The doctor let out a groan as he had his ghouls push open the door. “This is why you should accept the gift!” He then thought for a moment. “Discussion for later!”

Chrome stepped out into the hallway, giving the doctor a wide berth. “So where is this ‘specimen’ of yours?”

The doctor pointed up the stairs from where Chrome had just come. “When I first observed her sneaking food from the cafeteria, I tracked her to the collapsed section of the stable. My first assumption was that she was squatting inside, but I could not deduce how she would be able to access it while bypassing my loyal guards. So I set up an observation post in an attempt to discern how, and lo and behold, when she next appeared to scavenge again, she used teleportation magic!”

It sounded like he was holding a unicorn, given the use of magic. Frankly, the doctor’s excess of enthusiasm gave Chrome pause. “Why is she so important?”

“Simple! She is like I in that she is able to accept the gift, and even grow stronger from it! But, but but but! She is not withered, not mad, not mindless or feral! She is whole, complete, and pure! I must understand her secrets of the gift!”

Chrome gave no visible reaction, but internally he grimaced. The doctor was holding somepony as nothing more than a plaything to be experimented upon at his whim. His distrust of the ghoul had been steadily growing with each passing moment he spent with him. Perhaps there was a way he could help this unicorn get out of here and get to the others. The doctor had to be dealt with, that much was clear. But the turret hadn’t even phased the ghoul in the slightest it seemed, meaning he was even tougher than the other ghouls that Chrome had faced thus far, not to mention the four ghouls he would have to get through first.

Chrome then reminded himself that he didn’t know the full situation, nor if this ‘specimen’ wasn’t somehow a worse threat, especially if the ‘gift’ affected her like it did the zebra. He would have his decision soon enough as the ghouls forced open the doors and ran inside.

“Nonononono! You mustn’t escape, dearest, there is still so much to learn, so much to know! Stable 111, get in and help!” the doctor yelled as he ran to a computer and began frantically typing away.

Chrome entered and began to take stock of the room and the targets. Besides the doctor and his four ghouls that ran in with him, he caught a shimmer of at least one more invisible ghoul.

‘Looks like I’ll need to be careful and come up with a plan,’ he thought to himself, ‘Now, let’s see this specimen the doctor is so-’

Chrome’s entire thought process came to a screeching halt as his mind processed what it was the ghouls were desperately trying to hold down on a operating table, with numerous injuries across her body and a magic nullifier on her horn; a dark-coated alicorn.

“P-Princess Luna?”

Princess Luna, the alicorn of the night. The ruler of Equestria, and Supreme Commander of the Equestrian Armed Forces who Chrome had dedicated his life to serving. He saw that mare before him, strapped to an operating table and tortured like some animal for a twisted experiment. One of her hooves was already freed from the straps that showed clear signs of struggle, and upon her horn was a large anti-magic ring that prevented magic users from accessing their talent. However, that was all irrelevant. Quickly drawing the kukri, he swung with a cold fury that he had been holding in, and with one quick swipe the head of the nearest ghoul fell to the ground. The roar of anger from the doctor was little more than a whisper compared to the righteous hatred that now flowed through the unicorn. The zebra’s head hadn’t even hit the ground when one of the other ghouls turned to face Chrome. The blade slipped through its jaw and struck into the brain. Pulling the blade out, he charged forward and sliced through one of the restraints holding the alicorn, only for an unseen force to slam into and force him away from the operating table.

“Princess, don't move!” Chrome yelled.

Ignoring the pain of jagged teeth tearing into his shoulder, he focused his magic and fired the blade like a missile at the alicorn’s head. She instinctively closed her eyes as the blade sunk into the operating table, dangerously close to her horn. The invisible ghoul twisted its jaw, causing Chrome to scream in pain as a chunk of his flesh was ripped from his body. Most would have succumbed to such an injury, and indeed Chrome’s vision began to blur from the pain and sudden loss of blood. However, he refused to yield as four simple words echoed through his mind over and over.

“My life for Equestria,” he said with grim determination.

Pushing his magic even further, he lifted the varmint rifle and looked straight at a chunk of blood and flesh that hung in midair that had been attached to him mere moments ago. He slammed the rifle right above the hanging flesh and began pulling the trigger over and over, and even the unnatural resistance of the thing was little use against point blank shots to the head. After only a few moments it fell to the ground, icor oozing over the floor.

He then turned to the doctor and raised his weapon, nearly stumbling as the world was getting ever more out of focus, and pulled the trigger again and again at the green zebra.

Not a single bullet fired from the empty magazine.

Chrome had time to look at the weapon for a brief moment before a bright flash of sickly green light shot out of the Doctor’s body. Chrome was hit with a wave of nausea as his weapon clattered to the ground, with him falling to his knees a moment later. Chrome put a hoof forward and started to stand up, only for once again an unseen force to slam into him again and pin him to the floor. Looking up, Chrome could see a familiar sight of his blood over him even as the two ghouls from the hallway started to stand once again. His vision was then filled with the Doctor’s glowing aura. “YOU!” the Doctor screamed. “I invited you into this stable in good will, yet you dare attempt to ruin my research?! I will turn you into a new worker, along with anypony else that is with you!”

Still, the unicorn lifted his head to glare at the doctor, “My life… for Equestria…”

The doctor sneered. “Then die for-”

“ENOUGH!” a voice boomed through the stable, followed by an energy beam that lanced through the air and sent the invisible ghoul slamming into a nearby wall.

All eyes turned to find a free and extremely angry alicorn glaring at the ghouls, the magic nullifier laying on the ground nearby, neatly cut by the knife still embedded into the operating table.

“YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!” her voice boomed again as her horn began to glow.

“No… NO!” the doctor yelled in despair. “Everything is ruined! Protect me, minions!”

For Chrome, the sound of combat began to dim as darkness slowly started to overtake him. The constant wave of sickness that he was feeling faded somewhat, but the damage was already done. But he was satisfied, for his life had been used to save a pony far above him. A female’s voice drew Chrome’s attention, and he could see the princess looming over him with concern. The unicorn smiled and he tried speaking to her, but his own words were lost. The alicorn’s surprised look was the last thing Chrome saw before all went dark.

Footnote: Level Up

New Perks:

Rapid Reload: All of your weapon reloads are 25% faster than normal.

Sneak 2: You are now 30% harder to detect while sneaking, and no longer trigger floor-based traps.