Fallout Equestria: A New Dawn

by lazerbeamflipflops

Rating: mature
Tags: Adventure, Crossover, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad
Length: 39383

Join the earth pony Nova Dawn as he uncovers the mysteries of Stable 144.

"Stable 144, untouched by the balefire bombs that turned the surface of a bright and cheery world to a dying hellish landscape devoid of anything. Inside ponies continue to toil, blissfully unaware of the horrors outside. The life inside is idyllic, peaceful, and serene. All except for Nova, who has a feeling there's more to this place than meets the eye."

This story was originally a Fallout Equestria CYOA that was hosted on Discord. Due to a lack of interest, busy schedules, and etc, I've shutdown the CYOA and am posting it here up until it stopped so others may possibly enjoy it. I don't believe too many people will read this or even care, but should there be some level of interest I may continue the story as a Tumblr ask.

Otherwise this is Nova's last chapter. Thanks to everyone who played. Enjoy.

Maps and art: http://imgur.com/a/yQ80Y

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2017-02-26 07:12:20 UTC

A New Dawn

"It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." (JKR)

In the years before the Great War, before mother Equestria was burned cleaned of sins perpetuated by her ungrateful children, ponies were free to make choices every day.

Some of them were defined by the choices they made, while others were defined by the choices of others.

There was peace, and harmony, and life was pure in intent and rich in quality. Races from all corners of Equestria worked together to provide for a better future, the choices they made strengthening the bonds of friendship between them as they grew closer together.

Alas, no one is perfect. It is not often that we our granted the chance to peer into our future to see the consequences of our choices, and by then it is usually too late.

Unbeknownst to these creatures of happiness choices made long ago by ponies long dead had set forth a chain of events that would poison this idyllic dream.

Hate. Hate would seep into their love. It would infiltrate their hearts and sway their emotions, pitting those who had once been friends against each other in a battle of tainted souls. The reasons for this bloody struggle were not even justified; they were mere pittances in the overarching ballet of history. Sadly, these seeds of hate would grow, and eventually blossom into irrevocable curses upon their children, and their children’s children. Their hate would be sown into the very land itself, a deadly toxin that would influence their progeny to make the very same mistakes their progenitors had inflicted on each other.

Bombs of hatred born from ignorance fell upon creatures of virtue, and Equestria would weep for the lost, her marred flesh a venom for the rest of eternity.

But…

In all things, there is hope. A final bastion from the barbarity of corruption. Hope would continue to exist, in every beating heart, no matter how polluted. Hope would never be befouled; it would never crumble beneath the weight of antiquity. It would continue to thrive, in the hearts of those concealed in the womb of the land.

And one day…

It will flourish once again.

Or it won’t.

The choice, ultimately, is yours.

Stable 144.

A bunker of thick tempered steel entombed deep in the ground, a hidden relic of a time long since past.

While from the outside the great metal cocoon would appear to be slumbering; inside the beauty of life has been playing out an intricate and diverse microcosm for the past hundreds of years.

You, are one such inhabitant of stable 144.

And today… Is your birthday. You are turning twenty.

But before we begin, remind me of a few things.

Nova Dawn?

Correct?

A name selected by your late estranged mother in the last days of her cognitive affliction. You’ve always been teased for it, for being a stallion with a mare’s name, but… Your and your older sister’s fondness of the name has never diminished. In that regard, you remain resolute.

Now your cutie mark… A… A branching path, was it not?

Curious.

You’ve never felt confined in your life, if I remember correctly. Every situation you’ve ever faced has always had a myriad of ways to meet it. In that regard, you remain confident.

Mmm… But what kind of pony are you? Unicorn? Pegasus? Earth Pony? Remind me.

[Input] Earth Pony.

Ah yes, I remember now. Thank you.

What about the color of your fur? The color of your eyes?

And your mane? What style is it in?

[Input] Red and Orange hair, short mane, yellow fur, purple eyes.

Ooo, handsome indeed.

Alright, it’s all coming back to me now. Now, it’s time to wake up. What? Yes, I said wake up. … Which you should be doing by now… Sigh… WAKE… UP. WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP-

You startle awake, your limbs becoming entwined in the plain white sheets of your bed. You gaze around your room wildly, alert and… Less than ready for danger. Leap Year stifles a giggle with her forehoof. “Sheesh bro… Remind me never to lightly poke you again, else I might lose a hoof.” You mutter something in response, but the haze of sleep leaves the sentence nothing but an incoherent babble. Something which was too much for Leap. After a hearty guffaw at your expense, she just shakes her head in feigned disappointment. “You’re as mad as mother was sometimes. Anyways, I just wanted to swing by and congratulate you on the big day...” Her visage is tinged with guilt. “Won’t be able to make it though, overseer has me doing something ‘extra special’”, she pitches her voice to a mocking tone. “today apparently. Guess I’m so much of a problem child she thinks it fit to have me busy on my bros fucking birthday.” A sigh escapes her lungs, loud and vehement. “Anyways… Love you lil bro. I’ll see you tomorrow.” In your dazed state you are too late to reply, the hiss of the hydraulics as your door closes meets your voice. “…you too.” The empty room is the only one who hears. After a quick unplanned return to dreamland, you jump out of bed refreshed and ready for the day. Besides, who wouldn’t be! Today was your twentieth birthday, the day you received your very own Personal Hoof Assistant Technology, or PHAT for short… Yeah, the slang term “PipBuck” had always been a better name in your opinion. Stable 144 had always been known for its ridiculous acronyms.

A quick look at your bedside clock told you it was half past 11 AM. The party wasn’t scheduled to around 1 or so… Timeliness was not another one of Stable 144 inhabitants’ strong suits. So you probably have some time to kill.

But wait! First things first, what should you wear?

Throwing open your dresser you had a limited selection of options, new fabrics and fashion were in short supply when you living in a collection of metal boxes a hundred feet in the ground.

You have a suit, a Stable suit, and a dress suits… Really everything was a suit in one way or form. You could always go commando too, be a grass roots kind of pony. Or what about that one outfit that seems like it you would own but the DM is unaware of? That’d be nice to wear too.

[Input] Choose the Stable Suit.

And what about headgear? You probably have a ballcap or fedora tips laying around somewhere…

[Input] None.

Oh of course you pick none. Sigh. Why do I give you choices.

Hmm… Anything else you’d like to bring along? There’s your fathers lucky coin, an alarm clock, and maybe an assortment of other items stowed away in the nooks and crannies of your small, fairly empty, and nookless and crannieless room. The brown satchel that just appeared around your neck is quite empty, it’s sad really.

[Input] Bring along Mentats, Chips, Family Locket, Father's Coin, and 1 bottle of pure water.

Ooo. Quaint.

The door of your room opens with a loud hiss of air. Time to begin your adventure. Y’alls adventure. Yours adventure. Plural. Adventure beginero.

Ah but wait… You’ve still got some time to kill. You should do some good ol fashion exploring. Exploring of the Stable you’ve known and lived in for twenty years. Explore the areas you’re explored probably a thousand times… Woo.

[Input] Go to the Library.

You leave your room, and wander through the halls to the Atrium, languidly taking your time. On the way you pass a few bright and colorful ponies who are going on about their day. Generally in the Stable many wake up at their own decided times, besides the farmers and the teachers of course. Life in the Stable for the most part was quite serene.

As you step into the library, you see it contains at least 4 of your fellow denizens. One of which of course is the librarian, Golden Dove, an old mare in her late seventies. She is currently at the main desk, sitting in a light sleep. One pony is currently picking her way through the rows of books, and the other two stallions are idly chatting at a desk over a textbook. They are young, and probably still in school.

[Input] Talk to the librarian.

You decide to talk to the librarian. Might as well play it safe, right? Socialize with those you know. As you walk up to the counter, you can see that she's lightly resting. But, you’ve known her almost your entire life. In fact she’s probably the only person you consider to be “motherly”. Apart from the overseer of course… But she was more a matron, and always seemed… Tense? It’s hard to place the right word. With a slight tap on the head she wakes up. “O-oh, Nova… Heh, must’ve dozed off for a bit there. What do you need sweetie?”

[Dialgoue] Golden Dove.

"Are you feeling alright Golden?"

"Of course dear, just a light nap is all. This job is terribly boring you know, and I've read every book in here two times over as you know."

"I know, we even had that reading contest back when you found out I loved books. Do you.. perhaps know if the library might need an assistant?"

She chuckles. “Now I know you’re nervous over what job you’re going to get hun, but don’t worry, I’m sure it will be a good one. And no matter what you receive, you know you’ve certainly helped out more than enough.

"What do you think I'll get? What’s it based on, again?"

She sighs and shakes her head. “Every time you silly foals forget our history and our way I lose a bit.” You know that she’s kidding, however, instead of chastising you. “Well, you’re going to get whatever job the overseer deems you best at doin. May be related to your cutie, your abilities, or it may not. Really it’s wherever the overseer thinks you’re needed most.” She peered at your flank. “But, it’d be hard to guess from your mark… So, I really don’t know Nova. All I know is, no matter what, try to be hopeful about it. And try to enjoy it too. Even if you become a new janitor, or some other such job you weren’t expectin, you should keep hope and become the best dang janitor around.”

"Oh, I see. Thank you Golden."

You say pleasantly. She nods. “Is that all dear?”

"Yes, for now at least."

[Input] Look for a book on the Stable.

You depart to walk around the library. As you browse around the many sections, the fancy to find a book on the Stable history strikes you. Finding the relevant section, you pull out an old and dusty book titled “The Great one Forty Four.” Cute. The back indicates the book was written about Stable 144… About twenty years ago. You can understand that… Not too many ponies like to write about the dusty box they’ve been stuck in their entire lives. Is there a particular section or question you have?

[Input] How does this stable operate?

Great question! You decide to read the introduction chapter on Stable 144. “Stable 144 is the most glorious Stable of all Stables ever made, it has been around since forever, and will continue…” You quickly realize this was written by a denizen… And probably full of propaganda instead of secrets. Even the records of overseers paint them in an entirely glorious “can do no wrong” light, even though you remember the last overseer, who passed halfway during your life, was a total asshole. Grumpkins, everyone called him. … The new overseer wasn’t much better. Were overseers always just this strict? It would seem unless you had any specific questions in mind, information would be har- you come across an old map in the book. Hrm. This is new. Well, everything except for one room is the same. The hallway under the gym is merely labeled “L2”. That’s… Odd. Very odd. The book says nothing more about it though.

[Input] Loot the map, investigate the computer.

You decide, oh, what the heck, take the map. It’s not like anypony has ready this dusty old piece of propaganda in a millennia anyways. You wonder if the author even read it, or if he killed himself as soon as he finished writing it, terribly ashamed of what he had produced. You chuckle slightly. What about the library terminal, as well? Every terminal in the Stable was connected to a massive super computer in the AI room, you could probably ask it a few things and… Well… Probably receive a semi coherent answer. The computer wasn’t always the most understandable, or forthcoming with answers. Many a foal had attempted to get… Certain types of media from the terminals… All failed. The computer was an archive of lots of knowledge, but you had to ask it the right kinds of questions to get the right kind of answers. Frankly, it was largely confusing for everyone. But hey, the computer also controlled the ventilation, the lights, the plumbing, so it was the very thing that had been keeping everypony alive for the past hundreds of years. If it was a little bit wonky… Oh god that’s terrifying.

As you sit down at a chair, a few basic options are on the screen. [Library Checkouts] [Ask]. This format was generally the same for every terminal, except the options changed depending on the room it was located in.

[Input] Search "L2".

You decide to use the pony keyboard and cursor over to the “Ask” selection. The new menu only prompts you with the infamous green right arrow. Many a time you have entered things into this arrow only to receive idiotic replies, random strings of text, and sometimes mysteriously nothing at all. On those rare occasions someone had to reboot the terminal, and one time the overseer even had to go far as resetting the core… That was a horrifying experience. Everypony had sworn that it would kill everyone. Instead, the lights flickered and everything returned to normal within a matter of minutes. It had been exciting though. You decide to type “L2” into the terminal. Holy shit… And then… Nothing happened. Your cursor stop blinking, and the terminal froze up. You sighed. You should have expect-

“Below.”

The cursor jumps to the next line, another arrow waiting diligently. Below? What? Well… Odd. At least you got a reply though.

[Input] Search "lower levels", "below", and "basement".

You decide to search a few terms and see if it polls up anything interesting. The responses follow “None.” “None.” “None.” Welp… Odd. It just said below hadn’t it? You enter L2 into the terminal again. Same as before, you get “Below.” In response. What about… You decide to combine L2 with the previous terms. This time you get a new generic response. “Yes. Below.” Welp… That wasn’t helpful at all. Well, this had just been an exercise in futility. “What is below!?” you angrily smack into the keyboard. The computer sits for even longer than before, and just as you think you’ve frozen it, the prompt returns.

“L2.”

… Fuck you too computer.

[Input] Search "Entry to L2?".

The green arrow sits for a while. Then, it does something rather strange. It prints out a few digits. “7472.” That wasn’t exactly helpful… You’ve gotten random things back before, but generally it had some connection to what you had asked. This was an entirely new output in comparison.

[Input] Investigate the locked door.

After writing down the odd code on your pilfered map, you log out of the computer, clearing your searches for any prying fillies who use the terminal after you, and wave a small goodbye to Golden. With a pep in your step, you continue on your… Quest? Was this really a quest? More of a just a curious jaunt. Anything to clear your mind of your birthd- OH SHIT! Your birthday. You hastily check a nearby wall clock. Whew, it’s only 11:50. You’ve still got an hour to kill. After calming your beating nervous heart, you continue onwards, soon finding yourself in the work wing. Here everything is sickeningly clean, and eerily silent. Each work division of the Stable, the scientists, engineers, core maintainer, and reactor maintainer were full of ponies who liked to keep to themselves and get to work as soon as possible, locking themselves in their dedicated rooms. They were nice folks, for sure, nothing odd about them, but the overseer was strict on the ponies that “Decided our future.”. A spiel you always found tiresome. Soon, you stand before the metal door listed on your map… It’s unmarked. And shut. How does this thing even open? You rap your hoof on the metal a few times, only to be met with echos. Welp… That went great.

[Input] Investigate the Band Room.

Hmm… You infer by their closeness on the map, you may be able to find something about the unmarked door. After a trot back to the entertainment wing, you find yourself in the band room. Currently about five or so ponies are in there, each at their own seat following along on their instruments to the intricate movements of their conductor, their eyes flickering between printed note sheets and the gestures of his hooves. You don’t feel out of place though, many ponies go to the band room to appreciate the music being played, and thusly the band pays you no mind. You note the fixtures in the room… Besides a small stage set on the far wall from the entrance, it’s rather featureless. The stage seems unmarked and plain in nature. Currently the band is not playing on the stage, but rather in a more comfortable corner.

[Input] See about breaking into the off limits storage area.

After a moment of thought you devise a brilliant plan without fail. Maybe you could find answers in the off limits storage room! Or maybe a quick bite to eat. You remember that you have a bag of chips in your satchel. But, you decide to probably save those for later. A few minutes later, you put your plan into execution. Masterfully you dodge between the ponies in the hall, there were only like 2 of them but you weaved MASTERFULLY around them… Which elicited a few chuckles. Now, you stand before a solid metal door in the work wing, one that leads into the off limits storage area. It remains closed, a simple keypad adorning the wall next to it. You try entering the code you received from the terminal, but no dice it would seem. The door remains closed despite your attempts as brute force hacking your way in.

[Input] Go to Maintenance.

Hrm… Since this hacking business wasn’t working out so well you decide to apply your skills to something you’re better at. Walking from A to B. You were really good at that! And often proud of yourself. You were the best A to B walker. Generally this is the point where the reader realizes the DM is writing to A. Fill space. And B. Comedic effect. Hardy har DM, hardy har.

You arrive at maintenance. The door opens with a hiss of compressed air, and you are greeted to a packed and smelly office littered with a multitude of pieces, parts, and components to various objects. You believe you even spot a toaster. 2 toasters! Holy cow, 3 toasters! Wait… Maybe those weren’t toasters. Oh well, you weren’t a mechanic by any means. You shrug and turn to the only pony in the office, Morning Haste. An old friend of yours actually, you often spent time during breaks from school chatting with him. He was in his early 30s, so not much older than you. He looks up from an assortment of gears and cogs he had spread out before him, before a large grin breaking out across his muzzle. “Nova!” He says cheerfully. “What can I do you for?”

[Dialogue] Talk to Morning Haste.

"Hey… Odd question Morning, but does the term “L2” mean anything to you? And do you happen to have the code to the storage room?"

He shakes his hoof at you in a quieting manner. “Woah, settle down their colt. Heh, you’re wound tighter than a spring. Probably because of your birthday.” He gives you a conspiratorial wink before putting a hoof to his chin in consideration. “… Hrmm… Nope. Never heard of it.” After another pause he chides you. “Now you know if you’re looking to pilfer more food, remember how angry the overseer got at you last time! And even then… Sadly I don’t. You know she keeps a strict log on our supplies. ‘Everyone gets their fair share’,” he added mockingly. “But I could probably put in a request for you… Any jobbed pony can do so. Or, alternatively,” He reaches up to boop your nose. “you could do it yourself when you get yours.”

You decide to try and act natural, conversationally at least. You could only do so much investigating with any one pony before they remember oddities.

“Eheh… Yeah I’m just really nervous about my party…”

Morning cuts you off with a chuckle and a slap on the back. “Don’t worry mate, mine when fantastically, I’m sure yours will as well.” You chuckle alongside him, before the thought strikes you to inquire further. “What uh… Exactly happens at the party?” He pauses before looking left and right very blatantly, as if checking for eavesdroppers, then he leans in close and whispers… “You eat cake… And… And socialize…” The fake fear is his voice seeps from every word. You only laugh and knock his right arm.

“I mean seriously.”

His own giggles last for a few more minutes before subsiding. “Not much to it. Ponies show up, you eat cake and socialize, then the overseer drops by to give you your pipbuck, and then she takes you to her office to talk with you about your new job. Really not that much, you know? Just a party.” However, he adds something in afterthought. “Though, sometimes we have a feast, to celebrate you know? A morale booster. Generally that’s only whenever ponies… You know…” He grows morose. “We can’t have a chain event with so low a population. Gotta keep everyone happy. It’s a waste of our few precious cows, but in this overseers have always been resolute. Keep everyone happy.” He sighs heavily. You remember that Morning had been a participant in a few feasts himself… Morning was an only colt. No family… At least not anymore.

"Mmm… Remind me, what do you do?"

Nova asks as innocently as possible. Morning merely shakes his head and sighs. “Twenty years and you still haven’t changed.” With a grand sweeping gesture towards the chaotic disarray of the room, the implication is evident. “Everything and anything my old friend. I fix, I clean, and I-“ He winks. “Maintain.”

"That… Was a terrible pun."

You remark, grinning slightly. Of course this only prompts Morning to try and crack another. “Yeah, they need some work, else they might be less than punderful.”

[Input] Go to the party early.

"Heh, before I get punfused, I had better go ahead and go."

Morning chuckles and waves his hoof goodbye at you as he sits down to return to his intricate and complex work. Taking your leave, the door closes behind you with a hiss of steam. Moments later, you’re met with another hiss as you enter the cafeteria right across from his office. It never hurt to be ahead of time, did it? Already, it would seem that few preparations were being made to the lifeless metal room. A few colorful streamers had been hung up, as well as a sign that said “Happy Twentieth!” … It was the same sign that you had seen at everyone else’s twentieth as well. In fact, the bright additions to the room only seemed to make it… Worse somehow. They always did. Oh well. With a shrug you take stock of the room. In the corner a PonyBot was prepping the cake, using a small tube of icing to methodically trace out the characters of your name. A few ponies were seated sparsely at the tables, chatting idly. There were no more than seven ponies currently, but before too long it would fill out, of that you were sure.

[Input] Go talk to Scarlet, a friend in the room.

Heya Scar. How’re you?

Taking the seat opposite of her, she looks up from her red furred hooves. “Nothing much Nove. Excited for your party?” You can only shrug in response. You’d had quite a few thoughts about the party and about your future… None of them were very reassuring. “Ah. I see. Anyways, whatcha need?” Her distinct sea green eyes peered at you, the curiosity blatant.

[Input] Find drinks to become more charismatic.

At that moment, the thought strikes you to become inebriated. Because hell, who doesn’t love a drunkard? Especially a drunkard on his birthday. Isn’t that what you were supposed to do on your birthday anyways? Drink the world away? You felt as if it was. Turning to Scar you change the conversation's topic completely.

Hey, do you want to get a couple of drinks?

Scarlet only scoffs. “This early? Wow… You are a rascal aren’t you? Heheh… Sure. Sounds good to me.` Standing up from the table she jaunts over to a dispensary on the wall, quickly prods in the digits of her ration code, and a sleek metallic bottle is plopped from a port into a holder. A few seconds later and she’s returned, offering it to you with an extended hoof. “You get first swig, birthday colt.”

[Input] Take a drink and ask about the party.

You nod and grab the bottle, giving it a light sniff. Whatever fluid inside was odorless. You weren’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one, but with a shrug you decided it didn’t matter. Alcohol was alcohol, and there was only one thing to do with it. Drink a lot as fast as possible and see what happens. Throwing your muzzle back you take a hearty draft… And taste… Nothing? It felt like just water in your throat. You look at her quizzically, on the edge of scoffing, when it hits. The water that moments before was cool on the tip of your tongue turns into liquid fire, the rush hits you at once. With a quick cough you gnash your teeth together in order to stop yourself from a spastic coughing fit.

W-what was that? You manage you choke out.

Her laugh has a melodic tinkling ring to it as she takes the bottle for herself, glugging down even more than you did in one fell swoop. ”That was certified Stable Fire. Delayed effect, tremendous strength, and as you noticed other certain quaint qualities.” You shook your head as a dull buzz set in. Now, you didn’t exactly pride yourself on being able to hold your liquor, but that was intense stuff, by any standard. You wondered how the Overseer even allowed the Stable system to distill something like that… How was that safe in any way? Your ears perked up at the sound of the Cafeterias doors hydraulics kicking in, and a question poked at the back of your mind.

Heh… Anyways, what do you think about the party?

Scarlet looked up from her seat at the table, the bottle idly placed at the edge of her lips, held there by the soft glow of magic. “Well, looks like it’s about to start. You ready for it?” Another giggle accompanied her remark.

[Input] Another drink, and wait for the party.

Another drink couldn’t hurt, could it? You pick your hoof in place in forwards in a questioning manner. Scarlet glances over, a small smile touching the edge of her lips as she places in the bottle back in your outstretched hoof. “Don’t overdo it kid.” You only chuckle in response as you take another few sips. This time however, you are expecting and prepared for the rush, causing it only to be a dull rumble that actually adds clarity to your focus. After trading the bottle back and forth a few more times, Scarlet whimpers as the last few drops plop onto her outstretched tongue. With a shrug, she looks at over the now bustling crowd of ponies who have conglomerated into cliques of friends, forming tiny circles all around the room. Clunking the tube on the table she nods in your direction as she departs, her eyes dead set on a group of her friends. “Seeya birthday boy.” The clop of her hooves against the floor quickly fade amongst the murmur of the room, and you are once again alone. You look out over the crow and spot a few familiar faces. Morning, for instance, is chatting to two Engineering stallions, his hooves making complex gestures in the air. Golden Dove on the other hoof is talking to a few other aged ponies at a table nestled in a corner, far from the louder center of the room. Leap Year however, true to her word, is nowhere to be seen in the room. Neither is the Overseer.

[Input] Search around for more information on the Overseer.

Glancing around the room you decide it’s a bit odd that the Overseer herself hasn’t shown up yet, and you make the decision to find out yourself. However, with a glance at the bottle, you realize the alternative is to get completely wasted… Oh well, there’s always time for that later. You stow the bottle in your satchel for a possible refill at some point, and stand up. On a snap decision you pick a pony at random, tapping on their shoulder for their attention. As they turn their face lightens up a bit at the sight of you. “Oh hey Nova! Happy birthday man.”

"Thanks," You return the smile and nod before continuing. "Hey, by chance do you know where the Overseer is?"

The pony tilts their head quizzically as they gaze around as well. “Well… I don’t see her here… Maybe she’s jus-“ The pony cuts off as both entrance doors to the cafeteria open simultaneously, the Overseer herself striding in, a posse of fully armored ponies following closely behind her. The room quiets as the Overseer looks out over the crowd, her eyes silently picking through the groups. As her eyes fall you however, her search pauses and she dutifully strides towards you, the ponies in the crowd hurrying to move out of her warpath. When she finally stands before you, her demeanor seemingly cold and unyielding, her features soften. With her left hoof she reaches towards an object wrapped in cloth born on a silver trolley by one of the guards.

“Nova I…” Her eyes shut, her brow tense as she indicates the trolley. With a haggard sigh she unwraps the object, and presents it to you.

It’s a single bloody PipBuck.

[Input] Ask what happened.

In your dulled state, under the weight of looming panic and anxiety, your heart thundering in your chest, the words only come out in a tumultuous fashion.

"I… Who… W-what?"

You currently can barely even comprehend the insidious implications behind the simple device sitting before you, the one stained a sickening dark shade of crimson. The Overseer simply watches you with pity in her eyes, the sorrow evident in her aging features, the wisps of her stark white mane hanging loosely.

“Sargent Leap Year died in the line of duty. At 0800 this morning her clandestine scouting mission into the world outside… Fell under attack from an unknown faction. Her partner escaped with his life, and this proof, before succumbing to his own wounds.”

While before the room was deadly silent, ponies began to turn to one another and whisper amongst themselves. You caught snippets through the haze of denial that began to grip you. “… scouting? Should we even be leaving the va-…” “… I knew something was going-…” “She always was trying to start-…” However each trail of conversation was lost on you, you only had eyes and thoughts for the PipBuck before you. No matter how you tried to make it cease existence, the ownership was unmistakable. The pink and yellow flowered stickers that adorned its surface, even if they were now coated in a substance that inspired a bitter chill in your chest, you knew the truth.

[Input] Drink to not have to deal with this.

You are gripped by madness, the fear and depression bouncing around your skull in equal measure, each time they strike a wave of shattering emotional pain. The only answer, you decide, is to drink it away. No one stops you as you turn away from the overseer, water streaking down the fur of your face in straight lines. No one stops you as you slam in your digits on the keypad of the dispenser after having placed your bottle into the holder, the machine quickly adhering to your impetuous request by refilling it to the brim. No one stops you as you shakily grab the bottle, the contents spilling over the side and splattering to the floor as you chug the entire thing. As the fire in your stomach, your throat, your mouth, and in your head burns your thoughts clean, your last though is of your sister as you hear your body crumpling to the floor.

“Anyways… Love you lil bro. I’ll see you tomorrow."

Your dreams are empty and swirling in nature, dark echos chaining together endlessly in your thoughts. Many hours later, you wake with a start. You crane your head slowly to the side before a splitting headache stabs your consciousness like a dagger. A few gasps of breath later and a scrunch of the muzzle, you are able to open an eye a sliver of the way. You’re back in your room. Your sisters cleaned PipBuck sits on a table to your side.

[Input] Check your sisters PipBuck for details.

While your thoughts swim in your head through the darkness that threatens to consume you, a few manage to break through to the surface. The primary one being simple. Answers. You decided you weren’t going to sit idly by and mope, she wouldn’t have wanted that. You were going to get some answers. You pick up the PipBuck and clip it to your arm, fixing the few clasps and straps into place, the metal cold against your bare fur. Your stomach protested as your mind idly reminded you of recent events, but you quickly suppressed them as you turned the device on, a tiny hum whirring to life deep within the circuitry. A familiar boot screen greeted you, it was one that you had seen your sister tinker with many a time. However, there was something different about the device now. As you flicked the rotary wheel on the side and poked the few buttons, you could see that the device had been formatted, completely returned to factory default. You sign as you scroll through the empty screens, their contents no longer filled. In a way, it was the second time you were crushed. You had hoped that at least a part of her would have been saved in the data of the PipBuck… A snapshot of her soul… Your emotions build in the corners of your eyes as you feel yourself slipping again, your chest tightening as breathing becomes hard. Closing your eyes you fall against the blankets of your bed, letting the comfort of their warmth cradle you. A few memories of your sister set at the edge of you memory… You let them come.

Days spent in the library with her, trading back and forth jokes over a particular book you had been assigned for class… That one time you both lounged in the simulated rain of the farming wing, hiding from your steward, letting naught a care in the world tinge the solace you shared in each other’s company. The week after mother passed… When both of you supported each other, acting as the foundation of strength that kept you going. There were few words to perfectly equate the bond you two shared as siblings, and now that she was gone the ones you would have used no longer held a point. No longer held meaning.

”Nova… What do you think about the outside world?”

“Huh?”

“You know, Equestria… What do you think about it?”

”Well the records say it was reduced to ash…”

“Do you think it’s stayed that way?”

”… I dunno. Probably not.”

“Well, I want to see it.”

“Why?”

“I just do. I think I’m going to volunteer for guardship tomorrow.”

“What does that have to do with seeing Equestria?”

“You’ve heard the rumors. Guards get sent out sometimes. I want to be one of them.”

”Well… I won’t stop you… But promise me you’ll stay safe.”

She giggles and bats your ear lightly.

Lier. She couldn’t keep that promise. And she didn’t.

You sigh into the dark of your room, emerging from the memories. The world didn’t make sense anymore. Things like this just didn’t happen in the Stable… Even though it directly affected you, you couldn’t help but feel disconnected on some level. Like it was all a dream. You lift your hoof again to stare at the PipBuck… You sit and inspect every facet of its surface, the blood from your memory randomly shifting into your vision, even though it was completely clean. You would never forget something like that for as long as you lived. Your eyes traced every line, the curve of every button, the shape of that obscured switch, the dim glow of it’s ligh- Wait, what? A switch? PipBucks don’t have switches. You jump up in bed, studying it closely. Yup, it was definitely a switch, insignificant, miniscule, and hidden amongst the many features of the PipBuck. It was most certainly a modification… But for what purpose? Slowly, you reach out and toggle it. Your PipBucks screen clears and is replaced with six underscores. “_ _ _ _ _ _”. A password of some sort? But… Why? And for what? You investigate the rest of the hull of the PipBuck, but ultimately find nothing. Huh… Maybe there was hope yet.

[Input] Go see Morning about the switch.

You decide to go see Morning Haste about the secret switch on the PipBuck. If anyone were to know anything about what it was, and why it was there, and how to get past the screen, it would probably be Morning. Shakily you clamber out of bed, your Stable suit still adhered to your skin. As your hooves thud against the floor, a wave of dizziness washes over you, causing you to hold yourself steady with a hoof on a wall. As the feeling subsides you slowly make your way out of the room, noting your disheveled appearance in the mirror on your way, the glow of the small green box strapped to your arm giving your features an eerie light. Once past the threshold of your cube apartment, you turn towards the atrium, and step by step you lug your uncoordinated body towards your goal. Ponies at first seemed to be blatantly ignoring you, passing around you without nary a word or glance, but from the hairs on the back of your neck you could tell that they are watching you. With pity, sorrow, maybe even resentment, but it didn’t matter to you. You heard the hushed whispers they spewed to each other. Why did the popular sister die and the unknown brother live? Whatever. Fuck them. Those ponies knew nothing, not one bit. As you trot into Mornings room, you let out a sigh of relief. The creepy stares and silence as you passed ponies was beyond unnerving. Morning looked up from his work at you, his face contorting in insecurity. Before you let him puzzle out a meaningless expression of condolence, you explained why you were here.

“A… Modified PipBuck? Let me see that.” Deftly he works the machine off of your arm, twisting it every which way and that, studying the exterior. As he tested what you told him, flicking the switch for himself to see the effects, he rambled incoherently to himself as he postulated what exactly it was. After plugging in his own PipBuck, he nodded and mumbled “Aaaaa… I see.”

”See what?”

He glances up to you before looking back. “First off, don’t show this to anyone Nova. I’m not sure why, but your sister went to some pretty extraordinary lengths to make these illegal modifications…”

”Yes, of course, and?”

“Well, there’s another drive. Encrypted, and hidden, but it’s there. I’d take a wild guess and say it’s only a few notes or some such, as I don’t think it’s that much data… But it exists.”

You breathed a sigh of relief. This was wonderful news.

[Dialogue] Ask if he can access it.

”Well, can you break into it?” You add hopefully.

“Not in a million years.”

And like that, you were back to square one.

“But hey, at least the password is six characters. Do you know of any phrase she used often?”

You search your memory and try to think of something, but no, there was never anything like that about her. Especially not only six characters. At least, nothing that you could currently think of.

[Input] Search Leap Year's room for clues.

You decide that the best place to find the possible password would be to look through her room in the female quarter of the living quarter. Thanking Morning after swearing him into secrecy, you take your leave and wander back the residential section of the Stable. Thoughts plagued your mind as you walked. What kind of information would you find in that encrypted volume? What kinds of things would your sister have that was so important to hide? Why would she hide such a thing from you, as well? What if you never found the password out? There were too many questions, and not enough answers, and every step of the past few days has only seemed to lead you to very unbalanced ratio of those two things. Minutes passed and you once again were back from whence you came, instead of this time you were in front of your sister’s door. The simple scrap of paper adhered to the metal with a simple glue bond a long time ago displayed your sister’s initials. With a heavy heart you push the door open and enter. You weren’t worried what other ponies thought, especially about you being in the female quarter. The only one who seemed like she was going to interject stopped when she saw what door you were heading towards.

With a flick of the light switch, the recycled bulb blanketed the room in a fake cover of sunlight. You let your eyes roam the room, studying each feature. You had only been in here a few times, and those had only been when you were a foal, afraid of the nightmares you would sometimes sneak in here and cuddle against her. You miss those days. You take stock of the furniture in the room. There is a dresser, a simple bed, there are a few assorted items on the dresser, and there is a chest in the corner as well. Apart from those and a wall mirror, there wasn’t much in the room to take note of in the first place.

[Input] Search the contents of the dresser, the back of the chest, and the mirror.

You decide to check the content of the dresser first. Maybe there would be a note of some sort, or some other such clue that would give you a hint on how to open the PipBuck and avenge the memory of your sister. One by one you open the drawers, there are four in total. In the top one you find a few pairs of differently colored socks, as well as a few other… Things. In the second drawer you find a few Stable suits, nothing out of the ordinary there. You make sure to shift the clothes are to be extra sure there’s nothing tucked in, around, or behind them. In the third drawer you find a single beautiful white dress. A hand-me-down of your mothers… You leave it be. In the fourth and final drawer you find a few pairs of military boots, standard issue for members of the guard. You decide to check the back of the chest next. Shoving the heaving block of metal to the side you find nothing but dust and lint. Of course it was like Leap to never clean… You giggle. Sometimes she was just so lazy… Was… Was. You sigh and continue to the next object. The mirror was regular as well, almost every Stable room came with one. Besides a few scratches on the surface the mirror was perfectly fine. However, you unhook it from the wall and set it to the side… Jackpot. There was a locked safe with an 8 digit tumblr… Well, shit.

[Input] Check the chest.

Since you are without powerful explosives, professional hacking tools, and a small time of a million years to brute force your way through the Tumblr into the solid steel safe, you decide to check the chest. Or at least you thought it was solid steel. Two assumptions could definitely be made about the safe from your perspective. First, the safe was solid. Next, it was probably steel. Or a steel based derivative. … Wait, what even would a steel based derivative be? Maybe you should have paid more attention in school… Leaving the tough questions to the gods you decide to ponder upon the chest instead. Prodding the lid with a hoof, you find that it isn’t locked. And with a strong heft later, it lays open before you. Inside is an assortment of a few objects… Toys it would seem. From your childhood, in fact. A familiar cube you used to play with, an old doll, and a faded hoofmade card that you had laboriously crafted for your sister on one of her birthdays… It would seem that she had saved a few things she had deemed important to her.

[Input] Check the card.

Why not relive some old memories? You reach into the chest and take out the faded red card. Cut out on the front are two small stick figures that only vaguely resemble you and your older sister standing together. You were certainly the Van Neigh of your time, the art was exceptional. Exceptionally bad. A sensible chuckle later you flip open the card and read inside. There is a single pressed rose that you stealthily stole from the garden preserve in the Stable, (Really the garden mares just pretended not to notice you.) and a handwritten “Hapi Berthday Leap!” in crayon. It would seem the only thing you were capable of spelling correctly was your sister’s name. You smile, reminiscing in times long since passed. And, oddly enough, you remember when you had made this card. You also remember the picture you had taken with her, and the custom made frame that had gone along with it… Where had that run off to? You shrug, it was probably around here somewhere. Looking at the card you note the age of the paper. It had been many a year since it was created.

[Input] Search under the bed.

Tucking the card safely into your satchel, you look around the room again. There were only a few places left that you had yet to check. Having already ransacked the chest and the drawers of your sisters cabinet, that left only under the bed and the few assorted trinkets on the top of a nightstand. Deciding to search the former first, you fall to the floor with a harrumph, your hooves sliding along the chilly metal floor. As you peer under her bed, you see nothing of note besides a few dust ponies. Hmph. Oh well.

[Input] Search the stand.

Well, there was only one other place to look. With a grunt you bounce from the floor into the air, landing majestically on your hooves. It actually looked quite silly, like a startled cat that just had its tail attacked. If anypony had been watching your little show of acrobatics they probably would have laughed, but thankfully you would be spared the embarrassment as you were alone. Two hoofsteps later and you stood before your sister’s nightstand. There was a single wooden brush, its tonsils worn from the years of constant use, and an empty frame, its photo slot empty… Which struck you as odd, your sister was never one to leave things half done. However the frame was dated with a small engraving October 23, 2077… Your birthday. It must have been a hoof-me-down from your mother… A frame was made per pony on upon their birth.

[Input] Use your birthdate on the safe.

Hmm… Maybe if you used the date of your birth on the safe? It was currently the only 8 digit number you currently had, so hell, might as well try. Quickly snatching it up you trot back to the wall, for some reason lightly knocking the mirror on the way, almost as if you felt like punching it… Weird. As you stood before the safe you methodically clicked in each of the numbers. 10232077. KERCHUNK. The noise startles you slightly and you take a pace back as the safe slowly swings open. Curiosity gets the better of you, and soon you’re peering into the murky dark. You find… Oh my god… Holy… How? How did? Whaaaat? It was… A single photograph. You chuckle and pluck it off the cold metal. It was a photo of you and your sister on her twentieth. Your smile was large and encompassing, bright and smiley in your youth. Your sister was a bit more tame however, her countenance complemented by her iconic half grin. Flipping the aged photo there was a small inscription in sharpie. “Lil Bro”. You paused, your heart skipping a beat at the painful resurfacing of the truth.

[Input] Use the phrase on the PipBuck.

As you study her nickname for you you pause… Lil Bro… Little Bro… It was 6 digits in length. Could something so simple really be the password she had set on the PipBuck? You take a seat on the simple bed, raising your hoof and the device to bring it closer to study. Flipping the small switch the screen flickers back to the six simple dashes. Using the numbered pad on the side that had small inscribed characters underneath each of the digits, you input each symbol bit by bit. Soon the screen only stated “L̲I̲L̲B̲R̲O̲”, the pixels a shiny green. Hesitantly you pressed the enter button…

The screen cleared completely as you did so, showing a completely black interface. Oh no… Did I just break it? Nova wondered to himself, a small panic instilling itself in his heart. His worry quickly subsided however as the screen roared to life with activity. Lines of text swam before his eyes, complex algorithms, binary, and hexadecimal clashed on the small box, all vying for his attention. At last the chaos subsided, and a few lines were output to the small screen.

Log 1

Further logs locked until possible criteria and conditions met.

[Input] Check the first log.

Using the dials on the side of the PipBuck you highlight the first option and select it. The screen clears to a simple line of text. “Checking… No one around. 1 life form detected. Criteria met. Playing.” It’s replaced with a progress bar, showing how soon until the clip finished. It becomes obvious that it is a clip that is playing in the next few moments, as the speakers start to output a low static filled hum. You sit there for a while, listening to the empty silence before a voice you haven’t heard in a while begins to speak.

“Hello Nova.”

You stop breathing, your heart skipping another beat.

“I can only hope that you’re listening to this.”

You smile. You now had a photograph and a recording of your sister… Maybe she wasn’t completely lost to you. Now you had pieces of her to accompany your memories.

“I tried to put a few failsafe’s on there, things that I wish that in time you’ll be able to figure out. As best as I can figure it, this PHAT will reach you sooner or later. And when it does, you always were the inquisitive one between the two of us.”

You nod. She was right about that.

“There’s a lot that I want to tell you right now, but most of it would be speculation. Hell, this message is not even supposed to reach anyone, it’s a ‘what if’. The plan B.”

Plan B? Were you the plan B then?

“First off, if you’re listening, there’s a few things you need to know right now. You cannot trust anyone in the Stable. Do you understand? No one. Not a single pony.”

W…. What?

“Now that that’s established, you can trust one. Golden Dove. She may be old, but she’s old for a reason. I think. I think you can trust her. And really, she’s your best bet. Because I need you to do something for me.”

You gulp, your mind hanging off of every word.

“I need you to get out of Stable 144 as soon as you can.”

Your mind grinds to a standstill, empty and unfocused. What? L-leave the Stable?

“… I love you bro.”

With an audible beep the log comes to an end, the screen refreshing to the simple “Log 1” and the statement of “Further logs locked until possible criteria and conditions met.”. You sit in the silence of the room, trying to understand.

[Input] Go talk to Golden Dove.

You sit in the silence of your sisters room. Confusion and heartache were you only friends it seemed anymore… But you weren’t going to let such things weigh you down. If there was a mystery surrounding the demise of your sibling, by Celestia you were going to unravel it. You toggle the switch back, the screen resuming its normal assistant functions, the inventory list updated with your newfound card and photograph. Before trotting out of the room you close and reset the safe, replacing the mirror over it. If you couldn’t trust anypony, you had to be careful. You smack the lightswitch on your way out, returning the room to the darkness it would probably keep for a long time. The resounding hiss of the hydraulic door as it closed behind you barely registered in your determined mind. Each step clacking against the steel as you made your way to the library. You had a mare to talk to, and her name wa- Oof! The air escaped your lungs are you bumped harshly into Morning Haste. Standing up and dusting yourself off Morning laughed idly.

[Dialogue] You bump into Morning.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry Nova? I’m surprised you’re even walking straight after how much you drank!” He smiled, watching you.

Ah, sorry Morning. Didn’t mean to run into you. I’m sort of unhinged right now…

“Oh?” He replied inquisitively. “What’s wrong Nova?”

He paused and cringed however. "Ah... Sorry. Forgot."

It’s… It’s okay. You add a slight stutter to your voice, your sister’s words echoing through your mind about not trusting ponies. You couldn’t raise suspicion… At least not yet. I was just going to the library to get a few books… Get my mind off of things.

Morning nods hastily, obviously embarrassed over his blunder. “Oh y-yeah of course. Have fun with that. And uh mate… If there’s anything more you need… Let me know, alright?”

Will do… But I think I may need to be alone for a while…

Haste is again quick to agree, his eyes bashful. “Y-yeah of course. Anyways, seeya-“ And with that he quickly scampered off. If there was anything about your friend Morning, it was that he despised confrontation. In all forms. And the thought that he might have possibly instigated some was probably too much for the antisocial colt. You watch him go before shifting your bag back onto your neck, your mind refocused on the task at hoof. Recommencing your original mission you continue on your way, soon coming to the library.

It would seem that it was nighttime, at least for the Stable, as the library was empty. In the corner Dove dozed in a small cushioned chair, her snoozes echoing throughout the rows of dusty tomes. A small prod on the shoulder later and she pepped up, her wizened hooves readjusting the glasses hanging from a strap onto her neck back over her eyes.

[Dialogue] Talk with Golden Dove.

“W-who… Oh, Nova. Hello dearie.” Her eyes filled with pity upon recognizing you she chooses her next words carefully. “What do you need son?”

"Do you remember what my mother was like?"

“Oh… Now that’s a rough question… Hrm…” Golden paused for a moment. “Well… Before the sickness took her mind she was always the cheery sort. The first to help out another pony… The first to give to others if she could.” Golden smiled wistfully as she stared into the air, the memories floating through her head like the tune of an old record. You had to clap your hooves to bring her back. “O-oh sorry, drifted off there for a moment. Anything else?”

"Golden… Can you tell me about her sickness again?"

“Oh… Well, it was only speculation at the time, but the doctor of the Stable way back then thought it was some sort of hysteria set on from losing your father… Alzheimer’s coupled with a breakdown had nasty results. I wouldn’t worry though hun, the likelihood of you being affected genetically is slim to none.” She gave a reassuring smile at that, resting a hoof on your shoulder in a gesture of support.

"Golden… Did you know my sister well?"

She pauses for a moment before chuckling. “You knew her Nova, you know better than anypony that she was rough to everyone but you. A lil spitfire that one. But, she was always respectful to me if that’s what you’re asking.”

"Golden, do you mind if we talk privately, I have something important to ask you…"

She nods and smiles, “Of course Nova.” Ushering you into a side room in the library, the door closes behind her with an audible click. She waits expectantly.

"I just… I need to know what happened to my sister Golden. I need to know the full story… And I’m going to learn it."

Her eyes once again filled with pity as she laid her hoof on your shoulder again. “Nova… I know it’s hard to accept things… But you need to do so to heal.”

"Golden, I can't just drop this. I need to know. Leap was the only blood family I still had...and I know, if the tables were turned, she'd have done anything to find out about what happened to me."

Golden sighed heavily, running a hoof through her wizened hair. “Well, you could always just and go talk to the Overseer dontcha know. She’s the one who organized the expedition, she can fill you in on it.”

You grow determined. "What is L2?" You bluntly ask. All tact leaving you in the blink of an eye.

Golden freezes, her face growing paler. Her knees seem to wobble a bit before her resolve returns to her. “How do you know that name?” She whispers harshly to you, her eyes glancing at the door to check that it was closed.

"That's not important. What do you know about it?" You retort.

Golden eyes you warily before sighing again. “Nova… some answers cost a price. Are you so determined that you’d be willing to sacrifice this? What you have here?” Her hoof swung wide and indicated the walls of the Stable. In that instant Golden was acting in a way you’d never seen before… Something other than nice.

You slam your hoof on the ground, renewed vigor surging through your veins. "Yes. For my sister, I’d damn well do anything."

Golden looked at your for a good long while, seemingly judging something about you. She clears her throat with a few coughs before turning around and walking to the door. As her hoof touches the doorknob she pauses. “In the event of a full computer meltdown… The access codes reset to 7331 temporarily… Do with that information what you will.” She turns the knob but stops again, adding something in an afterthought. “… We all make sacrifices Nova. Mine was willful ignorance. Forgive me.” And with that, she leaves the room.

[Input] Use the codes at the terminal.

You leave the room and quickly gallop to the terminal. Time was of the essence, they would be checking rooms soon to make sure that curfew was being met. Logging in to the terminal, you quickly mash in the first code, “7472”. The terminal responds predictably, same as it did last time. “L2.” You try the next code. “7331”. This time it returns with “Default.” Damn, nothing new. Golden had told you they would only work when there was a meltdown.

[Input] Cause a meltdown.

Now here was something that you were good at. You knew from your fiddling in your younger days the limits of the AI core. It was smart, but it wasn’t that smart… A far stone’s throw from even the intelligence level of a housecat. You pause for a moment and consider what would mess up the system. From memory paradoxes always caused the longest outages. You smile to yourself and type out a simple phrase. “The next sentence is true. The previous sentence is false.” The terminal sits silently before you, doing nothing. And before it seemed like nothing had happened, the lights of the Stable clicked off, before resuming a few seconds later in a low red. Success.

[Input] Go to the armory.

You sprint out of the library. You would only have so long before the Stable ponies began to react to the meltdown. Generally, ponies by now knew how to handle it and would restrain themselves from devolving into chaos. As you gallop through the atrium and into the left wing however, things stray slightly from plan… And by stray slightly, they actually go haywire. As you turn the corner into the left wing you run into the Overseer and the entire retinue of armed guard ponies. She stops, the surprise evident on her face. “Nova? What’s going on? Is everypony okay?” Crap. Think fast.

[Input] Distraction.

You pause for a splitsecond as you consider what to say. Shakily, you blurt out the words. “I was walking back to my room when I heard an explosion from the work wing!” The Overseer gasps and motions to the guards. “Nova, go back to your room, guards, on me!” With that the small squadron and the Overseer almost run over you on their way to the work wing at full gallop. As they round the far corner of the Atrium you are left alone again.

[Input] Go to the armory.

If you were going to find things out, and if Golden was acting the way she was… Whatever secret these Stable ponies were keeping or weren’t was probably dangerous. After a moments consideration you decide it best to get some form of protection. Not to hurt anypony, god no, but to protect yourself… If you had to. Of course. You weren’t a monster pony like in children’s storybooks. You were an adult who knew that things could be dangerous sometimes. Quickly you dart off down the left wing, sliding to a halt in front of the armory door. Punching in the numbers 7331 the light on the keypad switches from red to green and you hear the click of the door handle. Rushing inside and flipping the switch you bathe the room in a dull red, giving it an eerie quality. Quelling your fears you observe your surroundings. There were several lockers around the room labeled with names of particular guard ponies, and on the far wall was an equipment cabinet. As you gallop up to it, you find… A lock. That had been left unlocked! Success. They were probably in a rush to get suited, silly guard ponies. You open the cabinet, only to see a few supplies had been left. Not success. In their rush they suited with pretty much everything. Quickly you tally the things in the cabinet. There’s a pony pistol 9, or pp9 (Oooh shiny~), a box of an unknown ammo count, and… A helmet. No armor. Just a helmet. Welp, at least your brilliant brain would be protected if it ever came down to it. You pick up and toss every single item before you into your satchel and shut the door. … What next? You ask yourself. Odd. Why are you asking yourself things? You know what to do! And what you want to do that you know you want to do issss…

[Input] Go to the Overmare’s office.

Ah, of course! If there was any place with secrets it was probably the HQ. You give yourself a small back hoof pat for being so smart. Good on you Nova! As you barrel back out in the hallway you swerve to the right and resume your thievery run. Onwards to the Overmare’s office! One booped keypad later and you found yourself in the Overmare’s office. A clean and business like room, there were several filling cabinets and assorted papers atop a few tables set into the four steel walls of the room. It smelt of dust and age to you… Did the cleaning crew ever go through this room? You observe a few more key points in the room. On the adjacent wall to you there were several green screens dutifully glowing and glittering in the dark… You reason that the first place to receive the backup generators power was probably this room. Huh. Makes sense. In the middle was a crescent moon desk, clustered with writing utensils, clipboards, and official looking documents. Set into the wood of the desk was a green glowing keyboard… Fancy.

[Input] Check the terminals.

Seating yourself in the chair behind the desk you scoot yourself into a comfortable position and check the large screen. Luckily, it would seem that the Overseer had left it unlocked in mid work. It was a simple document about the stable’s food plan. Declaring it booooooring, you close it and inspect her private data menus. There was a myriad of options… Too much information and too little time. You had to be selective about what you chose to read.

[Security]

[Ledger]

[Log]

[Personal]

[Input] Check security.

Security, for sure. You had to check up on the status of the Stable brigade… You had already spent 10 or so minutes going from place to place. Managing your time wisely was of the essence now for this plan to work. A thought rattled in the back of your mind, what happened when they didn’t find an explosion? Maybe… Oh well, better not to think of that right now. You could NovaTM your way out of that sticky situation if and when it happens. As you cursor over the security option the screen refreshes with a new plethora of options. Nightmare fuckin moon just how much was there to sift through on this one terminal?

[Camera]

[Lockdown]

[System Status]

[Doors Control]

[Alarms Control]

[Input] Check cameras.

Hrm. Maybe it would be a good idea to check the cameras, to get a good grasp on the situation at hoof. That would probably help you feel a bit better about what was going on in the Stable at the moment, and more importantly the work wing sector of it. You select the input and the screen before you roars to life in a flurry of activity. Each monitor integrated into the wall is replaced with a stuttering live feed of different sections of the Stable. A few minutes of acclimating with the controls later and you are navigating the Stable like a pro, a true eye in the sky. And by sky, really just the ceiling. Rerouting the screens to the lone camera in the work wing, you assess the situation. It would seem that there were teams of two guard ponies posted outside of the AI core, research lab, engineering, and even the reactor. Marching from room to room was a smaller squad of ponies, accompanying the overmare on her warpath. It would seem she was doing a little assessing of her own. As best as you could figure they were checking the rooms one by one… And by the countenance of the overmare, the results were leaving her either confused, or extremely angry. It would seem you were soon to be running out of time… You notice that the outline in the wall that corresponded to L2 was still closed and featureless as ever, and the ponies with the overmare seemed to either be ignoring it, or unaware of its existence. From the camera it even appeared to be just a blank wall, but you knew better.

[Input] Check the alarms.

Nova reminds himself that knowing where the ponies are is pointless if he can’t do anything about it. Sure, it may give him situational awareness, but he needed to use the advantage he currently had while he had it. There was no telling when the overmare would see through your lie and come looking for the truth. Leaving the screens on the left side of the main screen set to the camera, you toggle the main screen back to the previous menu and select the alarms option. Time to see what surprises you had in store... A few seconds later and you stare at the selection before you, weighing your choices.

[Disable All Alarms]

[Toggle Fire Alarms]

[Toggle Lockdown Alarms]

[Toggle Reactor Alarm]

[Input] Toggle the reactor alarm.

You take a deep gulp as you steel yourself. You were about to cause a whole lot of trouble, at least for the ponies of the work wing… Your entire life you had generally been a good pony, despite the odd bits of adolescent bad choices of course, (Such as the pantry raid for snacks.) but no one would label you as a “trouble maker.” But… There were some things that you had to know, and you were willing to do anything to achieve them. Hopefully this was all one big misunderstanding and the truth would bring understanding and peace. Tentatively yet decisively you toggle the reactor alarm. While you were unable to hear the sound through the many walls of solid steel between you and the work wing, the effect was immediately apparent on the camera screens. Each of the guard ponies jumped and looked to each other in confusion. The light attached to the door above the reactor room had turned a bright shade of yellow and was spinning quickly, strobing the hallway in a blindingly quick fashion. The overmare was the first to respond, darting out of the research lab that she had been in. A few hoof motions later she, an escort of a team of guard ponies, and a small group of engineers followed after her quickly into the reactor room.

[Input] Lock the reactor.

Well… You had the advantage currently… You had to press it. Even if it meant doing things you weren’t going to be proud of later. This may be a crucial point in your life, and you weren’t going to let it go without at least trying to pursue it with all your might first. Switching over to the doors control menu you toggle the bolt locks on the door of the reactor. An override could only be implemented on the overmare’s terminal or hacked from the inside, but either way you had bought yourself some time as the ponies inside wouldn’t notice until they tried to leave, which would probably be at the same time they figured out the reactor alarm was a ruse. The rest of the guard ponies that were still in the hallway however still presented a problem…

[Input] Toggle the engineering alarm.

You study the feed from the cameras. There were still six guard ponies at their posts in the hallway, and they would have to be dealt with before you could focus on anything else. Deftly you navigate the system to the fire alarm menu, a pixelated map of the Stable drawn on the screen before you line by line. Tilting your head slightly you make sense of the orientation of the map before finally selecting engineering. It would seem that your reign of invisible terror had not yet met its end, as more havoc was required to be wrought before you were comfortable with your situation. One inquisitive poke later and the fire alarm in the engineering room mysteriously found itself switched on. The shrieking noise caused the guard ponies to jump and look to each other with even more confusion than before. Whether it was a fault or a merit of their strict training would remain to be seen, but the guard ponies snapped to attention after a momentary lapse in focus. Quickly the remaining guards formed up and dashed into the engineering room to evaluate the damage.

[Input] Lock engineering.

You sigh as you considered what had to be done. These ponies had to be dealt with so you could continue unhindered… At least for a while. There was no telling how long it would take engineering and science ponies to break out of the rooms they had been unwillingly confined too, but every minute was a minute more for you to do as you needed. As the screen displayed a confirmation notification on locking the engineering door, you let out a second exhalation. At this rate your lungs would run out of air you remark to yourself internally. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, you were unsure of just how much time you had just bought for your misdeeds, but every second still needed to be spent wisely. But at least now you had some breathing room. Or, rather, sighing room.

[Input] Check the cams.

To get a better grasp on what was happening around the Stable, you switch the terminal back to the camera menu and change a few of the screens to different areas so that you could remain aware of what was happening around the Stable. Setting one of the screens to the reactor you ascertain that the overmare and the engineers were still gauging what exactly was wrong with it. You couldn’t even begin to imagine the confusion when they ultimately found nothing… Maybe they would pass it off as a false positive? The situation in engineering was radically different however, as the engineer ponies and guard ponies were in a small semi-circle, apparently discussing what exactly was going on. It must have been pretty easy to tell that there was no fire in the room right away. Finally, you set toggle a screen to give you a view of the hallway outside of the overmares office. Empty. Just as you had hoped.

[Input] Check personal.

Welp. It would seem that your miscreant ways hadn’t met their end yet. Traversing your way back to the root level of the terminal you select the personal file storage. Were you really going to pilfer through the private matters of an old pony? Especially the old pony in the highest position of power in the Stable? You could probably create excuses for the other things that you had done, but what about this? This absolute violation of somepony else’s basic rights? … You shrug. Oh well, sucks to suck. One keyboop later and rights were violated. The new screen offered a few options. There was only so much storage on this terminal, so it followed that there would only be a few files as well. On a whim you decide to look the terminal over for a PipBuck port, but to your dismay it would seem that the security level required of the terminal had left it portless, unable to be tapped into without either advanced technical knowhow, or a few industrial power tools. Both of which you had a current distinct lack of.

[Concerns about part acquisition.email]

[Council meeting 415.log]

[Diary 23.txt]

[Schedule.calendar]

[Input] Check "Council Meeting 415.log"

Ah, of course! The council meeting log. Now that peaked your interest a fair amount… Opening the file you scroll through the lines of text, trying to pick out the juicy tidbits… Only there wasn’t really any. It was just a boring transcription of a Stable council meeting. While the Stable didn’t have any particular system of government, there was a council of the oldest ponies in the Stable that gathered to decide on difficult matters that occurred. It made sense that the Overmare would keep something like this saved on her terminal though, probably to go over it in the future for details or as a reminder of sort. Or maybe even liability, if things of major importance were said during the meeting. As your eyes scan over the structured pixels, you spot a few… oddities. Nothing really major, but things that peak your curiosity.

Red > So… Are we going to discu-

Blue > It’s been resolved.

Red > ...

Yellow > Part performing as expected?

Blue > Even better.

Green > Good.

Red > Was it… worth it?

Blue > We’ve been over this.

Red > So let’s fucking go over it again.

Green > It’s done. It’s over.

Red > … I don’t like this.

Yellow > You never have.

Green > I have reservations to, but it’s for the good of the Stable.

Red > … Whatever.

Yellow > Meeting adjourned?

Blue > Adjourned.

[Input] Check “Concerns about part acquisition.email”

Hmm… What was this about a part? Your curious hoofs hungered to know more, and you did little to stop their rapacious warpath as they opened up the email file. You frown slightly as you’re met with a relatively small email log. The correspondence looked innocent enough, and was a simple discussion over about the weather… Until your eyes catch the subject line. There was a single word. “Tricks3”. Hmm… You look at the correspondence again, but closer this time. The conversation contained a few grammatical errors, really inconspicuous in the grand scheme of things, but your mischievous years resurfaced in your mind and you realized what this was. The emails were a front. Or at least the text was. There was an old trick for simple encryption in the Stable’s prank book. You remember many a time building a simple popper to scare somepony, or a simple tripwire for hilarious hijinks. Really, they should have confiscated that book long ago. With the trick and passphrase in mind, you study the text on the screen before you intently, methodically piecing together what lurked below… Soon, you had an answer.

0:

confirmed viable

date scheduled

meeting soon

1:

concerned

worth it

possible betrayal

0:

no time

only chance

no going back

1:

understood

regret

requesting swap

0:

denied

too old

end of discussion

[Input] Check “Diary 23.txt”

And third on your list was of course the diary of the Overmare. The Overmare herself kept a diary… You shrug. She was only equestrian. Even Overmares had personal lives. Her personal life just happened to be very very confusing and secretive. One violation of the right to privacy and you had the diary listed out before you on the screen, your eyes gleaming the saucy secrets from the flickering lines.

Diary 23

    Things are getting… Stressful. To say the least. The council is aware of the problem, and thankfully the solution, but every time we come to this there’s always… Friction. Which is understandable, I think, but still, unneeded tension in the Stable is exactly that. Frivolous. It seems that over time we only grow more divided when what we need is to unify.

    I’m tired. Really, tired. This job is a night mare sometimes. People like what you do, and they don’t. But they never know how hurtful it is to be the one to call the shots, especially when they’re difficult ones to call. I might retire soon. I don’t know. Maybe. Would they even let me retire? The council is stubborn. Bringing in new ponies is a security risk. So, probably not.

    Meeting is tomorrow. Council is almost done organizing things. If there’s anything I ask in the name of Celestia, its forgiveness. I don’t need strength. I lost that long ago. Sometimes I think I’m just a shell waving her hoof about. Hmm.

End Diary

[Input] Check log and cameras.

It strikes you that checking the logs may be a helpful choice. Eyeing the cameras first you see that the ponies in engineering were beginning to work on the door, while the ponies in the reactor had already began. Not good. The security system of the Stable was pretty well made, but it was to keep monsters out, not ponies in. There was no telling how much time you had left until they broke out and came to find answers of their own. Scrolling to the log submenu you’re met with a long list of randomly noted occurrences around the Stable. Most of them are of relative unimportance to you, except for one…

[2034] : Maintenance fixed door 234.

[2035] : Warning, AI core power low.

[2036] : Lights in work wing need replacement.

[2037] : Council meeting.

[2038] : Food harvested.

[2039] : VDoor. Three enter. Four leave.

[2040] : Lights in work wing replaced.

[2041] : AI core power stable.

[2042] : Pantry restocked.

[2043] : Party for resident begun.

[2044] : Reactor alarm.

[Input] Check ledger.

You studied that for a while, only mildly curious by the entries. Resigning yourself to the fact that there was no further information to be gleaned you flip the terminal back to the main menu, and check the final unmolested entry, the ledger. Picking up a hoof you wiped at your eyes. They were starting to become strained from staring at the screen in the low light for so long… You were unused to this. Your eyes were more acclimated to staring at a book for hours on end, not some hunk of shiny photons. After a few rubs the strain abated, and you were able to focus back on the task before you, delving deep into somepony else’s computer. The ledger however was largely boring. Just a log of economic transactions, fluctuations, and deals within the Stable. It would seem that the Overmare also regulated the Stable’s economy, which made sense. Not everything in her terminal was bathed in secrecy and ambiguity it would seem.

[Input] Check door controls for "L2".

Hrm… Why hadn’t you thought of that earlier? Shaking your muzzle slightly you realize you’ve been too stressed out lately to think straight. One of these days, no matter what happened, you deserved a break of some sort. A pat on the back for putting forth so much effort. In consideration of current events however… You’d probably have to be the one to give yourself a pat on the back. Checking the door controls, you scroll through the lengthy catalog of every single door in the Stable… And near the bottom, you find it. “Restore L2 keypad.” The holy grail that you had been looking for. Now, you just had to find the covenant.

[Input] Unlock L2.

With pleasure you toggled the option to reveal the way into L2. However the reward was much less pleasing, a simple text snipped confirmed the success of the command and then… Nothing else. A door control was still just that, a simple door control. You sighed and pushed yourself away from the desk. Maybe now was a good time to leave- You stop before the monitors. The engineering ponies in the reactor, along with the Overmare and a few guards had finally broken out… And they were stomping down the work wing with a determined pace, the look of fury on the Overmare was beyond explanation. Oh shit.

[Input] Clear screens, run to storage, hide.

Jumping back to the desk you reset the terminal, logging the Overmare out. Unless she remembered that she hadn’t logged herself out, the terminal would look as normal as ever. Grabbing your satchel which you had slung over the back of the chair, you dash out of the room, giving a quick glance to the screens. The death squad was just round the corner into the atrium, and were soon to be in the left wing… Hopefully not as fast as you were though. As the door hissed closed behind you skipped across the small hallway, desperately pumping the code 7331 into the keypad. As the door opens, they round the corner at the far end of the hallway. Startled in the shock of being caught red hoofed, you see the Overmare pause as well, flanked by guards on either side, visible confusion on her face. She mouths something beyond your range of hearing, before finally shouting “NOVA, WHAT HA-“ The rest is cut off as you dart into the room and shut the door. Uh oh. Time to skedaddle. You were breathing heavily now, a rush of adrenaline pumping through your veins. You had never done anything this dangerous before… And there was no telling what could happen.

[Input] Run like hell.

Yup, that was probably for the best. Dodging your way through the rooms many nailed crates and stacks of assorted items, you eventually arrive out at the other side. Jamming the code in yet again, you roll out into the hallway… Only to the see the guard ponies arrive at the other end at the same time. One of them levels a gu- wait is he actually going to- OH SHIT. You throw yourself forwards to the floor, the bullet whizzing overhead as it pinged against the metal wall behind you. Oh fuck. The Overseer arrived in the next second, bucking the gun to the side as she screamed at him. Only catching a snippet of it “OU IDIOT-“ You decide to take advantage of the momentary lapse of judgement on their part. Hurtling yourself towards them the guard pony points and throws himself to the floor to scrabble for the gun. His preparing for defense was for naught however, as you veered right into the work wing before he could stand back up. The Overmare yelled after you again, but your hearing was blocked out by the thunderous pumping of your heart. No time missus Overmare, gotta go fast… Straight into the second herd of ponies. Shit. The team in engineering had also broken out, and were now staring at you oddly from the other end of the hall. No time for you either ponies, Nova had places to beeee. Sliding to a stop in front of a freshly appeared keypad next to the outline of L2, you punch in the code you had been using. 7331. Beeeeep. SHIT FUCK. Wrong code. Uh uh uh uh uh 747- Another bullet whizzes past you, a warning shot or really bad aim. SHIT. 2! The keypad beeps affirmatively. The wall slides back, and you run inside, slamming your hoof against the keypad on the opposite side, quickly locking the door.

You stand there for a second, wheezing as your lungs fought to hold more air. Fffffuck… You could already hear their muffled bangs on the other side of the door… They were probably trying to talk to you as well, but their voices were unable to penetrate the thick steel. … You didn’t have much time now.

[Input] Bust the keypad.

Of course… Thank Luna’s clopping mare hooves for your younger years of tomfoolery. Sometimes that knowledge was very useful. Knowing that if one keypad was busted the other would be broken as well, you quickly spin on your front hooves and buck the keypad with all of your adrenaline might, squashing the thin metal casing like it was nothing but a soda can. Sparks flew out as the wires inside frayed and crackled menacingly, but you took the loud death box as a good sign, you had probably just saved yourself some desperately need time, especially considering the ponies outside now had a bit of practice with hacking their way out of rooms…

[Input] Delve into L2.

Well… There was only one way left to go. And that was to enter “L2”. Turning away from the door you take stock of the situation. The situation turning out to be of course a staircase down into the bowels of the Stable. There was an engraved metal nameplate hanging above the staircase, the words “Level 2” juxtaposed between two downwards pointing arrows, the lettering engraved neatly on the surface. Well… That answered one of your questions. As your hooves clipped and clopped down the long staircase you had time to think to yourself… Or rather time to try to think and ignore the loud clanging against the door behind you. It set you on edge, anxiety sitting in a thick sludge in the pit of your stomach, its murky contents sloshing around with each step. If they were willing to shoot at you over trying to investigate a certain area… What did that mean? Have you just lost the only home you’ve ever known? Do they hate you now? There really were too many questions and too few answers. Too many choices and too many consequences. … What you wouldn’t give to be waking up a week ago. Those were good days, those were peaceful days. When ponies weren’t trying to kill you, the world made sense and wasn’t mysterious, and most of all you still had Leap… Fuck you missed her. You longed to hear her voice again. Pushing the thoughts to the side you resolved yourself. Thinking about it would only make it hurt more. You had better things to do right now, one of them being the exploration of level 2. Heh. Level 2. Almost as if it was a gam- you clinked off the last step into a semi-large room. On the far end was a gigantic Stable door, emblazoned with the number “144”.

T… There was a door? You had read the books of course, you knew how a Stable functioned and what it was for… But you had never in your life given it serious thought. There had never been any reason to. And now there was an actual 100 ton steel door staring you in the face. Shutting your muzzle from its gawking you surveyed the rest of the room. There was a small control panel on a dias facing the door, you could probably infer what that was. There was small room off to the side with several panels, and a single terminal, curious. There was a set of lockers on a wall, nothing new there. And finally, there was a rack of bomb collars. Wait… What? Your mind sluggishly registered what it was seeing. Mounted in the wall was a small rack of… Bomb collars. Neatly labeled.

“Bomb Collar 1, Bomb Collar 2, Bom-“ You grew sick. What kind of twist- beneath the collars were cages… Metal, steel, and intertwined wire… Pony sized, too. You tried to ignore the clumps of fur within them… And finally, there was a singular steel table situated next to a bucket. The table was slick red with dried blood. Hesitantly you looked inside the bucket, to find a single mauled hoof… A red hoof. A shudder ran its way through your body and you jumped away. You looked at your pipbuck and consequentially vomited on the floor, fear coursing through your body. Just what the actual fuck was going on here? There were things you had been prepared to handle, and things you weren’t… This was high on the list of not things… Emotions swirled within you, each screaming in your skull, vying for power. You wanted to run, you wanted to hide, cry, die, live, dream, sleep, give up, fall… It was hard to make sense of it all. Hard to return to being yourself. For the second time in a week you were forced to face the reality of the word you once thought was good. And to deal with it. Leap… Leap wouldn’t want this. One of the many emotions inside finally gained control. It was rage. Whoever did this was going to pay, somepony had to answer for this. Maybe not now… But one day. One day. Finally back in the game, you looked around. Time to act and choose your fate instead of letting it find you. There wasn't enough time for anything else.

[Input] Search the room.

You probably had some time to spare from the busted keypad, might as well make use of the room while you still could. Hmm… What about supplies? Your first choice for a prospective place to find useful items were the lockers on the wall. There were three in total, and each one opened with a soft click, thankfully unlocked. It would seem that Celestia was smiling upon you this day. Rifling through the lockers contents you found a few items of use. A police baton, another bottle of water, and a ration box. Hrm. Pitiful, but it was something none the less. You surveyed the rest of the room and found it lacking in hiding spots for treasure. What next?

[Input] Use the terminal.

Stepping into a small side office set into a wall, you trot past a few blinking whirring wall… Machines, and set yourself down at a terminal. Seems like you were using these a lot in these past few days. Who knew technology could be so darn nifty? As for the wall things, you had no idea. You could press buttons on a keyboard, but that was a whole nother level of expertise that you didn’t have an inkling about. Which you were completely fine with. Some ponies in the Stable were eggheads, but you never had been particularly proficient with tech… Hell, you’ve never been proficient with anything… Wonder why that is… Before your mind wandered any farther than it had, you clicked the terminal on with a boop. You said it out loud, more rather. It wasn’t the terminal that booped, but you. You had to lighten the mood somehow. Which of course didn’t last very long. The terminal opened to a set of detailed and dated logs… Which shed some light on everything you had ever thought to have known.

[Ruby Star traded for a water chip. 2266]

[Green Hoof traded for watermelon seeds. 2268]

[Morning Speed traded for spare parts. 2270]

[Leapyear traded for AI core replacement. 2277]

Ruby was a good friend of yours who had passed to pneumonia… Or so you had thought… Green Hoof was a colt in your class, Morning Speed was Haste’s last remaining family, his brother… And Leap… Oh god… Why? W-why… All ponies who had "died" in your memory where in the logs... Sold...

[Input] Look at the entries.

Swallowing, you steel yourself and take a closer look into the entries. First up was Ruby… A nice filly, about your age when she passed… Or should you say sold? Fucking monsters. She was a gardener, never hurt a soul, nicest filly you ever knew.

“2266: Water chip is failing. As per guidelines for Stable 144, contact was established with an outside faction through the use of a radio transmitter. Same faction as before, but due to a leadership change now spearheaded by “Toothfull.” A miscreant by any name, but he was aware of the bargain. Subject offered little resistance, trade went as planned, new water chip gained and installed. Stable function secured for years to come.”

… You sigh into the cold air. There was nothing you could do now. This was years ago.

“2268: Seeds for agriculture needed. Green Hoof, older resident, selected. An odd occurrence, but necessary. Too many young foals sold recently, need to keep population stable. Trade secured. Subject was weak, offered no resistance. Was aware of the Stable’s purpose. Complied accordingly. Seeds gained, function well, food stores stable.”

“2270: Spare parts required for maintenance. A request put in ironically by Speed’s younger brother, Haste. Speed then had a sudden fall down stairs. Tragic. Trade secured. Huge shipments of parts received. Subject offered great resistance. Leg broken as penalty. No further resistance offered. Toothful displeased with subject’s state, requests next one be younger. And female. Request considered.”

“2277: AI Core malfunction more than usual. Possible threat level high. Destabilization of AI could kill all of us. Contact established with Toothful few years earlier at first signs, part finally acquired today. Despite a party today, getting the part as soon as possible is needed. Trade secured. Subject offered resistance in the form of her PipBuck. Was modified. Was removed. No further resistance offered. Chip functioning perfectly.”

[Input] Open the door.

A few salty drops plop against the metal desk the terminal was situated on, but you barely noticed them. You had purpose in life now. Leap was alive. Or at least you hoped she was. Nothing had indicated she wasn’t. She was out there, in pain, and she needed you as much as you needed her. Standing up from the terminal you trot with determination in each step up to the dias. Clicking a few buttons, klaxons situated on the ceiling start to blare loudly as the great gears begin to whir and grind against eachother. With a loud shrill shriek the door slides back from its grand socket, and rolls to the side. A long dark hallway etched into the rock lays before you.

[Input] Grab the collars and leave.

You decide to a put a stop to this disgusting display. Grabbing the collars, you through them in your satchel… They were exceptionally heavy, the blast charges inside dense and weighty. Hrm. It would be a problem to carry them all for an extended period of time with other things down the line, but it currently wasn’t a concern. Jumping down the stairs, you gallop down the hallway in time to hear shouts sounding behind you. Seems like they were finally through. That was the last thing on your mind however as you were focused on what was ahead of you, not what was behind. A few winding curves later, and you finally arrive at a simple wooden door. This was it. The final step between you and the outside… For the first time in your young life you would see Equestria, hell you’d even be the first in your vaul- … No, you wouldn’t be the first, would you? Your mind solemnly reminded you of your current situation. Far back down the tunnel, you heard the gears whirring again. Seems like they were content with shutting you out rather than chasing after you… Something that in hindsight you were glad about. Shit. You wouldn’t have been able to handle all of those guard ponies in a fight… Sometimes you were lucky, and sometimes you weren’t. Today you couldn’t be sure of what side of that coin you had landed on. As you push open the door, you take a breath of fresh air. And by air, you meant rain storm. Water buffeted you in the face… Holy shit you had never seen anything like this before… The wind howled and thunder streaked across the landscape… Welp, seems like you’d left one hell and entered the next. Oh well. Metaphorically speaking, this was a new dawn for you.

FALLOUT EQUESTRIA: A NEW DAWN.

Your PipBuck buzzes on your hoof slightly. Picking it up your eyes scan over the message… “Hello! Your Personal Hoof Assistant Technology has recognized that you’ve learned an important friendship lesson, and grown as a pony! Hip hip hooray for you! Your stats screen has been updated to reflect the new changes!” Hmm… Well that was curious. Your stats screen had indeed changed… Neato. The second message was a simple short notice that your pipbuck had “scanned for and picked up several local locations of note." Even neater. Just before you went to check it however, the screen cleared and reset to a familiar secret screen. Conditions reached, log 2 unlocked. Detecting for other lifeforms… None. Begin message. A familiar voice fills the windy air, you duck back inside the cave to listen.

“Hello Nova… This was set to play should you ever leave the Stable… Something I hope you never do. As you’ve probably figured out by now, as I did, Stable 144 isn’t… All that it seems. I’m caged right now… Don’t know what they plan to do with me, but I hope somehow this can get to you… I’m not going to give this up easily, but I think they’re going to do all that they can to take it anyways. I… I love you lil bro. Be careful. Be safe. If you come after me, which you shouldn’t… Just be careful. The outside isn’t like the Stable. Things are different. Play by different rules… Shit, I hear someone com-“ It clicks off. You stare at your hoof for a while, holding it there and staring at it. With a sigh you drop it back against the cold rock of the ground. You had come so far… But there was still so far to go.

[Input] Find shelter for sleep.

Hrm… Maybe it’d be a good idea to rest up before facing whatever this was. Looking at the map on your pipbuck you figure the safest place is a nearby abandoned home. Trudging through the mud, you hold a hoof infront of your eyes, protecting them from the harsh winds and buffeting water. Using the light and guidance of your PHAT, you slowly make progress towards the structure. It’s rough going, especially being a Stable pony who’s never experienced anything similar to this ever before, but eventually you collapse into the decayed skeleton that would be your “shelter” for the night from the evidence. It was a small two story house, with most of the old furniture inside crumpled piles of decay and mold. In comparison to the clean and pristine atmosphere of the Stable, you’re filled with longing for home. Tonight was going to be a long one it would seem. Creeping through the dark and dusty rooms by the green light of your pipbuck, you determine… That you can’t see shit. Wow this was a terrible flashlight. Sighing you figure it was at least a place to protect you from the outside weather, you could deal with everything else in the morning. Picking a random room you curl up in a corner, conserving body heat as much as possible as you drift off to sleep. Thankfully Earth ponies were thick skinned. Darkness takes over…

You dream of your sister. She’s dead. Her skull is in your hooves. The skin melts off. The bones break into shards. The shards embed into your hooves. It hurts to walk. The world begins to warp. Your vision warps. You warp. The shards move in your hooves. They move into and stab your bone. They scratch against the pearl surface, etching mazes into them. The pain is agonizing.

You wake up in a fervor, the sweat beading on your flesh. But hey, at least it’s light outside. A gray glow filters through the window, illuminating the room for you in a dreary monotone. You peer through the smudged and broken glass, it would seem that there was still a light drizzle, and the sun was hiding behind gray clouds.

[Input] Scavenge and contemplate.

Disturbed, you shake your muzzle, trying to clear the dark thoughts from your mind. You remember reading books about Horse Grylls, your favorite adventurer, when you were young. The first thing in any survival situation that he would do was “Stay calm and look for stuff to loot!” Smart words from a smart pony. Exiting the room you had now guessed to be a bathroom, you pick your way through the house slowly, looking over everything with an appraising eye. Apparently 200 years didn’t exactly play nice with… Well anything. Time was a bully to whatever it got it’s degrading clutches on. The colors on the walls were faded, the styling on the wallpaper long since faded or torn away. The furniture was just discolored piles of pulp, and the fridge was exactly the same. Because fridges are you know, metal or something. You shrug and open it, rifling through its contents. Its contents being disgusting mush. Nope, nothing of worth here. The last place was to check upstairs, but you didn’t trust the rickety stair case as far as you could throw it. So you decided not to throw it. That probably wouldn’t be very nice to the staircase anyways. Picking your way softly and carefully you slam your way upstairs with as much force as possible. Beyond all reason, everything stays perfectly intact. Once upstairs you glance into the bedrooms, finding nothing but disappointment yet again. In was sort of a physical manifestation of your life. Oh well, might as well and giv- Hrm. Well wouldn’t you know. A wall safe. Actually, it was a floor safe, but technically floors are just horizontal walls so you weren’t going to judge. However, it was already open and looted. Dammit. With a sigh you turn around to leave, - bump - … What? There was an audible noise in the next room over.

[Input] Sneakily check out the noise.

Dropping low to the ground you stepped with caution out of the room, carefully placing your hooves on stronger points on the floor so as to not create any form of noise to give your position away. Bit by bit you inch forwards, all of your senses completely on guard and geared towards whatever it was you were about to find. Slipping the PP9 out of your bag and into your mouth, you jump around the corner, ready to riddle whatever insidious wasteland creature that was making noise with 9 perfectly symmetrical bloody meat holes. However, the insidious wasteland creature turned out to be a knife. One pointed at you shakily by a young green colt standing infront of a similarly young pink mare. She was hiding her muzzle underneath her hooves, and his eyes were locked on you, his stance aggressive yet blatantly weak. His ribs were evident underneath his ragged skin. “S-stay back Sixer! W-we ain’t go no trouble with y-your likes!” The mare whimpered slightly. Her vocalization was accompanied with tremors.

[Dialogue] Talk with the colt.

Letting the gun slide out of your mouth slightly so that you could speak, you give the colt a onceover glance and decide to try and handle the situation your way.

”Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. But you need to put the knife down.”

His face turns a bit redder, but he keeps the simple pantry knife levelled at your throat. “N-no Sixer is going to get t-the better of me mister, I know your kind!”

Hrm. Well that didn’t work out so well. Maybe with a little more information you could solve this peacefully. “We can resolve this without bloodshed… What is a Sixer?”

His face continues to grow red, at this point it was almost adorable. An adorable tomato skeleton was threatening you with a toothpick. “You know damn w-well what a Sixe-“ He pauses and glances down at his companion, who whimpers again at his raised voice. It was at that moment you spot a small pool of dried blood next to the pink pony. He notices your line of sight however and steps to block it. “146! B-buncha crazy ponies! J-just go! We don’t have no problem!”

You lower the weapon, pointing it at the floor. “Look, I’m not out to hurt you kid.” Slowly, keeping eye contact with him, you turn your flank to the side to display the large ‘144’ emblazoned on the side. His eyes cross in confusion. “W… What? 144? There’s no stable 144… I…” His knife lowers slightly as well, the tension leaving his taut body. “I don’t understand…”

Intent on diffusing the situation, you put your gun slowly in your satchel as a show of good faith. “See? Stable 144. Peaceful ponies, I swear. I just want to talk.” He watches you, seemingly mulling something over before he puts the knife in a tattered side holster as well. “O… Okay.” You let out a sigh of relief and nod to his friend. ”Everything alright?” He glances down as well and winces. “N-not really, her leg is broke. W-we were trying to make our way to Hoofstead, then onwards, but she fell in a ditch along the way… We got here and since then she’s just been gettin worse ever since. I don't know what to do.”

You nod and motion for him to move over. He lays a hoof on the knife holster and narrows his eyes, but complies with your request. As you move past him to survey the damage you see things are worse than previously expected. The gash in her leg is deep, but has apparently clogged from coagulation over time. Leaning down you rip some of the extra fabric from your pants leg you bind and wash out the seeping wound, as her simple dress was nothing more than a rag. If you were to take fabric from it, there would not be much left to cover her. Her face is a sickly pallor, and you determine the whimpering from before was from delirium. There was no telling how long she bad been without water, food, or really much of anything. ”Is there anyone in hoofstead who could help her?” His timid reply emanates from behind you. “I-I dunno. Yes, I think so… Maybe…” It’s obvious she’s not going anywhere on her own anytime soon.

”I could carry her to Hoofstead.” You of course were an Earth Pony, the mighty and strong of the pony races. Well, you were a weakling by Earth Pony standards if you were being honest with yourself. But you were stronger by default than the other races, so that counted… Sorta. The colt however shakes his head. “M-mr she always been a weak one, i-it’s a condition, in this state I-I don’t know if she would make it… I’ve been too scared to leave her side to l-look for medical supplies, but without them she’s not gonna last that far.”

[Input] Leave them a bottle of water and chips, and leave for Hoofstead for medical supplies.

”If you can’t go, I will. I’ll leave for Hoofstead as fast as I can and see if I can’t get something to bring back. Are you okay with staying here with her?” The colt looks down at his sister timidly, before his expression hardens, seemingly having steeled himself. “Y-yeah. I can wait a little longer. Be quick though, alright? I’m not sure how much life she’s got left in her…” You nod in agreement. Before you leave you pass him the full water bottle and the bag of chips from your satchel. “Don’t leave here, alright?” He agrees, and you trot out of the room. You were now fighting the clock. If you hadn’t found them when you had, things could have turned out a lot differently. The fact that you were able to at least do something for them brings you resolve, but the journey was not over yet. You leave the house at a steady yet faster pace than usual. There would be no point in tiring yourself out yet, it’d probably be best to conserve your energy for the return trip. Besides, having already parted with some of your supplies it would be disastrous to waste what you had left on a single burst of energy. The outside is still as barren and drab as before, but at least you could actually see, unlike last night. The light rain still fell, dampening the skeletons of burned houses and muddying the lifeless ground.

Keeping a constant pace, you eventually crest what you could figure from your pipbuck’s map was the last hill between you and Hoofstead. Your expectations were met less than favorably however. You had been holding the grand idea of a sprawling city in your mind every step of the way, but such an illusion couldn’t have been farther from the truth. The real Hoofstead was a small and depressing town, an unimpressive collection of no more than a dozen decrepit buildings. As you make your way into the center, the few ponies you see lounging about are gruff, weary, and all around cold to your presence. They regard you with little more than idle curious glances. There were a few marked buildings. One had a sign of what you perceived to be a mug, another had the outlines of a gun, and the final one had the crude depiction of a pile of bits etched into the flesh of the wood.

[Input] Go in the store labeled with the bits.

After a moments deliberation of the three storefronts you decide on the one labeled with money. Money generally meant good things, right? Besides, it was probably the general goods store. Which was almost stereotypical in a way, most of the adventure stories you had read as a kid in the Stable had always labeled the goods stores with signs of money… Maybe it was universal? Well, money was universal but you meant… Oh never mind.

As you duck into the dusty and dark shop out of the pattering downpour, your eyes slowly readjust to the new light level. The windows inside the shop were boarded up, and the only source of light were the dim rays that filtered through the cracks in them, and a small electric lantern that seemed ancient. Considering the lighting levels in the Stable always being at a constant intensity it was understandable that it would take some time before you were used to this shadier lifestyle.

The room is filled with several shelving units, each displaying a small variety of rusted and low quality items. As you peer over their odd shapes and sizes, your appreciation of the art exhibit is interrupted by a muddy yellow colored pony. ”Hello. Can I help you sir?”

[Dialogue] Talk with the store owner.

”Yes, actually. If you can’t tell, I’m new to this town. But I urgently need a doctor and medical supplies. Do you know where I could find either?” The store owner looks you over with suspicion before noting the insignia on your suit. “Stable pony eh? We don’t get too many of your type. At least not the friendly kind… Word of advice, you’d best be careful with that suit if you enjoy living. Folks around here don’t quite appreciate Stable ponies, if you catch my drift.” He clears his throat before continuing. “As for medical supplies, you’re sore out of luck. Those are rare, and I don’t sell em. All supplies go to our town mayor, Stone Hoof.” He pauses for a second to let the effect of his words sink in. Apparently this pony had a flair for the dramatic however, as his expression softens into a smile. “Whoooo just so happens to also be our town doctor. Go figure. Look for the redish building, you’ll find her there. Fair warning, she’s only liable to part with her expertise and items for a fair price, or a fair reason. I suspect though you’ve got one of those, guessing by the look on your face or the general wealth of you Stable ponies.”

[Input] Thank the storekeeper, take off your clothes, and find Stone Hoof.

“Alright. Thank you sir.” He merely nods in reply before returning to his small desk by the door. … How did you not notice that went you entered? Oh right, the blindness. Stepping back outside you meet your old friend once again. Soon enough your eyes were going to become very good at readjusting, weren’t they? Deciding to take his advice, you deftly peel the suit off of you piece by piece, storing it in your satchel. Your naked yellow body shivers slightly in the damp cold of the rain, but it was only a mild inconvenience rather than anything debilitating. Clopping through the mud, you check the color of each of the houses one by one. Eventually you come upon one matching his eloquent description of “redish”. It was vaguely red alright… Finding  the front door locked, you come to your first puzzle of the day. Apparently you couldn’t just wander into every single house when you felt like doing so. Well, this was a catastrophe. What the hell were you going to do now? As the start of a panic attack began to grow in your nerves, you came to a stunning and brilliant conclusion. Knocking. It was a wild idea, but it just might work. Three short raps, a minute of waiting, and fear of failure mixed with self-loathing later the door swung open to reveal a gray Pegasus not much older than you. Well, half of a Pegasus if you were being technical. You tried not to stare, but the wing on the left side of her body was nothing but a scarred stump. “Yeah? What do you want?”

[Dialogue] Talk to Stone Hoof.

“I was wondering if you could help me find where a uh, “Stone Hoof” lives.” She scoffs and shakes her head, muttering to herself. “Damn newcomers… I am Stone Hoof dipshit. Now, I ask again, what do you want?”

Taken aback by her crude language you take a moment to compose yourself. “You alright there champ?” She comments dryly. “Yes, I uh… Look, since I don’t know a better way to phrase this, there’s a filly nearby that needs medication and a doctors help. I was told you were the one to come to.” She merely stares at your for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter in your face. “Right, right, and I fucked Celestia yesterday. Nice try druggie, but you’re going to have to do better than that. What next, your great grandma is dying of sugar cancer?”

”Look I… Just…” You sigh in frustration. ”Why not come and see for yourself?” She guffaws. “Yeah, let me just follow the strange yellow pony out into the wasteland to help the poor little filly. Sure, that won’t get me raped and dead. And not necessarily in that order.” You throw your hooves up in the air and groan. “LOOK. I’m telling the truth you crazy bitch, what do I need to do to prove that to you?” Stone smirks, apparently happy that you could keep up with her barbs, or that you were getting pissed off. There was probably no telling with this mare. “We around Hoofstead don’t put stock into words little dog. Actions speak louder. If this imaginary filly tramp means that much to you… Give me something valuable of yours.” She grins to herself, pleased with her mental acuity. If you were a druggie, you probably wouldn’t have anything valuable to begin with she had decided. And you most certainly were, so your farce was up. At least, she thought it was.

[Input] Give her the coin.

You reach into your bag and pull out your father’s lucky coin. A single gold bit that was slightly warped. It had been handed down to your father with the story that the coin had seen the atomic hellfire, and was recovered by a Stable pony on a scouting mission. You had always hoped the coin wasn’t radioactive… She scoffs at the item. “A bit? Ooooh. Very special. I’ve got lots of those. Next you’ll tell me it was your father’s or something.”

[Input] Tell the truth and give her the locket.

“Well… It was my father’s.” She pounds her hoof against the floor and exclaims loudly. “Hah! Called it! And my plump buttocks are named sally. Sally says you’re full of shit by the way.” Reaching around she slaps her rear lightly and makes a mock tone of voice. “You’re full of shit fillyfiddler!” Her voice returns to normal as she continues the joke. “See? Told yah.” Before you let her jests get to you however, you reach once more into your pouch and remove the pure silver locket with your mother’s photo inside. It was as polished and shiny as the day you had left the Stable. It was probably the one thing in your life you cherished almost as much as your sister, and you had given extreme care to keeping it in perfect condition. The thin yet strong chain glittered even in the low light of the cloudy day, it’s surface catching the sun’s rays just so. Her smile died on her lips as she watched you silently pass it into her hoof. “And this was my mother’s.” She remains silent as she looks it over, peering inside at the miniature portrait of your mother. “… You’re not fooling around, are you yellow?” You shake in your head agreement. Her gaze hardens imperceptibly as she reads the small leaflet that acted as a headstone for your mother inside the cover. In the Stable, ponies were burnt. There was no room for dead things. So, it was tradition to forge small trinkets to serve as reminders. Portable graves. She glances up at you, peering at your eyes. “Could’ve sworn… Your eyes are as big as saucers, you know that right? … You’ve got questions to answer, but they can wait.” Turning around she slams the door in your face.

As you stand there completely bewildered, it opens up moments later to Stone once again, except this time she’s geared up with a bag of her own. One covered in dozens of tiny little mini compartment flaps. And there was a rifle strapped to her wingless side. “You trick me, you die. Just letting you know that fuckwit. You’ll get the locket back if you’re telling the truth.” She glances to the sky, gauging the time. “But come on, time’s a wasting, lead me to her.”

[Input] Lead her to the children.

”Glad you saw sense.” She throws out a snappy rebuttal in reply. “Haven’t seen shit yet.” Refusing to let yourself get drawn into another argument, you point in a direction straight out of town and begin to gallop. She follows close behind, the wind whipping through her brown mane. As you past the last house she shouts to a nearby pony. “Going out Breaker, keep watch of town!” The pony you assume to be Breaker just waves in reply. The landscape is unfamiliar to you, as you had seen it only from one direction, but with the help of your pipbuck you make your way back to the abandoned house. She eyes the instrument on your hoof with an emotion you can’t discern, but she refrains from commenting on it. You’d probably be interrogated later over it, but that wasn’t a concern of yours right now.

The first sign that something was wrong was the open door to the house. Something that you remember intentionally leaving closed. The second sign were the multitude of muddy hoof prints leading to the open door.

[Input] Tell her that something is wrong.

As you survey the oddities before you, you turn to her and whisper your mind to her as honestly as you can. “Something’s up. That door was closed, and I don’t recognize these prints.” She glances past you and studies the scene herself. “You can stay out here, or go back to town, but something is not right here.” She chuckles softly. “Yeah fuck that jazz. If there’s a filly in need the last thing I’m doing is turning tail and running. Just know you have a gun trained on your back, so if there’s any funny business you’re going down first. Lead the way conductor.” She points at the open door.

[Input] Investigate.

You creep along the ground to the prints, and study them meticulously. There appear to be at least three sets. Two of them sink halfway into the mud, and one of them sinks deeper. It’s hard to tell the direction, or if they were walked over, or if they’re old or new, as the rain seems to be wearing them away. If there were other tracks then they must have faded. The trail dead ends a few meters away as well, it would seem it was only the ground in front of the door that was soft enough to hold an imprint. You leave the tracks and inspect the door next, finding that it was halfway open, with no signs of forced entry.

[Input] Sneak and investigate farther.

You motion for her to follow your lead as you silently sleuth your way into the home. She falls in line without hesitation, her hooves almost seeming to slide along the ground, utterly imperceptible to your ears. Damn, the snarky bird could sneak. Whether that helped you or not was to be determined. At least if she was going to kill you you wouldn’t hear her coming. Wait, that wasn’t a good thing at allll… Dammit brain, focus. Step by step you make your way through the living room. The mud was tracked along the ground in a confusing pattern. It would seem that either the ponies who made this mess didn’t know where they were going, or you were terrible at tracking. Probably a mixture of both by your estimates. They were poor estimates, but still. It seemed that the mud was also wiped a bit on the remnants of a couch… Had they rested here? Whoever they were? You follow the trails until they split into each of the downstairs rooms. A quick check of your pipbuck tells you they’re empty. It would seem they scavenged in much the same way that you had, first downstairs, then ups… Upstairs. You look at the steps. Yup. There were bits of dirt clinging to each step. Fear flares to life in the pit of your stomach as you steadily climb the steps to the upper level. You hadn’t pieced together anything yet, but by Celestia were you praying for a good outcome to all of this. On the final step you check your pipbuck once again. Nothing. Was that good… Or bad…? You pull your gun out of your satchel and ready it for the second time in a row today at this exact corner. The irony was not lost on you. With a heavy heart, you round the corner and…

… find the remnants of your colt friend. His corpse was laid against the far wall, his backdrop and final resting place painted in chaotic patterns with the bright crimson of his last lifeblood. His knife laid on the floor next to him, apparently dutiful to the young colt to the very end, its tip smeared in a darker shade of red. His torso was shredded as if through a cheese grater, and the smell of the carnage assaulted your innocent nose. Bile rose in your throat as you viewed the grisly scene through watery eyes. No pony should have to die like this, especially not alone, especially not so young. You hear a gasp behind you as Stone peers over your shoulder to see for herself. Rage takes obvious control over her countenance, the tears of her evident passion welling in the corners of her eyes. You turn away and walk up to the pitifully small carcass, closing his clear blue eyes with a hoof. The dead should be able to rest, and currently it was the only gesture you were capable of giving for the small boy. Looking around you see that his sister was gone, a dried puddle of dark brown blood in the corner the only evidence that she ever existed in the first place. Well, shit. Today was not going well, was it?

[Input] Look for clues.

You did your best to block the putrid smell in your mind as your began to investigate the destruction. There didn’t seem to have been that much of a struggle. There were a few drops by the doorway, and then… As best as you can tell the colt was trying to fend someone off and was thrown back to the wall. Where upon he was used as target practice by multiple angry aggressors… Your stomach writhes slightly, but you manage to bring it back under control after closing your eyes for a few minutes to focus and clear you mind. You find the remnants of the bag of chips, its simple plastic housing crumpled up into a small ball and tossed carelessly aside. A similar fate had met the bottle of water that you had left them. You desperately hoped that it was the colt who had enjoyed items before his demise, but your gut knew was telling you different. At the end of your deductive ability, you turn to Stone, who already had found a solution. She was inspecting the casing of a spent bullet, her eyes studying it with intense scrutiny. ”Any leads?” Your tone was hopeful. “Yeah. Sadly. This is the mark of a nearby raider group.”

[Dialogue] Talk to Stone about a plan.

”What should we do?” She tosses the casing to the side, it’s metal clinking against the hard wood of the floor in a melodious fashion. “We find the fucks responsible and we kill them is what we do. I assume the filly you told me about who is absent currently was the one who was wounded? If we catch up to them soon there may still be time.”

”Yes, but how?” She pauses for a moment, considering your words. “I’m not exactly sure. We can’t go back to Hoofstead for backup, if she’s as hurt as you said I don’t think we have that much time. Especially if she’s in the hooves of those slimebags.” Her body shudders as she considers the situation. “I do know it’s a small group, out by Hoofwit Accounting. We’ve left them alone and they’ve done the same for us… Unless its easy pickings apparently, like children. Fucking monsters.” Nodding in your direction her tone of voice changes. “I’ll do whatever I can to help, but this is your rodeo. You knew them last, so I’ll let you call the shots on this.” You redden a bit, a twinge of doubt in the back of your mind. “I… I’m relatively new to the wasteland. I’m not sure you should be leaving things up to me.” She shrugs and smiles. “It’s not a courtesy. If anything, I’m leaving the blood on your hooves if things go wrong.”

”Well… Considering we don’t have much time left, but I don’t know too much about this location, it’d be best if we scout it out first.” She pauses and considers the idea herself. “Hrm… Yeah, that’d probably be best. Looks like you do got a bit of sense in you yellow. Let’s go.”

[Input] Scout Hoofwit Accounting.

Glancing back at the remnants of a colt you might never know the name of now, you galloped out of the house with Stone at your side. Like before you let your PipBuck guide the two of you through the wasteland towards your objective. On your way out you noted that the tracks before had been washed away as well. Was it always this rainy in the wasteland? You weren’t exactly sure how healthy wasteland rain was against your bare skin… Especially with the absence of most plant life around… Oh well. Too late now. If it was radioactive you’d have a sixth leg soon enough. As Tia’s sun set beneath the horizon, you realized that your travels throughout the day had actually consumed quite a large amount of time. More than you were comfortable with a dying filly on your hooves. You closed your eyes in a quick prayer as you pushed your muscles harder than before. You might not have been able to save both, but you would be damned if you didn’t put your all into saving the last. Night swallowed the light of the land at last, consuming everything in its dark invasive blanket. It wasn’t much longer before the two of you came within sight of Hoofwit Accounting. Not wanting to take any chances, you motion for her to follow your lead as you both creep the rest of the way to an outcropping that provided a good vantage point. From your position you could see Hoofwit was a relatively small two story building, it’s window ports long broken, but exuding the faint glow of a fire within on the second floor. It would There really wasn’t much else to see, but it would seem your enemies had made camp.

[Input] Sneak into the building to scout further.

”Comon… We need to know more.” You glance to your compatriot. ”Are you okay with that?” Stone merely grins back at you devilishly. “This isn’t my first rodeo cowboys. My hooves are no more clean than yours.” You look down to your PipBuck, a flashback of it dripping with the blood of your sister crossing through your mind. “… If only you knew.” Before she could prod further you began your way down the hill, stepping deftly amongst the rocks. Hrm… Picking your way through fallen bookcases in the Stable apparently proved useful for something later in your life. Probably not something that Golden had envisioned you doing one day. Shit, Golden. As you crept through the dark doorway into the first floor of the building you allowed your mind to ruminate on your past. How exactly was Golden doing in the Stable at the moment? She was the one who had pretty much gotten you out of there in the first place… Something you still weren’t exactly clear on. Hell, pretty much everything that you remembered reading in the Overmare’s terminal you weren’t clear on. There were too many undefined variables, too many questions left unanswered. Maybe one day- “And so guess what this little faggot did huh? He jumped me! With the knife! Hahah! Gotta good cut on me too.” The new voice you heard wafting down a nearby set of stairs was met with raucous laughter. Step by step you lifted yourself to peak into the upper level. “Then I taught that little shit who’s boss!” “I did too!” “Haha, and then what Cog?” “Well then I found this piece of fine fucking ass.” You here the soft smack of flesh against flesh, followed by a whimper. “Just layin there! Didn’t fight nor nothing. Best I can figure she’s dying or some shit.” You finally get a view of what was happening. Sitting around a small fire where five pony raiders.

Each one was caked in filth and adorned with spiked and hastily cobbled together bits of armor. The filly from before was bound and gagged next to the fire between them. Two of them had blunt weapons, one a sword, another a pistol, and the final one held a slightly glowing rifle. The glow seemed to emanate from a few runes etched into the surface. “… so we rape her now, or we rape her later.” “Hey, I ain’t rapin no fillies.” “You’ve never had a problem rapin in the past Shiv.” “Yeah, but those were alive and well, it’s wrong to go fucking dying folks.” “You’ve fucked dead folks in the past.” “Yeaaah, but the-“ Your stomach began to turn as you listened to the vile discussion. Slinking your way back down the stairs you reconvened with Stone and filled her in. Her eyes drilled daggers into the ceiling above you as the muscles in her body tensed. She looked ready to kill whatever she could get her hooves on.

[Dialogue] Talk to Stone about a plan.

In an attempt to both calm her down a bit so she could focus on the situation with clarity as well as provide advice, you lay a hoof on her shoulder and pose a question. ”Since you’re the more experienced with combat, how should we go about this?” She glances to you before looking back to the stairs, but eventually you felt the cords unwind underneath her soft gray fur. She sighs in tandem with the relaxation. “We’re outnumbered and currently outgunned. Going in hard may be dangerous, but it’d be out best bet to take out the ranged ponies. Surprise. Though there might be more ways to go about this around here, otherwise that’s my best guess.”

[Input] Look around for something useful.

Gazing the rest of the room you determine that maybe attacking right away wasn’t the best of plans. At least they weren’t yet. ”See if you kind find something that would put the odds in our favor.” Stone nods and sets off for one of the exits to another room as you do the same. The downstairs to Hoofwit Accounting was largely empty. Besides of course the many piles of refuse apparently left behind by the raider group upstairs, the place was rather depressing in its lack of phat lutes. The layout was rather boring as well. Besides a few adjacent and devoid of detail rooms as well as one cubicle area, everything was rather spotless in comparison to places you’ve been before. Your search does not leave you completely empty hooved however, as one wall safe later and you found yourself another full clip of PP9 ammo as well as a bottle of ancient beer. Probably still drinkable, right? Age adds to flavor doesn’t it? You stash both items in your satchel before leaving. Gifts from the gods. As you exit the room you feel a tap on your right shoulder. It took every last bit of calm that you head not to jump in the air and shoot wildly in the direction it came from. Thankfully common sense however kicked in, and you realized you were no longer alone in your travels. Stone places two peculiar items into your hooves. A lighter, and one shrapnel grenade. Wait, what? A flippin shrapnel grenade? ”Where the hell did you get this?” Chuckling she points back down a hallway. “They tried to leave a trap for me, but they failed. This is the spoils of the trap.” You are taken aback by the idea of such a barbaric and underhanded way to take out an enemy, but the raiders were probably willing to sink to any level to win. ”Oh… Well thank you.” “No problem yellow.”

[Input] Inform Stone, Attack, and Bluff.

”Alright… I have a plan.” She nods, moving closer to listen. “Shoot hotshot. What do you got?” ”Well… We have the shrapnel grenade. If I were to jump up from the bottom of the stairs, shoot two of them, and then bluff about killing all of them with the grenade. I negotiate our way out of there, and then we scram.” Stone takes a step back and looks at your ludicrously. “That… Is one of the most idiotic plans I’ve ever heard. They’re crazy, what’s to stop them from shooting as soon as a gun goes off?” You pause for a moment and consider as well. “Speed. If I’m quick I can handle the situation.” She studies you, trying to ascertain if you were serious or not. “Well… Damn. If you fuckup, you might injure yourself and the filly… But alright. I’ll back you up and wait at the bottom of the stairs if anything goes wrong.” You nod and turn for the stairs, but she lays a hoof on your shoulder. “Hey, if things do go wrong don’t go getting yourself killed. Ponies die every day out here, but rarely do we get one that cares about others. Shame to let a good pony like you go to waste.” Her heartfelt comment was striking, seeing as she had done nothing but treat you with disrespect so far. It would seem everypony was going crazy. Readying your pistol you climb the steps one by one, Stone close on your tail. As you reach the last step you prep the grenade in your other hoof, with pony physics or something don’t make me explain. Looking back at her she nods, her rifle prepped as well. You take a deep breath… Here goes nothing…

You jump up from the stairs and into the firelight, within at least two pony lengths away from two of the raiders you take a shot at the head of the closest one… A cloud of blood sprays outward from his head against the wall. Bullseye. The cudgel that he was carrying clattered against the ground. The recoil however was unexpected, having never fired a gun before you were unnerved a bit by just how loud it was. A quick turn of the heel and you took another shot, but this time is scraped the jugular of the second raider, a blue scarred mare. She sank to the floor, the pistol falling out of her clutches, gurgling as the blood filled her mouth, she tried to gasp for air but only choked on the influx of liquid in her throat. The rest of the raiders were stunned by the surprise, but quickly collected their wits and went to raise their weapons. However, before they pulled off any shots, you held out your hoof displaying the grenade. ”MOVE AND WE ALL DIE.” You scream.

It would seem the ponies around you didn’t understand many things, but they knew violence. Their weapons stopped raising, and they all paused nervously. “What the fuck do you want pony boy?” A raider whose armor was adorned with bone across the fire addressed you with venom in his voice. All the while the delightful sounds of a pony slowly bleeding out filled the air, her body spazzing as she tried to keep the last tendrils of life in her clutches… You would have nightmares about this later if you lived. At least the other one died easily. No one deserved to go out like this. Not even monsters. “Her. Give me the filly and I go.” You nodded your head to the whimpering filly. “Ahhh…” He replied, his eyes narrowing. “And what if you’re bluffing pony boy, you ain’t got the fucking guts I think.” You tried to appear as menacing as you could in your reply. “No, but I could chuck it, duck, and hope for the best.” “And if we duck too?” ”Then it’s a random chance, raider. Do you want to take that chance?” He chuckled a bit. “Guts no, balls yes. Take the cocksock. We don’t need her anyway.”

You eye him and the two others warily. There was a pony with a blade, one with a hammer, and the one who you were talking to, who still held the glowing green rifle pointed at the ground. Carefully you stepped towards the filly, nudging her softly, she only whimpered in reply. Shit. Not good. “Heh, looks like you’re out of hooves pony boy. And I don’t think she’s moving on her own.” He was right, she wasn’t… You had to deal with these raiders, and you had to deal with them now. But how? If you tried anything funny, he shot. At least the mare in the corner had finally died, a large pool of blood around her. You had to decide on somethi- And then, things were decided for you. Stone jumped up from the stairs. You saw the boned ponies eyes flick to the side as Stone yelled. His rifle began to swing upwards. NO. The world moved in slow motion as the retort of her rifle signaled two times. The pony with the sword lost half of his face in an explosion of gore. Holy shit, what kind of bullets was she using? Another bullet found it’s way into the leg of the one with the hammer… Safe to safe he no longer had much of that leg left. He crumpled to the floor moaning in pain. The final raider had his rifle almost level with Stone now, the green glow ominous. You had one chance at this. Aiming the pistol as fast as you could, you pointed it at him and fired…

And missed.

However, it would seem you had a stroke of luck. The bullet you had hoped would find its way into his skull instead found its way into the side of his rifle, marring the runes as the piece of high-speed lead ricocheted off the metal. As he pulled the trigger he signed his own death warrant. The now defaced runes sparked once with a brilliant green bolt of lightning past you before their arcane energy broke. Fear was evident on the raiders face as his rifle exploded in it, covering him in a stark green fire. He screeched as his flesh burned in some sort of toxic spell. The pain was too much, causing him to stagger backwards through a broken wall, his body there one second, and gone the next. A resounding thud met your ears a moment later. Seems humpty had a great fall.

You stood there for a minute, breathing heavily. You would have been jumping for joy if the adrenaline coursing through your veins hadn’t sapped you of your energy. The last raider was still moaning, clutching at his now bloody leg stump. The filly was fine, completely safe thankfully. And Stone… Where was Stone? Panic rose in your mind as you whipped around. She laid against the wall, curled into a tight ball. ”Stone!” You rushed to her side, a multitude of thoughts whirring inside you. Was she shot? How? Was she alright? You dropped your pistol and the grenade to the ground, shaking her with both hooves. ”Stone, are you okay? Come on you bitch speak to m-“ “mmf…” Yes! A groan! It was something! Clutching at her side you sit her up against the wall, rousing her slowly back to life. The right side of her muzzle was now disfigured with a dark green scar that seemed to arc its way across her face to her right eye. As she slowly opened them you were surprised to see that the tint of her cornea was now… Brighter than before? “Fucking bolt hit me… No bullet thank god. Else I’d be dead.” You breathed a sigh of relief. ”At least you’re okay… For the most part.” You commented sheepishly in reply. Tentatively she reached a hoof up, feeling the charred skin that was now half of her countenance. “Well…” Stone glanced up to. “Makes me even hotter doesn’t it?” She said sarcastically, smiling. You laugh, glad that things were now a lot less tense than before. ”Something like that…”

[Input] Heal the filly.

”Can you help the filly?” She waves a hoof in your face. “Yeah yeah I’m moving give me a moment jeez mr nag.” Chuckling she shakily stands to her hooves. You move to offer your body for her to brace herself against, which she silently agrees to. Slowly you help her hobble over to the silent filly. Stone grimaces as she sets her pack down and begins to work. “This… Does not look good.” She remarks, pulling out a few implements. You were no doctor, but you were inclined to agree. The filly’s breathing was shallow and haggard, her starved form shuddering as it struggled to continue functioning. Wrapping two long sticks around her left leg with straps of cloth she straightened out the bloody and broken leg. Stone removed a large needle filled with some sort of viscous red liquid from her pack. ”What’s that?” You remark curiously. “Super stim. This vial is a masterwork of potion and magic fused together in unholy matrimony. Aka, this is about to hurt.” Sliding the sharp end of the tube into the filly’s flesh your stomach turned. Funny. You had seen ponies die today but needles still made you sick. Stone injected the liquid slowly, but the reaction was immediate. The filly began to cry pitifully, her wordless voice pining for an end as it depressingly sputtered. However, the effect was quick as well… Her leg began to exude a red radiance as you heard bone splinter and crack inside.

”What… Is it doing?” “Fixing. The serum will reconstruct her leg piece by piece, as well as kickstart her organs back into functioning order. After that, I’ll have to tend to a few more things such as keeping her fed and watered, as well as maybe a few more smaller booster shots… But I think she might be okay. If she survives this.” ”How long is it going to take?” “I dunno. Every injury is different. Considering how she was on death’s door… We might have to make camp here for a bit and watch over her. Moving her in this state is just asking for complications.”

[Input] Make camp.

You unload your satchel to the ground in preparation to make camp for the night as a shot rings out to your left. Jumping in surprise you unsheathe your pistol and swing left to meet the new threat head on. However, the new threat had already been dealt with. The only raider to survive the fight, the one who had been bleeding out from his leg no longer existing, was now dead with a pistol next to his limp and shattered skull, pieces of… Something you’d rather not contemplate decorating the floor beside him. You turned to look at Stone as she commented. “A word of advice… Always be aware of your surroundings yellow. Else it will get you killed…” She stares at you levelly. “Or somepony else.” You glanced at the dead grunt with a gulp, realizing he could have killed you and you would have never known.

Soon you and Stone are sitting around a small yet warm fire, it’s dancing tendrils now feasting on scraps of useless armor you had looted off of the raiders. It was so kind of them to leave you such a nice source of heat before they left wasn’t it? After a short conversation, you had established that Stone had a few provisions in her doctor’s bag, and even a drip bag for the filly who was still resting. The two of you agreed to pitch in for the meal, and now you both had half a food ration, and half a can of pre war beans… Not really a 5 star meal, but it sufficed. The filly slept peacefully against your side as you munched on your food, her leg making an odd creak or crack now and then… It was deeply unsettling, but not enough to override how adorable she was. Small pleasures in life, really.

“So, yellow… I don’t really know you.” You look back up at Stone as she pulls a spoon from her lips with her one good wing. She has a curious look in her eyes… Well, one eye and one bright green eye. The difference was stark as the flames reflected in them, mesmerizing almost.

[Dialogue] Talk to Stone Hoof.

“Well… I’m from a Stable.” You try to say as casually as possible. The intended effect does not seem to work however as Stone visibly recoils from you. “You’re a Sixer!? Shit, I knew that’s why you were so fucking sketchy…” She glares at you as she readies her rifle.

You sigh as history repeats itself. “Stable 144, not Stable 146…” She pauses, evident confusion on her face. “But… There is no Stable 144.” Her eyes harden, “If this is some sort of a tri-“ She’s cut short as you pull your battered suit from your satchel, displaying the insignia in full light. “… Well that’s new.” She comments flatly as she lets her gun drop. “The colt called me the same thing. What exactly is a sixer?” She continues to look at your bag, seemingly still mulling something over in her head. “A bunch of fucking assholes is what they are.” She snarls angrily before settling down. “Faction of ponies from somewhere up north. They come from, and are based in Stable 146. They’re always equipped in and with high tech shit… They hit pony cities either stealthily or bruntly, take what they wanted, and disappear.” She spits at the ground. “We only even know where they come from because we caught one of the fuckers once, tortured him day and night and we only got a number before the coward succumbed to the pain. Either way, everypony in the Rains Wasteland knows them. We’ve lost too many good ponies to forget anytime soon.” Glancing up from the fire she stares at you intently. “What are you even doing out here anyway bunker dweller?”

Pulling the picture of your sister from your satchel, you pass it to Stone. ”Well… Seems like every Stable isn’t full of the nicest ponies. Mine is a slaver mill apparently. They sold my sister, and now I’m looking for her.” She studies the picture intently for a bit, tracing the faded edges with a hoof before she gives it back. “My apologies yellow. I didn’t know.” ”It’s Nova, by the way.” Stone scoffs and smiles. “No, I’m fairly sure it’s yellow.” She teases, lightening the mood a bit before her expression turns grim. “We get slavers every so often, that’s just how the wasteland is, but I’ve never heard of a group buying from a Stable. Most slavers I know are too dumb to consider it.” She watches you for a bit as the flames dance, throwing distorted shapes on the walls around you. “Do you think you’ll need help?”

”What kind of help?”  You ask tentatively. She looks back to the fire for a while before shrugging. “It’s getting late, we should turn in if we want to be well rested for the journey back.” Stone flops to the ground, wrapping herself in her blanket as she faces the wall.

”Shouldn’t we take shifts on lookout…?” You propose to the silent night air. Her mumbled reply is barely discerned as her words slur with drowsiness. “Glllad yew volunteerd yellllooh.” ... Welp, looked like you walked yourself into that one. Staring into the fire, you shift as slightly as possible to make yourself comfortable. It was going to be a long next few hours.

The sun shines starkly through the cracks in the walls and roof, and you wipe the grogginess from your eyes with a hoof. You had switched twice with Stone during the night, and she had assumed her duties without much resistance. The filly, thankfully, was finally awake. It appeared that the treatment had been a resounding success, and while her gait seemed to now be permanently off kilter, she took it in stride. A few tears were shed when you informed her that her brother was dead, but the filly was apparently already desensitized to death and had soon quieted again, her sorrows deposited into a damp patch on your back leg. After a while of kind coercion, you learned that the fillies name was Blue Blossom. She had been traveling with her family before they were killed, as least that’s what you can infer from her spotty story. It probably wouldn’t be wise to pry into the fractured psyche of the filly just yet, so you refrained from asking questions.

A short while later you and stone are standing around a corner as the filly plays idly in the dust. Stone glances around to make sure she’s fine before returning to you. “So, what next Yellow?”

”We should go back to town, of course.” Stone nods before checking on the filly again. “Yeah, but what about her?” She states simply.

“I’m not sure… We could always take her with us.” Stone studies you for a bit before chuckling. “We? And do you know anything about raising a kid Nova? It’s not all sunshine and roses.” She pauses and sighs. “I’m not sure we could find somepony to take her in town though. Everyone has their own problems out here… Giving somepony a whole lot more? I’m not sure if anypony would take you seriously.”

[Input] Go back to town.

”Either way, we should at least get back to town first.” That probably was the best idea wasn’t it? Get back to a place of safety first before making further plans. Stone nodded in agreement. “Alright. Blossom! Come on, we’re going.” Blossom scampers around the corner, attaching her side to your leg again. She whispered almost too quietly for you to hear her. “O-okay…” Your heart melted in your chest cavity. This little filly was going to be the death of you wasn’t she?

Looting the raiders one last time before you leave, you replace the bullets in your second clip. And with that, you and Stone depart from Hoofwit Accounting. The sun, diffused through the storm clouds high overhead, give the landscape before you an eerily holy quality as random beams can be seen breaking through here and there. Stone chats idly with the filly as your rag tag group walks towards its destination. “So, what’s your favorite flower kid?” Blossom giggles in response. “I-i-isn’t it o-obvious?” Her voice is still as low as before, and she stutters frequently, but her spirits had been lightened by Stone’s persistent pleasantries. “Pshaw, I don’t know, roses?” “N-no silly… Blossoms!” “Oooooh of course! Roses!” Blue laughed again, her shy tittering filling the morning air like the softest of music. “Are you surrr-“ Stone cuts off as you finally lay eyes upon Hoofstead. Or, rather, what was left of it.

The buildings in the center of the valley were crowned with small smoke trails in the light rain as the charcoal of their skeletons smoldered. “No…” Stone whispered quietly, the rain making trails down her muzzle.

[Input] Apologize and do nothing.

"Oh Stone... I'm so, so sorry..." Nova whispers silently into the cool air. His placation falls on deaf ears however as Stone grits her teeth and runs towards the town at full gallop. With Blossom falling in line behind you follow her trail at a slower pace. Eventually you arrive into the midst of what once was the bustling town of Hoofstead. Now it was just a massacre. Charred houses around you glowed as their cinders hissed against the light rain. Bodies of ponies littered the streets, their limbs brutally dismembered, their skulls shattered against the ground, their rib cages torn open to leave their organs splattered like macabre pieces of artwork. In the middle of it all sat Stone Hoof, silent and still as her hair dripped and the fires crackled. Carefully you and Blossom pulled up alongside her, not wanting to disturb Stone's mournful reverie. "... Do you know how I became mayor?" Stone mumbled. "No." She paused for a moment before continuing. "A plague found it's way into Hoofstead... The ponies here were powerless to stop it. They became sick, malnourished, weak, disorganized... Until one day I came here on a trader caravan. It took every single bit of medicine I had, but I cured every single godforsaken sack of meat in this town. I poured my all into them, and in return the made me mayor. Heh. Mayor. I was just a fucking filly with an ounce of medicinal knowledge. And they made me their leader." Her story came to an abrupt end as you mulled over her words in the light pattering cacophony of the downpour. "And it didn't even matter." "Who did this?" She laughed ironically. "Stable one forty fuckin six. This is their handywork. Kill everypony, do it fast, do it bloody. Leave nothing. Scorched earth bastards." "So, let's get them back." She turns to look at you incredulously. "They're a few hundred or so strong Nova, we ain't gonna do shit against them."

[Input] Check for supplies and survivors.

You make the moral decision to check for survivors and absolutely loot everything you can. Much moral. Such selflessness. It soon becomes clear to Nova however that the strike team of 146 was thorough in their genocide. Each and every heap of corpse in the town, no matter how utterly abused, had a single bullet hole straight through the skull. The group of ponies that had done this had made sure none lived to tell the tale. You resign yourself to the fact that nopony would be saved today, and change your tactics. Scavenging. This too, also met with failure. Each home was now a shell of its former glory, the blackened wooden frameworks now crumbling in on themselves as they burned. The weapons that the towns ponies had used had apparently been scavenged before you, the usable ones absent, and the broken ones emptied of their ammo and left discarded. The entire place spoke volumes of the surgical precision and efficiency of those who had ransacked it for its worth... With a shudder you return to Stone and gave a hug to Blossom, whom you had left behind to lessen her exposure to this party of destruction.

[Input] Talk to Stone about what you found, and what to do next.

You lay a hoof on her shoulder causing her look at you slightly, the pain and sorrow in her mismatched green eyes evident. "I didn't find anyone." She chuckled darkly. "Yeah, we never do. I've gotta hoof it to them, I bet they take pride in their work." Stone hissed vehemently as she looked at the bloodshed around them. "What should we do next? Is there anyone who could help us?" Stone shakes her head sadly at your hopeful tone. "I'm not sure if there's anything we could do Nova. There's only a smattering of towns around the Rains wasteland... 146 is a menace all are familiar with but they only hit defenseless border cities like Hoofstead, so nopony has ever done anything about it." She sighs and brushes a lank strand of wet hair from her eyes. "As for us..." Glancing at Blossom she continues, "as for her, there are a few places I know of that we could go. Start anew." She pauses and thinks. "Tolen, Rocky Mines, or Fort Sparks. Those are the only walled pony cities within a week or so distance of us. We'd be safe there."

"Hmm... What would be the best option?" You inquire of Stone. "Tolen is a trading town to the south. They have a wall, and hired guards. We could find jobs there, perhaps with the caravans. I'm not sure how safe that would be though. Rocky Mines is a city set into the side of a mountain to the east, as you can guess it's a mining town. Pretty solid defenses too, they've crafted and built fortifications that would make a Stable cry. They're good, honest, hard working ponies. And as for Fort Sparks, it's run by a military regime called the Sons of the Fallen. They allow civilians into their base, but..." Stone shivers slightly. "I haven't heard the best about them."

[Input] Go to Rocky Mines.

You contemplate Stone's description of each city in turn, weighing the probable pros and cons of each. Working with the caravans would probably be too dangerous... Nor did you like the sounds of the 'Sons of the Fallen', whoever they were. Which left Rocky Mines, a hopefully protected and prosperous place for you, the filly, and Stone. "I think we should go to Rocky Mines.. At least, that's my best guess." Stone nods thoughtfully with your choice. "Yeah... I have a few friends there. They might be able to work something out for us temporarily." She stops and studies you for a few moments. "You know... You keep saying 'we' yellow." She smiles coyly as your cheeks tint slightly but you don't let the implied meaning get to you. "You're the only pony I know, and currently the closest thing to a friend I have. I figure we can help each other out. For her." Stone sits silently for a bit before finally agreeing. "Sounds good enough to me Stableer. Looks like we're a team." Blossom nuzzles into your leg as Stone speaks, murmuring her assent as well.

Followers Gained!

[Input] Head out and give Blossom a head pat.

Turning to to the small filly seemingly welded to the flesh of your leg, you tousle her mane and pat her head, eliciting a playful giggle as she breaks free and bats at your offending hoof. Stone watches quietly, a small smile playing on the edge of her lips as her brooding vigil is broken by the adorable show. After playing with Blossom for a little while longer you and your new group of friends strikes a path eastward towards a tall mountain on the edge of the horizon. As best you could figure it, it was about a week or so of travel away. You mentally make a note of how scarce your food and water supplies are, Stone only has so much in her satchel. You would need to take into consideration maintaining your groups current 'alive and healthy' status... After traipsing for a bout an hour, you reach the edge of your Pipbuck's map. As soon as you cross it, the screen flashes to 'Scanning...' before then beeping a few times and showing a now considerably larger map. It now depicts a large variety of locations across the Rains Wasteland. Scrunching your nose slightly you edit a few of the settings to find places that you could reach within the day, as the sky was already beginning to darken slightly, the foreshadowing of an oncoming storm obvious in the clouds. The Pipbuck reports back to you with a small list. Cave of Echos, Leadwing Factory, and the Covenant of the Six Sisters. Each route towards Rocky Mines was about the same distance no matter which option you chose, but you would have quicker access to different locales based on the path picked.

[Input] Ask Stone what she thinks.

You figure it might be a good idea to get information about the locations from the pony who has lived in the area for quite a long time. Turning to her your trio pauses on a little outcropping. Ushering her over you show her the map on your Pipbuck. "Huh. Nifty." She comments before studying it with a closer eye. "Hmmm... I'm not familiar with these names, but I think I know the spots. Leadwing is a popular stop for trader caravans, but there are a few odd stories concerning it, some groups even avoid it. As for the covenant... Not a clue. It's too far north I think on the map, trading routes don't go that way. And the cave is harmless. At least partially. A few ponies have gone deeper into it in search of riches, but most return empty hoofed. Except for one. Idiot probably fell down a chasm though."

[Input] Go to Leadwing Factory.

Based on her descriptions you figure the best place to travel to for the night to wait out the storm would be the nearby factory. If it was used by caravans, there was probably a water source there, and maybe some phat loot to plunder. If there was a good reason to go anywhere, it was plunderin phat loots. At least that was good enough a reason as you would ever need. Your motivations didn't require depth. Your group once again returns to trudging, but this time towards a new goal. Before long the outline of a large building becomes visible in the darkening afternoon. The light was fading faster as time passed, the front of the storm moving in quickly. The torrential downpour begins to fall just as you cross the threshold into the building. "Whew, just in the nick of time." Stone exclaims as the world outside is blotted out by the spontaneous deluge. Letting the door slam shut, you observe your new environment using a flashlight on your Pipbuck. The three of you were in the foyer of the factory, an aged help desk situated in the front lobby. Checking your Pipbuck it sketches a small layout of the place. A new feature you hadn't been aware of before... Neat.

[Input] Check out the foyer.

Might as well start with the first room when you're looting someplace new your Gram always used to say. Now of course your Gram was declared clinically crazy, but that didn't mean that some of the things she said weren't true. Like how chickens were planning the downfall of all pony kind straight from the beginning. Well... Maybe most of the things weren't true. But she had a point, chickens were shifty eyed bastards. Signaling to Stone she pulls out a flashlight of her own to check one side of the room while you check another. Wrapping around the side of the help desk you search it for goodies. However, it was already throughly ransacked. Considering how this place was a rest stop for most caravans it did make sense that the easy to reach spots would have been searched a long time ago. Luck was on your side though, as there was a single still locked front desk terminal... Which you then locked yourself out of after three failed attempts. Well shit. You had experience with computers, but in this instance it seemed to have failed you.

[Input] Check the storage closet.

Glancing at your Pipbuck for its technological holy guidance, you figure the next best place to search for phat loot would be the so called "Storage Closet". Ponies probably stored closets in there, and rare premium pre-war closets would fetch a pretty bit on the black closet market... Wait what? Shaking your head out of its fanciful reprieve, you bounce to your hooves and trot determinedly towards your new destination. And of course, it's locked. Probably some high quality closets in there... First, you try using your social skills to persuade it open by gently throwing your body against it. A few bruises later, and no dice. Welp you were a world renowned thief, (if the entire world consisted only of you) a locked door wasn't going to make you give up. Pulling out a professional lock picking set consisting of two jagged bobby pins you set to work on the masterfully constructed 100-pin bank Stable tier tumblr... And the simple lock pops open after only half an hour of vigorous labor! The tips of your hooves were really starting to hurt... No time for pain however, it was time for stea-borrowing. Mass borrowing. The door swings open to reveal a nondescript store room of assorted supplies. From bottles of aged cleaning chemicals, to a few brooms and janitor outfits there were of very little of worth. Interestingly enough though, you were not the only one to touch the room recently. In the dust on a few of the tables were a few odd marks. Which was in of itself odd, as the door had been locked, with no signs of tampering before you beat it open with a roc-DEFTLY LOCKPICKED IT. Deftly. Very deft... ly. Whistling innocently you pick over a few of the items in the room, looking for anything that could even be remotely useful to you. After a few minutes you procure a few more bobby pins, an old pack of preserved peanuts, and a bottle of water. Well, at least this wasn't a total loss.

[Input] Investigate the marks.

Lending the marks more thought, you can't move past just how odd it is that they're there in the first place. This room had been locked, and the only other apparent access to the room was a vent set into the ceiling, which was currently screwed shut. Using the flashlight built-in to your Pipbuck you take a closer look at the disturbed particles of detritus. Set into the thick film covering the desk was four distinct straight lines that angled inwards towards each other, but instead of touching together at a singular point they merely ran off of the desk into the air. Well, adding that to the list of strange things Nova had seen in his life. The other being a filly doing a backflip, and the faint apparition of a mare walking around the Stable at the wee hours of the morning.

[Input] Check the tour room.

Hmm... You stared at the marks in silence, postulating to yourself as Blossom plays with a bottle of bleach behind you. Stone on the other hoof was to your right, reading through a few news clippings. "We don't even really know what Leadwing Factory is..." You pose the statement to Stone. "Other than it's dark and creepy? Nope, not much." Revisiting your Pipbuck you mull over ways of rectifying that particular problem. "Come on, let's check out the tours room." "Ayy ayy bossman." She salutes dutifully and follows behind you as you leave. You make sure to snatch the poison from Blossom on the way out, dragging the begrudging filly away from her playful demise. Your hooves clop against the linoleum on the floor as you make your way back to the foyer. The sounds of each step reverberate off of the walls around you, echoing further and further into the factory before fading from audible range. The distorted clicking noises they made as they bounced around was deeply unsettling. Even the storm outside did little to diminish the reflective noise. You suppress a chill creeping up your spine as you swing the door of the tour room inwards. It, like most of the other rooms, was dark and musty. However this one was relatively disturbed in comparison. The caravans passing through the factory must have made camp in this particular room. The room itself was home to a about a dozen various mannequins and display pieces. From models of now faceless faded ponies who had once been in high positions within the factories governance, to miniaturized scale models of the floor equipment. While the plaques of metal would have probably held details about their accompanied exhibits at some point, they had since been subjected to oxidation, breaking, and chipping. You glean nothing from their marred surfaces. Stepping over a few fallen pony models, you are slightly perturbed by a quaint fact. Some of the faces had been chewed off.

[Input] Investigate the new marks.

Pausing in your information scavenging, you lean down to inspect these newfound marks. Etched deeply into the plastic exteriors of the faceless ponies were deep incisions, as if something had gnawed on it for a lengthy period of time. This facial scarring was mirrored on a few other mannequins in the room. Having only read about common pre-war animals like cats, dogs, and moonbears, you were at a loss to relate the phenomenon to anything you were aware of. Stone shares similar feelings as she prods at one of the mannequins with the tip of her rifle. "The actual fuck is this?" She mutters under her breath. Blossom eyes the fallen lifeless plastic carcasses with extreme averseness as she hides behind you. "I don't know, but whatever it is, we need to be wary." The thunder cracks outside in agreement.

[Input] Check the offices.

Next on the list of places to explore in the name of theft was the offices. Maybe you could pick up a few coffee mugs in there? Office ponies probably loved their coffee more than anything else. Leaving the desecrated show floor your trio makes its way back out into the lobby, before then heading through a set of double doors that would lead into the employee offices. The space was as extensive as the front lobby, with a large set of cubicles set in the middle that did not reach the ceiling, leaving the room with the feeling that it was taller than it actually was. Inside each of the cubicles was an orderly desk, topped with an accompanying broken monitor, and a small collection of office supplies such as paperweights and molded paper. None of the computers were in working order. The one's that weren't broken lacked power. Apparently the single computer in the front lobby was a priority for the failing power grid, but the employees weren't. The only thing out of place in the entire room is a small pile of assorted chipped bones under one of the desks. You're unable to determine what they came from. Even your doctor is baffled. Shrugging, you turn to looting the room. After a while you find a few bits, Kaching! And a nondescript trinket, a wrought iron rose.

[Input] Show companions the iron rose.

The rose was a slightly constructed thing, with small etched rivulets in the tarnished iron running down the sides in a spiracle pattern. At the tip was the pinnacle of the piece. The bud of the rose had long since been robbed of it's rich red paint, of which only a few minuscule flakes remained, but the tinted iron beneath was still as beautiful as ever. While it was diminutive in size it certainly made up for in craftsmanship. Set on each of the petals were layers upon layers of crisscrossing lines, giving the surface a extraordinary experience when touched. Figuring you wouldn't be the only one who would appreciate such a wonderful bibelot you turn to Stone, passing it over carefully. It had survived a multitude of years, you didn't want to be the one who broke it now. Her eyes widened as she took in into her hooves gently. She twisted it slowly in front of her, critically appraising the curio. She murred approvingly as she returned it to you. "That's a wonderful object. It'd probably fetch a nice price as well at the mines, they tend to appreciate metal things." You nodded, looking around for the Blossom in order to let her see as well. "Blue?" You call out hesitantly.

You are met with silence.

[Input] Ask Stone about Blossom.

"Did you see where she went?" She shakes her head nervously. "No, I thought she was following you. I went to go check out the other corner of the room..." And she was right too, she had been following you for a short period of time, you remember. She had been clinging closely to your leg before you had been distracted by something or another... And then you hadn't paid much thought to it after that.

[Input] Check the kitchen, weapons ready.

With a nod of understanding to Stone you pull out and prepare your pistol. She does similar with her rifle, and it clicks softly in the stale air as she loads a magazine into the chamber. The thunder outside gives it's applause unsettlingly as you take point and begin to make your way to the kitchen, stepping deftly over broken chairs and downed file cabinets in order to not make any loud noises. The glow of your PipBuck gives a very small radius of view, causing you to wind up internally even tighter.

The green bubble of light moved slowly through the dark of the office.

It watches silently.

As you get closer to the kitchen, one of your senses twinges in unconscious recognition. You startle as you notice the prints in the dust on the floor. TRACKING! Taking a detailed look at the patterns before you it becomes clear that the small circles didn't belong to either you nor Stone. While they were marred with another unfamiliar print, the subtle indentations remind you of the desk from before. The tracks seem to lead upstairs, dragging something heavy behind it while simultaneously Blossom's tracks disappear... You didn't have a good feeling about this.

[Input] Go up the stairs.

You steel yourself internally and follow the tracks up the stairs, one hoof at a time into the somehow even darker upper floor of the building. As you step out into the landing, your PipBuck chimes happily, your local map updating as it scans the new Y axis that it was now aware of. Several named rooms blip to life on the tiny screen strapped to your hoof, their names flickering slightly as the device struggled to power both it's mapping function and the radial light. You think you hear a chittering noise in the distance, but decide it was only the patter of the rain on a window next to you. Bemused, you tap it slightly, wondering how it had managed to hold up after all of these years. You find that it was reinforced, and the deep resound 'plonk' from tapping it makes you aware of such.

[Input] Check the CEO's office.

Hrm. Maybe the CEO's office would be the best place to check first? You study the floor, hoping to find more evidence in the dust, but it would seem that there was a draft in the upper floor due to the storm, and any tracks had long since been disturbed. Damn. Today was not your lucky day, was it? Or, well, lucky night... Technically. Slowly you and Stone make your way towards the CEO's office, weapons prepared to riddle anything that happened to step in your line of fire full of bloody holes. Which probably wasn't the best plan with a little filly possibly running around... Oh well, common sense was for suckers anyways. A few minutes later your duo strike team stands before the door to the office. With the tip of your pistol you prod it open slowly, causing it to whine begrudgingly as it swings open. Straining your eyes you attempt to pierce the dark within. The room was relatively unfurnished, with only a few metal cabinets lining the walls, a few of them accompanied by empty picture frames, their art torn or faded. At the far end of the room was a single desk, with an accompanying chair, and... There was a heap on the desk, with protruding limbs hanging off the sides.

Tentatively you step inside, getting closer to the desk warily as you keep the tip of your gun trained on it. Dread sat in your gut as you came within light radius of the desk. You were afraid of what you were going to find. A hundred nightmares rushed through your head at once, clinging to the edges of your thoughts, tainting them with their insipid forms. Finally, you come close enough for the light to fall on whatever it was, and in the illumination you see... Another mannequin. It's face in tact, with only the eyes deeply gouged out. While it was unsettling, your stomach settled as you sighed in-

A shadow darts out from under the desk, a deep guttural screech echoing in the small room as it stabs your uncovered hoof with something. Searing pain spikes up the nerves in your leg as you lose all feeling in it, causing you to stumble and fall into the desk, knocking the mannequin to the floor. The thing jumps away outside of the light before you catch a glimpse of it. Stone curses as she sees you fall, before taking two pot shots that plink off the floor, striking into nothing. Whatever it is however was sufficiently scared off by the loud bangs, and skittered away out of the room.

Stone rushes to your side, keeping her back away from the door encase it decided to come back. "Lemme see that." She notes, concerned as she takes a look at your leg. You were worried to, whatever that was it had left your leg without feeling. You were almost scared that you had lost it completely... Before seeing that it was still there. And intact? What? You could've sworn from the pain that something had pierced it... The end of the hoof however was fine, with only a single reddish bruise marking it. "... Hmmm... Can't feel it, right?" You nodded, grunting in pain. "Pixie dust. We have a fucking Pixie on our hooves. Celestia christ why didn't I figure sooner..." With a long sign she pulls out a stim, unceremoniously jamming it straight into your leg. You feel the tip of the needle grind against the bone itself as you curse. "FUCK. WHY?" You cry out in surprise. "Nerve toxin. It's how they hunt. You would have been paralyzed for a few days otherwise." Despite the pain feeling begins to return immediately as the juice works its latent magic on your blood stream. "Ahh... Dammit." Whimpering slightly you struggle back to your hooves. "Pixie?" Stone nods, gripping your side so you don't fall again. "Yeah. Rumors from the far settlements tell of them. We don't know much, other than they stun and take ponies. You're lucky you had me around, otherwise you'd be fully stunned until it decided to deal with you." She turns to look at the door. "We need to be careful. And we need to find Blossom fast."

[Input] Ask for advice on Pixies.

"What should we do then?" She glances to you. "In relation to what?" You gesture with a hoof towards the door. "It." She chuckles darkly to herself for a moment. "Hit them but don't get hit. Like I said, not much is really known about them, so that's all we can do in the end." Welp, that was great then. You were fighting an enemy you hadn't seen, know nothing about, and it could completely paralyze a pony if they touched you. And you could barely see. Three cheers for Nova.

[Input] Search the room.

You decide to search the room first. Blossom would survive a while longer, right? :^)

Stepping through the pitch-black you survey the cabinets and picture frames. All of the important or secret documents that they contained had degraded away, leaving little brown piles of mush within them. Nothing that would ever be of use or to any other pony... Unless they had specific need of small brown piles of mush that is. You couldn't for the life of you imagine why they would ever need such a thing however. Next on your list of things to investigate was the desk of course. If it was the desk of a prominent factory pony it had to have some goodies, didn't it? Tugging each of the drawers open you inspect their lackluster contents. Besides a few pieces of paper and pens there was relatively little of worth within them. However, as you are bumping around the internals of the bureau your head taps against the underside, and it... Shifts slightly? The event was odd enough to warrant suspicion from you. And suspicion was all it took for you to loot it intensely. Pulling on the bottom of the inlet of the desk, a small hidden drawer gently slides out. Within, is a single glistening black dagger. Inscribed on the handle is 'Night Bane.' Huh. Neat.

[Input] Inspect Night Bane.

You scrutinize the dagger, inspecting it and admiring it's lethal and sleek form. It seemed to be carved of a pale black stone of no rock you could identify. The surface felt as soft as chalk, while the edges were still razor sharp. The intricate inscription of its name seemed to gleam in the dark, making it easy to read even in the low levels of light. You suspected the dagger was enchanted in some way, but you were an Earth pony, not a diviner. Such providence was beyond your racial abilities. Of course, there were some Earth ponies in lore who had been... Inclined to such things, whether by a trick of fate or blessing of the allicorns, but they were incredibly rare. You suspect they probably no longer even existed in this dead world. Very little did.

[Input] Go to ventilation.

You decide to make your way to the ventilation room on your pipbuck. Signing to Stone with a hoof she falls in line behind you. You didn't know her very well yet, but any time she was by your side you felt... More secure. Safe. Protected. For the longest time you had only felt this when you were with your sister, and it reminded you of her. ... Leap. It still hurt. The hole in your heart throbbed. You wondered if it would ever go away. If this would ever go away. Just like she had. You don't let the feelings drown you however, and you fight to keep your head above water. Leap would come later. You could do nothing about the problem at the moment, right now another mare needed your help, and she was in terrible danger. Moments later your idle trot ended in the ventilation room. It was a cramped tiny corridor of ducts and machinery long since dead. The air was stale and hung still in dead silence, cloying to Nova's lungs as he squeezed into the tight space. Scanning through it he found it empty, devoid of anything besides a few janitor suits and brooms. Nothing else could be found in the offshoot however, and soon you plopped back out, gasping for air and space. It had been extremely claustrophobic within.

[Input] Sneak to the conference room.

Dropping to all fours you-... Wait, you were already on all fours. Silly pony, that wouldn't help your stealth. Instead you made a mental note of where you put your hooves, and just how much force to put behind them. So that you wouldn't step on anything loud, and so that you wouldn't step on anything loud loudly. The secrets of stealth were actually pretty basic, especially when you didn't have much to work with, being a horse and all. Foot by foot you find your way back through the dark hallway to the conference room. Set in the wall were two heavy wooden swing doors. Sadly, unlike depicted in your comic books, they lacked the accompanying portcullis-like windows that were the staple of many futuristic diners. Prodding one with your hoof you swing it open slowly, causing a low 'errrk' to emit from the rusty hinges. "Grrrrreat." You mutter to yourself, unamused by these pedantics. The room was full of an array of chairs set out in a semi circle pattern that fanned out from a stage situated in the center. On the stage was a simple podium, still prominent and proud despite the hundreds of years of wear on it.

[Input] Search the podium.

While the room unnerves you for some reason, you press onwards further into the dark as stoically as you possibly can. The shivers that ran up your spine were indication of your stoicness. In the silence your hoof clops against the degraded floor cause rebounding echos to sound off in the large chamber, their clacks leaving an odd cacophony in the air around you. As you come closer to the stage you are finally able to see something laying on it, as the podium was obstructing your view before. A small unmoving mass was visible in the center of the stage. In the low light it is incredibly hard to make out who or what it is from this distance.

[Input] Ready gun, investigate form.

Readying your gun, you step carefully up the aged steps of the stage. Despite your best intentions they still creak ominously. Cringing from the loud noise, a bead of sweat rolls down your forehead, dripping to the wooden floor. You hold your gun closer, trying to find reassurance in its cool exterior and deadly capabilities, but only very little comes to you. Peeking back at Stone she seems similarly afraid, the emotions plain in her tense muscles. Taking a few shaky steps closer, you finally come within light range of the shape...

It's Blossom! A haggard sigh escapes your lungs in blatant relief, the pent up anxiety in your body unwinding pleasurably. Thank Luna's stars you found her. However, before you could chastise her from running off in the abandoned factory, you notice she's uncharacteristically still. Fear once against nibbles at the edges of your emotions. Dropping all pretense of caution, you rush to her side to figure out what was wrong. Her side thankfully continued to rise and fall in delicate motions, indicating she was still breathing, but claw marks similar to the ones you had found on the table downstairs were evident in thick impressions on the skin of her neck. It seemed she had been choked unconscious.

[Input] Have Stone check Blossom, guard door.

Motioning for Stone to come over and take a look at Blossom you switch places with her. Putting your back against one of the double doors to hold it shut, you prop the other one slightly open to keep watch of the outside hallway, pistol at the ready. Stone's voice carries easily across the room to you as she assesses the condition of the filly that seemed to have a penchant for getting herself into danger. "She's alright, for the most part. The wound seems to be covered in some sort of sap that's singed into the fur and skin, but I don't think it's poisonous. I gave her a stim just in case." You breath another shaky sigh of relief before calling back to her. "How much longer do you think she's going to be ou-" Your question is cut off as one of the chairs in the room clatters to the floor unceremoniously with a loud KTHUNK, accompanied by a sharp skittering sound.

[Input] Violent diplomacy.

Being Nova, the wily diplomat of peace, you decide to take the good karmic route and wipe whatever it was off of the face of Equestria. Wow, things sure have changed since the world was bathed in nuclear hellfire. Prepping your pistol you aim down the sights towards the corner of the room from which you heard the sound. Methodically, step by step, you inch towards the fallen chair...

Only to find that a rotted leg had merely fallen off. You chuckle to yourself, apparently it wasn't what you had thought it wa- Stone screams in fright on the stage. Snapping out of your reverie you dash to her to discover the cause of the reaction, only to pretty much stumble into it. Standing up at almost pony height on the stage was something that caused fear to clutch at your heart.

[Input] Violent diplomacy continued.

Considering the monsters positioning you make the decision to dash around it, trying to put it at a better angle from which to pepper with gunfire without putting your friends in danger. However, as you sprint, it deftly swipes at your arm with its long reach, knocking you to the side with ease. You roll across the stage floor, your gun rattling across the floor with you. Considering you dealt with, the Pixie turns to Stone, who has taken up a defensive posture over the body of Blossom. A growl on her face and her rifle at the ready, she pops off a few shots at the tall humanoid. However, Pixies it would seem, were incredibly agile, and it drops to the floor, bounding away off of the stage and into the maze of chairs in front. Staggering to your feet, you find that the Pixies attack had left similar indentations in your arm, accompanied by a light stinging sensation. Grabbing your gun however you decide that you will not let yourself be beaten. Together you and Stone take up beside each other, leave the stage, and begin to slowly trot amongst the wooden sea. Silence fills the room, accentuated by the methodical click of your hooves in tandem. The Pixie seemed to be watching, waiting for the perfect time to stri- Leaping over a chair in front of you it sets upon you like a fearsome predator, its gaping maw wheezing in your face with a loud HISSSSSS as it swings wide.

You barely manage to scramble out of the way in time, narrowly avoiding being knocked upside the head by its sharp claws. Stone yells for you to duck as she lines up another shot. Instinct jolts through your legs, dropping you to the floor as a bullet finds itself placed into the creatures arm. It shrieks in pain, black blood spraying into the air as an unearthly caterwaul emits from its jaws. Turning its sights on Stone it springs for her, fingers outstretched as it arcs through the air. Stone screams as she's thrown to the floor, her head clunking against it with a loud thunk. Your teeth grind together in determination as you jump back to your hooves. "COME GET ME FUCKER." You yell at the thing. The Pixie's squat face jolts back towards you, its bright white beady eyes gazing with hate and animalistic fury. In an instant it leaps over the chairs, the long claws scraping against the floor as it sprints at you. You have barely a moment to raise your pistol before the mass slams into you. BANG. BANG. BANG. You fall backwards, everything goes black.

A shiver runs up the length of your bony spine, jolting you to from your peaceful reverie. Your head scans side to side calmly, your emotions flat and unperturbed by the expansive white mist surrounding you completely. Its tendrils lick at your body, instilling a chill in your damp fur. This is what had probably caused the shiver. You remain emotionless as a grey form begins to take shape out of swirling condensation, a body slowly materializing out of nothing. As the wraith turns red, deep seated recognition sparks within the back of your mind. Your sister, Leap Year, smiles at you as she steps forward. You fail to react, or even care, as she spears through the bottom of your skull with a long piece of jagged metal. In a final moment of lucidity, you feel the serrated edge rip the soft pliable tissue that constitutes your brain, the bone of your skull screaming in agony as deep rivets are etched into the pearly white.

You wake up with searing headache. Stone stands over you, a bandage wrapped around her own head as she breaths a shaky sigh of relief. Groaning as the pain jumps around in your head, you roll to your feet. Next to you, dead in a pool of blood, is the pixie.

[Input] Ask Stone what happened.

"What..." You cringe imperceptibly as your head hits you with a bolt of pain in retaliation for moving it. "What... happened?" Stone smiles and chuckles as she pulls you into a spontaneous embrace. Something, which out of all the things you had been expecting, had been the lowest on the list. Taking a step back she gives you a friendly slap on the shoulder, which causes yet another pain barb to bloom. "Pixie charged you I think, and you emptied your gun into it! Fucking impressive feat of bravery is what happened. You saved mine and Blossom's life, because I was out cold." Her amiable mood becomes slightly more serious before she continues. "Now, a two hundred pound Pixie body crashing into you still isn't a good thing though. I think your old noggin," She taps your forehea- AHH PAIN. You wince. "Clipped one of the nearby chairs pretty badly. I was knocked out, but you were sucker punched."

[Input] See how Blossom is.

You nod your head affirmatively, distracted by a nagging worry born in the back of your mind while you had been standing there. What had happened to Blossom? The characteristically shy young filly was fulfilling her personality by being unseen. As you searched the room with increasingly frantic panic you become aware of Stone's chuckling. Turning your attention back to her your head cocks slightly to the left in confusion. Something which is regretted as the headache once again makes itself known. "If you're looking for her..." Stone raises and points a hoof at your back left leg. Looking down, you can't help but grin as well. She was curled up on the ground, apparently asleep next to where you had been knocked out. "You were out for a bit. She's fine, just going to need a bit of time to recuperate."

[Input] See how Stone is.

Reaching down you pet Blossom idly behind one of her ears, eliciting a low whimper of sorts as the filly reflexively stretched in response to the stimulus. Peeking up at Stone, you eyed the bandage wrapped around her head, becoming aware of a similar one tied to your own. "Are you okay?" Your tone oddly endearing, Stone grins slyly to herself. "Yeah yeah I'm alright. We probably both have some form of a concussion, but a good stimpack does wonders for every part of the body. Probably okay to sleep tonight to without too much worry." Tapping her head she flinches before continuing. "It's going to sting for a while though, that's for sure. Stims heal the wounds, but they do little for the pain that the body has yet to realize should no longer be there. So it's going to hurt like a bitch for a while." You smile at the bluntness. "Better than being ripped apart by that." You comment, glancing to the warped body of the dead Pixie. Even in the dark the utter latent lethality was evident in it's sleek deadly form.

[Input] Give the building a look over.

A bit worried, you pose a problem to Stone. "There might be other things to worry about, so I'm going to do a quick search." Stone nods in response, but chimes in with a bit of info. "Pixies are supposedly highly territorial, probably nothing else of danger, but still a good idea." Reloading your pistol you tell her to keep watch over Blossom as you exit the conference room.

Despite the intense combat within, nothing had changed in the atmosphere outside. The air was still stagnant and stale, hanging still and cloying at the lungs. But why would the world care for three ponies fighting for their lives? It obviously had not cared for the millions disintegrated in an instant... This was a depressing line of rumination, probably evoked by the still ever pouring rain dripping through the shattered windows. Trying to boost your morale you remind yourself that you had just killed a creature known only to the dead as real, and to the living as a rumored nightmare. Which helped... But it implied that there were more of those things out there. With a grimace you turn into the factory floor catwalks. Your hooves clang unsubtly against the corrugated metal, but sneaking was only a shadow of a concern at the moment. If there was another Pixie in the factory, the three of you were as good as dead anyways. It would only be nice to go down fighting it awake rather than asleep.

An hour and a half later you find yourself in the foyer of the factory, studying the first room your group had entered. In retrospect, the many odd signs you had found at first should have been warning enough. But it was either stay here, or freeze to death in the raging tempest outside. Getting lost in the rainy dark, separated from the group, wasn't exactly a way you'd like to imagine yourself going. Despite staying being a bad choice, at the very least it had worked out in the end with no casualties and only minor injuries. A few minutes later and you've returned to the room of Blossoms spontaneous bed rest. Laying next to her, a hoof wrapped around the fillies small body protectively was Stone. She had an eye opened and trained on you as join them on the dusty floor. "Anything?" "Thankfully not." She murmurs something in an almost positive tone before piping up. "Good. Now, we should get some sleep." "Agreed." And with that, the stress of the day comes to a close.

As the sun falls lazily through the gray clouds above, you and your compatriots discuss idly outside of the factory in the light drizzle. At some point in the night the storm finally abated, allowing your group to leave its cage. Despite the positives of the new day, the topmost being that you were all still alive and healthy, there were some major concerns facing you. The first being lack of provisions. Having eaten the bag of peanuts and a can of soup from Stone's bag, as well as a half bottle of pure water, you were running low of the basic necessities. You had also emptied your entire gun into the Pixie... Leaving you with 6 rounds of ammo for your pistol. Stone's supply of bullets for her rifle were lackluster as well. So, there was the problem of those problems, in addition to that of your next destination. Those within distance that would further your journey were the Covenant, The, Paw Prints, and Blackstone.

[Input] Ask Stone about The.

The rain obscures the green surface of your PipBuck slightly as you manipulate the map cursor. You were perplexed by one of the locations listed, as it was rather oddly named. "The?" You murmur to yourself in confusion. Stone is watching the filly as she romps around in front of the factory, alive and bouncy, but she turns at your comment. "Hmm?" She expresses inquisitively. "There's a point on the map just named "The". Know anything about it?" Stone considers for a second before shaking her head. "I know a few things about the land out here in the east, but The isn't one I've heard about. Might have a different name among the locals, or your map is picking up something weird. Unicorn tech has always been finicky, everypony knows that."

[Input] Head to The.

"Well... In consideration of the other places on the map, this one might be our best bet." Stone tilts her head to the side, considering your statement. "Maybe, but it is still a gamble. Tis up to you boss stallion though, lead the way." Shouldering her pack, she waves the filly over from her playtime, and the three of you strike a path for The. As you walk your eyes flit across the landscape, scanning for signs of possible danger to your trio. However after a while you slowly zone out, falling into a sense of comfort with your company. Most of the walk had been bathed in silence but you smile as Stone and Blossom get into a heated argument over whether butterflies were better than flowers. You knew that Stone was teasing the filly, and it was absolutely adorable. Despite feeling sorry for the unaware filly you weren't going to stop it anytime soon, the red and puffed out cheeks of the little one were too entertaining. Your group makes good progress, and as the land is once again beings to be comforted by the night you come within range of your destination.

Before the three of you sits a large hill bordering a ravine. Half of the hill was broken off, hanging over the ravine like a rotten tooth, its jagged edges threatening when set against the backdrop of the blood red sunset. Despite being a few hundred yards away, you discern three pony like shapes on the crest, overlooking the land before them. You can't make out anything else however.

[Input] Call out and approach with readied weapons.

You glance to Stone, checking on her feelings about this situation. They were plain on her face, the worry evident. You could infer from her body language that she was probably unnerved as you currently were, the muscles in her legs taut underneath her gray skin. Pausing for a moment your eyes follow the green lines etched on her face from the accident, but with a quick blush as she notices your distraction you march forward, pistol at the ready. Hopefully she wouldn't remark on your hesitance... Pistol doing what it does best, being at the ready. Well, with only six bullets. So two-thirds at the ready, technically. "Hey! Are you friendly!?" You yell out as confidently as you can into the dying light. The forms neither respond nor move in reaction to your shouting.

[Input] Aim your flashlight at them.

Hesitantly you continue to creep forward, your pistol not trained on them but within a short distance of being sighted on a head. Considering your friends you would die before you would let them get a shot off, of that much you were decidedly certain. Unable to make out any other details in the faltering light you carefully switch on the frontal light of your PipBuck before swinging it upwards, effectively spotlighting them. You see... Statues. Made of faded white stone. The color and hue of them bring a sickening association of bones to the back of your mind, but you quell the disgust.

[Input] Continue to The, investigate the statues.

Your PipBuck indicates that the location you've been seeking is on the crest of the hill. In fact it seems to be guiding you directly towards the statues. This was both perplexing and worrisome. Your group was running low on supplies. Unless the statues were carrying food it would seem you and Stone would be starving for the next two days. You knew there was at least one last can of food in Stone's bag, but of course you would probably give that to the filly and lie that you both had eaten when she wasn't looking. As gullible as she was, she'd probably believe it... This path of thought depresses you so you shove it to the back of your mind and push onwards up the incline, guns no longer readied. It could be assumed that you didn't have anything to fear from marble statues, right? As you come closer to them you're finally able to get a better look at what had been scaring you for the past hour. Three statues made of white stone stood proudly at the very peak of the hillock, despite the chunks of rock missing from their worn features. The few faces left on the sculptures stared dutifully off into the distance, their eyes unwaveringly blank. Situated into the ground in front of them is a similarly ragged plaque. The few words you can make out from it are

"The.... ... ....... . .. never..... ... . ... .. forgotten... ... ..." Nothing more can be deciphered from the jagged letters despite your intense squinting. Turning back to the statues you note a few more curious details. Each are of the three races of ponies. An earth pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus. In addition each oddly bears an intact necklace with a pierced marble coin. The earth pony bears one with three curving parallel lines, the unicorn's coin is inscribed with that of a great tree, and the pegasus's is accommodated with an etched glowing gemstone. You hum to yourself slightly, pondering their meaning, lost to the ages of time. Something about this strikes you as being wrong.

[Input] Loot and inspect the medallions.

Removing the lined necklace from the earth pony, the tree from the unicorn, and the gemstone from the pegasus, you lay them on the ground before you and scrutinize them closer. Each symbol was rubbed deep into their respective stones, preventing their baffling icons from having been weathered away with time. Despite your faint recognition of the implied meaning of the other two marks the third continues to elude you. Three parallel curved lines? As you contemplate them you glance at Blossom, who is currently hanging over the edge of the cliff, smiling as the breeze blows through her pink and purple mane. You grinned idly, jealous of her youthful innocence. It had been, or at least it felt like it had been, quite a long time since you'd ever been able to feel an emotion even slightly similar to the unbridled joy of someone so young. Turning your attention back to the necklaces you smirk at them in annoyance. Stone comments idly from the side. "Elements or something?" You shake your head in a negative fashion. "No, because then there would be six, just like in the stories. There's only three. What does it mean?" Stone shrugs then lays on the ground. "No idea cowboy. You're the smartest cookie here, you tell us." She blinks as the moon catches her eye in a particular way. "Whatever it means, we need to consider our next step, it's getting really dark."

[Input] Rearrange the order of the medallions.

What if... What if the symbols had to do not with elements... but with race? Your head jerks back up towards the effigies of ponies. The gears of your mind spinning like mad you grab each of the talismans and sling them around the ponies necks. Yes, yes yes! It all made sense when you thought about it! When it truly came down to it, it was plain as day for your quick wit wasn't it? As each one falls into place the pieces in your mind come together in a beautiful masterstroke of brilliant genius and tactical strategy. The clues had been there since the beginning. As you stand before your work chuckling to yourself you throw your arms wide, awaiting your prize! And... Nothing happens. Drat. You hadn't done anything wrong had you? Stone obviously goes on the earth pony, spaghetti on the unicorn, and tree of the pegasus. Because earth ponies loved rocks, unicorns... Made a mean Hooftalian dish? And pegasi kept getting stuck in trees. They were like cats, weren't they? Floaty cat birds? Crap, this was wrong. With a sigh of defeat you try to put them back in the order they were before, so you could start from the beginning. Gem on the unicorn... Noodles on the pegasus... And tree on the earth pony? Wait no, that wasn't right. A sigh of defeat courses through your lungs as you deprecate yourself mentally. This excursion you had brought your teammates on had been nothing but a waste of time and valuable resources. Noting your lack of morale Blossom wanders over and pats you on the leg. "Dun worry Nova, flowers always open when the sun comes back." ... God that filly was adorable. Stone nods in affirmation with the fillies words and opens her mouth to give her two cents as

The grounds snaps open beneath you, and the three of you fall into the gaping dark maw of the earth. It snaps shut a few seconds later with a grinding screech, and all is quiet. The wind continues to blow peacefully despite the light perpetual rainfall, and the statues continue to look out over the land, their eternal vigil continuing on despite what had unfolded before them. With three bright pops of light, the necklaces rearrange themselves on the statues, and their eyes faintly glow before returning to their regular empty pale surfaces.

You wake up in the dark, your senses muddled and your head pounding. You can't see a single thing.

[Input] Call out to your friends.

Struggling to your hooves in the pitch black dark you call out to your friends. "Stone? Blossom?" You hiss in a low whisper, both scared about your current environment and worried for their wellbeing. The last thing you remembered was falling from a great height after rearranging the necklaces, and then... Nothing. Thankfully your anxieties are eased when Stone groans from the floor a few feet away from you. "Not dead... Sadly..." You hear her own hooves scrape against the floor as she gets her bearings as well. However, Blossom fails to respond, sending a slight jolt of panic through your already coursing heart. Taking a step forward in the vain attempts of seeing something, you step on a soft object. A squeak later and a mumbled apology Blossom has reattached herself to your leg. "I-I'm awake..." It was a blessing that she couldn't see the embarrassment evident on your face from accidentally stepping on her.

[Input] Attempt to turn on your PipBuck light.

Fiddling with the piece of tech on your hoof, you attempt to switch on the PipBuck light. Despite the soft glow of the screen it doesn't project at all into the murky black. Displayed on the screen however is an error of some familiarity. "Reconnect Wire 32." The electrical wire in the PipBuck that provided auxiliary power to the dome light... It often was knocked loose inside by a hard jounce. This was a bit of knowledge you remember from your days with Morning, the Stable repair pony. There were many a pony in the Stable who experienced this error due to roughhousing or mistreating their equipment, but you never could have believed such an error befit of miscreants would befall you. Well, your life had taken a rather adventurous turn lately, hadn't it?

It was probably something that you could fix if you had any light. This problem was ironic, wasn't it?

[Input] Bump into Stone.

Groaning in annoyance you return your hoof to the floor and slowly traipse into the dark towards where you had heard Stone. You hoped she was alright, from the way you were feeling you knew it have been a nasty fall. Just as you think you've passed her location you run into soft flesh. "Oops, sorr-" Stone yips and slaps you across the face with a hoof... A pretty good swing for being in the dark, you must admit. "Fuck, sorry. Don't spook me like that Nova." You chuckle, feeling your stinging cheek with a hoof. "You go girl." She tsks you in amusement before continuing to murmur. "Why no light? I thought you had that gadget." Despite her not being able to see you you shrug anyways. Pointless exercises in self expression were the best kind. "It's broken, and I can't see well enough to fix it." Stone mumbles to herself before continuing. "Well, I've got nothing. Is there nothing else you could use?" Breathing in the cold air you sigh. "I'm not sure."

[Input] Use the lighter.

Ignoring the error about the broken light, you select the lighter from your PipBuck inventory screen and it appears magically into your awaiting hoof. How? Unicorn tech magic. Obviously. Flicking open the small hinged metal cover you click the sparker, causing a tiny pure blue flame to spout up from a small nozzle. Despite the flames magical intensity, it only gives a small radius of light. Enough to see your own hooves, Stones face, and the small filly attached to your leg. However, not much more. There was no telling how much fuel was left in the lighter either, unicorn tech was... Finicky. The green scar on Stone's flesh was evidence of that.

[Input] Fix the PipBuck.

Going by the light of the PipBuck you pop open a panel and rethread the purple wire deep inside. This one was what powered the dome light. As it reconnects to its socket, a happy spark jumps off from the touching wires, causing you to jump slightly. However your anxiety is put to rest as the magical bulb hums happily, throwing out a field of sight around you. Putting away your lighter you remark to yourself that it was a strange invention, and you would probably never understand how exactly it worked, but by Celestia were you thankful for the nerds who had made it in their laboratories before the war. Doing a full 360 you take in your surroundings. It would seem they were fairly... Lackluster. Your group appeared to be in a twenty by twenty pace room with solid metal walls. Tucked into the edge where the walls met the roof, interspersed at an equal distance, were small circular holes. The roof itself was sloped upwards slightly towards a finale circular hole that was closed with a hatch. Set slightly below the hatch was a suspended metallic ring. The walls of the room were unremarkable in nature, except for one which had a thick window set into it. As you turn slowly and make note of these many curious points, the edge holes begin to spew water.

Gasping slightly as the water touches your hooves, the water level starts rising at a fast pace.

[Input] Inspect the ring and knowledge check.

As the water level begins to creep up your legs slowly like an unwanted lover you shiver uncomfortably. Your companions look to you in worry, an emotion you were sure your face reflected back to them. Taking a deep breath you calm your nerves and settle the dark thoughts springing around in your head. Often times the hero stuck in the bad situation could save the day if they were calm, right? As you search the room around you for more clues you recall your time in the Stables old pool, one of the only extravagant luxuries that had been built into the Stable. However once the food dispensers had started failing it had been converted to a garden, something that surprisingly it had done well. At least the few times you had spent in it as a foal would possibly pay off now. Your friends however you were unsure about. If push came to shove there was a possibility Stone or Blossom could give themselves enough buoyancy to float with magic, but there was no telling how long that would last. Deciding to get a closer look at the ring set into the roof you motion for Stone to support you as you reared up. In doing so you notice a few things. The hatch above was closed and appeared to be of a thick and solid metal. Hanging from it by a few thin metal rods connected to anchors was a similarly metallic piece of metal shaped into a circle. It was suspended in the air, and appeared to contain complex mechanisms inlaid into the inner part of the ring.

[Input] Inspect the mechanism further.

Despite your precarious perch on Stone Hoof's shoulder, you decide to push your luck further by slowly clambering higher onto her back for a better look at the ring. "I hope you know what you're doing Nova..." Stone whimpers from the strain. You smirk to yourself in annoyance. You weren't that heavy, drama queen. Pushing your mild retorts to the back of your mind you squint in an attempt to get a better view of the mechanism. Due to your limited knowledge you could only infer a few things from experience rather than fact. For some reason you felt like it was a hoop of some sort, one that the three of you had went through on your way in. It was possible that it had been what had triggered the water to begin flowing, and it could be the key to making it stop, but really you had no idea. The switches, gears, and cogs set into the metal of the ring seemed too numerous to be operated by a pony however, as if a tool was needed? You weren't sure. Before your unsteady seat broke beneath you however you fell off into the rising water, giving a small splash. It seemed to be growing, and fast.

[Input] Suavely panic.

You decide to turn your inquisitive curiosity to the windows instead as you were having no such luck with the ring. Plodding through the now knee high water you come to a large pane of glass set into the wall. Peering at it you determine that there is no discernable edge between the window and the wall, it was perfectly seamless. In fact due to the coloring of the window and the wall it was difficult to even tell where they met. You also realize what you were looking at was like something out of the stable's mystery novels, it appeared to be only one way. No matter how hard you pressed your muzzle against the glass you couldn't see through it. Shrugging, you draw your baton and give the window a few strong knocks, testing its durability. You fail to even scuff the surface with your weapon. As you ponder, you hear Blossom squeak in fear behind you. Turning, you see that what is knee level for you is belly level for her. Dropping to one knee Stone allows her to jump onto her back before standing back up. The look she gave you was clear, that would only buy you so much time.

[Input] Take a Mentat.

Begrudgingly you pull out the packet of Mentats from your satchel, eying the colorful depictions and grand promises on the front of it. Apparently this prewar drug was supposed to boost your mental acuity. Despite the warnings from your foalhood health education class about using dangerous and addictive medicines, you figure the situation warranted a possible miracle. Popping one into your mouth you note there are only 2 left in the pack. You weren't sure exactly what the side effects of this would be but you hoped for the best as you swallowed the berry tasting pill with a gulp. Immediately the world around you seemed... Clearer. Not in the sense of how you percieved it, but rather in the way your brain seemed process the information around you quicker. Drawing your baton again you figure there may be something about the window you'll catch this time with heightened senses. Rapping its solid surface once more you grin grimly. Nothing seemed to come to min- Wait... The sound? You smack it again. It resounded with a steady vibration. Furrowing your brow you test it in a few more places, realizing that the window wasn't necessarily thick, just too steady for your blunt object to have any effect. Perhaps a stronger force in a single pinpoint location... The world rushes back to its mundane regular self like a freight train, crashing into your head like a gooey slug. Your legs shake as you struggle to maintain lucidity under the feeling. Welp, so that's what the side effect was. Shaking your head back and forth you try and determine what to do with the information your clarity had given you.

[Input] Shoot the glass.

Sliding the Mentats back into a dry pouch you shudder as the cool water touches the underside of your belly. "Novaaa..." Stone warns, the fear evident in her tremulous voice. "Yes I know, I'm working on it." You respond, hoping the courage you had tried to eke in that statement reassures them. If you didn't work wonders soon it was probable you were all dead. No, fuck you brain, Nova thought to himself. I'm not going to even think about that, not yet. Giving up was for those who didn't have ponies depending on them to succeed. There were no ifs, ands, or buts, about this situation, you had to figure it out. Drawing out your pistol you recall you only had 6 bullets. Hopefully this wasn't a waste of those precious bits of explosive metal. The water reminds you it probably isn't. Holding the gun point blank at the window you hope to yourself that they wouldn't ricochet back at you into the small room. Wincing at the loud boom you fire. The glass cracks a bit as the round embeds itself into it, fissures spiking off in random directions from the entry point. 5 bullets. You fire again slightly above where you shot before. 4 bullets. More cracks, but not enough. The water reaches your neck. Too late to use your baton again. Praying silently you fire again. 3 bullets. The cracks spiderweb across the entire window now, but it's not enough. Blossom whimpers, afraid as the water reaches Stone's chin. "Nova, anytim-" she's cut off as it encompasses her mouth. Shit shit shit. Stay calm Nova. Stay calm. Rearing on your hindlegs you fire once more. The glass explodes into a tiny million bits of shrapnel, plopping down into the water with small splashes. Thankfully the window was low enough to be below the current water level, and the room beyond it siphons some of it away, bringing it back down to your knees as it funnels in small streams. Stone coughs in relief but glances at the portholes. "It-It's still- cough -coming..."

[Input] Investigate the new room.

Feeling the small bits of glass underneath the water dig into your hooves you grimace your way through the pain and stride to the now empty oriel, step over it, and peer into the dark. Even though you have a bit of trouble at discerning anything at first your eyes adjust rather quickly. Soon you can make out the features of the new room. It was roughly the exact same size as the room it was connected to. In fact it was similar in every regard except that it lacked a hatch or ring like yours contained. The only notable thing even was just a large steel ball bobbing in the water peacefully. Studying it closer you see a multitude of runes inscribed in its surface, which could possibly explain how it was able to float in the first place. You reasoned that something so dense and heavy shouldn't even have that property to begin with. As you watch it however it stops bobbing with a jerk, as if held in place, and the water slowly begins to creep around and over it.

[Input] Investigate the orb.

Sloshing through the water you come to where the orb had disappeared under the surface. You hadn't gained much time with the new area for the water to fill, but your remind yourself that every bit counts in the long run if it allowed you to figure out what you needed to do to save everypony. Taking a lungful of air you hold your breath and plunge yourself beneath the chilly surface. Using the light of your PipBuck you explore the contours of the floating shiny orb. Having a new perspective however, one below the water line, you realize the reason why it had acted oddly before. The ball was tethered to the floor of the room with a metallic chain. The runes glowed pitifully as they fought against their binding, and you inferred they hadn't enough power to break away, only to lift the sphere.

[Input] Yank on it.

Wrapping both of your hooves around the orb you attempt to jerk it up swiftly from its tether to the floor. Straining, the water sloshes around you as your body trembles from the effort you put into freeing the odd device from its captive prison. Your struggle seems to be in vain however as the chain attached to the bottom of the orb holds against your strength with ease. Sighing you release it from your grasp, the ball returning to floating free in the rising water level. Now lapping at the sides of your haunches you are idly reminded of the problem that was only growing worse in the meantime. As you meet Stone's eyes you can see her biting her lip anxiously. The severity of the situation was not lost on you, but the way out was certainly obscured. Blue shivers on Stone's back, the worry evident in her body language as well. Well, you know what they always say. Ponies perform better under pressure. The pressure of three watery graves, of course.

[Input] Fire the lazers.

Leaning in you peer through the clear water at the orb, making a note of the many colorful runes set into the orbs metallic surface. Inferring that it was by their power the ball was floating in the first place you conclude maybe they also lacked sufficient power. Turning to Blossom you see a tremble pass through her body. The water had now reached Stone's lower chest tufts, the line creeping up inch by inch. "Blossom, honey, I need a favor." She meets your gaze, nodding, her eyes - trusting yet confused. "I think this contraption lacks energy to break the chain tethering it to the floor, and if that's true, you're the only unicorn here that could power it." She looks at the ball submerged under the turbid waters, hesitating for a quick moment before nodding in affirmation. Stone strides slowly through the pool, creating small waves with every hoofstep. Finally she brings Blue to near enough for her to gaze down at it under the surface. Concentrating she scrunches her nose, a few small sparks bouncing off the tip of her horn before finally an ethereal tether snaps in a straight line to the orb. Blue winces, but the connection holds. Taking another deep breath you plunge into the lukewarm waters to get a better look. The ball was now tugging straight up against the chain, and rubbing your hoof along its links you determine the forces involved were strong, but not enough to tip it over the edge into breaking.

[Input] All together now!

Wrapping your hooves around the ball you find it to be radiating heat into the surrounding aqua. Thankfully however the metal surface still seems to be cool to the touch despite the warmth it was to be emanating. Straining yourself once more you pull upwards, giving every muscle in your legs and hooves a single goal, yanking. While any pony could be anything there were many stereotypical stories passed down with equestrian society. Unicorns were known to be quicker of wit, Pegasi were more dexterous, and Earth Ponys has access to sometimes otherworldly strength. While you had never been one for manual labor, exercise, or even basic self maintenance, you gasped in surprise as a strong burst of adrenaline surged through your veins, aiding you in your toil. Combined with Blue's funnel of energy into the device by your combined efforts the chain to the ball snapped with a muted CRACK! under the water. Free from its prison the orb splashes to the surface with a jerk. Bouncing slightly on the surface it creates a series of small ripples, before plopping back under to float half submerged as Blue's power gives out.

[Input] Put the orb into the hoop.

Blossom squeaks as the water touches her hooves, the level now having reached Stone's neck. "Nova, I don't mean to worry you but-" "I know I know, I'm working as fast as I can." You were sure if your muzzle hadn't gotten wet you'd be sweating currently from the stress. Encircling the ball with your forelegs you tug it into the other room and rock it into your arms before attempting to lift it out of the water. After a few moments of struggle you manage to get a hold on its slippery surface, and haphazardly toss it upwards into the hoop. As the orb nears the hoop you spy more symbols on its ringed surface glow in response before the ball just taps it and splashes back down into the water below. It bobs back to the surface a second later. Wiping the water from your face you try again, only to be met with the same situation. Stone whimpers behind you. "Novvvaaaaa..." The water now laps at your chin as you kick with your hindlegs, fighting to stay afloat and upright.