Author's Note
Disclaimer: This chapter contains a minor scene from Kkat's origanl story Fallout Equestria, as well as mentions of elememnts of Somber's story ' Fallout Equestria: Project Horizon. I wish to make clear that I admire both authors greatly and by no means want to steal credit fro the glorious world and storylines they have provided. My aim with using said elements is purely a hopeful contrabution to further expand the universe Kkat and many other author's have created for writers like myself. My hopes for this story is to build my own storyline within this universe, while also linking a number of stories I like together.
And with that disclaimer out of the way, I hope my writing style won't bpre you to death and allows for an interesting read. Please give me as much advice as you can, I do appreciate it. Enjoy!
Welcome Home, Soldier
Fallout Equestria: The Last Battalion
Welcome home, Soldier
“(SIGH) I’m getting too old for this shit.”
Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria... With the ongoing developments in the Equestrian infrastructure, tempers tensed as local resources dwindled. And as is with everything, when there was a shortage of one thing locally, the shortage has to be balanced out with outside resources, and so trade came to be. And Equestria’s trade partner were the lands of the Zebra. Coal for gems and gems for coal. After an embargo enacted on Equestria by the Zebras, Equestria had taken non-lethal offensive actions, to capture a delivery of coal. In return, the Kaiser attacked. Therefore, war ensued. As the war grew longer, methods of killing grew more effective. And after two decades, the war reached its climax. The world was engulfed in magical balefire, turning everything into a magically irradiated wasteland. In addition, the only lesson that was taught was a simple phrase. War, war never changes.
As I sighed, I stared over what used to be one of the most beautiful valleys in the Zebra Lands. I was sitting on a perch high above Zencori territories, overlooking what had been a village two hundred years ago. The once lush green and fertile valley was now covered in brown and black. Dead trees stuck out of the brown grass. The grass was high enough to cover the Zebras’ legs, with some paths in and out of the village, as well as a few paths around the village. I sighed once more. There was a group of Zebras down below. The valley had been hit by a mega spell, the radiation levels had lowered to non-life threatening levels a few months ago, and I was waiting for them to leave the village. They were Zencori going by their stripes and they did not appear to be leaving any time soon. I put my binoculars back into the pouch of my armor. I looked up at the sun. It was high noon, time to execute my orders. I jumped down my perch and glided down to the valley floor. I landed in the dead grass, letting its height conceal my form.
Seventeen Zencori, I gave myself two minutes. I sighted the nearest Zebra in the back of the head. I was at the end of the group, releasing a breath I bit down on the bit and the bullet left the barrel of my magically customized .50 caliber silenced sniper rifle and exploded the head of the Zebra. Overkill? Most definitely, but it was one of the few amusements left for me in life. It also caused the others to stop and stare in shock. I started darting in and out of the grass and took out the rest of the Zebras with the blades on my wings. Two minutes later, I ripped out their innards and spread them over area, it would not take long for a pack of Nightstalkers to find their remains and take care of the evidence.
I walked into the village, cautious of any traps or surprises that the Zencori had put up to protect the huts. I walked into the center hut and looked around. It was the largest of the huts and was the home of this village’s chieftain, which meant, that there should be a Book of Stories somewhere in the hut. I checked the floor for any hidden panels and was glad to see that my luck held true. In the far side of the hut, lay a small grass mat. I lifted it away and found a panel of wood. Grabbing it, I lifted the panel to reveal a square shaped pack rapped in clean turquoise silk. I unraveled the silk and found a bright yellow leather bound book, with Zebric runes. The minor knowledge I had of the regional dialect of Zencori Zebric allowed me to read the title, ‘Book of Stories’. Sighing, I walked back out of the village and looked around once more. Finding nothing of interest, I jumped into the air and flew off.
To the east I saw the remains of Roam, still smoking with pits of rainbow colored, radioactive sludge, where some of the mega spells hit water reserves causing the mud to be contaminated and form into pits of deadly sludge. To the south was the ocean. Just past those waves were the lands I called home. I landed a few minutes later in front of a cave I trotted in and checked the map that was filled with muzzle drawn crosses. Over the past two centuries, eliminated all seven hundred and thirteen targets of opportunity. The Zencori village was my last target. I knew that the war was long since over, I knew my orders were invalid, but I owed Mistress that much. Even though she was most likely dead. After what happened to Cloudsdale, I knew that there was a very real possibility, that I was the last member of the M.O.A.’s Dragon Hunters. I knew my orders and I had sworn that I would carry out my duties until I breathed my last breath, even if those orders were given two centuries ago and had no real strategical value now.
My cave, was four body lengths deep and two across. I grabbed all my files, maps and documents, piled them in a heap, and took out my 10mm sidearm. / Fwp/ The suppressed pistol unleashed a single incendiary bullet and lit it aflame. With all the evidence dealt with, I packed all of my supplies into my packs, checked my weapons and gave the cave a last onceover. After that, I put my helmet on, letting the sleek metal encase my skull leaving enough room for my snout and ears to move freely. I sighed with melancholy as the helmets Head-Up Display started up and connected with my armor’s systems. My Eyes Forward Sparkle letting me know that I was staring towards the South, if the distant brown and white of the waves and the sun were not obvious enough. The integrated PipBuck 3000 Delta model letting me know it was time to return home to Equestria. Activating the integrated Stealth Buck, I jumped out and flew south. It was a day’s flight to the shore and I rested atop of some cliffs overlooking the waves, waiting for the morning sun to guide me across. While that was not necessary due to my E.F.S., I quite disliked relying on the technology given to me for the war, as it made the reading of surroundings superfluous.
The night was as cool as always, showing Luna’s glory to me, the stars and the moon; ever since the Pegasi had deserted and abandoned Equestria, Equestria and many of the neighboring countries were covered by a thick cloud layer. The idea was simple enough. Create a barrier to protect the Pegasi cities from the radiation. However, as soon as the skies were closed, the Pegasi never came back. They holed themselves up away from the problems, leaving those who truly needed aid to fend for themselves. Before Mistress told me to kill time for some sort of prophecy, she was told about. While I did not understand it, I never was given a reason to doubt her and two hundred years past her death, I was not going to start doubting her now. I lay down on the floor and closed my eyes, after setting my suites sensors to a twenty-meter perimeter around me. As usual, it was a dreamless sleep.
I woke up when the first rays of sunlight reached over the horizon, bathing the land in golden warmth. I got up and stretched myself, extending my wings, I let them soak up the warmth. I looked to the south, out by the horizon. I could see the dark clouds looming over my home. I sighed and looked back at the sun. As much as I disliked Celestia, I would still miss her spiritual guidance under the clouds. Of course I would miss Luna as well, she was always very close to me, being a person of the night just like her, the two of us had a great many discussions with each other. I took out an MRE and gulfed it down with a single bight. The applely taste of the bar spread over my tongue and gave me a shiver. The energy jump-started my body and I jumped off the cliff. Soaring over the waves, I stayed low to avoid any radar detection. I flew at a relaxed pace, covering the distance in just as the sun dove behind the horizon. I landed on the grey sands of the shore and looked back. The orange light of the sun was now completely gone, in front of me lay the wastes of what once was Equestria. To the far east was Hoofington a dozen or so miles off from the coast. Over to west were the remains of the of the rest of the continent. Equestria had territories, from the coast in the South, all the way up to the Crystal Empire in the North. From the badlands of No Pony’s Land all around Hoofington in the East, all the way past, Los Pegasus and Vanhoover by the Luna Bay in the West. And right in the center of it all was Canterlot, head of both Celestia’s and Luna’s government.
I sighed in nostalgia, and trotted off northbound. Near the border was an old army base, one that during the war was used extensively by the M.O.A. for sabotage runs on the Zebra factories. It was a hidden complex, disguised as a refugee camp. There were sublevels with a large communications room. It was where my mission was sanctioned, and so I had to report in. I walked through the gate sigh, staring at the remains in the guard houses. Nodding to the bones, I continued into the base. The base had its own power generators, power generators designed by the head engineer of StableTec herself. They were still functioning flawlessly, as the lights’ motion sensors picked me up and bathed the camp in bright blue neon light. The base was in utter disrepair. Skeletons, Zebra, Pony, Griffin, Minotaur, Dragon Hatchling, Goat, Diamond Dog, even some of the wild life, lay about, covering the broken cement floor. The chain link fences that once surrounded the base were rusted and had collapsed in many areas. The entrance to the actual base was a large metal door that was covered in a sheet of black soot and rust. Typing a few commands with my armors mental link, I opened the entrance. The large gate screamed in protest, as the rust of two centuries was slowly ground away with metal. I entered the complex through the large metal gates, waiting for the gates to scream shut again.
As the gates screeched closed behind me, and the hallway in front of me lit up. I walked along the grey, metal hall, following the signs to the coms room. I entered the room and sighed. At the table sat Lieutenant Commander Iron Hoof, a stallion who at one point had vibrant green fur with a brown mane. He also used to be my Handler for this mission. I nodded him a greeting, sat down at the coms module, hooked my PipBuck 4000 Delta up to the console, and checked for any communications. There were no saved audio logs so I checked for the progress of the contingency plans. Mistress may have acted strange at times, but there were few ponies who had as clear of a sight as she. Therefore, I knew there were emergency plans in place if the war was lost.
One such plan was the mutual destruction of all parties active in the war. That plan landed us where we are today. In an irradiated skeleton of a world that is deadly during its best days. The other contingencies were less extreme, though just as vital. Treason by the ministry mares, even though I knew Mistress would be the last pony to even think about such a disgrace. Transfer of the governing power, in the case of Luna dying. Counterstrikes on soft and hard targets of the Zebra forces. I had been hunting those targets for the sake of boredom. As I was entering my clearance details, the dialog finally picked up.
Project Party Pooper: Status: Unconfirmed…
Primary Target List:
M.O.M. Director; Pinkamina Diane Pie; Dead; Confirmed;
M.O.P. Director; Fluttershy; Presumed Dead; Unconfirmed;
M.W.T. Director; Applejack; Alive; Unconfirmed;
M.O.A. Director; Rainbow Dash; Presumed Dead; Unconfirmed;
M.O.I. Director; Rarity; Presumed Dead; Unconfirmed;
M.A.S. Director; Twilight Sparkle; Presumed Dead; Unconfirmed;
Earth Pony General; Stonehide; Dead; Confirmed;
Pegasus General; Borealis; Dead; Confirmed;
Unicorn General; Shimmerstar; Dead; Confirmed;
Chief Justice; Fairheart; Dead; Confirmed;
Secondary Target List: Unconfirmed…
Relation List: Unconfirmed…
Legacy Protocol: Pending…
Equestrian Command Protocol: EC-1101: Status: Unknown…
That was interesting. EC-1101 was a matrix program designed to be able to bypass any system. I scrolled through the routing log and after 951 rerouted connections, I found it, stuck inside of a stable main frame. That could be a problem. Stable main frames were internal networks that catalogued and stored data indefinitely. EC-1101 was the contingency in case of Luna dying. If it was stuck in a stable, then that contingency plan had failed as well. I sighed again and looked through the other log entries. Nothing. Sighing again, I opened the open communication channels.
“And there we have it, ev’rypony. The Wasteland is a harsh and brutal place. Ghouls are trying to get into Ten Pony Tower, willing to pay, but old Ten Pony is not letting them in. The Steel Rangers are still assholes, and Redeye is still working ponies to death for whatever scheme he is playing in Fillydelphia. The Hoof is going to shit more and more. Then there has been a number of sightings of what appear to be Allicorns. Are they real? Did Luna and Celestia return? Or is it just some dash head with his latest high-induced hallucination? Truth is, my little ponies, the wasteland is in a bad place. In other news, it appears a raider band has made their home in the remains of Ponyville. If you are travelling the area folks, keep your guns loaded. This is DJ Pon3. Bringing you the truth, no matter how much it hurts. Hears Sweetie Belle, reminding us to keep up the fight.”
The deep voice of the stallion had a very charming tone to it. Back before the war there was only one pony who was named DJ Pon3, but SHE was supposed to be in Stable 29. Therefore, unless she turned undead and is using a voice distorter, whoever this was on the radio, was an imposter. Either way, I got some interesting facts from that snippet of conversation. DjPon3 was stationed in Ten Pony Tower, from what I could see in the records, Ten Pony Tower was a very luxurious hotel for the rich and wealthy. What the data also hinted at was a change in ownership during the beginning of Luna’s reign by Arcane Technology Incorporate, a shell company operating for the M.A.S., which meant that it could be an outpost for the Ministry of Arcane Sciences. The news also told me that the main function of the building was a living quarter for the wealthy, if they could afford to be picky on their residents. The next piece of valuable intel was about a pony named Redeye, who was located up in Fillydelphia. From what I could gleam from the report, Redeye was no supporter of labor safety and labor hours. If he were working ponies to their literal death, then maybe there would be people who do not like him, giving me opportunity in the area. Then there were these Steel Rangers, which going by the name were the same Steel Rangers from the war. I was going to have to talk with them, if they had access to the M.W.T. hubs; I needed to see if I could have access to the main frame, to update my systems. Hoofington was also a place I needed to visit, the M.O.P. had a few major research facilities there and I was hoping to find some of the meds in alpha testing. Some of the restoration talismans were virtual mega spells, with a few samples I could start researching and try to replicate them. And the last bit of the puzzle were Allicorns. Luna and Celestia were back? Unlikely. I confirmed Luna’s death myself. She died in Canterlot. Celestia was last heard of a few hours after Canterlot’s shield went down. Under the cover of all the panic, I slipped away to the Zebra territories. But if Allicorns were walking among us, then there would be one very good reason for me to make sure the last order of Mistress were fulfilled.
I started typing my report, letting Sweetie Belle’s soft voice ensnare me. A few songs later, I encrypted the file and sent it off.
Field Report: Codename: Broken Memory…
Thank you, Operative…
Incoming File…
File Received…
File Encryption Level Alpha…
Decrypting…
File Open…
I opened the file and read it.
Operative; Recall Bravo Mike Mike; Project Remember initiated; Retrieve Mike Oscar Alfa Delta Hotel; Grid Zulu Dash Papa Tango; Location Sierra Charlie Tango; All equipment is stored and ready.
I sighed deeply and turned on my broadcaster. This would give away my position, so I would have to reroute it through some of the S.P.P. Towers. If some of the old storage units were still operational and functioning, then things might become quite hectic.
“This is an emergency transmission on all open channels calling all Marauders, Papa Romeo is in effect. Rendezvous will be broadcast on M.O.A. secure channel Delta Whiskey. This message will repeat twelve hundred more times, failure to answer will be classed as K.I.A. Over and Out.”
I set the broadcast on a counter termination, and left the coms room and walked back outside. As the gates screamed closed, I walked off. To the north was a small settlement, my mapping tool labeled it as Trottston. It seemed to be an old shack town, surrounded by a wall made up of burnt out wrecks of sky wagons and chariots, with guards patrolling along them, as well as two guards behind sand bags in front of the gate of the town. As I neared the gates, my E.F.S. picked up non-hostiles behind the wall. For the moment, the guards were also non-hostile, even though they had their rifles trained on me. Relaxing a little, I made my way to the gate.
The town gate itself was a burnt out sky transport, which had been reinforced with a few layers of sheet metal. As I walked up to the guards, I scanned the surrounding area.
“Halt! What is your business in our town?” the left guard said.
He was a dark blue Earth Pony stallion with a white, reddish mane. He was wearing a red uniform jacket with golden threads, black trousers and boots. On his head, he was wearing a tall black Bearskin, which was a fur cap. The uniform reminded me of the Royal Guard stationed at the Buckingham Palace in Trottingham. The accent of the guard was only confirming my suspicions.
“Greetings friend. I am just looking for some food and to restock up some ammunition as well as some medical supplies. I was hoping to be able to rest in your town for a few hours…”
I looked down on his sleeves and saw four chevrons, point up and worn on the lower sleeve, with a metal crown above.
“I hope that this is okay with you, Staff Corporal?”
I looked him in the eyes and saw his surprise.
“Of course. Right this way, good sir. Private, help Lance Corporal Butter Crumpets stand guard. Please, follow me sir.”
We walked through the gates and along the street. Trottston was built on the old main road. As we walked along the main road, I started to gather some intelligence.
“So tell me, Staff Corporal, anything interesting happen recently?”
“Why sir, there have been so many things happening all around the Wastes, it is quite hard already to keep track of just the local events. Things have been quite hard though. The Princesses’ Guard is stretched too thin for the Captain’s liking. Between the Palace, Trottingham itself, Trottston, Edinbuck, Canterborhough and Buckston, that we barely even have the horsepower to send messengers from town to town. Moreover, the raiders in the areas are fully aware of this. Trottston has not received relief supplies in over two weeks, and the town is starting to run dry. Nevertheless, where are my manners? As you have assumed correctly, Staff Corporal, Earnest Mind, of the Princesses’ Life Guard. And how may I address you, good sir?”
I kept my stride and answered evenly.
“Starseer, designation Delta Hotel.”
“I must admit, I have not heard of that designation before. Please pardon my blunt questioning, but I must know. Which faction is it, you are employed with?”
“Pardon me, Staff Corporal. I must excuse myself for my vagueness. I just came from the South. I am unaware of the current political situation in the Wastes.”
We had entered, what appeared to be an old hotel. The main structure was in almost perfect condition. The paint had chipped away and revealed the concrete. Inside, the wallpaper was adding from a light brown to gray and coming off the walls. On a brighter note, the bar seemed to be not only open, but also filled to the brim with alcoholic drinks. We sat down and were handed a pitcher of water.
“Well you see, in the Wasteland there are a number of political groupings and factions. Around Trottingham, there are us, the Princesses’ Life Guard, the Steel Rangers, the Enclave, the Travelling Traders and well the numerous raider bands. The Princesses’ Life Guard, well we keep the Trottingham region safe. The palace is open for waste landers to stay in return for the horsepower. We are neutral with the rest of the factions, with the exceptions of the raiders. We have a non-aggression treaty with the Steel Rangers and the Enclave. Both the Rangers and the Enclave are isolationists foremost, with the Enclave’s only presence being the old military base, while the Steel Rangers scour the Wastes in search of technology to collect and lock away in some vault in the old castle in Trottingham.”
He snorted, the thought apparently being quite amusing to him.
“To protect the M.W.T.’s technology from us Wasteland savages. Quite offensive if you ask me, as many of the Life Guard, just like the Steel Rangers, can trace our lineages back to long before the war. However, I digress, the raider bands work independently from all forms of government or borders. They work on a tribal base, warring with themselves just as much as with the other factions. And lastly, the Travelling Traders are a group of traders, who like their name suggests, travel the Wastes and take almost everything.”
I nodded at all the points of information. It would seem that the political situation was quite stable, good. With Papa Romeo active, a stable political environment would help. I sighed, now to the question I had hoped he would have forgotten.
“Now outside of the Trottingham area you have the Equestrian Heartland. Ten Pony Tower with the rich and wealthy, as well as DjPon3. The main chapter of the Steel Rangers is based in the StableTec HQ. Then you have the Griffin Mercenary groups, who always follow the contract. Then there is Redeye and his rumored alliance with Allicorns. Then there is the scientists in Friendship City, and then you have Absolutely Everything in New Appleloosa. Then there is the Zebra tribes around Canterlot. The Hellhounds in Maripony and around Fillydelphia. In addition, of course the Enclave in Neighvarro and other cloud cities. Then of course, you have that raider nest in the ruins of Ponyville. So there it is just a grenade throw away from all-out war.”
Again, I was taking note of all the information the Staff Corporal gave me. It was a good amount, and enough material to start planning. Then the stallion took another breath.
“Then there’s the Hoof. Hoofington is currently experiencing a civil war between Luna knows how many factions. However, that is to be expected. Hoofington was bombed by the hour at the end of the world, but no bomb hit, ever. As far as the rumors go, The Hoof is a treasure trove of prewar riches.”
I nodded. Yeah, Hoofington was full of technology, but it was a death trap. The Zebras called it the Cursed City for a reason. Hoofington is built on lies and deception, a country within a country. I sighed and finished my drink. Just then, the Corporal started talking again.
“So, which of these factions has you currently under their employ. From your appearance, I would say you are Enclave, being a Pegasus and all, but then again, you could be a Dashite. However, looking at your weapons, you could be a Ranger. Your armor is also not making things any easier. It’s so bulky I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a mare underneath all that.”
I snorted. I appreciated his honesty.
“I’m male, don’t worry. I am a freelancer, just wandering the Wastes, looking for trinkets of the past. I am on my way to the site of the first Peace Talk, when Celestia was still active ruler. I was told it was near the gates of Trottingham.”
“Yes, yes. Princess Celestia had invited the Kaiser to talk about peaceful solutions. The talks were held just outside the gates, ten minutes west north west.”
“Wonderful. Now all I need is to restock my ammo and I’m good to go.”
“The traders are in town, I’ve never had any complaint regarding their services. I’ll walk you to them.”
He dropped what appeared to be ten bottle caps onto the counter. After that, he walked outside. Wait a moment. Did he just pay with bottle caps? Wonderful. Now I was mostly clueless and broke. The traders were a group of seven ponies. All of them were wearing dark tan leather barding. The Staff Corporal walked me ver to a stallion with a gray bandana around his head.
“Greetings Iron Coin, this chap here needs some supplies. Please help him out, if you will.”
“Of course Earnest. So what’s your name dear fellow?”
Iron Coin was a dark gray stallion with a matt blue mane and green eyes. He seemed aged. I stepped up to him and let my armor go through all of the mechanical checks. While not really serving a purpose other than showing off, it made the stallion take a step back in fear. My sniper rifle moved in its mounting and rested itself back against my right side. On my left, the Octo-barrel of my Gatling Gun started to spin. A few seconds later, it too rested against my side.
“I need all the 5.56mm and 5mm ammo you have in belts, as well as all the 50 caliber ammo you have.”
Iron Coin was gone for a few minutes and came back with three mares; all four of them were struggling under the weight of the ammunition. Setting the crates down, Iron Coin looked at me and took out a pen and a pad.
“Alright, you have here for that sniper of yours, 50 standard rounds in the standard ten round magazines. 20 incendiary rounds in the standard mags. 40 hollow points in the standard mags. 40 spark rounds in the standard marks. You also have 25 of those anti-personnel poison bullets in the smaller five round mags. As well as 25 explosive rounds, also in the smaller mags. Now for the automatics, we have 1200 5mm standard rounds in interchangeable 100 round belts. And 720 incendiary rounds in the same belts. As for the 5.56mm ammo, there is 3000 standard rounds, 1500 spark rounds, 1000 incendiary rounds, 500 explosive rounds and 600 hollow points. In total that will be 50325 caps.”
My Gatling Gun pointed at him and the barrels started to rotate.
“But I’m sure we can come to a mutual understanding. Shall we say 40000 caps? I can also trade some of your belongings.”
My gun stopped spinning and my pack sorter started bringing up tradable items. Apparently, my Bits still held worth. I also had a few gems. Overall, I got to a worth of 32750 caps.
“That’s all I have on me. Say friend, could I make up the rest I owe you, by being a guard for your caravan, at least until you reach Trottingham? I hear there has been a lot of bandit activity. Sound good?”
“What a delightful idea, my good chap, you have yourself an agreement.”
I nodded.
“Good. When are we leaving?”
“Well, tomorrow during morning. Trottingham is a two day trip.”
“Alright. I will be at the gate at first light. I request full command of movement during the trek though. I don’t wish to undermine your authority, but if the situation is as bad as I was told, I don’t want to have to keep an eye on your caravan whilst in combat.”
“Of course. I presume you have experience guiding caravans then?”
“Yes.”
I dropped the satchel with my money, and then asked two of the mares to put the ammo into my feeding system for the belts and my pouches for the magazines. After that, I walked of, letting my armors systems organize the belts. I walked around town and started towards an abandoned shack, when something rammed itself against my leg. I looked down and stared into the eyes of a scared stiff green filly. I looked at her and then to where she came from. I saw nothing but an old shed. I looked back at the Unicorn filly and saw that she was starving. My pack sorter brought out a pack of Sugar Apple Bombs. Dropping it on the floor in front of the small filly. After that, I kept on moving, but a shot hit a few inches away from my path. I jumped back, E.F.S. finding the target, my Gatling Gun whirring up. I brought up the scope of my sniper and searched for the exact location of the shooter. I found him in the second story of an abandoned building just behind the shack. The maroon Earth Pony was still aiming his Hunting Rifle at me, but as there had been no follow up shots, I slowly backed up, walked back to the hotel, and slept in a small side room.
Sleep was as dreamless as always. I awoke with the first rays of the morning sun. I stood up and let my systems do their routine checks. I walked out onto the street and saw two of the mares from yesterday packing up the store and loading the wares into wooden wagon. A few minutes later, I heard shouts from the top of the hotel.
“The Iron Tails are attacking! The Iron Tails are attacking! They’ll be at the gate in two minutes,” the lookout yelled down to me.
I threw up a small radio headset and opened a direct channel. I was already moving to the gate. I rushed past Lance Corporal Butter Crumpets and the private that had relieved the Staff Corporal.
“How many do you see?” I asked the lookout through my coms-system.
“Fifteen sir. Mostly pistols. And I see a shotgun as well.”
“Alright, start taking out the enemy. Center of mass, play it safe.”
I loaded my sniper with the standard .50 cal rounds and took aim at the closest enemy. She was a mint green Unicorn mare, wielding two pistols in her magic and a combat knife in her muzzle. I deactivated my silencing rune and shot. /Bang/ the round left the barrel and tore through the mare. The attackers stopped in shock, not surprising, Solid Argument, my gun, was very persuasive when allowed to talk. /Crack/ the lookout shot at one of the stunned attackers in the back. A distance of maybe 600 meters. With the .308 sniper, that distance was nothing, even for an amateur; yet, the stallion still missed and hit a rock. This pulled the enemy out of its stupor. They charged again. My Gatling Gun whirred to life. \trrrrr-trrrrr-trrrrr-trrrrr\ I sent short controlled bursts into the charging mass, mowing them down one by one. Some of them had started shooting at me and the two guards, who were doing their best at suppression fire, with the assault rifles they had. All the while, I was sidestepping and dodging incoming shots. A few tense minutes later, the last Iron Tail was down. Bleeding out slowly, but alive. /Crack/ a bullet imbedded itself into the ground, inches away from the pony’s neck.
“Cease fire! Cease fire! Stand down! This battle is over!”
I ran over to the fallen mare and stood over her. I looked over her body, a single bullet wound through her left flank. The blood was starting to pool around her and yet she was trying to lift her pistol in her magic. I could see it shaking in the air just inside of my peripheral vision. My pack sorter put my medical pack on the ground. The pack unrolled and revealed my medical supplies. The pistol stabled in my vision and I looked at the mare.
“Don’t even think about it. My armor is too thick to be penetrated by anything short of an armor-piercing bullet. Stand down, cooperate, and you will live. If you take the shot, I will crush your skull.”
The pistol sunk and dropped to the floor. I nodded and jammed a Med-X into her flank. She cried out and then sighed. I took out a Healing Potion and poured half of it into the wound and the rest down her throat. She choked a little, but swallowed. Seconds later, her wound started to stitch itself together. I packed away my supplies and helped the mare to her feet.
“Prepare a room,” I said through the coms.
“I want information. Clean this mess up, take what you can from the bodies, then pile them up half a mile from the wall. Give them the chance to recover their dead.”
I hoisted the mare onto my back and walked back into town. I entered the hotel and followed a colt into a room in the basement. I dropped the mare and walked to the corners of the room. The mare was out of it. The reason was simple. The Med-X syringe I gave her was tampered with. I had added a mix of different Zebra potions into it, after distilling and concentrating the painkiller. The mare would wake up in a few hours, until then I had to make sure my employers stayed in town. I placed a camera into each of the corners of the room. Setting up a wireless link to my helmets feed, I instantly had four small pictures in the top left corner of my H.U.D. As I stepped onto the main street, some of the townsfolk swamped me, out for blood. My guns were a very effective deterrent however and I was given space. I moved to the bodies, who were laid out by the wall, using an old InstaPic Camera I took pictures of the wounds, faces and Cutie Marks Once the pictures were done, I procured two chairs and a table from one of the unusable rooms. I set up everything and waited in the bar.
After another hour, the mare in the room finally stirred awake. I got up and walked into the room. Sitting down on the chair closest to the door, I waited for her to gather her senses. She seemed young, just through puberty and in her first cycle, if her scent was anything to go by. She had a caramel coat and a rose-colored mane with red highlights. Her cutie mark was a wooden bat wrapped with barbed wire. I had personally confiscated her weapons, but left her with her leather vest. She groaned and got up.
“Where am I?” she asked. Her voice was soft and melodic, but it also carried authority with it. Interesting.
She turned to me and gasped. Not surprising really, seeing that I was still in my full combat armor. I was sitting upright on my haunches, my right leg crossed over my left. I must admit, it probably looked quite unsettling. However, I made no aggressive movements and waited for her to continue.
“You. Tell me where I am!”
“Trottston.”
That word had a profound effect on the mare. Shock, anger and despair washed over her face.
“You buckers! What are you gonna do to me, huh? Sell me? Or are you gonna keep me for the towns use? Well? Say something you bastard!”
“Well, how about you sit down and we talk.”
I tilted my head to the chair opposite of me. Slowly the mare walked over to the chair and sat down. She looked at me with suspicion.
“So what are we going to talk about?” she sneered.
“Well… Let us start with your name. What do they call you and your people?”
The mare scowled, but remained silent. I sighed and laid down the pictures of her fourteen comrades. One by one, I laid them down, describing the injuries.
“Shot through the head with a single five, five six. Seven 5mm rounds to the chest, ripping through heart, lungs and liver. Shattered shoulder, .308 punctured the lungs, drowned in her own blood. These three, 5mm to the side, tore into their sides, rupturing the stomach and flanks. Single .50 caliber to the left eye, head and most of the neck gone. Four dead by multiple five five six rounds to the neck, legs and flank. I can guarantee you, not a nice way to go.”
The mare was whimpering and shaking her head.
“Shall I continue? The others are relatively simple, lucky hits to the chest and head.”
Maybe it was my appearance, or maybe it was my nonchalance towards the death of others. But the mare broke.
“Please… stop. I’ll talk.”
I nodded and took the pictures back and stored them in a pouch. I took out a flask of water, as well as two glasses.
“Drink. Then talk.”
The mare used her magic and filled her glass.
“Now then, what is your name?”
“I’m Barbed Rose, daughter of Blooded Rose. I’m from the Iron Tail Clan.”
She flicked her tail and I spotted the metallic glint of the barbed wire woven into her tail.
“I see, so may I call you Rose?”
Looking at me, the mare nodded slowly.
“Alright then. Rose, can you tell me why you attacked the town, or why you kept on attacking, even though, the superiority of your enemy had been demonstrated? Yet you still charged. What I am eager to know is, why? Why would you run to your death?”
“My mother ordered it. She said that there was a Slicer Gang outpost on our lands. But it seems Iron Tip led us to the wrong place.”
“So you are the daughter of the Iron Tail Clan leader. Therefore, that makes you a V.I.P. or in this case a political prisoner. Therefore, I will give you the opportunity to leave here, alive, with all the belongings of you comrades and their bodies. In return, I will escort you to your mother where you will report to her and ask her for a talk between her and the Captain of the Princesses’ Life Guard, with me as the mediator. I’ll give you five minutes to decide, if you choose to decline, I will execute you and send your body with those of your comrades back to your people.”
I left the room and walked to the bar. There Iron Coin was sitting. He saw me and waved me over with a hoof. I sat down and sighed.
“So chap, care to tell me why we are delaying? And what you are planning to do with that savage?” Iron Coin asked.
“I would advise you keep your personal opinions to yourself. The mare in question is a high value package. And, if the cards are dealt right, I may have just procured you a chance for not only more trade, but also protection. Now I hope you will not hold it against me, but I would like to divert our path to the home of the Iron Tails. You have my word, should this turn hostile, I will make sure you and you cargo remain unharmed.”
The stallion was baffled, but at least he was considering it. The timer I set rung and I walked back to the temporary cell. Entering the cell, I saw my water was empty and all containers were still whole. Barbed Rose still sat on the chair. When I stepped into the room, she looked at me.
“Have you decided?”
She nodded.
“I’ve decided to see, if mother is willing to talk with you.”
“Good. Stay close to me and nothing will happen to you. Here is your knife, your guns and your pack. I have already prepared for transport of your comrades. We leave in ten minutes.”
And so, we were on our way. Moving to the North West, we were moving at a steady pace. The area was open a few rock here and there. My E.F.S. was showing me some hostiles, my binoculars made them out to be Bloatsprites.
The result of a Parasprite and taint. Parasprites were a real nuisance before the war, but now they could also attack with spines that they fired from their bodies. Picture a balloon filled with viscera and slime, a set of wings, the ability to move around freely, a bad temper and the ability to shoot bonelike spines at you. Add to that a grey greenish color and fairly tolerable stench to add to the realism and you have yourself a Bloatsprite.
They made for some good watching, but lousy target practice. One good hit, Tartarus, even a bad one and the ended up in a pile of meat. Iron Coin and his associates were walking to my right. Barbed Rose was to my left, I was a barrier between the two sides, attached to my sides were ropes, allowing me to haul the fallen on a slate of sheet metal. We had been on the move for about three hours, and going by what Rose had told me, we were now deep in Iron Tail territory and quite close to the Iron Tail base. From what she told me, I gathered it was an old army fueling station. Going by our direction and the coordinates there was only one possibility. The Trottingham Relief and Supply Station for the Equestrian Army.
Just as I was contemplating the possibility of the supply station still having all its prewar supplies, my E.F.S. flashed red bars. My Gatling gun instantly started spinning, filling the air with a high-pitched humming. My rifle was slowly rotating in its mounting, switching between the four targets in front of me.
“Defensive positions. Carts in center, guns outside, fire on my command.”
The caravanners jumped to it. They were nervous, not used to combat. I sighed, praying to Luna above that I did not have to shoot. Right now, the bars were not moving. I turned my head and found eight more reds around us. Great, we walked right into an ambush. I turned back to my targets and froze. In the ten seconds, it took me to spin around to see behind us, one of my marks had moved up to a distance of ten feet away from me. My rifle was trained on the mare in an instant. She looked angry, her eyes gazing through me, onto the pile of bodies I was dragging behind me. Her horn was glowing and I saw the drum fed Combat Shotgun floating towards my head from the side. My Gatling Gun spun up again and the shotgun stopped. I used the standoff to give the mare a once over. She was aged, if I would have to hazard a guess, she was in her late thirties. Her coat was dark yellow complimenting her rose highlighted orange mane. She wore a grey vest and had numerous linear scars across her face, chest and flanks. Lastly, her Cutie Mark was a white rose with a combat knife in its stem and blood dripping from the blade. So this must be, Blooded Rose. I checked the tail and sure enough, the barbed wire was there, woven cleanly into the hair. I sighed once again. I deactivated my guns and told the others to stand down. For once, they actually listened. The guns were holstered and the rest of the party joined us.
“Blooded Rose, I presume?” I said, my helmet distorting my voice to a nice robotic crackle.
“Yes, Blooded Rose, head of the Iron Tail Clan, and who might you be? I would have been informed if those thieves had a new guard dog,” her voice was melodic just like her daughter’s.
“Starseer, designation Delta Hotel. I’m just a tagalong for these folks until I reach Trottingham. Now before things start to turn hostile, I have someone, who would love to see you again. Rose, you can come on out.”
Out of one of the wagons scrambled Barbed Rose. She gasped and raced over to the mare in front of me.
“Mother!”
“Honey! What happened? Are you all right? Did they do anything to you?”
I could hear the worry in the voice of what seemed to be an experienced warrior. I watched the interaction closely. I also kept an eye on my radar so the ones behind us did not do anything. A minute later Blooded Rose walked up to me.
“You have returned my daughter to me unharmed. I am in your debt. My daughter says you might be able to help us establish ourselves over the other raider clans. She seemed quite interested by the idea. So what do you have in mind?”
“To put it simply, you offer protection for the traders while they are on your lands, they give you weapons and supplies. That will give the Royal Guard more ponies to use for other things, including upholding your own borders,” I said, my knowledge of treaties coming in quite handy.
“Interesting. But why should we do this? The Iron Tails have had no problems sustaining ourselves, even without the help of those thieves.”
Of course, nothing could be simple. However, I did have an ace in the hold.
“As a personal favor for keeping your daughter safe. But maybe just because even though we all enjoy the status quo, the situation can be improved by making allies and sticking to agreements. Otherwise, we can all go ahead and shoot ourselves now. The Wasteland will not survive another Great War.”
That seemed to be persuasive enough, as the mare backed off and nodded. A few hoof shakes later only she, Rose and two other mares were left.
“Alright, we have an agreement, for now.”
Once again, I sighed. I now had half of the plan on track. We were en route to Trottingham and making good time. With just over five hours to the walls line of sight, we made camp in an old roadside restaurant, after having cleared out some bandits. Bloody buckers were cannibals eating captured travelers. A pit fire was all that was needed to get rid of the remains. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, leaving the majority of my group nauseous at best. I could understand it; most of these ponies were at best trained to shoot, not trained to deal with an actual battlefield. For some of them it was so bad that I was forced to take out my rebreather talisman and use it to rig up a very crude fresh air chamber with the help of some old tarps and super glue. It was a long night, which I used to go over rough drafts for the agreement in my head and stand guard, rather than sleep. Luna knows it did not make much difference to me.
The next morning came, and was only noticeable because what little wild life there was, started to scamper around. Out of boredom, I shot at the stray Bloatsprite, watching it explode through my scope as the fifty cal round tore into it. It took my group a couple of hours into the morning to get packed up and ready to leave, during which breakfast in the form of Sugar Apple Bombs and fresh apples was served. After breakfast, we were back on the road, or what was left of it. The cracked asphalt of the road made pulling the wagons difficult at times, but the trip was over before the clouds turned black. We entered the city and guards immediately surrounded me. I looked around and saw the Iron Tails at the business ends of a par of assault rifles as well. I kept on scanning the guards and soon found the pony I was looking for.
He was a black Unicorn Stallion with a black and golden mane. I looked at his uniform and found what I was looking for on his collar. A star, over a crossed sword and baton and from what I could see he was the highest-ranking pony with a gun pointing at me. This must be the Captain of the Princesses’ Life Guard, Golden Musket. I relaxed and looked at the pony in charge.
“This is not an appropriate way to greet a foreign dignitary on your home soil! You should be ashamed of yourself, Major General Golden Musket! You are a disgrace to yourself and the Princesses’ Life Guard! NOW ORDER YOUR MEN TO STAND DOWN; BEFORE YOU LOOSE ALL SEMBLENCE OF SELF RESPECT!” I yelled with my best Drill Sergeant voice.
The effect was immediate. The Major General was standing at attention, sweating profoundly.
“Men, stand down and prepare the guest wing for our foreign visitors. Please excuse me, I will go and enact disciplinary actions for my disrespect.”
The stallion marched off, along with most of his men. A handful stayed behind to help Iron Coin with his wares. The Iron Tails and I were assigned a Private as an escort whilst in the city. I walked over to Iron Coin and cleared my throat.
“I have brought you to the city unharmed as our verbal contract. The contract is fulfilled are we in agreement, sir?” I asked the stallion, who nodded his.
“Yes we are. Moreover, for our gratitude here are some medical supplies. I noticed you did not pick up any when you first came to buy. Those should last you a few weeks at least, with your armor and all, I would not be surprised if they lasted a few months. I do hope I will be called for the meeting tomorrow.”
“Of course, I will have someone send for you at first light.”
I turned and let the Private lead us to our chambers. They were not as lavish as they once were two centuries ago, but provided us with all we might need. Beds, plumbing, baths, cushions, food, fresh fruit and most importantly fresh, purified water. First thing I did was lock myself in the bathroom and let myself a bath. It had been too long since I had been out of my armor and I was going to enjoy a bath. The Heating Talismans were functioning well and the bath soon fill with steaming water. I deactivated my armor and stripped it off. Slowly I slid into the water and let out a sigh. My coat was greying around scars earned in battles long since passed. I sighed. I was getting old. I leaned back against the edge of the bath and drifted into sleep.
I awoke feeling cold. The water had long since cooled down and from the look of it; the door had been broken into. I must have needed sleep more than I realized or the Iron Tails were far stealthier than I gave them credit for. I got out of the water and shook my body to rid myself of the water in my coat. I looked around the room and thankfully, everything was still where I left it. I was mostly dry now and stepped back into my armor. My front legs slipped into place and my back legs pressed against the padding. Seconds later, they were encased in the black metal of my battle armor. The armor fit snug against my for. A few more seconds past and my body and neck were also encased in armor. I felt the slight pressure of the combat foam expanding. The armor I had, had been a proto type during the war. Combat Foam was difficult to make and expensive so after building this set, the M.O.A. decided it would be too cost intensive to manufacture them on masse. Originally, the M.W.T. was supposed to get the armor, but Mistress decided to keep it for her own secret project, me. But I digress, Combat Foam was there to have sleeker armor and avoid chafing. In addition, the foam was another layer of protection, able to withstand most small arms fire. After tinkering with it, I had managed to make it possible to wear it as an under layer with regular combat armor. But enough said. I put my helmet on and waited for the systems to link up with each other. Once my H.U.D. gave the all clear, I stepped out of the bathroom.
The first thing I did was check if anyone was missing. Not being the case, I walked up to Blooded Rose and sat down next to her.
“Before the meeting, I would like to know if there are any points in this treaty you want to add.” I spoke in a calm manner, my helmet still distorting my voice.
“Well, the deal you described sounds very good. Our lands protected by the Redcoats, supplies by the traders. In addition, all we have to do is keep them safe on our territory. I’m assuming you intend to include the settlement of Trottston as well?”
Her voice was filled with appreciation. Which I could understand. From her point, all she had to do was be friendly with some outsiders, and patrol her territory. For her, the deal was beneficial for her. On the trader’s side, you had protection in Iron Tail territory, which meant easier travel and less need for guards. On top of that, they got a new trading station out of the deal. The Life Guard would be able to station troops in areas that were less stable in the Trottingham region, which meant that there was less ground to be patrolled. Therefore, in everyone’s perspective, it was a beneficial agreement. I just hoped that the other two parties saw it the same way.
“You fell asleep in the bath last night,” came the voice of Blooded Rose after a few more minutes.
“You are not what I had expected, Starseer.”
“The scars?” I cut her off.
“Yeah, something like that.”
I was thankful that she dropped the subject. A few minutes later Major General Golden Musket walked in and escorted us into a different room. In it, Iron Coin was already waiting. We entered the room and sat around a table. There were four scrolls on the table, all empty. A minute later, a mare wearing a dark red robe with the insignia of the old Equestrian Kingdom. Two stylized Allicorns circling around the moon and the sun, surrounded by stars. She had a feather and ink jar on a badge at the shoulder of her sleeve.
“Alright, now that we are all here, we can begin the negotiations,” the mare said.
And so, began the most life sucking and boring conversation with anypony I have had in over a century. It started with a debate, which turned into an argument and then into a yelling match, with the only notable words were a list of colorful names for each of the three factions. It took hours for them to calm down and actually talk. I lost count of how many times I had sighed in exasperation at the idiocy of politicians. I was surprised I had not just up and shot all three of them. After five excruciating hours, they had finally decided on the very same terms I had laid down at the beginning. I was really trying not to scream out. Then I remembered that I could turn off the coms speaker and scream inside of my armor.
After a very heartfelt scream, I felt a lot better. So much in fact, that my pacing had a small spring in my steps. The plan had worked. Papa Romeo was underway and quite possibly the treaty I had managed to pull out of the situation, would spill over to the other factions of the Trottingham region. However, my task was complete and all three parties seemed happy. In the end, all three leaders now had one copy of the treaty, signed by all three faction leaders. Tartarus, they even gave me a copy so that I could safe keep the contract and, if need be, kick their tails back on track. I stepped outside and was on my way to the city gates. However, a five-pony squad of heavily armored equines, cut my trip to the Wastes short. All five had Mini-Guns, a smaller version of my own Gatling Gun. Their guns only used the 5mm ammo and fired through six separate barrels instead of eight. They also had two Combat Shotguns, a Magical Energy Rifle and a Flamethrower on their combat saddles. The biggest shock however was the ordnance the lead pony was carrying. He had a Celestia, fry my groin with the sun, dammed Balefire Egg Launcher, loaded with the eerily green pulsing, black gem known as a Balefire Egg. And they were all aiming at me.
“Well, Luna buck me three times to the moon. What did I do now, to piss somepony off this time? What do you want?” I asked annoyed.
“You are to come with us and surrender the property of the Ministry of Wartime Technology. Come silently and you won’t be harmed,” the lead pony said.
I stared at the quintet of armor-clad idiots. These must be Steel Rangers, followers of the M.W.T. and its mare Applejack of the Apple Clan. The radio was right. They were assholes. I sighed, my Gatling Gun spun alive, I was confident that the 5.56mm ammo would at least stagger them, penetrate the armor if I was lucky. The Rangers took a step back.
“All my gear is M.O.A. property, if you even try to take it from my person, there is no force known to you that will stop me from killing you,” I said calmly. I was not lying. I had killed for less.
Just as I was about to fire, a Corporal from the Life Guard interrupted the standoff.
“Excuse me, sir. The Captain of the Guard ordered me to give you these, sir. He said to tell you that these make you honorary members of all three factions, sir.”
The grey Unicorn stallion handed me three badges, with the emblems of the Travelling Traders, a wagon on a path, the Iron Tails, a horsetail with barbed wire woven neatly into it, and of course, the Princesses’ Life Guard, a Bearskin and a Musket. The Corporal saluted and left. I stored the badges and looked back at the Rangers.
“Move out of my way.”
Sadly, they did and I left for the town gates. The Wasteland was just as featureless as when I had entered the city of Trottingham… With one minor, difference… I was being followed. As I was slowly trotting North West towards, what used to be a small clearing with a crystal blue stream. Now though, the stream was dry and the clearing was marred, the burnt husks of trees standing or fallen towards the city. If reports were accurate, one of the many Balefire Bombs that shelled the area had landed a couple of miles further north east of here. I had been here during the negotiations. Back then, Celestia was still the active monarch and the ministries had not yet been established. Back then it were happier times. I had snuck into the main tent and so knew that while a brilliant politician, Celestia was not going to be able to quell the growing aggression. Not after Shattered Hoof and Little Horn. Despite what the Ministry of Image under Miss Rarity, used the stray shots that had been fired from our side mind you, to paint the picture of a Zebra Death Commando Squad using Zebra Stealth Cloaks. I snorted in disgust at the dishonesty of the prewar government. And Shattered Hoof, well only one word came to mind, treason. When Big Macintosh died, the war just got far worse. The second time I was here was as a spokespony for the M.O.A. Miss Apple Bloom, Miss Sweetie Belle and Miss Scootaloo were all there. We were discussing the build of a Stable project. Sierra Charlie Tango was the location for it. Charlie Tango, Celestia’s Tent in the north of the clearing. As I walked to the northern end of the clearing, I kept my senses trained behind me. Sighing, I continued on my bearing and soon stood in front of a large stone ring.
It was part of the Zebra culture. They called it a Space of Talk. On a field where two sides met, there had to be a space where negotiation could happen, outside of what was happening around the circle. I chuckled a little at the thought of it all. I continued on my way and soon stood in front of a collapsed shack. Long before the war, this clearing and the woods around it were used to grow medicinal herbs and flowers. The shack belonged to a sweet Mare named Blackberry. True to her name, she used to have dark blue, nearly black fur and mane, with a neon green stripe running from the tip of her mane, along her spine and down her tail. I sighed; Blackberry had always been kind to me. I had stopped in front of the shack, slowly I started to turn. My E.F.S. immediately picked up four red bars. Two o’clock, twelve o’clock, eleven thirty, eight o’clock and coming closer. My Gatling Gun spun alive and Solid Argument moved in its socket.
“I know you’re out there, stop hiding like insects and move your asses into the open, or I will reign down hell on you, the likes you have not witnessed in your miserable lives,” I said, my voice being distorted by the speakers of my helmet.
Surprisingly, they did. From behind the trees stepped four Zebras. The one to my far right was a middle-aged Achu mare, the face stripes giving it away. The patches on her cloak showing her victories in battle. The two in the back were Roamani. A stallion and mare, their stripes looking oddly similar. Twins, judging by their faces, the barely reached adulthood. Both of them were aiming Sniper Rifles at me, I made it a point to keep my Gatling Gun at them. The one to my close left was a Mendi stallion. He was aged, his face was wrinkled, but his eyes showed an awareness of a stallion in his prime. Both he and the older mare had no weapons on them. Not surprising seeing as the mare was an Achu, but I would love to know what a Mendi, a healer, was doing so close to a death zone. I was impressed at the old stallion; he had not batted an eye, even as Solid Argument was pointing right at his forehead. I decided to see what they wanted, if they wanted me dead, the two Roamani could have taken a shot at any time. Buck it; the Achu could have killed me with one blow to the neck. I took a step back and let my guns rest against my sides again.
“This is certainly a surprise, what are two Roamani, an Achu and a Mendi doing here?”
I could see the shock grow in the eyes of the stallion. He had not been expecting me to know of Zebra culture.
“Peace, warrior. With you, battle, we do not seek,” he said in that exotic accent Zebras tended to have. The melodic speech patterns showed no sign of aggression.
“This place holds herbs for healing that we need.”
That certainly explained the Mendi. I sighed, already growing annoyed.
“The plants you seek are not here. Half a mile southwest of here is a greenhouse with a storage facility. If you’re lucky, the seeds will still be alive.”
“We thank you friend. May I know your name, so we may take it to the village and let them know you are a friend?”
I stopped, going by what I had learnt in Trottston, Zebras were mainly located in Canterlot. If there was a Zebra village in the area, it could prove very beneficial. However, my name, while it may be lost to the Zebra people, still wasn’t held in all light, as the Zebra viewed the stars as evil. And in some ways, I had to agree with them. Few good things ever came from the stars.
“Call me Msaka. And how may I address you?”
“That is an Orah name and a mighty one at that. How come you to it?” the stallion asked shocked.
“When I was young, I had no name. I was gifted this name when I saved a Zebra from a Manticore. He called me that throughout the time it took him to heal his injuries,” I said, not lying completely. I had saved a zebra from a Manticore with a trap, but I had had the Zebra walk into the creature’s path and be the unknowing lure to trap it.
“I see. I am called Azonth. I shall spread your name in our village. May the sun be guardian over your journey,” said the stallion with a smile.
“And the wind be guide to your destination,” I continued, finishing the old Orah saying.
Azonth spoke out in Zebric and the four left. I sighed again. I needed some good news, lest I go completely insane. Amidst the moody wooden planks and the rusted sheet metal, I saw the glint of metal. Moving the debris out of the way, I revealed the metal doors to a storage cellar. I opened the door and slowly stepped into the cellar, the smell of decay hit me and I instantly smelled the bland, dry air of my Rebreather Talisman, indicating that the decay was due to mold, and the air was filled with spores of fungi, poisonous to a living being. I did a quick look around and found multiple crates of now sludge like mold, as well as a crate of bits. Smiling sadly, I bundled the prewar money up and moved to the back of the cellar. There stood an old door made of metal. It was a blast door, designed to withstand a direct blast of a tanks main armament. I walked up to the door and pressed against it. Slowly it opened up enough to walk in. As soon as I was in however the door slammed shut and locked. I sighed, no way left but forwards. Walking forwards, I activated the headlight on my helmet, and as soon as I did, I cursed. Well bucking buck and Luna shall slap me with the moon. Mines and not just the normal ones. No… That would be too easy. Even in death, Celestia was still bucking me upside down and sideways just to get a bucking laugh from my life. There were few things I did not hate when it came to the First Empire, one was my family, and the other was its end. The Allicorns running the empire, their end came too quickly. Don’t misunderstand, they did not deserve life, they just didn’t suffer enough. Even back then, Luna and Celestia were around, Celestia loved to mess with me, regardless of what damage it did to me. Oh, she put up a loving façade and caring ruler for ponies and many of the other races, but for my kind, pah, she didn’t care. But I was caught up in the past.
The mines that were put all over the tunnel floor and even the Celestia dammed walls and ceiling. It would seem flying was not going to be an option. The mines were special, instead of firing an explosive dome; the power of the mine was direct upwards in a column, increasing its armor piercing capability exponentially. That and the ability of being able to be placed in more place than just the ground, these were Dragon Stoppers. Back in the war, dragons, used for covert missions, used old, underground paths and tunnels to attack Equestria. Dragon Stoppers were placed in areas with little room to maneuver. They were the ultimate weapon for an ambush. However, they did have one flaw, one that I was going to capitalize on right away.
While the mines were proximity based, the also only had a very limited blast radius. I very cautiously walked around the plate-sized explosives. I inched closer to the first mine. Ten inches, seven inches, five inches. /Beep! BeEP! BEEP! BOOM! / The column of fire and shrapnel, shot into the air, activating yet another mine. I hit the deck, making myself as low as possible slowly crawling along the ground I made my way forward. I was damning Celestia every step along the way. It took me an hour to navigate a couple of hundred yards, but my caution was worth it. I now stood in front of the gear shaped door of a stable. The large 43.0 painted proudly in the center. I saw the door, the control panel and the craters of the mines. I walked up to the control panel and started to type at the controls. Looking through the various lines of code to find a password, I Soon found the most likely one.
It was in Old Equestrian. ‘Ut unum sumus uniti cadamus’, roughly translated it meant ‘As a unit we stand, united we fall’. It was the maxim of the Dragon Hunters, as they were one of a very select few units in the entire Equestrian Military, Consisting of not only, Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns, but also Zebra Proditors, forsaken Griffins and Minotaurs. In short, the Dragon Hunters accepted all who were willing to fight under one doctrine. Loyalty towards Equestria, no matter the sacrifice a hunter must give for her. And that did not mean the slaughter of millions of noncombatants and civilians with Mega Spells; no what was meant was the ultimate sacrifice, to give your life to end the war. Sadly, in the last days before the world went to shit, the Dragon Hunters were recalled and put in stasis in underground facilities in the event of Equestria, not only losing the war, anything but a complete victory was classed as a loss, but also rising back from the ashes. It was an M.O.A. secret project, so secret that no pony knew it even existed, the M.O.A. having gathered funding, by stealing traded gems, artifacts, gold and other valuables from the Zebra and their allies. Therefore, there was no record, no paper trail nothing that would hint at the existence of Papa Romeo. Prisoners and deserters, who, at the end of construction, all had been summarily executed on the spot, did all the work. The only ponies who knew about the building were Stable Techs founders, who at the end of the projects construction, sealed their memories away in Memory Orbs and destroyed them. Yes, Papa Romeo was just that sure to succeed in the event of annihilation.
I typed the password in and waited for the large cog to slide back and roll to the side. I entered the stable and marveled the cleanliness of it. Not a speck of dust could be seen, the maintenance bots probably still being active. I walked through the gray interior of the stable and a minute later, I was in the Atrium. In normal stables, the Atrium would have been a meeting point for the inhabitants to socialize. In 43 proper, the Atrium was ten by ten room in the center of the complex used to get from on area to another. Unless you took the route from one place to another along the outside of the complex. I stood in the center of the Atrium and sighed. Stable Four Three Proper was designed and built as an exact replica to the original Dragon Hunter Battalion HB on Nightmare Base. Looking at the layout, I was feeling quite the nostalgia coming up. Along the walls were six doors, all leading to different areas of the complex, Armory, Vehicle Bay, Mess Hall, Briefing Room, Barracks and Communications. I walked through the door to the coms room. I followed the corridor and a minute later, I was standing in front of the most beautiful sight I had seen for a long, long time. An A.E.C.L. unit backed up with no less than four HCs with direct links to the M.M.O. Spritebot Initiative, the S.P.P. as well as the O.I.A. Shadow Network and a direct tap into any and all radio frequencies be they open or closed, giving this technological monster a near total coverage of Equestria and beyond.
However, before I go on a rant on how great it was to have such a computing powerhouse for communication, I will explain what it actually was and still is capable of. The A.E.C.L. or Advanced Equestrian Cyber Link was and still is the most advanced communications platform known to pony kind. With a computing power and safety protocols that rivaled those of a Crusader Mainframe. Not only was this beast a marvel of a computing power in its own right, but with four Hyper Cores and the direct links to the various networks, you were looking at a piece of equipment capable of receiving, decrypting, reading, analyzing and executing complex, multi-layer encrypted programs and still have enough resources to predict the seasonal outcome of every hoofball team in the league. In other words, this was one of the last machines in existence able to hypothetically rebuild Equestria from ground up, to its technological heyday. Giddily I jumped at the command console. It started up with a lovely soft purr. The ponytall screen lit up in a beautiful cyan blue, proudly displaying the emblem of the M.O.A. The two stylized, rainbow colored wings, coming out of a black cloud and lightning bolt at the bottom. I typed in my credentials and watched the screen change to the applications. As it was part of the communication center, most of the programs were for communications, there were a few executive commands for the S.B.I., as well as complete control over any and all active surveillance cameras. I opened the M.O.A.’s secure channels and selected Delta Whiskey. As it was a secure channel, the only way to communicate would be through the use of Horse Code.
Horse Code was used only by very few units outside of the Intelligence Community and was first used by an Earth Pony surveillance team to relay information behind Zebra lines. It was quickly used by the brass. In short, the idea was genius, by using a combination of hoof stamps and scrapes, words could be spelled out without the use of encryption keys. They were still used, but only as a precaution. Nowadays, finding Horse Code still in use from old broadcasts was rare; finding somepony with the knowledge of understanding it was even rarer. I started to type away using the spacebar on the console and soon had the message done.
‘Rendezvous point to be disclosed in face to face communications. Open Communication on Delta Hotel direct channel. All surviving Marauders are to open contact immediately and receive rendezvous locations. Message will be on permanent loop.’
.-. . -. -.. . --.. ...- --- ..- ... / .--. --- .. -. - / - --- / -... . / -.. .. ... -.-. .-.. --- ... . -.. / .. -. / ..-. .- -.-. . / - --- / ..-. .- -.-. . / -.-. --- -- -- ..- -. .. -.-. .- - .. --- -. ... .-.-.- / --- .--. . -. / -.-. --- -- -- ..- -. .. -.-. .- - .. --- -. / --- -. / -.. . .-.. - .- / .... --- - . .-.. / -.. .. .-. . -.-. - / -.-. .... .- -. -. . .-.. .-.-.- / .- .-.. .-.. / ... ..- .-. ...- .. ...- .. -. --. / -- .- .-. .- ..- -.. . .-. ... / .- .-. . / - --- / --- .--. . -. / -.-. --- -. - .- -.-. - / .. -- -- . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.-- / .- -. -.. / .-. . -.-. . .. ...- . / .-. . -. -.. . --.. ...- --- ..- ... / .-.. --- -.-. .- - .. --- -. ... .-.-.- / -- . ... ... .- --. . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / --- -. / .--. . .-. -- .- -. . -. - / .-.. --- --- .--. .-.-.-
The message started beeping away in the background, my helmet automatically decoding the message. I put the channel on mute and put an alert on the Delta Hotel direct line for any incoming transmission. I looked through the other options and found several still operational cameras all over Equestria as well as some neighboring nations. I flicked through the images one after the other, while listening to the sassy voice of Sapphire Shores.
An empty street with craters and bullet holes. An overhead view of a make shift fort filled with blood covered ponies. I watched for a while longer and switched channels after seeing a little grey unicorn filly being eaten alive by a group of older ponies. A settlement with healthy looking ponies. An old sky wagon flying out of a town made of rail cars. The Hoofington Dome, while a little run down still intact and filled with ponies. Hoofington Harbor, the Celestia a battleship from the war. A town filled with fillies and colts. The ruins of Ponyville and numerous raiders. Canterlot’s street filled with the pink cloud, which later was given the name of the Little Horn Agent. A street in Manehatten, currently a battlefield between Griffins and raiders. I sighed as the pictures repeated themselves.
“And there you have it ev’rypony. True to its word, the weird recording that started hours ago stopped. Now I know what you’re thinkin’. Is this all a joke? Or is it real? Perhaps an old prerecorded message, activated by some scavenger? Listen up kids, it doesn’t matter. The Wasteland already has enough shit going on. DjPon3 will keep his eyes open for more info about this, but for now just go on with your day. But now for some other news. It would seem that the author of the Wasteland Survival Guide and several other ponies from New Appleloosa have been captured by the raiders in Ponyville. Folks if you can help please do, if not stay away from there. This was DjPon3, bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts.”
I shut the broadcast off and sighed. It might not have been the smartest move to do the emergency transmission on all open channels, but at least I knew that the message was received. I sighed again and walked out of the coms room and into the barracks. The barracks were just two large rooms with rows of bunkbeds, each bed had two metal lockers next to it. The room, just like the entire base, was empty, only the covers were there. In addition, thanks to maintenance bots, they were not in any kind of disrepair. I walked into the Messhalll, It too was empty, but all of the equipment was working and accounted for. Smiling, I walked along the outer path to the vehicle bay, empty. I checked the Amory, empty as well. The Briefing Room, also empty. I cursed. Here I was, in the best HQ in the Wasteland and I had no single piece of equipment. I cursed again and went back to the barrack. I lay down on a bed and went to sleep.
The next day I awoke with a start. I had slept in my armor as usual, but I was bathed in sweat. I rarely ever dreamed when I slept, and when I did I never remembered the dreams, but I always felt mentally exhausted when I did. I rolled out of the bed and opened my H.U.D. interface. The cyan blue had a calming effect on me and I quickly noticed a notification on the direct line.
- .... .. ... / .. ... / ... . .-. --. . .- -. - / ... - . . .-.. .... --- --- ...- . ... .-.-.- / - .... . / -- .- .-. .- ..- -.. . .-. ... / .... .- ...- . / -... . . -. / -.. .. ... -... .- -. -.. . -.. / .- -. -.. / .- .-. . / .--. .-. . ... ..- -- . -.. / -.. . .- -.. .-.-.- / .. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -. --- - / -... . / .--- --- .. -. .. -. --. / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / .--. .- .--. .- / .-. --- -- . --- / -- .- -.-- / -... . / .. -- .--. --- .-. - .- -. - --..-- / .- -. -.. / .. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -.. --- / .-- .... .- - / .. / -.-. .- -. / ..-. .-. --- -- / -- -.-- / .--. --- ... .. - .. --- -. / .-- .. - .... .. -. / - .... . / ... - . . .-.. / .-. .- -. --. . .-. ... .-.-.- / -... -.-- / - .... . / .-- .- -.-- --..-- / -.-- --- ..- / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / -.-. .... . -.-. -.- / --- -. / .- -. / .. -. -.. .. ...- .. -.. ..- .- .-.. / -.-. .- .-.. .-.. .. -. --. / - .... . -- ... . .-.. ...- . ... / .-- .- - -.-. .... . .-. .-.-.- / .... .- -.-. -.- / .. -. - --- / - .... . / ... .--. .-. .. - . -... --- - ... --..-- / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / ..-. .. -. -.. / .... .. -- .-.-.- / ... - .- .-. / .--. .- .-.. .- -.. .. -. / ... - . . .-.. .... --- --- ...- . ... --..-- / --- ...- . .-. / .- -. -.. / --- ..- - .-.-.-
‘This is Sergeant SteelHooves. The Marauders have been disbanded and are presumed dead. I will not be joining you. Papa Romeo may be important, and I will do what I can from my position within the Steel Rangers. By the way, you should check on an individual calling themselves Watcher. Hack into the Spritebots, you will find him. Star Paladin SteelHooves, over and out.’
My H.U.D. immediately decoding the message. While not necessary, I found it nice to know that even now, I was quicker than a computer. So most of the Marauders were presumed dead, exception being SteelHooves, who is now part of the Steel Rangers. I had no information about their command structure so I couldn’t garner a guess if Star Paladin was a high ranking position or not. But this Watcher character intrigued me. I walked into the coms room, started up the console, and opened up the S.B.I. A map of Equestria appeared on the screen. It showed the location of all Spritebots active at the moment. The number of still active units surprised me. Over a thousand units were still floating around. They were broadcasting some kind of marching music. Just then, I heard an alert, someone was hacking into a Spritebot near Ponyville. I zoomed in on the map and saw it was headed towards the town. I used the Director Override to covertly piggyback onto the machine. I started hack into the other systems. Cameras, Microphones, Speakers, Sensors, Weapons and of course, the System Links.
Through the camera, I saw a grey leg stepping out of the door of the Carousel Boutique, right next to a Mine. I heard the beeping of the proximity explosion and sighed, stupidity only gets you killed.
“SHUT THE DOOR!” the one hijacking the bot yelled.
Luckily, the pony reacted in time and jumped inside, slamming the door shut. The Mine went off and the door flew into the room. The sensors suddenly went off and I saw more raiders incoming.
“Hurry! There are more on the way!” the mysterious voice said.
I watched the pony, a raider, walk up to the doorway saying something or other. I was more focused on the grenade thrown in by the raider mare. And saw it fly back wrapped in a green glow. The explosion of the grenade had torn the raider apart. I watched as the pony in the boutique quietly slipped out of the town. She was a Unicorn, with a brown mane and tail. Her grey coat ruffled and slightly dirty, circumstances regarding, quite understandable. What surprised me the most though, was the clean-ish Stable 2 utility barding? This mare was a Stable Pony. The hijacker also had an invested interest in the mare as he kept the Spritebot in the vicinity to watch her. The mare, it seemed had a good head on her shoulders after all. She managed to make her way through the town without being noticed. Granted, with the Pip-Bucks E.F.S. locating and avoiding your enemy was easy, but she also used her environment to her advantage, throwing rocks and using her magic to divert her pursuers’ attention elsewhere. Sadly enough, she was spotted by a sniper, and was hit. Nothing bad as she kept moving, but being shot sucked, especially your first. After hopping out of the gully she was hiding in, the mare walked straight into the line of sight of a Bloatsprite. She must have seen it too, as she hid behind a tree. /Zap/ the energy blast of the Spritebots small weapon disintegrated the mutated critter. The bot floated up to the mare.
“I’m really sorry about what happened back in Ponyville. But that raider didn’t give you any choice. She would have killed you,” the hijacker said, the speakers of the Spritebot distorting the voice to a mechanical tone similar to that of some of the older power armors.
“Who are you?” came the confused question of the mare, who was indeed a unicorn, albeit one with quite a small horn.
“A friend,” the voice said.
“Okay, a passing acquaintance, But one that doesn’t mean you any harm.”
The voice paused for a while then continued.
“Call me Watcher.”
Instantly I sprang into action. I was following the incoming signal, whoever this was knew what they were doing. The signal was rerouting through several other bots. I lost it for a few minutes in an M.O.M. main frame in Trottingham and found it again in another Spritebot leaving the Hoof. The signal went back to Manehatten, then to an old transceiver outside of Cloudsdale. Then into the Cloudsdale Flight School back to a terminal in Ponyville the trough a number of radios all the way up to a cave, back to Ponyville into Canterlot and into Ministry Walk, where I lost it once again. I found it again going back to the cave and back a few times and then the signal stopped.
“Dammit, so close!” I cursed.
I went over the routing log and looked for anything suspicious. At first glance, I found nothing unusual. Each connection was in and out, what did stand out however was the cave. I knew it from before the war. Back in those days, when everything was easy, and Equestria relied on muscle for its economy, rather than coal. Back in those days, the cave was a den for a rather large dragon. Back in those days, the mares that were known throughout Equestria and her allies as the Bearers of the Elements, and later as the Ministry Mares. Those mares were Twilight Sparkle, Magic, the Ministry of Arcane Science. Pinkamina Diane “Pinkie” Pie, Laughter, the Ministry of Morale. Fluttershy, Kindness, the Ministry of Peace. Rarity, Generosity, the Ministry of Image. Applejack “AJ” Apple, Honesty, the Ministry of Wartime Technology. Rainbow “RD” Dash, Loyalty, Ministry of Awesome. In those days, those six mares managed to persuade the dragon to leave, saving the farmlands around Ponyville from the acidic rain caused by the dragon’s smog breath. The thing that startled me was that back then there were limited long distance communication devices, primarily the Crystal Network used for major events and important political events. If there was a terminal or something similar up there then that meant that, someone was crazy enough to go into a known dragon den to put it there. I sighed, the cave lay passed the cloud layer, which meant a few clicks at least, and on top of that, Neighvarro was a stone throw away.
“The main problem I’ll be having is the radar. Pegasi bases are notorious for them,” I mused annoyed.
Especially if those lightning emitters were still in place I would be fried like a potato stick. I sighed, maybe if I used the cloud layer, I could tunnel my way to the mountain. The clouds may hide me from the radar and in extension the shocking tingle of death that awaited me by those rods. I decided to see if there were any cameras in the area and sure enough, there was. I sighed in relief. The rods were not there anymore, that would make my job easier.
“Well to the clouds it is.”
I walked out of the coms room, and into the Atrium. Trotting to the exit I cursed when I remembered the door I came in from sealed itself tighter than Celestia’s ass in public. Well if that was an entrance only, there would be other exits. One obvious one would be the Vehicle Bay. I walked into the large hall and sighed. Back in Nightmare Base, there were a number of armored support and attack vehicles in the Bay. By Luna, even this base had its own ammo manufacturing plant. I started at a quick-paced jog down the tunnel and hoped that I wouldn’t be too long. Half an hour later, I stood in front of a terminal that was linked to the gate. Using the password, the gate screeched open. I had had it. The first chance I got, I would oil these things. Because, Celestia be damned, they gave me a headache. I stepped outside and checked my surroundings. I was surprised; I was a dozen or so miles west of Trottingham. I set to the clouds, the cave judging by the routing; it would be a long flight.
A few hours later, I was tunneling under the clouds. Ten inches above me, a Pegasus in power armor was patrolling. It seemed to me that they were watching the cave. Why would anyone watch a dragon cave? I did not know. Why would someone set up in one? Well not many were brave or stupid enough to do it. I sighed, I had been moving like this for the last ten minutes, slowly making my way to the cave. Above me, the Pegasus turned around. It was a three-pony team, or a wing. The other two were out of range of the E.F.S., so I booked it to the mountain. Once there, I had about half a mile on foot to reach the entrance of the cave. And when I did enter, I could not believe my eyes.
“Well Luna slap me with the moon. I see you finally got your wings, bite size.” I chuckled.
In front of me towered a huge purple dragon with green spinal scales. Even though he was sitting hunched over a terminal, he still towered over me six or seven times my height at least. His green eyes locked onto me in an instant. I saw shock, disbelief, anger, fear and hatred in those emerald orbs. And with reason, this one had been adamant about trying to negotiate with his kind, but the Dragon Hunters weren’t called so for no reason, we delivered results. Tartarus, the first dragon that passed into Equestrian airspace, a massive beast, as large as some of the supply buildings for military bases. The Dragon Hunters had set up, half a mile away from the border. Ten seconds, that was all it took for the massive beast to fall from the sky. The Dragon Hunters were, brutal, cold, efficient and covert. Quite a few Zebra hunting parties had hunted and failed to take their target.
“What are You doing here?” the dragon snarled, a wisp of green flame came from his nostrils, which I completely ignored.
“So what should I call you? Watcher? Or should I call you by your name, eh snack pack?” I asked amused.
“Watcher will be fine. Now what, are you, doing here? How did you find me?”
“Traced your signal. Really gave me a run for my bits there. Quite smart routing it through here multiple times, but that is what gave you away. Now why are you here? And why is there a scout team watching your cave… Wait a second… If I remember M.O.A. files correctly, there were quite a few times the M.A.S. asked for off the books funding from not only the O.I.A., but also the funds for the Dragon Hunter Battalion. If my files are correct, it was a contingency for the event of mutually assured destruction by balefire. What was it called again?” I started trailing off.
“Yes, but I would ask you do not follow that train of thought. Now why are you here?” Watcher sighed.
“Papa Romeo is in effect. And while Mistress may have put up the façade of cluelessness, she knew far more than anyone else did back then. Now, is your project on track?”
The dragon nodded.
“Good, and Watcher, I’m sorry for what happened. If you need me, you know how to reach me.”
“I know, so what are you going to do now, Starseer? You going to start another war?”
“I didn’t start the last one, nor the ones before that, but no. I will make sure Papa Romeo will succeed. I will be covert. Do not worry. And what are you doing, still have that thing for Unicorns?” I asked teasingly.
“It’s got something to do with the project. And no, I never had a thing for Unicorns. So where are you headed?”
“Sure you don’t. Hoofington actually, there used to be an old resupply station a couple of miles outside the city. There is also the old armor depot in the Ten Pony area.”
Watcher nodded and I turned. I stopped just before I left.
“By the way, keep an eye on that one. There’s something about her. Oh and if she ever needs any firepower, let me know.”
I ran out of the cave and jumped, letting gravity take me as fast to the ground as possible. The mountain zipped by and a few minutes later I was shooting along the ground. I was heading east towards Hoofington. I smiled; flying always was the best way to move around. I watched the landscape rush by, keeping an eye on the horizon. It took quite a while to get to the Hoof, even at my speed and I was very relieved to see the outer complex of the supply station was still standing. It was in very good condition. Yes the metal tank stoppers were most likely more rust, than metal, the chain link fence needed to be put up again and the bases automatic defenses needed to be reactivated. The base in itself was the standard supply station layout. On the west side, there were the three rectangular warehouses, two going east to west and the third going north to south and loading bays, while on the east side were the square office building, canteen and mess hall, shooting range and the barracks and underneath it all you had the factory, with its maintenance floor and machinery. As I was walking along the cracked concrete of four-lane road that went from north to south splitting the base, I looked at the defense towers and froze. Part of the standard defense procedure for all supply stations were four, five-barreled 25mm autocannons located at each of the four corners of the base. This base should have four, the Northeast one had been blown to smithereens and both south sides could only be used for parts and by the looks of it, they had. They were screws, metal plating, talismans even shells lying in front of me. I flew up to both and saw they had been cleanly dismounted from the anchoring. The same was with the North-West. The ammo boxes had been removed, and I saw no sign of them. I looked around more thoroughly and saw tracks of ponies and a very loaded wagon by the south gate. One autocannon weighed approximately 270 pounds, going by the approximate dimensions of the cart, adding weigh of ammo and spare parts. Well buck me up the ass and call me a mare, the gun was mobile.
I ran, completely foregoing any precaution, I chased after the cannon. Those things could tear an enemy tank patrol to shreds; soft targets stood no chance at all. As I followed the tracks, I started seeing signs of it being used. I stopped at a figurative lake of green, slimy goo, black chitin armor and a squishy sack that my inventory sorter labeled, Radscorpion Poison Gland; apparently, those were worth twenty caps. I picked up all I could find and stored them. Twenty odd glands and those were the ones that were not exploded. Definitely the work of the autocannon. I raced off again and came across bodies. Pony Bodies. At least I thought they were all I could see were the blood pools, bits of skin, a cutie mark here and there, a hoof, some bones and the occasional limb or other extremity. I kept moving and soon I came to a settlement. I heard the thunderous pounding of the explosive rounds being fired by the autocannon. I saw ponies hiding behind what used to be the mound surrounding the small village. The ponies were cowering in the trench beyond it, many of them were bleeding, not from the hail of bullets, but shrapnel. I ran up to a lone pony inching himself to the edge the mound. I pulled him back down, just in time for a burst of tracer rounds.
“What are you, stupid?” I yelled.
“What were you thinking?”
“We need to do something. If we don’t the village will be gone!” the blue stallion. His gray mane was tangled with dried blood.
“Well what do you expect us to do?” he cried.
“Move along the outside, get out of the line of fire. I’ll head them off in the front.”
He shuffled away and I jumped over the mound and raced from building to building. Unfortunately, for me, the Targeting Talismans on the gun seemed to be working perfectly. I was pinned down in the middle of the Village. I sprinted through the fire and moved up, to the gun. I took a bullet through my right hind leg and two to my abdomen. I was bleeding, my suits systems telling me I should seek the nearest medic. I rammed my shoulder into a wooden shack. Four more bullets, shoulder, chest and ankle. I aimed Solid Argument and fired. /BOOM/ my rifle exploded, leaving it out of order. I stumbled along the outer wall of the shack. Seven ponies were laughing, watching the gun shoot down range into the village. I unloaded two belts into them. The ponies fell and died on the spot. I ran up to the gun and shut it down.
I sighed, I was bleeding out, my rifle was out of commission and my armor was shot to Tartarus. Buck it, I crawled over to the cannon and locked it with a password, no need to have anyone else use it on the town anymore. Once it was locked up, I slumped to the ground. My breath was ragged and I could feel my lungs filling up with blood. I coughed; a spray of blood distorted the inside of my visor. My vision was getting hazy. Coughing again, I activated the emergency medical routines of my armor. I started grow dizzy. The Healing Potions and Med-X were doing their jobs, but I had already lost too much blood. I was slipping away, the black spots in my vision were a clear give away. I saw the town’s ponies slowly walking up to the cannon. The last thing I saw was the cannon disappearing behind a wooden door.
I groaned. My armors systems were telling me I was at acceptable health, there were bullets lodged in my muscles, and there was even one in my lungs. To be honest, I have been in worse condition before. It was nice to see that the blood in my lungs was gone and I could breathe slightly more normal than before I went out. I took a deep breath, fighting the impulse to cough my lungs out. I sighed and carefully rolled out of bed. My legs still felt weak, the support systems of my armor were a great help. Slowly I walked around the bed. I was in a small room, with wooden walls. On the far side was a door. Slowly I made my way to it, only for it to slam open into my head and shattering to splinters. Luckily, my helmet was great at its job. I took a few steps back and looked through the door. In front of me stood a shocked mare. She was a Unicorn; her fur was a light cream color with a light brown mane. She wore a dirty white lab coat that covered most of her body. Her green eyes had widened in surprise.
“Oh my, I’m really sorry about that. The door was jammed and I rather had to force it open. I hope I didn’t hit you,” she said with worry.
I looked at the door, whose handle had embedded itself into the wooden wall and the splinters lying all over the floor.
“Anyway, how are you feeling? My name is Butter Cream. I’m the doctor in the village.”
“Starseer,” I replied.
“That was quite the stunt you pulled, running at the cannon like you did.”
“Maybe, but I was the only one who could’ve done it. How’s the bill checking out? Am I free to go?”
“I couldn’t really treat you that well,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Your armor locked up as soon as I tried removing your helmet. I did what I could, keeping your med supplies stocked, and helping your systems pump your lungs but that’s it.”
I nodded.
“So, am I free to leave?”
“Sure, treatment is free of charge, seeing as you saved Mule Town,”
“What?” I asked confused.
“Our town, where we’re at currently, Mule Town. You saved remember?”
“Yeah, it’s just. it’s a very strange name for a town.”
Just then, a brown Earth Pony mare walked in. She wore an old dress and a few braids in her mane. Her ears were quite large for a pony, but then again, who was I to judge.
“Well what do ya expect us to call a town filled with mostly asses,” the mare said.
“Name’s Fiona and I’m the mare of the town. I can’t thank ya enough for helpin’ us outa that pickle the other day. You have our gratitude for takin’ care of dem der raiders.”
I froze the other day. How long was I out?
“How long was I out?” I mirrored my thoughts.
“Bout seven two hours. But you’re up now, I had guards keep that cannon safe, seeing, as it don’t work no more. So, Stranger, what are ya doin’ in these here parts?”
“Chasing that gun, actually. That gun belongs to a military base that belongs to me. Those raiders stole it when I was out of house,” I stretched the truth.
“Oh, so I guess it’s yours again. But since you’re responsible, you owe me and mah town.”
I sighed, suppressing the urge to cough. I nodded. the gun was mine, and henceforth my responsibility. I cursed, I just hoped that I was not going to regret it.
“I see… So what do you have in mind?”
“Well, I took the liberty to check ya gun, and it looks to be in near perfect shape. So I figure, either you got real lucky with findin’ that, or you actually can manufacture guns.”
“Well, to be honest, that gun was manufactured two hundred years ago but yes, I do have the capabilities of manufacturing parts. Now what do you want to do. While I am grateful for you stitching me up, but I will not give you artillery grade weaponry. The only way that’ll happen is under one condition.”
I was adamant about keeping guns, such as the autocannon, out of the hooves of ponies who did not appreciate them.
“So what do you have in mind?” Fiona said.
“If you want, my base has quite enough room to host the entire town. We could relocate it in a few days. On the other hoof, we could open up a second town. The choice is yours. But fact of the matter is, those guns will not leave that base.”
I loaded the armor piercing 5.56mm belts into my Gatling Gun and prepared to shoot myself out of this mess.
“Well… I do believe a military base would prove a might bit securer than that ditch and mound, but I will have to put that up to the village council. In the meantime, you can haul that cannon there back to where you came from. We’re gonna need a couple of days to decide on what we want.”
I nodded and walked out of the house. Mule Town was a mess. Many of the buildings were riddled with holes, scorch marks and shrapnel, or were destroyed. The few bodies that were hit by the large AMG had been disposed of. I could see that the raiders had not had the know-how on how to calibrate the Targeting Talismans. There were signs of bullet penetration all over the floor. Sighing I made my way to the cart and hooked myself onto it and started walking. My armor did a great many things to help with that, and a short while later I was doing a good pace down the road. It took me the better part of the remainder of the day to reach the base. I walked in through the south gate and unhooked the cart. I looked around and soon found the crane the raiders used.
An hour later, I had the autocannon back on its platform on the North West tower. I had also put the two south side cannons back up and dismounted the northeastern one. I was currently picking through the parts to get the southeastern gun working again. I was quite fortunate, to find enough parts to have it up and running. Just as I shut the access panel, the gun whirred into action. /Trrrr-trrrrr/ two short bursts came out of the barrels and straight into a Radscorpion. Well, now that I saw them up close, what had I expected? It was a scorpion. Eight legs, pincers, tail, mandibles, chitin armor, all accounted for. They were just bigger, a lot bigger. The one just killed was easily the size of a pony. I glided down to the floor and entered the supply station.
The lights flickered on and kept on flickering. A corridor lay in front of me, doors on the left and right. I cleared each of the offices and eventually found some stairs. I walked down the stairs and nearly cried in glee. The entire floor was one big factory. Ammunition, weapon and vehicle parts, armor and weapon maintenance. There even was a mechanic’s trench and vehicle platform for vehicle maintenance. There was also a crane system on beams along the ceiling. I walked up to the armor maintenance terminal and used the wireless uplink to have the maintenance routines survey the damage while I walked to the parts plantation. As per regulation, all schematics of on base equipment were saved in the bases mainframe ready to be used. I looked up the autocannon.
“Huh… These are from a new model, interesting. The ‘Perimeter Holder’, fitting. Five barreled rotary cannon. Twenty-five by one three seven millimeter, armor piercing and high explosive bullets. Electrically operated with integrated Targeting Talismans allowing for automated defense, as well as manual if need be. Two point one meter barrel. A complete weight of two hundred and seventy pounds. Forty five hundred to fifty five hundred rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of thirty four hundred feet per second. Impact force of a whopping 107,500 joule or in layponies terms about eleven kilos of force. ‘Perimeter Holder’ indeed.”
I was jealous; maybe I should mount one to my armor as a back mount. But to put that wonderful, wonderful gun into perspective. Picture an apple and then drop a twenty-four pound weight on it. Now picture a Steel Ranger, fire a bullet and watch as the armor expands outwards slightly and blood start seeping out of the over exerted joints and seams. The machine needed metal to start working; luckily, there was also a vehicle lift in the back of the factory floor. I lowered it and once again cried in glee. There was a burnt out half-destroyed mobile artillery unit on the platform. I looked around and found the material shoot. It was in the far right, left of the stairs. The crane system from what I saw was a manual set up with an assisted pulley and an electronic magnet. I pulled the magnet to the machine and lifted it up, the motors in the pulley making it quite easy to lift and move around. It took me a few minutes to drag it across the floor, but once there the machinery disappeared and the sound of screaming metal could be heard. A minute later, the entire factory roared to life. A dispenser next to the terminal lowered itself from the wall and started to load the parts into a group of metal boxes. I started loading them onto the platform. It took the factory ten minutes to have the parts done for two ‘Perimeter Holder’s.
I rode the platform up and stood inside a warehouse. I was probably in one of the warehouses. I looked around the sunlit space and thanked Luna for my luck. There was a motorized wagon right next to me and it still had charge. I loaded the wagon and drove outside. I had been right; I was in the far western warehouse, the one going south to north. As I exited, I was right next to the southwest tower. Taking the opportunity started to build the first gun, my systems having already downloaded the schematics and were now displaying them on my H.U.D. Five or so hours later, the gun was built, waiting to be put onto its station. I sighed in exhaustion, putting a gun that size together by yourself was more difficult than I had expected. I quickly drove to the last tower and repeated the process. This time it took me only four hours, having already done it once, it was much easier. Once that was done, I drove the crane into position to lift the guns for mounting. After that, I brought both vehicles back into the warehouse and then walked into the barracks. I threw myself onto the first mattress I saw and slept.
The next day was marked by the splatter of rain. The mayor mule, Fiona was her name, had said that it would take them a couple of days to come to a decision. I used the morning to scout and clear out the rest of the base. Besides a nest of Bloatsprites in the canteen and messhall, a few ghouls in military dress uniforms and the many skeletons there was not much of hostile activity. The base yielded quite a few surprises however. One was an MkII Caterpillar Transport, in perfect condition in one of the service bays on the factory floor. Then there was a decent sized armory filled with weaponry from pistols to missile launchers. Another was a tunnler. And of course, all the scrap from the various destroyed technical equipment.
First the tunnler. It was militarized civilian equipment, the drill having four meters in diameter, being pushed by a group of eight ponies, or in this case, there was also the option to hook it in front of a vehicle with a strong enough engine. What made this one special though was the fact that besides the way of moving it, most of it was completely automated. The drilled dirt was gathered, mixed with a special, instant cement and used to fortify the walls. They were first used for the underground tunnel system in the major cities. The military used them to dig trenches. However, these machines were difficult to make and very expensive, so only a dozen or so were ever built. This thing was an antique and a true treasure.
The armory was big enough for two or three large, unspecialized .platoons. So about a hundred to a hundred and fifty ponies, however there was more than enough space for more.
Now the MKII Caterpillar Transport. It was a support vehicle on four separate tracks. The cabin was disconnected from the loading bay, except for the fully rotational mount that connects the electronics and hydraulics. It stood on two 9ft long, 4ft high treads. The front of the cabin was a gunpony position with a mounted Light Machine Gun. It fired your standard 5.56mm rounds with the variations of, Hollow Point, High Explosive, Armor Piercing and Incendiary Projectile. The cabins motor was powered by a magically charged Six Sapphire Crystal Unit block, which would recharge on its own over time, but could also be manually fueled with most magical gems, coal and even a Balefire Egg. The front of the Gunpony position was reinforced with bull bars and a winch. The loading bay was large, as it should be. 12ft by 36ft by 12ft, the metal was reinforce and very durable. The bay stood on 33ft long 3ft high treads, which were powered by the larger SCU12. All four treads were on freely moving, separate mounts, allowing for easy travel even in rough terrain. Currently, the ramp of the MKII was down, letting me look inside. Bones, nothing but bones. I sighed; I stepped inside and cleared them out. I looked around, found a few boxes of medical supplies, and preserved food. I dragged them into the bay. After that, I went and checked the motors and the hydraulics. All seemed in order, I had to give props to Miss Scootaloo and her mechanics at Red Racer, the motors she built were just as durable as the Stables. I checked the charges and got into the cabin. I hit the power switch and both engines purred alive. I closed the bay and drove out.
The tracks were rolling along smoothly, the road allowed for fast travel and it only took ten or so hours. I camped a mile outside of the town, using Solid Arguments scope to watch the town folk. They had a large bonfire going, and they were sitting around it. I was sincerely hoping that the mules would agree to inhabit the base. I laid down on top of the MKII’s cabin. Midnight had just passed and I saw many of the mules head into the houses.
Morning came sooner than I had hoped. My side was still sore, my armor having done all it could, I still had a bullet in my lungs, and my right side had shrapnel embedded into it. Solid Argument having had exploded and I had forgot to put it into maintenance. I jumped down and grunted my armors midsection had locked up on the right side, making it very difficult to move freely, forcing a noticeable limp. I got into the cabin and fired the MKII up. I drove into town, making sure that all defense weapons were disabled, so the LMG up front was locked in an upright position. I made my way out of the MKII and chuckled. The faces of the mules were just too funny.
“Something the matter, Mayor Fiona?” I asked.
“I do hope that you came to a positive outcome.”
“Why yes,” the brown mule said, recovering quickly.
“The town has agreed to move to your base. And I see you weren’t pulling my leg when you said you had the ability to manufacture parts. Shall we load up then?”
“Sure, I also brought some food and medical supplies. I’ll open up the bay, feel free to use all of it. Pack what you want to bring, I need to see if I can get my armor unkinked.”
I walked to the other side of the MKII and manually engaged the systems safety override. I grunted in pain as the metal began to move. It took a few minutes and didn’t really help me. While my armor did move again, it hurt like a bitch. Add to that the bullets and shrapnel in my body, I was in an unpleasant situation.
“Are ya ready to drive this contraption back to your base? Ya alright, you ain’t movin’ that well.”
“I’m fine. Is everyone loaded up?”
The mare nodded and I climbed into the cabin. The mayor took a seat beside me. I fired up the MKII. A twelve-hour journey later, we passed through the gates of the base. I parked the MKII in the warehouse and opened the bay. Jumping out of the cabin, I walked to the score of mules and ponies.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts, I bid thee welcome to Mule Town Supply Station,” I said mimicking a royal Equestrian accent.
“Now whil I may not be your mayor, I still am the Commanding Officer of this base. As long as you abide by a number of rules, I do not care what you do. Paint the walls pink, open brothels, sell slaves, I do not care, as long as all of you abide these rules.
One, I am the highest authority when on base.
Two, when the time comes, and the town has grown enough, some of you will be drafted.
Three, the CO’s office along with Warehouses 2 and 3 are off limits, as are the Factory Levels.
Four, inside the bases walls and in reach of the Perimeter Holders, a Friendly Beacon Talisman must be on your person. These talismans are keyed to any one pony and are useless for anyone else. With this talisman, all your actions are directly linked to the bases main frame. You are allowed to carry weapons, visitors however, are not. Also, any aggressive action you do towards an outsider will be mirrored by the bases defenses.
Finally, Five, all of the off limit areas are keyed to my talisman and mine only. Enter them; you will be a pile of meat in mere seconds.
Is there anyone who did not understand these rules? Good. The barracks are on the other side of the base as are the armory, cafeteria and the offices. Other than that, enjoy your new home.”
I waited for the loading bay of the MKII to be unloaded and then lowered it into the factory. Once that was done, I sealed it. I walked to the manufacturing plant and slipped out of my armor. I grunted in pain, as many of the wounds had healed around the embedded shrapnel. Getting out of the armor had ripped out that shrapnel, making me bleed once again. I rummaged through my bags and gulped down a Healing Potion. The bleeding stopped, but the pain remained. I sighed. I put my armor and my guns into the maintenance machine. My Pip-Buck 4000 Delta instantly linked with the machine and started the programs.
Armor Type: Dragon Hunter Prototype SW Model;
Damage: Talismans: Repair Talisman destroyed; Rebreather Talisman chipped; Active Camouflage Talisman inactive;
Damage: Systems: Medical First Aid offline; Weapon Synchronization offline; Automatic Aiming offline;
Damage: Armor: Main Chest plate compromised, Main Side Plates Compromised, Right Armor Moving Plates not functioning; Right Hind Leg damaged; Abdominal Soft Armor Webbing punctured, worn out; Combat Foam compromised, corrupted, worn out;
Well damn. I knew I was shot up and my armor was in a bit of a bad state, but never had I thought it was this bad. I sighed and activated the repairs. It was going to take a few weeks, as it was a prototype and many of the parts had to be manufactured. This meant that the feeders had to be filled; maybe the residents could be asked to do that. Next up was my Sniper Rifle, Solid Argument.
Weapon Type: Semi-Automatic Long Range Heavy Sniper Rifle with Triple Sighted 4 - 25 x 75 Telescopic Sight with integrated Laser Range Finder, Electronic Bullet Drop Compensation Module, Shooter-Support Assistant Module and Infrared and Thermal Vision.
Damage: Barrel bent, worn out; Scope Lens cracked; Bolt Assembly missing; Bolt Carrier Assembly, destroyed; Magazine Port bent, compromised;
Damn, Solid Argument was in bad shape. Luckily, the runes were all in working order and the main body was not in too bad of a shape. I activated the maintenance routine and sighed when I saw the repairs would take a couple of weeks. I prioritized it over both my Gatling Gun and armor. While I enjoyed the protection as well as the high quantity of fire, I was trained to be, first and foremost a hunter. And a good hunter is not to be spotted, easiest way to do that is to make sure you are far enough away from your target to not be seen or heard. Solid Argument was specifically designed for that, with a maximum range of three miles on all of its three sight options. I put in my Gatling Gun and sighed. Besides a few scratches, I knew nothing was wrong with it.
Weapon Type: Octa-Barreled Rotary Machine Gun
Damage: Barrel 1-8 worn out; Housing superficial damage;
Update available. New model; Decima-Barreled Rotary Gun with integrated multi aim burst;
Do you want to proceed? Y; N;
I was crying tears of joy. Two extra barrels? And to aim at multiple targets with a single burst? Oh I was just gifted the most glorious thing. I thanked Luna for all I was worth. I hit Y and cried out in disappointment. The upgrade would take a month. Sighing I bent to my fate and walked up the stairs, after ordering a new parts machine. It was nighttime now, so there was no pony around. A ran into Warehouse 1. I was pleased to see that the warehouse at one point in time had been used for the purpose of part production. There was an old manufacturing plant suspended above the material feed. A quick hit on the release button and the machine fell through the shoot and was disassembled. I started to clean the warehouse up, mostly throwing everything into the material feed. It took a few hours, but now the warehouse was empty and clean-ish. I walked back to the factory. All parts were stored in metal boxes. It took me some time but eventually I had all of them topside in Warehouse 1.
Four hours later, the plant was assembled, my PipBuck helped greatly with the schematics. I walked into the barracks and quietly searched for the mare. I found her in the room closest to the entrance. I closed the door and cleared my throat, slowly waking the mare.
“Huh? Who’s there?” she asked with a tired drawl.
“Just me,” I said.
“I’m leaving. I made sure to secure all off limit areas, Warehouse 1 is yours and has a brand new manufacturing plant. I uploaded all the necessary schematics you will need. If you need me, there is a small coms room in the Armory; my frequency is on the table. I will radio in every once in a while. Oh and if you want to keep manufacturing, you will need to keep the material feed full. Anything is useful, metal, oils, water, whatever you can find. I’m off.”
I left and made my way east. While I had some free time, I let my Pip-Buck diagnose all my medical problems. A few minutes later, I found out that I was in a very bad shape. My ankle was ruined, only one lung was working. I had tumors growing in my other lung. I had severe Arthritis, Osteoporosis and Hypocalcemia. Many of my bones had grown together crookedly, my armor only having given minor support. Top of that, I had come into contact with not only Taint, but also Magical Radiation. Many of my minor veins had swollen shut and or burst. My liver was on its last legs, as was my spleen. My stomach was ruptured and literally eating itself, but the biggest problem were my nerves. Most of them had been fried by electric currents or other mishaps. I was in a bad shape. Top that up with a Med-X addiction, speaking of which. I jabbed the needle into my side. Ahh… Much better, I was in no shape to do anything but keel over and die. I was close to the Hoof now. On the horizon the Cursed City appeared. As I was making my way to the city, I turned the radio on again.
“Well I’ll be damned. News from the Town of Asses was just confirmed that’s right folks, Mule Town has been moved. My sources say that they are now in an old military supply station, after some raiders and an Autocannon shot the original town to Tartarus. But like I always say my little ponies. The Wasteland needs heroes and boy did those mules get one. This pony ran up to the cannon and single hoofedly shut it down. Then a few days later, he comes back in an old military vehicle and transports ev’rypony to the base. Now I hear you asking. Who is this mysterious savior? Well, it wasn’t the Stable Dweller, all I can tell you for now is that he calls himself Starseer and has already come to good terms with Trottingham’s Royal Life Guard, the Travelling Traders and the Iron Tail Raider Clan. It would seem Starseer has become an honorary member of those factions. Well Starseer if ya ever find yourself in Manehatten come by Ten Pony and we’ll do an interview. But for now keep fighting the good fight.”
I sighed; guess I had to come out of the shadows eventually, at least the imposter seemed to be able to paint a picture well enough. I might actually go over to Ten Pony Tower, honor that request for an interview. I had now reached the outskirts of the Hoofington Grand Region. Before me lay the Hoofington Wastes, I walked forward and soon some map markers. One of the first was a town called Chapel. It lay close to the Hoofington Core. I paced myself so I would arrive at nightfall.
Night fell onto the town of Chapel. I had arrived an hour before and was quite exhausted. I had scouted the town, with the exception of a Stallion there were mostly fillies and colts. All of them were a cloak with a rearing filly patched on it. I knew that sigil. But I hadn’t seen it in over two hundred years. It was the sigil of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Miss Scootaloo, Miss Apple Bloom and Miss Sweetie Belle. I sighed; at least some good came from the past. I snuck through the town and looked for a way into the core. The bridge was marred with scorch marks, so the automatic defenses were still active. I sighed; flying would end just as badly. I trotted along the river, my mind rearing on possible entryways, ignoring everything else. /BEEP! ZAP! / I had realised too late that I had been standing on a Magic Mine. The green dome engulfed my lower body. Then the rest of my body began to pulse greenly and disintegrated. Only the soft squelch of my black heart hitting the ash of my body was heard.
Footnote: Level Reset.
Quest Perk added: No Rest for the Soldier – Thanks to your unique situation, you don’t die as fast as the normal waste lander. You heal from most injuries with ease, but feel effects of major injuries for the rest of your life. Dismemberments will regrow overtime.
Quest Perk added: Like a Phoenix – If your body is disintegrated, like a phoenix, you will rise from your ashes. You will have to grow again though, so there’s the hook.
