Fallout: Equestria - Machina

Chapters

Chapter One - Winter Wonder Wasteland
Chapter Two - Frozen Signals
Chapter Three - Haven

Chapter One - Winter Wonder Wasteland

I pulled the blanket tighter around my shivering body as the frigid wind blew through the back of the cart I was riding. Unfortunately I was only wearing a simple hooded jacket over an old shirt, making me the stupidest mare ever for not dressing correctly for a trip this far north.

Just as I’d gotten comfortable again, I felt the momentum of the cart halt, followed by a hoof knocking on its side.

“End o’ tha’ line, lass.” Called out the carriage driver.

A sigh left my lips and I packed up the blankets I’d been using. My PipBuck-enhanced vision turned pink as I exited the cart into a snowed over town square.

“Hiya, Gauge?” The image of a little pink filly asked as she popped up in the lower left corner of my vision.

I paid the cart driver with half of my remaining bottlecaps. “Not now, Pai….I’m really tired and cold from the long trip out here...we can talk as soon as I have some hot chocolate in me, alright?” That is, if this place had any at all...

Pai’s expression switched to a frown. “I just want to know... why are we heading this far north?”

“Because, we’re looking for that city that one pony back in New Appleloosa told us about. It’s supposed to be an engineer’s paradise.” I replied.

“About that...I’ve been talking with your Pip-leg’s system and neither of us believe that this place exists...I mean, it’d have popped up with a marker, wouldn’t it?” The little pink A.I. said with a look of concern in her digital eyes.

A quick look around the square showed me that the town I was in was rather small. To the left of me stood an old frozen fountain with a statue of a pony in what looked to be a Stalliongrad uniform. Ringing the fountain, were four buildings. One of them had a large rusted star hanging over the front door that said “Peacekeeper” on it. One building to my right seemed to be a normal house while the one next to it had a sign over the window reading “Whitetail’s Arms and Goods.”

The building right ahead of me was the one that caught my attention the most however. It was the only two story building in this town, and had the faint sound of laughter and merriment echoing through the cracked front door.

“Apparently, the city we are looking for was built without Stable-Tec or the Ministries finding out about it.” I finally replied to Pai’s question. Honestly, I didn’t know if this city of mechanical wonders even existed, but I couldn’t tell her that. Could I?

As I entered the Inn, I noticed that the inside was packed full with ponies. Surprising for such a small town, but I guess they do get their fair share of merchants and such even this far north.

I let out a sigh of relief as the interior was much warmer than outside. “Finally some warmth... almost thought the padding I added to my leg wouldn’t hold out against the cold.”

Pai prodded at me with one of her digital hooves, making one of my eyes twitch even though she wasn’t actually touching it. “Alright...and why are we being chased by those other ponies?” She asked.

“The treasure hunters I met back in New Appleloosa? They’re probably pissed about my little stunt with destroying their wagon.” I answered as the mare behind the front desk eyed me suspiciously as I approached. I gave an embarrassed smile, “A room please.”

“Name?” Was all she asked in her thick northern accent.

“Silversong.” I replied with a false name.

The mare behind the desk eyed me over. She turned around and pulled a key off of the rack behind her, hoofing it over to me “Have a pleasant evening, Ms. Silversong.” All I could do was place half of what little caps I had left on the counter and get away as soon as possible.

With my room key tucked safely away in my jacket, I trotted over towards the bar on the other side of the room. For some reason, everypony just stared at me as I approached. The old bar stool squeaked as I sat on it.

The stallion behind the bar looked me over, “New in town, huh?” he asked with a gruff voice.

I shook my head as I rested both forelegs on the counter. “How could you tell?” My reply was as sarcastic as I could make it.

The stallion behind the counter just chuckled, “Now now, I don’t mean offense. I just noticed you aren’t dressed for cold weather.” He paused a moment and cracked his neck, “So, what can I get you, miss…?”

“Silversong, and a mug of hot chocolate will do.” As soon as it seemed that the bartender was alright with me, everypony else returned to their drinks and conversations.

He pulled out an old mug from under the bar and set it next to a jug that had steam drifting out of the top. “Coming right up, Miss Silversong. So, you with one of the merchant caravans?” The stallion asked as he poured the delicious brown liquid into the mug.

“Nope, just passing through.” I replied as I stared at the mug. Just looking at it started to warm me up.

He turned around and sat the steaming mug in front of me “Well, I’m sorry to say that there isn’t much north of here other than a frozen wasteland.”

Upon taking a sip of the hot chocolate, all the cold I had been feeling began to melt away. I sat the mug down with a satisfied smile “I’m aware.”

The stallion looked me over with a frown “You aren’t going after that old fable, are you? Everypony knows that city doesn’t exist.”

I took another sip from the mug of delicious warmth and looked at the stallion “Listen, Mr…”

The bartender cut me off for a brief second “Warm Cider.”

“...Warm Cider. I’m sure you’re a nice guy and all, you’ve certainly shown me kindness, but I’d rather keep my business to myself. I’ve travelled all this way and I’m not going back.” That seemed to get a look from him.

Warm Cider grabbed an empty mug and began wiping it with an old towel “Alright, miss. Just be careful though, I’ve seen many adventurers head out for the city and none ever returned.”

“Noted.” was all I said before taking another sip.

Upon entering my room, now full with hot chocolate, I flopped over onto the warm bed. Instead of blankets, old wolf pelts covered the bed. While it was slightly disturbing, the fur was nonetheless more comfortable than the back of a cart.

As I stared up at the ceiling, the pink digital filly popped up in my vision again “Uhm...Gauge...I’ve been thinking...I really miss sis and the others. Do you think we’ll ever see them again?”

I let out a sigh and sat up “Of course we will. Too much has happened to just leave them forever..” Memories of what happened back in Orchard Omega, the Everfree forest….even Baltimare popped back into my mind.Then came the memories of our visits to Tenpony Tower, Friendship City, when I met Storm for the first time. “Hey, just think of all the cool gadgets we’ll bring back? They’ll be so impressed!”

My E.F.S. turned bright pink as the image of Pai smiling happily stared back at me. “Oh, true! Do you think we’ll find a body I can upload into?”

I shrugged. “Even if we don’t, I’ll build you one! With lasers and rockets and stuff.”

My vision turned back to it’s normal shade of pink as Pai shifted her smile into a soft warm one. “You promise? I’ll remain in your leg until you do!” The pink filly said before disappearing from my vision with a digital puff of smoke.

I laid back down, my forelegs out to either side of me as I stared up at the ceiling. “Alright, let’s go over the plan again… Tomorrow we head out and scan for any stray signals using the radio in my leg. I’m counting on you to sort through them, Pai. We wouldn’t want to get lost up here like we did in Silent Falls. I still haven’t forgiven you for getting us in trouble with that Zony sheriff.”

Pai popped back into my vision. “I’ve already said I was sorry! I didn’t like that guy either, I mean- who doesn’t like cupcakes?!” I couldn’t help but facehoof at this. “Besides, I’ve been sorting through every single signal we’ve received since we left. ”

My mind flashed back to when I was caught breaking into an old military outpost near Silent Falls, following a signal Pai told me about. Turned out to be nothing more than an old bunker flooded with magical radiation and ferals. A Zony sheriff named Frost had caught us and nearly arrested for almost setting a horde of ghouls loose.

“I think it was more the fact that we were caught snooping around somewhere that was off-limits and me awkwardly trying to change the subject, than him not liking cupcakes.” I groaned.

Pai huffed. “Still, he was a meanie-head. Anyway, I’ll keep sorting through signals all night and tell you what I’ve found in the morning. Though…” My EFS turned bright yellow, making my eye twitch. “What if we don’t find what we’re looking for? We don’t really know what’s out there…”

“Then we’ll just have to come back. I mean, my leg still does have a working map!” I said, though my voice did give a small hint to my own worry of not being able to make it back. There was a very high possibility that this was all just a myth and I’d just end up getting myself killed out here. “Besides, if we run into anything dangerous, there’s nothing my trusty shotgun can’t fix! And if that doesn’t work, I have my grenade launcher too…”

As I said this, I floated both guns onto the bed. The launcher I’ve had for awhile, but I only started using this shotgun two years ago during what’s now known as The Long Winter. It used to belong to a pony I loved, but... she didn’t make it.

Pai turned back to her normal shade of pink. “Well, alright. If you die on me, I won’t ever forgive you! That’s a Pinkie promise! Anyway, you should get some sleep! You’ll have to be up early tomorrow.”

I rolled over, facing the window. A light snowstorm had started outside and was caking the glass in frost and snow. “Alright, but don’t use that one marching song you learned from a sprite-bot to wake me up again. I nearly had a heart attack last time.” The only response to that was an apologetic smile from Pai before she poofed yet again. I wouldn’t tell her right now, as I don’t want to get her hopes up...but my real reason for searching for this amazing city of technology is that I’ve heard rumors of the ponies who built it being able to combine machines with living things. Maybe I’d be able to learn how to make a real body for Pai?

I had promised to get her a body for so long, but I never had the right tools for such a thing. While I did build Grumpy, he was just parts from old Mister Gutsy bots. Pai has been such a big help to me since she transferred herself into my leg. She’s never asked for anything in return except for her own body. It was the least I could do to repay somepony who had been there for me for so long. I closed my eyes and let sleep take me. It was probably the best rest I’ve had in a long while.

The next morning I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. Thinking it odd, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked around “Wha…?” Lo’ and behold, it was snowing outside with no birds in sight. However, Pai was standing in the corner of my Pip-Vision with bluebirds circling around her head, a smile upon her digital face.

“Good morning, sleepyhead! You’ll be glad to know that I’ve found a promising signal! I’ve also made sure that it wasn’t just something else distorted by radiation interference.”

I yawned and stretched my legs out. “Good...which direction?” I asked as I slid myself reluctantly out of the comfy bed and put on my bags and equipment.

“Due northeast!” Pai yelled happily as she bounced. “I’m so excited, you might have been right after all! Let’s head out immediately!”

An amused chuckle escaped my muzzle. “Hold on, I still haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Can’t have an awesome adventure on an empty stomach, can I? Besides, I need to get at least a thicker jacket. My current one might be good for down south, but I nearly froze my flank off last night.”

Pai sighed. “Fiiiiiiiine, just be quick about it!” she half-groaned before poofing out of my vision again, her voice still saying “Adventure! Adventure! Adventure!” over and over again. I rolled my eyes and exited the room, my first destination being the lounge downstairs.

The smell of sizzling bacon and fried hay met my nostrils, making my stomach rumble even more as I trotted down the stairs.

As I sat down at a table and ordered, my ears twitched and swivelled around as I heard some ponies talking. “Oi, there she is...she’s going after that fabled city, isn’t she?”

“Yeah. Poor girl...going to get herself killed. Everypony knows that place doesn’t exist! Though, there is something out there...almost nopony who’s gone after it has ever returned, and those who have? They say some terrible monster roams the area.” said a concerned mare.

A monster, huh? I suddenly started having second thoughts about this whole thing, when I remembered... “Hey, I survived an army of the dead. No monster is gonna get the better of me!” Without realising it, I had stood up and shouted at the two ponies, gaining the shocked looks of everypony in the room. With a blush, I sat back down.

“Not only is she foolish, she’s crazy as well… I’ll pray for her.” said the concerned mare. However, the stallion who started the conversation just grunted and mumbled something about letting the beast eat me. With a sigh, I ate my breakfast in silence. Once I was done, I stood up, paid for the food, and headed out into the frigid weather.

My next stop would be Whitetail’s Arms and Goods to buy a thicker coat. As I entered the building, an old rusty bell chimed...and then fell right onto my head.

“Ouch!” I exclaimed as I rubbed the now sore top of my head.

“Damn thing. Don’t suppose you have any bells to trade? That one keeps falling off.” said an older looking stallion. Not old enough to be considered a grandfather, but his mane and beard were definitely starting to gray a bit.

“Uh...no. I’m just here for a thicker jacket. Mine isn’t exactly good for this weather…” I said as I trotted up to the counter.

The stallion looked me over. “Hmm...yeah, I have just what you need. Recently made Snow Beast fur coat. Should keep you warm out here.” He hoofed a patched white fur coat with a small patch of red on the back onto the counter. The inside was definitely hide, but was grey instead of brown.

I tilted my head and wrapped my magic around it. “How much?”

The stallion stroked his beard for a moment. “How about...one-hundred and fifty caps.”

My jaw dropped. I only had two-hundred when I left, and I already spent most of it on food and the trip up here! “Uhm...how about I give you…” I quickly counted the caps I had left “...twenty-five caps and I’ll return it when I get back? If I find any good salvage out there, I’ll even throw that in as well.”

The stallion looked at me as if I was stupid, which probably wasn’t too far from reality. “Ninety-five caps and you return it.”

Damn it, that was still more than I wanted to give up. “How about seventy-five? That’s as much as I can give…” Even though it was cold inside the store, I was sweating.

It was a long while before he finally replied. “Fine, seventy-five and you give it back when you return.” A weak smile crept onto my muzzle. Yeah, I was nearly broke and probably didn’t have enough for the trip back, but at least I wouldn’t freeze to death! Yay… I paid the shop owner and wrapped the warm coat around myself before leaving.

As soon as I exited the store, I saw a marker pop up on my EFS. “Uh, Pai? What’s that?” I asked in a confused tone.

“That’s where the source of the signal is, silly! I thought I’d mark it for you so you don’t get lost!” she exclaimed in her usual cheerful voice. At least Pai was here to cheer me up. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten this far without her. Without anymore interruptions, I set off out of town in the direction of the marker. Miles and miles of frozen wasteland ahead of me, but my determination was stronger than ever. We were so close, I could taste it!

--Chapter End--

“Sweet dreams are made of this.”

Quests Finished: Winter Wonder Wasteland

Quests Started: Frozen Signals

Levels Earned: none

Perks Earned: none

Chapter Two - Frozen Signals

My first mistake? Not wearing any bottoms. My second mistake? Not bringing a bigger fucking gun!

I galloped as fast as I could through the snow, the roaring monsters close on my tail. Thanks to S.A.T.s I could shoot at them while running for my life, but with a shotgun and trying to get away, my accuracy rating was very low.

“Uh, Gauge?” Pai said, poking at me and making my eye twitch.

“Not now, Pai!” I shouted as I fired another blast at the pursuing beasts.

“Gauge! Watch out!” Pai shouted at me, finally getting me to look forward.

It was too late, I had charged right off of a slope and began rolling end over end, leaving me-shaped prints in the snow and burying myself half-way into a mound of the freezing white powder.

Thinking I was done for and that I’d feel sharp teeth on my flank any second, I squeezed my eyes shut. When no pain came, I pulled myself out of the snowmound and looked back up the slope. The monsters were up there, but they were backing off.

Feeling smug, I smirked and picked up my shotgun. “Yeah, that’s right! You better leave! Pai, did you see that expert escape? I’m the best.” I said, doing a little victory dance which would probably embarrass me if anypony else were around.

Pai popped into my vision again and rolled her eyes. “Oh suuuure, being a living slinkie and landing face-first in a pile of snow was the plan all along, huh?”

Blushing brightly, I retorted. “H-hey! I could’ve been planning something like that...okay, you got me. Just...don’t mention this to Storm or the others, alright?”

Pai giggled. “Okie doki loki, though I’ll still remind you about it.” she said playfully.

I let out a big sigh before strapping my shotgun over my back. “Anyway, I wonder what made them back off? I mean- they could’ve easily just come down and eaten me...not that I’m complaining.”

Pai shrugged. “Dunno! But still be on your guard. Remember what that mare said? There’s apparently some large monster out here.”

I felt a shiver down my spine. What if they hadn’t come down here because whatever that thing is lives here? I pushed the thought from my mind and turned around until I found the marker on my compass again. “I’ll be fine...let’s just keep going.”

The area I was now in was just an open snow plain. Mountains off in the distance, but nothing more than small hills for at least a few miles. The sky was clear for the moment and the sun shined brightly down on me, only slightly warming me

The clock in my pipvision ticked over to seven P.M. as a blizzard seemed to pick up. Luckily I spotted a small cliff-face with a cave not too far from where I was. I picked up my pace, pushing through the snow and collapsing inside the entrance. Shivering violently, I pushed myself up and over to the wall.

“F-f-f-fuck… I can’t wait until we’re home. I h-h-h-hate the cold…” I said as I brushed some snow out of my mane and curled up into a ball. “H-h-h-honestly, how d-d-d-do ponies live up here?”

Pai looked like she was about to respond when a roar echoed from somewhere outside. My whole body went frigid, and not just from the weather. That roar came from something big. “M-m-maybe I should go further into the cave…” I said, standing up and moving farther and farther away from the cave entrance. I pulled out a small burner from my bag and turned it on, holding my hooves over the flame.

I sat there for what seemed like hours in silence, the roaring continuing every now and then and only building the terror I was feeling for what might be making all that noise. The blizzard only got worse and worse, further enforcing the fact that I may have to stay the night in this cave. At some point, I had fallen asleep without realising it. How would I know? I was awoken by a growling and sniffing from something large near the front of the cave. The flame had since gone out as my burner ran out of battery, so I was left cold and in the dark. Night had clearly fallen outside, as I couldn’t see anything...except a pair of milky white glowing eyes come around the corner.

I opened my muzzle in a silent scream, which only seemed to turn the thing’s attention in my direction. It gave a sniff and looked around. Was it blind? With the light coming from my pipleg, it should’ve easily seen me.

Pai popped up in my vision and held her hoof up to her muzzle, telling me to be quiet. Good thing she was here, otherwise I’d be left frozen in fear and would probably end up getting eaten. She pointed to my left, in the direction of the back of the cave. I gave a slight nod and tried my best to stand up without making any noise. I was doing good, until I backed over something that snapped under my back hoof. The creature turned its head in my direction and I stood there, frozen. Pai must’ve turned my piplight on, because the next thing I knew, I was looking at a toothy maw surrounded by a large black bestial face. The thing’s nose sniffed me once more and began growling. Big red letters popped up in my vision.

RUN!!!

I turned as quickly as I could and bolted, the monster roaring and giving chase. I felt my Snow Beast coat get caught by something and, turning my head, I saw that it was caught in the large drooling maw. My magic ripped at the coat, freeing me and causing me to stumble forward. I screamed loudly as the monster ripped the coat to shreds.

Pai popped up “Gauge, run while it’s busy with that thing!” she screamed at me. I did just that, standing up and galloping as fast as I could. The ripping stopped and I soon heard the thunderous footsteps of the beast giving chase again. I lit my horn up and ahead I saw a glint of something metallic. It was a door!

I wrenched it open with my magic and galloped through, slamming it shut behind me. The monster began trying to smash the door, but it seemed to have zero luck in breaking it down. Feeling as if my heart was going to leap out of my chest, I slumped down against some railing, panting heavily.

“For fuck’s sake, they weren’t kidding!” I shouted. Using the light from my horn, I looked around. I was sitting on a landing at the top of some stairs. “Huh..where are we, Pai?” I asked. Pai simply popped up in my vision with a bright smile. “...And why are you smiling? I nearly just died!”

Pai shook her head. “Gauge! We’re at the source of the signal!”

I blinked, looking around. Sure enough, there was a radio terminal at the bottom of the stairs with the little marker over it. “Here’s hoping this isn’t just another bunker, huh?”

I stood up after catching my breath and carefully walked down the stairs. Apparently I was in some sort of room similar to the Stable entrances, though tjere was now large gear-shaped door. Old broken terminals sat on desks and against walls, chairs and tables sat flipped over…whatever happened here sure turned this place into a mess. The radio terminal that gave off the signal sparked and caught fire as soon as I tried to examine it, burning my hoof in the process. “Ow, shit!” I yelled as I stuck the burnt end of my hoof in my mouth.

Pai popped up “Signal’s been lost.” she said smugly, receiving a unamused look from me.

“Gee, I wonder why.” I said sarcastically. I turned my head and looked around the rest of the room. For some reason, this room was warmer than it had any reason being...was there still power running to heaters, maybe? “Pai, can you find any source of power? Maybe a generator or even a fuse box? I want to see if some of these terminals still work. Maybe we can find something out about this place and if it relates to that city.” I said as I stepped over a skeleton while exploring the room. There didn’t seem to be any other entrances or exits, so the way we came in was the only way in or out...which meant that if I wanted to leave, I’d have to deal with that monster again. Fuck.

“Hmm...oh! There’s a faint energy signature across the room! I’ll mark it on your hud!” Pai said happily before a marker popped up on my EFS.

The energy signature she marked was a large generator built into the wall, though it was in standby mode. I scanned the thing, searching for an on switch and quickly finding an ajar panel. Wrapping my magic around the handle and pulling it open gently, I saw a lever which was between on and off. My green aura wrapped around the handle and I pushed it toward On with all of my might, but it wouldn’t move. “Damn, it’s stuck…”

I quickly looked around for something I might be able to use to whack it, settling on an old skull. I apologized to the dead pony (as if they could hear me or care), and gave the lever a good whack. To nopony’s surprise, the skull shattered like fine china, but at least it got the lever in the On position! Light quickly returned for the first time in possibly one hundred and fifty years to the room and some of the terminals flickered to life while others simply sparked and died.

“Hah! They liiiiive!” is cheered in triumph, trotting over to one of the terminals. Sadly, nopony was logged in. “Hmm...hey Pai, put on some hacking music, would you?” I said.

Pai responded with a happy “yes ma’am!” as some jazzy music possibly from an old spy movie played into my earpiece. My magic enveloped the keys as I brought up a command screen to reset the password. I combed through each word, selecting one to find how many letters match before moving on to a similar word and doing the same thing. Getting rid of false code every now and then reset my tries so I wouldn’t get locked out. FInally, I managed to select the correct password after what felt like a half an hour. “Huh, who puts their password as ‘Jelly’?” I asked, scratching my head at the odd choice of password.

As the select screen popped up, there were three different options: Project Notes, Personal Journal, and Open Tunnel. Making note of the Open Tunnel feature, I clicked into Project Notes, finding about fifty entries, but only about three were uncorrupted. “Hey Pai, could you download these files into my leg and see if you can piece the corrupted ones back together?”

Pai popped up in my vision and scratched her digital chin. “Hmm, I don’t know but I can try! You think these might have to do with that city we’re looking for?”

I shrugged in response. “Maybe. If not, they we can just dump the data.” I clicked out of Project Notes as soon as Pai had finished downloading the database and clicked into Personal Journal...which was empty. Frowning at the idea of somepony having a section named this and not posting anything in it, I brought up the command screen again and began searching through the terminal’s history. “Huh, that’s weird...there were journal entries, but they were wiped completely from this thing. Not even a spec of data left, just the logs of their post dates.”

I shook my head and sighed. Somepony didn’t want their thoughts read it seems… I backed out of the command screen and back to the main menu. I finally selected Open Tunnel which, to my surprise, opened what I thought in the darkness was a section of wall, but was a bulkhead. I cautiously shined my light down the tunnel, seeing a short hallway with a few doors on either side. At the end was what looked to be a unisex bathroom. “Well, at least we found the bathroom.” I chuckled.

“I don’t think the plumbing in this place still works, Gauge…” Pai said with a grimace.

I simply rolled my eyes. “Where in equestria is there any plumbing that actually works?” Moving down the hallway, I looked to either side of me. Almost all the doors except for one were broken from either collapsed rubble or broken mechanisms. The last door I checked opened up to a rather fancy looking, albeit messy and dirty bedroom. There was a desk with a few books on it in the corning, an old dusty bed across the way, and full carpeting on the floor. Upon seeing the bed, I realised just how tired I actually was. I had a nap earlier, but sleeping up against a wall in the freezing cold wasn’t exactly what I’d call a good resting place.

Giving a yawn, I walked over to the bed. “Pai, wake me up in a few hours or if you finish restoring those files. It’s been one hell of a day…”

“Okie doki loki! Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite!” Pai said happily, poofing from my vision.

I gave a slight chuckle as I flopped onto the old dusty bed. “In this world, I’m sure I’d get torn to bits if they did…” Oddly enough, the mattress was very soft considering how old it was. I had no trouble drifting off to sleep.

“Pst. Gauge, wake up. Somepony’s coming.” I was awoken to the sound of Pai whispering. I honestly didn’t know why she did that, as I was the only one able to hear her…

With a yawn, I looked around. The room was still dark, save for the light from down the hallway. “Wha...what do you mean?” Then I heard it. The sound of hoofsteps and a few ponies arguing.

“Damnit, Starburst. Somepony’s already been here!” a gruff sounding stallion said.

“Hey, you think it’s that unicorn bitch from down south?” a mare asked back.

“You really think a kid like her made it this far? My caps are on scavvers that got chased in here by that damned monster outside. Damn thing took out River and Goldenbraid before we killed it.” a third stallion replied. They managed to kill that thing? Damn...

I quickly slid out of bed and snuck over to the door control. From the sound of it, they were still in the office area. I pressed the close button with my magic, closing the door and locking it. Pai popped up into my vision. “Scanning for ways out… the only way out is past them, Gauge.”

Yep, my luck was shit. Not daring to say a word in response, I just backed away from the door and drew my shotgun. Outside, I could hear them talking more.

“You sure that signal lead here, Filibuster? This just seems like a damned outpost to me!” said the gruff stallion.

“I’m sure! The marker on my pipbuck pointed right to this spot before I lost it.” the other stallion said in defense. “Look! This terminal is logged in. Let’s see here...ahah! See? A project entry on an advanced city named Fortuna!”

“Hoho! You’ve outdone yourself this time, boy! Does it say where it is?” The gruff stallion asked, a happy tone to his voice.

“Hmm… the site is in the mountains north of here. It seems this was just a checkpoint for material deliveries.” said the other stallion. Welp. That solved that mystery at least…

“Good, let’s get out of this shithole. Bring this place down just in case.” the mare said finally after a long bout of silence from her. “If that mare does make it up here, we don’t want her following us do we?”

...Shit. I quickly unlocked the door and, before I could bolt out, I felt the entire complex shake violently. Bits of old metal and rock began to break from the ceiling. The floor beneath me began to crack and split. “What the FUCK?!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. Did the have someone able to cause minor earthquakes?! I half-galloped half-stumbled back into the main room. As I tried to ascend the stairs, they collapsed from underneath me, though I was able to jump and grab onto the landing. I pulled myself up and broke my way out of the door, surprising the fuck out of a unicorn stallion that looked only slightly younger than me.

“Wha-?!” was all he said before I clubbed him over the head with my metal leg. The shaking stopped as he collapsed and I slumped against the wall, panting heavily. I got a good look at the guy’s cutiemark, which was of a cracked boulder. Next to him was a bulky control board for, as written on the thing, a machine named EARTHQUAKE-O-MATIC 3000. Next to the letters was a logo for Flim Flam Bros. Inc.

“Damnit...Pai...those are the asshole treasure hunters we ran into in New Appleloosa…” I said after finally catching my breath. “...and where the hell did they find that thing?!” Honestly, this trip has proven to be more trouble than it’s worth so far…

Pai popped up in my vision. “Oooh! The Flim Flam Brothers! They made a few of the mining machines used when constructing my Orchard!”

“That doesn’t explain where they got this…or if they have more.” I stood up and stepped past the K.O.ed stallion. “Now that we know those assholes are up here, we’ll need to be more careful…”

Pai nodded “Okie doki loki!” and disappeared from my vision. “Setting a NAV marker in the direction they said it was!”

As she said that, a marker appeared on my compass. Giving a smirk, I set out, making sure to pick up my burner I’d left behind the night prior on my way out. “Thanks Pai. For everything.”

--Chapter End--

“Always forward, never back.”

Quests Finished: Frozen Signals

Quests Started: Haven

Levels Earned: none

Perks Earned: none

Chapter Three - Haven

“F-f-f-fuck me…” I shivered as the biting cold air chilled me to the bone. Being the dumbass I was, I forgot to grab the jacket that was on that unconscious stallion back in the cave. Leave it to me to get too excited and forget something important. While it was cloudy and a light bit of snow fell, it was still clearly daytime and, thankfully, showed no signs of turning into a full-blown blizzard again like the night before. Though still, in my simple thin jacket, I was freezing. “Fuck I’m cold!” I finally shouted at nopony in general. I heard the echo bounce off the distant cliffs and crags of the mountains. I still had a long way to go before I would reach my destination…

The hours dragged on and on and, surprisingly, there was no word from Pai. Thinking she was busy still defragging all of that data, I left her alone. Thanks to the frigid temperature and the fact that I’ve had nothing to eat or drink in the past two days, I began to feel my progress slow as my body grew more and more fatigued. Finally, I stopped and fell over into the snow. “Damnit, Gauge...you had one job…” I scolded myself, my vision slowly darkening. My whole body was numb now...was this what death felt like?

Just before I lost consciousness, I saw a group of heavily clothed figures approach me. “There she is! Quick, get her some blankets!” Were they talking about me? I didn’t know anypony this far north. Oh well, sleep time…

When I came to, I didn’t feel cold anymore. In fact, I felt the warmest I’ve been since I started this journey… My eyes slowly opened and were greeted with the bright blue stare of a pony. Blinking, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. No, not a pony… “What the-” I felt a cloven hoof press up against my muzzle.

“Shh, you’re in Goathaven. Your little A.I. friend uploaded herself into one of our terminals and told us that you were freezing to death out in the plains.” I sat up with a groan. So that’s why Pai wasn’t talking...she was finding me help… I owe her so much already, this only adds to that long list…

The goat tilted her head, her bright red mane falling to one side as she looked at me curiously. “Got a fever? You’re cheeks are red.”

I blinked, now noticing that my cheeks were very warm. I had been blushing. Shaking my head, I looked at the goat. “Oh- no, just….thinking.” I looked around. “I didn’t think there’d be a settlement this far out...it’s certainly not on my pipbuck’s map.”

The goat smiled “Well yeah! This area is a complete dark zone since before the Great Fallout. Anyway, where’d you get them?” she asked excitedly.
I blinked, a little confused. “Got what?”

“Your leg and A.I. friend, of course! I’m a bit of a techie myself.” she exclaimed, as if Hearth’s Warming had come early.

“Oh, I built my leg and Pai’s my best friend’s sister...if that makes sense.” I replied. Honestly, if I hadn’t been there myself through it all, I would think Pai being Storm’s sister as being made up.

“Sister? You have another A.I.?” The she-goat looked a bit more confused than before.

Pai spoke up over my pipbuck’s speaker. “No, silly! My sister and I were simply made in the same facility! Storm’s a flesh and blood pony.”

“I...don’t understand. Ah well, the name’s Gadget by the way. Gadget Steamhoof!” she said proudly. “I’m one of Goathaven’s Tech Wizards and, if I play my cards right, next in line to become the Grand Engineer.”

Having no clue what any of these things meant, I simply settled for giving a dumb look. “Uh...what?”

“Oh- sorry. Our Grand Engineer is our village leader. The Tech Wizards are those of us trained with building and repairing things from the salvage our scavengers bring back from Fortuna-” Gadget explained tried to explain before I cut her off.

“Fortuna?! Wait, it’s real?!” I asked, a new surge of energy filling my body.

“Of course it’s real! Why wouldn’t it be?” Gadget looked at me as if I was stupid for not knowing whether or not the hidden city was real or not.

“Everypony else thinks it’s just a myth. Actually, finding the place is why I was out in the snow in the first place.” Honestly, I only half believed the place was real anyway. With the news that everything I was searching for was real, I quickly slid out of the warm bed and, upon seeing my clothes and equipment on the bedside table, I slid them on.

“Wait-” Gadget started to say.

“Wait? Why? My goal is so close!” I exclaimed while sliding my saddlebags on.

“Well, for one, you need one of us as a guide through the mountain pass...second, you’re kinda being held prisoner.” she said nervously.

My jaw dropped open. Just then, I noticed that all of my ammo had been taken- even what was loaded into my guns. “Prisoner?! Why?! I haven’t done anything!”

“Well, we don’t get many visitors here. Actually, most die before they even make it halfway...so the current Grand Engineer has placed you under house arrest until you are well enough to go back home…” Gadget’s words sounded sad, which was only confirmed by her ears folding back as her bright blue eyes stared at me.

My rump hit the ground. Had I really travelled all this way for nothing afterall? “You’ve got to be kidding me… so even after coming all this way, I’ll just have to turn around and leave?”

“Well...I can try to talk to our leader for you. If I can convince her to allow you to take the Trial, that might convince everyone you are trustworthy…” Gadget pondered as she tapped her chin with her hoof.

I tilted my head curiously. “Trial?”

“Oh, it’s what everyone must take when they come of age. If they pass, they are then trained in one of three roles: Tech Wizard, Scavenger, or Botanist. If you fail...well, you don’t come out.”

I swallowed hard and tried to put of an air of courage. “I-I’ll take this trial then, if you can convince your Grand Engineer...I mean, I’ve survived this long, haven’t I?”

Gadget bit her lower lip. “Alright...just- just stay put for now.” I nodded as she turned to leave, shutting and locking the door behind her.

As she left, I flung my things to the side and flopped down on the bed. The blankets we're nice and warm and, surprisingly enough the room I was in was heated. Paid eventually popped up in my vision and poked at me like she usually does, making my eye twitch once more. “Hey! Really neat, aren’t they?” She said in her usual cheerful tone. Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood…

I felt warm drops roll down my cheeks. Was I crying? “Not now, Pai… I just found out that this whole journey might be for nothing…” No matter what I did, I couldn’t stop the wave of tears from pouring out of me. I rolled over onto my side and sobbed into the pillow.

I must’ve cried myself to sleep, because the next thing I knew I was being shaken awake by Gadget. Pai was in sleep mode, her avatar appearing in the lower left corner of my vision. “Huh...wha?” I asked groggily.

“I….I’m sorry. The GE said no, that only our kind are allowed to take the trial…” Gadget’s news only drove me into a further depressed state. I was going to have to go home after all… I couldn’t save my mom and dad two years ago and I can’t fulfill my promise to Pai… No. I wasn’t going to let it end like this.

“Fine…” I faced away from Gadget, not letting her look into my eyes for they would betray what I had planned…

I heard Gadget hesitate for a moment before turning to leave. I couldn’t see her, but I could tell she felt bad for me.

I waited until the sky was dark and the town outside my window was empty. Upon opening the front door, I noticed that there weren’t even guards posted. So much for being help prisoner. Looking around, the whole town came into view for the first time. It was a small town built into a cliffside along the mountains. Several small houses with various machines attached to them lay scattered about, while there were only about three larger buildings- possibly where they grow their food. Farther up the cliff, I saw something right out of a Daring Do novel. An extravagant mechanical doorway built into the mountainside, possibly leading to a cave. My adventurer’s instincts and common sense told me that that is where this trial was...I hope.

I crept along the dark streets, which seemed to only be lit by a few lamps here and there as well as the starry sky above. Pai popped up in my vision once again. “Hey, Gauge? I don’t think this is a good idea… I mean- they already said no-”

I cut her off. “I know they said no, Pai… but I’ve still got to try. I made a promise to you, after all.”

The pink A.I. pony gave me a soft smile. “Gauge…” Whether it was her sensing my determination or what, Pai eventually nodded. “Alright.”

A soft smile crept onto my muzzle and I felt my cheeks grow warm. “A-alright Pai, work your magic and get this door open.” I was now standing in front of the door into the mountainside. Pai’s face contorted into one of somepony deeply focussed. Soon enough she disappeared from my vision and, a few seconds later, I heard the rumbling of mechanical components as the great metal door was lifted up. I lit my horn and looked around. THe interior of the room I was looking into was designed almost exactly after something from a Daring Do novel, proving that this was more than just a simple coincidence.

As I stepped into the chamber, I heard a voice and nearly jumped out of my own skin. “I had a feeling you’d try this…” It was an elderly females voice. Turning, I flashed my hornlight in her direction. Despite looking very old, the goat in front of me looked like she could still hold her own in a fight. “Tell me, why do you seek Fortunate so badly?” Her look was stern and piercing.

Feeling dread wash through. Me, I gulped and sighed. “I-I made a promise… to my A.I. friend. I promised I’d do whatever it takes to get her a body.”

“But why Fortuna? You clearly seem capable enough to build a simple robot body for her.” The old goat asked.

I bit my lower lip. She had a point. Paid would do just fine in a simple robot pony body… was I really out here for my self? No. Paid was all that mattered right now. “There are rumors of technology melding with organic matter in Fortuna. T-that’s the type of body I promised her. She…” I felt my cheeks burning “She means the world to me, and I would do anything for her. She’s done so much for me, going through all of this is the least I can do to repay her.”

The old goat smiled, her gaze still piercing right through me. “Very well. Since you’re so keen on going, I’ll have you run the trial tomorrow. Oh, and good job hacking that door. Not many can break into here. The Machina coded that door herself.” Wait, Machina? Who’s that?
Before I could ask, she turned and left. “Good night.” As the old goat left through the doorway, I was left in silence. It took me a moment, but eventually I realised that I had just talked with the Grand Engineer.

As soon as I got back to my room, I began checking over my equipment, unsure of what I’d need in the trial the next day. Honestly, I was so excited that I didn’t get a wink of sleep...though that didn’t matter much as I had slept so long already. Pai popped up in my vision. “Whatever this thing is, I’ll be here with you through it all! By the way…” Pai looked bashful as she curled one leg around the other. “What did you mean when you said I meant the world to you…?”

My cheeks flushed bright red. “O-oh, that… I-I mean, you are a really good friend and...y-yeah, that’s it.”

Pai looked a little disappointed. “Oh, I guess that makes sense. You probably mean the world to Storm as a good friend, too!” I could sense through her bright smile that there was a tinge of sadness, as if she had been hoping for more.

I flopped on the bed and stared past Pai to the ceiling. “Yeah...Storm too…” I let out a soft sigh. It’s not what I meant, but… it’d have to do for now. I had a trial to worry about in the morning.

--Chapter End--

“I have changed. Just like you.”

Quests Finished: Haven

Quests Started: Trials and Tribulations

Levels Earned: 3-4

Perks Earned: none