Fallout Equestria - The Tale of Stable 112

Chapters

Prologue - Life before the MegaSpell Apocalypse
Chapter 1 - Serenity Square
Chapter 2 - A Cold Blooded Visitor
Chapter 3 - Homecoming

Prologue - Life before the MegaSpell Apocalypse

Life before the MegaSpell Apocalypse

Hello, my name is Azuli. I’m a stable dweller here in stable 112, I’ve been around since the Great War ended in devastation. I still remember life in Equestria before it all happened.

It was often peaceful, fillies and foals alike would frolic and play all day long. Mares and stallions would often spend their days working or hanging out with their friends. I was not like the other mares around, I spent my days indoors working on projects for Stable-Tec. Making sure the oxygen productions were at optimal potential, creating innovative ways of reusing stable prepared water and food, and other stuff like that. I had always feared that ponies would have to escape to the underground shelter in these stables and that they’d have to rely on my inventions to survive the upcoming crisis that the zebras would soon unleash on them.

I remember it like it was yesterday, loud sirens filled the undisturbed night like gunfire in a clear meadow and screaming ponies ran to their designated stables. Well… those who were admitted that is. Stable-Tec couldn’t afford to house everypony in their stables as the population was exceeding their expectations, therefore many ponies were left to endure the blast of the megaspell dead on without any help.

Each region had their set number of stables and each stable had their own set of instructions when it was time to retreat into them.

I lived in Manehattan and we all imagined our great city wouldn’t be in danger of the megaspells. Alas, we were all clearly mistaken. On the last day of the war a smuggled megaspell detonated under the city, causing mass devastation and wiping out all life in the fair city.

As luck would have it I was inside a stable monitoring progress being done on one of the newest social experiments being conducted by the owners of Stable-Tec. The blast itself triggered the stables’ door to shut, immediately locking everyone inside for a minimum of 35 years. Long enough for the radiation to subside and civilization to rebuild anew.

None of us could believe what had happened, had everyone outside died? Had some survived in other stables? We were all baffled by the suddenness of it all; some cried, others prayed but the one thing on my mind was not the others. I apologize to those who lost family in the blast but we have to worry about our survival.

The stable was still in its infantile state and had no overmare to watch over the stables’ residents, therefore, I volunteered to become it’s overmare since I had knowledge on what had to be done in this stable and what the Crusaders wanted me to achieve once we left the stable to rebuild.

Our first order of business was to carry out the plans left to us by Sweetie Belle, the lead coordinator of our social experiment. By her demand we had constructed over 30 Virtual Reality chambers for ponies to carry out their lives as if nothing had happened. No megaspells, no apocalypse, nothing. As I ordered everyone into the machines I knew what my objective was as well, I needed to go in with them and make sure they had a leader, that no-one messes with the simulation in any manner. Mares and stallions alike were scared to enter the chambers, they called it dark magic and that zebras were behind it all. It wasn't easy, coaxing them into stepping into something they were already skeptical of. But after a lengthy talk about having practically having built the machines myself, they were finally at least willing to try.

After everypony was comfortable in their chambers I activated the simulation, the glass cover slid in place and the lights turned off. I had experience with the pod before as I had tested it back when it was first introduced, the sensation of living in another reality and in another body felt odd at first but in time it felt more realistic than simulated. The sunrise felt more realistic than in real life and food tasted better, in some way a simulated reality bested our current reality by a huge margin.

Inside the chamber itself, all that was visible were wires and a monitor, as I stared into the monitor an instructional video started playing explaining to everypony what was going to happen and how Stable-Tec appreciates everypony cooperating with the social experiment. As Sweetie Belle’s picture appeared and her voice echoed among the quiet room some fillies and foals squealed in excitement to see their favorite crusader.

“Hiya fellow stable dweller, as you may know I am Sweetie Belle, CEO of Stable-Tec, and I want to congratulate you for safely entering this stable. I know you may be wondering what you may be doing inside these chambers and why I’m talking to you right now. As you may know the land above you was bombed by the zebras. I want to send my condolences to everypony and their families for their loss. Anyways, apologies and everything else aside the reason you're laying in these chambers today is because your stable has been chosen to participate in a social experiment which will help rebuild Equestria in all its former glory. Simply put everypony here will be put into stasis inside these chambers while a simulated reality is portrayed before you, in these realities everything will affect you and everypony around you so please, play nice. The chambers are set to re-awaken you in a set time frame so there’s no need to worry about that pie in the oven, in about ten minutes the simulation will begin and you will be immersed in a virtual reality. It shouldn’t be different than how life was above ground so enjoy your stay in Serenity Square!”

I felt uneasy living a simulated life but it sure would beat being blasted to pieces that’s for sure. It seems now that when the rest of the stable dwellers heard this upbeat message they were on board. As the simulation booted I noticed the scientist who was tasked in starting the simulation was holding what seemed to be a pistol. I looked in horror as he finished what he was destined to do before holding the pistol right under his chin, “He isn’t gonna do it right? there’s no way!” I thought to myself. The machines whirred faster as I became sickened by what would unfold after we were inside, it wasn’t until I was immersed into the program that I heard that fateful gunshot. As my consciousness was transferred into the simulation I couldn’t help but feel sick to my stomach, not even one day and we already lost someone. Whilst deep in thought I failed to notice a robotic pony asking me what my role and cutie mark was. “Azuli, Overmare, Blue Stable door.” The robotic pony was lifeless as it whirred an answer out “Understood, welcome overmare Azuli, you will be the mayor of Serenity Square until your stable’s time runs out.”

“Runs out? I thought we could live here forever!” I angrily replied at the machine.

It whirred out yet another answer, this time it wasn’t pre-recorded or simulated, it was the voice of the scientist. “The stable will kill you all, I am sorry for doing this to everyone, I hope I burn in Tartarus for this.” And with that, everything turned black, I woke up in an unknown bed as the sun rose over the horizon. We have to leave this simulation no matter what.

End of prologue.

Author's Note

First time at writing a story so please go easy on me
If there are spelling or vocabulary errors please feel free to let me know

Hope you enjoy :3

Chapter 1 - Serenity Square

Serenity Square

Quest Added: Find an Exit

I awoke with a sense of both dread and sadness, I knew I had to find a way to shut this simulation down before anything could happen. Hesitantly I got out of bed and headed for the restroom, as I stared into the mirror I was amazed how detailed they were with the simulation, I looked exactly like myself! I carefully felt up my lavender blue fur up to my white mane, every detail was precise, from the freckle on my left cheek to my dark purple eyes. As I stood by the mirror I heard knocks on my door, visitors? I wasn’t expecting anyone let alone visitors, I trotted to where the door was and opened it. As I peered outside, there stood a very uptight looking mare and a burly security stallion who was wearing a suit and sunglasses.

“Hi, can I help you?.” The uptight mare answered in a annoyed and stern voice, “Mayor Azuli, you're late for a meeting in town hall as well as being behind schedule for a new school opening ceremony, also the “Crusaders” from Stable-Tec want to talk to you after your 12pm lunch with the school administrator.” she said as if commanding me. Before then I never had a secretary, so it had felt awfully strange.

“Can... can we not do that stuff?” I said rather shyly, trying to avoid some of my mayoral duties. The overly serious mare only gave me a dead stare.

“Very funny, mayor, now I suggest we get started before I have to drag you to each meeting.” She turned away and began to walk towards… wherever we were going.

With a huff of defeat I followed along very cautiously. I was still shaken by everything that I just been told, that the lives of these people depend on my ability to shut this simulation down. I won’t lie, I’m scared that I’ll fail and that everyone will befall the tragedy that I was told by the scientist

The day went as expected; boring meetings with important ponies and discussions about how the school should get more funding, taxes should be decreased and other federal crap I couldn't care about. As the tiring day drew to a close I groggily stumbled to my front door and I turned to say goodbye to my “friendly” co-workers. The stuck up secretary only answered with a nod and a reminder that I had a speech to do tomorrow that addresses all citizens of Serenity Square. “Alright, alright, hope you don’t expect me to write it in one day do ya?” I said rather annoyed at the mare.

“Of course not, as always I’ve prepared everything for you.” She huffed, equally annoyed.

I just thanked her and went inside my home. once inside I headed to the kitchen for a snack to help me think of a way out of the simulation. “What if I can’t fix this? Should I ask the others for help? What if they freak out?” I thought to myself.

As I switched on the kitchen lights, a white furred stallion was sitting at the dinner table. He had on a white labcoat with what looked like blood stains by the inner pocket and he was sipping some sort of liquid from a cup.

“Hello, Mayor Azuli. It’s about time you arrived. busy day, I assume?” He asked softly, a wicked smile donning on his face as I approached him.

“A mayor’s job is never an easy one… Who are you? And why is there blood on your coat?” I nervously asked the stallion.

“Please, call me Lewis. I fear you aren’t being truthful with everyone out there,” responded the stallion, sipping what I soon realized was hard cider.

“What are you implying, Lewis?” I asked, feigning that I was insulted by the accusation.

“I'm implying that you’re hiding something from us, Azuli. Now, cut the bullshit or else I’ll be forced to beat it out of you,” he yelled angrily, sipping once again from his cup, un-pleased at the fact that I hadn't answered his question.

I was terrified of the outbursts of the stallion. Yes, I was hiding something from him. But I couldn’t let the secret flow now, it would cause a citywide panic. With a sigh I sat across from him and answered his question “Alright, Lewis, there is something being hidden. But between the both of us it’s best it isn’t mentioned. Unless you want a city full of ponies out to murder me.”

He only chuckled at the remark, responding with a sarcastic tone, “Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut, now spill the beans mayor.” There was an edge to his voice that didn’t settle right with me. Something about him just felt… off.

As I was getting ready to tell him, I realized I didn’t know him at all! I wanted to know what his intentions were and what thehell he was doing in my house. “First you have to answer some of my questions, Lewis. Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?” I said sternly, trying to get as much info on this mysterious bloodied stallion as I could.

“Fine, I’m one of the builders of this stable. I too saw what happened to that scientist before we were put into this world. You declared yourself overmare so you must know what the hell is going to happen.” His voice sounded distressed.

I looked away and responded, “The stable wasn’t meant to support us forever, Lewis… if we don’t find a way out then we will all unknowingly perish in this simulation.”

He huffed a sigh of defeat, “The stable was programmed with a killswitch, but to shut down the simulation at an early time would cause immediate cerebral damage to everyone.”

A wave of anger and concern surged through my body as his words echoed through my mind. “Is there any way we can access the mainframe or the control panel from inside the simulation?”

He only shook his head and stared at me, “Stable-tec wanted everyone to be safe here, to rebuild civilization, the only way I can see any hope in finding a solution would be to disturb Stable-tec’s view of a perfect colony.”

I pondered hard at our options, we had a killswitch but that would cripple everyone to a vegetative state. I stared at Lewis, mortified that the thought that had crossed my mind. “Stable-tec wanted a peaceful and calm city… if we bring the horrors of war here, it might just crash the system.”

He sighed and knew full well what idea I had in mind, “You want to bring war and violence here after you promised peace and harmony?”

I hanged my head in shame, I knew what I was going to do was horrible but… I can’t let everyone die. I raised my head and nodded, “We have no other choice, we have to kill a few ponies… it’s a big fucking risk but we’re desperate.”
Lewis laughed and chugged the last of his drink, “You are one stupid fucking mare Azuli, I don’t see your way working in any scenario. It seems we're fucked either way”

His words stung like acid as I responded in tears, “If this doesn’t work then… the townsfolk might as well kill me, goddess knows I can’t live with the consequences of the plan.”

Lewis knew that I had to be the one to bring chaos into Serenity Square, only then can we hope to even have a small chance of escaping this virtual tomb. He stood up slowly and stared at me, his voice was serious and concerned, “Listen to me, if your are serious about doing this then leave me out of it, I have a family to worry about... Well just a son now but either way, good luck.”

He moved past me and left through the front door without another word. As the sound of the door being slammed shut echoed throughout the house I fell onto my haunches and began to cry softly. I had no idea what I was going to do, what if this doesn’t work? Then, not only are we trapped in this simulation but I’ll live my days out as a murderer.

“What the fuck did you do Azuli! You just admitted you're gonna kill ponies to a complete stranger!” I thought to myself, what if Lewis went straight to the public with what I had just told him? My mind raced with what could happen that I hadn’t noticed the door open behind me. It happened in an instant, my mouth was covered and I was being dragged away.

I thrashed and kicked as my perpetrator dragged me into the living room, I had no idea what his intentions were and I was not intending to find out. In my attempt to kick free I managed to knock a letter opener off the coffee table and into my front hooves. I grasped the letter opener tightly as I plunged it into my attacker’s hind leg, as he reached to pull it out from his leg I pulled away from his grip. Noticing I had the chance to attack, I quickly scanned the room for anything that could knock him out at the very least. My eyes fixated upon the sharp fireplace poker resting on my mantel, I dashed to quickly grab it but fell on my face as the attacker grasped my tail tightly.

“You aren’t going anywhere bitch, I’m going to make you pay for stabbing me!” He yelled loudly, his voice sounding surprisingly feminine as he gripped my tail tighter and started to drag me closer to him.

“Let go of me you asshole! Help!” I screamed loudly, hoping to alert anyone in the vicinity. I started to kick him as I turned to face him, he wore a bandana around his face and had a hoodie on so his face wasn’t fully visible. All I could manage to see was the whites on his eyes paired along with red pupils. I yelled in pain as he tugged on my tail causing me to instinctively kick hard at him, landing a good hit on his chest. He gasped as I knocked the air out of him, his hooves loosening the grip on my tail as I pulled away and grabbed the poker off its stand.

“Please, leave before I hurt you again” I pleaded, hoping he knew when to quit and retreat. Sadly I was mistake as he stood up and lunged at me, hoping to strike me with his front hooves.

I never intended to hurt him, let alone kill him. Honest. Sadly the stallion didn’t know when to quit and plunged himself onto the poker, I felt warm liquid spray onto my fur as it happened. I slowly opened my eyes to see the horrifying scene in front of me, I saw my hooves soaked with blood that trailed from the tip of the poker. I mistakenly looked up to see the body of not a stallion but of my secretary! I threw up what little I had for lunch at the sight of the poker sticking out from her back.

“Fuck me sideways… I had just murdered my secretary… It was self defense right? I had to!” I thought to myself, both concerned and angry at what had just occurred.

I dropped the poker in disgust as more of her blood started to trail down from its tip. I knew what I had done wouldn’t take long to notice as I had to appear in front of everypony tomorrow. My mind raced as I tried to think of the best way to go about this, should I flee? Should I hide the body? None of them sounded any good as they would easily track me down.

I gripped my mane tightly as I kept thinking about what options I had left, running away would be pointless and confronting everypony would end in disaster. As I panicked in a corner, a sudden cracking noise slapped me back into reality, the walls around me were cracking and falling apart. I was frozen in place as I stared at my home falling apart right under me, I knew why this was happening and I wasn’t going to evade my fate. The ground under me gave way as I plummeted to my doom, the fall was short and painful as I landed on my flank. I sat up slowly and looked around… darkness surrounded me as I scanned the empty room, the only light peering through the slowly closing hole above me.
The hole eventually closed above me leaving me to rot in the darkness. Among my crying and the sound of my tears hitting the floor I saw what appeared to be a terminal materialize a few feet away from me. A glimmer of hope glistened in my eye as I raced to it, could this be my ticket out of here? Was my plan successful? As i reached it, I was mortified when I saw what was on the screen, it read “Overmare Protocol A-7, an act of violence and murder has occurred in the simulation, stable is unfit to continue with project. Termination of test subjects will be done in 4 months, please present Stable tec issued Keycard to cease protocol A-7”

I wanted to die at that moment, not only had I killed someone but I also shortened the lives of everypony here. The terminal wrote more as I wept softly, the sound of it ticking away made me look again, “Overmare Azuli, you have been cleared to exit simulation to commence termination of test subjects, please type your answer when you're ready.” This was all my fault and I knew what I had to do, I must find that keycard and save my people… hopefully they forgive me for what I had to do.

I keyed in “Y” and the terminal disappeared, a blinding white light flashing before me.

Find an Exit Completed - 750 Exp.

Quest Added: Save the Stable, Escape

Level up

Perk unlocked: Cold blooded Politician.

Description: "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. But nobody ever said whose sacrifice." You now do extra damage to all followers

Chapter 2 - A Cold Blooded Visitor

A cold blooded visitor

Pending quests: Escape, Save the Stable

As the blinding light faded away I was surprised to see the terminal in front of me, it took me awhile to gather my bearings as to what just happened. As I stretched my neck I peered around my location and was shocked to see I had returned from the simulation. It worked! I slowly pushed off the glass paneling from the pod and jumped out from inside. I fell onto my haunches, noting that they had lost feeling after such an extensive period of time, as sensation returned to my legs I stood up and checked the main terminal. As I slowly trotted there, my nose picked up a horrifying stench, it smelled as if something or someone had died or has been dead for quite the period of time.

Turning the corner to view the terminal my eyes saw a truly nightmarish scene, the scientist stallion’s remains laid sprawled on the ground, the stench protruding from his body was horribly foul. My stomach was already hurting from the actions done in the simulation and this pushed it over the line, I quickly turned away and threw up what little I had left in my stomach. His body was not only blood covered but some of his remains were already rotting away to the point his skeleton was showing. Just how long were we in there for? It hasn’t been a day in the simulation but the body looked like it had been in here for months.

Covering my nose with my hooves I looked into the terminal. I was shocked when I checked the stable’s status, It had been 8 months since we’ve entered this stable yet it was only one day in the simulation. As I kept analyzing the terminal’s files I noticed there was one that kept flashing repeatedly, I navigated to it and saw that the citizens of Serenity Square had heard word of the murder. I felt a twinge of guilt as I read the file, the police believed without a doubt that I had killed her, they were on the look out for me everywhere in the simulation. Had I not escaped, that simulation would be my cell and my tomb, I shut off the terminal and looked down at the blood stained floors. I had to save them, even if I did would they forgive me? I hadn’t a clue but I already made my commitment when I killed that mare.

I carefully moved from the terminal, respectfully avoiding the scientist’s remains as I made my way up into the common area. There wasn’t anything too spectacular about the common area, a couch with some magazines on a coffee table and a receptionist desk, it looked like we were at an office rather than a stable. As I made my way past the common area I came across the stable cafeteria, my stomach grumbled at the thought of having a meal. The kitchen lights flickered on as I walked inside, surprisingly it looked very normal and it brought memories of when I used to work on-site at Stable-Tec offices. I shook the memory away and proceeded to raid the fridge when a happy sounding robot startled me by calling out to me, “Miss Azuli! I hadn’t realized 30 years had passed already! You must be famished, I’ll cook you up something special. Say, where are the others?”

I pulled my head out from the fridge and sat at a booth near the robot as he grilled away, “Hey, the others um, wanted to extend their stay in the simulation as they loved it that much.”

The robot looked back without stopping his cooking and replied very cheerily, “Wonderful, oh I wonder how Susan and the foal are doing. Hopefully that rapscallion Thomas hasn’t done anything bad in there,” he sounded like he had known the people inside, like he was great friends with them.

I nervously chuckled into a glass of water as the robot muttered to himself, eventually I decided he might have knowledge of where the keycard may be. “Excuse me, um... robot-”

“I prefer my dear, but do go on.” He replied very politely, perhaps wanting to establish a friendship.

“Right um, Mr.Handy, do you by any chance know where I can find the overmare’s keycard?” I asked nervously, hoping my journey wouldn’t be too far.

He stopped his grilling and looked back at me as if I had insulted his creator, “The keycard madam?! Why do you need such a thing?”

I knew he knew had friendly ties with everyone but what would he do if he knew that I put all their lives in danger? As much as I hated it, I needed to tell him the truth. “Listen Handy, the people of Serenity Square are trapped. The program intends to kill them if we don’t shut off the protocol.”

He floated there silently, almost as if he was deep in thought. “How long till that happens?” he asked, the cheer vanishing from his tone of voice.

“4 months, the terminal said it’d do it automatically if we didn't disable the protocol.” I responded, guilty that I had ruined this bot’s cheery life.

“Dear god… Madam you have to find that keycard, I attend to them while they're inside the simulation. I cannot leave, but you.. you can go and find it.” He said, his voice sounding stern and demanding.

“I know, as overmare I must save them... Where is it?” I asked, knowing full well I had no choice in the matter.

“Stable-tec Offices which is located in Fillydelphia, about a 5 days travel on hoof.” He took care to explain to me which path to take and the best route there.

“How do I know which way is correct? The city and all the signs might be gone.” I asked worriedly, unsure what lays above ground.

“You need a pip-buck then, take this key and go to room right across the kitchen. It’s the overmare’s office.” The bot handed me a rather rusted key and pointed me to the door.
“Thanks. I’ll save them Handy, I promise” I told him confidently, trying to give him some comfort in this dire situation.

“I know you will madam, don’t forget your lunch too.” He responded, laying a plate with some veggies on it.

“Why did he grill veggies?” I thought to myself, pondering this bot’s culinary experience and picking up the plate with a thanks. Making my way to the overmare’s room I chowed down on the lunch Handy had prepared, wasn’t too bad but the char marks didn’t help it. Using the key I opened the door, inside laid a note with a bracelet looking object.

Examining the object closely I managed to read the words “Pipbuck 3000.” I opened it’s sides and slipped my hoof inside, closing it nice and tightly. Once I had adjusted it more comfortably I picked up the note and sat on a nearby couch, reading it carefully.

“Welcome to Stable 112, you are the designated overmare for this stable and as such, have obtained this special pipbuck. Along with it’s default abilities, you’ll also be able to track your stable’s health and condition from anywhere in equestria. Please refer to your issued pipbuck manual for more information.”

Awesome, now I know if there’s anything wrong with the stable on my adventures. I sat up and examined the room a bit more. Opening the closet I, found a nice looking purple sweater and a white scarf, they looked really nice so I figured I’d wear them, no one was certain how it was outside but it gets cold everywhere.

As I kept scavenging the drawers of the room I heard an alarm go off in the main hall, Mr Handy quickly rushed into my room, he sounded distressed and panicked.”Madam! Madam! There’s an intruder at the stable door! He intends to enter and kill us all!” He screamed.

I jumped from the sudden notice, I had no idea ponies would try to break into the stable. Would I have to kill them? I had no other choice but to protect my stable at any cost. I assumed Mr. Handy wasn’t too fond of hurting others but he knew that if push turned to shove it would be up to him to protect to stable dwellers.

He guided me to the stable entrance, as I followed he extended his arm at me, a pistol being grasped in his robotic hand. “Take this madam, if I cannot fend off the intruder then you must deal with him.” He said in a very stern voice, it sounded like he was scared of what was going to happen. I only nodded and took hold of the gun, it had been the first time i’ve seen one up close, it seemed modified for ponies to shoot and it looked well taken care of.

We reached the stable door in a matter of seconds, any cameras we had were obliterated in the blast so we had no vision of the outside world. Mr.Handy explained that my Pipbuck can open any stable in equestria, nervously I followed his instructions down to the last word. The big door rattled to life and began to move, the gears helped it move to the side and a blast of cold air hit me directly.

As the doors slid fully open we saw no figure, I stood my ground with the pistol pointed outwards. No matter who or what came in, there would be bloodshed, seconds seemed like hours as we waited for the thing to show itself. Right as we were about to close the door, the sound of skittering rang in my ear. Something was coming closer and it seemed small, I quickly looked around the area, searching for the cause of the noise. It sounded closer now, it was basically in my face but I could not find the source of the noise. The sound drew even closer, was I going insane? Is there actually a noise? Mr. Handy looked equally terrified so I knew the noise wasn’t my imagination.

My mind raced to what it could be, suddenly the noise stopped. Had it left? Are we okay? I nearly smiled but was scared shitless as the source appeared in front of my eyes, “blep” cried a small little gecko. I stared at the gecko with despair, a gecko... We were attacked by a gecko... This is embarrassing even for my standards.

“Haha! Madam we overreacted for no reason! It was just a harmless gecko! A leopard gecko at that. Wonder how he managed to survive this long.” Chimed the now happy robot, relieved that we weren’t under attack.

“Yea, I guess we can shut off the door now.” I replied, picking up the gecko with my hoof. Examining it closely, “Hey.. this gecko has a camera on it. This belongs to someone!”

The robot was shocked by my discovery but we both were scared stiff as another voice peered through the door. “Yes.. she belongs to me.. Please.. Help me.” They sounded in pain and were probably hurt.

I wasn’t going to risk it, I drew the gun but was immediately disarmed as the gecko climbed quickly up my arm and started to get into my eyes and mouth. “H-hey! Why should we trust you?” I asked the voice, pulling the gecko off me and setting it on the terminal again.

“I mean no harm... Please... I am very injured...” Responded the voice, it was notable that whoever was out there struggled to even speak. It spoke again “Here.. I’ll throw in my weapons. Please just help me..”

A bag flew into the stable and landed by Mr. Handy, it had a lot of weaponry and even some food. I couldn’t let them die... I knew it was probably a shitty idea but I had no choice. “Okay, how badly are you hurt? Come inside quickly, there better be only one of you,” I responded, pulling out my weapon again.

The hooded figure stepped closer and we were able to finally see who it was. I was dumbfounded, it was a pony! There were survivors! I examined her and saw that she was bleeding profusely from her left side. “Mr. Handy grab the first aid kit, I’ll help her inside.” The robot hesitated but followed as instructed, rushing out to grab the supplies.

I waited till she slowly shuffled inside and proceeded to close the door, the gears moving it shut once again. I jumped down and went to her, the gecko following right behind me. “Who are you? What happened? Are there more survivors?” I asked, curious and concerned.

“C-can we save Q&A for later? I’m in a lot of pain.” responded the mare, she pulled off her hood and huffed softly.

“R-right sorry.” I replied, a bit embarrassed of my enthusiasm.

I carefully laid her hoof over me and helped her slowly trot to the main common area, Mr. Handy met us there with the medical supplies.

“I’ve got the supplies as you instructed, I’ll take it from here miss Azuli. Can you fetch me some water? I need some to wash off the blood.” Instructed the robot, pointing towards a bathroom.

“Sure, I’ll be right back.” I answered, heading to the bathroom and grabbed a bucket by the sink. A million questions running through my mind as I filled the bucket, “Was she attacked? Who is she? Are there people looking for her? Is she a criminal? Oh god what if I led some bandits here?!” I thought to myself, snapping back to reality as I noticed the bucket was almost full.

I carried it back to Mr.Handy, resting it on the floor next to the couch. “How is she?” I asked the robot.

“She’ll pull through, gunshot wounds and seemed like she was attacked by some sort of animal” He responded, sounding rather impressed and concerned. “There must be some nasty creatures out there.. Miss Azuli, I don’t think you should go anymore.”

I stared dumbfounded at the robot, “What?! No I have to go, the whole stable depends on me finding that keycard!” I shouted at the robot, angry at what he had said.

“I know that Ms Azuli but what if you get injured or even killed out there?! It’ll be my fault for sending you out there in the first place.” He exclaimed, turning his gaze to me.

“Then I would’ve died trying, what would I accomplish sitting here while they die? I must and I will go find it, end of story.” I snapped back, not wanting to argue with him about it.
Mr.Handy only turned back around and sighed, “Fine but go shower first, best to leave refreshed and clean.” He returned back to mending the unknown mare’s injuries.

I nodded and headed out to the overmare’s bathroom, the bathtub was so elegant and really spacious. I started to fill the tub with warm water and proceeded to strip off the clothes I had found, I stepped inside when the bath filled halfway full. I sighed softly as the warm water seemed to ease my worries away, I soaked for a few minutes before starting to wash my mane and coat. Rinsing away the soap from my mane I heard a familiar skittering out from the tub, I peeked an eye open to see who could be spying on me.

From the corner of my eye I saw her, that damn gecko riding a tiny duck it found by the sink. How it had both found it and dragged it in here still baffles me to this day but I wasn’t in the mood to question it. We both laid back and enjoyed the warm water, after about 15 minutes I decided to hop on out and dry off, the gecko following behind me and skittering away again.

As I entered the overmare’s bedroom I saw her, the random mare was looking around the room for something. “Hey, what are you doing in here? This is my room.”

She looked back at me as she put down my pipbuck, I was concerned what her intentions were. “So you're the overmare of this place then I’m assuming? Funny how this stable was meant to be ruled by someone else but you're here instead.”

“W-what are you talking about? I’m the head mare of this stable, always have been.” I replied confidently, hoping she’d buy it.

“You don’t have to pretend so hard sweetie, I know you got put in charge here because of the unexpected detonation of a mega spell.” She explained, making me feel kind of embarrassed for lying to her.

“H-how did you know that?! Only the people inside the stable would've known” I blurted out, amazed she knew how I became overmare.

“Old scrapbot over there spilled the beans, he’s really chatty when he wants to be.” As she explained how she knew, the mare lifted a gun towards me. Did she plan on killing all this time?! Fuck me sideways why did I trust her?!

She only laughed as she pulled the trigger, a hollow click sounding from the gun itself. “If you plan to defend your stable at least make sure you have bullets, hun.”

I nearly wet myself as I heard the click of the gun, a bright blush filling my cheeks as I heard her statement. “H-HANDY DID YOU GIVE ME A GUN WITH NO AMMO?!” I screamed angrily at the robot who was in his room across the hall.

“Loaded weapons are dangerous Ms.Azuli,” he replied, honestly I’ve never been more ready to kill a robot than that moment right there.

The mare only laughed some more, setting the gun down on the bed. “I’m Aslania, I’m sure you’ve met my pet as well. Solaris is a very curious gecko but a real pain in the flank if she’s attacking you.”

The gecko slithered up her leg and rested on her mane, looking really happy to see her better. “Yea, we’ve gotten acquainted. Say you’ve been outside a lot longer than me, any chance you know how to get to fillydelphia?” I asked, hoping she’d know how to get me started.

“Fillydelphia? That city was wiped out completely, only rubble and a sealed stable are left.” I nearly gave up hope, but hearing her say that a stable survived made my heart skip a beat. Could it be that the keycard is in there? It was a long shot but I’d no other choice at the moment.

“How do I get there? Do I go east? West? North?” I excitedly asked, hoping to get my journey started. She only looked away as I asked my questions as if avoiding what I said entirely.

“You're a sweet mare, Azuli but you’ll get killed out there. It wouldn’t be right of me to tell you where to go if it meant I’d be sending you to your death.” She sat on the bed and sighed, she looked as if she were trying to figure out how to explain it better.

“I have to get there, my stable’s citizens depend on me succeeding in my task. I don't care if I die if it means I get to save them.” I stated, ignoring the fact that I was scared out of my mind.

“Fine, if that’s how it is,” she said, standing back up with the gun in her hoof. Pointing it right at me, “I rather kill you now than let you suffer.”

She loaded the gun with a clip she had found in one of the overmare’s drawers. “I’m sorry but I can’t let another fall victim to the waste.”

“Was she serious?! I saved her?!” I thought as I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as the gunshot rang in the small, metal room.

End of Chapter 2

Level up: (3)

Perk added: Honest hearts- A friend is an enemy you’ve kept at bay.
Allies are easily lost and enemies are easily befriended.

Chapter 3 - Homecoming

Homecoming

Pending quests: Escape, Save the Stable.

My ears rang as the gunshot echoed through the empty stable, the sound of metal hitting metal followed as I opened my eyes. I looked at Aslania as my senses returned to me, the gecko stepping all over her owner to my surprise. I looked behind me and saw the bullet hole that pierced the wall behind me.

“Are you fucking insane?! You nearly killed me!” I shouted angrily, still a bit in disbelief she’d do something like that after we saved her.

“I would’ve if Solaris didn’t jump in my way!” She responded as she managed to pry off the gecko from her face, setting her on the bed. “Why the hell did you do that Solaris? You and me both know she won’t last seven minutes out there.” The gecko only muttered back a few squeaks and a flick of her tongue as Aslania lowered the gun with a sigh.

“You… you talk to her?” I asked, curious and concerned at the mental health of the mare in front of me. The gecko looking pleased as she skittered near me again, crawling up my front legs and resting on my shoulder.

“Yes, I can understand her squeaks and tongue flicks. Solaris thinks you’ll be able to survive out there but not without supervision.” She replied, seeming offended I asked about her ability to understand the pet.

“Supervision? I assure you I can handle myself out there.” I responded, feigning a bit of courage and strength.

“You were scared by a gecko and tried to defend yourself with a unloaded gun, you’ll be dead within the hour at best.” I tried to be offended with the statement but I knew just as well that they were telling the truth.

“How about you two? Can’t you help me get there?” I asked them, desperate to have anypony by my side during this journey.

“Us? Why should we help you? You’ll get us killed most likely” She collected her gecko and started to exit, I followed to try to change her mind about her decision.
“I won’t be in the way I promise! I need to get there or else hundreds will die!” I proclaimed, trying to guilt her into helping me.
She turned to face me with a nasty glare and angrily said, “That’s none of my business, You’re the overmare, it should be your responsibility to make sure they don’t die.”
I was devastated, my only hope to save the stable and she wouldn’t even consider helping me. I tried to think of anything I could possibly say to change her mind or persuade her to help me get to fillydelphia. “I’ll help you with anything! Anything at all!” I pleaded with her, following her all the way to the stable door.

“I have no use for you at all, my mission is to find a nuclear power core. Unless you can just spit one out then you’re useless to me.” She replied, showing me a piece of paper with the mission details on it.

Mr. Handy floated behind us, approaching us with a glowing object. “Miss Aslania, if it’s a power core you request then we have tons to spare.” The power core looked alot like a battery but it’s coils glowed bright green.

Aslania spoke up, staring at the power core with wide eyes. “You have some?! I’ve been looking all over for this, give them to me.” she demanded, trying to intimidate us into handing over the power core.

“You can have it if you promise to guide Miss Azuli all the way to Fillydelphia, nothing less nothing more.” Aslania looked very pissed that she had to agree to these terms. I stood in front of Handy as he bargained with the mare, worried that he wouldn’t be able to convince her to help me.

Aslania sighed, motioning for me to follow her. “Fine, I’ll help you get to Fillydelphia. Your stupid robot convinced me to guide you there and back in exchange for 3 power cores.” She held out the pistol that Handy first gave me, “Stay near me and don’t get in the way, don’t talk to anypony unless they talk to you. Make a wrong decision and it could get us all killed, understand?”

“Yes, I got that, all I need is that keycard and I’ll be out of your hair forever.” I replied nervously, grabbing the gun she held out to me.

“Good, Miss Azuli I wish you the best of luck on your quest, I’ve prepped your saddle bags with some of the basic necessities. Please return safely, the stable will always be right beside you.” The robot stared blankly at me, his voice had a sad tone to it.

“I’ll return with the keycard Handy, I promise.” I lifted my front legs up and hugged my metal friend, I was sad to leave him all alone but the stable needed me. I turned to face Aslania, nodding to her that I was ready to leave. She only rolled her eyes and stared at the big stable door, waiting for me to input the program to open it up again.

“Make sure you’re fully ready, it’ll be quite the awhile before we return.” Warned Aslania, I knew as much as her that it’d be weeks if not months before we returned back home. I breathed in one last time before inputting the code to open the stable door. It came to live as it did before, the gears creaking while the door itself groaned as it slid open.

“May the goddesses bless your trip to and from Fillydelphia Azuli. We will all be cheering you on in spirit.” The robot waved us off as we walked past the stable door frame. I couldn’t tell from the way he floated but I knew he was sad to see me go, guilt and desperation would be my guess as to what he might’ve been feeling. But we both knew that it had to be attempted, one dumb mare compared to the lives of hundreds was an easy choice.

The door creaked shut again, I saw handy’s face for a split second before the door eventually shut closed. The realization that i was now outside of my home finally set in, it felt like the world now weighed on my shoulders. I donned my saddlebags with a tight pull of the harness and caught up to Aslania.

“Stick closeby, outside of your precious stable lies a whole mess of monsters and villains. It’s kill or be killed hun, I need those power cores no matter what so if you die on me then I swear to the goddess I’ll bring ya back and kill you myself.” Her voice sounded almost worried, Solaris skittered into her saddlebags as we made our way out from the secondary entrance. The air felt heavy as I breathed, the stench reeking of charcoal and burnt wood.

We opened up the small shack door that disguised the stable’s real entrance, the stench of burning wood grew even stronger as a gust of air breezed past me. The sight was heartbreaking, buildings were destroyed and some collapsed on themselves. Roads were broken and cracked all around, trees were nothing but scorched branches. Streets were barren of any ponies, the sky was a dark shade of gray and ash scoured the city like snow. Aslania gave me goggles and strictly told me. “The ash will slowly start to deteriorate your vision until you go blind. Pull that scarf over your mouth too and don’t take any of them off until were inside a building or something.” I nodded and moved my scarf over my mouth and nose, putting on the rather dusty goggles.

“Can’t believe this once beautiful city is now just a pile of rubble..” I sighed sadly as I looked around the now destroyed Manehattan.

Aslania looked over at her and attempted to comfort her in the best way she knew how, “Don’t be such a bitch.” She muttered, causing me to look at her with a angered expression.

“Thanks, sure helped a lot.” I responded sarcastically, looking away from her as I checked our surroundings.

Aslania only smiled and said, “No problem. It’s how I was raised, made me the mare I am today.” I wasn’t sure if she meant to be a smartass or if this pony was oblivious to what sarcasm was.

Moving away from the subject I was curious as to which direction we would be heading since i’ve never actually left Manehattan before. I checked my Pipbuck for directions and highlighted Fillydelphia, the green screen loaded for a few seconds until a highlighted marker pointed me in the correct direction. “North, we have to move north until we reach a bridge out of Manehattan.” I thought out loud, attempting to remember the directions as to not check them every 2 minutes.

Aslania started to trot forward, moving east instead of north. “Hey we have to head north out of Manehattan not north, that’ll only lead us deeper into the city!” I said, angry that my guide had no idea where she was going.

“You’re more than welcome to head that way if you’d like but I would prefer to avoid any Hellhounds that reside near and on the bridge.” She responded with a huff, it didn’t take me long to figure that anything that had hell in their name was an immediate threat.

“Uh..y-y’know it’s great weather for seeing more of the city, i’ll join you” I stammered, obviously trying not to sound embarrassed or scared of what these Hellhounds could be.

“That’s what I thought, plus if were going on this 3 day hike then we need supplies. Much more than what we have in these tiny saddlebags.” She added, taking out a map from her saddlebags.

“Your right, we need more food rations if we plan to make it there and back. By the way, what exactly are these Hellhounds that you mentioned?” I asked curiously, intrigued at what these foreign creatures could be.

“Hellhounds are the great descendants of diamond dogs, they’re ruthless as can be and are easily considered equestria’s most dangerous creature. Most of them aren’t common in this area but these ones are an independent pack, the reason they’re dangerous is due to their teeth and claws. It’s possible for them to cut through a pony with ease if they were stupid enough to attack them. It gotten to the point where even the Steel Rangers don’t want to fuck with them on account of the many ponies that died at their claws.” we both walked along the cracked roads as she explained their origins and what were some of their known weaknesses.

I was scared when I heard the details of these hellhounds, I had known about the Steel Rangers from working around them but to hear they were scared of these creatures made my skin crawl. We walked long enough before I noticed that we were across from the statue of friendship, it had been rusted to all hell and the torch seemed to be missing. A bridge denied us access to the statue, from afar I could see a guard standing by. “Why are we here Aslania?” I asked curiously, wondering why the statue of friendship could help us in any way

“The statue of friendship is now home to Friendship City, a large settlement governed by a council. I call this place home along with the remainder of my family, stay near me and keep quiet.” She took out what seemed to be a radio and spoke into it, “Gearturner it’s me Aslania, extend the bridge for me and a guest.”

The radio sputtered with white noise before a voice crackled through, “Understood Aslania, welcome home.” As his transmission ended the bridge started to extend, closing the gap between us and the statue.

As the bridge fully extended me and Aslania started to slowly make our way across, making sure we weren’t being followed by anything that might want to bring harm to the city. We had made it halfway across before a burly stallion accompanied by a tough looking mare appeared at the end of the bridge, looking quite angry at us. I stayed close to Aslania when I saw the terrifying couple, “Who are those ponies and why are they glaring us down? Have we done something wrong?” I asked her quietly.

“They’re um..my parents.They’re probably angry that i’ve returned so quickly without the power cells. Just stay near me and let me do all the talking okay?” Her voice sounded concerned but bashful as well.

“Sure, i’ll just stay behind you and try to not draw much attention to myself.” I replied, walking a bit slower as to stay behind Aslania, we eventually reached the end of the bridge and the burly stallion was the first to meet us.

“Aslania! Have you completed your task yet? Who’s that mare behind you?” He asked curiously, looking around her to stare at me. “She’s pretty but we don’t send you out onto the waste to find a mate.”

“SHE ISN’T MY MATE DAD!” She shouted, a noticeable blush across her face. She gathered her thoughts and explained who I was, “She’s Azuli and I need to take her to Fillydelphia in order to get the power cells that the client needs.”

“Oh, alright then, please to meet you Azuli. Wait a second, those clothes you have on. Those are pre-war clothes! Did you come from a vault?!” He asked excitedly, eyeing what I was carrying.

I stuttered for abit, wondering if it was a good idea to tell him where I came from. “Would they try to raid us? My people were defenseless so they wouldn’t stand a chance.” I thought to myself, staring at the fairly larger stallion. “I’m from a civilization around Manehattan, I had some cores to offer in exchange for safe passage.” I nervously explained, the stallion eyeing me over constantly.

“Right.. Makes sense I suppose, Aslania go and get her some proper attire, might want to save the nice stuff or sell it Azuli.” The stallion seemed nice but frightening at the same time, Aslania only shrugged him off and trotted inside. I followed as I waved goodbye to the couple, I caught up to aslania who was sitting in front of the entrance.

“They seem like a nice pair, the lady is very quiet though, why is that?” I asked Aslania, wondering if she’d tell me about her rather weird family.

“Don’t.. just don’t talk about her, she’s quiet for a reason” She quietly murmured something as the big metal door creaked open slowly, gears grinding as it fully opened in seconds.

“Holy… this.. Is a amazing!” I looked around at what i saw, houses upon houses built onto the sides of the statue, stores and merchant stands stood in front of us, the marketplace built on the bottom floor as to appeal to wanderers who visited their city. The inside of the statue rusted slightly and had turned a nasty shade of green from the explosion, me and Aslania both walked ahead as the door closed behind us. She signaled for me to stay close as I started to trot along, amazed to see this amount of ponycraft, It wasn’t long until merchants noticed my pre-war clothing and started hollering at me to sell it in exchange for caps.

I kindly declined the merchant’s offer as I trotted a bit faster to catch up to Aslania, she pointed at the ramp that led to the statue’s second floor. “Come on, more people are going to hassle you if you stay in those clothes. The people of Manehattan would kill for the clothes you have on Azuli, were going to my place and finding you some better clothes to wear.” She explained, trotting up the ramp as I looked behind me, more merchants eyeing me and my clothes, wondering if i’ll sell it to them.

I caught up to Aslania and stayed by her side. “Hey, why are people here so obsessed with clothes, especially mine?” I asked curiously, wondering why some things as simple as clothing would drive ponies to harass somepony that badly.

“You really didn’t get out much before all this didn’t you? Manehattan was a place that people would call “Fashion city” where everypony fought for their own as they tried to survive in the high stakes lifestyle that enveloped this city.” She went on to explain that fashion was the key to survival in the city, both pre-war and even now. Aslania informed me that the rich wore dresses like mine while the peasants and bottom dwellers wore rags and leather clothing.

Hearing all of this cleared my mind of the confusion that occured in the marketplace. I followed behind Aslania until we reached a small cottage that was spray painted with a big A it also shared a corner with 2 other houses. “This is my cottage, go inside and change clothes, keep the scarf and goggles. Don't mess around understood?” Her tone sounded both concerned and worried but I wasn’t going to ask about it.

I nodded quickly and headed inside, the cottage seemed smaller from the outside but was surprisingly spacious on the inside. Her main room was rather well kept and was surprisingly furnished with a couch and a coffee table. I made my way towards her room. The bedroom was the complete opposite of the main room, it had guns and ammo sprawled everywhere that could make anypony think this small shack is instead an armory.

I quickly changed into some hefty leather armor, covering them with a coat she had laying around, wrapping my scarf on and packing up my clothes into my saddlebags. As I hurried to finish I noticed a little statuette sitting by her bed. A big looking stallion with absurdly small wings was the main piece while a plaque was right underneath, it read “With strength by your side there isn’t any obstacle you can’t overcome.”

I felt a strange presence when I brought it near, like I had increases in muscle or something. I hesitated for a bit but decided that I had to bring it along, after stuffing it into my saddlebags I hurried outside. “What took ya so long in there? You’ve better not have touched anything in there or else there’ll be hell to pay” Aslania stated, angry that I might’ve taken something.

“Sorry, I was just amazed by the collection of firearms and ammunitions you have stored in there.” I lied nervously, hoping that she’d buy my story and wouldn’t try to investigate my saddlebags.

“Whatever, just hurry up and stay near, we’re going to visit the doc and get geared up for the trip” She said sternly as she turned around. I quickly followed her as we made our way up a ramp and into another section of the statue, as we walked I took notice of just how well theses ponies have accustomed to this new environment. Shacks littered almost every part of the statue’s walls as each and every pony had made themselves a home in this new civilization.

“We’re here, now when you talk to the doc make sure you respect her and don’t let her get too near, she’ll examine the daylights out of you trust me.” Aslania warned me as we both stopped in front of a much bigger shack, a neon light in front that read “The Doctor is In” all in orange and visible from the other side of the statue.

“Understood, i’ll stay by your side Aslania” I replied, nervous as to who this mysterious and eerie doctor was. As we stepped inside we were immediately struck by a very rancid smell of morphine and alcohol, the mixture strong enough to be smelled from a mile away. Covering my mouth with the scarf I made my way deeper into the shack until I came face to face with a masked individual. I nearly fell over as I scurried back near Aslania, “Afternoon Doc, how is everything?” She asked the individual, calm and collected as ever.

The stranger only chuckled as she removed her medical mask and gown, a lavender colored mare being underneath. “Hiya lasses, been awhile since your last check up eh Aslania?” She chuckled as she spoke, a thick british accent in her tone.

“Stay away from me Silver, i’m still recovering from last time.” Replied Aslania, sounding pissed about something. “We’re here to buy some medical supplies for our trip, it’s going past a lot of dangerous areas so we want to be prepared for anything.” She added, taking out a small sack of caps.

As they both discussed prices and items, I had noticed yet another small statuette sitting on her desk. Looking closer at it revealed that the model for this one had been a pure white mare with red hair, she had on medical packs and a nurse’s hat. I moved away from Aslania’s side to approach the statuette only to bump into one of the tables, causing a few medical tools to fall on the floor loudly. “Oi! Have ya lost your marbles you dumb mare? Don’t snoop around me office like that or i’ll stitch ya face together” Shouted the doctor, thinking I snuck in to steal.

“Hey now, take it easy on her Silver. She’s the mare i’m escorting to Fillydelphia for the power cores ya asked for.” Explained Aslania, trying to get her to calm down.

“Oh, is that right? My fault luv, the name’s Silversharp. I’m the doctor around here, I here you two are headed to Fillydelphia right? What’s a stable mare doing out and about with the likes of her?” She asked, pointing towards Aslania.

“She knows the place more than I do… wait h-how did you know I came from a stable?’ I asked nervously, thinking that my cover was blown.

“Silly mare, no one enters this place without my knowledge. I could tell right off the bat you’re a stable dweller by the cleanliness of your clothes and especially that thing on your arm.” She said with a chuckle, pointing at my pip-buck.

I blushed with a slight smile as I hid my pip-buck, “Right, I had forgotten about that” My sight turned back towards the statuette, Silversharp taking notice right away at what I was gazing at.

“Pretty right? I got it as a gift for fixing up this mare. Can’t really say why but all my treatments afterwards have been much more effective.”

Aslania spoke up, “Hey, we talking a deal or not? I ain’t got time to wait around on the two of ya” She had her hoove on the supplies i’ll assume was what they were trading for.

Silversharp turned her gaze back to her, “Alright alright don’t get so worked up luv, like I said before 250 caps for all of it no more no less” replied Silversharp.

“Fine but these better be very effective or i’ll return from the dead to haunt your sorry flank” Threatened Aslania, storing all of the medical supplies in her saddlebags.

“Where are you two lovebirds going to anyways?” Asked Silversharp, moving over to a table to examine some things.

Aslania blushed and only huffed, leaving me to respond the doctor. “Were heading to Fillydelphia and she’s my escort not my marefriend.”

Silversharp dropped everything that she was working on, turning to glare at me with a surprised expression. “F-Fillydelphia?! Are you going to search for a stable by any chance? Please tell me you are luv!”

I stepped back in awe, surprised at the attitude change of the doctor. “Y-yes, we need to find a stable keycard that’s believed to be in a stable inside Fillydelphia.”

She only squealed in delight as she ran to go pack some stuff, coming back later with a doctor’s coat and saddlebags on. “Then we set off en route to Fillydelphia! Lora your in charge!” She shouted as a parrot poked her head out from around the corner.

“Hold on there doc! Who said you can come with us? More importantly why are you?” Responded Aslania, an eyebrow lifted as she questioned the doc’s reasoning.

“Because legend has it that Fillydelphia housed a medicinal book that was said to cure almost any ailment! If I find that book and learn all of it’s secrets than I shall be the best doctor alive!!” She explained, laughing maniacally right after.

“The laugh and title makes us think you have another reason why you want that book so much. In fact i’m sure no such book exist!” Replied Aslania, pointing a hoove at her as she called her out.

“I’ll give you 20 caps if ya let me tag along luv.” Added Silversharp, smirking at her.

“Deal, we leave in 10 minutes” Agreed Aslania, turning to leave. “Watch the stable dweller for a sec.” She asked, leaving her office to take care of other duties.

“What’s her deal anyway? She’s such a.. Loner” I said to Silversharp, curious about Aslania and what had made her that way.

“Dunno, but she’s got a great flank eh?” chuckled the doc, elbowing me to signify that it indeed was a joke.

“Don’t say weird things Silversharp, come on i’ll help you pack anything that might help us along the way.”

Aslania sighed as she stepped out of the doc’s office, trotting down ramps to a local pub. A bouncer stood in front of the entrance and stopped Aslania in her tracks “Move out of the way george, i’m in no mood.”

“Sorry Aslania, protocol requires me to make sure all pub-goers are tough enough to enter.” Replied george

“I will rip out your bucking arm and beat you with it if you don’t move out of the way.” threatened Aslania, grabbing his arm tightly as to show she wasn’t messing around.

“Uh..r-right this way ma’am” Answered george, opening the door for her while awkwardly smiling.
“Thank you” Aslania replied, heading into the makeshift bar. Patrons either sat at the small wooden tables or at the bar itself. It wasn’t anything impressive decoration wise but it did have a homely charm.

Aslania sat in a barstool at the bar with a sigh, “Give me two shots of whiskey and some ammo, 5.56.”

The barkeep nodded and went to go fetch her drinks and ammunitions, returning shortly as he placed her drink and bullets in front of her.

She quickly downed her drinks and placed the bullets into her bags. “Thanks, i’ll return in a week for my next refill” She told the barkeep, getting off the barstool with a groan. Still somewhat in pain from her earlier injury.

As she walked past the bar doors, a siren started to blare loudly. “Fuck’s sake not again.” She quickly hurried to the entrance and met up with the Friendship Cite Police Force.

“Raiders, they’ve found a way across the lake and should arrive in the next few minutes.” Explained the police chief, assigning each unit a corner of the city to protect while the majority stood by the door.

“We can’t just let them enter the city! We have to hold them off in front of the island!” Shouted Aslania, taking out her rifle and loading it with the newly acquired bullets.

“Everyone is to stay inside the city at all times, no buts or ifs!” Responded the chief, moving to join his forces stationed by the main entrance.

Minutes felt like hours as we waited for the enemy to barge in. The chief was about to send scouts out to see what had delayed the enemy but was silent as someone knocked on the big metal doors. “Hello residents of Friendship City, Our intention in this city is not to harm anyone but I believe you are harboring someone that we need.”

No one responded as they were dead-set on fighting the enemy, Aslania approached the door and spoke loudly. “What’s in it for us?”

The unknown intruder only chuckled as he replied, “Power cores of course.”

Aslania chuckled, “And why should we trust you? Your an intruder that’s threatening our safety”
The intruder’s voice tone switched to a more serious one. “Foolish mare, this is the Equestrian wasteland. Can you really trust anyone?”

Aslania knew what she had to do, “If I bring her out, will you leave our city alone?”

He snickered evilly, “You have my word.”

End of chapter 3

Level up: (4)

Strength Statuette found: Strength increased to 5 permanently.

Perk added: Third wheel - Two’s company, three’s a crowd. Whenever your around two of your companions, gain increased damage on individual targets.