Fallout Equestria: Survival

Chapter Four: The Truth

"Everypony has a secret they'll take to their grave."

"Gadget, calm down!" Xenor shouted as several guards restrained me.

"Calm down?!" I responded, struggling against the guard's grip. "My home's in trouble and you want me to calm down?!"

"I understand what you're going through. Truly, I do. And I'm willing to help, but we need to assess the situation-"

"What is there to assess?" I snapped as the guards held me in place.

"Well, we don't know what we could be facing," the other Zebra stated as he approached, "I'd rather know who or what we are facing, than going in blind. I don't want any of my friends to wander into a trap."

"If you didn't want to go in blind, why did you inform me?" I was trying really hard to keep myself calm. "How can you help in any way?"

The zebra turned to Xenor and back. "Well... is there another entrance?"

I sat there, recalling all the ins and outs of Stable during my time there, and I remembered, "Yes there is! A hidden side entrance that was installed in case of an emergency."

"Can you lead us there?" He asked.

I was confused. "Can't I give your unicorns the location so they can teleport us there?"

"They can only teleport to places they've been," he explained.

"So, you're saying that I'm going to have to retrace my steps and walk all the way back?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Unfortunately."

"...Fuck."

Running!

Not really an excellent idea.

Me, Xenor's son, whose name was Zemy, and several guards had gathered all the supplies we needed before setting off in the direction of Stable 80 with my PipBuck guiding the way. We spent the last few hours, racing through the wasteland, with breaks along the way.

I was glad that for once my PipBuck was working, but Stable 80 was still a long way away. We eventually decided to rest after about 20 minutes. Well, Zemy and the guards. I wanted to keep going.

At least it was for ten minutes. Then we started up again, and I was determined to make it home.

A lot of thoughts entered my mind. These could be the scarecrow ponies from earlier, I realized. After all, they did seem focused on me. But how could they have figured which Stable I was from, or where it was located. The pegasus probably had nothing to do with it. I mean, he did save us. So... who? And why?

Could it be because of the package?

I came to a stop. No. It couldn’t be, could it? My mom would never allow us to be put in that kind of position. Could the Overmare have planned this?

I heard Zemy speak but I paid him no mind. I removed my saddlebag and placed it on the ground.

I searched for it but found nothing. The pegasus had taken it!

Normally I'd be concerned when something of mine was stolen. Yet, I couldn't help but feel relieved. As if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Not only did he hold off our attackers, but he also took away our burden. Maybe he was "The Retriever".

"Gadget!" Zemy called out, drawing me from my thoughts. "Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah! Yeah! Just something on my mind."

"Well, I need you to be ready. We're almost there."

He was right. A few moments later, I spotted a huge column of smoke. And soon after...

My home.

We ducked behind a hill a few yards from the Stable.

Zemy passed me a pair of binoculars. With them, I could see the smoke was coming from the tunnel that led down to the entrance of Stable 80.

There was no sign of anypony around the tunnel, but I couldn't be sure.

"What do you see?" Zemy asked.

"There's nopony around the entrance, but there could be a few waiting inside."

"Hmm," Zemy leaned back in thought. "This could be a trap."

"I don't think we'd be able to hold off an ambush," one of the soldiers spoke up.

"Well," I stood up, "I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going to just walk away. My mother and many others could still be alive."

"None of us are of leaving," Zemy responded, "We just need to think up a plan that doesn't get anypony killed."

"Fine, but you'd better not take too long-"

“There's nopony there,” a voice buzzed from behind.

We all turned in surprise, weapons at the ready, only to be confused.

Hovering a few feet in the air above us was a… bug? A metal bug that was bobbing in the air before us with little fluttering wings.

"A Sprite-Bot?" Zemy spoke up.

I turned to him. "A what?"

"They're little drones that were built during the war," he explained, "Supposed to play civilians uplifting music. Nowadays they just aimlessly float around repeating that annoying polka music."

"Ugh... Tell me about it," the little robot squeaked. "It drives you crazy."

"Uh, then why don't you stop playing it?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if your function is to play the music, can't you just turn it off?"

"I can do that, but what do you-- Oh! Oh, no, I'm not a robot. I just hacked into this thing. I use them for surveillance."

I eyed the floating device. "If you use it for surveillance, did you see what happened to the Stable?"

"No... I'm sorry. The Stable was already like that when I came across it."

I didn't want to believe the voice, but the evidence was there in plain sight.

"Do you have a name?" Zemy asked.

"You can call me Watcher."

"Alright. We need to see if there are any survivors of the attack, but we could be walking into a trap. Are you sure there's nopony there?"

"I'm positive," the voice responded. "I took a look inside myself. All that's in there is a bunch of debris and mutila--"

I took off before the bot could even finish, ignoring Zemy's calls. My legs were aching by the time I got to the entrance but I didn't care, I had to see for myself.

I held my breath as I entered the tunnel, the smoke stinging my eyes. I made way downward until I cleared the smoke. It took me a few moments to adjust before I spotted the Stable door.

While most of it was intact, the centered to seemed to have to been melted. Several scorch-marks adorned along with jagged pieces of metal that stretched out.

As I took the first few steps into the Stable I felt my right foreleg step in something wet.

Slowly, I looked down to see that I was in a puddle of blood, my own reflection looking right back at me.

I looked away, but what I saw next made my stomach twist.

I take a second to collect my thoughts. It was a very disturbing memory to talk about.

Ace levitates a bottle of water towards me but I turn it down.

I exhale before continuing.

Several bodies of the Stable 80 Security Team were strewn across the floor in pieces. Among them was Lookout. His head was split open like a melon. One guard was split right down the middle, while another was strung up with his own intestines.

A huge amount was bile was trying to force it's up my throat, but I managed to hold it back.

I felt something wet land on my face. Brushing it off with my hoof, I found more blood.

Hesitantly, I looked up, spotting the Overmare several feet above me with a noose wrapped around her neck. Her body was covered in cuts, one her ears had been removed, and her intestines swayed back and forth, dripping blood.

I stumbled back, emptying the contents of my stomach onto the floor. I slumped down against a wall and sat there.

The sound hoofsteps caught my attention. I turned to see Zemy and the others enter. Some of them had the exact same reaction as me.

"Holy Tartarus..." One said.

"I tried to tell you," Watcher spoke up as he entered, hovering over them before turning to face me. "I'm really sorry. I can't imagine what you're going through."

I could only nod as I surveyed the damage.

Everywhere I looked there were bullet holes and blood. Judging from how many of the security guards were unarmed they were probably caught by surprise. I trotted over to the stairs, heading towards the door controls. I cringed slightly as I passed Lookout's corpse.

One thing I noticed that was odd, was all the Pipbucks were gone. Taken. Not a single corpse had one.

The control panel's casing was locked. Either Lookout was trying to access the controls or he was trying to keep somepony from them. Not that it mattered in the end.

I began trotting down the hallways of Stable 80, bodies littering every one. What was once a place where ponies when about their daily lives, was now nothing but a corpse-ridden battlefield.

As I turned down the corridor to the mess hall I came to a stop.

"No."

Green Apple was slumped against the wall, a bullet wound in-between his eyes. He was looking at a far away place as a tiny river of blood trailed down his face.

I trotted over to his body, carefully closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, buddy."

I continued on down the hall coming across more bodies of many friends including Silver and Orchid. The mess hall was a wreck. Tables were overturned or broken in half while the floor was littered with spilled meals and corpses.

I turned to leave just as Zemy and the others were entering, Zemy looked around briefly before looking towards me. I could only shake my head in response.

As I turned down towards the staterooms part of the floor slightly gave way under my step. It was faint, but I could hear a whimper beneath it. I slowly stepped back.

I waved over one of the guards, a unicorn male. He hesitated before trotted over with a confused look. I pointed down at the panel, mouthing 'somepony underneath.' It took a few moments before he understood.

He passed me a pistol before trotting off to get the others. I kept my eyes glued onto the panel, waiting for something to pop out.

A few minutes later, he returned with Zemy and the others, each one with a loaded weapon. Zemy signaled for a unicorn to lift away the panel on his mark.

Zemy nodded and the unicorn quickly lifted the panel, revealing a small crawl space beneath it. Twelve ponies looked up at us in fear.

"Mech?" One asked, standing up. He had a grey coat and a black and yellow mohawk.

"Shine?" I reeled back, turning to others. "Put your weapons down!"

Along with Shine, there was Gem-Stone, Sunflower, a red unicorn mare I recognized as Berry Blast, a tan earth pony stallion I recognized as Brick Pile, and several foals.

"Thank Celestia you're Shine said as he held up a young colt for someone to grab

"What in Tartarus happened here?" I asked Shine as I pulled the colt up.

"I... I have no idea. They came out of nowhere."

I handed the colt to one of the guards. "Who's they?"

"These ponies wearing white armor," Shine explained. "By the time we knew what was happening, they had already broken through the Stable door."

"We didn't have any time to think," Gem-Stone added as she lifted up a filly to a guard. "There was barely enough time to hide. All we could we jump down beneath the panel moments before we were spotted."

She started to cry. "They killed Green Apple."

I nodded solemnly, "I know."

After the foals were pulled out, I helped the others as they climbed out. Gem-Stone was the last one out and I was surprised when she pulled me into a hug. I felt my shoulder dampen from her tears. I wrapped a foreleg around her held tight, allowing her to grieve. We would've stayed like this for a while had a thought not suddenly cross my mind.

"Where's mom?" I asked, letting go and backing up.

Gem-Stone gave no response. She just looked away.

I turned to Shine. "Where. Is. She?"

Shine shook his head. "We were lucky enough to get beneath the floor. We could hear everypony being gunned down." He choked up briefly before continuing. "I don't think they left any survivors."

I gave no response or reaction. Honestly, I was just too stunned. It felt as though a switch had gone off inside, preventing me from saying or doing anything. Shine and Gem-Stone glanced at each other in concern.

"Gadget?" I could hear the worry in Zemy's voice. "Are you alright?"

"There's something I have to do," I stated before trotting down the hall.

Mom was sitting in her chair when I found her.

If you had removed the obvious bullet wound on her chest, it would've looked like she was sleeping.

The desk had been destroyed as if it was crushed by a gigantic hoof. File cabinets were dented and twisted while their contents were strewn across the floor.

Tears dripped from my face, down to the floor as I slowly made my way over to her. I asked one of the unicorn guards who was passing by to carry her back to the others who offered their condolences. I couldn't leave her here. I had to find someplace to bury her.

As the survivors were tended to by Zemy's guards, he and I went ahead to the security room. I needed to know how all this could have happened. I had grown up believing Stable 59 was the safest place for me and my family. Where we could live and die in peace.

Now? I didn't know what to think.

I had hoped that I would never have to leave the Stable under any condition, but doing so not only ended up saving my life but the life of Ace as well. The purpose of the assignment still burned in my mind. Why were we selected? Who was The Retriever?

"Gadget?" I was drawn out of my thoughts by Zemy. "We're here."

My hopes of finding out whoever was responsible for this were dashed when I saw that the door to the security room was destroyed inside all the terminals had been destroyed; the wiring pulled out, leaving it beyond repair.

"Whoever attacked this place does not want anypony to know who they are," Xenor spoke as he observed the wreck.

"Great," I mumbled, leaving the room.

"I'm really sorry Gadget, I can't imagine what you're going through."

"It's fine," I responded. "Let's just make sure the others are okay, then head back to Ellicolt."

"But don't you want to find out-"

"There's nothing to found out!" He backed away from me in shock. "Nearly everypony I know and love is dead, the survivor's don't know who attacked them, and the cameras have been destroyed! What else is there to find?!"

Without waiting for a response, I stormed away.

I wasn't surprised to find that my room had been ransacked as well. I paid it no mind, there wasn't anything worth looking for. Instead, I made my way out of the Stable. I needed to clear my head.

Watcher was still at the gate when I arrived. I made sure to avoid the blood dripping from the ceiling.

He hovered next to me. "I'm truly sorry about what happened here. If it's any consolation, I know what it's like to have everything taken from you."

"I'm not in the mood to talk," I stated.

The little robot retreated a couple feet. "We're more alike than you think, Gadget. Like you, I wasn't around when my home was destroyed. I was devasted when learned my friends were gone."

"You're really not good at listening, you know that right?" I continued into the tunnel with Watcher on my tail.

"All I'm trying to say is that at least your sister and some of your friends are still alive. That has to count as something."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, dead parents and a sister who currently hates me. I've got it made!"

"What's your problem?"

I felt the wind greet me as I reached the top. "What do you think?! My family lived in this stable for generations! Ace and I were safe in those walls until one day we're tasked with a delivery that takes us outside!"

I turned and around and waved a foreleg. "Look at what this world has become! A cesspool of murder, thievery, and slavery! What made the Overmare think we would be able to survive out here! Not to mention the fact the object we were supposed to deliver almost got us killed!"

Letting out a deep breath, I sat on the ground, tears dripping from my eyes. "When the I discovered that the object was gone I was so relieved. we could've come back home and lived out the rest of our lives in safety. Now, there's nothing left for us."

The buzz of the Spite-Bot near as it hovered over to me.

"Gadget."

I looked up at the little machine.

"As I said before, I lost a lot of friends too. I've lived in this world for many years with no company but these Sprite-Bots." His voice seemed to crack slightly. "I regret never having been able to say goodbye, and that will haunt me to my grave. You may have lost your mother and your home, but remember that you still have your sister. Go back and make amends, and then cherish every moment you spend with her from there on."

Wow... I truly had no words to say. Watcher was right, Ace was what brought my life joy. She made me laugh, looked up to me, and I won't deny she was a giant pain in the--

A weird noise snapped me from my thoughts. The Sprite-Bot was blaring out some kind of distorted music.

"Watcher?" I called out. "Hey, Watcher."

There was no response as the Sprite-Bot flew away, taking the music with it.

...Weird.

"Gadget."

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Zemy approach me. "There's something you need to see."

"We managed to fix the Overmare's terminal," Zemy explained as I followed him to said pony's office. "There weren't any files that explained what had happened here, so it was pretty useless. That is until we found her Pipbuck."

I paused. "You found it? How?"

"It was hidden it a hollowed part of the wall behind her desk. The technician stumbled into it while repairing the terminal."

The Overmare's off was generally still intact. The draws of her desk were desk had been pulled out, leaving their contents strewn across the floor.

Xenor approached the terminal and turned it around to face me, revealing a glowing green screen full of text.

"Some of the files we found were heavily encrypted, but we managed to crack them. And we discovered something about you."

Arching an eyebrow, I approached the desk and leaned in to read the files.

Overmare, if you are reading this message please listen. Stables are being raided one after another, with no survivors left behind. These individuals are hunting an as of yet, unknown device, and I believe your Stable is on their list. I urge you to venture out and seek a new home before they come.

--FV.

I see you haven't left. Look, I understand you have no reason to trust me, but I am on your side. They are coming for you, and they are not looking to make friends.

--FV.

The next entry had several pieces redacted and seemed to come with an image file, but the latter was completely distorted.

I'm glad you decided to answer Overmare. Another Stable was recently invaded and the path the hunters are taking points them right towards yours. I highly suggest [REDACTED]

We've learned that the raiders are after [REDACTED]

The image file should provide enough detail. We're are still mobilizing, so it may take a while for us to arrive. Prepare your defenses and pray they hold out.

Good luck, Overmare.

--FV.

"They knew."

All eyes turned to me.

"They fucking knew. That's why we were sent out. We were carrying whatever the raiders were after."

"You okay?" Zemy asked.

I breathed in deeply. "Yeah, I just... I don't want to stay here anymore."