Fallout Equestria: Oasis 99

“thousands of miles from the Equestrian Heartland, across the barren Badlands, and past the untamed forbidden jungle lies a nearly unending stretch of sand once known as Bone Dry Desert, but now thanks to the Great War it's known by a new name, The Shifting Waste.”

~the wasteland survival guide 3rd edition

“Beyond Equestria”

Introduction to The Shifting Waste

~Author unknown

I awoke to a numbing blackness cascading my entire body. It felt limp and lifeless like it wasn't my own. I tried to open my eyes, but they fought against me as if they were being held down by… something. The more I tried to force them open, the more I realize my whole body was numb. Eventually, my eyes broke free from whatever glue them shut. Bits and pieces of whatever it was fell into my now open eye, causing them to tear. For a moment I wasn't sure if I even manage to open them, it was just as dark as when I had them shut.
I smell something…
something metallic …
Like iron.

That's when I notice something wet moving along down the left side of my face passing my left eye and landed on my muzzle. A flash of images pops into my head. I just became painfully aware of my throbbing head. I was bleeding. Why was I bleeding? How long have I been bleeding? My head was swarming with different thoughts. Different questions. I tried to remember how I got here and that led to me trying to remember who I am. But nothing came, I couldn't remember anything. Not who I was, not where I was, not why I was here. The more I tried to think, the more my headaches. Sweet Celestia, what the fuck is going on?

I tried to move my hoof to massage my head but as soon as I try to another realization came to me; the numbing blackness that was surrounding me wasn't figuratively surrounding me. It was literal. I tried to move my hind legs to only achieve the same result. I was trapped. I was encased. I tried to move as hard as I can using all my strength, unfortunately, I had none, my body was tired. weak. My body was encased in something that prevents me from moving. The inactivity causing my joints to be numb and ache to move. How long was I like this? FUCK! If only I can remember. I became more and more aware of my situation. My heart starts beating rapidly as my breathing grow heavy. Was I going to die? Trapped in Celestia knows what?

“ woo ain't she a Beaut!” voice of a stallion cause my ears to twitch I wasn't alone there was somepony else. Another different sounding voice flooded my ears.

“ that's some nice looking power armor right there.” holy shit! I'm saved! I felt something pull at my chest. My tomb began to raise drooping my legs behind me. I was in the air.

“this one is still intact. how much you think the baron will pay for it?” The first stallion asked. The second one was grunting and had a labored breath.

“no clue but I reckon that this fine suit here is going to be worth a lot of caps” he grunted. They didn't know I'm in here. I gotta let them know! I open my mouth to speak but to have no word come out. My throat still painfully dried like it hadn’t known water for eons. I tried to speak again only to have a mumble escape my lips. Gods, what I would kill for a drink. I can't give up now, I'm so close to freedom. I swallowed any spit I can muster and let out a soft

“hey”
I stopped moving the air a sound of shuffling hoof steps caught my attention. They heard me!

“you hear that?” the first one inquired.

“I heard something.” said the second one which I assumed was a unicorn and was levitating the power armor I was trapped in.

I let out another hey but a bit louder this time. As soon as a word pass my lips I crash back into the ground. I let out a small grunt of pain.

“sweet Luna’s arsehole! Somepony in there!” the possible unicorn gasped.

“h...help” I meekly said. I felt the darkness around my chest pressed against into me.

“whoa, you alright?” the first stallion question. As I tried to say something my dried-up throat close up only letting a grunt out.

“Ah hell. It seems the spell matrix was disabled. If we're gonna get him out, we gonna need to cut him out.”I really don't like the sound of that. “Grab the auto-axe!” what? HELL NO! I tried to scream my protest, but it was in vain. only grunts and coughs came out. Images of a spinning blade ripping open my chest as my blood and entrails sprayed out into the open air. But as soon that thought crept into my head I realized something. I knew what an auto-axe was. I couldn't remember my own name but I knew what an auto-axe was. How they looked, the smell, and the sparks hitting my muzzle as it shreds through metal. I felt familiarity with it. I don't think that's how amnesia was supposed to work. But on the other hoof, I could be wrong with my self-diagnose.

“You’ll ruin the armor!” the first stallion yelled at the possible unicorn. I let out a sigh of relief, which ended up more like a wheeze.

“SWEET FUCKING ASS! Whats taking so long!” a distant third voice yelled this one sounding feminine.

“We have some poor fuck trapped in this here armor!” the one that I assume was a unicorn yelled back. “I was going use auto-ax-”

“THE FUCK YOU NOT!” the third voice cut off the maybe unicorn; the voice sounding less distant. The female sounded gravelly and older the stallions around me and my iron casket. “I'm not having you fucks ruin this perfectly intact armor! Any idea what the Baron would pay for this!

“But how the hell are we going to open it! I damn sure know the Baron doesn't want the pony inside!” yeah! Get me out of here! “Well he might.” come again.

“That's the reason why I’m here.” the female said as I hear a hoof hitting some glass in her direction. “Idiots!” from the sound of her voice she was right above me. And... nothing. I just lay there waiting for something. It was silent aside from hoof taps on glass and my heart beating, the other two ponies don't say anything. After while I tried to say something again, but before the words can even leave my mouth, a burst hot air and a blinding light hit me as the tenseness around my body disappear. I shut my eyes in futile attempt to shield them from the scorching light. I let out a gasp as the hot air filled my lungs. Moving my hooves out of their iron sleeves trying to reach out in front of me. The encasement in front of my chest and around was gone. I was free! My stretched hooves let out a sound of pop and crack. I try to grab on to something in front of me in hopes as using it as support as I try to free my hind legs from their unmoving imprisonment but as soon as I lean forward I felt a tung on my mane. I felt my mane getting yanked as I was throw out of my former tomb. I landed first head into something gritty. salty and bitter filled my dehydrated mouth. I spat and cough the foreign substance out of my mouth. Sand. it was sand. Ain't amnesia suppose to make me clueless about everything? pushing myself on to my butt, I tried to open my eyes. Burning rays hit them causing them to close again. My head acne getting worse. Remembering my original goal I started massaging my sore head with hoof but stop.I felt something. Something wet. With my now wet hoof brought it to my face. I open my eyes slightly looking down at my hoof; my vision was still blurred. All I see was a piss-stained blur with reddish blur in that. I had to squint my eyes to force on where I know my hoof was at. Eventually, my vision clearer as the piss-stained blur become my dirt matted piss-stained color hoof. I was kinda hoping my coat was a different color. It seriously looks like dried piss. I probably have more important thing to worry about right but I couldn't get over my ugly coat. Oh! And the dried-up blood on it too. BLOOD! My eyes zeroed in on the red fluid on my hoof.
it's blood.
Yep, definitely blood.
Is it my blood?
Yep definitely my blood.

Remembering that I figure that out a little bit ago back in the… power armor? Was I in power armor? Why was I in power armor? Feeling familiarity wash over. Was I hit with EMP? That would explain the disable spell matrix.
“Ugh” I put emphasis the GH. When I got back to messaging my throbbing head I found a small gash right above my left eye leading to the top of my head. Blood was dried up. I should really get this check at.
A cough behind me remind I wasn't alone. Three ponies did help to save me, I gotta thank them. I turn thank my savior and -

CRACK!

an explosion of pain came across my muzzle as it collides with a rifle’s butt. My face hit the sandy floor. “The fuck?” I manage to murmur despite the mouth full of sand and blood. Before I could even get up I was bucked from the side and sent flying. Coughing up sand, blood, and what little I had in my stomach. One of my “savior” let out a chuckle till it was overshadowed by a sound of the female voice yelling.

“Come on! Stop playing around and let's get out!” far off a sound of engine roared into life. “The storm is coming!” I could barely hear a faint clicking as it was muffled by the thundering engine. my ears twitch.

“What we gonna do about him?” I couldn’t tell which one of the two stallions said that anymore. my brain felt like it was being pulverized by a legion of tap dancers and not particularly good ones either.

“Don't waste the bullet! Let the storm have him!” the wind join the roaring engine with a howl. I force myself up despite the pain and I try to look toward my attackers/saviors but it was too bright. Shit! Why they even free me if they were just going to kill me. Probably didn't want my blood to ruin my power armor paint job. Was it my power armor? right? Forcing my eyes open a little just to get assaulted by another wave of hot air and sand. FUCK! Why the face?! Vigorously rubbing my eye with my hoof; which didn't help much since my hoof was coated with dirt. coughing out what sand blow into my mouth. Finally, I open my eyes to a world of smudge and blurred. Slowly the world straightens out and clear. I watch as a cloud of dust gradually got smaller and smaller. Into the distance. Into the desert. I felt burning sensation. For some reason, it thought it was sunlight, but looking up to only a blanket grey cloud mix with green.
Radiation.

Long ago pegasi used to manage the weather. But when balefire hit they seal the land with to protect themselves.

“Heh” I could remember history but not my own fuckin name. I think those were my “saviors”; looking back at the cloud of dust as disappear at the horizon. The sound of engine fading, to be replaced by a crackling. Fire. then the smell. I nearly gagged. Burnt hair. The smell was overpowering. I look around to find the source to realize… I sitting on my plot in the middle of an aftermath. A battle. Iron goliath scatters haphazardly over the bloody sandy landscape. Some missing limbs, some having the metal warped melting away. Revealing a bloody soft pony inside. Some out of power armor. Their technicolor bodies bent in ways nobody should ever be bent. Scraps strew about. Some poor soul had their armor engulfed in flames; hopefully, they die before the fire. Imaging a can of bean on an open fire… for some reason.

The fuck happened here?. Sign of battle. Scorch mark litter the ground. Getting up on my hooves, I carefully move to one the fallen metal armored giants. the upper left corner of its helmet was burst open in blossom of jagged metal and blood. The insides of the ruined armor were a mess of bone fragments, red pulp, and strains light blue mane. What could've done this? Something on the corpse shoulder pad catches my attendance. A symbol. Looks like an apple with a winged sword in front it. Oh and gears with stars within the apple. image s flash within my head; images of magically energy weapons, bulky armor, and the words “elitist pricks” keeps popping up. Remnants of pre-war age; The Steel Raide- I mean Rangers. Hoarding arcane technology from us primate tribals. I really didn't have any positive thoughts, maybe in my forgotten past, I had some a bad run in with them. But seeing them like this.

Sweet Celestia, what happened here? I noticed that not all of the armored corpses were Steel Rangers, some of them were white opposed to the Steel Rangers gray. Like painted sterile white which looks odd with the desert landscape. It looks too clean. Well besides the blood and scorch marks. Their design looks curvier compared to the Steel Rangers, more rounder. They had strange symbol unlike the Steel Rangers I recognize it. A red crescent moon-like thing with red comet thing flying into it. It kinda looks ominous the white paint. I'm assuming there was a battle between the Steel Raide- I mean Rangers and the red crescents bulbous troop and somehow I was involved. Dammit! I didn't even get look at the armor I was in before it was stolen from me. Fuck! Why was I here? My head was still kicking and getting a mouthful of a rifle's butt didn't help either. Maybe somepony drop something, I scanned armored graveyard. From a few unobscured bodies, this battle was recent. Was I the only survivor? I looked around the desert ground for anything, anything useful. A bit and piece of a destroyed magically energy pistol sprinkled the wartorn sand. I’m not entirely sure if I could even fix them and I had nothing to carry them either. I notice a body of a mare with a jacket that had the red crescent thing on its back in a pool of her own blood. Her probably once white jacket was a lite pink as well as her green coat. From what you can tell she was an earth pony. Her lower half was pin down by a massive… boat? An airship with deflated balloon draping most of it had crashed right on top of the mare’s hind legs. well more like landed I guess since the minimal impact area. The bow was buried in the sand as smoke and embers blow out of its windows. I trotted over the pinned, her glossy look into the sky with a horrifying expression on her face as a trail of viscera came from her mouth. If I had anything in my stomach right now I'll be vomiting. I tried not to look at her exposed... guts as I searched through the pocket of her jacket. This is messed up.

“...sorry” I manage to say through my sore dehydrated throat.
And… a 9mm pistol!

It was in its holster on the poor mare right leg. I gently remove it and strapped to my right leg. I clenched my jaw on the mouth grip and upholstered it. like was second nature I flick the magazine release and check on the ammo. Only 9 bullets, must have fired only 4. With a flick of my head, the mag was back in the gun and holster it. I felt very comfortable now that I have a gun. Which is weird since I'm still in a mass grave with no memory of who or what am I doing here.
But hey, I got gun!
Hold up!

There was something else on her neck! Something carved into it. Not recent looks like it were done a long time ago. A scar. It was a number 33. Why did she have a 33 curved into her neck? I turn to one of the power armored red crescents who had a hole as big as my hoof through his chest and gallops to him. Removing the bulbous helmet to reveal a light blue unicorn with his horn filed down just so the helmet could fit. Trails of blood from mouth drip into his suit. His purple mane clang to the blood splotches around his muzzle. I check his neck.
56
I move to the next red crescent corpse.
72

Each one of the red crescent bodies had a number branded on their necks; from 04 to 82. Why? Some right of passage? Some gang initiation? I even checked the steel rangers bodies and only the unknown red crescent soldier had it. Each one has a different number. Suddenly I caught something moving from of the corner of my eye. Leaping backward and readying myself for… my reflection. A piss-stained colored stallion with a messy dark green mane looking back at me from a strange shard of black glass. It looks out of place amidst the wreckage. Cleaner. Was this always here? How come I didn't notice it? I try to found where it could have come from. Maybe from the wrecked airship. Is that humming? I look into the glass as my reflection looks back into me. it was weird like seeing myself for the first time. I looked horrible, I had bags under my yellow eyes and an unkempt patch of hair under my chin. I didn’t really notice it but I was wearing a jacket. A white jacket…
I looked tired, hell I feel tired. I could see the dried up blood above my left eye and the…
I immediately reached my hoof to my neck and felt it than on flank. The scar on my coat; I traced it.
Looking back at my reflection; I saw it.
Instead of cutie marks on my flank, I had a black scar and
branded on my neck was the number
99.

Footnote: Level Up.
New Perk: Gun Nut-- +5 [Firearms or Battle Saddles, Mechanics] per rank.
You feel oddly comfortable with a gun in your mouth.
Perhaps it's a spark from your old self