Fire... Always fire... Always so much fire...
My world is hot, pressing in around me as I hear screams, so many screams, not all of which are pony. The flames that scorch and devour those around me lick at me like loving pets, and all the while I see the terrified faces of its victims staring at me as though I am responsible.
Why?
I look down at the ground, solid steel and yet flames rise from the metal which glows orange. There's no escape from the fire, the bright orange flames swirling from around my hooves, the space above the flames a pure black like a void.
Trapped... Nothing but fire...
I hear my alarm chirping at me, though today I managed to wake up a full five minutes ahead of time. Calmly I tap the key on my Pipbuck, and stretch languidly before sliding out of bed. Making my way to my shower I go through my morning routine of washing, and brushing what needed to be brushed before slipping into my Stable 55 Barding. Smiling I then take a look in a mirror mounted to the wall.
I've always been told I was a handsome stallion, even at my age my deep red coat of fur contrasting with ice blue eyes. My two-toned mane with thick bands of scarlet accented by streaks of gold half as thick, and of course my tail matched. The lifestyle of Stable 55 kept me in great physical shape for a unicorn as well, though not as great as some. And I turn to give one of my Cutiemarks a look, at least where one would be if I had them. Bare red flanks greet me in spite of my age. At least it helps make the newest generation of foals warm up to me a bit.
Nodding to myself I square myself up, and step out of my quarters to face the day. As one of the few up at this time I have the Stable mostly to myself, something I do deliberately to make one critical part of my day a private affair.
Stepping out of my quarters I move into my office, and glanced around. The desk shaped like a crescent moon had a few softly glowing terminals on them, and a stack of reports from around the Stable. Stepping around it I trot to the large oval shaped window overlooking the Stable Atrium, and smiled when I spot a filly bounding across a balcony on the second floor.
As she turned a corner she looked up at my window, and waved with a smile. I waved back, recognizing her as Banana Bread, daughter of our current cook Pumpkin Bread. Banana Bread is a light brown filly with her blond mane done back in one thick braid ending in a little bow. It looks like her mother picked a pink one today, matching her eyes. She runs down a side hall after a lap around the Atrium, and I chuckle to myself.
“Maybe she could qualify for Security,” I comment aloud before going to my desk. Taking my seat I boot up my main terminal, and enter the password “Mercy.”
The prompts on it flash to life, and as always I tag the first one, playing an audio recording.
“Hello there, I'm Scootaloo, and you probably know me as the CEO of Red Racer, maybe even as one of the founding members of StableTech. If you're hearing this then it means you have been specially chosen to be the Overmare, or Overstallion of Stable 55… Sweet Luna has it really been 55 of these recordings? Sorry, getting off script, this is just one of the hardest parts of this job. You see your Stable, like many others, is part of a social experiment. Reason being that if you're hearing this then we blew the world to hell, and we need to know where we went wrong. We don't want it happening again… Ever. That's why we're implementing these different policies in the different Stables, and between us some… well, most of them aren't very pretty. Lucky you though, yours is simple, and relatively benign.
“With that in mind, the purpose of Stable 55 is the premise that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Your job is to find a lifestyle to make ponies that are as fit, and healthy as possible. You've been given special greenhouse rooms for growing completely organic crops, state of the art physical training centers, and the Stable is even larger than most so ponies will have to hoof it a bit more than usual. There also aren't a very wide selection of medicines in the medbay, just healing bandages, braces, and some healing talismans should the worst happen. This way when you guys eventually head back for the surface you can carry the perfect image of health with you. Honestly this Stable was wholly my idea, my fillihood idol was training for the Wonderbolts so… sorry, off-script again.
“Also… this is very important. You might know about the pods on the lowest floor, well those are cryogenic pods. Basically ponies frozen, and preserved to last much longer in a state of hibernation. They're not as advanced as the stasis pods the Ministry of Peace made out in Hoofington, some of which can allow a pony to stay conscious in their stasis and communicate with the outside world, but they have fewer risks plus a higher success rate. Now the ponies in them have been specially chosen from psychological profiles, and physical ability to serve as leaders for this Stable. We're not sure how long you'll be down there, but we planned for at least a few centuries. Upside is this system will help prevent inbreeding as well so crack down on that.
“Besides that… Do what you have to so the Stable stays running, and everypony stays alive… We're counting on you… Celestia and Luna have mercy on us all.”
Leaning back in my chair I close my eyes as I let the words echo softly in my head. Scootaloo hadn't been wrong, those pods had done plenty. I don't remember much of my past before the Stable, and I'm the 21st Overpony of Stable 55. Everyone here is happy from what I can tell, we're all always pushing ourselves to improve in body and mind. Our very first Overpony decided to be open with the instructions from StableTech, and as such we've all known for ages it was our destiny to one day return to the surface. Heck, Overpony number 13 almost made it a religious thing until a small cult tried to get away with sacrificing the weaker ponies. Nopony was going to let that fly without a fight though.
Smiling to myself I start going through the reports. Maintenance will be working on the electrical systems in the Cafeteria today so the meal schedule will be off a bit. The newest generation of Stable Ponies will be taking the C.A.T. (Cutiemark Aptitude Test), after which it will be my job to assign them to their places in the Stable. That will take a decent part of the day I should think, at least most of the second half. There's also complaints with the Greenery team about crops circulating it seems, and noise complaints from reactor levels.
“Third time this week,” I sigh. “Well, best get started with the morning announcements.” Arranging the reports on a clipboard with my magic I clear my throat as I glance at the clock, almost 6 AM. Clicking on my microphone to the intercom system I clear my throat again before speaking.
"Good Morning, Stable 55! This is your Overstallion Crimson Ray with the morning announcements. A fair bit of warning, the cafeteria may be out of order for a short time while a few bugs in the lighting wiring are sorted out, so please be patient with Maintenance today. It shouldn't take them more than two hours.
"In other news today is a big day for our Graduate Year of foals because today is C.A.T. Testing day! That's right little fillies and colts, after today you won't be kids anymore, but full-fledged working citizens of Vault 55. I'd like to think I speak for all of us, but I in particular am very proud of each and every one of you. I look forward to working with each of you in the future, and I'm sure each of you will do your part for our home admirably. Plus this is a cause for celebration, and you all know what that means... Cake and sweets for everypony! So look forward to that when dinner comes around.
"Well that's all for morning announcements today my little ponies, make today a good day! And remember that no matter how hard it seems you've got to keep going strong!"
With that I turn off the intercom, and hum to myself as I file away the reports on my desk. Getting up I do a few warm-up stretches before deciding to have a jog around the outer halls of the Stable before I have to get to my to-do list. Nopony should be too fussy with me about it, after all as the Overstallion I have to set a good example for all of the Stable.
As per usual I take a lap on the unofficial jogging track, a well worn route in the Stable which takes from the Atrium, down a long flight of stairs to the second level where we have a winding trail going through the Greenhouses. From there one would cross a room roughly the length of a hoofball field to another set of stairs where the reactors, plumbing, and storage are maintained. Then after a wide loop the trail will head right back up through the greenhouses, and right back up to the living quarters which connect to the Atrium. Of course there are restrictions about who can go to which level. Like how nopony younger than 18 is allowed on the lower levels without an adult. Partially so someone can pace the kids, and partially so the kids don't wander off the path into areas they don't belong. I may have the mandate for fitness to follow, but the safety of these ponies under my care comes first.
As I start my morning run a familiar voice calls out to me. Turning my head I see a young filly of about 14 rushing up to me. A small filly with a tan colored coat of fur, her mane and tail a very pretty scarlet yet cut almost short enough to make her seem like a tomcolt. The way it frames her cheeks in the front while riding high in the back to the edge of her hairline always seemed a strange way to cut it, but it does make her seem pretty in a way I find hard to describe most days. If I was even half my age… well alright, I'd probably still be old enough to be her father, if I were a Pegasus at any rate. Like me she is without a Cutie Mark, something of a late bloomer in regards to her special talent.
She flutters her wings a moment as she falls into step beside me. “Ready to roll grandpa?”
I roll my eyes at that, and flick my tail at her which she nimbly dodges. “Good morning to you too, Cinder.”
She gives a laugh, and flutters up to nuzzle the side of my cheek. “Good morning! So what are we up to today?”
“Ever my little helper, hm? Well I suppose I wouldn't mind a bodyguard today with my schedule. Apparently Sour Grass is raising a fuss.”
She scrunches up her muzzle a bit, and salutes with a wing before following me down the stairs in a flanking position. She's always been the dutiful sort, never one to shrink from responsibility. Her father was the Overstallion before me, a Pegasus obviously, and during his term he had fallen for a mare working as a nurse. Sadly, her mother passed away in childbirth, and her father passed on after her a few years later when a faulty terminal in the lowest level blew up in his face. Cinder had been brought up by her aunt afterwards, telling stories about her father's life before the deep freeze when he worked in the Ministry of Awesome as a scout. Reportedly over 200 solo flights into zebra territory under the orders of the Ministry Mare herself.
Needless to say Cinder has since felt like she had something to prove, and I have yet to see a filly push herself as hard as her to uphold our fitness creed. Part of the reason she tags along with me most days is so she can have the chance to prove herself in some way. Be that running errands for me, or proving she can run laps around this 50 year old buck on the full interurban course. Either way is fine by me, she's a strong filly. Maybe after I die she might take up aiding the next Overmare or stallion.
We hit the bottom of the stairs at a trot, and I smile when I don't hear Cinder stumble. She keeps pace with me as we both start along the trail that winds in front of, and behind every greenhouse set up in one of the two rows. Most of the space between the rows is reserved for inventory management, and collections during harvest time. Other times folks will come down here for the closest thing to a picnic we can get with the minor artificial sunlight from the lamps above.
“Sir! Sir! I need to have a word with you,” a lime green earth pony with red framed glasses, and an even darker green mane pulled back in a bun gallops over to us.
I flick an ear back as I hear Cinder growl under her breath, but she averts her eyes with a blush as I look back at her. Turning my attention back in front of me I reply, “And good morning to you too Miss Grass. To what, or who do I owe the pleasure?”
I will spare you the tirade I signed myself up for with those words. For a good five minutes the mare went on about how some of her coworkers want to plant cotton plants given that the seeds in stock will spoil soon, but she wants to top off our food supply first by planting vegetables that put more nutrients back into the soil, such as peas and the like. Cinder's quiet gagging at the mention of her least favorite vegetable made me chuckle a bit. In the end I made them divide up the available space in the last open greenhouse, and make do.
With Sour Grass left grumbling we head down to the third floor for the wide loop of the circuit, taking us across the catwalks going over the reactors, and pumps below. Already so many of the engineering team are hard at work making absolutely certain everything is running smoothly. Sure every bunch has their slackers, but to me these ponies are the pride and joy of the Stable. They make sure we all have lighting, clean water, and running sewage systems. I make it a point to actually praise these ponies on the upper floors when I can, without being grating about it of course.
I trot the catwalks, and call my good mornings to anypony not too busy to glance my way. After that I take the next stairway down through the observation deck of the reactor level where we see several of the cubical shaped reactors sparking with power from arcane feedback, four tesla coils rest on top of them, blue lightning sparking between them, constantly igniting the internal mechanisms. Normally that would be dangerous, but the observation deck has glass enchanted to withstand the strikes of energy, and hold the minor radiation at bay. And so it is just a rather pretty lightshow overall that Cinder, and I can slow down to appreciate before picking the pace back up to head for the upper levels.
Winding back through the Maintenance level we take a branching side hallway towards the Recreation rooms. I can’t help smiling as I see ponies swimming laps in our pool, making use of the weight room, and various exercise machines. Part of me is tempted to pay a visit to the morning yoga class, but doing so with Cinder by my side has always made me feel a bit guilty. And so we just continue on our way, headed for the Cafeteria.
As we pass I see Bedrock standing by the entrance to the Cafeteria. He glances over, and nods with a smile at me, “Overstallion.”
“At ease,” I pant out as I slow down. “Slow day for security if the head can just stand around, eh?”
“The newbies know the drill by now, plus chasing off pechish locals beats paperwork,” Bedrock chuckles. He ducks his head into a metal bin nearby, tossing us a pair of wrapped granola bars as we pass by. “Speaking of, the CAT’s today, right? So you know what I mean.”
“Absolutely,” I reply. “But if I don’t then what am I even doing here, right? Why else would you guys keep an old fart like me in office?” I chuckle as Cinder drifts a bit closer closer to me, and nod, “Later Rock! Don’t work yourself too hard!”
He waves back as we make a turn in the hallway, taking us back to the atrium. Slowing to a canter we catch our breath, taking the time to eat our snacks. Looking down to her I say, “That means you too, young lady. Class starts in fifteen minutes so I suggest you get a move on before Yardstick realizes she isn’t getting her morning coffee.”
I swear Cinder pales for a moment, and gulps before shaking herself. Puffing out her chest she takes on a brave expression. “So? She doesn’t scare me. Nopony does!”
I ruffle her mane, “Of course not, what was I thinking? So go on, once the test is over we can actually start working together.”
She nods, and flapping up to briefly nuzzle my cheek before gliding across the atrium into a hallway. Once she has left I give a sigh of relief, and stretch a bit, feeling the aches in these bones. Rolling my neck I wince a bit, and sigh as I head for my office. “Damn… Wish I could remember what it was like to be young at least. Sweet Luna, I really do sound like an old fart…”
Going over my mental to-do list I decide to head back to my office where ponies can find me if they need me. I can stay on top of reports for once, at least until the CAT results come in. Honestly it is something I look forward to. Especially Cinder’s, I can just feel in my bones that someday she could be the next head of security.
As I get into my office I note that the door to my quarters is open. Raising an eyebrow I step over softly, and peek inside. I roll my eyes at what I find.
A certain dark purple unicorn with a messy black mane is lying in my bunk, nuzzling my pillow. Her Cutiemark is an Icicle wrapped in flame, visible as her tail wags happily. She giggles, and with a front hoof she rubs her chest before moving south…
“Are we really doing this again, Frosty?”
She looks up at the sound of my voice, and smiles. “You say that like there’s somewhere more fun to be.” Lifting her flanks in the air she wiggles them softly, “We got an hour at least, don’t we…?”
I can’t help my eyes wandering down her form, something I’ve gotten rather familiar with on several occasions. Why a cute little twenty-something like her would want that kind of relationship with someone well out of her generation like me is a mystery to me. But I suppose that everyone has their fetishes though, and with the both of us being consenting adults saying yes there’s really no harm.
Stepping over I climb onto the bed, and smile gently, “You know I could always come visit you instead.”
“Where’s the fun in that,” she giggles while brushing her tail over my muzzle…
Stepping out of the shower I stumble a bit as Frosty hip-checks me playfully. Glancing back I snap my wet tail against her plot, and she squeals as I use my magic to float over a towel. “I think I may need to officially revise my schedule,” I chuckle. Glancing over at the wall I note the time, and frown slowly. “For all the good it could do.”
“Hm?” Frosty pokes her head out of the shower, brushing wet mane out of her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“We had an hour tops before someone would come looking for me,” I explain. “But it’s been three… Something’s wrong.” Stepping quickly out of the room I grab my barding, and slip it on before headed for my terminal to check.
Frosty sighs behind me as she approaches, and slowly rests her chin on my shoulder, “Or maybe everything is right as rain, and you’re just being paranoid.”
“It’s my job to be paranoid,” I reply calmly, and blink a bit, rubbing a small headache over my eye.
She snickers, “Well maybe you’re too good at it. You ask me you needed to unwind pretty hard.”
“...I do have a question actually,” I say quietly. “The CAT exams wrapped up an hour and a half ago.Yardstick is a stickler for punctuality, so where are the results?”
I feel her tighten her jaw on my shoulder, and I look over my shoulder at her. She offers a coy smile, and I narrow my eyes. I smell a secret being kept here, and my ponies have never felt a need to keep secrets from me. So this certainly has me on edge.
Standing I turn to her, and she backs up a few steps. “What aren’t you telling me Frostbite?”
She pouts a bit at the sound of her full name, and sighs, “Check the cafeteria.”
I furrow my eyebrows, and running out of the office, I make my way there. Something in my chest feels tight with a sense of dread. Something instinctual almost, and it drives me to rush. As I round the corner I spot Bedrock, and he perks up. Turning he bolts back into the cafeteria with a sharp whistle. Something is definitely up, and my blood starts to boil with anger.
The Cafeteria is pitch dark, and with a flash of my horn I throw on the switch.
“SURPRIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!!!”
I drop into a defensive stance as my ears are assaulted with the trumpets of party blowers, and I take in the streamers… and the balloons… and the cake…
"Oh you lousy plot-munchers!" I laugh as I stand up, rubbing my chest while shaking my head.
Cinder trots up, and hugs me around the neck. "Happy Anniversary Crimson!"
Still chuckling I rub her back between the wings, "One year since I thawed out, hm? I must be going senile if I missed it. That's why you all tried to give this old stallion a heart attack?"
She shakes her head as she hops back a step. "No! Not at all! We just wanted to do something special is all."
Bedrock steps up to my right, "You sure took your time getting here. Frosty was only supposed to distract you for an hour."
"Yeah," Cinder mutters as she eyes the dark purple pony swagger into the cafeteria. Those two never really cared for each other, I never understood why. It's not like they were ever violent with one another though so I have always let them sort it out themselves.
I ruffle Cinder's mane, and chuckle, "Well it's something I certainly won't ever forget."
"That reminds me," Bedrock says as he waves a hoof to three of his Security ponies. Together they bring over a large pill shaped pod the size of a footlocker. "The timer is up. You want to crack her open before or after we cut the cake?"
I snort at that, "Cake first, it's what everyone came here for anyways."
Bedrock nudges me with his shoulder. "Oh don't sell yourself short. Security has had to put out 50% less fires since you took office."
"Literal or metaphorical?"
"Yes," Bedrock chuckles, and nods to Pumpkin Bread who gets out a long spatula to cut the cake with. I smile as I watch the foals lining up to get some, even Cinder who begrudgingly leaves my side.
Bedrock chuckles, "She's attached as always."
I shrug, "She's just looking to be helpful."
"I'm sure she is," Bedrock says dryly before stepping away to break up a brawl between a couple of colts.
Frosty slips up beside me to take a seat, "Curious about the pod?"
"Of course," I reply, staring at it. "...But… I'm a little afraid too. I mean what if the life I can't remember had me as a total mule?"
She waves off my concern with a roll of her eyes. "You? Please, you're too much of a softie. The most bad you probably did was… I don't know, forget somepony's birthday. Speaking of which…" She uses her magic to get a pair of cake slices while Pumpkin Bread has her back turned. I give Frosty a flat stare, and she smiles as she puts the cake in front of us. "I rest my case."
"Hey…" Cinder trots over, a plate with a cake slice on either of her outstretched wings. She gives Frosty a dirty look to which Frosty just smiles, forking a bite into her mouth.
I roll my eyes, and use my magic to put one of the cake slices from Cinder on the table beside me. "Why not go ask Bedrock if he wants a slice? I'll keep yours safe."
Cinder nods with a sigh, and walks off with her tail drooping over to the head of security.
About thirty minutes later everypony has filled their bellies, and now everyone is glancing from their seats over to me. And so with a shrug I nod to Bedrock whose team brings me the pod. Conversation falls quiet as I approach the pod.
"Well… This is it," I say with a smirk. "Oh boy…"
Bedrock nods to me, "Don't worry, Sir. Whatever is in there won't make us think less of you."
"Oh good," I sigh with over exaggerated relief. "I was worried that my porn stash, and collection of shrunken heads might be off-putting." There's a round of laughter as I look down at the biometric scanner that glows a soft blue. Slowly I put my hoof on it, and the device hums before the scanning pad turns green. With a hiss the pod opens, and I peek inside.
Within the pod, the first thing I see is a sleek black rifle of sorts. Judging from the pump action on it my first guess is a shotgun, but the receiver is all wrong. To be honest I don't recognize much of the rifle apart from the silver lettering etched in the side in elegant script.
"Justice," I read out loud in a low tone. "Hm…" I float it out, and look it over before setting it aside.
Turning my attention back inside the pod I pull out a long black coat that I turn over a few times in my magic. "What's with this? Was I some kind of edgelord before the war?" I shake my head, look closer. The outside looks like some kind of leather, but the inside seems to be lined with silk. A nice touch I will admit, it looks comfortable enough. So I slip it on, smiling at the somehow familiar weight of it across my back and haunches.
Looking back into the pod I find two more boxes. One I open to see a collection of photographs, those I can look into later. But the other box has to be what I am looking for the most. Opening it I find a glossy Memory Orb staring at me, the orb that is meant to hold snippets of my life, and get the memory jogging again.
Swallowing hard I rub the sleeve of my coat, and look up at everyone. "...Well… Here's to a wonderful year with the best ponies in the world."
And then I touch my horn to the memory orb, and the world swirls away to black…
"Dammit Ray! I told you no!"
"Cease thy prattle Ray!"
"Please… Ray, Please!"
Voices, colors, sounds… So much… Can't focus… Can't understand… Who are these ponies? What is going on? Why are they so sad? So angry? The war? It has to be, right?
War…
Flashes of blood, then screams, gunshots, explosions… fire… so much fire… the smells… The sensations. Something is very, very, very wrong…
Memories do come back, but not many. I remember… eyes.
Magenta eyes filled with longing, violet eyes filled with anger, blue eyes filled with hope and desperation. But most of all eyes of fire that fill me with dread. I don't know what, but something bad always follows those eyes. Why? Who do they belong to? All I can think of is the fire… fire…
*****
I stare blankly into the fire behind the black screen of mesh, my body lying on the tile floor. A wool blanket lies over me, the adult ponies having put it over me once it became clear I wasn't planning to move from that spot. My head swirls with the thoughts of a few weeks ago. The details feel so surreal that it doesn't feel like it really happened. How could it after all? It was Equestria after all, and bad things never happened in Equestria. Ponies' homes don't get burned down, and ponies taken away, hurt… or…
I turn an ear as I hear the door to the playroom open up, and three adults step inside. One is the white nurse pony that has been bringing me food, and showing me around, but the other two are strangers. One is a white stallion with a brown moustache as bushy as his eyebrows, and a tail cropped short. He has a Cutiemark of three footballs, a green sweater with a yellow zig-zag going across the chest, and some soft blue eyes. The other is a pink mare with light blue eyes, and a two toned purple mane done up in a beehive style. Unlike most ponies she wears pants so I don't get a good look at her Cutie Mark, but the white turtleneck sweater she wears at least keeps her from looking weird.
The nurse softly says, "Crimson Ray? This is Hondo, and his wife Cookie. They're going to let you stay at their home for a week, get you out of this stuffy hospital for a while. Is that okay?"
I look them over… both of them look so nervous and unsure. Slowly I nod, and whisper, "Okay."
I don't remember a lot past that, mostly looking at the grains in the tiles as I follow them out of the hospital. The two of them chatting among themselves gives me a chance to learn about them a little, like how they met in school and had been stuck like glue ever since, or something like that. What had really gotten my attention though was when they said they had a filly back home they were excited for me to meet.
When I come to once more I find myself in the infirmary of the Stable. Blinking in confusion I lift my head to look around. Cinder is in a chair nearby reading an old issue of the Power Ponies, and I clear my throat to get her attention. "Ah… Is something wrong?"
She shakes her head with a smile, "No, Mercy just wanted a chance to look you over after you dropped to the floor. It looks like you're fine though… So… what did you see in there?"
Rubbing the side of my head I think, "...Something from my foalhood… I remember now, at least a little. When I was… I think I was five at the time, my village was burned down, attacked. I can't remember who, but I lost my family there. So when rescue teams came to help Social Services picked me up."
She tilts her head, "Social Services?"
He nods, "Yes, they're a section of the government that is… was… in charge of making sure that colts and fillies weren't in abusive homes or homeless. So they took me in, cleaned me up, put me through the paces to make sure I was healthy. Then they started looking for families to adopt me."
"...So you were an orphan?"
I blinks as I return to the present, and watch her a moment. Then I smile softly, "I suppose so. Think we should start a club? We can have cool jackets." I chuckle as I flick the collar of my new-but-old black coat, she throws the comic book over my head. "Hey it's okay. When we find the right ponies we can find that your family got just a little bit bigger. Right?"
That makes her smile a bit, and she hops out of her chair to help me out of the bed. That's when Mercy walks back in, a white unicorn with a blond mane and tail tied up in buns. She wears her usual faded green turtleneck sweater, and StableTech lab coat as she walks over. "Ah, Mister Ray. How are you feeling?"
"Just a little peckish," I reply.
She nods, and makes a note on a clipboard. "I see. Well fortunately there doesn't seem to be any issues. As for your mental condition we will need to wait and see. Something you should be aware of though is that now that the neurons are starting to fire properly now almost anything could trigger a reaction. A sight, a smell, a taste, and sadly we have no way of knowing what might trigger a reaction. If you do however you can of course come to see me, and talk about it."
"I'll keep that in mind," I say with a nod. "Thank you, Mercy."
She smiles gently, and I excuse myself with my little shadow who leaves my side only long enough to retrieve her comic. As we make my way back to my office, my mind keeps playing over what I had seen in my memories.
Hondo, and Cookie… Just who were they? I mean even without the war they're long dead by account of my being an old fart. Still, it does bother me that I can't remember anything about the ponies that raised me, or that I can't even remember if those two even were the ponies that raised me. My ears perk up though as I remember the collection of photos, and Mercy's advice that anything could trigger more memories. And so with a smile, and a bit more of a spring in my step I head for my office, Cinder close behind me.
Bedrock is coming out as we approach, and he blinks. "That didn't take long."
"There wasn't anything to recover from," I chuckle. "What's the word?"
"Oh just bringing your stuff here," he says with a nod back to the room. "Well, I need to get to my patrols. I'll see you later, Crimson."
I nod to him with a smile, and we slip past one another. Cinder follows me in as I look around. Spotting the things on my bed I float over the box of photos. Taking a seat on the ground I open it up, and float them out. A key drops out of them, and I blink down at it. It's a very well decorated key with a polished sapphire in the back of it. It looks made of gold, and on a long thin chain to be worn around the neck with a magnetic clasp on the back. Floating it up I inspect it before securing it around my neck.
Cinder asks, "What's that?"
"Oh this? I think before the war it was called a… key? Might be mispronouncing that, I'll have to get back to you," I tell her as I rub my chin.
She shoves my shoulder with her front hooves as she smiles. "Smartass!"
"Hey if I'm smart then it's worth being an ass," I joke as I pull her into a headlock, and ruffle her mane as she flails around trying to escape with a squeal. I release her a short time later, and she fusses over her mane, trying to hide a grin with a pout.
I smile as I turn my attention to the photos. I snicker at the image of a much younger me sitting on a kitchen floor in front of a thoroughly demolished chocolate cake along with another foal so covered in the remains most characteristics are unrecognizable. I can tell it's a filly with blue eyes though, much younger than I was in the photo.
Cinder has a look, and snorts before bursting out laughing. "Holy cow! What in the world…?"
"Blackmail, that's what," I chuckle with a shake of my head. "Me and my… sister…" I blink, and frown as I try to focus. But I can't really recall her. "I think… well, step-sister anyhow. She was born a little bit before I joined the family. I… I can't even remember her name…"
I flip to the next photo hoping for more, and frown a bit. There's me sitting with a powder blue unicorn with an even lighter blue mane streaked with silver. The two of us are sitting on bar stools, a wooden mug each as we smile at the camera. Shelves of fine vintages make up the background, along with a pony who is presumably the bartender doing a photo-bomb off to the side with a silly face.
I put a hoof to my chest with a frown. "What…?"
Cinder looks up from the blackmail picture, and looks at the one in front of me. "...What is it…?"
Frowning softly I say, "...Someone I knew… Why does my chest hurt though?"
Cinder instantly looks concerned, "Do you need Mercy?"
"Not that kind of hurt," I reply. "Like… losing something precious…"
"Oh," she says softly, and scoots closer to hug me. "I'm sorry."
I return the hug as I stare at the photo. "...I can't even remember her name…" Cinder hugs me a little tighter at that.
Shaking my head softly I flip to the next photo. It's me with three younger mares in business suits. A yellow earth pony with deep red hair back in a bun with a pink bow, a deep orange pegasus with a purple mane, and a white unicorn with a two toned pink and purple mane. The StableTech emblem is on the front of their suits, and the three of them have very different reactions to me eating what looks like chocolate pudding from a golden shovel.
I blink at the photo, "The founders of StableTech…"
"That explains how you were chosen to be an Overseer," Cinder notes.
Frowning I say, "This day… I remember a little of it. That was after the groundbreaking ceremony for Stable 1 in Canterlot. We were at a party afterwards, and they were worried about turning into boring business ponies… So I took the groundbreaking shovel, and made a scene at the buffet table to distract them a bit."
"Sounds like you," Cinder notes. "Remember Sour Grass's birthday a few months back?"
"You mean when I shoved a bunch of potato skins in my lips till they overflowed, and asked her if I had something in my teeth?"
Cinder snickers, "Yeah, that's the one."
I smile a bit, and look back at the photo. "...I remember helping that Stable get started, somehow… It was a really important day for them…" I shake my head, "It meant a lot to me too, but I can't remember why…" I sigh, and put my hooves to my face.
Cinder looks up to me with concern, "...Are you okay?"
"Yes, just frustrated," I mutter. "All I've got are more questions now… I need some time to think."
She nods, and gives me one more hug before headed for the door. I watch her go, and close the door behind her before turning my attention to my possessions.
A key to something, a strange gun, a couple pictures, and a cliff-notes memory orb… yay…
Climbing into bed I rest my head on the pillow, looking between the photos for anything else. A thought crosses my mind then, and like an angry wasp it won't leave me be. I have a lot to think about tonight.
Waking the next morning I set to my routine just as I had yesterday. But the satisfaction I usually feel from it is absent, and it doesn't take a genius to understand why. Even if the difference is only slight I'm not the same pony that could devote his every waking thought towards maintaining the Stable. Now I have distractions niggling at the back of my mind. Who was I really? What was my story? What was it that lead me to my time in that pod?
Today when I get to my office terminal I open a window I had hardly ever glanced at. Sensors were built into the doorframe of Stable 55 to read the situation outside, at least in the immediate vicinity. Things to read the toxicity of the air, the level of radiation, and so forth. Every reading I see tells me that the world outside is well within survivable limitations. I sit there stewing in my head for what feels like almost an hour, but in reality is likely only a few minutes. Then I flick on the intercom with my magic.
"Bedrock, I need to see you for a minute."
As I wait I retreat to my room to get my effects, and lay them out on my desk on either side of my terminal. I want him to see everything, and understand the big picture for what comes next. Sitting on the seat I rest my forelegs on the desk, my front hooves pressed together as I rest my chin on them.
My chief of security steps in almost ten minutes later. "You called, boss?" He looks down at my desk, and comes to stand in front of it, looking everything over.
"...I want an outside opinion," I tell him. "From someone I know without a doubt has the best interest of the ponies under our care at heart."
He looks up to meet me in the eye, "For… what?" I would bet my rations for the next year that he knows exactly what I mean, he just wants me to say it. So I decide to be blunt, he deserves to know the unfiltered truth.
"Do you believe it would be a bad idea to open the Stable?"
He presses his lips together as he takes a slow breath, looking down at my desk with his eyes lingering on the photos. "...I don't know if there's a right answer to that, Overseer. On the one hoof Celestia knows what is out there, and could find its way here. There could even be something right outside that the sensors can't pick up."
I nod slowly, "So… you would say that the Stable should stay closed?"
"That would be the safest option," he replies. "But on the other hoof I can guess why you'd want to open it. I mean after over 200 years there might not be anything out there to find, but I'd want to know about my life too in your position."
I nod slowly, "...Here's a thought exercise then, and I mean just a thought exercise. Suppose we had no choice, that essential equipment like the air recycling systems, water talisman, or reactor went faulty to the point of FUBAR."
He raises an eyebrow, "FUBAR, sir?"
"Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition," I reply, and when he snorts a quick laugh I feel a grin of satisfaction tug at my lips. "So our options were to either slowly dwindle to desperation until we destroyed one another along with our home, or seek what we needed outside the Stable. We oughta have plans like this anyways in case something were to happen as a resolution for a worst case scenario."
Bedrock considers that, "...Well a guard detail at the entrance for one. Possibly booby traps outside… Close monitoring on the lost resource of course. Still not as safe as a closed Stable, but if we had to…"
"Then I'd like you to make plans based on our resources, drafts at the very least," I tell him. "In the meantime, I think the best solution would be to hold a poll. We'll have an assembly tomorrow in the Atrium where I'll bring the Stable up to date, and the next day we'll hold a vote. I don't want to rush this, but the sooner we can resolve this then the sooner it can put my mind at rest."
He stares at me, "...No."
I blink at him in surprise, "Excuse me?"
He shakes his head, and taps my desk, "If the Stable voted to keep it sealed all of this would just haunt you for however long you were still Overseer. This is a choice you should make because the ponies of this Stable trust you to make the right choices. If you're not sure that what you're doing is the right choice then you shouldn't do it, that's how accountability works. That's my opinion since you asked."
I look down at my things, pressing my lips together. "...And we both know I won't take a gamble with the lives of our ponies, hm?"
He nods in response, and steps back, "Whatever you decide, you're the Overseer. I trust you to make the right call, and so does the Stable."
Sighing heavily I rub the sides of my head with my hooves. "You're not making this any easier, I hope you know that."
"Well who said it was an easy choice," Bedrock asks. "I just told you how I'd make my choice, not what that choice would be."
I shake my head softly, lips pressed together. Then with a nod I say, "Thank you Bedrock. I suppose I still need more time to sort all this out… You can go if you want."
He nods, and slips out of my office. Not even a minute later Cinder trots in, tilting her head at me. "Crimson? Are you okay?"
"Yes, just frustrated," I mutter sourly as I frown at the things on my desk.
She moves to the side of my desk, and puts her front hooves on it as she looks from me to the contents of my time capsule. "Do you remember anything new?"
Shaking my head I reply, "Nothing, just fire, lots and lots of fire…"
She winces at that, "Sounds like a bad dream…" She looks down at the pictures, and then frowns a bit. Leaning in she pulls the picture of me with the StableTech founders closer. "...Huh…"
"What?"
"Look here, near the rear edge of your coat," she replies. "On your flanks… there's a hint of yellow."
Blinking I float the picture closer with my magic, and squint at it. Then my eyes widen when I see she's right, there's the faintest hint of yellow against my red fur. "Then…"
"You had a Cutiemark?" She glances at my flank a moment before looking back up to my face. "Then… you didn't?"
Frowning I try to wrap my head around this revelation. A Cutiemark is a symbol of a pony's special talent, their purpose in life, their very destiny. How in the name of Luna's moonlit twat drips do you lose something like that?! It's not like I'm injured there in any way. But no matter how hard I try to wrap my head around that it just becomes more obvious that it will join a list of unanswered questions in my head that is growing by the day. At this rate I'm sure to go slowly insane.
Resting my forehead on the desk I cover my ears with my hooves so I can think quietly. I feel Cinder put a wing over my back, and lean into me. Such a sweet filly, which in its own way makes this decision even harder. Am I really willing to risk opening the Stable, and bringing danger down on her?
Getting up slowly I decide to visit the cafeteria. Maybe a sweet roll will help me with my nerves a bit.
Stepping inside I look around, seeing all the smiling faces just carrying on with their day. As I get my try with my magic I glance at Cinder as well. Lives I'm not willing to risk for my own curiosity, something I know won't change no matter how long I deliberate about it. Even I think that makes me sound like a walking cliche, but I'm not that selfish though, Bedrock certainly had me figured out on that point.
But I could always go alone, this doesn't concern anypony but myself after all. Sure these ponies like to sing my praises, and I know I will miss this place a lot if I go through with it. Still, I need answers, and I shouldn't rely on anypony else to find them for me. Anything around here that would have given me reminders of my memories came out of that time capsule.
Looks like I'll need to have another talk with Bedrock before the day is out.
Cinder glances up at me as I get my sweet roll, and move to a table. "Are you okay?"
I nod to her, "Yeah, just weighing my odds of survival outside the Stable." Then behind me.I hear the sound of a metal clatter, and look back to see Cinder staring at me gobsmacked.
"You… You wouldn't really leave, would you?"
Sighing through my nose I take a seat, and after a brief hesitation I nod. "If I ever want answers then I'll have to."
She stomps up to me with as firm an expression as a filly can muster. "Then I'm going too!"
"Like Discord plot-fucking Celestia you are!" I frown down at her, "Cinder, this has nothing to do with anypony but me, okay? My mind's made up."
"But-!"
"No ifs, ands, or buts," I say in my best voice of authority. "Cinder, your place is here! It's safe here, but we have absolutely no idea what's outside the Stable. Odds are once I leave I'll never be able to get back, and I'm not punching you a one-way ticket to Tartarus, you understand me?"
She opens her mouth to argue, I can see it in her eyes. But I clear my throat loudly, and lean in with a hard stare. Closing her mouth she slowly bows her head. "...Yes sir… my place is right here…" Then she brushes against my side as she bolts around me, flying over the heads of other ponies as she turns a sharp corner into the hallway.
The next few days I spend waiting. I want the word to spread around that I plan to leave. I don't want anypony to think that I'm abandoning them, although I can feel in my gut that Cinder won't feel any different no matter what I do. But if she lives to hate me for it then at least she still lives.
I want to be sure that I'm leaving the Stable in capable hooves. Bedrock and I have gone around to get volunteers ready to light up the entrance to the Vault with hot lead if anything hostile tries to slip in as I slip out.
He and I march towards the Stable entrance with six of his Security ponies, armed with riot shotguns, and 10mm pistols. He's looking over my gun Justice as we move, and passes it back to me. "Not sure what to say, Sir. Looks like a regular shotgun apart from whatever upgrade that is. I'm willing to bet it's a custom modification, but for what I couldn't tell you. But at least you can still load it with your typical 12 gauge shells."
"Well at least I left myself a straightforward weapon," I say as I slip it into a holster on my saddlebags that Bedrock had gotten for me. "And after I'm gone?"
"The door shuts, and we go right to the pods to let out our next Overseer," he says sadly, huffs. "You really shouldn't be doing this. I mean what if it's actually safe out there? How are we supposed to know?"
"StableTech had secure communication channels with all their Stables," I reply. "I have the channel saved to my Pipbuck. It will need a verification code from the StableTech HQ to send a signal to you, but at least I'll be able to hear from you guys. It's on my list of stops to make anyhow so once I get the code, and get back within range I'll call."
"If you survive," he points out.
"If I survive," I agree dryly. "But somepony once told me that nothing ventured means nothing gained."
He nods slowly as we step through the doorway to the Stable entryway. I stare at the big gear shaped door for a few minutes, and inhale slowly through my nose, exhaling out my mouth. Bedrock goes over to the controls of the door, and I give him a nod. Lifting a hoof he pulls the lever to set off the unlocking sequence.
A massive arm on hydraulic supports unfolds from the ceiling, and extends the depressurizing mechanism. It screws into the door with the sirens blaring overhead with warning lights flashing. Internal locks of the door come undone with a hiss of released gasses, and then the arm retracts, pulling the door inwards before rolling it to the side on massive tracks for the teeth of the door's gear shape.
"Hey!"
I glance back at the shout of one of the security guards who looks in shock over my head. I follow his gaze just in time to see a tan blur zoom for the door. The exit bridge has only barely settled into place for flightless ponies to exit when Cinder bolts into the tunnel beyond. Some faint part of my mind marvels at what a brave little pony she is, dashing out into the dark unknown while these supposedly hardened and trained ponies look scared to chase after her. The rest of me though is ready to grab that filly around the neck, and throttle her before giving her a good hard spanking!
"Damn it all!" I bolt for the exit, shouting over my shoulder, "Wait for me to bring her back!"
Seconds later I hear Bedrock shouting that I have five minutes, but my focus is on the glow of Cinder's Pipbuck lamp further down the tunnel. Cursing under every other breath I try to catch up. But she's a filly in the prime of youth on wings, and I'm an old fart on hooves. The only way I'll catch her is if she wants to be caught.
"Well played you little shit," I practically snarl as I turn a corner in the tunnel, seeing a yellow light shining from some stairs. "Doesn't mean I'm not gonna tan your hide!"
With that I rush up the stairs, and plow headlong into absolute hell.
The first thing to hit me is the smell. The smell of filth, decay, and blood. It's enough for me to stop dead in my tracks, and actually look around. I'm inside what was once a supermarket, but now the shelves of goods are rearranged from neat rows to positions of convenience for boards laid across the tops to make walkways. Clutter is scattered across the white and black tiles of the ground, along with dried pools of red. And then are the ponies, not just the ones staring at me with mad looks of glee, but the dismembered corpses hanging from the ceiling on chains with meat hooks.
"Oh sh-!" That's all I have time to say before a hard blow connects with the side of my head, slamming me to the floor. In the corner of my eye I see a shimmer of blue around a heavy mallet, and then my vision is cut off as three ponies pile on me. Kicking out I try to shove them off until one of them bucks me hard in the stomach.
"I got this cunt~!"
I hear the jingle of chains, and squirm as my forelegs are pulled over my head. I feel the slightest touch of metal to the bottom of my hoof before an almighty pain bites down into my legs. Screaming I look up to see my hooves caught in contraptions shaped like half circles with serrated teeth between them. Bear Traps, that is what my mind labels them as. From them I see chains snaking over to a pair of support pillars holding up the roof. I also see a pair of ponies holding the other ends to the chains in their mouths, moments before they run away from me. I'm dragged across the floor by my bleeding forelegs, and then up into the air, howling in agony as I'm lifted off the ground. Enough slack comes to the chains that my rear hooves can just barely touch the ground, but that is far back down as they allow.
Desperately I light up my horn to open the bear traps with magic, but Mallet slams her mallet down on my horn. Not enough to break it, but enough to send a bolt of pain right into my brain. Screaming again I try to catch my breath, and squint to focus through the pain as best I can so I can make sense of what is happening around me.
The inside of this den of horrors doesn't have a lot in the way of electric lights, mostly illuminated by barrels of burning garbage. The ponies themselves are filthy, and ragged looking with armor cobbled together from whatever they could scavenge. Leather, scrap metal, fabric, even bones that I pray to Luna didn't come from where my gut tells me.
"Lookit," of of my captors says, a bright orange mare whose mane and tail are mostly fallen out save for a few dark brown strands and locks. From the magic aura surrounding her horn, and the mallet at her side I know who to blame for the swelling feeling on the side of my head. "He's got one of them fancy leg computers!"
"It's a Pipbuck ya skank," a lanky looking green earth pony says bitterly. "I got dibs on it by the way."
"Fuck you Lash, I saw it first!"
"Quiet…"
A deep gravelly voice draws all our attention at once. A pitch black stallion with bright green eyes strides towards us. He wears a home-forged set of heavy metal plate armor adorned with spikes and blades, and on his back I see a pair of swords. From the wings covered with a custom scale plate armor I can tell he's a Pegasus, but his most distinctive feature is how the flesh of the left side of his head seems almost melted away, revealing the teeth in his mouth in a permanent grimace.
"Boss," the one called Lash says with a nod as the two of them make way for the burly pegasus. In the light behind them I can see several more of these anarchists gathering.
The boss looks at my Pipbuck, and then at me. "He's got a Stable jumpsuit, and a Pipbuck, just like that filly you idiots lost." He turns to the ponies, "Blastburn, Hot Lead! Take all the ponies you need down that tunnel, there's a Stable down there! And if it closes I'll have both your hides!"
Cursing I kick out in desperation, aiming my right rear leg for the eye on the injured part of his face, and the metal biting into my forelegs feels like I nearly ripped something. "Bedrock!!! Close the Stable! Close the door! CLOSE THE DOOR!!!" Realistically I know the odds of him hearing me are slim, but I have to try. I'm going to die here anyways, the least I can do is not let the ponies of 55 being taken down with me.
He dances back with a soft laugh, and gives me a horrific grin. "Well, looks like you've got some fight in you…" Then he turns to go stand by the tunnel as two ponies in far more advanced armor lead the charge down.
The back of my head registers the sound of machinery as they move, and judging from how their armor doesn't even offer a glimpse of fur or hair my best guess is Power Armor. These monsters made their own custom plating, and attached it to a Power Armor frame. To make it worse the both of them have a weapon on either side of their bodies in built-in Battle Saddles. One of them has a flamethrower, and a quad-barreled missile launcher while the other has a minigun strapped to either side.
Dread fills my gut as I watch them charge down the stairway to the tunnel leading to Stable 55 with dozens of ponies following close behind. Panting hard I try to listen over the stomping of a hundred hooves for anything that would give me hope. Seconds later I hear the muffled blast of an explosion in the tunnel, and gunshots by the dozens.
But I don't hear the blaring alarm of the Stable door closing…
Hot tears pool in my eyes as the sounds of distant carnage from my home. Meanwhile that bastard these animals pledge allegiance to sits on the floor off to the side of the tunnel, the healthy side of his face set in a stoic, almost curious expression. His eyes move to me, and slowly he gets up to come just outside of hoof striking distance. "Now then, while that's being taken care of," he says quietly, talking to himself like I wasn't even there. "How do I entertain myself with you…?"
"How about you swallow my shlong like a good bitch," I spit at him through teeth gritted in pain.
That actually gets a laugh out of the sick bastard. "Ha! Not bad… You have grit, I'll grant you that, and properly guided you could be a valuable ally. So how about it, bygones?"
"Sorry, I couldn't understand you over the sound of choking on your ego," I snarl at him, taking a half-hearted kick at him, further aggravating my leg wounds. A stupid thing to do, but if I'm going out then I'm not giving this bastard the chance to think he even has half a chance of breaking me.
He rolls his eyes, "Oh very well then… I suppose I'll have to enjoy this next part as best I can."
Panting through the agony I close my eyes, praying to Luna that for a final favor that at least Cinder got away to someplace safe.
A scream from the tunnels get my attention, and my blood chills as one of these bastards drags Banana Bread up by her tail in his teeth. He has a knife pressed to her belly ready to split her wide open as he drags her over to his boss. "First one's yours, boss!"
I pant harder, shaking my head a little bit in disbelief as my eyes meet with hers in shared terror. Then the king of these killers steps over to her, blocking her from my sight. "Oh… how nice. Thank you Turnabout, you can go help yourself to some of the stash." Eagerly this Turnabout bolts off, leaving the knife for his boss.
My breathing gets heavier as I watch this bastard descends on Banana Bread. I light up my horn to grab the knife, and stick it where the sun doesn't shine. But then Mallet whacks the base of my horn again, in all the confusion I had forgotten that she was actually even there. I spit at her, and she hits me again for good measure.
The Boss lifts his head with a loud sucking sound, and he purrs in low tones to the scared filly. I try to block out what he actually says as I search for some way out, any way out. Looking to the mallet held in the air I try to gather the magic to wrench it from her magical grip, but after several head blows my magic isn't wanting to work with me right. This means another strike to the head, and my imagination tries to tell me that it is knocking my horn loose like a tooth. Clearly the last thing I need at this point is more brain trauma.
A frantic squealing reaches my ears, and my gaze snaps back to Banana Bread. Her captor has her pinned from behind as he looms over her with a sickening smile. I can tell the exact moment he enters her from the moment she screams bloody murder as his hips move. I glare at him, wishing I could light him on fire with a look, and if this cunt off to side wasn't ready to snap my horn off I'd have thrown him into a fire barrel by now. But what hurts more than that is seeing Banana Bread staring up at me, her eyes and lips screaming for help.
That's when a sharp pull at my mane jerks my head back, and the pressure it puts on my forelegs makes me scream as well. Then I get a glint of steel in my vision before I feel it biting into my head. My screams get louder and louder as I feel the blade sawing away, scraping on my skull as a wide portion of my scalp is forcibly ripped and cut away, flowing down my neck. The pain has me feeling lightheaded, and when I assume the cutting is stopped I dare to turn my head in time to see a dark green stallion with teeth filed to points wearing my mane, bloody scalp and all, around his neck like some kind of scarf.
He sees me looking, and laughs as he says, "Aw, lookie here boss! He don't got no… no…" He waves a hoof in a circle trying to think of the word when he gives up a few seconds later. "Eh fuck it! But his head's gonna catch death of cold that way."
"Maybe this will help," I hear the boss say, and something wet hits the floor in front of me.
Don't look, just don't look, Celestia's dumpster fire of a diseased twat, don't look!
But I look, I can't tell you why. I can't think straight anymore, and when I look I see an entire pony skin laid out there. Looking from it to the boss, and immediately I throw up. He just laughs as he continues to rut the skinless filly in a pool of her own blood.
Please don't let her be alive through that! Please!
"Oh a daring fashion statement," Mallet cackles as she lifts the vomit soaked pelt, and slaps it over my burning scalp wound blood side down. "But you know I think it works for you."
"Oh wait," the boss says with a dramatic gasp. "How could you all let me forget? I thought we were friends, and yet here you go letting me forget my manners. You're supposed to present guests with snacks…" He then uses blades on the feathers of his wings to snip off a piece of Banana Bread's muscle tissue. He tosses it to Mallet who catches it in her magic.
The next thing I know it's forced past my lips, and the salty sour taste makes me gag, threatening to make me retch again. Jerking my head from side to side I try my hardest to spit it out.
BLAM!
The sound of the gunshot startles me enough for the meat to be magically shoved down my throat. I almost choke on it though as a primal scream of raw agony rips its way out of my chest. Between my legs is a pain like being scalped again times a thousand, and I feel another piece of meat being shoved into my mouth.
"Keep eating, or I shoot the other testicle!" The fang toothed pony shows me his pistol, the hammer being drawn back before I press the barrel being pressed to my inner thigh.
There… there really is no choice. Tears, and blood stream down my face as piece after bite sized piece is forcibly fed to me, sickening me down to my soul.
That's when Turnabout returns, and judging from the rainbow colored inhaler he drops as well as the chainsaw he has slung on his side I can tell what comes next. Wholeheartedly I welcome it, I think I even smile.
He sees me looking, and then a look of glee washes over his features as he revs up his chainsaw. The other Raiders spot him, and jump aside as he charges at me, taking a long leap as he holds down the trigger of the chainsaw, bringing the blade down on my left shoulder. I might be screaming, I might be laughing, I really just don't care anymore. I just want to wake up from this nightmare.
When my left foreleg comes off I swing limply to my right, my face slamming onto the ground as the HUD from my Pipbuck vanishes from my vision. The next second an already familiar pain as Turnabout gives my other shoulder the same treatment.
"Dammit Turn!" I hear Mallet shouting at her companion, and a feel of magic on my shoulder wounds as muscle tissue closes. The bitch is actually healing me! "We're still playing with that!"
No, no no no dammit just let me die! Let it be over! Don't make me live through any more of this!
I miss what they say next as my hazy eyes search for anything to just end it, but then I feel myself being lifted off the ground. My rear, and now only hooves scrape on the tile as they drag me off someplace. Part of me hopes it's to a pit of hungry dogs or something, it can't be worse than the last however long I've been above ground again.
But no, of course they can't do that, that would be kind. Instead they take me outside under the night sky, and something sharp pierces my back, twice. I barely feel it though, all I can feel is pain so great I'm almost blacking out every few seconds. But I try my damnedest to stay awake. As much as I want to lose consciousness, even more I want to make sure I won't be waking up again.
My vision is blurry, but it fades into focus every few seconds, allowing me to see briefly what is ahead of me. It was once a parking lot, but now wagons, and skywagons are stacked into fortifications around the perimeter. From my vantage point I can see more fire barrels surrounding what looks like a very bloodstained arena of some sort. I can see various cages set up in there, and off to my right I see what looks like a private sitting room.
It resides inside what was once a bus wagon with most the siding removed on one side. In it is a lamp, and a couch by an end table. On the couch is a Zebra of all things, and focusing on it I can make out a few things. Based on the obscenely swollen belly and lack of male bits visible from the sideways lying position this zebra is female, and also that she has no rear legs. Her eyes meet mine, and she flinches before bowing her head.
I pity her, honestly I do. I'm not much longer for this world, but these sickos seem keen on keeping her around for a good long while.
I hear an amplified voice, and look around blearily. With the pounding in my head that voice feels like it's keen to squeeze my brain to pulp. I can't make out what it says, but I'm so far beyond caring at this point.
Oh, hey Mallet, how's it hanging?
My least favorite mare in the world is stepping out into the arena, doing something with the fire barrels. But then above me a jerk swings my chain, and slowly I look up.
I can see Cinder holding my chain as she flaps her wings hard, slowly lifting me up and backwards. My hooves graze the roof of this house of horrors, and then I flop limply to the roof. She lands in front of me, tears sparkling down her face as she sniffles.
"D… Dumbass," I say hoarsely to her from all that screaming. What is she still doing within a hundred miles of this place? Fly you fool!
"Shh," she says quietly. "It's okay… h-help is here…"
"Is it now?"
She jerks around, and I can see the Boss fluttering down to the roof. He aims a pistol in his wings like creatures with fingers would, and as he takes aim Cinder takes to the air to fly straight up… but he isn't aiming for her.
BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!!!!!!!
Fire erupts in my throat, and suddenly I can't breathe… good… no coming back from this…
A large shadow appears behind the Boss, and he gets wrapped in blue before being slammed around. Then it starts to grow larger, heavy hoofsteps approaching as at long last blissful darkness takes me...
Crimson Ray's S.P.E.C.I.A.L.:
-Strength: 4
-Perception: 5
-Endurace: 5
-Charisma: 5
-Intelligence: 9
-Agility: 7
-Luck: 5
Level Up: 2
New Perk Added: Recollections, Rank 1! Your memories, and skills of them are gradually coming back to you over time. All instances of XP gain grant you 10% extra XP.
Author's Note
I wanted to get this out by midnight Eastern Time for Christmas, my little surprise present to all of you! Leave your comments below to show your support, and if you're really feeling generous come check out my Patreon account. I have a Discord server now!
Happy Holidays to all, and to all a great life!
