“It’s been a few months since I moved into the vault. It’s been a pretty interesting experience being here. I’ve got used to my job being an engineer... although I still have my wonders about the vault at some points in my day. Blue has helped me fit in rather nicely, though he sometimes has an attitude of a crabby stallion that hasn’t had his morning hay.” Joseph chuckled as he wrote in his journal. “Still I won’t complain. Anyways I’ll write more soon, till then, let’s see what this vault has in store for me next.”

Joseph closed his journal and got his jumpsuit on, ready to start his day. Joseph then looks over at his bunk bed and spots Blue still asleep on his bunk.

Joseph chuckles and heads out, but takes a look at Blue one more time before he headed off to the lift. As expected, Blue gave no response and kept snoring. As soon as Joseph left the room, he made his way to the lift and went inside, however, he started to sense that something was a bit off.

“Is it just me, or is my mind playing tricks on me again?” he said to himself as he presses a button, “Must have been.” the lift doors close, however, the lift continues to descend.

“Um, I remembered pressing Level 1 Elevator, not the lower levels.” He said as he whacked the panel with his hoof.

Soon the elevator began to descend further into the lower levels of the vault. Where all the supplies are contained. Soon the elevator opened without its robotic voice. Joseph was a bit scared as he never went down to the lower levels of the vault by himself.

“Alright, who’s the trickster that has put me down here?” He shouted, but nopony replied, however, Joseph could hear in the distant somepony talking from far away.

“Hello?!” He shouted again. “Who’s down here?”

Joseph went to a crosswalk section, however, the voice suddenly disappears, only the sounds of the wind, air, and absence of the lower levels remained which freaked Joe out a little. He gulped and proceeded down the corridors, alone. As he trotted down the halls of the lower levels he soon reached an empty room. Inside it was a few terminals and lots of documents.

“Well now, what do we have here?” He said as he entered the room, he checked the terminals first, just to see if there was any info that he could find. The first terminal he read was a conversation between two vaults. It seemed to be a supply trade deal.

“Seems the trade consists of ammo and food supplies. Interesting.” He said as he continued searching the files. The next terminal he saw was another conversation between his vault and a community. It was another trade deal but… it was a trade deal for organic matter. Pony lungs, pony kidneys, pony stomach, pony ear and even pony eyes…

Joseph felt like throwing up after seeing this.

“What matter of decapitation is this?!” He shouted as he turned off the terminal, however as soon as he stepped away from the terminal he suddenly caught sight of a creepy message on the wall above it. The message was covered in blood. It read, “They’re going to fall. They’re going to go off… Good luck.”

Joseph gulps at the response and was starting to get even more terrified by the minute, he left the room as fast as he could. However as he exited the room, the lights began to go out.

“ALRIGHT, NO MORE FOOLING AROUND?! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?! I DEMAND THAT YOU TELL ME THIS INSTANT?!” He shouted. Suddenly all the light go out and Joseph was left in the dark. A few seconds later he sees a light from down the hall… It seemed to be somepony with a flashlight and they’re coming closer and closer. Joseph started to panic and ran the other direction away from the light, however, the darkness wasn't helping as he hit a dead end, after dead end. The light caught up to him, but there was no way out, he was trapped without a weapon to defend himself with.

“Please...please don’t harm me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He said to the light as his back went against the wall.

“Joseph? What in Celestia’s wasteland are you doing here?” Blue asked as he looks at Joseph with a worried look. Joseph’s heart was beating like crazy.

“I, I don’t know.” He shuddered as he nuzzled Blue. “I honestly have no idea what’s happening or why I was sent down here?”

“I see. Well c’mon. Lets go before somepony catches you here.” Blue replied before motioning Joseph to follow. Joseph proceeded to follow Blue into the darkness once more. Suddenly the lights cut back on, Blue and Joseph found themselves in a bloody corridor with Pony skeletons laying around.
“Dear Celestia!” He shouted in surprise. “What dark nightmare did we witness?!”

“I don’t know!!” Blue replied in shock.

Joseph and Blue stepped over the skeletons until something caught Joseph’s eye, he turned to one of the Skeletons and saw one of them wearing a small device on its hoof. He took it off and examined it.

“A pipbuck?” He asked, “What's it doing here?”
“No clue. But let's get out of here!” Blue replied.

“Alright”

Joseph put on the Pipbuck and the two ran as fast as they could back to the lift, however, the lights began to flicker as soon as they were near the lift.

“Faster Blue, FASTER!” Joseph shouted as they got near the lift.
Blue uses his magic to press the lift button as they ran towards it. The lift then opens and they both crash inside. Blue then presses the close door button.

“What kind of nightmare did we enter?” He asked Blue.

“I don’t know.” He replied as he turned the flashlight off. “What made you come down here in the first place?”

“I didn’t” Joseph replied in shock. “Somehow I pressed ‘Floor 1’ button and suddenly I descend to the lower levels without any thought or reason.”

“I see. An error in the panel in the lift. It’s your job to look into that you know?” Blue replied with a chuckle.

Joseph face hoofed. “Crap, I should have.” He said with a growl, then he took off the panel with his magic and noticed that the buttons were rewired. “Now who was the fool that rewired almost all of these buttons?”

“Don’t ask me. Ask the pony who made us walk into a death trap.” Blue replied with a grin. “Like a haunted train ride.”

Joseph looked at Blue with a suspicious look. “Was it you that did it?” He said in a stern voice.

“No. I fell for the trap the same as you.” He replied. “I woke to see you gone. So I went to the elevator to go to the cafeteria. But I went all the way down to here.”

“I see,” Joseph replied. “If somepony is playing a deadly practical joke on us, then by luna I’ll have him or her in hoof cuffs for sure” Joseph snarled at the thought.

Blue rolls his eyes. “Whatever. But could you rewire those wires to be correct? So that I can actually get to the cafeteria?” Blue asked.

Joseph nodded with a sigh, then he went straight to work. A few minutes later, Joseph finished rewiring all the buttons back into place.

“Right then, let’s see if this little beauty works,” He said. Blue then comes over to the panel and presses the first-floor button. The lift then began to ascend to the first floor.

“Well it seems we’re ascending alright,” Joseph said as he looked up at the ceiling, then back at Blue.

“Indeed. I don’t know why you don’t have your cutiemark yet. You're a genius.” Blue replied.

Joseph looked back at his flank, however, there was still nothing there. At least, nothing yet.

“I guess only time will tell.” He said.

Soon the lift reached the top floor of the vault, Blue and Joseph trot out the shaft.

“That is the last time I’m ever taking that floor,” Blue replied.

“I agree.” Joseph replied, “But what I wanna know is, who did it, and why?”

“Me too. But let’s keep this to ourselves. We don’t want anypony to find out.” Blue replied. “But anyway. What did you find down there? You looked pretty white when I saw you.”

Joseph stuttered at the thought and tried to remember what he saw down there, however the thoughts only lead him to become even more scared than before. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about it too much.

“I see… Sorry.” He replied after noticing Joseph’s emotion.

“They’re something dark happening here, something, unnatural, it’s as if, somepony is trying to lead us to somewhere, but...where exactly do we go from here?” Joseph muttered to himself.

“We definitely don’t go to the overmare. Since she would not like to find out that there are skeletons of ponies in her basement.” Blue replied with a chuckle.

“But would she even believe us?” Joseph asked with worry. “I mean, it felt like we were in some sort of horror movie where the scenes started to flash before our eyes. A few seconds later, the scene returns to normal. Would it happen if we went back down there again and everything is back to the way it was?”

“I don’t know. But I’m not up for the challenge.” Blue replied. “But should we tell the Doc?”

“If he wants to hear it, then...I guess, but would he believe our story?” Joseph asked.

“I don’t know. But it’s worth a shot.” Blue replied.

“If you say so,” Joseph replied.

Blue nodded. “Good. I know where the Doc is about these hours. C’mon. Let's go check up on him.” He replied with another chuckle.

“Alright Blue, lead the way,” Joseph replied.

Blue nods again and starts to trot down the hall towards the pharmacy. Joseph follows Blue from behind. Soon Blue reach the pharmacy where many ill dwellers were waiting for a checkup. Blue then leads Joseph to an office in the pharmacy that had a door with a sign saying, ‘Dr, Hooves’.

“Well, this seems to be our stop,” Joseph said as he stared at the door more.

“Mmhm. ‘Round about this time he’s on his lunch break so let's just--” Blue replied before opening the door. “--Enter.”

Blue then walks into the room soon followed by Joseph.

“Hello?” Joseph asked as he entered the room.

“Oh? Hello there.” Hooves replied while munching on an apple. “What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at work? Or are you ill? You don’t look ill.”

Joseph tried to find the words he wanted to say, but the memories of what happened kept haunting him which resulted in him plopping his bum on the floor in fear.

Blue steps forward and said, “Yeah. About that. The elevator A-1 was tampered with and it made Joseph go to the lower levels. I don’t know what he saw down there but when I went into the tampered elevator he was white as a ghost.”

Joseph then replied. “I pretty much felt like I was stepping into the depths of Tartarus. The level was silent, but then...I heard...voices.” He paused, then continued. “I tried to locate where the voices came from, but...they vanished without a trace.”

“I see. Then what happened?” Hooves asked while getting intrigued.

“I came across a room that was filled with filing cabinets and a few terminals. I investigated two of them, but when I took my eyes off of them, my attention was drawn to…” He paused again and was starting to sweat at the thought of what he saw. Images of the message flashed in Joseph’s eyes, he closed his eyes and he shed a tear, but then uttered what he saw in a low voice tone. “They’re going to fall. They’re going to go off… Good luck.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hooves asked.

“I dunno,” Blue asked. “But that must’ve not been the reason he was as white a ghost, right?”

Joseph remained silent as he wasn’t sure himself either, then he looked at the pipbuck on his hoof which caught Hooves attention.

“Wait… Isn’t that a Pipbuck?” Hooves asked.

Joseph looked up at Hooves.

“This?” He asked as he motioned his hoof to the Pipbuck.

“Yeah.” Hooves replied. “Where did you get that?”

Joseph stuttered again as he wasn’t sure if Hooves would believe him if he told him that he found it on a Skeleton Pony.

“He found it in the lower levels,” Blue replied.

“Ahh. I see. Okay.” Hooves replied.

“Yet, I’m not sure who it use to belong to,” Joseph said with a hint of fear in his voice.

“Every Pipbuck owner registers their name to the Pipbuck. Try to check it.” Hooves replied.

Joseph checked to see if there was any name on the device, a few seconds later he found it, however, he was surprised to see his own name on the device which gave a chill down his spine.

“What does it say?” Blue asked.

“It’s...mine?” Joseph questioned. “But it can’t be mine, I was never given one when I first arrived.”

“Weird… Maybe that Pipbuck is special. I don’t know.” Hooves replied with a chuckle.

“Maybe, but...who would dare leave it down there?” Joseph asked.

“I dunno,” Blue replied. “But who cares.”

Joseph looked at Blue with a feared and worried look on his face.

“Well… That was a… wonderful story. I’ll look into it.” Hooves replied. “Now, go back to work. I’ll speak to the overmare about this.”

“A-alright,” Joseph said with a stutter as he got himself back on his hooves.

Blue sighs and turns to leave, “Right. Let’s go.” He replied.

Joseph follows Blue from behind, he still couldn’t shake the thought out of his mind.

“Since. I’ve got no night shifts. Can I come with you?” Blue asked.

Joseph nodded.

“Okay. Lead the way.” Blue replied with a smile.

Joseph trotted to his duties with Blue following close behind. “I’ll find out who’s responsible for the hauntings down there if it’s the last thing I do.” Joseph thought to himself with a scowl on his face.

Suddenly as Joseph and Blue reached the Engineering section of the vault they felt a large shake in the ground. It seemed to be a large earthquake.

“Get down!!” Joseph yelled as he slid to the side of the wall and was in a laying down position, covering his head with his hooves.

“Holy buck!!! An earthquake?! How?” Blue yelled in shock as he ducked under a desk.

Joseph repeated the words that he saw on the wall of the lower levels to himself, “They’re going to fall. They’re going to go off… Good luck.”

Suddenly Joseph and Blue began to hear alarms and Blue got up in shock. “That’s no good…” He said.

Joseph looked up at Blue with fear and terror on his face.

“They’re here,” Joseph said in a ghostly voice.

“Not funny. We need to find the overmare and fas--” Blue said before getting cut off by another large earthquake.

Suddenly the lights cut off as the earthquake began to decrease.

“Blasted lights!” Joseph shouted as he lit up his horn with his magic and tried to find the emergency lights.

Blue start to panic. “We. Need. To. Find. The. Overmare.” He said.

“How in heaven’s name are we gonna get there without power?!” Joseph shouted again in frustration.

“Well, I don’t know?! Use our horns?” He yelled.

Joseph sighed a moment, then calmed himself down a bit. “I guess our horns will have to do, for now.” He replied.

Blue nodded and lead Joseph to the hall. Suddenly the scary messages began to appear on the walls.

“Is this vault haunted?!” Blue yelled as he read the messages.

“Better not?!” Joseph replied with a shout, suddenly the messages began to vanish and the lights began to shine.

Blue ran down the hall with Joseph on his tail. (Not literally) They then reach the vault door where a few dwellers and the doctor. They seemed to be panicking.

“What was that loud noise?” Spitfire asked.

“It’s most likely the nukes going off.” One Stallion jokes.

“Don’t speak like that!!” Spitfire replied.

“Sorry, Spitty.” The Stallion replied. Spitfire growled.

“What’s going on?” Blue asked before he looked at the dented vault door. “Oh gosh…”

Joseph looked at the door with a stern looked. “It has begun.” He said to Blue.

“What has begun?” Blue asked with a stern look.

“The beginning of the end,” Joseph said in a ghostly voice.

Author's Note

The OC Joseph belongs to https://www.deviantart.com/alduthecat and other OCs used in the chapter were either made up OCs or my OCs.