Chapters Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Prologue: Memeories
Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Prologue: Memories
Memories, memories are what make us who we are. They tell the story of our lives and define us as ponies, but when that is taken away what is left? A husk of what they use to be? Or something entirely different? Do they still feel and act the same way they did when they had they memories, or dose a new life begin as they try and find out what they once where?
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"Wake up. Wake up." A soft voice called to me "Wake up. You need to wake up."
I pulled my face from the floor and sat on my haunches rubbing a hoof over the side of my face that had hit the metal floor. I took a deep breath as the bruise that was on my face was nothing serious, when it hit me. I recognized that stench, and a look down the hallway to my right confirmed it. It was the smell of rotting flesh in a confined room as I looked down at the decomposing bodies on the floor. I saw something on one of the body's as I got up to go see if it was anything worth wile. As I walked I looked around the room noticing other tubes that lined the wall. They where dark and offline, I could see some faces inside a few of them but could tell they were dead.
I picked up the pace and trotted over to the body as the smell got worse. I stopped just short of the body examining it. Its lower half was almost completely gone showing bone and sinew. I looked down at face, completely unrecognizable, then something shined just below my vision. I looked down, and wrapped around its foreleg was a PipBuck, I reached out with a hoof for it when I froze. Clipped on the chest pocket of the body was and ID badge with a picture of a white buck and a name. "Mercury" Was written on the bottom of the badge. I just stood there with an outstretched hoof, as I tried hard to think.
"What was my name?" Echoed through my head. I couldn't remember, I couldn't remember my name, and it scared me. I had no memories, I tried to think of anything but just drew a blank. I put a hoof too my head trying to think when it touched something, I felt up and the length of some long pointed thing on the top of my head, I then realized it my was horn. I put my hoof back to the floor as I sighed, but then a howl behind me brought me back to reality.
I looked behind me, and down the dimly lit hall was the form of a pony, it stared at me, breathing heavily. I watched it for a second, and then It took a step toward me.
"Oh Fuck!" I thought as it howled one more time and started running down the hall at me. I looked back to the body and saw a Pistol on its side. I focused and reached out with my magic and pulled the gun out of the holster and whorled around to face the best that was stampeding at me. I leveled the gun at its head and pulled the trigger as a loud *Crack* resonated down the hall, and then I heard bullet meet flesh and bone as the beast fell to the floor as slid closer to me.
I kept my gun aimed at the beast as it laid motionless on the steel floor. I looked at the creature and recognized it as a Ghoul, it skin gone in places on its face and body reveling muscle tissue and in some places bone. I lowered my gun and turned back around to get the Pipbuck from Mercury's leg, but keeping my ears up to listen for any more of the creatures. I Looked back down at the poor soul and used my Telekinesis to unbuckled the Pipbuck off his leg and then clip it to my right leg.
I turned it on and went to the map to see where I was. I was surprised that I knew how to find the map, it felt almost like I had used one of these before. I soon opened the map and it gave me a view of where I was, I appeared to be on the bottom level of Stable 50 . I then noticed the recent journal entries on the Pipbuck, I taped the screen pressing play on the most recent entry as a voice emitted from the Pipbuck which I assumed was Mercury's.
" This is journal entry number 42. The subjects are responding well to the treatment inside the cryo chambers. Although 3 subjects we are having problems with, they don't seem to respond in the normal way when we introduce the test to them in their chambers." Mercury pause for a brief second before continuing. "They seem to fight the treatment once we start, we are only getting mild results from 2 of them but are getting 0 results from the subject in chamber 34. She is being moved the top floor for more analysis while subjects 12 and 67 will remain on the bottom floor with the rest for regular testing." Mercury said as the recoding came to an end.
Number 12? I thought, and looking to my right I saw an 8 printed on the side of one of the chambers, and they kept climbing as I looked father down the wall. I got up moved down the hall counting as I walked. 10,11, and stopped in front of 12. I looked at the empty chamber, it was open unlike the others. then I realized, I was in this pod, I'm number 12.
Then I remembered the recording, "They seem to fight the treatment." and " Subjects 12 and 67" ”Wait,67? Does that mean somepony else may still be alive? " I thought as I looked the other way down the hall on the opposite wall where I came from, 42 was the last pod on the wall before they turned around a corner. I trotted quickly down the hall and around the corner, my gun still held in my magic.
As I rounded the corner my eyes where met with the soft blue glow of a still working chamber about halfway down the hall. I ran down and stopped in front of the pod. Still being powered, keeping the occupant the same way he was when he entered it. I just stared at it and put a hoof on the side of the chamber as I sat on my haunches thinking. "How am I suppose to get him out?" My ears perked up when I heard a soft beeping coming from my Pipbuck. I looked at it and read the words on the screen. "Do Wish To Open Pod 67?" With a yes and no button under the words.
Chapter notes :
Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Chapter 1: The Places You Find Friends
Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Chapter 1: The places you find Friends
Friends, you don't see them that often in the wasteland. Most ponies you meet ether want to kill you or they just ignore you, as they try and continue their life in the waste. Friendship is not dead though. The prewar ponies where all friends, before they lost their way to greed and cruelty, and killed their own world and left us to try and rebuild. If you can make a friend in the ravaged world we call the wasteland your life can greatly benefit from each other.
I can't remember if I had friends, it kind of sucks not remembering if you where loved or you had parents that cared for you, but that is the forgotten past now. I have friends with me now, who would never leave my side and I would never leave them. The feeling they give me when they are around helps me take that next step, walk that next mile, and live tell the next day. I don't know where my journey will take me, or what I will find at the end of trail that I walk, but I know when I face whatever is at the end my friends will be at my side ready to help me.
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The door of the pod came to a stop above my head as the cool blue gas inside drifted out and covered the floor. The pony inside was a buck, his coat was dark grey with a black main and tail. It looked like he had a pair of gold stripes running through his main, but strangely not through his tail. I looked down to his flank and looked at his Cutie Mark, It looked like a StealthBuck attachment that you would interface with a Pipbuck to make you invisible.
"How do I know that?" I thought, and then I remembered I never really looked myself over, I didn't even know if I had a Cutie Mark. I was about to turn my head to check when a groan form the Cryo Tube made me look up to the bucks face.
His eyes opened and he slowly scanned the room tell his gaze rested on me and he just stared. His eyes closed as he groaned one more time and raised a hoof up to the side of his head.
"Where am I? And who are you?" He said, then his nostrils flared and his eyes jumped open. "And what is that Fucking stench?!"
"Uhh? " Was all I could say as he pushed himself out of the tube and landed on the floor next to me. It was then that I noticed he was a Pegasus as he opened up his wings as he stretched.
"I asked who you are?" The Pegasus stated as he turned to face me.
"Uhhhh. I don't know who I am." I said, he just looked at me for a second before he spoke.
"What do you mean you don't know who you are? What's your name?" He asked as the look on his face changed to one of interest.
"Uh, I guess you can call me..." I stuttered as I tried to think up a name, and the most obvious came into my head and I said it. "Subject 12" I said with a shrug really unsure of what to tell him.
He cocked his head at me. "What kind of a name is Subject 12?"
"I don't know my name." I said as my ears lowered. "I only know that I was in pod 12 and the journal entry on this Pipbuck I found called me subject 12."
"Huh. Well then." He said as he stood up taller. "My name is......... Uh..... my name....is." He tried to say as a worried look came across his face as he closed his eyes."I.....can't remember." His eyes clenched tight as he tried to think. "I can't remember anything."
The bucks back legs slipped out from under him as he sat on his haunches in front of me. "Why can't I remember?" He said as his eyes opened and a pleading looked was on his face.
"I don't know. They were doing some kind of test on the ponies in the cryo stasis pods." I said, he looked up at me and cocked his head again.
"Here" I said as I raised my Pipbuck and played the journal entry for him to hear.
He listened intently as the recoding came to an end. He just stared as the floor for a while before he said anything.
"Well, I guess I'm 67 then. What do we do now?" He asked as he stood up.
"Well, they probably have a file on all of the ponies that are in here. There could be a copy on the Overmares terminal in her office." I stated as I turned around in the hall and started to head to what looked like a door. "That would be our best shot as to figure out who we are and why we were in stasis."
"Ok." 67 said as he walked beside me as we made our way down the hall. I looked down at him and he was a bit smaller than me, all Pegasus where a little smaller than other ponies. They were built for speed and maneuverability, not strength like an earth pony.
At the end of the hall was indeed a door with a barley working sign above it saying Stairs/Elevator, but that's not what I was really looking at. Leaned against the door was the body of a unicorn, and like the rest he was rotting away in this tomb. There was a rifle holstered on his side along with a saddle bag. "uhhhh." I hear as looked to my right.
"So that's what the smell is." 67 said as he looked at the body. I reached out with my telekinesis and pull out the rifle. I examined it, seemed almost like it has never been fired. I pullback on the action and let go as it slid forward and slammed into the other side with a *Snap* , It felt good holding the rifle in my magic, the gun also looked good in the red glow of my magic, it almost felt soothing. I went back to the rest of the body, and the saddle bags. Inside where two syringes of Med-X , four Healing Potions, and six empty magazines with two cases of 308. ammo for the rifle.
I shrugged and pull the bags and the Holster of the body and fastened the bags onto my back and the holster on my right side. It was the first time I looked at the color of my coat and main, my coat was dark red and my main was a slivery white. My Cutie Mark was interesting, it looked like the crosshairs of a rifle scope where printed on my flank, I ignored it for the time being and I went back to my gun. I pulled out the magazine on the rifle and started to reload it.
"What are you doing?" I heard 67 ask.
"I already killed a ghoul down here, and if there's one there are bound to be more." I said as I pushed the magazine back into the rifle and pulled the action back loading a round into the chamber. I holstered it and pulled out an extra magazine and started to reload it.
"Ghoul?" I heard him ask.
"You know, Feral Ghoul, a pony exposed to too much radiation. It turns wild and hunts living things for food." I stated as I started reloading multiple magazines at once.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." I heard him respond.
I sighed and motioned with my head over to the one I killed. "There's one over there, just past the two bodies. Go look for yourself, and bring back anything that is on the bodies while I see if I can get this door open."
He nodded and walked down the hall towards Mercury and the ghoul. I took one last look over the unicorn in the doorway and saw that it had a Pipbuck on its leg too. I pulled it off just as 67 was returning. He was carrying a gun holster in his mouth and a had a saddle bag resting on his back.
He spat the leathery holster out of his mouth and spoke. "There's some 10mm ammo in the bags with some clips for a pistol, but I couldn't find the gun."
"K, that's fine." I said. As I looked at 67. "You might as well strap up. I'm not carrying all of the weight."
"What?" He said
I opened up my saddle bag a pulled out the pistol I got form Mercury and levitated it to 67 and set in on the floor in front of him.
"Ohh, so that's where it went." He said. I chuckled a little bit.
"You put on the gear and load the clips while I finish getting the door. Ohh, and here, put this on as well." I said sliding the Pipbuck over to him with my hoof.
I turned back to the door and the terminal to its right. I moved the body of the unicorn out of my way and into the hall so I could work. I used my Pipbuck to get try and get past the security on the door, but once I linked up my Pipbuck to the door terminal, a password automatically loaded into the door and it started to open. The door made a girding sound as it moved to open only to get stuck half way. I sighed and thanked Mercury's passwords for making my life slightly easier.
I focused my magic on the two half's of the door and started to force it open. It fought me as I pushed, and I only managed to get it to open just enough for me to squeeze through. I stepped through the door and stood up on the other side. The hall was much better lit then the Cryo room but there was still a lot of missing lights on the ceiling. I heard 67 hooves on the floor as he stepped through the door and stood next to me.
I saw something down the hall a little ways and on the right wall, it looked like the elevator. I started to walk down the hall when my Pipbuck started beeping. I looked at it and the E.F.S showed several red dots just down the hall and around the corner. I pullout my rifle out and heard 67 do the same thing with his pistol. I kept the 308. aimed down the hall as I heard the unmistakable howl of ghouls come from further away.
I looked back to my E.F.S and the dots where on the move down the hall to us, and where going to be coming around the corner any second. I level my gun at the middle of the hall waiting for them to come around the corner, 67 stepped into my field of vision with the pistol in his mouth waiting for them to round the corner.
The ghouls came around just as I predicted, at full speed and slamming into the opposite wall. I decide now was as good a time as any and activated S.A.T.S. The spell worked like charm as time slowed to a stop. I could see the faces of the ghouls in the middle of their charge, I lined up head shots into three of them and let the spell drop as my rifle fired. Two shots hit their mark dropping the targets to the floor, the third missed and struck the leg of a ghoul behind my target. I heard 67 open fire and hit the ghoul I missed several times before it fell to the floor with a thud as three more ghouls came around the corner.
I aimed at one ghoul and fired three times, they made contact with the beast's head and chest. I fired the last two rounds at another one hitting in the shoulder and going wide with the last shot as the magazine ejected its self form my rifle. The ghoul didn't even slow down as the bullet tore through its shoulder.
I pulled out a fresh magazine and jammed it into the action as the ghoul closed the distance. I knew I wouldn't have enough time to shoot the beast so I thought, and I thought fast. I used my telekinesis and grabbed an over turned desk in the hall a slid it at the creature. I missed as it jumped over the desk and landed on top of me making me lose my grip on my rifle. It bit down into my shoulder and I screamed in pain. I use my back legs and kicked the ghoul over my head and off me.
I got up fast ignoring the pain in my right shoulder as looked for my gun. I found it and reached out with my magic pulling it back to my side, I looked up just in time to see the best getting back on its feet. I went back into S.A.T.S and quickly lined up three shots into the ghouls head. The spell dropped and my rifle made a loud *Crack* as the round left my gun and sped to the ghoul. It hit right between the eyes of the beast as its head explode showering gore over the walls. as it slumped to the ground. S.A.T.S. stopped me from wasting two more bullets on the dead beast.
I turned around just in time to see 67 jump and flap his wings as a ghoul slid underneath him. I saw 67 freeze for a sec as he went into S.A.T.S. and then I watched him rain death on the ghoul beneath him. I looked back down the hall where the ghouls had come from. The only thing down the hall was the ghoul I hit in the leg, and it was slowly making its way to us. I leveled my rifle at it and fired, putting the last round into its chest as it fell over on its side and lay motionless. 67 came back to the ground as he folded his wings back up.
The adrenalin wore off as I became aware of the pain in my shoulder. I open up my saddle bag and floated out a syringe of Med-X and a vile of Healing potion. I injected the Med-X into my side as it's numbing agent took hold and the pain in my shoulder left. I put the vile of potion up my lips and swallowed, it tingled on the way down but its affects where immediate as the hole in my shoulder stated healing before my eyes. I looked back at 67, he was doing the same thing with med-x and a potion, apparently he took a hit dunning the fight as well.
I looked at my E.F.S. and it showed no more red dots, so I holstered my rifle and picked up my empty magazine off the floor, I reloaded it and stuffed it back into my saddle bag with the rest when 67 spoke.
"Well that was bucking fun, wasn't it." He said sarcastically. I chuckled a little as we walked to the elevator, the light on it still glowing.
I pressed the button on the wall to call the elevator. I heard gears move as the door slid open. Thankfully it was still working, it would save us a lot of walking. We stepped inside and looked at the glowing lights on wall of the elevator as they labeled the floors we could travel to. I knew the Overmares office would be on the commons floor, but a glowing button just below that caught my eye, the armory floor. I smiled as I pressed the button with my magic. The doors slid closed as the cables above us pulled us to our intended destination.
We came to a stop and the doors slid open. We were facing a door on the opposite side of the hall with the glowing words ARMORY above it. I pulled out my rifle and peeked out into the hall, nothing was there that I could see and my E.F.S told the same story. I put my rifle away and walked across the hall with 67 right behind me. There was a terminal next to the huge door and I went to work to open the door, while 67 covered me.
I linked my Pipbuck to the wall mounted terminal, and again Mercury's Pipbuck gave me access as a large thump of metal on metal came from inside as the large door swung inward reviling to us the cache of weapons inside. Ammo cans where still neatly places on their intended shelf's and a large steal cage which I recognized as the weapon locker.
I looked back at 67 and saw his eyes grow wide as he sped past me and made a dash for the weapon lock up. I smiled at him as he ran past, he looked like a foal in a candy shop. He stopped in front of the cage and then looked quickly to his left then his right looking for something. He found whatever he was looking for as he dashed to his left picking something up in his mouth and ran back in front of the locker.
I just shook my head and walked over to one of the many shelf's with ammo cans on it. I started to poke through them finding ammo for a wide variety of guns. I found a few grenades and some more ammo for me and 67 guns but not much that we could use, most of the cans where actually empty. I decide to go see what 67 was doing with the weapon cage, as I got closer I could hear the sound of metal taping on metal as 67 worked at trying to open the lock on the cage.
I was actually impressed as I watched him work, holding a screwdriver and a bobby pin in his mouth at the same time as fiddled with the lock. I just sat down at one end of the cage as I watched him work, but then I started to get a little tired as I leaned against the cage. My eyes where just about to close when I heard a *Click* and the sound of the lock falling to the floor.
"Yes!" I heard 67 exclaim as he dropped the screwdriver that was in his mouth as he stepped back from the cage. I got up and used my magic to slide the big heavy doors on the cage reveling a totally untouched cage of weapons. I stared at all the weapons on the inside wall of the cage and the ones laying on the floor. I looked to my right and saw 67 taking advantage of this as he started pulling a battle saddle off of a hook on the back wall of the cage. I looked back to my side of the cage and I almost looked past the prize that was hidden behind a few hanging battle saddles. I move them out of the way, and sitting on the back wall on its hooks, untouched, was a glorious black rife.
I reached out with my magic and lifted it out of its place and brought it into the light. It was magnificent, it was the same style as my current rifle, but there was something different about it. I turned it over and read the inscription on the stock, Etched in silver was the word "Swift" . I looked over the weapon even more bathing in its beauty. I heard a beep come from my Pipbuck and I raised my leg so I could read it. "Do you wish to download the Swift program" Was scrawled across the screen in green letters with "Yes" and "No" glowing on the screen. I pressed yes and the download started. 1% 30% 90% 100% Then a letter icon appeared on my screen indicating that I have a new message file to read. I opened it a read.
SwiftHello Swift user, this is just a small letter informing you of all the things Swift is capable of. Swift is a Stable-Tec (prototype) attempt at a self reloading rifle. It was intend for use be a unicorn so that the reloading function can be activated. Swift is a standard Zebra 308. with an internal CPU that when linked with a PipBuck is able to redirect the magic that it gets from its user to automatically catch ejected cartages and magazines, reload another magazine into the action of the rifle, and reload any empty magazines. Swift will also (once linked to a PipBuck) help the user in S.A.T.S by counting wind trajectory and range of target to improve accuracy. Swift is a sturdy weapon and is able to handle the ruff conditions of any conflict that it may find its self in.
Enjoy Swift to its full extent and have a pleasant day.
From all of us here at Stable-Tec.
I closed the file and looked back at my new toy as a grin crept onto my face. I decide to give it a test as I pulled out an empty magazine, and holding swift in my magic, I threw it past the gun.
Just as the file said an orb of magic came from the center of swift as a soft red glow grabbed the magazine and quickly pulled a fresh one out of my saddle bag and jammed it into the action and pulled it back loading a round in the chamber as the empty magazine started to reload its self and then was placed back into my saddle bag. I smiled as pulled the old rifle out of its holster and put Swift in its place.
I looked back at 67 for the first time in a while. he was already suited up, Battle saddle and all. He then pulled a Combat Shotgun out of the locker and clipped it to the right arm of his saddle. He smiled at me as he reached in and pulled out another one clipping it on left arm of the saddle. I sighed as he gave me this be smile, I turned back to the locker looking for anything else we could use. I pulled a holster out from the back and put it on my left side and slid an SMG inside, for when things get up close and personal. I looked around one last time. grabbing a few more boxes of ammo and any extra magazines that I saw. I was just about to close it up when a glint in the back of the cage caught my attention.
I moved some of the Assault Rifles that where covering the back of the cage out my way looking for that glint, and sitting on a shelf was a small box. with a silver tag. I opened it up and resting inside was a black rifle scope.
"Oh. My day just can't get any better." I thought as I pulled the scope out and looked through it. Turns out it could, a small switch on the side of it turned the scope to night vision mode. I smiled as I pulled Swift out and using the Screwdriver 67 used to get into the cage I attached the scope to Swift. The scope could also be move out of the way allowing me to use the iron sites. I re-holstered Swift and looked back to 67, he nodded at me and folded up the arms of his saddle so the shotguns rested on his back ready at any second to unfold and destroy any thing that presented its self as a threat.
We walked out of the armory and back into the elevator, I pressed the glowing button that said commons, the doors closed and we slowly rose in the elevator to meet whatever was on the other side of its doors.
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"OH FUCK" I thought as a bullet came flying towards me and grazed my right flank. I yelled as I returned fire and dove behind a makeshift barricade. I looked up and saw 67 crouched right beside me, he rose over the wall and I heard the sound of his shotguns firing and the yell from the other side of the room as the blasts hit their mark. He ducked back down as a wave of bullets flew over the barricade and slammed into the metal wall.
67 didn't move fast enough as a round made a hole in his right wing, the crimson blood flowing down his feathers and onto the cold floor as he gritted his teeth fighting through the pain. I looked down and saw the bleeding gash on my right flank and the bullet lodged in my left foreleg. I growled and pulled out one of the grenades that I got from the armory from my saddle bag, I pulled the pin and threw it over the wall. As the explosion echoed in the room my mind started to drift off as I thought about how the fuck me and 67 got into this mess.
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We had just left the elevator and where walking onto the large balcony above the commons floor when my E.F.S. started beeping. I was in the middle of raising my leg when a blunt object slammed into the back of my head and I fell to the floor. I tried to get back up but the pain was too much and my legs wobbled underneath me as I fell back to the floor and blacked out.
I woke up on my side in some dingy and poorly made prison cell. I looked around the room from my position on the floor when I felt the pain on the back of my skull. I reached up and felt the knot on the back of my head, didn't feel like anything was broken but it still hurt. I slowly got up and tried to figure out where I was, I looked around the rest of the cell and saw a black mass laying on the floor. I made my way over to it trying to figure out what it was but there wasn't that much light to tell. Once I got closer I realized what it was and ran over to it.
It was 67, I could tell by what light there was reflecting off the gold streaks in his main. I couldn't tell if he was alive or not so I rested a hoof on his side, I could feel the rise and fall of his breath under my hoof but he was still out cold. I took a step back and looked around for anything we could use but I saw nothing until I looked at the floor, that's when I saw the soft green glow of my Pipbuck. I looked at it and smiled, whoever ambushed us didn't think to take our Pipbucks off. I opened up the map and looked at the outlines of the room we were in.
It looked like we were in one of the many sleeping quarters of the stable but this one was converted into a holding cell of sorts. I put my leg down just as the door to our room open, I looked away from the bright light. I looked back and my eyes started to adjust as the form of a pony was clearly visible through the bars of the cage. Then a voice came from the pony.
"Where going to let you out now, wake you friend and fallow me, and don't even think of trying anything." It sounded like a mare but I wasn't sure, I think there was something over her mouth to mask her voice.
I saw a glow on top of the pony's head and then over a section of bars on the cage. Then the whole section slid to the right making a hole in the cage. I backed up to where 67 was laying keeping my eyes on the pony, I looked down at him pushed him with a hoof, he didn't respond, he was still unconscious. I sighed and grabbed him in my telekinesis and laid him over my back with his head laying on my left side. I looked back to the door, the mare was still standing there silhouetted in the bright light of the hall behind her.
I walked out of the cage as the pony stepped into the bright hall and I fallowed. I stepped into the hall and bilked adjusting to the light. I looked around and there were two ponies standing at the sides of the door with rifles attached to their Battle Saddles.
"Follow me." The a unicorn pony in a full suite of leather armor said and started to walk down the hall.
One of the ponies pushed me on my side in the direction of the walking unicorn. I fallowed and watched as several other ponies in the same armor walked by, their faces covered by bandanas and goggles. 67 shifted on my back and I looked back to check on him. He was still out and was laying limp on my back as I walked. I looked back to the unicorn I was fallowing and stared. I could tell it was a mare by the way it walked but I couldn't see her coat or main, just her tail, a dark blue. I looked past the mare at a large door at the end of the hall, then something pinched my left side.
I looked back at 67, he was still limp but then I looked at his face. One of his blue eyes were open and staring at me, and then his eye shut. I tuned back around and looked at the unicorn mare as we stopped in front of the large door. It opened up and I fallowed the mare inside. The ponies that where fallowing us stopped just sort of the door and took positions at each side. The door closed and I looked back into the large room.
The unicorn mare walked up to a green unicorn buck that was sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room and whispered something in his ear. He was wearing the same armor as the rest but his face wasn't covered. The buck looked up and stared at me as the mare took a step back behind him.
"So." The buck said as he got up from the chair. "You're the ones who came out of the elevator." He slowly walked in front of the desk, stopped and then faced me.
"I guess I should thank you, you two made our job a hell of a lot easier." He said "But then I think. How did you get past us and make it to the elevator in the first place?"
I stared at him trying to figure out what he was talking about.
"But even that doesn't matter." His horn glowed and Swift floated into my vision. "We didn't even have to go to the armory, you brought what we were looking for and walked right into our camp." Swift floated away and I watched it as it was leaned against the wall next to the rest of our gear that was sitting by the wall.
"Our contract with the Steel Rangers is done. Now all that's left is to pack up and move out." He walked back behind his desk and sat down.
"Oh, one last thing." His horn glowed and I heard the sharp tick of a hammer on a pistol being pulled back.
The pistol came from his right side and was aimed right at my head. My eyes opened wide and I felt 67 tensed up on my back. I felt his front hooves dig into my ribs and his wings brush past my head as he jumped from my back knocking me over just as the bullet past right between us and hit the door. I landed on my side and looked at the mare in the suite of armor drawing her pistol as well.
I grabbed the desk with my magic and threw it at her knocking over the buck in his chair in the process. I heard a sickening *Crack* as the desk slammed into the mare with full force throwing her into the wall, she slid down to the floor and remained still. I started to get up but stopped when I saw the green buck levitating the pistol at me again. He had this sick grin across face as I closed my eyes waiting for death. I heard the sound of a gun going off but never felt the impact.
I opened my eyes and saw the buck still holding the pistol. The green glow around the gun disappeared as it fell to the floor, the buck then toppled over on to his side. I looked to the left side of the room and saw 67 holding a smoking pistol in his mouth. He smiled at me through the mouth grip as I stood up. He kicked Swift over to me and I grabbed it. It was then that the door to the room opened, and the two guards outside ran in.
They looked around the room and once seeing me and 67 one of them aimed the rifle on his battle saddle at me. He fired and I managed to jump out of the way. I ran at him and turning Swift around the hit the guard in the face with the butt of the rifle knocking him over. I swung around at the other guard and caught him in the neck and heard bones brake.
I looked down at both of the guards nether of them moved. I turned around and saw 67 putting his saddle back on and I just looked at him.
"Really? Had no intention of helping me there." I growled at him. He just shrugged as he pulled the last strap on his saddle tight.
"What? I knew you could handle them." He said smiling at me.
"Ha ha." I said as I pressed the button next to door closing it. "More will be coming, they would have heard the rifle going off. So we need to move."
He nodded at me as I grabbed the rest of my gear and strapped it back onto my body. I loaded Swift, and the SMG and slid it into its holster as I kept Swift in my magic. We moved back to the door and opened it, nothing was down the long hall. We slowly stepped out and walked carefully listening for any sound. I opened my Pipbuck map and looked for the exit. It was just down the hall to the right and up the main stairs. I picked up the pace and started to run with 67 by my side.
"The stable exit is just down this way." I said as we rounded the corner. "Let's just hope we don't run into any mor-" I stopped mid sentence and skidded to a stop.
I looked out into a large group of ponies. Most of them were eating and stopped mid chew when they saw me and 67 come around the corner.
"OH SHIT!" I yelled as they picked up their weapons and aimed them at us.
((((((------------------------------------------))))))
"12!12! We need to move or we're gonna die here!" 67 yelled bring me back to my senses and the world around me.
The sound of gun fire was everywhere as I looked around. 67 was staring at me as he reloaded his shotguns.
"Oh ya." I said as I looked around for anything that might help us when my eyes saw a glowing sigh above a door.
OVERMARES OFFICE.
"There!" I yelled pointing with my good leg at the open door. 67 nodded as he popped back over the wall firing again
"67!" I yelled as I brought Swift out and fired into the group of approaching ponies. Hitting one in the head and dropping him to the floor.
67 lined up to the door and started running, he used his wings to help him get a little more speed as bullets hit around him. He dove and slid into the room on his belly . I pressed the button closing the door and then hit the emergency lock button stopping the door form being opened from the outside.
"There. That should hold them for a little bit." I said as I turned around. I then saw 67 laying on the ground.
"Oh crap." I said as I ran to his side, looking him over for wounds.
"Uhhhhh." He groaned. "I'm fine. I just slammed into the wall when I slid in."
"Oh, ok, good. Because I really didn't want to waste my last potion on you." I said, smiling down at the Pegasus on the floor.
He growled at me, I just laughed as I picked him up with my magic and set him back on the floor, I then sat down and looked at the painful wound on my left leg. Unfortunately the bullet didn't pass through my leg, it stopped half way through. I looked back at 67 he was downing his last potion as the hole in his wing patched its self up.
"Ohhhh, this is going to hurt." I thought as I focused my magic on the wound. I felt around and found the obstruction and wrapped my magic around it. I took one last deep breath and pulled. The bullet tore through my flesh as it came free. I grunted and groaned in pain as pulling the bullet out caused it to start bleeding again and much more pain. I reach into my bag and pulled out my last healing potion and quickly drank it. The gash on my flank quickly healed and the hole in my leg started to fix its self as well, but as luck would have it there wasn't enough potion to heal it all the way leaving a small bullet hole on the side of my leg. It at least stopped the bleeding but it still hurt like hell.
I got up and took my first look around the Overmare office. I saw the desk with the terminal on it a trotted over to it, it was still glowing. I took a seat in the old chair and started to hack the terminal. I hooked up my Pipbuck and it gave me a list of words that may be the password to login to the terminal. 67 meanwhile was looking through the rest of the office for anything we could use. Saw out of the corner of my eye him placing a laser pistol he found in a locked wall safe in his saddle bag.*Thump* . I looked up from the terminal and at the door as another *Thump* came from it.
They were trying to get in and that door wasn't going to hold them back for long. I looked back at the screen and downloaded the Test Subjects file on to my Pipbuck. I was about to log off when an option labeled Emergency Exit showed up on the screen I clicked it. The desk and the terminal rose up on a pair of hydraulic arms as the floor fell away to a stair case. I looked over to the door and 67 was standing there, shotguns out waiting for them to come through.
"67, I think we have our way out." I said to him as I started walking down the stairs. He quickly fallowed and was at the bottom with me.
I looked at the wall terminal and logged on with the same password and clicked close emergency exit. The stairs rose to form the floor under the desk as I heard the door in the office finally give way to the ponies on the other side.
I heard hooves above us as they filled the room.
"Where did they go?" I heard a voice say.
"I don't know, but search the whole stable. We can't let them get away." another voice said.
I looked back down the hall and saw 67 already walking. I trotted to catch up and we continued to walk down the small hallway, steam pipes lined the walls. We walked for about five minutes before the hall opened up into a large room. I looked around and on the left was the blue glow of a stasis pod, I walked up to it with 67 on my tail. I opened up my Pipbuck and an option was on the screen. "Do You Wish To Open Camber 34?" I pressed the familiar "Yes" key as the pod door slowly opened.
Inside was a beautiful, Blue Unicorn mare with a Pink and Red striped main and tail. She put a hoof on the side of the pod and pulled herself up, her eyes opened and she looked around and then down at us. Her eye grew wide as she stared at us.
Chapter notes:
New companion : Subject 67
S.P.E.I.C.A.L.
S: unknown
P: unknown
E: unknown
I: unknown
C: unknown
A: unknown
L: unknown
New Weapon: Dual Combat Shotguns.
Subject 12
New Weapon: Swift, auto loading rifle.
New Perk: Crack Shot: When in S.A.T.S. you are 40% more accurate, and when you miss your mark it's not by much.
Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Chapter 2: Sins of The Past
Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Chapter 2: Sins of The Past.
Sins, a lot of ponies living in the wasteland think we are paying for the sins of the past, but that is not the case. The sins of the prewar ponies where paid in full when the Mega Spells where dropped and they watched their world crumble before their very eyes. The wasteland is a gift, a chance for redemption, not a punishment. Sins still exists, and atrocities are still committed every day in the waste. Evil never lets go of you, it's always with you and tries to force you to do things, No matter how good you may be.
Have I done evil things? Yes, but there's a fine line you can walk on between good and evil and not get corrupted by it. You can always try and do good in your life, but sometimes while trying to do good you have to be a bit evil. Sins are different, sins are where you do evil with no intention of it helping anypony other than yourself. But when you last days come, all you can hope for is that the good outweighs the evil.
************************************************
The mare fell forward out of the tube heading for the steel floor below.
She was unconscious but didn't look hurt. I looked over the rest of her and stopped when I crossed over her cutie mark, a scroll with a quill writing on it. I looked back up to her face trying to remember anything. "I know this mare." I came into my head, but I couldn't remember where I have seen her before.
"She ok?" I heard 67 ask brining me out of my thoughts.
"Huh." I said startled looking at him as he walked up next to me. His eyes looking the mare over to.
"Ya, she's fine, just tired from waking up so fast." I replied looking back down at her.
"67."
"ya."
"Check the rest of the room for anything we can use while I go over the file I got from the Overmares office." I told him my eyes not looking away from the mares face.
"K." He said, I heard him walk to the other side of the room. I didn't turn to look, my eyes were still fixed to the mare.
I sat down and pulled up my Pipbuck, found the Subject File and opened it. It was in a list form, starting at one at the top. As I scrolled down some of the file was corrupted, some of the subjects numbers weren't even there, just random letters and keys where info should be. I found 12 and opened it.
Subject 12
Name: @^&gg$*24^7gr*
Sex: Male
Physical Appearance: $^*@: Dark Red Main/Tail: Silver Eyes: Gold
Job Occupation: Military : s%7258jj4g*@3@7: Sniper division: %78900@4%^&: 1st
Rank: Captain
Stationed: Canterlot
1st Company's Job: %&*((%$%^783$ Protection %6 &#%^646#%^&* Royal Family.
" Canterlot, It's a start." I thought as closed the file and moved on. 34 was next down on the list, but when I opened it there was nothing. It wasn't corrupted, it was erased, nothing was in there, just an empty file. I looked up from my Pipbuck and at the sleeping mare.
"Who are you?" I said under my breath.
"Huh, did you say something 12?"
I looked over my shoulder, 67 head was in a cabinet.
"Uh, nothing, just talking to myself." I turned back around "Damn high pitched hearing Pegasus."
"Heard that."
I just ignored him and went back to the files as he chuckled. I just pasted all of the other files tell I got to 67, I opened up and read it aloud.
"Subject 67, name Black Water." I heard him stop going through drawers as he listened.
"Job occupation, Military, Special Forces, Ministry Of War, First Strike Team." I stopped as I heard him walk up behind me.
"Rank, unknown. Stationed: Mainhattan. First Strike Team's job, Classified."I closed the file and looked up at Black Water as he stood over me. He had this straight face look as the gears in his head turned.
"That's my name?"He asked. I nodded
"What's your name then?"
I just shrugged "Don't know, my file was to corrupted. I only know I was with a sniper company that had something to do with the Royal Family and that I was stationed in Canterlot."
"Canterlot, I feel like I have been there." He said as he started walking back to one of the desks "Wait?" He said stopping half way there and turning back to look at me."How do I know Canterlot, and how to fight and lock pick but I couldn't even remember my name? "
"Remember what the journal said." I got up and faced him. "They were doing tests on us, and my best guess form what I seen is that it was some sort of mind test. We were the ones who they were having problems with."
"Ya?" He asked wanting me to explain more.
"I think they were trying to erase our minds, but we fought back and they only got part of our memories. So that's why we know all the fighting and other things but not our pasts."
"But that makes no sense." He yelled slamming a hoof on the floor "Why would they try and take our memories? What would they gain from it?" He said as anger rose in his voice and fire burned in his eyes.
"I don't know, but the only one who may know is her." I said tuning around looking back at the mare on the floor. "They couldn't get anything back from her when they did the test. Meaning she might remember everything." Black walked up next to me.
He looked at her for a while and then sighed. "That means we have to take her with us, doesn't."
"Yup."
"I'm not carrying her." He said
"I know."
He snorted and then walked away "Fine. Help me look through the rest of the room and then we can see where that hall I found leads."
"Wait? What hall?" I said looking at him as he opened up a desk drawer and picked through it.
"Well. While you were going through the files, and busy staring at her flank, I knocked over a locker and there was a hall behind it."
He turned around and grinned at me, I just glared at him and walked over to the sink in the corner of the room. I opened up one of the cabinets above it and looked for anything. There wasn't much in there, just a bottle of Rad-X and a pack of Radaway. I was putting them in my saddle bag when I heard Black.
"Pay Dirt." He yelled. I turned around he was dragging a first aid kit out from under a desk. I went over to him just as he opened it.
Inside sat a full box of Med-X and sixteen Healing potions I picked them up and divided between us. I downed one to fix the reaming hole in my leg and the pain was finally dissipated. Under that though was three packets of Party Time Mentats. I picked them up and put them in my bag. Black just stared at me.
"What are you going to do with those." He said
I looked at him and then it hit me what he meant. "Oh, no, I don't use them. I just thought that whatever world we might find out there, these might be worth something. Maybe to buy some food."
I heard Blacks stomach growl.
"Ya, not a bad idea." He said smiling up at me. I looked back at the mare laying on the floor and walked over to her.
"You go check out the hall and see where it leads, I'll be right behind you once I get her." I said looking back at him. He nodded and started walking down the hall, as I looked back to the blue mare.
I picked her up and set her on my back length ways so her head was resting on the back of my neck. I was just about to walk when her forelegs wrapped around my neck and I heard a soft sigh. I was a little surprised, I looked back at her and she looked more like she was sleeping now then unconscious but my attempts to wake her did nothing. I just shrugged and started walking down the hall to catch up with Black.
The hall was long and was just wide enough for one pony to walk, there was also a few sharp corners that made me a little nervous. If anything was to jump out at me I couldn't move fast enough with the mare on my back. I made a few more turns and then up a staircase and at the end of the hall I could see Black waiting for me.
I kept the same pace as I walked down the hall and for the first time noticed and felt the heart beat of the mare on my back, I could feel her breath on the back of neck and her main draped over my shoulders, it felt strange. I felt more calm, I felt, almost at home. I wasn't sure but it felt like I have a connection with her, but it was strange. It could have just been the fact that she was on my back but I couldn't tell.
I finally caught up with Black, he was leaning on the left wall in a small room just big enough for us to stand in, it looked like a dead end as I entered it, but a quick look around showed otherwise. I smiled as I approached a glowing wall terminal, I entered the Overmares password and the terminal reviled all its secrets to me. I was surprised when I got inside that where was a camera feed on the right half of the screen, it was the stable entrance from the inside. I looked at the only option on the screen and it said open door. I clicked it and the wall Black was leaning on opened up and he fell through it and hit the floor on the other side.
I looked out the door and chuckled at him as he pulled himself from the floor glaring at me.
"You did that on purpose." He said snorting at me
"Hay, don't blame me. You were just leaning on the wrong wall." I said trying not to laugh.
He just rolled his eyes and turned around, I looked past him at the large door that was on the wall. I walked up next to him and we both stared at the large steel door to the stable.
"Well we have nowhere else to go." I said as I walked up the short steps and over to the control switch for the door. I put in the code from the Overmares office and the panels red light turned green, I then pulled down the large lever.
I walked back down the steps as the metal arm swung down and grabbed the door and started to pull it back. The sound of steel on steel was bad enough for me to lay my ears back as I watched sparks come from the grinding metal. As the door parted the wall the change of air pressure moved my main as it blew through my coat. I looked at Black as he opened up his wings and took a deep breath of the air as it came through the door. The door was finally away from the wall and it rolled out of the way reviling the black wall behind it.
Black looked at me and I nodded, he looked back to the door and slowly walked outside. I saw him disappear as he walked out of the light of the stable.
"Clear." I heard from the door.
I slowly walked out and into the darkness of the world. A cold breeze blew through my coat and stole my heat, the mare on my back pulled closer trying to get any warmth from me that she could. I looked around at the dark shapes of cliffs that surrounded us on both sides leavening us only one way to go, but as I looked up I could see the stars of the night and Luna's moon hanging in the sky like a beautiful disk lighting the way.
I Looked around for Black but couldn't see him.
"Black? Where are you?" I said as I scanned the ground for him.
"I'm right here." I heard him call a little ways in front of me.
I looked at the direction of the voice and my night vision started to come in as I made out his small form.
"Oh, there you are. You freaking disappear in the dark. The only thing I can really see is the gold in your main." I heard him chuckle.
"Stealth Expert, remember." He said as I walked up next to him. "At least that dark red coat of yours hides you a little bit. Silver main does nothing for you though, you glow like Celestia's sun."
I looked down at him, couldn't tell if he was smiling or not but I was pretty sure he was. I looked down the canyon that we, or at least I would have to follow. It didn't looked like it ended, it just kept going.
"I'll go up and watch you from the right ridge so I can see further. Just start walking and I will stay with you."
"K." I said as I heard him flap his wings and takeoff. I saw him in flight but once he hit the cliff he vanished.
I opened up my Pipbuck and entered Blacks tag from his Pipbuck. The green dot showed on my E.F.S. that he was just waiting on the cliff. I looked back at the open stable door and focused my magic on the switch inside and pulled it. The door hissed as it started its closing process as I started walking through the dark night air.
I was a ways away when I heard the last sound of the door closing. I looked farther down the canyon and the path that I was going to walk, and thanks to Luna's full moon I could see fairly far. I walked for what seemed like hours and the canyon showed no sign of ending, The only company I had was the filly on my back, and the best I could do with her was listen to her breathing and feel her heart. She did keep my back warm as I walked though, at least I wasn't freezing like Black was on the top of the canyon where the wind must be howling. I looked back at my E.F.S., he was still keeping pace.
I started to think about the file on me and piece together anything I could. I was part of a sniper team that worked with the Royal Family, I was stationed in Canterlot so that was my first stop. Then I remembered the filly on my back., she probably knows something that might help, but I wouldn't get that information tell she wakes up. I lowered my head and let out a long sigh, none of this makes sense, why were any of the ponies in the stable there in the first place.
I looked back up and saw that the canyon was starting to widened out. I looked further and then I stopped. It looked like there was light in the middle of the canyon. I pulled out Swift and looked through the night vision scope and saw a camp fire. There was two ponies dressed in the same armor as the ones back in the stable sitting around the fire. I the heard the flap of wings as something landed behind me, I glanced down at my E.F.S. and saw that the green dot.
"Did you see anything form up there." I said still looking through my scope.
"Ya, the canyon ends not far past these guys. I also saw what looks like a town not far from the end of the canyon that we could stay the night in. I think there are ponies living there, I saw a lot of light."
"Is it just those two by the fire?" I asked lowering Swift and looking at Black
"No, there's one more on a shelf on the right cliff, Probably on lookout."
I took a second to think, mulling over a plan. Then I figured it out. "Ok, I have a plan. If you can take out the one on the shelf quietly, then we can together get the two by the fire." I said looking back through my scope. I heard Black digging through his bags and I put Swift back down and looked at him.
He pulled something out and I heard the snap of buckles as he clipped it to his right hoof.
"What's that?" I asked not being able to see it.
"It's some kind hoof blade, I found it the room with the mare when I was poking around. I can wear it and at a second's notice flip it out and stab with it." He said as he fiddle with the adjustments.
"K, once you get the one on the cliff, fly down and get the one on the left side of the campfire. As soon as I see you get him I will take out the other one."
"Got it." He said as he flapped his wings and took to the air.
I scanned the cliff with Swift looking for the lookout Black was taking about. I found him right as Black was sneaking up on him, he was crouched low as he approached the lookout. I watched as the lookout quickly turned around, and right as he did I saw Black's bladed hoof shoot up into his neck. Black moved and caught the lookout with the other hoof stopping him from falling to the ground. He then took off and flew to the canyon floor. I watched him approach the pony on the left in the same style. I put my crosshairs on the right pony's body and waited for Black to make his move.
I saw Black open up his wings, he then jumped in the air and landed on the pony. The other one jumped from Black's intrusion falling off the log he was sitting on and stopped me from making my shot. I put my sites back onto the pony and was about to shoot, but then I saw Black running at him and I didn't want to risk shooting him. He tackled the pony right as he came back over the log, I lost sight of them as they rolled behind a boulder. I held my breath waiting for somepony to step back into my line of sight. I looked at both ends of the large rock hoping that Black would be ok. I then saw him step out with fully erect wings as he waved a hoof at me to come over.
I let my breath out in a sigh and put Swift back in my holster and trotted over to the camp. It took me a while and by the time I got there Black was warming up by the fire, Blood stained into his right foreleg.
"What was with you going after the third one?" I asked as I approached him.
"I don't know."He said staring into the fire. "I hit the second one and immediately went after the third one. It's like instinct took over."
I looked at him as he sat there, he looked a little rattled.
"You all right?"
"Ya, just felt like someone took control over me, but I'm fine now." Black said standing up
"Let's check and see if these guys have anything we can use." I said walking up to the first one Black got. He put the blade right through his neck making short work of him.
I opened up the saddle on the pony and looked through it. There was a flint and steal and some shotgun ammo along with some other random things but nothing seemed important. Then my eye caught something in the bag, it was a small leather pouch, I pulled it out and open it, there was a mixture of Sparkle~Cola and Sunrise Sarsaparilla bottle caps inside it, about forty of them. I furrowed my brow as I looked them over for anything special but they were just bottle caps.
"Hey Black, dose the saddle bag your going through have a small bag of bottle caps in it?" I said over my shoulder.
"Ya, like eighty of them. Why would they be carrying them?" I heard come from behind me.
"Don't know. It's strange." I said as I put the bottle caps I pulled out back into the little pouch.
"I think we should keep them. Something is just telling me they might be important." I heard him say.
"You may be right." I said floating the pouch into my saddle bag along with the flit and steel. I looked back down to the pony and over his armor.
I then thought back to the bullet that grazed my flank back in the stable and how that could have been prevented with just a little armor. "Fuck it, free armor." I thought as I started unclipping the bucks armor.
"What are you doing?" Black said walking up next to me.
"Attrition. Your enemy gets weaker as you get stronger." I said pulling off the body piece. "You should go grab the armor from the other one."
"Ya, might as well." He said turning around going back to the other pony. "This one's armor is too big, I think the one on the ridge is my size." He called out from across the fire.
I Heard him fly off as I pulled the last piece of armor off the buck's leg. It was in good condition with a few nicks and scrapes, but nothing troubling. I looked over my shoulder at the mare, I was going to have to set her down to get the armor on. I looked around for a place and saw three bedrolls next to the fire. I gently lifted her off my back and laid her down on the one nearest the fire. She didn't fuss at all as I moved her, and her breathing didn't even change. I smiled down at the unknown mare and started to put my new armor on.
*************************************************
Ten minutes later I pulled the last strap tight. The weight of the tan Reinforced Leather armor felt good on my body. It stopped at my shoulders and half way down my legs, but anything that hit the armor would defiantly be slowed down. I looked back at my flank and saw the groups insignia on the armor, A Pony Skull With Red Rifles crossed behind it. I focused my magic and scraped the cheep paint off the armor on both sides, made it look nicer. I heard the flap of wings and looked forward.
Black was standing there and in the light of the campfire, I could see the armor he was wearing was like mine but noticeably darker.
"Nice." I said looking it over and walking around him. "I like the color."
"Ya, the buck wearing it must have been high in there group. I also lightened it up some so I can fly with it better." He said as I continued my walk around and stopped in front of him.
"I like it. Oh one thing through." I said focusing my magic and scraping of the marks on the armor.
"Oh, ya, forgot about that." He said looking back at his flank as the glow of my magic disappeared.
"So you said you saw a town when you where on the top of the canyon?" I asked as I walked back to the mare on the bedroll.
"Yes, there was light coming from it and I saw what looked like a wall, but I'm not sure, It's still a ways away. Maybe and three hour walk." He said as he sat down next to the fire.
"Well head there. We need to get someplace safe for the rest of the night." I said as I picked the mare up and put her on my back. As I did the wind picked back up and blew right down the canyon with a cold vengeance. The mare shivered on my back and again wrapped her forelegs around my neck. I felt bad for her, probably wasn't warm laying on my armor. I looked down at the bedroll on the ground and picked it up. I laid over her trying to keep her as warm as possible.
"Getting attached are we 12?" Black said grinning up at me from where he sat.
I rolled my eyes and picked up the two other bedrolls, rolling them up into their correct cylinder shapes. I hooked one of them onto my saddle and threw the other one at Black almost hard enough to knock him over. He smiled as he stood up and hooked the roll onto his saddle. I started walking and Black fallowed as we made our way out of the canyon. The walk was short and we stopped as the canyon opened up into a small valley, and from up on the ridge I could see the lights in the distance that Black was talking about. We looked at each other and then continued on our way for whatever town we hoped to find.
"So what's our plan now? The Overmares office didn't tell us much, so where do we go from here?" Black asked interrupting the silence.
"Not sure. Let's just focus on making it to the town and then get what we can from this mare." I said as the walk returned to silence.
As we walked we passed a few farm houses and barns but nothing noticeable or important
"So what's with the filly on your back? She seems to just be asleep. Why not just wake her now so we can see what she knows?" He asked ending the calmness of the night, again.
"I can't wake her up, I've tried. I think it has to do with the stasis she was in. She is stuck in a deep sleep and just needs time." I said looking forward as I walked, keeping the glow of the town in my sight.
We walked for hours as the light from the town or whatever we were walking to grew brighter. We slowed down as we were faced with a wall with burning torches on the sides of its gate. We stopped in front of it and looking for anypony but saw nothing. *Crack* echoed the still night air as a bullet hit the ground at me feet making me jump back almost knocking the filly off my back.
"I don't miss twice you red rifle bastards, make any sudden moves and the next one is coming for your head!"
I looked up and on the wall saw the shape of a pony.
"Red Rifle?" I asked the pony on the wall.
"You're not going to raid our town again! Not on my watch!" The pony yelled down from the top of the wall
"Were not Red Rifle." Black yelled stepping up next to me.
"Ya? Then why are you wearing their armor?" The wall pony asked
"We killed a few up in the canyon to the east." I yelled back to the wall pony "Do we need to say more?"
The wall pony said nothing as we stood there waiting for an answer.
"Ok then. If that's true, then why are you here?" The wall pony asked
"We just want a place to rest for the night." Black yelled
Nothing was said as the tension in the air grew. I looked over the rest of the wall as more ponies started to show up.
"Ok, were going to open the gate and send someone out to collect your weapons. Then we'll let you in. You make any sudden moves at all and you'll be dead before you hit the ground." The wall pony said as the sound of metal dragging on dirt encoded in the air as the gate opened.
The gate stopped barely after it started as a head poked through. A unicorn pony buck took a few steps out and then approached us. The light of the torches lit up the area well enough that I could see the fear in the young bucks eyes as he approached us. He couldn't have been more then thirteen and his fear matched his age. He stopped ten feet away from us and reaching up with mouth grabbed a duffle bag off his back and threw it in front of us.
"Put.. your weapons in the bag... and then give it to me." The young colt said with plenty of fear in his voice.
Black snorted at the colt and unclipped his shotguns from his saddle. I Pulled out Swift and the SMG and put them inside the bag along with Black's shotguns. Black then unclipped the Hoof blade and threw it in there to. I looked back to the colt and then the sound of Black going through his saddle bag made me look back. He then pulled out the laser pistol from the Stable and put it in the bag, he then went back into his bag and pulled out two pistols and a 9mm SMG and put them in the bag. I glared at him as he closed his left saddle bag, he then opened his right and pulled out three grenades and a Revolver and set them in the bag as well. The colt just stared at the bag of weapons.
"Really?" I said "Is that at least all of them?"
Black just stood there as he looked up and thought.
"Ya, that's all of them." He said turning and looking at me.
I sighed and zipped up the duffle bag and floated it over and set it in front of the colt. He picked the strap up in his mouth and swung the bag onto his back.
"Ok, follow me." The colt said, turning around and walking back to the gate.
We followed him through the small crack in the wall and on the other side where four unicorns aiming shotguns and SMGs at us.
"So." A unicorn buck stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the surrounding fire. "You say you killed a few Red Rifles and then stole their armor."
The buck was yellow with a white mane and tail and was wearing some type of armor made out of scrap metal.
"What reason do we have to believe you? You could be lying to us so you can get in our town again." The buck said stepping closer to us.
"We just willingly gave you our weapons." Black said taking a step forward, all the surrounding ponies pointed the guns at him. He didn't even seem to notice them as he continued. "How are we suppose to do anything to your town without them."
"Good point." The yellow buck said looking at the other unicorns. They lowered their weapons but keep them held in their magic.
"You said the you killed the Red Rifles up in the canyon to the east." The buck said walking around me and looking at the mare on my back. "I don't know anypony who's crazy enough to go that deep into Red Rifle territory and then come back out alive. So why did you go there?"
"We didn't go there." I said. The bucks turned his head and looked at me. "We came from there. Out of stable 50."
The buck stopped in his tracks. "What did you just say?"
"We were in stasis inside the Stable. We got out only six hours ago." I said. The ponies around us looked to each other and then back at us.
"No thanks to the Red Rifles." Black threw in.
Minutes passed as nothing was said and the yellow buck just stared at us.
"Follow me." Was the words that came from the yellow buck as he started walking away.
Me and Black looked at each other and then started to fallow. As we walked there were makeshift homes on each side of the dirt street, made out of scrap metal and scrap wood. Most of the homes where lit by torches on the outside but somewhere running on electricity and light bulbs. Then we turned a corner and looked down a large street and I guessed it was the main street. There were many two and three story buildings on the street that looked like there were about to fall apart. We walked half way down the street and then stopped in front of a two story brick building that had the words Security Office painted above the door.
The yellow buck opened the door with his magic and motioned us in. Inside were desks on the left and right side of the room. There were several ponies behind a few of them writing on paper and filling out forms, paying us no mind. The buck walked past us and up a flight of stairs in the right corner of the room. We followed him and at the top of the stairs where several walled in offices. A few of the doors where open and there where ponies inside of them who watched us as we passed. The others were closed, the glass on the doors stained yellow. The buck stopped in front of the office at the end of the hall. The door window was much less stained and in black letters on the glass was written. "Chief Officer Wild"
The buck opened the door and lead us inside. The room was in good condition, a large desk sat in the middle of the room covered in papers. Filling cabinets sat behind it and the walls looked freshly painted.
"You can set her down over there." The buck said motioning with a hoof to the right side of the room.
I looked and there sat a ruined couch against the wall. I walked over to it and picked the mare off my back and laid her down on it. I pulled the bedroll back over her making sure she stayed warm. She looked more peaceful than anypony I have seen so far.
"You must really have a thing for her."
I turned around and the yellow buck was looking at me.
"Huh. No, we found her in a stable stasis pod as well." I said looking at the buck and then back to the mare.
"Well, the only time I've see a stallion care for a mare like that is if they have something." He said flatly. I looked back as he sat in the chair behind his desk, he didn't smile or even grin, he meant that what he said.
"Well, that's a good sign that you aren't one of the Rifles." He said gesturing to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. "Never seen one of those raiders care for anypony other than them self's."
I sat down in the chair as Black took the other one.
"So start from the beginning." The buck said as he looked at us.
We told him everything we had been through. Told him about the stable and how I woke up Black. How it was overrun with ghouls and Red Rifles. He listened intently through the whole story, even asked a few questions. Fifteen minutes later and our story was done, he seemed satisfied as it ended.
"Well." He said leaning back in his chair. "Seems like you two have been through hell. Sorry to tell you life outside the Stable will be no better."
"Why?" Black asked
"Well seeing as you two have no clue what is going on out here I'll give you a brief rundown."
He told us his story of life in the wasteland. His hardships and how life is since the death of Equestria. He told us of Red Eye's rule over Fillydelphia and how that came to an end along with the Goddess and the Alicorns. He told us how Canterlot came to its end along with Luna. It was shocking to hear how the Enclave had controlled the sky and how Celestia and Littlepip stopped them. He told what parts of Littlepip's story he knew. How she came from Stable 2 with Velvet Remedy and how they cleansed the wasteland with the Gardens of Equestria, destroying the Taint and radiation in the wasteland. Her story was an amazing tail that crossed all bounders as he tried to do good for all of the life in the wasteland. Her life and tail would not be soon forgotten in the world.
"That's all I know." The buck said. Me and Black just stared off into space as we thought about how the world had changed.
"I never truly introduced myself to you two. My names Sprite, Sprite Wild." He said leaning over the desk offering a hoof shake. I shook it and so did Black.
"I run the security here in Tricross." He said leaning back in his chair once more.
"Tricross?" Black asked
"Yes, our town is not far from the intersection of the three rail lines that connects Fillydelpha, Manehattan, and the cities and towns in the north. So the name Tricross was the first we could think of, and it stuck." Sprite said beaming with ego. "The town is home to over 200 ponies, zebras, and griffins."
"Wow." I said through a yawn. "This town has carved out a nice little place for itself."
Sprite chuckled. "Well I can tell at least you two have had a rough day. I should let you get some rest. The town hotel is at the end of main street. Just go right once you leave this building and you should see the glowing lights of Crossing hotel. I'll send a guard over to your room with your weapons."
"Thanks." Black and me said as we got out of the chairs.
I walked over to the couch to get the sleeping filly. She had rolled over in her sleep while we were talking. I picked her up and set her on my back and put the bedroll back over her, again she put her forelegs around my neck. It made me smile as she did. We thanked Sprite one more time before leavening his office. We walked out of the building and fallowed his directions to the hotel. At the end of the street was the glowing building of the Crossing Hotel. We entered it and sitting behind the lobby desk reading a magazine was a Dark Blue Alicorn. She noticed us once we were in the middle of the room.
"Can I help you?" She said. Her voice sounded amazing. It captivated me for a moment as I just stared at her.
"Yes." I said regaining my thoughts. "We would like to rent a room."
"Ok, for how many?
"Three."I said
"Ok." She said opening up a book. "The only rooms we have right now are on the fifth floor, and that is going to be 35 caps a night for three."
"Caps?" I asked cocking my head slightly
"35 Bottle Caps." She said staring at me with an inquisitive look on her face
"Oh." I said opening up my saddle back and pulling out 35 Bottle caps and giving them to her. She grabbed them in her dark blue magic and put them in the register next to the terminal on the desk.
"Ok, follow me to your room." The Alicorn said as she got out from behind the desk. "My name is Midnight, and I will be your host while you stay at the Crossing Hotel."
We fallowed her up the stairs and down the second floor hallway, I studied the Alicorn as we walked. The most shocking thing about her that she was taller than me. I'm a large stallion, I'm easily bigger than Black but he's already small, because he's a Pegasus. I was also slightly bigger than Sprite and he is a normal unicorn. This Alicorn had me beat by a few inches, and when I feel small next to somepony they should be really happy. I forgot about her height and moved onto the details. Her main was only a slightly lighter blue than her coat and her Cutie mark was a bright White Star. I had no idea what a star could stand for and the more I stared at it the less I understood.
A giggle broke me out of my thoughts. I looked around and then noticed the alicorn. She had a smile on her face and was watching me with one of her eyes as we walked. I then realized that I was blatantly staring at her flank as we walked. I felt the heat of a blush on my face as it came through my coat. She giggled again and then looked forward with a big smile on her face. I slowed down trying to get out of the view of the alicorn. Then Black walked up next to me.
"Smooth." He said trying not to laugh
I just gritted my teeth through the blush and focused my magic. I grabbed his forelegs and tripped him sending him face first onto the floor. He laughed as quietly as he could as he pulled his face off the floor and trotted to catch up with me and Midnight. We walked in silence through the third floor and then up the stairs to the fourth. On the fourth floor I had to ask.
"So what's your cutie mark mean?" I asked Midnight as sped up to keep pace with her.
She giggled at me again. "That's what I thought you were staring at." She said in that amazing voice. "Turns out my talent is being a star. I'm a singer down at the opera house."
I smiled. "You defiantly have the voice for it."
She giggled again and smiled as we walked up the last flight of stairs to the fifth floor. We stopped half way down the hall in front of room 95. She floated out a key and gave it to me.
"If you two need anything just come down to the lobby or room 1 and I will see what I can do." She said with a smile. She turned around and I watched as she brushed her tail over Black's face. He stood there frozen as she walked away. She stopped half way down the hall and looked over her shoulder at Black, she giggled and winked at him and then continued on her way. I looked back and forth between the two and saw a blush come up on Blacks face as he watched her go down the stairs. I just stared at him trying not to laugh.
"You know Black." I said trying hard not to burst out laughing. "You may be a stealth expert, but you can't hide a blush worth a damn." I said finally breaking down and laughing at him.
He just raised his right foreleg and not looking away from where the alicorn had been punched me in my chest. He hit me hard enough that it made me take a step back but it didn't stop my laugh. I turned around and using the key unlocked the door and stepped inside still laughing. I flipped the switch on the wall as the room was flooded with light as my laugh calmed down. I walked past the bathroom further in and looked around. It was nicely furnished, the walls where bare of wall paper in a few spots but nothing bad. The beds where nice though, they looked clean and the green and white bed spread looked new, but then I saw that there was only two beds. One was just bigger than the other and could fit two ponies. Black walked past me with that same face he had in the hallway and took the small bed as he laid down on it. I looked at the other bed and did a mental shrug. I picked the mare off my back and set her down on the right half of the bed.
I took my saddle bag off and started to strip my armor off. Loosening straps and pulling off pieces of it off and setting it next to the bed. I had just finished removing the last piece when there was a knock on the door. I walked over to it and opened it. I looked down at the same brown colt that took our weapons in the first place. He had the same duffle bag over his back and was staring at me. He grabbed the strap in his mouth and set the bag on the floor at my hooves.
"Here's your guns." He said sounding a little more calm then when we meet at the gate.
"Thanks." I said picking it up and setting it in our room. He started to walk away.
"Hey." I called out. making him stop. "Come here."
He lowered his head as he walked back to me at the door. "Yes." He said. Sounding like a foul that was about to get a scolded for braking something in the house.
"So what are you doing with the security team? You're so young, shouldn't you be in school?" I asked as his head rose back up and he looked at me.
"I'm Sprite Wild's son." He said. My ears perked up, he never mentioned a son.
"Really? Where's your mom?" I asked
His ears dropped again as he looked at the floor. "My mom died when we were coming back from New Appleloosa with supplies for the town. We were attacked by raiders and my dad only managed to save me from the attack. I didn't really know my mom, I was only four when it happened."
I looked at him and felt bad for the colt, his mother died and he didn't even get a chance to know her. I may not remember my family but this kid lost part of his.
"I'm sorry."I said as the colt looked back up at me. "I should have asked in the first place, but what's your name?"
"Spring. I was born on the first day Spring so that's what my mom called me." He said.
"Well it's nice to meet you Spring." I said raising a hoof. "My name's 12."
The colt shook my hoof still looking at me. "Hold on, I have something for you." I said to the colt and walked back into our room. Black was out of his armor and laying on his back in his bed, Snoring away. I opened his saddle bag and found his cap bag. I opened it and there was at least 200 caps in it. He must have picked up more from that Red Rifle pony that was on that ridge. I floated out 20 caps and then walked over to the duffle bag of guns. I opened it and found that Revolver that Black had, I looked it over and was amazed. The thing was brand new, polished stainless steel with a ivory handle. I picked it up and walked back over to the door. The colt was still standing there patiently.
"Here," I said floating the caps in front of him."Take these."
He grabbed them with is magic and put them in his saddle bag. He looked up at me with a soft smile.
"And take this as well." I floated the revolver out from behind my back and presented it to the colt. His eyes grew big as he gripped it in his magic and pulled it close to his face looking at it.
"Are you sure?" The colt asked lowering the gun and looking up at me.
"Ya, I'm sure." I said smiling down at the colt. "You can tell your dad it's a gift from me."
I don't think I have ever seen (or that I can remember) a colt as happy as this one was in front of me.
"Thanks." He said taking off down the hall with the revolver in his magic.
I smiled as I closed and locked the door. I walked back to my bed with the mare in it. She was still asleep and under the covers. I climbed into my half and faced away from the mare. I was instead looking at Black sleeping on his back with his legs straight in the air. I rolled back over and the mare was facing me. She looked so peaceful as she slept and I was soon joining her as my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Notes:
Level up: Subject 12
S: 6
P: 4
E: 4
C: 7
I: 8
A: 4
L: 7
New Perk: Sniper training: You can hit a moving target while falling through the air from 100 yards away. +20 to guns
Guns: +26 (63)
Science: + 7(43)
Speech: +5(45)
Level up: Black Water
S: 5
P: 8
E: 4
C: 5
I: 5
A: 7
L: 6
New Perk: Special Forces: Your training is amazing and your stealth is impeccable. +15 to sneak and + 10 to lock picking
Sneak: +15(68)
Guns: + 5(46)
Lock Pick : +14(57)
Melee: +3(39)
Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Chapter 3: Red Fires and Red Rifles, Prt 1
Fallout Equestria: The Forgotten
Chapter 3: Red Fires and Red Rifles, Prt 1
Anger, it's something that resides in all of us. All the way down to our core. When you push all other emotions and feelings out of the way, two are always with you, Pain and Anger. They are a harmful thing if not controlled. Anger has a life of its own, it is a livening breathing thing. It's just like fire, and like fire it is unpredictable and can burn you at any moment.
Anger is one of the things I have let go of, but still use when I have to. What happened to me in my past is gone. Getting mad at what happened to me dose nothing. It won't bring back my memories, my family, or anything in my past. All I can do is look to the future, and do my best to make a better tomorrow.
*********************************************************BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
I barely opened my eyes as I took in the darkness of the room.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
I looked around for the annoying chirp as it dragged on. I saw a flash coming from my Pipbuck and looked down at it, and on further inspection I realized it was the source of the noise. I raised it to my face and read the time.
11:00 a.m.
I turned off the alarm and laid my foreleg back down. "When did I even set that" I thought as I looked up to the ceiling. I then felt the heat of something against my whole underside and the rise of its breath as it pushed my forelegs up. I looked at the body that was in my forelegs snuggled close to me as it slept. It then dawned on me that is was the mare, and I was holding her as she slept.
I laid there frozen, unsure of what to do. She was all the way under me and my right foreleg was resting over her side. I wasn't even sure when she had rolled over in her sleep, or how we got in this position. She was sleeping like she had yesterday and didn't seem any different. I nuzzled the back of her neck seeing if she would wake up. I looked at her but saw no response even when I talked to her. I sighed, she was still suffering from the stasis pod. I tried to roll over but my foreleg got caught. I looked back and the mare had my leg in a death grip, and she wasn't about to let it go. I pulled again but she wouldn't give it up. I focused my magic on her forelegs and successfully pried them off mine.
I rolled back over and saw Black Still sleeping, he at least rolled over and was sleeping on his side now. I got out of the bed and walked over to the window past Black. I opened it and sunlight flooded the dark room. The town was already more than awake. Ponies and zebras walked on main street as Pegasus and Griffins flew through the air above them. A groan behind me brought me gaze back into the room. I looked at the small bed as the sunlight shined right on Blacks face.
His eyes opened and looked right at me and the bright window. He closed them as he groaned again and rolled over away from the light. I rolled my eyes and hit the light switch from across the room. He flinched as more light hit him and slowly pulled a pillow over his head. I looked at him and decided I was done being nice. I grabbed the pillow and pulled it away from him, he then started pulling the covers over his head. I stopped him and grabbing him in my magic and pushed him off the bed.
His leg came up over the edge of the bed and he pulled himself from the floor. Once his head came up he gave me a death glare.
"I hate you." He said as he pulled the rest of him from the floor.
I gave him a grin as I walked past my bed, the mare was still fast asleep in it. I was just about to pick up my saddle bag when I heard a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it and on the other side was Midnight. I smiled at her and noticed that she was levitating several platters beside her. She saw me looking at them.
"There from Chief Wild. He thought you all might be hungry." She said. Her voice sounding as magnificent as before.
"Thank you." I said grabbing the three platters she presented to me. She was still holding one next to her.
"What's that one?" I asked gesturing to it with a nod.
"Oh." She said turning her head and looking at it. "This one's mine, I guess I picked it up with yours as well." She said with a weak smile.
"I leave you alone so you can eat." She said as she started to turn away down the hall.
"Midnight." I said stopping her. "You can eat with us. You don't have to walk all the way back down."
She smiled at me. "Thank you."
I stepped out of her way allowing her to walk into our room. I was right behind her and saw the look on Blacks face when she got to the middle of the room. I saw a glint in his eye as he looked at her.
"Good morning Midnight." Black said as he watched the alicorn walk across the room. She smiled at him as she set her food on the desk in the room.
"Here Black." I said floating one of the platters over and setting it on his bed.
He pulled the cover off as the steam trapped under it was let lose. I pulled the lid off mine as I set the mares off to the side. The same steam rolled out from under the lid along with the scent of fresh food. Under the lid was a fresh daffodil sandwich with a side of hay fries and steamed carrots.
"Wow." I said picking the sandwich up and taking a bite.
"Ya." Black said as he dove into the hay fries.
I swallowed my bite and relished the taste of it. The first food I have seen and tasted since the stasis, or any that I can remember
"Who made this Midnight, cause it's really good." I said taking another bite.
She giggled a little bit as she brought out her own sandwich.
"I made them." She said looking at us.
"Well." Black said finishing off the last of his hay fries. "The best food I've had in a long time."
I stopped eating and looked at him. "What, you mean since I woke you out of your stasis pod in the stable, yesterday."
He glared at me and I chuckled.
"Wait, what?"
I looked at Midnight, total confusion on her face.
"Oh, ya." I said putting the sandwich back on the plate. "We never told you where we came from." She just looked at me still confused.
"Ok, we'll tell you the story." I said, and started telling her.
How we got out of the stable, the Red Rifles, and the meeting with Wild. We ate as we talked, the food was to good for me to just let it sit there. Once me and Black where done telling the story the look on her face changed to interest as she looked at us unbelievingly.
"So, that means you two are Pre-War?" She asked
I looked at Black and he shrugged at me.
"Ya, we are I guess." I said looking at the alicorn next to Black. She migrated over the course of the story and was now laying down next to Black on his bed while I was on my bed next to the mare.
"So, you don't even know your name?" She said, her eyes now focused on me.
"No, I don't, I'm 12 for the time being." I said to her and then looked over my shoulder at the mare." I just really hope she has some answers."
I started to look back at the other two but a moan from the mare made me stare at her. She rolled over onto her back and her eyes fought to open.
"HEY!" I yelled as I stood on the bed. "She's waking up!"
I moved over to the side of the mare as I stood on the bed. The other two came around the other side of the bed and watched. Her eyes slowly opened and seeing them for the first time they where a glowing pink. She stared at the ceiling and slowly her eyes moved around the room as she blinked. She then stopped and looked right at me. I didn't realized I had leaned closer to her as she awoke. She raised a hoof to me and placed it on the side of my face, I stared at her even more intently. She then pulled me in closer and locked lips with me.
My eyes shot open as the mare kissed me. I didn't pull away, I was way to lost in what was happening to care as I closed my eyes. I don't know what caused me to do it, but it felt right as I kissed her back making it more intense. She wrapped both of her forelegs around my neck as we kissed passionately . I lost complete track of time and had no clue how long it happened but eventually she loosened her grip allowing me to pull away from the kiss.
I opened my eyes and when I did I was gazing into hers. I couldn't say anything, my mind was still racing from the kiss. All I could do was stare into those pink eyes and try and catch my breath.
"I missed you so much." She said as she pulled me down into a hug. "I never thought I would see you again Iron."
I blinked a few times trying to get control of myself. I looked around and saw Midnight and Black standing next to the bed staring at me. Midnights jaw was dropped and her eyes where as big as I had seen them as she stared at me. Black was staring at me to, the same big eyes. As I looked closer I could see a small grin on his face.
The mare let me go again as I pulled up and looked back into her pink eyes. She then looked around the room, I fallowed her line of site as she stopped and stared at Black.
"Iron, what is he doing here?" She said panic in her voice as she leaned up.
Black cocked his head in surprise as the mare stared at him intently. I sat down on the bed as she sat up and tried to hide behind me.
My mind finally came back to the problem. "Ok, wait." I said standing up and hopping off the bed. " Listen, We don't know who you are? We saved you from the stable and brought you with us hoping you could tell us something."
She stared at me with a bewildered look as she sat on the bed. "Iron, what are you talking about? We have known each other for years."
"Wait, why are you calling me Iron?" I asked.
"That's your name, Iron Site." The mare said as her eyes started to tear up. "Why are you trying to scare me?"
I stared at the mare unsure what to say as she stared back, as if she was pleading for me to do something.
"Ok, there is a mass of confusion here."
I looked at Midnight as she got up onto the bed with the mare and sat next to her.
"Look, you have been in stasis inside a stable for the last 200 years." Midnight explained to her, Midnights voice sounded so soothing it was like she was singing a lullaby. The mare looked up at her and took in the image of the large alicorn sitting next to her.
"What?" The mare said as a tear ran down her face.
"You where inside a Stable. These two got you out and brought you here." Midnight said. "They don't know who they are. They woke up in the stable to."
The mare looked away from Midnight and at me, all I could do was stare. I had no words for her.
"Is this true?" She said. She was on the verge of crying as she asked.
"Yes, I honestly don't know who you are." I said.
She got off the bed and walked up to me. She looked into my eyes as tears started to flow from hers. She leaned down and pushed her face into my chest and cried, I hesitated but eventually put a leg around her and pulled her close as her tears stained my coat.
"We should have never signed up for that test." The mare said between sobs. "But I pushed you into it, and now I've lost you."
The room was silent and only the sound was the mare's crying. I just ran my hoof through her mane as she cried herself out into my chest.
"It will all be ok." I said pulling the mare from my chest, she just looked at the ground. "We will figure it out, ok." I said putting a hoof under chin and gently made her look at me.
Her eyes were still filled with tears but she managed a nod as she stood in front of me.
"Ok, tell us your name." I said as I pushed her up onto the bed. Midnight got out of the way and off the bed as I laid down with the mare.
She Leaned against me as she dried the last of her tears.
"Ava, my names Ava Scroll."
"Ok, Ava. Tell us about yourself." I said. She looked at Black and Midnight as they passed us and laid down on the other bed across from us.
"Ok, I was the Goddess's Personal scribe. I was with them almost full time during the war." Ava said, taking a breath and calming down. "Taking notes and other things that needed to be remembered."
Ava paused and stared at Black again, Black just stared back.
"That's where I meet you Iron." She said looking up to me. "You where with us all the time to. Usually on the other side of the Goddess's coordinating your sniper team as we moved around Canterlot."
Ava continued her story and told us about how we had got to know each other over the course of the war. We also had plenty of "personal meetings" with each when we were off duty at the end of the day. Ava blushed as she told us that part, but that quickly passed as she got onto the Subject of Black. He was apparently a deserter of the MOW and started his own fanatical force called the Black Wings. It consisted of Pegasus's trained in stealth operation. They helped in the war against the Zebra Empire but plenty of times attacked the Equestrian army. Black listened intently as his past was reviled to him.
He terrorized the small towns on the border of Equestria and the Zebra Empire, and at one point he and his team tried to make a move on the princess in Canterlot. They got past the royal Canterlot guards but where stopped by me and my team before they even made it to the palace. The fight was bloody as my team and Blacks fought in the streets of Canterlot, we both lost men but my team was sent up in key locations around the city witch allowed us to shoot the Pegasus's if they tried to get into the air.
At one point me and Black faced each other on the roof top I was set up on. Ava didn't know what exactly happed but I managed to get the upper hoof and beat him. I also got a shot off as he was flying away, grazing his left side and bringing him to the ground where we captured him.
After hearing this, Black raised his left wing and looked under it at the scar across his ribs. He looked back at me and glared, I just snickered at him. But then Ava explained that Black had cut the hell out of me in our fight, putting me in the intensive care unit for three days. Black then snickered at me as I glared at him.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" I said to him. "I still won."
"Ya, but I messed you up. I say I won." He said still trying to control his laugh.
I rolled my eyes at him and looked to Ava letting her know she could continue. She then told us about the last few days before the stable. There was apparently some Equestrian wide test calling for ponies from all the military branches. Luna suggested that I go participate in it but failed to convince me. Ava was the one who did though, she persuaded me into it and we went to the Stable for the testing. She said that once we were inside they split us up and took her to a room filled with Stasis pods and other mares. The guards around the room pushed ponies into the pods and sealed them up.
Ava said she tried to explain to them that she was not signed up for the test but they forced her into one anyway. That was that last thing she remembered before waking up with us.
"I never thought I would see you again once that door closed." Ava said as she rested her head across my forelegs and started to cry again.
"Shhhh" I said as I laid my head over her neck. I then understood why I felt a connection to her when she was asleep.
"It's ok, I'm right here. I won't leave you again." I said as gently as I could trying to comfort her. I felt the connection between us, and even though I couldn't remember our past life I still loved her.
Ava's crying finally came to a stop and we raised our heads and looked back into each other's eyes. She nuzzled my neck and I returned the favor. I felt my body completely relax as we did this, I may not have remembered her but every muscles in my body did as I felt her breath and her touch against me for the first time in 200 years. Again I lost track of how long we did this but I guess it made the other two in the room uncomfortable.
"Ok." I heard Midnight say. "This has been one interesting morning, but I still have a job to do." She got up off of Blacks bed and walked across the room.
"I will make sure to come see you guys after I'm done practicing at the opera house for tonight's show." Midnight said as she opened the door.
"See you all later." She said leaving the room and closing the door. I pulled back from Ava and looked at her one last time before getting off the bed.
She followed me as I went over to my saddle bag and armor and started to get suited up. Ava just stood there and watched me as I put it on piece by piece.
"You just going to stand there and watch me?" I said with a grin.
"I've watched you do it a hundred times before." Ava said as she grabbed a piece of the armor and started to strap it on me.
I smiled at her as I fitted more of it on me. A few minutes later, and I was fully suited up. I looked back over to Black and saw him already dressed.
"Hay Black." I said getting his attention. "Give me all the extra guns you have. I want to go see how much we can get for them."
He nodded and opened his bags as I pulled them out. and put them in mine. I looked back at Ava who was waiting patiently by the door. I walked over and opened it up as we all walked out. I locked the door behind us and we started to walk down the many flights of stairs. Ava stayed right next to me the whole time as we made our way down to the lobby. Midnight wasn't there and in her place was a green Pegasus mare sitting behind the desk typing on the terminal. I walked up to her and paid for another night at the hotel.
Blacks stared at me with a questioning look. " Why are we staying another night?"
"With what Ava has told us I have to rethink out next move. We don't even know what is out there since we have been in stasis." I explained to him. "We don't know how things work now."
He looked forward knowing I was right as we walked out of the lobby and onto the main street. The place we bustling with ponies going every which way. We walked on and saw foals playing and plenty of market booths on each side of the street, there owners yelling to the passing ponies with catchphrases and slogans. I then saw the opera house at the corner of the street, I could even hear Midnight's voice come from the building and over the noise of the street.
"She has a pair of lungs on her." I thought as I looked around the rest of the street. I saw a booth with a earth pony lazily sitting behind it with guns on display on the other side of the street just past a massive crowed. I started to make my way through the crowd trying to get to his booth, Ava was pressed up against my right side as we pushed are way through. We made it to the other side and to the pony's booth. I looked back over my shoulder for Black. I saw him over the cowed as he walked into the opera house and out of sight. I smiled a little knowing exactly what he was doing.
I then turned around and back to the booth and Ava was standing there talking to the pony. She also had a group of guns sitting on the table as she talked. I opened up my bag and looked inside, no guns."How the hell did she do that?" I thought as I walked up to them, I heard them discussing a price.
"I'm not going any higher 50 caps for the 10mm pistols, and 200 for the 9mm SMG." I heard earth pony say.
"Ok, what about the laser pistol?" Ava asked.
"I'll give you 70 caps for it." He replied
"70?" Ava said in disbelief. "Look at again. It's in perfect condition. I bet it hasn't even been fired."
The orange buck behind the table just stared at Ava.
"Fine, 200." He said.
"Three." Ava said staring back at the buck. The bucks face didn't even change as he considered it.
"230" he said
"270" Ava said. I saw the buck take a quick glance at the pistol and then looked back to Ava. I could tell he wanted it.
"How about 250 and you throw in that old plasma rifle on the wall with its holster." Ava said
The buck looked back at the rifle and then back to Ava. He just stared at her for a long time and said nothing.
"Fine. Deal?" The buck said raising a hoof to Ava.
"Deal." She said shaking his hoof.
The buck took all the weapons off the table and turned around. Ava then looked up at me with a grin of satisfaction. The buck turned back around and set the rifle on the table along with the 600 Caps. Ava picked up the rifle in her magic and floated the caps to me. I grabbed them and put them in my saddle bag. Ava smiled with glee s she put on the holster and put the rifle in its place. We left the booth and made our way down the street. I gave the plasma rifle a few quick glances, it was in need of some serious repair. I stopped as I passed another booth and looked at what it had. Ava just walked on not noticing me as I stopped, she was to happy with her gun.
The pony was selling a mixture of things. From ammo to random scrap. It was ether on the wall or on the table. I saw a saddle bag on a hook on the side of the stall, I picked it up and looked it over. It was in great condition, no holes and all the straps where there. I paid the pony behind the booth for it and a Pipbuck that was sitting out on the table. I turned around and saw Ava walking at me from across the street. I walked to her and she stopped in front of me.
"Where did you go?" She asked
"No where." I said floating the saddle bag and the Pipbuck out from behind my back.
She smiled at me as I floated the bag onto her back and fastened the strap around her. I then lifted up her left foreleg with my hoof and placed the Pipbuck on it.
"There." I said as it clipped perfectly around and looked in her eyes. "Now I will never lose you again."
She blushed at my comment as she stared back at me. I kissed her on the cheek making her blush even bigger. I looked into those pink eyes of hers and didn't want to look away, but out of my peripheral I saw something run behind a booth and down an alley. I looked past her at the alley that the thing ran down. I walked past Ava and she stared at me as followed me. walked between two booths and into the alley, it was dark and hard to see as we walked. I felt Ava press up against me as we walked down the alley. I heard a metal door open and I froze, I looked around and heard the door slam close a little further down the alley. I picked up the pace as we moved to where I thought the door was.
I stopped as I passed a set of stairs and looked down at the metal door being illuminated by the weak glow of the light above it. I made my way down the stone steps with Ava right behind me. I slowly and as quietly as I could opened the door. I stepped through it and into a cement hallway going horizontally to the door. The florescent lights hummed above me as they filled the hall with light adding a creepy feeling to the whole thing. I tried to listen down both halls for any sound but the hum of the lights was too much for me to hear anything. I heard Ava steep up next to me as I looked down the longest hall way.
"Why are we down here?" I heard her ask
"I saw something run down the alley." I said. My ears jumped as I heard a sound come from down the hall, differentiating its self from the lights.
I started walking down the hall where the noise came from with Ava right by my side. We turned a corner and I could hear the voices coming down the hall. They grew louder as we turned another corner and where meet with another steel door. I walked up to it and heard the voices coming through it. I turned my head and put my ear to the door, but it was too thick to hear anything but a few words out of every sentence. I looked back at Ava and she stared at me, I looked back and slowly opened the door.
Voices filled my ears as the door swung outward. I looked through the open door but saw no one. I took a step through it and looked around, and saw a metal banister on the left. I walked over to it as it looked out into a large room. I looked over the banister and then dropped to the floor when I saw the ponies in the middle of the room. Ava walked up and I pulled her down so she wouldn't reveal us. I crawled up and looked through the bars and down to the floor below us. I saw some of the Town Guard yelling at the group on the other side of the room and I looked more closely and saw that the other's were Red Rifles.
The Town Guard was standing behind Wild and the Red Rifles where rallied behind a pony who I guessed is there leader. Wild raised a hoof stopping the yelling from his team.
"Ok, we let you in here because you said you wanted to talk peace." Wild said to the Red Rifle pony.
The R&R pony laughed along with the rest of his group.
"You think we would ever talk peace with your town. Sooner or later we will take it." The R&R leader said as he laughed again. Wild pinned his ears back and glared at him.
"We just wanted to give you a chance to save your town from destruction." The R&R leader said.
"What are you talking about?" Wild growled
"We are willing to exchange the safety of your town, for a little while. If you turn over the two ponies you let in last night." The R&R leader said with an evil grin.
I looked at the R&R pony who was talking and froze when I realized who it was. It was the green buck, the one Black shot in the stable. I stared at him trying to figure out how he survived and counted the ponies in the room at the same time. There was eight R&R's and only six Town Guards.
"Why would we even think about giving you them. This town is a sanctuary form you bastards." Wild said trying to keep his anger down.
"Two very good reasons." The R&R pony said. "One, if you don't we'll call the boys outside your walls to burn this town down as they look for them."
Wild scoffed at him."You know as well as I do that the Town Guard might be small, but every pony, zebra, and griffin, in town would fight you to keep their home safe. You don't have enough men to take our town." Wild said with a grin
The green buck looked over his shoulder and motioned with his hoof to another R&R and then looked back as the other pony walked through an open door to his right.
"The second reason." The buck said with a grin as the other one came back with somepony over his back with a bag over his head and stepped up next to his leader.
The green buck used his magic and floated the small pony off the other's back and stood the pony up beside him. He pulled the bag off his head and revealed a young colt. My heart stopped as I saw Spring standing there next to the green buck with a cloth gag in his mouth.
I saw Wild start running at the green buck and his son.
"Ah ah ah" The buck said floating a blade up and pressing it against Spring's throat. "We wouldn't want any harm to come to him, now would we." The green buck said with a sick grin that made my stomach turn.
Wild stopped running and stared at his son, Spring was crying and tears ran down his face and stained the gag.
"Now that I have you attention." The Buck said as he pushed Spring over to the other R&R unicorn as the knife floated over and was wrapped in his orange glow and put it back up to Spring's neck.
"How about we talk about you handing over the two ponies again." He said
Wild just stared at his son and glared back to the green buck. I slowly pulled out Swift and lined it up onto the purple unicorn holing Spring.
"If you hurt him in any way, I will fucking cut you head off!" Wild yelled at the buck.
"You're in no position to make threats." The green buck said as the purple unicorn pressed the knife into Spring's neck.
Spring winced in pain as the blade cut and drew blood. That was the last straw as I pulled the trigger. The *Crack* from my rifle echoed in the cement room as the bullet hit the purple unicorn in the side of the head and dropped him like a stone. Every pony in the room jumped and looked up to where I was. Wild strained to see who it was but as soon as I stood up and he saw me he turn back around on the R&R group.
"There up there!" The green buck yelled as two R&R raiders turned around and ran for the door on the left side of the room.
I turned Swift and fired again putting a round in the flank of one of them. The pony fell and slammed into the wall next to the door and didn't move. I looked up just in time to see the door on the other side of the balcony open up as the other raider charged at me with a pistol in his magic. I felt something tug my left side and then I went deaf as my SMG fired right next to my ear. I watched as round after round hit the R&R in the chest and fell to the floor. I looked over my shoulder, Ava was holding my SMG as smoke come from its barrel. I jumped back from the balcony as a bullet hit my shoulder, and more ricocheted off the steel bars and hit the ceiling.
My hearing came back as the sound of gun fire was everywhere. I looked at my shoulder, the bullet was imbedded in the leather but never got to me. I peeked back over the bars and saw the Red Rifles running back through a door and shooting at the Town Guards, one of them was dragging Spring with him. As the last R&R got through the door it closed and I heard the sound of a large lock come from it. I looked over the rest of the recent battle ground at the few bodies that lay on the floor. I turned and ran to the door that the one R&R came from, I moved down the stairs as fast as I could and out the door into the large room. I looked around and saw Wild and his group at the other side.
I stated running and heard Ava right behind me, but we stopped half way as I heard several explosions above us as they shook the room. I looked at Wild and it dawned on us at the same time. I started running again to his group and stopped just before I got to them.
"How do we got out here?" I asked Wild
"Follow us." He said as him and his team started running.
We followed them through a door and up a flight of stairs and down a hall, I could see the door at the end. All of us picked up into a full sprint as Wild opened the door and we ran outside.
We were in an alley way and I could hear gun fire and screams everywhere. I followed wild right down the alley as we entered the main street. Ponies where running in every direction, it was chaos as our group ran down main street. We passed the corner when an explosion tore the building to our right apart throwing us into the middle of the street.
I started to get my legs back under me as my ears where ringing, I looked around and saw Ava getting up along with Wild. Two of the other Guards got up but the third was too close to the explosion to have survived it, I could see the pool of blood forming around him. I looked back to the building, it was burning but I saw a pegasus flying over us. I watched as it dropped something, it was sparkling as it fell to the ground. I watched it, then hit me as to what is was.
"Move Move!" I yelled as I got up and putting my magic around the other four and threw them farther down the street into the junction as another explosion lifted me off my hooves.
I flew through the air and hit the ground next to Wild, hard. I struggled to get back up as the second explosion disoriented me. I looked back into the sky as the pegasus was turning around for another pass. I raised Swift and put the crosshairs right on its chest. The pegasus lit another stick of dynamite and I fired. I hit him in the wing and he started his fall to the earth. He threw the stick at me as he fell, I quickly grabbed it with my magic and threw it back into the sky where it exploded. I looked back to our group and they were just getting up off the ground.
"What do we do now?" Ava asked looking at me.
"I'm going after my son." Wild said as he started to runoff.
"Wild." I said stopping him with a hoof. "I know they have Spring, but this whole town needs you right now. We will get him back but right now we need to deal with the problem at hoof."
He was about to say something but the sound of gunfire from our left got all of our attention. I watch as two ponies came around the corner a few blocks away shooting down the street they came from. They both jumped in the air and started to fly our way, I then realized it was Black and Midnight. I smiled as they came at us and then they both dove into an upper floor of a building on our left.
I coked my head and then looked back down the street. As a huge group of RR started running down the street at us. My eyes grew big as I watched the hoard approach us.
"Oh for the love of Celestia, Black, what the fuck did you do?" I Yelled at him as bullet whizzed right past my face.
"Get to cover!" Wild yelled as the R&R group fired at us.
Me and Ava dove behind an overturned wagon in on the side of the street. I heard the bullets slam into the cart relentlessly, Thank god the cart had a steel bottom or me and Ava would have been dead. The bullets stopped hitting the cart, I risked a peek around one side and saw Wild and the two other guards taking cover behind the corner of the building on the opposite side of the street. I leaned further out and looked down the street. The R&R group was slowly making their way to us, A few of them where lighting Molotov's and throwing them into the sounding buildings. I took my chance and raised Swift, I took aim at one of the ponies holding a burning Molotov in his hoof. I took my time and waited for him to raise it over his head, I took in a slow breath and left half of it out. The pony raised the makeshift incendiary bomb and I fired. The round hit its mark, the bottle exploded sending burning liquid all over the left side of the group.
Then all hell broke loose, the street erupted into gun fire again as all of traded fire with the R&R group. Black and Midnight Fired from the window and Me, Ava, Wild, and the guards hit them from the street. They were so bunched together that even a missed shot hit the one behind them. We must have killed twenty, as they laid in the street, but the fight continued. The smart ones ran to cover and where still shooting. I had my crosshairs on the top of a pile of rubble as I waited for one to pop up over it, he looked over it and I put a round right between his eyes. I ducked back down as the other five fired at me. The bullets hit the steel cart again, but I then noticed a bullet hit right at my side. I looked into the sky and saw three pegasus's circling around me and Ava.
Another bullet hit right beside me as they fired again. I quickly rolled the cart over onto of us as a few more hit the cart. I thought how I was going to get us out of this, but them in dawned on me. I raised part of the cart.
"Hey Black." I yelled out.
Nothing came back, but then I heard the explosion of a grenade and the scream of a pony
"What? I'm busy." I heard Black yell back.
"We got company in the sky." I yelled out as another bullet hit the cart.
"I got them." I heard come from the same direction but it wasn't Black voice.
I heard a lot of gun fire above us and then a something heavy landed on the cart.
"You're good Iron." I heard come from up above us.
I rolled the cart back over and one of the R&R pegasus's was laying beside the me. I looked up into the sky, Midnight was hovering there. I looked back over the cart and saw everyone gathering in the street. Me and Ava walked over to them as Midnight and Black joined us.
"What the hell was that?" Wild asked. Everyone turned and looked at Black and Midnight.
"Hey, we came running out of the opera house when we heard the explosions and that group was walking through the main gate." Black said.
"Ya, there was way more of them then." Midnight said. "You guys only fought half of them."
"Where did the others go?" I asked
"They split up and went to the other side of town. That group was chasing us." Black said "We managed to keep their attention, so they didn't destroy too much."
At that moment I heard the flap of wings behind me and whirled around with Swift.
"Town Guard! Town Guard!" The intruder yelled.
I looked at the cowering form on the ground, it was a griffin. I lowered my weapon and Wild stepped up to him.
"What's going on?" Wild said in a authoritative voice.
The griffin immediately stood up and saluted Wild.
"Sir, The last group of Red Rifle's is trying to escape through the south side of the city. There leader is with them." The griffin said with his claw still on his forehead.
"We need to move fast." Wild said as he turned around and into a dead sprint.
The rest of us kept pace with him but he was not going to slow down for anything. We followed him around corners and down alley ways as we moved. Even when we were getting shot at Wild didn't slow down. We turned down one last street and the scene before me made my blood run cold.
Bodies of the towns foke lay strewn throughout the street. Many of them still holding the guns that they died with, there blood staining the street and concrete. I lost it when I saw three foals laying in a line on the wall with holes in their heads as their blood pooled around them. My blood boiled with rage as I looked down the street and saw the Red Rifles lining up more on the wall of a shop. I pulled out Swift and fired at them, every shot I fired made contact with the Foul murdering bastards as I dropped one right after the next. I heard the sound of another gun going off and the pain in my chest.
I looked out of my scope and felt the pain surge through my body as I fell on my forelegs and dropped Swift. I felt my blood run out of the hole in my chest as looked back up. Ava was standing in front of me turned away as she shot her Plasma rifle. My vision started to fade and I felt cold as I heard Wilds voice. I only heard one word of it, but that's all I needed.
"............ Spring................"
My anger rose again and my adrenalin kicked in as I stood up and grabbed Swift in my magic. I pushed Ava out of my way and looked down the street, the green buck was standing there with his group as they all fired at us, he was holding Spring as a shield. I raised Swift and put the cross hairs on the bucks head, I could see his evil smile through the scope. I took a deep breath and stopped my rifle form shaking as pain radiated through my body. I slowly pulled the trigger, then I took another hit my right shoulder. *Crack* was all I heard as I dropped to my knee, I looked back up as the green buck dropped Spring and ran off to the back the group. I smiled as my vision faded and I fell on my side. I looked up, and Ava stepped into my sight yelling something as the world went white.
Chapter Notes:
Level Up: Iron Site
New Perk: Lost Love: As long as Ava is by your side you do10% more damage.
New Perk: Rage of Life: The site of the Towns foke of Tricross fuels your anger. If your health drops below 15% you gain a 40% chance to critical hit and 30% to accuracy.
Level Up: Black Water
New Companion: Ava
S: 4
P: 6
E: 7
C: 8
I: 6
A: 3
L: 6
level Up: Ava
New Perk: Lost Love: As long as Iron Site is by your side you do10% more damage.
New Perk: Energy Freak: You are crazy over energy weapons. Therefore you do 20% more damage with them.
New Perk: Silver Tongue: You can talk you way out of a steel box. When bartering or making a deal with someone you can talk you way into getting a little extra something. A 20 extra points to Speech and Bartering