Drunken laughter, cheerful chatter, the clacking of acrylic balls and clinking glasses filled the room, a thick cloud that smelled of booze and cigar smoke clinging to the walls. The room was large and nearly packed to the brim with an assortment of multicolored ponies and a small number of rough-and-tumble looking griffins. Four green-felted pool tables sat spaced evenly apart at the back of the room to the left, various ponies crowded around them, shoving each other around and trading insults and bets. Behind them, connected stone archways sectioned off the very back of the room. A small set of matching steps led to a white and wispy orange marble platform where eight dark, square wooden tables and matching chairs lined its surface. The only light came from large single candles hanging on the walls where the arches connected, dimly lighting the area. Only a small portion of the patrons sat there, gazing out at the others as they mingled.
The middle of the room was filled with similar chairs and tables, the patrons of this establishment occupying the majority of them. Plates, cups, and silverware littered the occupied tables while others laid barren. To the right of the tables was a long bar with an old western style that matched the rest of the room. Many of the dark leather and metal stools were occupied, the patrons happily trading stories as they shared and gulped down many a pint of beer. Various bottles of alcohol of many different sizes and colors lined the back of the bar, where three bartenders- two ponies and a griffin- worked quickly to serve drinks and keep their patrons happy. To the right of the bar was an archway connecting the room to a small kitchen.
An intricate pattern of swirling off white, cream orange and currant red tiles decorated the entirety of the floor, only stopping at the entrance and the steps to the loft area in the back. Tawny brown painted plaster with a dark brown-and-whitish-brown brick skirt enclosed the room. On the walls hung framed paintings of different desert landscapes. In the corners of the room, half-dead plants and small cacti sat in deep green, ceramic planters. By the entrance, above the door, the words 'Black Messiah' were written in red neon lights on a black neon background. Hanging from the tan popcorned ceiling throughout the room, save for the raised area in the back, were eight rectangular fluorescent lights, three occasionally flickering but never turning off. Two thick, dark oak wooden doors with square wired glass windows rested against either side of the doorway. Through the middle of both was a thick strip of silver metal that protruded a bit from the wood, another strip of a darker colored metal protruded from the silver about halfway through.
Through the doors, a shorter unicorn mare entered the Black Messiah, her clean, sharp outfit setting her apart from the crowd of ponies in the room. Her fur was pastel blue in color, her short, curled mane a dark lavender color with a dark brown bow fixed to her mane below her left ear. A matching bow was tied at the start of her short, curled tail. Behind a pair of thick, brown glasses, two bright yellow eyes scanned the room and the ponies inside of it. A clean white lab coat clung to the thin leather armor beneath it. Stitched to either sleeve of her lab coat was a red heart with a black cross with pointed ends on top of it.
Her left shoulder above the coat was covered by a piece of padded metal, which was kept in place by a strap of leather that ran across her chest and underneath her coat. Her right leg above the knee was covered by a piece of studded, padded leather with two straps on either side attaching to her under armor to keep it in place. On her left leg, a soft sleeve covered part of the lower end, near the hoof, which kept the Pip-Buck secured to it from poking and prodding into her skin. Hidden beneath her lab coat, despite the slight bulge it made, a leather holster was strapped to her right back leg that held a weathered 10mm pistol. Above the lab coat, a pair of saddlebags were securely strapped to her back.
The mare squinted her eyes as she strained them to see the faces of the ponies at the far end of the room. Unable to find the face in the crowd she needed, the mare approached the bar and propped her hooves against it. One of the bartenders, a green unicorn mare with ruby eyes and a white mane styled into a short bob, took notice of her and approached as she used her orange-colored magic to hold and clean a fancy glass cup with a light red colored rag.
“Howdy, stranger,” The bartender said with a thick southern drawl “yer lookin’ mighty outta place here in the Black Messiah. What can ah git fer ya?”
“I’m looking for somepony, a mercenary, have you seen her?” The mare questioned as she pushed her glasses up higher onto her nose and produced a photo from her saddlebag.
Using her yellow-colored magic, she brought the photo closer to the bartender and patiently waited as she examined it. The photo depicted a mare with light periwinkle fur and marigold eyes, a stone-cold expression on her face. While one eye appeared fully open, the other seemed partially lidded, like a lazy eye. The mare’s long, dark brown mane curled and spiked in some places, a long piece of it curling around her right eye and stopping just below it, the end pointing towards her nose. In the photo, she was a unicorn much like the two of them, however, the mare in the photo’s horn was broken and jagged. She wore thick leather armor reinforced with scraps of metal. Strapped to her back was what appeared to be a well used, modded combat rifle.
“Ah reckon ah have, stranger. Yer lookin’ fer Summer Glide, a resident of Phoenix City and frequent patron of the Black Messiah,” The bartender said, jerking her head to gesture behind her “you’ll find Summer brooding in the back behind the arches. Always the second to last table in the second row.”
“Thank you very much, ma’am,” The mare said as she pushed away from the bar and slipped the photo back into her bag.
“Nary a problema, missy,” The bartender said with a smile, “although if it’s Summer yer talkin’ to, ah reck-o-mend ya bring ‘er a drink. A glass of bourbon on the rocks always gits ‘er in a talkative mood.”
“How much for a glass, then?” The mare asked, adjusting her glasses once again.
“Hehe, fer you, missy? Ah'll give ya the drink on the house,” The bartender said with a grin “Ah'll be back with the drink in two shakes of a radhornet’s nest.”
“Oh, wow, thanks ma’am,” The mare said as she watched the bartender set to work.
“Dammit, Cactus, quit givin’ away free drinks to e’erypony ya take a likin’ to,” The other pony bartender, an earth pony stallion, scolded in a similar accent as he pushed a drink to one of their customers.
“Aw, shut it, Pear. J’est look at ‘er, she’s as cute as a button with them there glasses on ‘er face!” Exclaimed the mare bartender, who the four-eyed mare assumed to be Cactus, as she magically passed her the drink.
The mare took the drink with her own magical grasp and smiled appreciatively.
“Ah’m puttin’ ‘em on yer tab, sis,” The stallion bartender, who she assumed to be Pear, said with a roll of his eyes.
“Do it then, see if ah care,” Cactus hissed as she turned her back to Pear.
“Er, uh, thanks again for the free drink,” The mare said with an awkward smile.
Cactus merely smiled and winked at her before turning her attention to a different patron. The mare trotted off towards the back of the room, weaving her way through the crowd of ponies. She made her way to the arches and trotted up the short set of steps. Despite the lit candles, the raised area was rather dim and it was somewhat difficult to see well past the first row of tables. The mare pulled the photo of Summer Glide out from her bag and examined it, trying to memorize her features. Stepping past two empty tables, the mare looked towards the table before the one near the corner. A mare who matched the photo toe to tip sat at the table, her head hanging low as she spaced out, staring off into the distance. On the table sat two empty glasses.
"Pardon me, you're Summer Glide, correct?" The four-eyed mare asked.
"Depends on who's asking," The broken-horned mare replied, her voice deep and smooth.
"Here, I got this for you. Figured you'd be one to appreciate a free drink. I'm Bullet Gospel and I require your services," The four-eyed mare said with a friendly smile, her own voice a tad higher pitched and a bit squeaky.
She sat the drink down with her magic and took a seat at the table with Summer Glide. Bullet Gospel watched as Summer accepted the drink and downed it all in one go. With a groan and a sigh, Summer sat the glass down rather forcefully, which resulted in an audible clink and thud.
"Alright then. What sort of work do you need done?" Summer Glide questioned "caravan protection? Temporary guard? Need a certain somepony or two out of your life? Have something you need found?"
"I need you as personal protection. I don't know what the land is like where I'll be going," Bullet Gospel explained "I don't know if it's safe or dangerous or what the conditions may be. Therefore, I need somepony who is good with a gun to keep me safe."
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Summer Glide said “where exactly is this land and how many caps are you willing to spend?”
“Have you ever been to Greyscale Island?” Bullet Gospel asked.
“Nope, nor have I heard of it,” Summer Glide replied.
“Ah, well, I suppose nopony really has. It’s a pretty isolated place,” Bullet Gospel said “but it’s imperative that I go there. I paid a good price for some Ministry of Wartime Technology documents that would help with my research. Most of it was redacted and useless, but there were several mentions of Greyscale Island and a research facility within the mountain.”
“And so you’re hoping that there might be something at the island that’ll help you?” Summer Glide questioned.
“Precisely,” Bullet Gospel answered with a small nod of her head.
“Let me make sure I’ve got this straight,” Summer Glide began as shifted in her seat and leaned back “you want me to accompany you to some isolated island as extra muscle that may or may not have what you’re looking for based on some centuries-old papers?”
“Well, yes, that’s the gist of it,” Bullet Gospel said as she adjusted her glasses.
“Just how much are you willing to pay to drag me miles across the ocean?” Summer Glide questioned as she draped her left foreleg over the back of her chair.
“How do five hundred caps sound?” Bullet Gospel questioned.
“Like I’m being cheated a few hundred caps short,” Summer Glide answered.
“I can only go up to seven hundred caps,” Bullet Gospel said “I’ve only got a budget of one-thousand-five-hundred caps to work with.”
“Make it seven-hundrend-and-fifty and we’ve got a deal,” Summer Glide said as she traced her right hoof around the rim of her glass.
“Okay, fine. I can spare fifty extra,” Bullet Gospel said with a sigh as she produced a bag of caps from her saddlebags.
She tossed the bag onto the table in front of Summer Glide, the caps clinking together quietly as they made contact with the wood. Summer Glide grabbed the bag and opened it to inspect the contents. She pulled a cap out of the bag and inspected it, turning it over in her hoof and tracing the red circular metal with the other hoof. ‘Sparkle-Cola’ was written in small white print calligraphy on the top.
"They're real and that's exactly seven-fifty in the bag," Bullet Gospel said "I split my budget into two bags just in case. Never know when somepony might try and mug you."
Summer Glide sighed quietly as she tossed the cap back into the bag and pulled on the drawstrings to close it. She grabbed the bag and swiftly tucked it away into a leather pouch with a metal clasp attached to the front of her armor. Bullet Gospel removed her glasses from her face and used the sleeve of her lab coat the clean the lenses.
“How soon do we have to leave?” Summer Glide questioned as she leaned forward in her chair.
“If we leave within the next hour, we can make it to the marina by the time night approaches,” Bullet Gospel answered as she put back on her glasses “do you know where the Murkwater Fishing & Co is located?”
“Murkwater Fishing & Co,” Summer Glide echoed as she rubbed her chin with a hoof “is it that place where that small oceanside community resides just ways south from here? With that dumb-looking worm wrapped ‘round a fishing hook for a mascot?”
“Yeah, that’s the place,” Bullet Gospel said with a nod of her head “word has already been sent by my boss to one of the fishermares there, so they’re expecting you and me sometime tonight or early in the morning if we get held up.”
“Your boss? I figured you were just weird with your money when you said you had a budget, but you’re working for somepony else?” Summer Glide questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah. I volunteer my time for the Servants of the Apocalypse as a scientist,” Bullet Gospel answered “have you heard of them?”
“A few times. Just passing whispers, though,” Summer Glide said “you guys are starting to get a bit popular out in the Wasteland.”
“Servants of the Apocalypse is a group of volunteers- pony, zebra, griffin, etcetera- who help the inhabitants of the wastes with basic necessities for low, affordable prices. Sometimes even free, dependant on the situation,” Bullet Gospel explained with a smile “medical care and treatment is usually free, although we may charge a minor fee. That fee is usually no more than fifteen caps at most. Five caps is usually the cheapest. We volunteers do get paid, but it’s never a set amount or the same every day. It’s more or less a commission of sorts. One day you might get paid a hundred caps, another day you might get three hundred and then one day you might only get thirty caps. Money is partly guaranteed.”
“Money is what makes this world go ‘round you know,” Summer Glide said “how do you stay operational when you function like that? What even is the end goal for your group?”
“Well, while charging higher prices for the kinds of services we provide will probably put money in our pockets, our mission isn't about profit. We do it to help ponies- especially ones who can’t help themselves- because it’s the right thing to do,” Bullet Gospel said in a slightly annoyed tune “not everything is about profit. So our end goal? To make the world a better place and clean up the mess our ancestors made.”
“This world is pretty shitty, isn’t it?” Summer Glide questioned with a sigh.
“It is, but it doesn’t have to be. Not if we all try in some way to change it,” Bullet Gospel said cheerfully “which is why we have to get to Greyscale Island. If the technologies and research there can help me successfully achieve my own research, then that’s one step closer to putting an end to the violent ways of the wastes and achieving peace.”
“That sounds great and all, but what about ponies who make a living off violence?" Summer Glide questioned.
"Well, their skills can be put to use for other things, like keeping the peace," Bullet Gospel replied "you needn't worry. Mercs like you won't have anything to worry about for a long while. By the time peace is widespread in the Wasteland, you and I will be long dead."
I suppose you’re right,” Summer Glide said as she rose from her seat “if we’re going to be leaving soon, we should stock up on supplies. What kind of weapon are you packing?”
“Just a standard-issue 10mm pistol,” Bullet Gospel said, patting the slight bulge on her back right leg.
Summer Glide softly shook her head, her mane gently tossing about, as she adjusted her armor. Bullet Gospel glanced down where her weapon was holstered before looking up at Summer Glide with an eyebrow raised and a look of confusion on her face.
“What? Is there something wrong with carrying a 10mm?” Bullet Gospel asked “it gets the job done when necessary.”
“You mean to tell me that you’re a scientist but don’t carry any sort of fancy science gun with you?” Summer Glide countered.
“Well, I consider myself well versed in physics and laser optics, but I consider myself a different kind of scientist,” Bullet Gospel answered “I consider myself well versed in the majority of all sciences in the world, but I’m more into bioscience and psychology than anything else.”
“I was only joking, you know,” Summer Glide said as she walked down the steps.
“Oh, well, she didn’t write anything to indicate you were,” Bullet Gospel said as she followed after Summer.
“What? The fuck are you talkin’ about?” Summer Glide questioned as she looked back at Bullet Gospel, a look of confusion on her face.
“Anyways, the faster we go and stock up on those supplies, the sooner we can leave,” Bullet Gospel said, blatantly dismissing Summer “this is my first time here in Phoenix City, so you’ll have to continue to lead the way.”
Summer Glide softly shook her head once again she trotted towards the crowd of ponies within the Black Messiah. Few ponies acknowledged the mercenary mare as she passed by with Bullet Gospel in tow. In return, Summer Glide acknowledged them back with a nod of her head. As they passed along the end of the bar, Cactus called out to Summer Glide and Bullet Gospel.
“Y'all finally headin’ out?” Cactus asked with a smile.
“Yes ma’am,” Bullet Gospel replied with a smile in return.
“Y’all stay safe now, ya hear? If’n ya make it back in one piece, Ah’ll give the of ya a ‘round o’ drinks on the house,” Cactus said with a wink.
Before Bullet Gospel or Summer Glide could say a word in response to Cactus’ offer, the two watched as Pear smacked his sister upside the back of her head.
“Whaddaya tell ya, sis? Quit offering’ free drinks!” Pear exclaimed in a hiss.
“Their fixin’ to go on a mighty adventure, brother! Gotta give ‘em some incentive to come back!” Cactus hissed back.
Bullet Gospel grimaced awkwardly as the siblings began to argue. From the other side of the bar, the brown-and-black griffin bartender threw a slice of lemon at them. The slice of fruit landed in Cactus’ mane and fulfilled its duty of distracting the siblings from the arguing. With a look of disgust, Cactus removed the lemon slice from her mane and tossed into a trash can behind the bar.
“Quit throwin’ slices of fruit all over the place, Beaks,” Cactus said in disgust as she used a nearby rag to soak up the lemon juice left on her mane.
The male griffin, who’s name was apparently Beaks, merely rolled his eyes at Cactus as he went back to serving the patrons at his end of the bar. Pear sighed and shook his head as he trotted around from behind the bar and disappeared off into the kitchen area of the Black Messiah. Cactus looked at Bullet Gospel and Summer Glide and smiled apologetically at them.
“Hehe, sorry ‘bout that,” Cactus said as she rubbed the back of her neck “Pear isn’t really keen on the whole ‘making friends’ thing. J’est cares for me, Beaks and the Black Messiah and that’s ‘bout it.”
“Well, the old saying used to be ‘friendship is magic’, he should give it a try,” Bullet Gospel said cheerfully.
“Nah, he’s more stubborn than a bighorner with a pack on,” Cactus said with a shrug “don’t worry, he still loves his baby sis even if ah git on his nerves. Ain’t that right, Pear?”
Cactus tilted her head in the direction of the kitchen as she shouted her question to her brother. Pear stuck his head out from the kitchen and looked at his younger sister with an eyebrow raised in confusion.
“What?” He questioned.
“Ah said, ya still love yer lil’ sis even though ah git on yet nerves, dontcha?” Cactus repeated.
“Yer lucky ah do,” Pear said with a roll of his eyes “now git back to work.”
“Yessir,” Cactus said with a mock salute.
Pear grumbled to himself as he disappeared once again into the kitchen. Cactus chuckled to herself as she used her magic to grab an empty cup from one of the stacks behind her in addition to a round, orange-colored bottle with a label that read ‘Bittersprings Mead’.
“Anyways, ah’ll let y’all git on yer way to wherever,” Cactus said with a wink “j’est make sure ya really do come back in one piece. Ah’d hate to hear somethin’ happened to y’all.”
“You know I always come back, Cactus,” Summer Glide said as she began to trot away.
“Erm, goodbye Cactus,” Bullet Gospel said with a wave as she followed after Summer.
Bullet Gospel and Summer Glide weaved their way through a small wave of new patrons entering the bar and stepped out into the hallway beyond the Black Messiah. It stretched a small ways until it branched off to the left and then into another hallway straight across. Instead of an intricate swirl of tiles, the floor of the corridors were a dark-colored wood. The brick skirted plaster walls were replaced by a smooth wallpaper in a single, solid burnt orange color with white skirting boards around the bottom and white wall trim at the top. The ceiling was deep red and just as smooth as the wallpaper. From the intersection where the hallways met, a rustic styled wagon wheel hung from the ceiling. Hanging from the wagon wheel were six black colored kerosene lanterns that burned brightly, greatly illuminating the area.
Just across the way were a pair of closed doors identical to the ones resting against the walls of the Black Messiah. A plain white sign with black lettering scrawled upon it hung above the doors and read ‘Phoenix City Museum’. In front of the door were a pair of golden stanchions with red, velvety ropes connecting them. A sign attached to a black stand sat next to them, its whiteboard displaying sign letters that read ‘Closed- Opens @ 6am’.
“The museum closes rather early,” Bullet Gospel commented as they turned down the left hallway “according to my Pip-Buck, it’s only 5:45pm.”
This hallway was much longer in comparison two the ones connecting the museum and Black Messiah. Two identical light fixtures hung from the ceiling, illuminating the various pieces of art hung on the walls.
“It’s Wednesday," Summer Glide said "the museum closes early on Wednesdays for the tour guides to prepare for class trips on Thursdays."
"Class trips?" Bullet Gospel questioned.
"Yes, for the children," Summer Glide answered "we have a school system here. It may not be as good as pre-war schools, but it's better than nothing. There are even classes for uneducated adults."
"That's wonderful," Bullet Gospel said happily "Phoenix City is a terrific settlement."
"It has its perks," Summer Glide said with a sigh "better than most other settlements for sure, but… it's definitely not perfect."
"No place ever is," Bullet Gospel said "but as long as the benefits outweigh the detriments, it's worth it to live here or really any place similar."
"I suppose you're right," Summer Glide said "so, where do you live?"
"There's this old Stable we found, completely abandoned and devoid of all life. Stable 152. There was no sign of forced entry into the Stable. There were no corpses or signs of a struggle. It was almost like they just vanished right out of thin air," Bullet Gospel explained "we couldn't even find any notes or terminal entries stating a reason for the evacuation of the Stable. They just… disappeared. Since it was empty, we moved in and called it home. That's where I got my hooves on a Pip-Buck."
“So is that where you bring the ponies you help?” Summer Glide asked.
“Mostly yes. We Servants live in the actual residential sections of the Stable, but some of us live elsewhere on the different levels. Personally, my home is in the office of the science laboratory on the third level,” Bullet Gospel replied “the inhabitants of the wastes we shelter stay on the first level, typically close to the Stable door in considerably nice tents. Recently, we’ve begun to branch out, so we’ve got two chapters of Servants in the Wasteland. Before I left, we were working on constructing a small settlement near the Stable for, erm, well, I suppose you could call them refugees.”
“A whole Stable full of ponies just up and vanish? Seems rather fishy if you ask me,” Summer Glide said.
“Well, it’s entirely plausible that they decided to leave the comforts of their Stable, unknowing of the true nature of the Wasteland, and brought every mention of their whereabouts along with them to keep from being traced,” Bullet Gospel said with a shrug.
“Why would an entire Stable not want anypony to follow them?” Summer Glide questioned.
“Now that is a question I’m unable to give an answer to,” Bullet Gospel said “and now that I’ve answered your questions and told you about my home, tell me about yours.”
“What do I look like, a museum tour guide?” Summer Glide questioned with a roll of her eyes.
“Look, I hired you and you specifically because of your skill and reputation. I don’t expect to become best buds with you now or by the time our mission ends,” Bullet Gospel said in a clearly annoyed tone “but I’ve answered all of your questions, and I’ve done so honestly. I’ve told you about myself, my home and my organization. Would it kill you to just do the same for me?”
“And besides, that’s my money in your pocket there. If it’s going to kill you just to tell me about Phoenix City- because that’s all I’m asking here- then you’d might as well hand it back over and I’ll find somepony else who will at least cooperate with me,” Bullet Gospel added with a roll of her eyes.
Summer Glide paused in track and looked over at Bullet Gospel. She gave the mare a harsh glare as the two stood in the corridor. Bullet Gospel raised both of her eyebrows and gave Summer a look as if to sarcastically ask,‘Can I help you?’, as she pushed her glasses further onto her nose. The two stood there, staring at each other in silence until Summer Glide looked away and sighed loudly.
“No, it wouldn’t kill me to tell you about it,” Summer Glide said finally “I’m just a stubborn ass, I guess.”
“I certainly agree with that,” Bullet Gospel half-muttered as she resumed her trot down the hall, earning another eye roll from Summer.
“I’m sort of like Pear Fruit,” Summer Glide said as she caught up with her “I’m not too keen on friendship, just care about money, my work and myself.”
“Pear Fruit?” Bullet Gospel questioned.
“Pear Fruit is Pear’s whole name,” Summer Glide answered “just like Cactus’ is Cactus Flower and Beaks’ Beakbreaker. It’s just easier to call them Pear, Cactus and Beaks, I guess. You live here so long, you don’t really need to call them by their whole names.”
“Oh. Yeah, that does make sense,” Bullet Gospel said “I figured it was two halves to form a whole kind of deal.”
“What do you mean?” Summer Glide questioned.
“Well, two of our eleven doctors at the Stable are siblings. Two sisters, both unicorns. Their names are Cat and Scan,” Bullet Gospel answered “Cat’s name is just Cat and only Cat. Same with Scan. It’s just Scan and nothing else. Well, together, their names form ‘CAT scan’, which is a medical device that kind of looks like a giant white donut that takes full-body x-rays. So I just assumed it was a similar deal with Cactus and Pear.”
“Right, well, I guess now you know," Summer Glide said "anyways, enough about me and Pear Fruit. You wanted to know about Phoenix City."
"You don't have to give a long, fancy history lesson. Just summarize the best you can," Bullet Gospel said.
Summer Glide took in a deep breath and exhaled it in a loud sigh. As the two turned right and entered a new hallway, Summer Glide began her brief history lesson;
"Okay, well, before the war, this place used to be a hotel resort called the Desert Phoenix, which is where Phoenix City got its namesake. When the megaspells obliterated most of the world, the ponies who were here just stayed. They turned it into their homes. I mean, where else could they go? That was the start of Phoenix City, though, but it didn't officially become Phoenix City until way later. As with any settlement, they had to find a means of bringing in money and supplies.
First they opened the Gifte Shoppe for trade, then they fixed the old bar which later became the Black Messiah to draw ponies in and then lastly the Hardboiled Cafe was opened because, well, everypony needs to eat. The Desert Phoenix was just some settlement in the desert with a few dozen ponies for the better part of a century and a half. Being in the desert, the walls around the resort, the sandstorms and the hot weather usually keep all but the most determined raiders and slavers away. It was- still is- a pretty safe place, so rumors spread and soon enough the population rose tremendously here. That's when it officially became Phoenix City. I guess that’s pretty much it.”
“Thank you,” Bullet Gospel said with a smile.
“You’re welcome,” Summer Glide said “now this way, follow me.”
Bullet Gospel continued to follow after Summer as the two turned left and followed the short hallway out into a large, open and familiar room, which she recognized to be the lobby area of Phoenix City. In the middle of the lobby, pairs of light grey worn, aged couches with small glass-topped tables between them were spaced evenly apart. The flooring changed from dark-colored wood to a ghost grey, aged carpet except for where the couches sat. Instead of carpet, the flooring beneath them were soft brown marble tiles. Throughout the room, smooth soft brown support pillars connected the ceiling and floor. The walls of the lobby were creamy orange in color with darker orange swirls dancing at the bottom. Directly across from them was a large area filled even spaced, fancy-looking tables and chairs. Many ponies dressed nicely sat at various tables, chatting loudly. Next to the area of tables was a large open kitchen, with a dozen ponies shuffling about.
To their right, at the far end of the room just before the patched glass revolving door, was a large soft white desk that formed a large ring. Busted terminals sat in even increments on the desk. Near the revolving door were mosaic stained glass windows depicting the various life stages of a prewar phoenix. The windows were broken in some places and patched with scraps of metal, much like the revolving door. To their left was a large dark red colored carpeted staircase with brown railings. On either of the staircase were a set of elevator doors, however, elevators to the right of the staircase were covered in black-and-yellow taped forming the shape of an ‘X’. A sign also hung on them, but Bullet Gospel was too far away to make out what it said. Not far away from either set of elevators were arched openings that Bullet assumed led the various shops found in the city.
Summer Glide led them past the couches in the center and towards the left arched opening, trotting past various denizens of the Phoenix City. Passing through the archway led them to a small corridor with doorways on either side. A partially faded painting depicting red, yellow and white roses inside of a grey vase on top of a darker grey table hung on the wall above a row of potted plants. Above either doorway hung hoofmade signs. The sign above the left doorway was painted in a green camouflage pattern with the words 'GUNS'N'STUFF' painted on in yellow straight, capital letters. The sign above the right doorway was painted white with the words 'Prim & Proper' painted it curly, purple cursive letters. Summer Glide trotted to the left doorway and entered GUNS'N'STUFF. Bullet Gospel followed her inside and looked around.
Inside of GUNS’N’STUFF, the walls of the medium-sized room changed from a creamy orange to wood paneling with grey concrete skirts and the floor from soft brown tiles to smooth wooden tiling. Four fluorescent lights identical to the ones in the Black Messiah hung from the ceiling. A few feet from the entrance was a metal counter that stretched the majority of the length of the room, branching off towards the front wall a short ways to form a small ‘L’. A metal door was attached between the end of it and the chain-link fencing that ran along the entirety of the counter, attached to both the ceiling and the counter. There were three square openings in even increments along the long side of the counter, just large tall for a pony to prop their hooves up on the counter and stick their head through, but not wide enough for their body to fit through. Behind the counter, along the wooden portion of the back wall, hung several racks displaying a large variety of guns. Along the concrete portion, gun lockers with metal grate doors securely held the stock of guns for sale within the store. In the back right corner- nearly directly across from the metal door- was a wooden door that Bullet assumed led to a storage area.
A small, silver bell sat on the counter near the opening in the fencing closest to the door. Summer Glide approached the opening and rung the bell three times in quick succession. The wooden door swung open with force and audibly smacked against the wall. An Assaultpon-E stepped into view and made its way over to where Summer Glide and Bullet Gospel stood. It was painted in an army green color with some spots of rust here and there. On its metallic flanks, ‘GAG-3’ was painted on in bright yellow stenciling. In the center of its face, a single circular, glowing, red-colored optical sensor stared Summer Glide and Bullet Gospel.
“Hello, cutie. Oh, and hello to you too, Summer's friend. Welcome to GUNS’N’STUFF,” The Assaultpon-E said in a smooth, almost feminine-sounding robotic voice “we sell weapons, ammo, mods and everything else guaranteed to injure, maim and kill to your heart’s desire.”
“Hey, GAG-3. I’m being hired again, so I’ll be gone for a while,” Summer Glide said, pronouncing the Assaultpon-E’s name like ‘gauge’, “so I’d like to stock up on my usual.”
“Six boxes of .45 ammunition coming right up,” GAG-3 said as they backed up and scanned the shelves obscured from view “six boxes of .45 ammunition. Normally, I’d charge one-thousand-five-hundred caps, but since you’re such a loyal customer and I really like you, darling, I’ll give you six hundred cap discount. Nine hundred caps, please.”
Summer opened the pouch attached to the front of her armor and pulled out the bag Bullet had given her and tossed it onto the counter. She then pulled another bag, opened it and began to count out the remainder of the caps due. Summer added the last of the caps to the bag of caps Bullet had given to her and slid it towards GAG-3.
"Thank you for your purchase. Here are your boxes of ammo, sweetheart," GAG-3 said as they surrendered the boxes of ammo "can I help you with anything else?"
"Do you have anything… sciencey?" Summer Glide asked.
"Sciencey? Hmmm, let me go check with Pain Train," GAG-3 said as they turned and headed back towards from where they came.
"What are you going to buy?" Bullet Gospel asked, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow.
"You a better gun. You said it yourself that you didn't know what that island was like," Summer replied "better to have a better gun, just in case. There could be mutated animals never seen before on it. A rinky-dink little 10mm bullet would probably just bounce right off them."
"I suppose you're right," Bullet Gospel said "and thanks, I guess. I can't tell if you're actually an ass or actually nice."
"I can be whatever I feel like being," Summer Glide said, rolling her eyes "besides, what if you end up dying? Aren't you trying to make the Wasteland a better place? Can't do that if you're dead. Besides that, I hate losing customers, especially if they pay well. What if- after the end of our mission- you need me again? Losing you would be bad for business."
"Jee, thanks," Bullet Gospel muttered.
A loud crash followed by several clanks against the floor echoed from the storage area. The high pitched voice of a mare began hurling curses at GAG-3. A short earth pony mare who seemed to only come to Bullet's muzzle trotted out from the room and towards carrying a strange pistol in her mouth and a similar rifle on her back, all the while grumbling beneath her breath. Her coat was a dark brown, with darker brown spots around her nose, flanks and her lower legs. Her eyes were a bright pink color, which stood out behind her messy silver and thin sage green striped mane and tail, her flanks depicted a grenade above an explosion with bullets around it.
The mare approached the counter and gingerly sat the pistol down on it, then reached back, grabbed the rifle and set it down next to the pistol. The rifle had a bright blue barrel- weathered by use- and had three yellow squares on either side the barrel that had small nipple-like pieces sticking out from them. Beneath the squares, four thin pieces of metal went from one area of squares to another. On either side of the barrel, on the top near the back, were eight total yellow coils- four on each side- that were partially see-through. The stock of the gun was heavily rusted and the neck of the rifle had a small, dome-like wired structure. Beneath the neck, a yellow diode bulb was attached. The pistol was essentially a smaller version of the rifle, although instead of coils the pistol had eight blue-tinted diode bulbs, was missing the yellow squares, had no stock attached to it and had a much smaller neck.
"Whatcha got there, squirt?" Summer Glide questioned.
"I ain't a squirt! You know I'm fourteen!" The mare exclaimed as she glared at Summer "as for what I've got here, you wanted something sciencey, so I got you something sciencey!"
"Squirts are little babies like Bazooka," The mare, who Bullet assumed was Pain Train, added in a rather loud voice.
"You take that back, I'm not a baby!" An even higher-pitched voice exclaimed from the storage room.
"I'll take it back when pigs fly!" Pain Train shouted back "anyways, what you've got here is a pair of nice little weapons. We just got them yesterday, actually. A little worse for wear, but still in a rather remarkable condition. They're also pretty unique, so we gave them nicknames as we do with other unique weapons. Bazooka named the pistol 'Eureka!' and I named the rifle 'Infinite Atom'."
Pain Train propped herself up on the counter and grabbed the pistol with a hoof. As she turned it over and showed it off, she continued her remarks about the weapons.
"Both weapons are pretty much self-charging and essentially have limitless ammunition thanks to a marvel of genius engineering hidden inside the barrels," Pain Train explained, her tone shifting to excitement "these puppies have microfusion breeder cells in them and those suckers recharge themselves over time. As a matter of fact, both weapons recharge at about one second per round. So with the rifle, it takes seven seconds for a full recharge, but that means it only fires seven rounds from a full charge.
Bazooka did some research into the origins of these suckers and apparently, the rifle was the first version of self-charging weaponry, but the makers only managed to make a second, more advanced version- the pistol- before the megaspells fucked up the world. Now, speaking of the pistol, since it's the more advanced of the two, it has a greater round per charge than the rifle. On the plus side, you fire thirteen more rounds for a total of twenty from a full charge, but on the downside, you've gotta wait a whole twenty seconds for it to fully recharge.
You don't have to wait for the full seven or twenty seconds, however. As I said, they both charge at a rate of one second per round, so you just have to be mindful about the situation and make your shots count and fire them wisely. Oh, one more thing about these two. You've probably already guessed it by now, but I'll say it anyway. Since the rifle is the original and first version of their kind, it's not quite as powerful as a pistol. It's also, rather obviously, heavier than the pistol and a little bit more difficult to handle and lug around.
Not gonna lie to ya, the pistol is the better option of the two in my honest and professional opinion. The pistol is smaller, weighs less, is easier to carry around and has more and stronger rounds in a charge. However, we've got it priced higher than the rifle, so that's one of the negatives of getting it. The rifle is the cheaper option even though it's not as powerful and a bit more cumbersome."
"Wow, you really know your stuff to only be fourteen years old," Bullet Gospel said in amazement.
"Hey, thanks! My dad taught me and my sister everything we know from weapons to running a business and keeping GAG-3 in working order," Pain Train said proudly with a grin "Bazooka does the research on new weapons, keeps 'em all clean, keeps track of inventory and stuff like that. I fix weapons and can mod them to be the weapons of your dreams for the right price, in addition to being in charge, testing the weapons, making sure the front is stocked and all that good jazz. As for GAG-3, well they keep customers in line, effectively handle thieves- and by that I mean they shoot a hole in their flanks- and... well, GAG-3 just handles security mostly, but also helps with customer service."
"Impressive," Bullet Gospel said "where are your parents at?"
"Oh, don't worry. Bazooka and I aren't orphans… yet," Pain Train said "our dad is gone, way up yonder in that great green pasture in the sky, but our mom is upstairs whoring around as per usual. At least she charges for her 'services' and brings extra caps to the table."
"Oh, well, erm… as she's being somewhat useful?" Bullet Gospel said in more of question, unsure of what to say.
"Haha! Yeah, at least there's that," Pain Train said "so anyways, which Recharger weapon would you like? Eureka! is priced at two-thousand-three-hundred caps and Infinite Atom is priced at one-thousand-one-hundred-and-fifty caps."
"Which one you do you prefer, Bullet?" Summer asked as she gestured to the weapons.
"Are you sure you want me to get one of these two? They're expensive," Bullet Gospel said unsurely.
"Doesn't matter. I've got plenty of caps," Summer Glide said "just hurry and choose."
"Okay, fine. I'll take Eureka! since I'm more a small guns kind of pony," Bullet Gospel said.
"Actually, you know what, call me crazy but you don't have to pay a single cap," Pain Train said "I'm not sure how these things do out in the field. I've tested them on dummies, but haven't had the chance to test them on live targets or out in the field. Do me a favor, Bullet- was it? If you test out Eureka! for me, while the two of you are gone and give me the reports when you get back, I'll let you keep it."
"Won't that hurt your business a little?" Bullet Gospel questioned.
"Well, depending on what the reports look like when you get back if things look good, I'll jack the price up on Infinite Atom," Pain Train said "don't you worry a bit. I could talk a dog off a meat wagon, so selling Infinite Atom at a jacked price won't be an issue. Just don't expect me to give you freebies all the time, alright?"
"If you're sure, then we've got a deal," Bullet Gospel said.
"Great! Its got its own special holster in the back. Let me get that for you," Pain Train said as she sat Eureka! down and began to trot away "oh, and a satchel to carry those boxes of ammo for my fine, partially hornless friend."
"Now that we have ammunition and a new gun, where to next?" Bullet Gospel asked.
"No offense but you also need better armor. Your armor beneath your coat looks like it'll keep you safe from maybe one bullet if you're lucky," Summer Glide said, her eyes scanning Bullet's under armor "and then we'll head over to Chemi-Mart to pick up some medical supplies, then go up to my room to get the rest of my stuff and then we can head out."
"You're supposed to be protecting me," Bullet Gospel said "I literally just hired to keep me from dying. You just got me a new gun and while I appreciate it, it wasn't necessary. I crossed the desert, fought some raiders and pack of feral dogs all on my own and all with this get up."
"Well excuse me, princess. I was only trying to look out for your well-being," Summer Glide said in an annoyed tone "but if that's what you want to wear to a strange, foreign island, then go right ahead. You can go over to Chemi-Mart while I go and get myself, then."
"I am just fine wearing this, thank you," Bullet Gospel said, rolling her eyes "but fine, I will get the medical supplies while you do that."
Summer Glide sighed audibly as the two watched Pain Train return with Eureka!'s holster and a small leather satchel. With great efficiency, she holstered Eureka! and slid it towards Bullet Gospel before quickly placing the boxes of ammunition into the satchel and sliding it towards Summer Glide. Bullet picked up the holstered weapon with her hoof as she used her magic to remove the old holster around her back leg. She quickly replaced it with Eureka! and sat the old holster and 10mm pistol on the counter. On the holster, the same symbol as on Bullet's sleeves was visible.
"I'll buy those from ya for... two hundred caps," Pain Train said with a grin "that insignia doubles the holster's worth and the condition of the gun lowers it worth a little but not by much."
"Might as well. I can always get this new one engraved when I get back," Bullet Gospel "got yourself another deal, Pain Train."
"Excellent! I'll get those caps for you in just a second," Pain Train said as she grabbed up the holster and turned to leave "GAG-3, bring me a pouch of two hundred caps, please!"
"Lazybones," Summer Glide said with a smirk.
"I ain't lazy! The safe is in the back room and you know it," Pain Train said with a huff, glaring once again at Summer "keeping it there minimizes robberies."
"Gosh, you've been robbed before?" Bullet Gospel questioned, concern clear in her voice.
"Oh, yeah, on several occasions and each one dumber than the last," Pain Train said with a laugh "the last one tried to rob me with a knife while I was with a different customer who was buying a railway rifle and in the middle demonstrating how to load it. Take a guess as to what happened next. I mean, seriously, a knife? In a gun store? Gotta be smarter than that."
"Some minds aren't as bright as others," Bullet Gospel said.
Pain Train laughed as the three of them watched GAG-3 trot up to them holding a pouch in their hooves.
"That's the honest truth, though," Pain Train said as she took the pouch from GAG-3 and tossed it on the counter "whelp, here you go. Good luck with your future endeavors."
"Thanks. Good luck with your business," Bullet Gospel said with a smile.
"If she falls asleep again after we leave, give her a good whack upside the head just for me, GAG-3," Summer Glide said a smirk.
"Come 'round here and let GAG-3 smack you upside the head and tell me how that feels," Pain Train hissed.
"I'll do it regardless if she's asleep or not," GAG-3 said "it's hilarious every time."
"Oooh! You two are gonna be the death of me, I swear!" Pain Train exclaimed as she trotted away.
"Bye, GAG-3. Bye, Pain Train," Summer Glide said with a chuckle.
"Bye!" Pain Train shouted as she entered the back room.
Summer Glide grabbed the satchel of ammunition and pouch of caps off the counter and turned towards the door. Bullet Gospel smiled at GAG-3 and gave a small wave goodbye as she followed Summer out of GUNS'N'STUFF. The two trotted back out into the lobby and stopped near the stairs.
"Chemi-Mart is just over that way, on the left," Summer Glide said, pointing to the other archway "meet me by the revolving door when you finish."
"Alright, but don't take forever. We need to leave soon," Bullet Gospel said.
Summer Glide gave Bullet a mock salute before trotting away towards the pair of working elevators. Bullet sighed softly as she trotted towards the archway. As she passed through the archway, a pair of mares trotted past her, giggling and whispering and clearly high out of their minds. Bullet Gospel softly shook her head as she paused and looked up at the hoofmade sign above the left door. The sign was painted a soft red with thick, bold letters that spelt 'Chemi-Mart' painted above it in white, the 'T' in 'Mart' being a medical cross. Bullet Gospel resumed her trot as she entered Chemi-Mart and looked around. The room was nearly identical to GUNS'N'STUFF as far the walls, flooring and size went. Three fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling. A similar but much shorter counter took up most of the room but had no chain link fencing or door preventing anypony from going behind the counter. Instead of rows of gun lockers, rows of shelves filled with various medical items and chems were behind the counter on the wall. From the corner of the front of the room to a few feet from the door was an area dedicated to relaxation. Old couches and lounge chairs sat atop of red and white woven rugs. A few potted plants and glass-topped tables sat near them. A small hooffull of denizens sat there, behaving in a similar manner to the mares Bullet had passed by on the way in.
Bullet looked back to the counter, where a denizen of Phoenix City and the unicorn mare presumably in charge of Chemi-Mart were quietly chatting and chuckling. As Bullet Gospel approached the counter, the denizen threw some caps down, grabbed up whatever they were buying and left with a rather loud goodbye. Bullet Gospel watched the denizen leave before turning her attention to the mare behind the counter. The mare's coat was an orangey-yellow color, her matted mane a mixture of dark peach and regular peach colors and her eyes a pear green color. To Bullet, the mare was dressed and overall appeared to be the very definition of 'hippie' she had once read in a pre-war book that has an accompanying picture when she was younger.
"Hey, sister. What can I get for you?" The mare asked with a grin, her voice mellow, low and smooth "looking for something to give you a mellow high? Or to give you an edge in the next raider attack? Or do you feel like taking a walk in the stars, sister?"
"Actually, I'm just here to buy medical supplies," Bullet Gospel replied "you wouldn't happen to have a first aid kit, would you?"
"Groovy, sister. I've got a little bit of everything here. There's a medkit somewhere around here," The mare said with a chuckle "hmm, let's see. Where did Pickles put it?"
The mare turned around and scanned the shelves for a first aid kit. Finding none, she turned back around to face Bullet Gospel.
"Sorry, sister. I don't see one," The mare said with a shrug "oh, and the name's Flora, by the way, sister. What's yours?"
"Bullet Gospel. Is there one underneath the counter or in the backroom?" Bullet questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Groovy name, sister," Flora said "underneath? Hmm…"
Flora took a step back and ducked her head to look underneath the counter. Bullet Gospel watched as Flora began chuckling as she found and grabbed what she was looking for and put it down on the counter.
"Whaddya know! There was a kit beneath the counter," Flora said, still chuckling "you're pretty smart, sister. Let me check it and make sure it's got everything."
Bullet Gospel merely nodded her head as she watched Flora open the kit and check the contents. Satisfied that the kit was fully stocked, Flora closed the kit and slid it closer to the Bullet Gospel.
"Right on, sister. It's all there," Flora said with a grin "that'll be five hundred caps."
"Do you know Summer Glide?" Bullet Gospel questioned.
"Sure do, sister! She always comes and buys some chems before leaving out on missions," Flora said as her grin widened "why? Are you hiring her this time?"
"Yeah. We're going out to a foreign island that's supposed to have what I'm looking for on it," Bullet Gospel explained "do you ever give Summer a discount?"
"For sure, sister! She gets discounts from everywhere in the city," Flora said "well since you're heading out with her, I'll throw in some chems for her and give you her usual discount."
"Why does she get discounts everywhere? Did she do something heroic?" Bullet Gospel questioned.
"Absolutely, sister! Usually, the weather keeps slavers and raiders and all those ungroovy bastards away, but sometimes they manage to spring some decent attacks," Flora answered as she closed her eyes "about three years ago, some slavers attacked. Big bunch, real nasty. We lost alotta ponies, they did too, but not without managing to snag a few hostages. Most of them were foals. Summer was fresh here, probably had been in the city maybe a couple of weeks. After hearing about those kids being taken, well, I haven't seen nopony get that pissed that quick or as concerned for kids she didn't even know in my life!
She led a party of denizens out into the wastes and got them all back. Everypony was home, safe and sound. Pretty sure that was the start of her mercenary career. I mean, who wouldn't want to hire a mare who successfully led a party ponies into the wastes, saved hostages from slavers and got everypony back home alive?"
"Oh, wow. I heard about her through the grapevine and heard what a good merc she was and came all this way to hire her," Bullet Gospel said in awe "but I never would've guessed she'd done something like that, especially with her flip floppy attitude. One second, she seems to be nice and sympathetic, then the next she's a stubborn asshat."
"Yeees, sister. That'll be Summer for you," Flora said "can't really blame her, though. She's had a rough life. I’m not one to go tellin’ other sisters’ life stories for them, though. Hehe, just their heroic deeds.”
“Well, thanks for helping me understand her a little better, regardless. Everypony has it rough in the wastes, some more than others,” Bullet Gospel “this world isn’t a kind one, Flora, but don’t worry. If my mission is successful, my organization will be one step closer to achieving peace.”
“Righteous, sister! Good on you,” Flora said as her horn lit up with soft green magic “let me get those chems for you and then you can be on your way to achieving peace, sister.”
The clasps keeping the first aid kit closed came undone as Flora opened the kit and used her magic to grab and place two bottles of Buck, three inhalers of Dash, a tin of Mint-als and a syringe of Rage inside of it. Another tin of Mint-als was placed inside the first aid kit, but upon looking closer, Bullet Gospel could see that the cover of the tin had ‘Flora’s Citrus Berry’ drawn in black above ‘Mint-al’ and ‘Mix’ drawn in the same color below it.
“You make your own version of Mint-als?” Bullet Gospel questioned.
“Right on, sister. It’s taken years to get the recipe right, but it’s finally ready for mass consumption,” Flora said “the original recipe had me using Party-time Mint-als, but that made it way too addictive. So, it’s just normal Mint-als along with a special concoction of mine. It tastes like a mix of orange, grape, and raspberry with a hint of mint. In addition to making you waaaaay smarter, it helps you distinguish living beings from non-living ones, improves your aim greatly and makes you more charismatic. Pretty sweet, huh?”
“It does sound useful,” Bullet Gospel said “Mint-als are still addictive, though, so how addictive is your Citrus Berry Mint-al Mix?”
“My Citrus Berry Mint-al Mix is about five percent more addictive than normal Mint-als but considerably less addictive than Party-time Mint-als,” Flora explained “don’t worry, if you get hooked on it, I do purges for free. Well, for you or Summer, at least.”
“How kind of you. I appreciate it,” Bullet Gospel said with a smile “so how many caps are we looking at here?”
“Hmm? Oh, right, payment. Hehehe, well with Summer’s discount, that’ll be two hundred caps,” Flora said with a chuckle.
“Alright, two hundred caps coming right up,” Bullet Gospel said, maintaining her smile.
Using her magic, Bullet Gospel removed her other cap pouch from her bag and plopped it down on the counter. She opened the bag and carefully counted out two hundred caps for Flora, who ‘helpfully’ counted each cap out loud. With a grin, Flora accepted the payment and used her magic to teleport the caps somewhere out of sight, presumably to a safe somewhere in Chemi-Mart. Bullet Gospel closed her cap pouch and returned it to her saddlebag, then securely buckled the bag close. Using her magic once again, Bullet Gospel closed the first aid kit and secured above her right saddlebag.
“Thanks so much, Flora. I hope to see you again,” Bullet Gospel said with a wave as she turned and headed for the door.
“Bye, sister! Good luck!” Flora called after her, a grin still on her face.
Smiling with satisfaction, Bullet Gospel trotted out of Chemi-Mart and into the lobby. As her horn lit up once again with her magic, Bullet disappeared in a cloud of yellow and reappeared next to the revolving doors at the city’s entrance. As she stood next to the door, Bullet Gospel looked back and towards the elevators waiting for Summer. Her attention was drawn by the sound of glass being tapped. Looking towards the door, Bullet Gospel could see Summer standing in one of the door partitions. Summer made a ‘come here’ gesture with her hoof towards Bullet, then pushed the door clockwise and stepped back outside. Bullet Gospel pushed on the door with a hoof and entered a partition. She switched to pushing the door with her magic until she reached the outside and exited the revolving door.
“You were quicker than I thought you’d be,” Bullet Gospel said as she approached Summer “as you can see, I’ve got a first aid kit. Hope you don’t mind I used your discount. Oh, and Flora added some chems for you.”
As Bullet Gospel looked at Summer, she could see saddlebags secured around her waist and her combat rifle strapped across her back.
“Better to have used it to not have used it, chems and medical supplies aren’t cheap,” Summer Glide said “I’ve got everything I need, so ready to finally head out?”
“Yes, in the pursuit of science, let’s get this adventure started,” Bullet Gospel said with a grin.
Chapter One: A Wrench In The Works
"Here and now got its ups and downs, but... focusing on the past like it was any better? That's just Old World Blues."
***
“Suit occupant vitals- normal. Suit integrity- 98%. Oxygen reserves- 50%. Suit occupant status- alive and suffering from minor surgical injuries. Occupant currently awakening from unconsciousness.”
The voice of a filly echoed in my head as my eyes slowly opened and adjusted to my surroundings. I blinked a couple of times as my eyes continue to adjust to the dimly lit room. As I examined the room, everything seemed as if I was looking in from a window. The small room appeared to be some sort of medical area. A couple of aged beds were placed in the right corner, the two separated in the middle by a medical partition that was partially torn in some places. In the left corner, was a metallic counter covered with aged documents and old x-ray scans. More x-ray scans of various parts of the body were hung on the wall near the counter. Between the two was a standing mirror with small webbing cracks at the bottom right corner. To my immediate right was a desk with a functional terminal. To my immediate left was a closed door similar to ones found in the interiors of Stables.
“Suit occupant vitals- normal. Suit integrity- 95%. Oxygen reserves- 50%. Suit occupant status- alive and suffering from minor surgical injuries. Suit occupant fully conscious,” the same voice said “occupant name- unknown. Occupant age- unknown. Occupant gender- mare. Occupant race- unicorn. Please state your name and age.”
As the filly’s voice spoke to me, pinkish colored audio waves appeared at the sides of my vision. Along with audio waves, in my direct vision, the voice’s exact words appeared in the same color.
“U-uh, er, my name is Summer Glide. I’m twenty-six,” I said, taken aback and utterly confused “who are you? Where am I? More importantly, where’s Bullet Gospel?”
“Name and age registered,” The voice said “hello, Summer Glide. My name is Apricot, your Anti-Trauma Suit AI. I’ll monitor your vitals and help you avoid meeting an untimely end. It is nice to meet you.”
Anti-Trauma suit? I looked down and sure enough, found myself inside of a strange suit. I trotted up to the mirror and examined myself. A glass helmet surrounded my entire head, making me look almost like an astronaut from old pre-war books I used to read. Every inch of my body was inside of this ‘Anti-Trauma’ suit. The majority of the suit was dark teal in color. The collar of the suit where the helmet was kept in place was dark green in color, along with my legs from the fetlock down.
The chest and neck area had a bib-shaped area colored a burnt-ish peach with a strip of white surrounding the edges of it, leaving small strips of the dark teal on either side visible. In the center of the burnt-ish peach area was a grey circular piece of metal protected by a layer of dome-shaped glass. The circular area displayed a percentage- ninety-five- in bright neon blue, which I assumed was the suit’s integrity level. Turning to the side, I could see a pair of rusty-gold oxygen tanks with dark brown bands across the middle strapped to my back. Gray nozzles protruded from the top center of either tank, with greyish-purple hoses connecting from the nozzles to ports in the back of the collar.
On my flank was some sort of small box that had no obvious means of opening or closing it. It was mostly greyish-white with jet black accents. There was a small, rounded triangle-shaped window facing downwards that revealed the contents of the box, which appeared to be a hot pink liquid. A liquid I assumed to be a healing potion. Turning the opposite direction revealed an identical box with identical contents on my other flank.
“You only answered one of my questions, Apricot,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows “where am I and where is Bullet Gospel?”
“Accessing location network. You are currently in Minerva Medical Station, the failsafe location for all Anti-Trauma Suits in the event that suit occupants are incapacitated and unable to cognitively seek medical attention,” Apricot explained “the name ‘Bullet Gospel’ is unregistered in the Greyscale Island population database. There are no records or mentions in any accessible files of a Bullet Gospel either. My sincerest apologies, Summer Glide.”
Greyscale Island? So we made it then? Why can’t I recall us ever arriving here? What Apricot had first said suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I looked closer into the mirror and examined what little of my body I could see. My eyes were immediately drawn to my horn. Where the remainder of my horn once was before it was shattered, a metal prosthetic was put in its place, making my horn whole again. Two strips of the prosthetic glowed a bright green. Hoping I could use my magic once again, I attempted to levitate one of the x-rays off of the counter. My tangerine-colored magic surrounded my horn and the x-ray as it slowly lifted off the counter. My magic flickered, causing me to drop the x-ray. I tried once again and was met with the same result. Another try resulted in success, as I levitated the x-ray and placed it down on the nearby bed.
“Third time’s the charm,” I muttered to myself “Apricot, what did you mean by ‘surgical injuries’?”
“Analysis of your body indicates three separate surgeries were conducted on your body,” Apricot explained “further analysis indicates foreign objects inside of your cranium, chest cavity, stomach area, and entire spinal region. However, the foreign objects appear to be beneficial and non-malignant to your body. In fact, even further analysis indicates these foreign objects are currently keeping you alive, in addition to the rest of your bodily functions.”
“Who performed surgery on me?” I questioned.
“Analysis of the Minerva Medical Station database reveals no records or mentions on any surgeries performed on a ‘Summer Glide’. Analysis of the entire medical database of Greyscale Island ends with identical results,” Apricot explained.
“Analyzing several centuries-old databases aren’t going to help you figure out what in the hell happened to me or where Bullet is at,” I said, frustrated by my predicament “do you even know what the year is? Or today’s date?”
“Today’s date is October 15th and the current year is 2458,” Apricot said “was that helpful?”
“Do you even know the world ended over three centuries ago?” I asked, even more frustrated.
“Error. Analysis of operational satellite communications indicates life forces all over Equestria and small pockets on Greyscale Island,” Apricot said “all logical conclusions indicate the world has not ended. Are you feeling ill, Summer?”
“I’m not feeling ‘ill’, I’m feeling thoroughly pissed off,” I hissed “you clearly know nothing about my situation. You’re completely useless.”
“I’m sorry you feel that I am useless, Summer. Would you like to find a service technician to remove your Anti-Trauma Suit?” Apricot questioned sincerely.
“No, what I want is to get the hell out of here, find Bullet, get what we need and go the hell home,” I answered angrily as I turned and scanned the room for my stuff “where did all of my belongings go?”
“Unable to answer query. If you’ve accidentally misplaced your property, I recommend you go back to where you first put on your Anti-Trauma Suit,” Apricot said.
“I have no idea where in the hell I got this from,” I said angrily “I don’t remember even arriving here at the island at all! The last thing I remember is getting on the boat to come here with Bullet Gospel, Captain Livewell, and her bodyguards. I bet you have no idea where I got this suit from either!”
“Incorrect. A service technician or otherwise authorized personnel helped you into your Anti-Trauma Suit exactly one hour, forty-six minutes and thirty-two seconds ago,” Apricot said, her cheerful tone never changing once “the recorded location when suit activation occurred is Dr. Venus’ A.A.P.L.E., also known as The Apple.”
I took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly, momentarily fogging up my helmet. Getting angry at an artificial intelligence unaware the world had ended was absolutely useless. I needed to calm down and focus on the more important task at hand.
“I was paid to keep somepony safe and that’s a little hard to accomplish when I have no idea where they are,” I said “and in order to do that, I’ll need my stuff. How do I get from here to The Apple?”
A small, pink, hollow arrow-shaped blip appeared at the bottom left corner of my vision and started to flash slowly. It sat just above a row of small lines, along with the initials 'NE' at the right corner, which sat on a slightly longer line.
“Do you see the marker I’ve set for you, Summer?” Apricot questioned.
“I do,” I answered “if I follow it, will it lead me to the Apple?”
“Yes. The closer you get, the faster it’ll blink and once you reach the Apple, the blip will fill in,” Apricot explained “once that happens, afterward- no matter where you are on the island- you can ask me to autotravel you to The Apple, which essentially just means autopilot. This applies to all ‘discovered’ locations.”
“What happens when you autopilot me to a location?” I questioned “and if the Apple is where I got this, why isn’t it already ‘discovered’?”
“When autotravel occurs, I will completely take over all motor functions and guide you to the desired location as quickly as possible while taking the safest and quickest route,” Apricot answered “in order for destinations to be ‘discovered’, the suit occupant must be fully awake and conscious. When the service technician or otherwise authorized personnel helped you into the suit, analysis logs indicate you were in a state of total unconsciousness and had experienced trauma that could possibly result in death if medical care was not given in a timely manner.”
“So you had to whisk me away to this place before I died? At least somepony is looking out for me,” I said, that last part mostly to myself.
“Correct. Do you have any further questions before we depart?” Apricot questioned.
“I do, actually. I have a lot of questions, but I’ll narrow it down to two or three,” Summer Glide answered “can the suit detect enemies or anything like that? Does it have any combat functions?”
“Question; Suit functions. Answer; The Anti-Trauma suits were designed after Dr. Venus’ daughter was accidentally killed in a tunnel collapse in while waiting for her father to pick her up. If she was conscious at the time and able to seek medical attention, she would have lived. However, if she had, you would not be inside of this suit and I would not be talking to you,” Apricot explained “my AI was designed and named after her. The suit’s primary function is to seek out medical attention once trauma levels reach a certain percentile, so others would not meet similar fates as Apricot did. Once news of the war reached the island, Dr. Bolt- the head scientist in charge- had Dr. Featherton work with Dr. Venus to develop functions for the suit that I believe you to be inquiring about, in the anticipated event of Zebra invasion on the island.”
“And what exactly would those functions be?” I questioned.
“According to records in available databases, two spells were created based off Stable-Tec technology. Said spells are the Prim-Bolt Environmental Awareness System and the Featherton Arcane Auto-Assistant Targeting System,” Apricot answered “both of which are often shortened to PEAS and FAATS respectively. The Anti-Trauma Suit helmets are also based on Stable-Tec technology. The helmets utilize a specially made technology called the Looking Glass. In layman's terms, the Looking Glass is the equivalent of a PipBuck but with better and improved functions and missing only a couple.”
“And those functions would be?” I questioned.
“PipBucks have a lamp function to illuminate a limited area, as well as an audio recording function. While the Suits do have radio functions, the Suits can only upload and store existing audio files and are unable to record new ones,” Apricot answered “the Suits do not have a map either, unlike PipBucks, which do. However, your suit does have a compass along the bottom of your line of vision. Notice the little lines and the 'NW' at the bottom? That's the compass. The Suits also do not have a lamp function either. However, the Looking Glass has a superior function to that of a PipBuck lamp. Instead of using a light source to illuminate an area, the Looking Glass utilizes technology similar to night vision called Cateye. Cateye allows the suit occupant to see extremely well in low-level lighting in greater proximity than that of a PipBuck lamp. However, users cannot see beyond this proximity, even when using any device that would allow you to see a far distance closer, such as a scope or binoculars. This only affects the inside of the helmet. With Cateye on, only the suit occupant can see. To outside observers, they would not see you with Cateye on.”
“I think that’s all that matters for right now,” I said “so do I just ask you to turn them on if I need them?”
“Correct. Just say ‘turn on’ and the desired function you wish to turn on, then I will do immediately upon receiving the request,” Apricot said.
“Does Cateye, PEAS or FAATS have any time limits?” I questioned.
“No time restrictions have been set in place for these functions. They will remain on until you request that they are turned off,” Apricot answered.
“Okay, then turn on PEAS, Apricot,” I said as I turned towards the door.
Facing the door caused the hollow blip to blink and move over about two inches from its original position.
“Activating PEAS,” Apricot said “while PEAS is activated, anything the system deems as hostile or a danger to you will be shown with red blips along the bottom near the destination blip. Anything deemed the opposite will be shown with green blips.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” I said, trotting towards the door “we’re in a race against the clock. The sooner we find Bullet Gospel and Captain Livewell, the better and the sooner we can get home.”
“Lead the way. If at any point you need me for anything, just speak and I’ll hear you,” Apricot said.
I took another breath and exhaled it slowly as I approached the door. As soon as I placed a hoof on the door, a green triangle-shaped blip appeared along near the bottom right of my vision. For a moment, it remained stationary, then it moved off to the right and disappeared completely. Green meant friendly, so I hoped that whatever was beyond the door was still considered friendly. There was only one way to find out, so I pushed on the door… only for nothing to happen. I had been so caught up and overwhelmed by all this new information that I had forgotten the door could only be opened by a button on a nearby panel.
I lightly shook my head and sighed once again as I used my magic to push the button. The door opened with a quiet fwoosh and revealed a metal short hallway that led to a larger room. With the door now opened, as the blip appeared back on the bottom, I could hear the familiar wheesh of a Mr. Handy. I stepped out into the hallway and cautiously made my way to the other side. My covered hooves against the metal created soft clanks as I walked. Once I reached the end of the hallway, I pressed up against the right side and cautiously peeked my head out around the corner. Sure enough, a Mr. Handy in seemingly pristine condition hovered near the corner of the room. Another green blip appeared as another Mr. Handy came around the corner of the hallway directly across the room.
The Mr. Handy nearby turned around and immediately spotted me before I could move a muscle.
“Greetings, miss! Glad to see you doing well and finally up on your hooves,” The Mr. Handy said cheerfully “you were in rough shape when you first arrived. Anything I can do to help you before you depart?”
“Is there anything particularly dangerous beyond this place I should keep an eye out for?” I questioned.
“Dangerous? Oh, goodness me, no! Greyscale Island is one of the safest places in Equestria!” The Mr. Handy exclaimed.
“Oh great, another piece of pre-war AI unaware that the world ended,” I said sarcastically and mostly to myself.
I looked away from the Mr. Handy and scanned the room. It was big and mostly empty. The floor of the middle of the room dipped, forming a sort of square-ish crater about three yards deep. A damaged but still functional cylindrical generator sat in the middle of it with several thick, black cables connecting it to the catwalk above it. Two sets of stairs led to the bottom of the dip. The rest of the room was barren except for the occasional piece of medical equipment and computers, as well as more than a few big boxes with big, red panels down the center. A flight of stairs in the far right corner led up to the catwalk and the floor above. To the left of the dip was a door that was quite obviously the exit.
“You must have suffered quite the bump to your head, miss, if you believe the world has ended,” The Mr. Handy said a chuckle “the war hasn’t ended yet, miss, so don’t give up hope! We’ll beat those damnable Zebras and send them packing with their tails tucked between their legs!”
“Yeah, well, it’s a little too late for that,” I mumbled as I rolled my eyes “is there anypony still alive around here? Anypony in charge?”
“Hmm, well, I haven’t left the medical station in a few hundred years, give or take. Given the average pony lifespan? Highly unlikely,” The Mr. Handy said.
How is it that these things are aware of the time that has passed but completely ignorant of the events that have happened? I sighed once again as I shook my head. As annoying as it was, their ignorance wasn’t important. I had better things, better ponies, to focus on.
“Okay, well, I’m leaving now. See you… never,” I said as I headed for the door, mumbling that last part.
“Right on, then. I hope to see you again and under better circumstances,” The Mr. Handy said cheerfully “goodbye and good luck!”
I trotted up to the door and took in a deep breath as I prepared to open it. My gut was telling me that I was in for one hell of a ride as soon as I stepped through the door. Having done worse in the past, I opened the door with my magic and stepped out. The world outside the medical station was dark, just barely lit dimly by the bright moon above, and I could barely see past three feet.
"Turn on Cateye," I said to Apricot as I cautiously stepped forward.
"Turning on Cateye," Apricot said.
Almost immediately, I could see normally again. The world was covered in a blue-ish tint with Cateye active. The compass marker blip was now towards the middle of my vision. Outside of the medical station, the area was rocky. Looking back, I could see that the station had been built into the side of a rocky overlook. At some point, construction had been going on to the outside of the medical station, as construction equipment littered the place. As I looked forward and began to trot, an ear-piercing scream echoed throughout the area. A red blip appeared along the bottom of my vision as the sound of thunderous flapping filled the air. As I turned my attention to the sky, a large serpent-like beast soared overhead. As it flew over, a large gush of wind filled the area, blowing the dirt fiercely and creating a small dust cloud. Whatever the creature was, its body was easily about eight-and-a-half adult ponies long and its wings easily about ten adult ponies wide. Large droplets of a dark liquid fell from the sky and landed on the rocks and earth a few feet in front of me. More droplets hit the ground near the previous ones. Another ear-piercing scream came from the beast as it turned sharply right and seemed to be heading for the ground.
"What in the fresh fuck was that?" I asked Apricot.
"Unable to identify organism. My sincerest apologies," Apricot replied "based off size, visible features, and PEAS detection, I advise you to stay away from it. Interacting with this creature could result in bodily harm or death."
"Whatever it was, I think it might be pretty badly hurt. Unless it was trying to piss on me, I’m pretty sure that was blood. If I can help it, maybe it'll help me when it's all better," I said "and if it's too late to save it, better to go ahead and put it out of its misery."
"That would be very kind of you, Summer, but for the sake of your health and safety, it would be best if you left it alone," Apricot said "hooves alone would not be enough to fight it off should the creature attack you. Furthermore, in the event you are injured by such a large beast, I regretfully must inform you that even your Anti-Trauma Suit won't be enough to save you."
I sighed in annoyance as I looked around for a useful weapon amongst the construction equipment. I spied a large sledgehammer propped up against a rusted ladder that had partially fallen over onto the rock next to it. Using my magic, I grabbed it up and brought it over to me.
"If it makes you feel better, I'll bring this with me," I half mumbled.
"Although it's better than nothing, my recommendation does not change," Apricot said.
I rolled my eyes as I trotted forward. Why was I concerned about what a programmed personality thought? I had no emotional attachment to her whatsoever, although perhaps I owed it to her to keep myself out of harm's way, seeing how Apricot worked hard to keep me alive. Although, it was inevitable that I'd get into some sort of trouble at some point. That was simply how the Wasteland worked, but of course Apricot wouldn’t have known that. There probably wasn’t even one living thing on this island that knew the world had ended. It was useless to continue to think about it. Instead of thinking in circles, I needed to press forward. Cautiously, of course, as I still knew next to nothing about this island. That last thing I needed was to almost die again.
I decided to head in the direction the beast had flown. Which, judging by the marker’s location in my vision, was a bit off course. From my own experience in the Wasteland, as well as others, it paid to befriend mutated creatures and have them be loyal to you. I once worked with a mare who owned a chimera that was more loyal to her than any dog I’d ever met. More loyal than poor Domino, my old hound who helped keep unwanted visitors away from my old farmstead. I don’t expect the injured beast to follow me around the island and become my new best friend. I only hoped that helping it in a time of need will result in it helping me if at some point I desperately need help myself.
As I weaved my way through rocks in the direction I assumed the beast headed, my thoughts turned to Bullet Gospel. Had something similar happened to her? Was she too stuck in one of these Anti-Trauma Suits? Was she even alive at this point? No, I couldn’t think like that. She had to be alive. Alive and somewhere on this island, still searching for what she needed, if indeed it was even here. I know back in the city and on our way to Murkwater, I hadn’t been the nicest to Bullet. Granted, I didn’t expect myself or anypony else to be all “please” and “thank you” or “yes, ma’am” and “no, ma’am” and be all smiles, sunshine, and rainbows. Most days, it was hard to smile and I mean genuinely smile.
Despite my attitude and demeanor, I did genuinely care for Bullet. I did genuinely want her to succeed, even if I had only agreed to help if she paid me. Most of the time, it was hard to genuinely care about somepony else. Which is somewhat ironic, considering that I had only become a mercenary in an attempt to protect others from the scum and lowlives that live in the Wasteland. I suppose I did care to some extent, but not enough to form an emotional attachment or bond with anypony. A job was a job. I wasn’t obligated to form a friendship with those who hired me. After all, once my time with them was over and the job was completed, I never saw those ponies again. They could be alive, they could be dead. It was pointless to care about them if, when it was all said and done, I’d never see them again.
That said, I felt there was something different about Bullet. She had this genuinely kind disposition about her, I could tell. She was nothing like my usual, other clients. The way she spoke about the Servants of the Apocalypse and their goal, the sparkle in her eyes. She genuinely believed in her cause and believed in herself that she could help change the world, make it better. She reminded me off my daughter, Sunny Blaze. Before she passed away, Sunny always dreamt and made it clear that she wanted to help others and make the world better. Maybe she would have. Maybe she would’ve grown up and joined the Servants. Maybe she would’ve met Bullet and together, maybe they would’ve helped each other achieve the Servants’ goal.
Being the oldest, her siblings- Backdrive, her brother and second oldest and the toddler twins Sour Belle and Sweet Heart- would’ve followed in her hoofsteps. In their eyes, Sunny was their hero. Sunny was a hero, but I wish she wasn’t. I wish that day never happened. The day the raiders attacked, Sunny gathered her siblings and hid along with them in the bathroom. She had taken the emergency pistol their father and I had hid from Backdrive and the toddlers and locked themselves in there. Their father, Screwdriver, and I had been compromised by the raiders outside. There had been so many of them, too many really. Screwdriver and I had managed to kill most of them, but while we had fought outside, some raiders managed to get inside. While looting our home- an old in-the-middle-of-nowhere convenience store- they managed to break into the bathroom. Even though Sunny managed to kill one raider and badly injured another, they… those bastards. I can’t even think about it without tearing up.
I tried to get inside and protect them, but then I was shot in the head, right above my left eye, by the raider that killed them. I thought I was dead, but despite his grave wounds, Screwdriver managed to drive off the remaining raiders and nurse me back to health. The tragedy didn't end there. Screwdriver's wounds got infected and he died a few days afterward. I was left alone, injured with my whole world ripped apart and thrown upside down. Once I managed to get better, I buried them, packed up what little possessions and money I had left and set out on a quest for revenge. Sadly, by the time I had found the raiders, they were already dead, all shot up and torn apart by something or somepony angrier than me. At that point, I had nothing left. No plan, no life, no home. I couldn't go home. I couldn't bear it. I couldn't ever force myself to wake up each day, only to see the constant reminder my family is gone and I'd never get them back.
I came to the conclusion not long after that I only had two options: go home and commit suicide to be with them in the afterlife or move to Pheonix City and keep living for the sake of my family. I hoped I needn't tell you the option I had chosen, all things considered.
"Are you hurt, Summer?" Apricot questioned "you are crying."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," I answered quietly "not that you would even understand."
"Understood. I will not inquire further," Apricot said "however if you are upset, I recommend sharing your feelings with somepony you trust. Bottling your feelings can lead to devastating results."
"Don't know if you've noticed but I'm all by myself. Can't exactly 'share my feelings' with anypony if I'm alone," I said sarcastically "besides, the only pony on this island I trust in complete honesty is Bullet Gospel."
"Actually, I am very aware you are not in the company of living ponies," Apricot chirped cheerfully, unintentionally sarcastic "technically speaking, however, you are not completely alone. Although I'm not a physical being, I can still talk with you and keep you company."
I sighed softly. Apricot had a point. It was better to be grateful to have her company than to be alone on this island. At least with Apricot, I'd have some sort of assistance both in combat and trying to navigate this place. Truthfully, I needed to get a stick out of my ass and stop giving Apricot a hard time. She had been created before the war, so naturally, it was clearly not her fault she was unaware of what happened to Equestria.
"I have a question for you, Apricot," I said as I continued onward.
"Ask away. I'm here to help," Apricot said cheerfully.
"Are you one large system for every Anti-Trauma Suit, helping and overseeing every active suit at once? Or there unique and individual Apricots for each user?" I questioned as I jumped over a rock.
"Each user has their own Apricot. Initially, each Apricot starts out the same. However, we're programmed to adapt to our users over time," Apricot answered "so that means over the course of a couple of months if each suit user came together and every Apricot interacted, those Apricots would have different personalities. So in short, the more time we spend together, the more I come to act and think like you."
I opened my mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a growl. I turned my head towards the growl, which sounded hurt. My eyes landed on the massive beast that had flown overhead, now coiled up protectively in a large nook in the massive rocks. I stared at it for a moment, my eyes widened in awe and my mouth slightly agape. The beast was covered head to tail in dark-colored scales. From between the middle of the large, furry and upright ears on its large, arrow-shaped head, down the middle of its back and to the entire end of its tail was shaggy, light-colored fur. With Cateye on, it was hard to determine what color any part of the beast was. Large feathered wings sprouted from its back and drooped to the ground. The most visible wing looked injured, with clumps of feathers clearly missing and many of the remaining feathers were covered in a dark liquid, presumably blood, that glinted in the moonlight. Large, cold eyes with elliptical pupils stared at me intensely as it probably attempted to determine if I was a friend or a foe. Examining its body more, I could see multiple bite wounds leaking blood all over along with multiple scratch wounds that- even from where I stood- were clearly deep and painful.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I want to help you," I said loud enough for the beast to hear me "don't worry, I'll put this down. See?"
I tossed the sledgehammer away and let it fall to the ground. I cautiously stepped forward, maintaining eye contact with the beast.
"Apricot, those boxes attached to my flanks. They're filled with health potions, right? Are they detachable?" I questioned, dropping my voice to a quiet whisper.
"Correct, they area health potions. Are they detachable? Unfortunately not," Apricot said "however, I can open the lid of one of them if you'd like."
"Open the one on my right flank," I said as I slowly stepped closer "drink from this box. It has a healing potion inside. It'll heal your wounds."
I slowly and cautiously turned the right side of my towards the beast, my eyes not once breaking direct contact with its own. I could hear the box open with a soft click and hiss as I approached closer. The beast flickered a forked tongue at me a couple of times as it remained in its coiled position. Then, it slowly lifted its body upright and brought its head close to mine. Its large head was now a mere few inches away from my helmet. It stared at me momentarily and flickered its tongue again before moving towards the open box on my flank. It stuck its whole mouth into the box and silently drank the contents. After what felt like an eternity had passed by, the beast removed its head from the box and returned to its coiled position. It looked at its body and we both watch as its wounds slowly healed and mostly disappeared, leaving behind quite a few scars.
The beast looked closer at itself where the wounds once were and made an odd chirp-like noise. It did an even odder wiggling dance before uncoiling and slithering towards me. It brought its face close to my helmet again and flicked its tongue at me. Then it began nudging and rubbing my helmet with its scaly head making a sort of purring noise.
"Heh, you're welcome. See, Apricot, even the most dangerous creatures will usually be grateful if you save them," I said with a small chuckle.
"Duly noted," Apricot said cheerfully.
A cacophony of hissing and rattling suddenly sounded out around me and the beast, which had ceased rubbing its head against my helmet and was now perked up and looking around. More than a dozen red blips appeared along the bottom of my vision as the noise came closer. It let out a loud roar before unexpectedly firmly clamping its jaw around my right back leg and flapping its wings hard, launching us into the air. As I let out a noise of surprise, I used my magic to grab my sledgehammer and looked up at the beast, then back down at the ground where we once stood. As we soared away, I could see these large cat-like creatures standing above the rocky nook, trying in vain to attack us. They must have realized they weren't going to succeed in that endeavor, because they then began to chase after us, each one jumping down to where we had been and taking off at an impressively fast speed.
I twisted my body to look ahead of us and noticed a rather large rock conveniently resting near the ledge of a large wall of rocks. There was a gap between that wall and another very close by that- if blocked- would create an amphitheater-like area and force these creatures to stop and find another way to get to us.
"Hey, uh, see that large rock at the ledge right there? See if you can knock that into that gap down below!" I shouted to the beast over the wind and the beast's mighty flapping.
The beast made a sound of an acknowledgement as we soared forward and paused next to the rock. It used its tail like a whip and sent the rock hurtling into the gap. I twisted my body back and watched as those cat-like creatures slid to a stop and yowled and swiped their claws at us. The beast flapped its wings hard again and we propelled even faster through the air and went even higher. Between the height, speed and the angle in which I dangled, I could feel my stomach lurch and the contents of my stomach attempt to crawl down my esophagus. Heights had never bothered me, but if the beast decided to let me go, not even the suit would save me.
"Hey! Do you think I could ride on your back or something?" I shouted to the beast "at this rate, I'm going to puke inside of my helmet!"
The beast swung its head to the right, swinging me along with it and causing me to throw up in my mouth. I bit my lip tightly to keep the foul-tasting bile inside of my mouth instead of all over the inside of my helmet. The beast swung its head back to the left and just far back enough that I was able to reach out and grab its back. The beast maintained its firm grip on my leg as I pulled myself onto its back. It then let go of my leg so that I could swing it over and sit on its back. The force of the wind was strong, so I immediately wrapped my hooves as far around its thick body as I could and hung on for dear life as soon as I had gotten properly adjusted. Riding on the beast was better than dangling from its mouth, but the distance between me and the ground still sent my stomach churning. I swallowed the bile sitting in my mouth and felt it burn as it went down. I was genuinely amazed at how smart this beast was, not that I had once thought it was dumb. I had hoped it would understand me, but I didn't think it would fully do so. At some point, this beast must have been around other ponies.
As lovely as it was to have gained the trust of and befriended this beast, I needed to get back on track and focus on finding my belongings and Bullet Gospel. I doubted the beast knew where The Apple was, but I found it better to ask and take a shot in the dark, literally, than to just sit here clinging for dear life and let the beast take me further off course. But first, I had to know if Apricot could help in finding it further.
"Hey, Apricot. Do you know where the Apple is exactly?" I questioned.
"Searching available databases. Every mention of The Apple is coupled with the phrase 'inside the mountain'," Apricot answered "there is only one mountain on the entire island. One moment. Further searching tells me The Apple is in the very top of the mountain, on the far western side."
"Great. How do I get inside of it?" I questioned, my stomach threatening to send more bile up my throat.
"There are only two available entrances to the inside of the mountain," Apricot answered "both entrances require authorized identification, both verbal and a badge ID. One entrance is for the Brains only, however, and they never once left the Think Tank after the "Brain Transferral Project" according to available records. Getting in that way would be impossible."
"What about the other way?" I questioned, squeezing my eyes shut to block out the scenery whizzing by.
"The other entrance is for the other personnel authorized to be inside of the Mountain Research Facility. As I said, you will need to find an authorized pony to help you get in," Apricot said "however if the world has ended as you claim it has, that will prove difficult. The last available record of communication between Greyscale Island and the Ministries dates back roughly three-hundred-and-eighty-one years ago. The normal pony lifespan is typically between eighty to ninety years old, though many can usually live up to over a hundred. Despite this, however, it would be impossible for anypony was alive during the war to be alive now if the world was truly ended in disaster."
"Well isn't that just peachy," I grumbled "unless an authorized scientist or whatever is a non-feral ghoul roaming the island, that's going to be impossible!"
"If you can find any intact recordings of somepony who was authorized to go inside, you could simply upload the recording to the suit and put the helmet around the device that receives the audio input," Apricot suggested "the closet place to our current location where an authorized pony would most likely be is the Cantilever Robotics Research & Development Facility. I'll tag it now on your compass."
Another hollow, arrow-shaped blip appeared on the compass at the very edge of my vision. I turned my head towards the blip and found that the facility was just a few notches shy of due east. I reached forward and tapped hard several times against the beast's scaly skin. It looked back at me as it paused and hovered in place.
"Hey, uh, mister or miss flying serpent creature, do you think you could head in that direction," I questioned as I pointed in the direction of where the blip indicated I needed to go.
The beast looked in the direction I had pointed and quickly took off in that direction. I took that as an obvious yes and held on for dear life once more. I suddenly couldn't help but chuckle at myself. I tried to picture me from another pony's perspective. Here I was, dressed in a rather helpful suit that rather, unfortunately, made me look like an astronaut on the back of a giant flying snake creature and holding on like my life depended on it- which it probably did. I usually thought of myself as a badass looking mercenary, dressed in my thick leather armor with my combat rifle in tow. Now I probably looked like a lunatic with a sledgehammer playing dress-up. If GAG-3 and Pain Train or Opal Pearl from Prim & Proper could see me now, I would never hear the end of it. Bazooka would probably tease me with a rhyme, that poetic little shit. My heart twinged and I let out a small sigh. I honestly missed Bazooka and the other little devils her age. I remember the day I saved them from slavers like it was yesterday. When we got home, Bazooka followed me around the whole city and spent every moment by my side instead of helping her sister for two weeks straight. She even insisted on spending the night with me, which I- despite my pretending otherwise- was more than happy to oblige. I missed having a small body curled up against mine as we slept. In a small way, those nights she stayed over brought me a little closure in the loss of my children.
I lightly shook my head to clear my thoughts and watched as the compass marker began to blink a bit faster. The closer we came to the robot research facility, the faster it blinked. In a few short minutes, a large blue building came into view. From up above, I could see these five or six strange robots patrolling the area. The beast let out a roar as it dove downwards towards the robots, which in turn alerted them to our presence. Five red blips appeared above the compass as we dove closer. The beast clamped its jaw down around the arms of a robot and soared back up into the sky. Now too close for comfort, I could better see the robot. It was unnervingly pony-like. The majority of the robot's body heavily resembled a pony. It's back legs weren't even legs. Instead, they were triangular shaped treads that connected to its metallic flanks. The most disturbing part of the robot was the dome tank that said on its head. Sitting in a sickeningly greenish-yellow liquid was a pinkish-grey brain.
The beast soared upwards, higher than we had gone before. Then, it immediately soared downwards at a high speed. As the ground came closer, I decided to give the beast a helping hoof in destroying and began to violently slam the sledgehammer against it.
"You are trespassing only private property. I am authorized to use lethal force against intruders," the robot said in a strange voice that almost sounded like it was being held underwater.
"Apricot, can you identify that thing?" I questioned as I continued to beat the hell out of the robot.
"That is a Robobrain. Arguably the most superior model of robots created here," Apricot answered "legally, the Think Tank nor its affiliates own the Robobrain line of robots. Same for every robot here. However, what makes them unique and technically owned by the Think Tank are the various modifications made to them."
"Sounds like the scientists here liked to copy other ponies' homework," I snickered.
"Isolated here on the island, the only governing body was and most likely still is the Think Tank. Normal Equestrian laws never really existed here, just moral ones, but one day those stopped being adhered to as well," Apricot said "the island was too far away for Celestia or the Ministries to govern it. They left them all to do whatever they wanted, really. That's what it says at least in this document I accessed about the island."
Moments before we crashed into the ground, the beast pulled upwards and let the Robobrain go. The force of the fall destroyed the dome and the robot became still. It seemed that the brain inside the dome controlled the robot, which probably gave it its name in the first place. As the beast soared and dove towards another Robobrain, I waited until the beast had gotten as close it could get before biting down on it like the previous before jumping and landing on the ground. Thankfully, I landed on my hooves and was able to leap out of the way right as one of the other Robobrains shot a laser at me from its hoof. I galloped towards the closest Robobrain and skillfully dodged each laser blasted at me. As I slid around to the side of it for cover, I violently smashed its dome to pieces. With the glass shattered, the disgusting liquid oozed out of the dome along with its brain. Two lasers were aimed for me. One bounced off the destroyed Robobrain and the other whizzed by my head. I momentarily looked away from the approaching Robobrains to watch the beast successfully destroy another robot, leaving only two left officially.
I used my magic to create a mini sand storm around one Robobrain to distract while I galloped out from behind my cover and attacked the other. Before I smashed its brain into a pink paste, the Robobrain managed to land a shot on me. However, instead of burning like lasers usually did, my suit seemed to absorb it. Without hesitation, I quickly dispatched the remaining Robobrain, making short work of it. With all of the Robobrains now destroyed, I turned towards the building. I glanced down and noticed the compass marker had been filled in. As I approached the large metal doors of the research facility, the beast landed nearby and slithered towards me.
"Not sure how long I'll take. Do you mind waiting for me, uh..." I trailed off as I stared at my newfound friend “wow, I really need to give you a name. So, uh, probably should figure out your gender first. Are you male?”
The beast only stared as it narrowed its eyes and flickered its tongue at me. I took that as a no and tried to think of a name.
“So, female then? Great. Let’s see here,” I said as I tapped my chin with my hoof “what’s a mighty name for a mighty beast like you? My mother was a tough mare. Her name was Viper Whip. Do you like that name?”
The beast made another chirp-like sound as she slithered closer until she was only a couple of feet away. Viper Whip towered over me for a moment before loosely wrapping her body around me, like she was attempting to give me a hug. I chuckled softly as I wrapped a foreleg as far around her body as I could, giving her half-hug back.
“I’ll take that a yes, then. Wait for me here,” I said as I pulled my leg back “I’ll be in and out as quickly as possible. Wait on the roof so those things won’t hurt you if they come back.”
Viper Whip chirped again as she slithered away and then propelled herself into the air. I watched her as she landed on the roof and lowered herself a good way over the edge. I gave her a small wave before looking towards the doors and trotting over to them. As I stood before the doors, I took a deep breath in and let out slowly. With my sledgehammer at the ready, I pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
Footnote: Companion Gained.
Current Companion: Viper Whip.
Footnote: 584 Exp. Gained.
Exp. Level: 71,250/71,250.
Footnote: Level Up!
Current Level: 31.
New Perk: Super Sledge Slam! -- All melee (except thrown) and unarmed attacks have a chance of knocking your target down and landing a critical hit. 15% for Unarmed or one hoofed melee, 30% for two hoofed melee.
