MLP-Multiverse: Chimera - The Snake's Charm

Chapter 2: Tunnel Snakes Rule!

"Ya know what, considering my "family", you guys are the closest thing I've got."

Another morning in the vault. Man, these last few years were crazy. I began my life helping out around the vault wherever I could, mostly simple stuff like cleaning, lifting boxes from place to place, or transporting water from the purifier to the diner or the ration center. Truth be told, I've always had a lot of strength and stamina, at least more than some of my human friends, so this is pretty easy to me. Honestly, when my test came up, the only things to change were actual payment and a more specific workload. This was WAY too easy. As for my job, I always liked tinkering with machines... using em was different, I was always a low tech guy, but I did love fiddling with the wires and gears, finding ways to improve them or fix their problems. I repaired that defective buzz saw on Andy, since that same malfunction ruined my cake that on my tenth birthday party, but I don't blame him, these things happen. I even found a way to unhook my Pip-Buck once, because my fur was itching up a storm. Unfortunately, when I showed Mr. Mack, he got upset and started looking at me kinda strangely. I suppose you aren't supposed to remove it, so I slipped it back on.

As for other skills, I never really wanted to settle for one, so I kept a few skills under my sleeve. I read a lot of cookbooks in the vault's library so I could learn how to cook the kinds of food I like, and I would constantly hang out and practice using that switchblade with Butch, who got closer and closer to me after that incident with the roach, and even more so after an incident with Miss Armstrong, which we will discuss later, as much as I don't want to. I should mention she was another reason for a skill I practiced in... stealth. I left my old room, her as well, once I took my G.O.A.T., that's the "Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test. Even though I finished with my dream job, my teacher didn't seem happy, so I asked him how he got his job, and he told me

"This test is kind of a joke. if you want, you can look at the answers and fill it out however you want." He laughed and handed me a stack of papers.

Rather than that, I actually circled a few more answers. I told him I didn't want to spend my life with only ONE skill. I have more potential than that. As much as he laughed, I think he understood, as I circled "Jukebox Technician", since I knew no one would ever fix that thing, and that meant they needed a mechanic, "Vault Marriage Counselor", given how good i am at talking to the residents here, and finally "Fry Cook" since I love a good burger and fries, simple as that. I figured it was a great way to cheer someone else up too, which I told him. He said that this was almost impossible for anyone to take on, but I told him considering all the free time I have, and with the lack of young faces around, I'd be happy to take on the extra work. This caught his attention, as Everyone around the vault had indeed been talking about a decline in younger people roaming the vault. Everyone seemed to be growing up far too quickly, and no one seemed to be putting stock in the future. He looked at me kinda strangely, and with a nod, understanding his concern, I answered him.

"Mr. Brotch, I know what I am. I'm probably the only Pony besides my mom in this vault, so I'll probably be the last. I should feel lonely, but I feel more... one of a kind." I put on a smile, but on the inside, I feel sad. I've been feeling this for a while, but it goes the same way. Put on the smile, tell em you're strong, maybe eventually YOU'LL believe it, Snake...

"Snake, I'll go talk to the Overseer about this. Given your history in the vault and with the Macks, I'm sure he'll at the very least, consider it." He gave a big grin, apparently refreshed at my display of "self-confidence" and left the classroom. While he left, he told me to spread the good news to Miss Armstrong, and upon mention of that, my heart soared. I was growing more withdrawn from her ever since her motherly affection turned more and more into what I can only describe as an unnerving obsession. She took to brushing my mane and patting my snout like some kind of pet, but well into my teenage years. The unnerving part is when she starts asking if I need a bath, to which I usually restrain myself to tell her I'm capable enough to shower on my own. She was REALLY starting to creep me out.

Of course, that was then. Now, she creeps me out to a very large extent. What is wrong with some people? To make a long and painful story short, after I told her I planned on moving out after getting at least one job, maybe 3 if I was lucky, she stopped dead in her tracks for a few minutes, then immediately switched to a more defensive temperament. She normally sounds so kind and gentle to anyone who speaks to her, but she became so unreasonable in those last minutes. Considering I've already made it clear how much I want her to stop treating me like some kind of pet, she's completely indignant at the idea that I don't belong to her. I don't remember much of what she said, probably because I don't want to, but upon leaving, I opened the door, only to be pulled back by my angry foster mother.

"You aren't going ANYWHERE! You are staying here with ME!" She gripped into my shoulders so tightly that it almost hurt. I was taken off my hooves for a moment, but i fought back and stood up, pulling away from her grasp.

"No, I'm not. I'm not your pet. I know how Humans treated Ponies and horses in the past, but I'm not an animal. I walk on 2 legs, I think and talk. I'm NOT an animal!" I was suddenly unaware of the anger in my voice. I wasn't being unreasonable like her, I was only asking to be treated like a fellow... person? No, I was a BEING though. That mattered, didn't it?

"Oh, this is what I get for bringing you up. This is the thanks I get for holding you close, and petting you, and brushing your coat... you ungrateful little thing!" She spat angrily, but I could see what looked like genuine sadness. Did she actually believe I was some kind of animal? This is too stupid for me.

"Listen to me, Beatrice. I am Snakebit. I am a Pony, but I am NOT an animal. I am my own person, and I don't appreciate the way you treat me, so I'm leaving. I'm leaving with or without your blessing. and I-WOAH!" Miss Armstrong grabbed me, with a mad look in her eyes. She was crazed, and wouldn't stop ranting. I REALLY didn't want to lay a hoof on this woman, as much as she was beginning to become an actual threat. Luckily, I didn't have to. SMACK! I felt a person forcibly separate us and push Miss Armstrong back. It was Miss DeLoria. Apparently she heard what was going on.

"Don't you lay a hand on him! leave that colt alone, or I swear to god, I'll kill you myself" She pushes her way in front of me and pulls out a bottle of vodka, and before I could figure out what she was gonna do, she smashed the bottle and held up the sharpened fragments towards Miss Armstrong, who backed away, fearing the angry vault drunk. I took a few steps back, taking the offer from Miss Ellen, and I looked behind to see Butch, Mr. Brotch and Mr. Mack behind me. Great, now everyone knew how creepy my foster mother was.

I walked into the hallway, into the crowd of people, and talked to Mr. Mack. "Sir, can I PLEASE request an exchange of rooms? "

"I'm not sure where to, but ya definitely shouldn't be staying here. Do you have ANY other place you can stay?" Mr. Mack seemed like he wanted to help, but Vault 101 was a small vault. We have rationed amenities, not many new people, and only enough space for each family. I had to think on this, so I left the room, taking nothing but my leather jacket, my toolkit, 2 bottles of Nuka-Cola, and my comic books.

I told Mr. Mack, "Gimme some time to think about it... I need to go chill somewhere.", and I headed for the diner. I sat down at my usual table and just drank an entire bottle of Cola, and opened the continuation of Doom Mongous's story that Wally gave me. I remembered from my tenth birthday how happy I was to finally read this, it seemed so far away. When I could just hang out with my friends and relax, when no one was trying to keep me anywhere against my will. Then, I just start thinking, what if I'm stuck here FOREVER? Stuck in these cold, grey, steel walls, with the same people. I like them, but there has to be more than just them, and people like Miss Armstrong? there must be more than HER outside. maybe if I could go outside... no. If she could go outside. Yeah, there's an idea.

"Hey, Snake!? What the hell happened, man!?" I rose instantly at the voice. I turned around, and Butch was there at the Diner's front door. He had Wally and Paul with him and it seemed like they showed up to talk about what had happened. Wally was carrying something like a patch that looked like a snake, and Paul was absolutely horrified at what he heard had happened. I turned to my friends and told them all about it, how she was getting way too close for comfort, how I tried to leave home once I applied for several jobs, and how she only seemed to want to keep me as a pet.

"Man, that is screwed up, even for her.", Wally interjected. "I knew this was gonna happen. I saw the files in my dad's office, ya know, "absent-minded, sexually repressed sycophant" sound familiar? Not only that, Ma always said she was a gossip hound, but she's the reason everyone knows Miss DeLoria is a drunk. No offense, Butch."

"Man, that is fucked up." Butch replied. "Sexually repressed? She didn't do nuthin' weird, did she?" It never failed to amaze me that Butch somehow picked up a Brooklyn accent despite his life as a vault dweller. probably because of all the greaser culture he immersed himself in. I can't say I blame him, since it's something he shared with me and the guys. I answered honestly.

"No, she didn't... but I would hate to think of the what-ifs... ugh." I began to feel sick imagining the result. "I think she just thought I was some kind of animal, like a non-sentient Pony. The kind you guys had before the explosions." I lamented, wondering if anyone else thought the same thing. Do humans see Ponies as property?

I see Wally throw the patch down at the table, right in front of me, and he says, "Look man, I don't give two shits what others say you are, even if you're a feeb, you're OUR feeb. That snake is proof of that." I looked down at the patch and realized why he was holding it. It's for a jacket. a leather jacket meant to bear a symbol...

"No fuckin' way... You guys made the jackets!?" I leapt from my seat only to see them turn around, patches sewn onto their jackets. "You guys chose a name? MY name!?"

"Well, yes and no. We're the Tunnel Snakes, and we RULE!" Paul answered.

"You're damn right we do!" I picked up the patch, and jumped up, walking between them, with Butch looking towards me.

"Here's the deal, Snake. My mom's not doin' so well lately, so I want you to help out with all that money from the extra jobs I heard you talk to Mr. Brotch about, and in return, I told her You could stay over until you can leave, alright?", he says to me.

"Abso-tively, bro." I reach out and shake his hand, as if to signify that we have a deal.

"Now, gimme that jacket and lemme sew this baby on. As of today, YOU, are a Tunnel Snake!" He held out his fist for me to punch my hoof against, which is something that human guys seem to do. I returned it, and removed my jacket soon after. Butch left to sew the patch onto my jacket, and Wally stepped up again.

"Hey, I vouched for you, ok? Don't make me look bad, alright?" He started to narrow his eyes, as if sizing me up. "I don't wanna regret this, so don't be square." WOW... That was a surprise in itself. Wally Mack, vouch for ME? I didn't know what he was worried about, all four of us have immersed ourselves in greaser culture since we wanted to form this gang, so I was all in myself as well.

"Hell no, Wally, I'm definitely in. All I need now is the haircut." I ran my hands through my hair... long, a dull light brown, and a bit ratty from my habit of leaving it alone. "Hey, didn't Butch pass the G.O.A.T. as a hairdresser?"

Paul butted in, "Hey shhh! He hates that. Call him a BARBER. It makes him happy, ya know?"

"Oh right, sure thing." I smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "I'll go ask if he can give me a cut fit for a Tunnel Snake." I walked out the diner's front door, remembering I needed to talk to Mr. Mack and tell him the good news. I had a new home, thank goodness. I ran towards the Overseer's office to see Mr. Brotch talking to him, so I headed up, but I was stopped by a familiar face... Stevie. "Oh crap, not now..." I thought.

"Pony-boy, what's up?", he starts. "You in a hurry?"

"Stevie, not now. I'm supposed to talk to your dad, so I need to get through." I add, expecting some backlash from the new officer. To my surprise, he straightens himself up, moved the visor on his helmet up, and says this...

"Hey wait. Snake, I wanted to say, you're a good kid. er... colt. I was a rotten bastard when I was younger, and I know I made you pretty uncomfortable, and now THIS happens to you. I wanted to say... I'm sorry." Wow, Stevie Mack being sincere. This family was chock full of surprises!

I decide to take the bait and be polite. "Stevie, try not to worry about it too much. I don't have time for petty kid's stuff. You're an officer of the vault now. You must have done a LOT of maturing for them to select you in the first place, I assume."

Stevie seemed taken-aback. He smiled, and looked away for a second, then looked back. "Thanks, man. I knew you would understand. I'm just glad you realize, some people just... they have a hard time expressing themselves, and kids can be downright mean sometimes. I see it now and I just think to myself, thank goodness I'm grown. I must have been a little shit." He added with a laugh.

"Well, not too bad. Wally was difficult too, and Butch was even more so. Goodness, all the times we got in fights, or he shoved me for sayin' the wrong thing, but I think he changed after that one night. The one with the roach downstairs."

His eyes almost bugged out of his head at this part. "Roach? That dead one that was stabbed like fourteen times? That was YOU kids?" I answered yes, and he continued to stare, astonished. "I'll... ignore the weapon use and... I'll just say, I'm impressed. Most of the officers here aren't used to radroaches at all, most of what we have to do to fix a problem is raise an eyebrow, or at most our voices. Meanwhile, here you are, a child taking on a fully grown radroach."

I tried to hurry the conversation up as politely as I could. "Stevie, I really need to talk to Mr. Mack, but lemme catch up with you later, ok? Maybe this is goin' somewhere, like... We're friends now, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Snake." and he shook my hoof in agreement. "Our families have always been close, whether we liked it or not...", and he looked away for a moment before finishing with, "...but I like you, Snake. Genuinely."

I waved goodbye and headed up the stairs, finally reaching Mr. Mack's office, and after Mr. Brotch passed me on the stairs, I think I saw him put up his hands in an "Okay" gesture. THAT was a good sign. Either way, I opened the door and stepped inside. There was Mr. Mack, sitting at his desk, and beckoning me inside.

"Snake, you doin' ok, kiddo?" He started with a smile. "I heard what happened, no one should be goin' around treating another person like that, but it had to happen to YOU, of all er..." He seemed unsure of what to say, but eventually sighed and said "... you of all PEOPLE." A feeling of, what felt like warmth filled me instantly. He called me a fellow person. He didn't just look down on me like Miss Armstrong. I felt eager to answer. He and the Macks felt like a real family. I HAD to let him know how much it meant to me.

"Mr. Mack, I don't care about that anymore. I have a place to go, and I won't have to deal with HER again, if I'm lucky. Oh, and Mr. Brotch told me he'd ask you abo-" I was cut off by Mr. Mack's answer.

"Yes, I'm well aware, but are you sure you want to take on THREE jobs for the vault? I know how hard of a worker you are, but will this be too much for you?" He seemed to be concerned, but even more so, curious.

"Not at all. I would be happy to help out the vault in every way possible. You guys have been like a family to me, and I would love to do as much as I can." This seemed to light up his eyes, like he'd achieved something.

"Great! Thank you, Snake. You have no idea how quickly the... here, let me show you." He led me to the Overseer's terminal, and clicked a few keys. Immediately I saw a medical file keeping record of all of the vaults citizens' births. Sure enough, the birth rate had steeply declined since the vault opened and closed it's door about two-hundred years ago. There was plenty of reason to be concerned.

"I understand, Mr. Mack. That's why I want to help. I can work those extra jobs, and I'll enjoy at least two of em, and I get to bunk with a friend and his mother. Despite what some people would say, I like Miss Ellen. She always treated me well." I began to think about that other woman again, and my face turned a bit sour.

"Hey hey, kid, relax. You're right. Everything will be fine. If ya want, you'll start your first day of work tomorrow. Get up early and fix that jukebox in the diner. That thing hasn't run properly since the Palmer boy passed away. I'll even throw in a ration coupon good for a six-pack for that gang you and Wally joined up with." I widened my eyes, and he gave me a smirk and started chuckling. "Hehehe, don't worry, kid. I messed around with my friends like that when I was your age too. We all liked to pretend we were tough guys. Called ourselves the Hell's Overseers." He gave a hearty laugh, like he was enjoying the time we spent talking. I was more than happy to keep it going, but I had to move my stuff in to the DeLoria's place and talk to Stevie. I had a full day planned already.

"Mr. Mack, thanks for everything. You're a great da-um..." Oh FUCK... I had stepped in it.

'What? Ugh, look Snake, it's fine, so long as you know we ain't really related." and there went that warm fuzzy feeling... "Hey, don't get bent out of shape about it, alright? You're a vault dweller, like us. As far as I'm concerned, you're as good as family." I had not felt that happy in a while, but for some reason, as I left the Overseer's office, I had a sinking feeling. If I was finally getting to prove my worth to the people I've always seen as family, and moving from the shelter of a domineering foster mom... Why did I feel like something was wrong?

Select 2 Traits: ... 2 Traits Selected.

"Tunnel Snakes Rule" +5 to DR and -1 to Perception while all companions are wearing the same armor.

"Stay Gold, Pony-Boy..." When finding caps, gambling, or bartering items, Luck is treated as 7. -2 to charisma when caps fall below 2000.