Fallout Equestria: The Survivalist

Fallout Equestria: The Survivalist

Chapter 1: When the Center doesn’t hold

A quick glance at the surrounding area was enough to tell the tan colored stallion that everything was packed away. He looked at the caverns he had spent a few days in. It was his first week out of the army, away from everything, everypony, and instead he was just doing some survival training. The one part of the army that had stuck with him was the need to ensure that survival training was kept up and maintained.

Judging by the sun it was just past ten in the morning. It was less than an hour’s trot to the general store, and from there he could catch a sky carriage, if they haven’t stopped coming out here, or maybe he could catch a train. What waited for him back home was working at Shattered Hoof. It was honest work, or he believed it was, but it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t agree with what was usually done to the inmates. Regardless, he began his trot, found the general store, and discovered that the last sky carriage had left over three hours ago.

The old mare that ran the store let him know that she knew the civilian train was still running, and it was just half an hour from where they were. He thanked her, bought a few snacks, a Sparkle Cola, and then trotted toward the station. The train was still an older steam model, but it had been converted over to wood instead of coal. There was little doubt in his mind that even this charming relic would be changed out for one of the magical energy engines. More dependable, far easier to rely on, and also there wouldn’t be a worry over the resources they didn’t have in the nation.

Walking up to the ticket office he saw the seller listening to the radio, barely paying any mind to whoever had walked up to her window.

“Excuse me, I need a ticket,” he said.

The mare behind the window looked at him, “Sorry, Where to?”

He gave her a smile, feeling the weight of his saddle bags, his pistol, which was hanging near his right side, and of course the few cans of potato crisps he had bought earlier, “Oneigh. I’m a guard at Shattered Hoof, but Oneigh was the closest place I could find with rent cheap enough.”

She gave him a grin, hit a few commands on her terminal, and then handed him a slip of paper, “Well, I hope that you make it back okay. It sounds like things are really hitting the fan out there.”

He sighed, “I knew that things were tense, but maybe it will end before anything really bad can happen. We just have to trust in Princess Luna.”

She nodded, and with that he boarded the train. It wasn’t packed, which was odd, but then he had chosen to come out here when it wasn’t really tourist season. In truth, the last few years had been hard on little communities like this. The park wasn’t high on the list of things for ponies to do. He found a bench, took a seat on his haunches, and then heard the sound of the conductor as he announced that they would be leaving.

After a final all aboard, the train lurched forward, and he settled into his seat. His black mane was in need of a trim, but that would come later. He listened to the soothing sounds of the train as it clicked along the tracks, his mind considering the things he had packed into his saddle bags. His foreleg had a Pipbuck. A parting gift from the army. It wasn’t exactly a common thing, but most soldiers were getting them. He had received his own a month before he had resigned. His commanding officer had informed him that he could take it with him. There was no need for it to be turned in, and besides, as his commander informed him, it was a pain in the ass to take it off.

There were the potato crisps, a couple of books of matches, his combat knife, a length of Macintosh Strength rope, and a map of the park. The map was something he had been updating himself. One of the things he loved to do was explore the cave system, and he had found six different caves that all were large enough that a pony could live in them without much worry. He almost allowed himself to sleep when he felt the train car rock violently. He didn’t look outside, out toward the direction the first cause of the violent rocking to happen. He closed his eyes, ducked his head down, and heard the screams around him. The train screamed in protest, and he hunkered down for what he knew was coming. He felt the first lurch, and then a moment later the world turned upside down. There were six more violent shakes that followed the sound of six more booms. Each one loud enough to wake the dead. Finally after several minutes he opened his eyes, and he could see that the train car was on its side.

Getting up he heard an old mare crying. Moving slowly he found her. Her back legs pinned under a seat, beside her was a dead stallion, most likely her husband, and she was sobbing as she tried to move. Looking at how she was trapped there was little doubt that her hips had been crushed. She wasn’t going to walk out of this.

“Miss, just a moment, I’m going to help you. It’s going to be okay, help will be coming,” he said soothingly.

She hugged the dead stallion beside her, still whimpering, “It’s not, not really, is it?” she asked.

He sighed, “No.”

She whimpered, “I want to be with my husband. We’ve been together for so long, and I… I don’t want to be without him. Can you?”

He nodded, but realized that she was blind. The flash from the bombs had likely destroyed her eyes.

“I will, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” he said.

He reached back for his pistol, glad that it was loaded, and then ended her suffering. Moving forward he found the door slid it open, and stepped out to see a green burning fire. Everything he knew, his family, Sweet Kisses, his marefriend, it was all gone. Part of him considered hoofing it to Oneigh. The blast didn’t look like it came from there, but at the same time going there would be death. The fire was enough to make him realize that it was a Balefire Blast. That meant that there was going to be magical radiation leaking out. There wasn’t anything to do, so he headed back toward the park. If he hurried there was a good chance he could get to them before the fallout began to settle.

He was surprised that everything was still in his saddle bags, but then he had always tied things down exceptionally well. He looked in the direction the train had come from. It had only been about fifteen minutes on the train, and he wasn’t sure how long it would be on hoof. But he hoped that it would be worth a chance to get away from the fallout before it could settle. Heading back toward the train station he saw dozens of ponies in panic mode. The mare that had been in the ticket booth was crying, banging on a door, begging to be let in.

“PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE OUT HERE!”

He looked at what was happening, and the realization came to him. The only safe place would be the caves. The shelters that were here obviously were already full. He knew it was half an hour to the general store, then an hour toward the caves. He looked at the mare, now on the ground, weeping, her voice growing raspy from crying out, and he couldn’t help himself.

“Miss, I’m going further into the park, there’s a chance there’s places to survive in there.”

She looked toward him, gave a nod, and followed him. It wasn’t something he expected, and to be honest, he wasn’t sure if this was something that he really wanted. Sweet Kisses was most likely dead, and he wasn’t interested in anypony else, but then helping somepony wasn’t a bad thing either. The two of them ran toward the general store where he saw the old mare. She was out on her porch, her wagon attached to her, and she was heading into the park.

“Oh young buck, I’m glad that you’re alive. My son told me that there was a shelter in the park, something that was made by that company called Solaris. I’m going to head to where he said it was.”

The young mare looked at her, “C...could I go with you?”

The old mare nodded, and he followed them. His pistol was ready, and they neared what looked like a small ranger station. Outside of it was two army bucks. Both of them stood fast as they neared the station itself. The first buck, a dirt brown Earth Pony with a blond mane held up his fore leg. They stopped, and the Earth Pony studied them, “No going past this point. Only government officials allowed.”

He looked at the two Army bucks, “Is there a shelter here?”

The other, a Unicorn that was gray with a shock of blue mane, nodded, “There is, but it’s for Solaris and government officials.”

He looked at them both, “Surely you can let a few extra in, right?”

They shook their heads, “No, and if you attempt to enter regardless we have orders to kill on sight.”

He saw someone coming, seeing the pony he recognized her. She’d been at more than a couple of the trainings he’d gone to in the Army. She was apparently one of the higher ups in the Ministry of Wartime Technology. Babs something… Babs Seed. He neared her, hoping that she would be at least as personal as some of the other Apples had been.

“Ms Seed, Ma’am, These two mares need to get to shelter, I know neither of them are government officials, but surely they can take shelter here.”

She looked toward the two of them, and then at him, “What about you?” she asked.

He gave her a soft smile, “I’ll find a way to survive.”

She looked at the guards, nodded, and the two mares walked with her into the shelter. He hoped that it would be something that would protect them. As he recalled, there was something about the company Solaris that didn’t always sit well, but he wasn’t sure what it was. There wasn’t much other choice, he had to head to the caves, and the closest one was one he had been in a year before. Heading there he ran into the cave, and he felt weak. His Pipbuck had clicked until it was in the yellow.

Looking around he saw a terminal, a chemical station, various collections of rocks, canned food, water, and a small collection of bed rolls. He moved toward it and saw a small clipboard with a sheet still on it.

“Equestrian Government Geological Society, headmare Dr. Maude Pie,” he read.

He looked at the equipment, and sighed as he laid down. Finding a radaway he drank it, letting it cure the mild case of radiation sickness.

“Thanks Dr. Pie, thanks for this,” he whispered before sleep began to find him.