Fallout Equestria: Blitz's Story

Pain.

Horrible, burning, unbearable pain.

This was all that registered in Blitz's fevered mind as she slowly regained consciousness. She felt as though her body had been kicked around under a mob of panicked ponies running for their lives, and then dragged through the fire filled parts of Tartarus. It was so intense it consumed every nerve ending, every brain cell. A sound something between a ragged gasp and a weakly pitiful moan escaped her lips as she tried to force her eyes open and failed.

"Oh...oh she's awake. Blitz? Can you hear me?"

The faint female voice was laced with worry, and sounded so familiar, yet Blitz couldn't make her agonized mind think of it right now.

"Blitz?" The hooves shaking her were gentle,

She whimpered in pain.

"Maybe it's not a good idea to do that." Another voice, distinctly male, interjected.

Blitz fought a hard battle against the stubborn force that refused to let her see, finally managing to get her resisting eyelids to part a small fraction. Through the small slit, and through very blurry vision, she could just make out ponies leaning over her. She tried to both move and speak simultaneously

"Where-"

She stopped, body spasming with the jolt of pain that shot through her system. Fuck, the pain was everywhere. There was no part of her that didn't feel like one hot, swollen, massive, horribly throbbing bruise. Hooves gently held her steady as she released a weak stream of expletives, then a few more choice words about how weak her first ones sounded.

"Easy, Blitz. You...you're hurt really badly."

"Where...am I?" She ground out, breathing hitching with just the effort.

"You're somewhere safe for now." The mare responded soothingly.

"Who-who are you? I feel like...I know you, but...aggghhh!!!" A weak scream left her throat as she tried to lift her head, only to be met with another lightning bolt of horrid agony.

"It's me, Blitz. Sunshine." The voice was gentle. "It's ok you didn't remember. You really took a nasty beating in the Stable. I'm guessing Scarlet Edge." Her tone was was one of sorrow and guilt. "And...it's my fault."

Blitz gasped out loud, and then gagged at the pain it produced in her chest. "No! Sunshine, no. I did what I had to. You, all of you, needed to escape that place."

Her body went limp, and her eyes slid closed again. Sunshine's hooves were gentle as she started tugging at what Blitz figured were bandages, but even the most featherlight of touches was enough to make her actually whinny in weak, miserable protest, and tears spilled from her closed eyes.

Finally it was over, and something was laid on top of her. Sunshine's voice was right next to her ear, to be sure she heard.

"Rest, Blitz."

As her body forced her into a fitful slumber, she was dimly aware of the male voice, worriedly asking Sunshine if she would be ok. The world slipped to blackness before she ever heard the reply.

Sunshine sighed as she threw out the bloody remains of the water from the basin she had used to clean Blitz's numerous injuries. She had bandaged them all up as best she could, but she wasn't one hundred percent sure the unicorn was going to make it. Her expression hardened in angry sympathy. She didn't have to imagine what torture Scarlet had put Blitz through; she knew.

"Will she be ok?" Her companion asked for the tenth time, brows creased in worry.

"I don't know, Silver."

Like her, the young stallion had a number branded on his flank that began with S. So, like Blitz had done for her, Sunshine had immediately called him Silver, and he was happy with that. The cerulean earth pony rubbed his muzzle and let out a jagged huff.

"I hope Scarlet gets a taste of her own medicine some day!" He spat bitterly.

Sunshine could understand the sentiment perfectly.

"I know. But for now let's focus on trying to pull Blitz out of this." She touched his shoulder, not surprised when he instinctively flinched.

"Ok." Silver looked at the still form laying on a pile of old sacks in the corner of the run down shack. "She's...going to have a lot of scars."

"Just like us." Sunshine quietly replied. "And we'll help her through it, because we've been there where she was, and where she is."

Silver shuddered at the memories, his amber eyes clouding over as he nodded.

"How do you think she'll take it? I mean, when she sees...?"

Sunshine heaved a sigh, looking at the one unicorn in this messed up world that had done nothing but show kindness to her, and had sacrificed so much to help her and her companions to safety. To see what had been the strong and sleek body of her friend now reduced to ragged, weak, and heavily marred with injuries was enough to make her want to cry. The wounds Scarlet had inflicted were deep and hideous, the worst of them being the one on her chest. It was that wound that worried Sunshine the most. Scarlet's blade had cut deep, and very dangerously close to Blitz's heart. The fact she had survived the blood loss just from that wound alone was nothing short of miraculous.

In short, Blitz was going to carry a lot of the scars for the rest of her life...if she survived. It had been a full day since Sunshine and Silver had brought her to the shack. They had hidden near the Stable after making the rest of the slaves go to a safer location, and they waited. And waited. It had seemed to them to be a millenia before Blitz's broken and battered body had been flung from the Stable, exiled from the place that was once her home and left to die a cruel death in the wasteland.

They had acted quickly, carrying Blitz to safety and getting to work on cleaning and bandaging her wounds. Their rescuer was then safely tucked under a heavy sack for a blanket, doctored as best as they could manage. Her wounds were not really showing signs of festering, but she had a high fever, likely due to all the horrific trauma her body had received. They were trying to keep her as clean as possible, because if she should get an infection, her chances of survival were going to decrease exponentially, and should the wound that had nearly exposed one of her most vital organs get infected, it was going to very likely mean the end for Blitz.

But the worst of this, the absolute worst, was the one wound on her flank. The one that would cause the most mental and emotional trauma for poor Blitz. The raw, open wound surrounding seared flesh and dead muscle tissue, the fluid oozing from it soaking into the bandages to a degree that made Sunshine change the dressing multiple times, as well as pour healing potions directly on it, was what would likely push Blitz over the edge.

The bloody butcher of Stable 18 had removed the cutie mark and burned the slave brand deeply into the hide in its place. Just the thought made Sunshine feel ill, especially since she was well aware of just how horrid and painful such a thing was.

"I'm not sure how she will react." She said quietly. "But if anything, it's going to likely make her angrier and if I know Blitz, based on her reactions to the...Sanctum...she is going to make somepony pay for their sins with their own blood."

Silver gritted his teeth. "Scarlet and the Overmare will be first if her hatred is anything like mine. And I hope I get a front row seat when they are."

Sunshine gingerly laid her foreleg around him, noting he was trembling with rage.

"You're not the only one."

Blitz whimpered and cried out weakly in her sleep, and Sunshine let go of Silver to hurry to her side.

"N-no, don't...Scarlet..." Blitz pleaded in agony. "No!"

She screamed faintly, and Sunshine teared up as she softly shushed her with soothing words.

"Blitz, it's ok. Shh. You're safe now. It's ok."

Somehow her voice reached through to Blitz in her nightmarish slumber, and the wounded mare quieted considerably. Her head turned slightly so her muzzle was pressed against Sunshine's neck, her breaths hot and slightly uneven against her coat. Sunshine didn't move away, instead gently rubbing her muzzle against Blitz's neck. If this kept her calm and her nightmares at bay, she would stay right here and cuddle close to her as long as was necessary.

Silver laid next to her, gazing in pained sympathy at Blitz as she continued to sleep. He glanced at Sunshine, then back at Blitz, and then reached out and rubbed his hoof gently through the mussed up red and maroon mane, helping to keep her quieted. Blitz whimpered softly, feeling pain even as she slept.

The room was quiet as her two friends kept watch over her still form, Sunshine never ceasing to keep close contact with her, as they both silently sent up broken prayers to Luna and Celestia for favour, that maybe, just maybe, Blitz might somehow manage to live.