Chapter One - Awakening
"|WARNING|POWER LOW|OPENING CRYOGENIC POD|" An automated message would blurt out aboard the cold, dark and dormant halls of the UESF "Ravenwell", nothing illuminating her halls, cargo bays and hangar bays of the ship, save for the light from the bright and warm sun shining in through her windows.
The loud hiss of gases, steam and pistons working would soon fill the tranquil and decrepit room that housed the officers cryogenic pods aboard the Ravenwell, followed by the tired groans of her Captain and only survivor exiting his pod, still wearing his marine armour as he shook his head to wake himself up, the shire bat pony noticing the lack of gravity in the ship as he looked around, turning on his helmet lamps to illuminate his surroundings. The lights coming on with an audible 'BWEEM' noise and shone a light wherever he looked, the stallion locking his gaze with the floating and lifeless corpse of a fellow Officer, Sgt Swift Hoof. She was the training officer aboard the Ravenwell, and part of the Captain's personal squad.
The bat pony would give a sigh as he gently pushed himself off his own cryogenic pod to launch himself toward the exit door, reaching it as he held onto the hoofwheel that kept the bulkhead locked, the bat pony grunting as he turned the rigid and tarnished wheel with all his might to open the door, gently pulling the bulkhead door open after the large pins locking the door slammed out of the way, the shire proceeding to look down the hallway.
Silence, it was nothing but cold, empty and silent....a lifeless husk that was one teeming with life from crew members making their way through to get from the barracks to their posts or the mess hall, or when rushing to the hangar bay to board the dropships. The shire would begin to push his way down the hall, letting himself float down effortlessly due to being in zero gravity. Passing by the corpses of his fellow crewmates as he reached the elevator to the bridge, the stallion attempting to use it as he sighed, remembering that the power was off.
He'd turn to look down at the large hangar bay that housed the various dropships and vehicles that were once used on planets and moons, the Ravenwell was the flagship for the Exploration Fleet, she led those of all size, species and gender a-like to far away systems, now she sat above Equis, lifeless and a husk of her former glory, rusting away and left to die.
The shire soon made his way to the maintenance ladder that took him up to the bridge, getting to the top he'd gently float aboard before stopping at the main terminal, luckily it still had power, he'd divert what little power there was to the bridge fully as he checked his oxygen timer. He had an hour left, plenty of time to figure things out he thought.
The first to come on was the artificial gravity, the bat pony having prepared himself as he dropped to the ground with a loud thud, next came the life support, the blaring alarm gradually becoming audible as the shire took off his helmet, placing it on top of the console he was using as he sighed, scratching his medium length jet black beard before sliding his officer's card into the terminal.
It soon booted to life, displaying the ships status, her position over the planet and what she still had in her hangar bay, only having one drop pod left and missing the front half of her hull, the bat pony would notice the date as he scratched his head, figuring that he couldn't have been in cryo for two-hundred years. Shrugging as he walked over to one of the many windows aboard the bridge, trying to get a look at the planet below as he groaned, unable to find a decent view, with what little oxygen he had left, and with the ship's food likely being out of date by now, he decided to put his helmet back on and head to the last remaining drop pod aboard the ship. Grabbing his helmet he'd turn off the ships power fully, gently floating up as the gravity went before floating himself over to the maintenance ladder again.
Once at the bottom he'd make his way to the ship's armoury, grabbing himself a radio, his custom marksman rifle, a sidearm and a bowie knife before finally heading to the drop pod launch bay, gently climbing inside the final pod and closing the door as he sat down in one of the four seats inside, the stallion pulling down the harness over his shoulders as grabbed a hold of the manual launch lever as he took a deep breath before finally yanking it, grunting as he was propelled toward the planet's surface as breakneck speeds.
The pod would soon begin it's re-entry, being engulfed in flames as it punched through the atmosphere and into the upper layer of clouds, the ball of flame smashing into the edge of a cliff before bouncing down into the large and open field that was once one of the many orchards of Sweet Apple Acres.
The shire would exit the drop pod with a stretch as he looked around at the barren and deserted wastes of the farm, racking the bolt on his marksman rifle, the cocking handle coming back and finally slamming forward with a heavy 'KA-CHICK' as a round was loaded into the chamber, the bat pony flicking his rifle to fire before starting to make his way toward Ponyville, the rifle was custom made for the military, having a lever to fire, and a groove in the hoofguard to allow a pony's hoof to sit and control the recoil of the firearm, the bat pony having his placed nearer the end of the hoofguard. He had no knowledge of the New World, nor did he remember much of what had happened before he was put into cryogenic sleep, he wanted nothing more than to get answers and attempt to link up with possible UESF remnants and any remnants of the Old World's military.
Chapter Closing Music, the shire bat pony walks down the abandoned and destroyed road that leads from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville, destroyed tree's on either side and the ruined town ahead of him
Chapter 2 - Siúil a Rún (Go, My Love)
Chapter 2 - Siúil a Rún (Go, My Love)
The putrid and vile smell of death filled the stallion's nose as he entered the destroyed and decayed town of Ponyville, skeletons and abandoned carts littered the streets, along with the ruins that were once buildings that housed residents or shops, the shire shouldering his rifle as he made his way through the streets.
The sun gleamed off the gray on his jet black and gray marine armour, the underarmour itself being comprised of a body tight suit, as well as having a padded layer for warmth in the cold and heartless sea of black that was space, with small oxygen tanks housed under the plate carrier and kevlar padding, his helmet's visor didn't glare in the sun, as it was covered with the skull of an alien race of invaders, three eye sockets on either side, a split lower jaw and a row of jagged teeth lining both the upper and lower jaws, strapped to the stallion's helmet with leather, and covering a majority of the helmet, leaving him to see out of the front two eye sockets.
The skull had a jagged blue stripe painted along the right half of the face, and had been painted a pale grey, same as the primary colour of his armour, with the eye sockets having black painted on the inside to give them a sunken appearance, the helmet lamps were located within the middle eye sockets between the front and far back.
Jackal would make his way through the town of Ponyville for a good ten minutes before a sudden snap was heard, a gunshot, narrowly missing the stallion's head as he quickly found cover behind a cart, the bat pony quickly peeking out of cover to look for the sniper, noticing a scope's glint in one of the second floors of the many residential buildings, the shire finding cover again as another crack was heard from a shot missing.
The bat pony would look to the left of the cart as he noticed a ditch and pipe that could allow him to get to the sniper fairly easily, deciding to take it as he quickly rolled into the mud filled ditch, his armour and weapon almost instantly becoming coated in the thick, blood filled and filthy mud as he got up, beginning to move as a brisk pace through the sewer pipe that was only around half full slosh slosh slosh was all that would fill the pipe loudly from the stallion's hoofsteps.
The end of the pipe soon came as the stallion slumped against the side, placing the stock of his rifle against his left shoulder as he took aim at the enemy sniper, breathing out softly before firing, BOOM as a shot rang out from his marksman rifle, sending a 7.62x51 round directly into the sniper's skull, a glorious display of blood coating the wallpaper as the sniper's corpse fell down in a slump.
The victory would be short lived however, as the sound of a bat breaking the sound barrier was heard, followed by the crack of the eye sockets on the left side of the skull around the stallion's helmet cracking, the bat pony falling to the ground in a daze as a Raider stood over him, a few others joining as they wailed on the bat pony for a few seconds.
"Quick! grab his shit and let's go!" the squeaky and worried stallion's voice rang out as the bat pony was stripped of his weapons, or at least what was easily grabbed, his rifle and sidearm taken away, though his bowie knife and ammo remained due to it's sheathe being under the bat pony, along with the pouches that housed his weapon's magazines.
Jackal would come to on a cot in a dimly lit room, a desk against the wall with a plate that had a few caps and bobby pins on it, a lit candle on the bedside table illuminating the room, and the shire's armour and helmet folded up at the end of the bed, he'd groan as he sat up, a commanding mare's voice speaking up.
"Hey! you need rest you stubborn bastard!" she'd exclaim, having a harsh Irish tone as she walked over to the bed, gently shoving the stallion back down "leathcheann, ag smaoineamh go bhféadfá éirí suas tar éis buille mar sin (idiot, thinking you could just get up after a beating like that)" she would mumble with a vitriolic tone to herself, the bat pony raising an eyebrow to her
"I'm the furthest thing from an idiot" Jackal would reply with a grumble as he sat up, resting his forehooves beside him as he looked to the mare, having bruises over his body, the bat pony clutching his head as he groaned, having a....slight concussion, just too stubborn to acknowledge it.
"Oh? that why you went and got yourself beaten up and left for dead in a ditch huh? and how come you know Shirish? no one else speaks it here in Cathair na Teorann (Border City)" the mare would say as she pulled an armchair over with her magic, sitting down on it as she looked the stallion over before raising his left hoof with her magic "huh....cybernetic limbs? and huh, Shirish Knotwork too" she'd say with a fairly impressed tone as she inspected the cybernetic
"I speak Gàidhlig Eachraidh (Equestrian Gaelic), only understood some of your vitriolic insult but I got the idiot part clearly" he'd say with an unimpressed tone as he glared at the mare before gently snatching his hoof back from her magic "and it's Highland Knotting" he'd say, the shire standing up as he groaned in pain, towering above the mare at a fairly impressive 6'4"
"Yeah yeah, you got your name for it I got mine" she'd respond, standing up and trotting over to his stuff, grabbing it as she held it out "and I suppose you'll want this no? to go out and get yourself killed in the wasteland?" she'd ask, giving it to the bat pony with a snicker "word of friendly advice? go get a drink at the alehouse, and then come back, you can help repay me for dragging your heavy ass here with some labour work, need my roof fixed" she'd say with a snicker, handing Jackal a bag of 10 caps
Jackal would take his armour and caps as he let out a soft sigh, looking his armour over before giving the mare a thankful nod "Right....name's Jackal by the way" he'd say with a chuckle, starting to slide on his gear as he put on the bodytight undersuit first before putting the padded armour on afterwards, brushing some dried mud off the skull around his helmet as he looked back to the mare
"I know, says it on your chestpiece dumbass" she'd reply bluntly with a snicker, sitting down at the desk as she grabbed a quill "and name's Vineyard Heart" she'd say, looking to the bat pony with a smile, the Shirish Unicorn Mare having a dark grey coat, cabernet red mane and tail, and silver eyes.
The bat pony would head out of the building as he looked around, the town was pretty large, snow coating the ground and rooftops, each building being Viking in design, with a longhouse, and various building surrounding it, a dock down by the river, and a waterfall at the top of the hill, irradiated water running down through the middle of the town and linking up at the main river itself, Jackal would remember the mare's name, knowing a Heart once, one of his squadmates, Rose Heart, his team's lead engineer and demolitions expert, figuring it was just mere coincidence that his saviour shared the same last name, coat colour, mane and tail colour and eye colour, he'd look for the alehouse before noticing the large sign that had a tankard painted on, heading up the path toward it.
Inside the alehouse was alive with the joyous cheers of both Shirish and Equestrian Highlanders, shorter than the Shire Bat Pony, though still taller than the average Equestrian, most of the alehouses patrons would be sharing drinks and singing a song, a fairly basic rebel one, Shires Wha Hae, a song sung during the Civil War between Celestia and Luna, back when Celestia attempted an invasion of the Highlands and was beaten.
The music wouldn't really stop for the bat pony, a few patrons looking over, as well as the barkeep, but it wasn't like he was the strangest thing in the alehouse, most of the patrons had various animal skulls adorned on their clothing, Jackal would grab a seat at the bar as he took off his helmet, tapping the counter with a pained sigh "Whisky" he'd say, the barkeep walking over as he poured the bat pony a glass
"5 caps, not every day that our local healer brings in a true blooded Shire" the older stallion would say with a chuckle "surprised you aren't dead, looked just like Hel herself was about to take you" he'd then say with a sly grin, having a proud Scandineighvian accent
"How'd you know I'm true blooded?" Jackal would ask in response as he placed 5 caps on the counter before taking a sip of whisky, he himself had a gruff and strong Equestrian Highland accent, it wasn't the Doerick that most of the Deer and Ponies in the southern parts of the Highlands spoke, clear Equestrian, just with the small inflection or growl with some words.
"Your accent, and your height, the two centuries of living underground kinda put a hamper on Highlanders being tall" he'd say with a hearty laugh, taking the caps as he put them in a small ornate wooden box before leaning on the counter "guessing you'll be needing some gear and a job though right? tell ya what, you swing by when you're better and I'll introduce you to our blacksmith, he's always needing the younger stallions to help him out with weapons and with cutting wood to keep our fireplaces lit" he'd say with a smile "you could get some caps that way, we usually send a few of us down the river to trade with a town that sells firearms, all we have here are bows and swords, on account of not having a gunsmith and all" he'd say with a smirk.
"Aye sound, I'll be here once I fix Vineyard's roof" he'd say, finishing off his glass of whisky before putting on his helmet as he stood up, the shire bat pony giving the barkeep a friendly nod before heading out and heading back down to Vineyard Rose's home, the mare waiting outside for him as she pointed to a wooden ladder and some thatch roofing before she headed back inside.
The Shire Bat Pony would grab the ladder as he set it up against the wall off the house before picking up the thatch as he climbed up onto the roof, noticing a hole where the roof had caved in a little as he made his way over, starting to cover the hole up as he grunted, it would take the bat pony a good hour or two but he'd have gotten the hole covered up and climbed down to ground level again, folding up the wooden ladder before laying it on it's side and against the wall.
Inside the thatched house, Vineyard Rose would be setting a small two pony table, putting down some buttered bread and some tankards of mead as she sat down, looking to Jackal as he entered before smiling as she motioned to the seat opposite her "Ah! you fixed the roof huh? well good, now you can eat, given you'll be helping us that makes you part of the town now" she'd say with a cheerful smile "so I suppose I must have to feed you right?" she'd ask with a sarcastic tone and a snicker.
Jackal would head into the guest room where he woke up, taking off his armour and neatly folding it up as he placed it on the bed before heading back and sitting opposite the mare that he owed his life to, gently picking up a piece of bread as he began to eat, staying fairly quiet as he did so.
"You don't talk much huh? that some macho "I don't need a mare's help, I'm a big buff stallion" thing or just some....you....thing?" she'd ask with a blink, taking a bite out of her own piece of bread before sipping on her mead, the mare was wearing a long grey and brown tunic, with black fur around her neck, some brown leather gloves on her forehooves, and finally black makeup around her eyes and in an upside down V pattern down across her cheeks from the bridge of her muzzle.
"Not much to talk about" Jackal would respond as he ate some more food before taking a swig of mead as he swallowed, the bat pony looking fairly tired and weak from haven been beaten near to death by the Raider Gang in Ponyville "unless you really wanna talk about some fucken thatch?" he'd ask with a snicker, letting out a quiet pained yell as he was bapped on the muzzle harshly by Vineyard
"No swearing in my home, it displeases the Gods" she'd say sternly with a glare, finishing her food and mead as she stood up, taking Jackal's plate once he had finished, though leaving his tankard of mead as well as her own tankard as she took the wooden plates over to a table with a container in it for washing up, placing the plates into the container after scraping the remaining crust that Jackal had left into a compost container as she returned to the table, pouring the two some more mead.
The two would drink for a few more hours before turning in, Vineyard heading to her own room, and Jackal taking the guest room, he'd neatly place his armour on the end of the guest bed before laying down on the straw bedding on his side, the shire bat pony looking at the wall as he sighed, closing his eyes before soon falling asleep, ready to aid the blacksmith in the morning and start earning some caps, the new currency the wasteland now used.
