Fallout Equestria: The Highlander
Chapter 1 - Awakening
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"|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.
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