Outer Worlds: Equestria

Outer Worlds: Equestria

Chapter 1 - Awaken

The quiet Crusader Mainframe slowly woke from its slumber as a ship called for docking privileges. Obeying the commands that had been imprinted into it the computer acknowledged the ship docking, opened the port, and allowed it enter.

The moment it docked a ship that looked to be similar to the giant ship, simply smaller, and much more used, began to open. As it did an Earth Pony with wild gray hair held an old clipboard in his hoof and stood there. The door froze about half way, causing the Earth Pony to frown, and put down the clipboard. It pushed what must have been a button on the other side, and nothing happened. It did so again, and again and finally the door to the smaller craft opened for him.

He stepped out, and as he did the various cameras in the docking station clicked on, taking the image of the Earth Pony stallion.

The Maneframe connected to the various artificial satellites in the area, and all of them relayed back that this was one Spark Gap. Wanted Scientist for disobeying Celestial Colony law. Wanted for encouraging independent thought, teaching the theory of the Princesses, and insisting that Coffee was better than tea.

He made his way toward the hibernation chamber. Once there he smiled as he looked at the thousands of hibernation tanks.

"Finally," he said, "We can set things right."

He moved toward the terminal that connected to the Hibernation Tanks. His eyes scanned over the various names, occupations, and estimated life spans of those entombed inside of the various tanks. He needed someone that would be able to help prove that the Luna Seven was real, and more to the point, he needed to resurrect the rest of the colonists. At this point they were the only ones capable of helping the Colony at all.

He heard the sound of the docking station on the opposite side of the ship, a small curse escaped his lips and he selected the next name on his list.

A Unicorn Mare, Engineer first class, official title of Toaster Repair Pony.

"Well, hopefully you're better than nothing," he said, "Because at this point, you're the best chance I have."

He worked quickly, and soon the mechanical arm lifted the tank, and began moving toward the docking station where his ship was.

Soon through the strength that existed in all Earth Ponies he moved the tank itself into his ship. The docking port opened, and he began to fly out.

"Spark Gap!" a voice boomed over his intercom, "This is Lead Inquisitor Dusty Bottoms! Stop where you are and prepare to be arrested!"

He smirked, "Catch me hoof licker!"

With a surprising finesse, that would have most believe he was a Pegasus, Spark Gap managed to dodge most of the barrage of magical energy beams being shot by the much larger ship. His small craft, although well used, was far more versatile and maneuverable than the larger leviathan chasing them. The simple controls that allowed Spark Gap to control the ship looked almost as if it had been taken from an ancient video game cabinet that somehow survived the great war itself.

Still, simplistic or not the ship gracefully manunivered from point to point until a single shot hit its starboard stern. The engine connected to that side sparked, klaxons inside of the ship erupted into a sympathy of warnings, but with no other choice he engaged the Flash Drive. For a moment it seemed if perhaps the Flash Drive itself had been damaged, but then a second later the entire ship seemed to stretch beyond what could even be considered possible. And then as soon as it seemed to stretch the smaller ship was gone.

A moment later the ship appeared inside of what looked like an asteroid belt. As it floated there a mechanical voice began to echo throughout the small ship.

“Flash Drive now offline, Flash Drive inoperable, Distance to home port is three hours at base speed.”

Spark Gap leaned back in his chair, his right hoof touching his brow, “Well Fuck,” he said, “Vanity, take us in.”

“As you command Stand.”

Spark Gap smiled as the ship referred to him by the name of the previous captain. Captain Stand, or Night Stand to anyone that gave two squirts of piss about him, had been a loyal servant of the board. The ship had originally been a small cargo ship that was designed to deliver goods and workers to the most distant areas of the colony. Spark had relieved Captain Stand of his command when he found the good captain engaging in moving workers off the books.

Unlike those that Board moved from colony to colony these workers were little more than early teenagers. They had been taken from their homes, and they were being delivered to New Canterlot. Spark Gap didn’t have to look at the manifest to know what waited for these poor children. They were going to be placed into the roles of flesh satisfaction workers. A horrible business that little more than slavery for those caught up in it.

Naturally Captain Night Stand found himself paid with a single bullet for his cargo, and Spark Gap had taken the children to the one place he was somewhat sure they would be at least looked after. On Equestria II there was a single community that practiced the teachings of the Followers of the Apocalypse. This lone community would take the orphans in, and they would ensure that they would be looked after. With that done he had turned The Blue Thunder into something far better.

The ship had become a research vessel, and of course it had allowed him to find his new headquarters. In the distance he could see it. A single asteroid that had been hollowed out, and sinde of it a complete lab had been created. A lab where he researched various ways to save the colonists that lived in this cursed place. His research led him to the Luna Seven. The ship that held the brightest minds that had left Equis. He looked at the hibernation tank in the cargo hold.

“You truly are our best hope,” he said, “Funny, there are stories of a toaster repair pony that somehow managed to save Equestria of old. That she, along with her friends, managed to undo the horrors of a war that raged more than two hundred years prior.”

He moved toward the tank, “Hopefully it is a trait that is shared by all toaster repair ponies.”

The three hours seemed to pass as achingly slow as cold mock honey dripping from a jar, but finally the ship docked with his lab. He exited it, carrying the hibernation tank, and made his way to the lab proper. Once inside he prepared.

??? Point of view

Slowly my eyes opened to the world around me. The advertisements had said that there would be some grogeriness to be experienced, but it was more than that. I felt odd, different somehow, and I could barely move. I lifted a hoof, and when I did an elederly looking Earth Pony looked at me. He smiled a charming, but disarming, smile at me. I noticed he had a light brown coat, his mane and tail looked as if they had turned gray over the years, and he continued to work.

“Ah, you’re awake,” he said, “Good, I’m sure you have a slew of questions, and I will do my best to fill in,” he said, “The first thing you need to know is that it hasn’t been ten years you’ve spent in hibernation, but instead it was ninety. The board wrote off the Luna Seven as lost, and decided to leave all of you to drift.”

He shook his head as he closed the lid of the strange pod I was in, “Unfortunately normally waking up someone after such a prolonged hibernation normally leads to catastrophic cell failure. Although to put it more simply your cells begin to liquify, as does your entire body, and normally you go through the pain of what some poor individual felt when they were blasted with a plasma weapon, without the weapon of course,” he said, “Luckily that won’t happen to you because I’ve created a wonderful cocktail of chemicals that has stabilized your cellular structure. Suffice it to say you have no worry of cellular liquefaction. You do have to worry about the various forms of flora and fauna on the surface of the planet, but then you’ll likely have to worry about that anywhere.”

He smiled, “Sadly, I used the last of the chemicals I need to revive the rest of the colonists aboard the Luna Seven on you. That means that you will need to find more if we are to save the rest of those with you,” he said, “It is imperative that we do. The colonists aboard the Luna Seven represent the finest minds that were ever sent from Equis. Untouched by the Board’s propaganda, and unconditioned to behave and follow obediently. You, and they, are the last chance we have of saving this colony, and so I am afraid that I must task you with finding more of the chemical. But not to worry!”

I could see a manic gleam in his eyes, “I’ve hired a very capable smuggler, well courier, to help you! You’ll find her on the surface!”

With that he gave me a salute, reached over with his left hoof, and pressed a button. I watched, waited, and nothing happened. A moment later he pressed it again, and again nothing happened. He then began rapidly pressing the button as his right eye lightly twitched. I watched as he turned to face the button and suddenly the entire pod dropped. I saw the blank emptiness of space, the immense void that was dotted with a few stars, and then suddenly the entire pod was surrounded by fire.

I felt a force that gripped the pod and pulled it harder and faster. Ah, my old friend gravity had returned. The pod struck the ground, and slowly I looked up above me. Four switches waited, and luckily this pod wasn’t that different from the escape pods we’d been prepped on before boarding the Luna Seven. I flipped the first and third switch which caused the pod to depressurize and then the lid popped open. Slowly I stepped out, and shook my head. Everything felt as if there was something swimming just behind my eyes.

I looked at the ground and saw that it was painted with blood. I jumped back, and I heard something just inside of the right ear.

“Hello, is this thing on?” Spark Gap’s voice asked, “Ah, I see that you’ve made it! Wonderful! The courier I hired should be… Oh, oh dear.”

There was a tisking sound, “I did say to plant the stupid beacon and move away.”

I looked at it, “The pod landed on her,” I said, “It actually landed on her head.”

There was some silence, “Yes, yes it did,” he said, “Oh, my dear I’m sorry, but you need to get moving. The longer you stay here the more of a chance there will be of you attracting unwanted attention.”

I nodded, and began to move, “How did you see her?” I asked, “Are there cameras on the escape pod?”

There was a chuckle, “Well of course there were cameras on the pod, but do you remember the scanning device that you were outfitted with before boarding the Luna Seven?”

I nodded, “Sure, the Eye-Dentity Scans,” I said, “They allow you to automap the area around you, catalogue the goods that you’re carrying, and it’s all done by a cybernetic implant that is placed right behind you eye, and another inside one of your ears.”

There was a faint chuckle, “That is it exactly,” he said, “They were the next step after the invention of the Pipbucks. To be honest I believe that the Pipbucks themselves were a far better device. There was more room for enchantments, and they had the incredible ability to be used as a weapon if needed. But the Eye-Dentity Scanners are not as cumbersome, and they were far cheaper to provide. That said, your Eye-Dentity Scanner is far better built than most of the current versions, but it did have a very large, very open, and very vulnerable back door. It is one that I have since closed, but not before I could connect with it. However, if you happen to get near anything that could potentially jam it then I will be booted out, and I will not be able to reconnect.”

I gave a nod, and I began to move forward. As I did I noticed someone in the distance. Slowly I moved toward them, unsure if they were friend of foe, and as I moved upon them I found that he was neither. A welding helmet was pulled down on his face, and it seemed to be screwed onto a leather cap that was fitted to his head. Wisps of electric blue hair stuck out between the cap and the helmet itself. But I could see that his right rear leg had been torn off. Blood painted the area, and under the stitched together mining suit I saw a dirty, and blood splattered, white coat. Whatever had tore off his leg had taken his cutie mark, and I didn’t dare turn him over to see what it was on the other side. Instead I looked at the body, stepped back, and then I noticed an inhalant device. I picked it up, and the Eye-Dentity Scanner seemed to focus on it.

“Medical Inhalant Device, Spacey Favorite’s Brand! Selling price eight bits, Device uses, place healing potions into the Inhalant Device for instant use. Device will convert any healing potions into a breathable mist. Warning: Potions lose some potitancy after being converted.”

I looked at the long information that my Eye-Dentity Scanner provided me, and I realized that having something as an Inhalant would be far better than leaving it as normal. Well, maybe not better but certainly convenient. There could be times that you couldn’t swallow, but you might be able to breathe. If that was the case then some help would be far better than no help. I looked at my hibernation suit, which was still it’s light blue color, and I saw the installed saddlebags. I placed the device into one of them, and then I began moving forward.

As I moved I noticed something ahead of me. I could hear something clicking against rock, and I slowly moved toward the tall grass. As I did my Eye-Dentity Scanner began scanning the area beyond the grass, and then it blended the grass into a sort of hazy fog thatI could just barely see through. I moved slowly as I noticed two strange dog-like creatures. Both of them were easily as large as a pony, and the teeth they had were gigantic.

I moved slowly in an attempt to not gain their attention. I had memories of before boarding the Luna Seven. Ms Safety Pin had the single meanest poodle I’d ever seen. It loved to bite anyone that got near it, and it wasn’t nearly as big as either of those two things. Instead I slowly made it past them, and then I entered what looked like an expansive cave. As I walked I began to wonder exactly what it was that Spark Gap expected of me.

I wasn’t exactly a beauty queen, sure I was cute, and I had a few buck and filly friends. After all I kinda enjoyed both sides of things, but honestly I was a seafoam green unicorn, with a mane and tail the color of a yellow lily, and my eyes weren’t that fantastic either. They were a dark blue, almost black. I had some medical training, but being a toaster repair pony was pretty much where they put a pony that didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives.

I had friends that were named after those legendary ponies. My friend Littlepip was named after the heroine that gave back the skies to Equestria, our other friend Puppysmiles was named after the ghost that helped remind ponies that the world had been beautiful, and made them believe that it could be beautiful again. Me, I wasn’t given a name to inspire greatness. My Mom apparently took one look at me and decided that my name should match what she saw. Slim Chance.

Slim Chance, the one pony to come from the Chance family line that didn’t aspire to become a doctor. Slim Chance, the filly that had her muzzle in books about electronics, terminals, and antique robotics. Slim Chance, the mare that was obviously a serious let down to an overbearing mother that had become disappointed to the point that she attempted to draw up a marriage contract. That was me. I had denied the contract, after all I didn’t want to be married to some stallion I didn’t love. I certainly didn’t want to be married to a stallion that was likely related to the Chance family because of Great Grandpa Best Chance. Apparently good old Best Chance liked to sleep around a bit, and apparently there’s Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Zebras, and even Hippogriffs that carry some of the Chance family genes because of good old Best Chance.

I could remember Grandmother Fated Chance saying that we were descendants from one of the heroines. That we could trace our line back to Go Fish who had been known as Blackjack the Security Mare. I had scoffed at that thought, and I still do. There was no way that I was related to a pony that had managed to save one of the worst places in Equestria. In fact Luna Seven was launched from the old rocket center in Hoofington. I had boarded it at the rebuilt launch pad, and I had entered into the hibernation tank shortly before liftoff.

No, whatever our family line was, I was certain that it didn’t contain heroes. I wanted to tell Spark Gap that he made a mistake. Sure, I wanted to help the other colonists, but I was… me. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t see the slant starting on the floor of the cave, but my hoof informed me of it when I slipped on some loose pebbles. That caused me to fall on my face, and then slid down to a small drop off. I fell and it felt like I cracked my right foreleg. I groaned, and looked at the inhaler. I lifted it, hoping that it had something to help with healing, and used it.

When it did I felt my leg straighten, the pain disappeared, and instead it felt better than before. I looked at the inhaler and wondered just how powerful the healing potion that was inside of had been before it was converted into a mist. I shook my head and looked around. Strange blue glowing mushrooms seemed to dot the floor and walls of the cavern, and it gave everything a soft blue glow that somehow made it look more like a dream instead of reality.

Part me wondered if that was the case. Was I dreaming? Maybe I was back home, near Chapel, sleeping after going through another Robronco tech manual. That could be it, but I had doubts. No, it was more likely that I wasn’t dreaming. Even though everything seemed fantastic it all felt real. The pain was real, and the instant healing that happened because of that wonder potion was just as real. I shook my head and continued until I saw a very cute looking stallion that was leaning against what looked like an old hull from an older rocket.

“Hello?” I asked, “Are you okay?”

The stallion looked at me, his chestnut colored main hung in soft curls. Oh, by the Element’s collected grace he was cute! His soft tan coat was mostly clean, his chestnut colored mane was curled, and slightly matted to his brow with sweat, and his chocolate colored eyes were so rich and deep that I wanted to simply lose myself in them for days. I held in my reaction. After all, one didn’t just chase after random stallions. No, it was best to let them make the first move.

“Oh… Hey,” he said, “You’ve tried the best, now try the rest… Oh by the laws that stings, Sorry, You’ve tried the best, now try the rest, Spacey’s Favorites! Yes, I nailed it!”

He gave me a grimace, “Sorry, I was outside with my unit when a bunch of marauders fell on us. I used my pistol to fire at them, but something caused it to misfire, and when it did I dropped it. Just like they taught it, but it exploded and I got some shrapnel in my side for my trouble.”

I neared him, “Oh, well I’ve had some medical training, maybe I can help?”

He looked at me, obviously worried and finally he nodded, “Sure, that would be nice, but I hope you don’t mind if I don’t tell anypony about this,” he said, “We’re not supposed to accept help from off brand doctors and such. Even if they are freelance. All of our medical help has to come from a doctor with a contract to Spacey’s Favorites.”

I nodded, “Well, I won’t tell if you won’t,” I said, “My name is Slim Chance, what’s yours?”

He grunted as I removed the shrapnel, “Oh, I’m Private Corporate Guard Scrumptious ma’am,” he said, “Private Perfectly Scrumptious.”

I grinned at him. His mother, whoever she was, had given him the perfect name, because he was absolutely Scrumptious!

“Wow, that’s better,” he said, “It still hurts, but a quick breath of Med-Eaze the one wonder painkiller brought to you by the great minds of Spacey’s Favorites that always dulls the pain, tickles the senses, and gives vigor to the tired worker, You’ve tried the best, now try the rest: Spacey’s Favorites! And I’ll be good as new.”

I looked at him, “Do you always have to do that?” I asked, “I mean talk like you're a company jingle?”

He smiled, “Did I really sound like one?!” he excitedly asked, “Yes! I can taste a promotion! Just ten short years and I’ll be made Private first class for sure!”

I shook my head. He was excited by the prospect of sounding like a living advertisement jingle. I mean the corporations were pretty much everywhere back on Equestria, but they weren’t making everypony act like a group of living advertisements. I shook my head and looked around. Over toward the corner I saw a stack of slightly glowing crates. I crept near them and noticed that they looked like they had small glass openings that revealed a colorful collection of gel inside of them.

“What’s this?” I asked as I pointed a hoof toward the crates, “Because they’re glowing like they're filled with ammunition for magical weapons.”

He looked at me for a moment and smiled, “Did you hit your head or something?” he asked, “Because I have a dose of Buck-Oll! Yes, that wonderful medicine that increases strength, stamina, and cures headaches! Now with only an eighty-five percent chance of addiction! You’ve tried the best, now try the rest: Spacey’s Favorites!”

I rolled my eyes, “No, I didn’t hit my head,” I said, “I crash landed on this planet in an escape pod. Apparently I was in hibernation for about ninety years.”

His eyes widened, “Nope! You hit your head, yep, that’s got to be it, because only someone that suffered a little brain damage would try to sell a story about being from a ship that never left Equestria.”

I looked at him, “What are you talking about?”

He looked around, a little frightened, “I mean, that’s it right?” he asked, “Because Spacey’s Favorites and the rest of the board wouldn’t lie to us, would they?”

Oh by Velvet Remendy’s mercy it was like they had brainwashed him. He was still absolutely Scrumptious, but he was almost like a foal desperate to believe that they wouldn’t have lied to him. I watched and felt my heart break a little bit. Something told me that this wasn’t something that could simply be fixed by a few kind words. I gently nudged him.

“I don’t know,” I said, “But I think the first thing we should do is look for a way out.”

He motioned toward the crates, “Those are Energy Cubes,” he said, “They’re created by using the magical energy waste that comes from overcharged crystals. A single bullet, or a hard enough force spell, should disrupt them enough to make them explode.”

I nodded, “Well, we’re out of luck. I’m not much when it comes to force spells, and your gun exploded on you.”

He looked at me and lifted a short rifle.

“Actually, I have my Always ready Junior Hunter’s Helper! This traditional Firearm is now thirty percent less likely to explode after the first use! You’ve tried the best, now try the rest: Spacey’s Favorites! You can borrow it. I’ve got some extra ammo that you can take for it.”

I smiled, took the rifle, and looked at it. For the most part it looked like a simple bolt action rifle, a little short, but if it was a junior rifle then it was likely designed for a foal. I checked the slide, noticed that it had a nice smooth action, but the sights were a little off on it. I noticed right away that the way the sights rested on it the rifle would likely shoot a little toward the right of it.

“Okay, I think that I can take care of the marauders that might be hanging around,” I said, “Is there anyone else out there that might be with you?”

He nodded, “Ummm yeah, Sergeant Sure Luck and Private First Class Swift Wing are out there. I’m sure they’re still alive because both of them are two of the best trained in our unit,” he said, “We wouldn’t have even been here, but some chowderhead landed their ship out in a field. It’s not even a designated landing pad. That’s the kind of thing that attracts marauders.”

I nodded, “Okay,” I said, “I’ll let them know that you’re in here, and I’ll take care of what marauders that I see on my way.”

I lifted the rifle, and my Eye-Dentity Scanner picked up on the weapon. Then something strange happened. It focused in on the crates. A moment later I saw something that I never saw before. The entire area got kind of hazy, and there was information about the crates above them.

“Warning: Energy Cubes, Highly volatile, shoot middle crate for explosion, keep a minimum of thirty hoofsteps back.”

I read it, made sure I was far enough back, and fired. The gun bucked in my levitation field, and I watched as the crate it hit exploded into a flash of pink, followed by flashes of blue, red, yellow, and more pink. When they were done there were scorch marks on the ground, but there was an opening to the outside. I stepped out and saw the beautiful grassland around me. In a way it made me homesick for Chapel. Although the grass looked different. It was almost an emerald green, and it looked like it was made of tiny beaded crystals instead of well grass.

I moved out and heard walking. Then I saw a pony wearing another welding mask look up.

“Gonna get you!” he screamed as he ran toward me, “Gonna rape and eat you!”

I panicked, everything slowed down again, and I fired two shots. The first hit his foreleg, and the other hit his welding mask. It punched a hole through it, causing the back of the leather cap he was wearing to explode out. He fell in a crumpled mess, and I moved forward. I saw his saddle bags open, and inside of them I saw a collection of small tins of food, a collection of bullets, and what looked like a small pistol in poor condition. Slowly I picked it up, and looked at the small path ahead of me. There was smoke in the distance, and I figured that it was in my best interest to head toward it.

Moving forward I listened to the sounds around me. I noticed the complete lack of background sounds. There were no sounds of wildlife, no sounds of anything nearby, and old tales about the Wasteland told me that usually meant there was a predator in the area. It was possible that the predators were the marauders themselves. The insanity of the moment had blocked out the fact that I killed somepony. Granted, I killed somepony that was screaming about raping and eating me, but I killed them none the less.

I felt my heart still racing as I walked. Everything screamed that this was insane, and the best idea was to somehow get back to Spark Gap. But if I went back then every single one of the colonists on the Luna Seven would remain in their hibernation forever. I didn’t want to do that to them. Besides, there were a few that were my friends in there. I couldn’t leave them like that. I couldn’t leave them forever asleep, not if there was a change to really change things. I breathed out, decided that I would question my morality later.

You’ve unlocked the Dead Eye skill. Now you can use your Eye-Dentity Scanner to target more than one target at a time! This can be built on by any weapon, apparel, or consumable that enhances targeting or gun handling.