Fallout Equestria: Foreshadow

"Hey, you dead or what?"

A voice Toro didn't recognize sounded from above her, she was prodded and she swatted away the hand.

"She lives. Good, I don't do bits and pieces."

She sat up, opening her eyes. Her joints popped and cracked. There was a crack across the lens on the left side of the goggles, she gently traced her finger across the crack.

"Excuse me, miss!"

Toro turned her head towards the voice, a pony stood before her clad in a t-shirt, leather jacket and black pants. Confusion washed over her. What? They told us everypony died when- The mare flicked her head.

"Wow, your brain must be mush. Then again, musta been one hell of a fall. I'm surprised a squishy dweller like yourself survived it."

Now she had a clear view of her face as she knelt down to eye level with Toro. The cobalt mare's face was scarred in multiple places, mainly a large one that cut diagonally from her chin almost up to her violet eyes. Her rough-looking blonde mane slicked back into a spiky mohawk, she looked at Toro with a bit of genuine worry.

"Have a drink," She held out a canteen for the engineer who gladly took it, her throat felt like a desert. "It might clear your head."

Toro took one gulp and gagged. The liquid burned on the way down, "That... That's not water."

The blue mare burst out laughing, "I never said it was, now did I? What's yer name?"

"Pardon?"

"Your name? Your handle? Unless you don't remember- "

"Totoro. Toro's just fine."

The other mare eyed her for a moment as if sizing her up. Seeing if she was really as she said.

"Alright, well at least you don't have amnesia. That'd be a whole nother hitch." She smiled and Toro felt uncomfortable, "Consider this your lucky day, you could've had any asshole come to murder you while you were out or worse but you got me. I'm still an asshole, but I'm not gonna murder ya. Even though you seem pretty harmless I don't trust you with my real name just in case this is some kind of setup, call me... Call me Striker."

"What kind of name is Striker-

"What kind of name is Toro?"

Toro shot Striker a dirty look as she was helped to her feet, "Fair point. Where are we?"

Toro squinted at her surroundings, from the hill she stood on she could see there were sparse forest and surprisingly thick foliage. Even some flowers. Even a few dozen houses and even what looked like a city in the distance. She'd expected everything to be dead, as she had been told would be the case when growing up in the vault. Then again, they already lied to her once. There seemed to be a haze that seemed to hover like a fog all around, it wasn't thick but it was just barely noticeable.

Mag woulda loved this view. Wasteland or not...

"You mean what it used to be or what it is now? I don't remember what it used to be but we call it Sanctuary. Well, those of us who aren't mass-murdering raiders. I'll take you there and then we can talk without worrying about getting ambushed, wouldn't wanna get eaten now would you?"

Eaten?

Toro snapped back to attention and closely followed Striker. For the first time she eyed the large weapon she'd been holding in her hand, it looked like a rifle but smaller with twin barrels. She stayed silent, Striker seemed okay but Toro solely based that on the fact that her guide didn't just outright kill her. They began to approach a street full of houses as they descended down the hill.

"Raiders..." Toro whipped her head around as she heard her own voice behind her. "You're not safe..."

Am I losing my mind?

She froze and flinched as she heard Striker's screams of pain and gunfire, she felt the corners of her eyes stinging. A fog rolled in as she watched four shadow figures rushed towards her with pure white evil grins. Then a loud bang, she felt pain in her chest. N-no...

"Toro," The cobalt mare grabbed Toro's shoulder, the engineer blinked and everything was back. Striker alive and no fog. "You okay? You really musta hit yer head, come on. We'll double-time it and hopefully, we get there soon- "

She tugged Toro forward but she planted her feet as she stuttered still in shock, "Are- Are you sure it's safe? Nobody is going to shoot at us?"

Striker sighed, clearly annoyed. "Fine. We'll take the slow lane, I swear, you're lucky I like you."

Toro was happy with that and allowed herself to be led along as they hopped over a small stream before cutting through what remained of a backyard fence. Striker smiled and sighed as they walked through a ruined house onto the sidewalk looking down the street.

"See?" She pinched Toro's cheek, much to the earth pony's annoyance. "Perfectly safe- "

A bullet whizzed by hitting the ground near Toro's feet, Striker shoved her backwards and she fell into a bush.

"Shit! I missed!" A voice swore from nearby.

"Fuck, I shoulda known they'd come back. Toro, go hide! I'll handle these fucks."

Toro sat up and watched as Striker's wings flexed outward, and she charged down the street shotgun in hand with her wings propelling her faster. Toro scrambled to her feet and threw herself into the nearest house nearly hyperventilating as she jumped over a couch and darted into a bedroom, hiding behind a dresser. She flinched at every blast and winced at every scream. Suddenly it was quiet, everything just stopped. No gunfire, no yelling.

"S-Striker?" Toro whispered.

The rust mare was yanked out of her hiding spot roughly by a strong pair of hands, she squirmed and screamed breaking free momentarily. She took three steps into the hallway before she was grabbed by her tail and slammed, she hit the floor hard rolling over onto her back kicking at her attacker. The black stallion slapped away her kicks and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up and pinning her against a wall with another rough slam that made her eyes water. She desperately clawed at his arm as she struggled for breath, to the point where he started bleeding but it didn't seem to bother him.

"So old Striker was holding out on us, I wonder what price we can get on you? Some fresh Vault meat." He chuckled in his gruff voice.

"Kick. Now."

Toro's boot shot out directly into the raider's midsection, he dropped her and hunched over clutching his stomach.

"You little bitch!"

Toro curled up protecting her face as a hard kick to her back sent her rolling across the floor, she quietly writhed on the dirty floor. He kicked her again, and again, and again.

"Now I gotta teach you a lesson- "

A single gunshot rang out. Toro looked up and the stallion stood frozen, his wild eyes now fixed in a look of surprise. She rolled out of the way as he crumpled onto the faded tile floor, blood leaking from a sizable hole in his head. Toro slowly and painfully stood up clutching her ribs that she was sure had to be bruised by now. She looked out the front window of the house expecting to see Striker's confident violet eyes. A shadowy figure stood in the street with a black cowpony hat, black trench coat and a long black rifle. Glowing green eyes met her gaze from under the shadow of the hat.

"Th- Thank you, whoever you are," Toro called out.

The figure just nodded and began to walk off before slowly fading away. Was that- That had to be real right? I didn't just imagine a pony saving my life, did I?

Striker barged in the front door, blood splattered across her face. "I been lookin' for ya kid! Where you... Oh. Friend of yours?"

She pointed down at the body.

Toro glared at her, "No, we just met. I didn't do this, I was saved by someone. They had glowing green eyes and an all-black- "

"Suit?" Striker finished her sentence looking worried, "Sounds like the Phantom of the Wasteland if you ask me."

Toro offered a confused look. Striker flipped the couch up the right way before sitting down and propping her feet up on the dead guy on the floor, she patted the space next to her and Toro laid across her lap with a wince.

"Right. A bit of backstory. We call him The Phantom. Nobody knows who the guy is or what he really looks like, just showed up one day. He's been around forever basically. There'd be a raider issue somewhere and the next morning they'd all be dead. He's like a guardian angel. Some ponies are convinced he's secretly an alicorn, others think he's a prewar ghoul or something like that. I'm convinced that it isn't the same pony, like it's some type of passing the torch type shit you know? Like the one you saw might be the like tenth Phantom."

"Whoever they are, I'm just glad they came."

Striker nodded, awkwardly petting Toro's messy mane.

"This asshole grabbed my tail when I was running from him."

"Don't worry kid, we'll cut that tail tomorrow. Just get some rest, we can't stay here. After today I'll admit I was wrong, It isn't safe here anymore. At least not until I get rid of Armageddon and his idiots. I gotta call in a favour from one of my friends and you're coming with me. It's a bit of a hike so just be ready tomorrow."

"Mhmm." Toro was already nodding off.

Level up! Perk Unlocked: Phantom of the Wasteland.
When danger strikes and hope is lost, you have a chance of the Phantom coming to the rescue.