Fallout Equestria: Foreshadow

Toro slowly woke, her eyes met a bright pink pair. Sunlight was streaming in the roof through a massive hole in the ceiling. In a panic, she struggled to reach for the pistol on her thigh but she couldn't move her arms. Whoever this pony was was holding her down with the tightest vice-grip she'd felt in her life. No matter how much she seemed to struggle, the pony on top of her never budged one bit.

"Striker wasn't kidding when she said the girl was jumpy," The hooded pony holding her down smiled brightly down at her, "Calm down. If I was gonna do something to you I would have, Striker, wanted us to watch you for a minute. She doesn't like to admit she functions like everypony else."

"She had to take a leak," Endie added tying back her mane.

Toro stopped struggling, She's got a point. Wait what's up with her eyes?

"You're one to talk." A whispy voice snapped back at Toro.

"I didn't even say that out loud," Toro muttered.

Speed raised a brow as she lowered her hood, her hot pink mane gleaming in the daylight and grey-green fur looking pristine.

"You didn't say what out loud," She questioned. "Well... I'm Speedstar, the behemoth of a mare over there is Endie. Now I want you to introduce yourself so I'm going to let go of your arms and remove those goggles of yours- "

"No!" Toro struggled again but was easily restrained by Speed, Endie walked over and tenderly placed her hands on the goggles. The last thing she wanted was to reveal one of her most closely guarded secrets.

"If I can't see your eyes I can't trust you, love. If you need to hide your eyes that means you have something to hide. I don't like secrets, and if you think you can keep something from me just know I'll get it out of you. One way... or another." Speed stroked Toro's face and the pinned mare shuddered. "You and Striker may have this 'child I always wanted' thing going on but if I don't trust you... Now the goggles come off, trust me as long as we've been around the wasteland a scar or some deformity won't scare... us..."

She trailed off as Endie removed the goggles Toro glared at the two, her milky red eyes squinted in irritation at the two. Speed released her and she sat up indignantly, snatching her goggles from the other pony before fastening them.

"Are," Speed looked as if she was trying to look for the right words, "Are you- "

"No," Striker's deep voice boomed from the doorway, the cobalt pony stood with her arms crossed. "She's not a synth. She's a dweller. Are you two done harassing her?"

Speed smiled, "Just breaking her in on my trust policy. Had to let her know if she's going to accompany us- "

"She's with me," Striker menacingly advanced towards Speed and the pink maned mare retreated a few steps, "It's my trust she needs if anypony. If you have a problem with that, feel free to be on your way."

Speed chuckled rubbing the back of her neck with a smile that was a bit too wide, "N-now Striker, pal, don't be like that. We just wanted to be sure she wouldn't shoot us in the back- "

"Speedstar!" Endie growled.

"What? You pretend like it isn't a possibility! She could- "

Toro was fed up and roared, "I'm right fucking here!"

That shut everyone up. Her temper flared and she felt almost normal again. Almost.

"How in the world am I supposed to trust you if you talk about me like I can't fucking hear you?"

"Calm down."

"No! I won't fucking calm down! How fucking dare you?" Toro stood up from the couch and jabbed a finger into Speed's chest. Toro was a good foot shorter than her but the point still got across.

Striker came over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Alright, that's enough kid. I think they get it. We still gotta get to Goodneighbor, Toro let's go. The last thing we want to do is stumble onto some Gunners. If you two want to join us you best get your shit together, that might fly with Nights but I have rules."

With that Striker grabbed Toro's hand and they walked out the front door.

"Come on Striker, you can't stay mad at us the whole way back to Goodneighbor!" Endie said as she and Speed kept stride.

Striker stayed silent as they continued. The sun sat directly overhead as they walked under the mangled mess of tall buildings, due to Striker's direction they managed to avoid super mutants and any Gunners that were lurking about.

"Hey," Toro finally piped up, "Striker are we far? I don't mean to complain but I'm kinda sore from all this walking."

"Weakling- Toughen up- "

Toro frowned as she glanced over her shoulder, it felt like that voice was right on her neck yet she didn't see anypony.

The cobalt mare's face softened as she glanced back at Toro, "No, not far actually. Should be just around the corner- "

There was a loud bang as Striker's shoulder jerked backwards as she let go of Toro's hand, the mare hit the ground hard. Blood splattered on the ground and began to pour out from the wound. Endie picked Toro up by the waist and dove into cover, while Speed dragged the bigger mare by her collar into cover.

"Damn she's heavier than she looks," Speed huffed drawing a scoped revolver from her cloak. "Toro, where's that sniper?"

"Wh-what?!" She looked shocked, how was she supposed to know.

Another bullet whizzed by, taking out some of the brick on a nearby building.

Endie gently placed her fingers on Toro's temples, Endie pulled her in closer to the point that she was in on the mare's lap. "Just concentrate sweetheart. I want you to carefully peek out and tell Speed where that nasty bad guy is."

Toro didn't appreciate being spoken to like a child but she felt a calming tingling sensation. Another shot rang out.

"Look. Now."

She felt Endie loosen her grip and the moment Toro peeked out everything seemed to slow down. Sound distorted in her ears as time slowed to a crawl, her eyes darted around the semi-open trashed streets. Suddenly she caught a glint of light on top of a nearby building, then the figure of a raider lit up bright green. What is this? Why can I do this? This doesn't make-

"Move!"

She pulled back just as a bullet scored the ground next to them.

"He-He's on the rooftop third building on our right, crouching."

"I've always wanted to do this," Speed shot out of cover with the pistol raised, "It's high noon."

With three consecutive shots, the raider tumbled off the roof, falling and landing with a dull thud. Striker sat up holding her left shoulder taking in sharp breaths, mumbling a string of curses.

"Look at you, sleeping on the job. Thanks to Toro's eagle eyes we got that sniper." Speed spun the pistol on her finger playfully.

"Did-," Striker struggled to her feet, blood coating her hand with a weak smile. "Did you really spot him?"

Toro slowly nodded, She must be in so much pain.

"Look at the pain you caused her. If you were more useful- She wouldn't have been shot."

Toro felt a headache coming on, Shut up.

"Why didn't you have a prophetic vision that time? Useless runt. Another life you couldn't protect- "

Toro jolted to her feet with a shout that startled everyone as she drew the pistol clutching her head, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Tears threatened to pour from her eyes as she took laboured ragged breaths, as the headache began to die down she took a look around at her companions. Endie stood back, Speed gripped her pistol tightly and Striker offered a worried look. I'm... I'm not crazy, I swear... She wanted to say the words but they never made it out of her throat, Toro slowly put the pistol back in its holster and turned her head away from them. What could I possibly say? She decided to just act like it didn't happen.

"So," Toro cleared her throat, "You said the place was close? We should hurry."

Speed looked up, "... Yeah, we don't want to get caught when the ferals come out."

Speed's gaze never left Toro and she kept her pistol out as she walked the rest of the way to Goodneighbor with Striker clutching her injured shoulder. She doesn't trust me.

"Who would trust you after that display?"

Toro offered no words to the voice as they entered.

"Speed you take Toro down to the rail I- Fuck. Endie could you walk me to Doctor Amari?"

"I gotcha." Endie nodded as the two rushed off.

That left Speed and Toro, the engineer felt the tension. Speed wordlessly led Toro through a door and down a flight of stairs into a subway that had been converted into a bar, a mare in a sparkly dress finished her song on a high note and there were applauds from the patrons.

"Whatever that shit was that happened before, don't do that here." Speed hissed as they approached the bar.

Toro sat at the bar next to a well dressed ginger-maned pony, she accidentally bumped their elbow and they whipped about. The pony's piercing emerald eyes glared daggers into Toro.

"Speedstar," A posh sounding voice came from them, "I didn't know you picked up strays now."

Toro wilted slightly and Speed glared at the pony, "No, she's with Striker. Toro, this is Ginger. You happened to catch Gin in a bad mood which is always."

"I can be nice."

"You smashed a guy's face repeatedly into the bar in a rage because he touched you."

"He grabbed my ass, what the hell else was I gonna do? I haven't seen him since so he must have learned his lesson." Ginger took a sip of their drink.

What? Toro looked at Ginger's slender form framed by the suit, Ginger was pretty curvy actually. They didn't look too strong.

"Nice to meet you, miss- "

"For fuck's- " Ginger facepalmed and Speed giggled, "I don't look like a mare, do I? I don't sound like one either do I?"

"Just a little bit," Toro replied carefully.

"Whatever. Small mistake. Your name is Toro? I hate it. Please change it to something better. Now I assume Striker came here for Nights?"

Speed nodded.

"You missed him, left for the Castle. I kept trying to get him to wait, oh- before I forget. Some idiot in a metal outfit was looking for Nights as well. We'll handle that when we get to it. I'll be coming with you to the Castle, as much as I love getting hit on I'd like to be of actual use to somepony. We leave tomorrow morning, have your gear ready."

Ginger got up and walked off.

"He was nicer than usual," Speed commented as Toro put her head down on the bar counter. "What?"

"Is Striker gonna be okay?" Worry in Toro's voice.

"Are you kidding? You think one bullet could kill that stubborn bitch? Nah, she'll be alright."

"How did you know I'd be able to see that guy?"

Speed sighed, "That's simple. That pipbuck you're wearing has this advanced targeting system, well, at least that's what Night tells us. Why do you doubt that you'd have seen him- "

"Could I tell you something? Something I haven't told anyone?"

"Is it that you and Striker are fuc- "

"What? Ew, no. Not that Striker isn't nice but she's more motherly than anything. I'm half blind- partially blind, something like that. My eyesight isn't normal and bright lights hurt my eyes."

"That's why you wear those welding goggles?"

"That and I... I used to be an engineer..."

"Was it so hard to share that with me? Now, what's yer poison?"

Toro looked genuinely repulsed, "Why would I drink poison?"

Speed's smile widened, "Oh you're so pure... We'll change that."