Fallout Equestria: Ballad of a Rogue Ranger

Chapter thirty-seven: Severed

Even after our hike, and me staying well ahead of them to avoid certain subjects, the rain still hadn’t let up as we overlooked the mill from our embankment. Together the four of us sunk into the mud, and watched the grain cellos at the figures off in the distance moving about. Tumble had tried to get a bead on them with Mercy, but those Slavers weren’t taking many chances.

All but a few of the lanterns inside were lit, and largely the only thing she could make out was the glow coming from some of the windows. Anything past that was hidden by the main building itself. Part of me wanted to let ADAC and Riff Raffs’ 40mm do all the talking, they had worked so well with the Rangers. Although these weren’t the Rangers, and given their nature, I doubted every creature inside would show up as red on my screen.

“I hate this damned rain,” the mare complained, and wiped away the mud from her scope.

Once they knew we were here it’d be a free for all. Something I’d much rather do inside, than here, “think you can take care of the ones outside?”

Now that her scope was clear for the time being, Tumble scanned over the mill a bit more. There didn’t look like a lot of creatures outside, who would want to be in this?... you know, besides us. Her nod was all I got in return, and Mercy found its way back across her spine.

“Not with that,” she unslung the carbine back into her grip, “but this outa do the trick now.”

Deacon followed the same suit, pulled his clear, and fluttered off the ground overtop the mare, “We’ll take care of em, just come on in once the coast is clear.”

Huh? So, I guess there was a plan to this after all. Like smaller prey, the gryphon plucked the mare off her hooves in his talons. Hoisting her off into the steadily drizzling sky… I hoped they didn’t have anypony looking up.

Good, if they were going to clear a path, then the next step would be freeing those that might be inside. Without any collateral the whole place would be a shooting range. With the mine the only place to go was further down, here it’d be what? Further up I guess? Floor by floor would have to be cleared. Last thing we wanted was one of the slaves to run into their captors half way down.

Okay, so the plan was starting to come together. Seeing one of those figures from the cello drop was a good start to it. I hadn’t heard anything more than the rain against my helmet, at least Tumbles’ hoof work was doing its job. Another one of them fell, and I saw the body land right next to another on the ground.

My mouth immediately went to the bit ready to bust in there, before seeing the one on the ground join his companion in silence… systematic, stealthy, a true surgeons’ scalpel in cases like this. They were quite the pair, weren’t they? Then on the other side of the coin, you had me and Riff… heavy, cumbersome, and the sledgehammer of our group. Hey! We all had our roles here.

Ours were just a bit less… subtle.

And… those were shouts now coming from the mill, “Time for less subtle!” I called out, and right alongside Riff Raff kept up the pace.

I couldn’t make out where the other two had gone, but where ever it was they were causing a ruckus. Just like we were about to be. The loading door of the mill might have been metal, though nothing strong enough for what it had to contend with next. 40mm leapt ahead of me colliding with the frame, through the rain I could see the blasts making contact as they punched holes along its center.

Now just for the final push, namely my shoulder. At full speed the suit tore through the frayed metal like a stack of paper, leaving a nice hole for the hellhound to join in on the other side. These Slavers looked about as surprised to see us, as the ones that had to contend with Lock probably were.

A few shots started sparking over the suit, and the yelp from the hound told me she was taking flack all the same… my chomp sent the first spew of fuel over those closest to us, while the rest above scrambled. Amongst the flames I couldn’t tell if they were mares or colts, but their bodies burned and screamed all the same. With heat like that from the well taken care of nozzle, it wasn’t hard to believe they fell silent in seconds.

Was it crazy of me to have this shit eating grin? For lighting ponies on fire, oh for sure. Although these ones made their bed… this I didn’t really feel sorry about. ‘Oh shit!’ already at three quarters a tank. Ahh, I remember your thirst for ammunition now, how I missed it.

The crackling of bodies might have sounded off in my ears, but at least the smell of them wasn’t getting through the helmet. A single thump from my left made another red bar disappear off in the distance above, and Riff loaded up another belt keeping those at bay as we worked our way further in. The mill either wasn’t finished construction before the bombs, or these ponies had already started scrapping it for… well, scrap.

Most of the walls above were missing to the next floors leading to the roof, all I could make out was the scuffling sounds of ponies in the distance, and the concrete framework of the structure. I didn’t see anything on this floor with us, at least not hiding behind those crates dotting the area. A quick burst from the incinerator set the rest of the wood ablaze just for good measure. So that left just one place to go.

These stairs were not made for two, so with me taking point my barrels stuck well past the entrance to the next floor. Not long after that my head joined- Fuck! A quick duck saved my skull, but didn’t stop the throbbing from the blast wave from behind. I could feel the Med-X trickling into my system to match the throbbing, and the reloading of a tube.

S.A.T.S. kicked on with a leap from my hooves putting me on the next floor. Missile pony had the breach closed, and sights down. Though ADAC was already tagging- half his head blew out in a slowed spray like paint. His friends down the same corridor looked shocked, I was too for half a second, before putting the crosshairs on them instead.

I cannot stress this enough… 14.4mm against a soft target? No thank you… the first slaver all but vaporized before my eyes as his torso turned to mush, sending the rest of his limbs across the ground. The colt behind him didn’t fare much better, soon enough his own pile of goo was pooling up on the ground. S.A.T.S. was a wonderful tool, but there had to be some ponies during the war with PTSD from what they saw with it.

That first shot I never heard, even E.F.S. couldn’t track where our two blue bars were, it was nice to know they were watching from the shadows. A choking from behind forced my attention, and standing there was one colt armed with a sledgehammer. Left neatly cut in two along the torso on the ground, with the hammer still clenched in his teeth.

Riff licked the ends of her blood-stained claws, all but ignoring the colts’ blood trickling against her paws, and I started to realize what these Slavers were really up against. If a few raiders hit this place, then they might have stood a chance. They had the numbers, fortifications, and high ground. Though they couldn’t have counted on this sort of response. Its almost amazing they didn’t just try to run, why would they have a reason to stay?

Not my concern, what I had to worry about was getting to this next stair- click… “Damn it!”

One grenade going off was already too much for my liking, three however was enough to send that taste of iron straight into my mouth yet again. My head, chest, legs… hell everything was reeling from the impact of both the shockwave, and being thrown into a concrete pillar.

Armor integrity: 87%

Bullets were a hit or miss when it came to pain, but boy did explosives still do the job! I’d have to ask Deacon if he could wire up more Med-X ports for occasions like this. Another shot of the drug went into my system, but this time I could still feel the blood trickling down the sides of my legs… I understand mobility is important, but so is the underbelly.

“Wild good?” a claw tapped on my helmet, and it dawned on me I wasn’t the only one taking that hit.

Riffs’ paw and stomach were just as tore up from the shrapnel, and if I had to guess from the fluids leaking out, she’d used her limbs to cover her face. That face though still looked in pain… just as my hooves found purchase, the side of the suit opened up to the chem pump. Why did I still wince from a needle pulling out after all I’d been through? Riff didn’t seem to even notice me stretch it over to her with my horn. She at least felt me shooting a shot of the drug into her, and I watched as some of her grimace relaxed.

“Wild good, Riff good?” and now I was talking like her.

The hound just nodded to me with glee, painkillers worked wonders no matter what creature took them. Although it did have me wondering now, what would happen if a hellhound tried Stampede, or Dash for that- nope, horrible idea. The rest of this building might out right collapse from that rampage.

The crunch of her own potion helped to sooth over the rest of her injuries, as did my own injections taking hold. Right back to it I guess, I could hear other pot shots being taken. Though if those rounds weren’t landing on our flanks, then the Slavers were a little preoccupied with our friends.

Too occupied to look over this flight of stairs. One mare met us face to face on her way down, and froze where she stood. All it took was the chattering in her teeth to drop the 10mm to my hooves. Incinerator? No, we’d have to go up these stairs. Shotgun? Too close for my liking. ADAC? That’d just be cruel.

A claw reached past me, but with a grasp of my aura the hound stopped. I couldn’t see it, but I knew Riff was looking at me weird. She could meet her maker in any number of ways by our means… but with her about ready to wet herself, it just didn’t feel right. Instead, I leaned in closer to the mare, towering over her with the suit.

“…Boo,” her red bar flashed to blue, and after a yelp the mare shot past the two of us down the open level. It was easy to track her making it clear through the building and to the ground floor, before that one blue bar blipped on my screen once more, before disappearing… oh don’t give me that look, “What?”

All I got was a chuckle, “first time Dog see Wild let one go.”

Yeah… first time for you, but not the first time I’d tried. “If she had taken a shot at us, I wouldn’t have considered it…” but she hadn’t, just a mare scared out of her wits.

Hopefully this one wouldn’t turn around, flip a switch, and transform the entire mill into a massacre. Happy thoughts, am I right? The rest of the staircase didn’t hold any surprises for us, and as we broke to the next floor I got to see the bodies of a few gunners we hadn’t touched greeting us.

Oh, and a few more alive and breathing! No sooner had we left the stairs when the first shots started pinging off the suit. This time they were leaving more than a dent in their wake. Seemed these Slavers took the hint, and brought out the big guns… or gun.

I knew that sound, there was one similar on my side, and the 14.4mm of theirs was chewing through the concrete pillars all the same. Where the hell did they manage to get an Auto-Cannon?! From what I could peak they had it mounted like a turret, so mine at least could move around, get in a better position and- shit.

My quick peak earned a peppering of shrapnel across the visor cracking it, as well as another glance. Past the cannoneer were cages, and their occupants probably wouldn’t like to get a showering of shells that might miss.

Okay, new plan… “Draw their fire!” I shouted to the hound; her shots at least had to arch there.

Riff didn’t even need an explaination and already started sending rounds down range from her own pillar. That left me an open corridor, and ten seconds to make the dash. Shield went up, and within the first moment sparks started bouncing off it. Their cohorts kept their eyes on the hound, but for a moment both me and the ADAC had a staring contest.

The first shot the shield took in stride, the next half dozen after that… err, not so much. Each one tumbled through the shield as it punched past the barrier, and I could feel it in my chest now almost caving in from the impact.

Armor integrity: 82%

Armor integrity: 76%

Armor integrity: 73%

And the shield started to flicker… Newer plan! Thrusters kicked on, and with this low ceiling my head all but scraped against the crown. Still, it was enough to throw them off with having to aim skyward. ADAC just got their bearings right when the talismans kicked out, and I already knew where I was gonna put my hooves.

As sturdy as the M.W.T. made their weapons, they weren’t designed for this. The full weight of the suit smashed across the barrel, tipping it and its gunner up in the air. Before exploding under me… of course! Somepony still thought it was a good idea to shoot. My horn jerked the gunner off the trigger before a second shot could go off, and with a buck I didn’t bother listening into the yelp of them going off the side.

Metal hitting metal brought me back from that smug victory to the others there, and the suit was taking the beating for it. The first slaver my hoof careened into almost knocked them out of their own armor, but it did leave their gun in the air for a moment before falling.

The second my shoulder went to work on, crushing them between a rock and a hard place… namely a pillar and the suit. Still the two behind me hadn’t taken the hint, this time they didn’t have the slaves to hide behind. Whipping around, S.A.T.S. kicked up, and they just happened to be standing close enough together for this to work. I didn’t need to toggle between targets, one would do, and the next three 12-gauge shells answered them accordingly.

One slaver turned to pulp before my very eyes, as the blasts ripped into the flesh of the second. Whatever armor the first had been wearing broke off and sliced into their partner, quickly dropping them as the spell wore off. All I had left were two twitching heaps of meat.

Now that left one last thing to do on this floor… the slaves huddled at the back of their cages, and I could count the dozen ponies mounting up into one if only to get away. Were they really so scared of this suit still- no wait, that’s what had them tongue tied. Riff walking up behind me closer to the bars would do that to most creatures out here. Her grin wasn’t the thing they were all hoping to see.

Without a word, the hound drew her claw across the lock in a slash, and shards of metal fell. With a groan of less than lubricated bearings the door creaked open, “… You’re free,” that threw them off, none of them moved an inch from the hold, “ahh… get going ya’ll?”

“Pony leave now!” another shouted to my side, and instantly every hoof in the cage shot up to their own.

Shaken with fear, they crept past myself and Riff. I might have gotten the feeble attempt of a smile from a few, but nothing was given the hounds way. As soon as they were past us their strength returned, and we both watched as the slaves raced down the hall towards those stairs. Hopefully that mare from before had gotten far away… they weren’t going to be as kind if they caught up to her.

Alrighty, that’s taken care of, “Did ya have to scare them like that?” I asked as we went past the cages to the next flight, “they’d already been through enough.”

“Wild think it mean?” Riff brushed off while shrugging her weapon around, “but sometime pony need kick in flank to move.” If you say so Riff… if you say so.

The next flight didn’t meet us with any visitors, all I could hear was… that was brain matter on my visor. What once was a colt on the other side of the door fell to my hooves, a neat hole through his skull. Around the roof laid much the same, slavers that met their match from the shadows. Even the lights they turned on hadn’t seemed to help them.

Stealth was a cruel game at times…

Still, amongst the loading cranes and steel beams, I couldn’t make out any other bars across my visor. Either that or they were just blending in with the fluids, “Alight! They’re all dead,” I wiped the blood as best I could. These things should have been built with wipers.

Ahh, there they are. One blue bar popped up from the side of a cargo crane in the night, and overhead I heard the rustling of wind from wings. Together both Deacon and Tumble didn’t look like they had a scratch between them. Nope, just extra tally marks under their belt, those attachments sure did the job.

“I assume everything downstairs is clear?” the gryphon looked past myself to the empty stairs.

“Mill clear,” Riff answered for me, “found slaves too.”

All in all, I’d have to say it was a success. Thousand caps in the bag! Now just another fifteen to go… how many more slaver dens could we find in this area? Or raiders for that matter. I’ll take another hellhound nest if it gets us any closer to our goal.

“You know… this is kinda getting old,” Tumble muttered as her eyes trailed over the bodies, “Slavers aren’t even really a challenge.”

“Wastelands easy when you have two living tanks with ya,” Deacons’ talon jabbed to myself and the hound, and from his grin that was still a complement.

“Dog and Wild could take seat next time?” Riff started to snicker at him, “let you two go in front.”

Almost for a moment the pair looked at one another like they were debating it. Given enough time, they could have cleared the entire building themselves. Our way was just faster for the bottom- wait… what was that? The mic on this thing picked up what sounded like wings flapping about, but Deacon was still here, and they were getting closer.

My head started to swivel, and the trio took note of it just as fast. Their questions I’d ignored till I could pinpoint exactly where that was coming from. It had to be wings, nothing else beat against the air quite like em. Deacons’ old group? No, they were paid mighty well last time we’d seen them. Pegasus? Only other option I could-

“The princess?!” I blurted out as the figure materialized before my very eyes in the air.

Sure enough, I recognized that blue coat from anywhere. Hell, half the wasteland would probably still bow at her hooves just at the sight, even I started to. Luna of all damned things had come down from the sky to help wipe this place of its filth! By golly I could outright walk up and kiss a dragon with this kind of-

Why did my friends look nervous?

Why did the princess look pissed?

… where was her cutie mark?

“Poor confused pony,” Luna… err, the imposter spoke as her eyes drilled into my visor as if reading my own thoughts, “Seemingly so lost in this world…”

“… A world we could save you from…” Okay you’re not one of the princesses! A green alicorn fluttered down alongside her sister picking up where she left off, both eerily similar save for their color.

“… if your kind wasn’t so cruel,” and now we had a trifecta, the purple one that joined about spat out that last line.

Wait... my turn to speak? Good, “Am I missing something here?!” the speaker probably carried that question all the way to the Rangers if they were listening hard enough.

My old teacher must have missed a chapter along our travels, thankfully Riff was more than happy to oblige where Tumble skipped out, “Not good ponies, don’t like rangers,” so like the rest of the wasteland? “Not fun to fight.” Par for the course!

“WE ARE AN EXTENTION OF THE GODDESS AND HER COMPASSION TO ALL PONY KIND!” all three shouted, and my ears rang through the helmet, “WE SAVE PONIES IN UNITY JUST LIKE THE ONES YOU LET FREE!”

Hold up… Aren’t they saved now already that they’re free?

“It matters not…” green waved off.

“…If we can’t have what the slavers promised…” purple reasoned.

“… then we shall have her instead,” and blue trained her eyes past me onto another.

Tumble… I wasn’t sure what this whole unity thing was, but if it put that much fear into the mares’ eyes then it couldn’t be good, “Yeah, not happening.”

Who knew a pony’s grin could be almost as worse as Riffs? “We weren’t asking,” all three answered.

And I wasn’t negotiating… ADAC answered Miss Green with enthusiasm on that one! The look on her- why was her face still here?! Then I saw that shimmer, her shield was already up, and it was dropping my shots at her hooves. A flash from the side and Miss Purple was gone, Blue not far behind her.

I don’t know where our resident stealth experts went, but their help would be appreciated! All I had to my side was Riff, and her 40mm sprung up beside my own 14.4mm- Purple appeared out of thin air, wrapped her hooves around the hound, and after passing me only a snicker zipped away in a puff of arcane smoke… with Riff in her hooves.

Great! So, my support was gone! Greens shield still hadn’t so much as flickered after my onslaught; all I could see was a… damn it! The initial shot from her horn wasn’t enough to hurt… a lot, but it sure left my joints fuzzy. That charge continued to arc its way over the plating, and even my HUD was giving me error codes. Not enough to fry the matrix, that’s a- and I was rolling now…

Armor integrity: 64%

Warning: Multiple rib fractures!

I had a floating I-beam to thank for that one… I could see the aura holding it, what I couldn’t see was the pony responsible! Another swing from it came in, and a belch from my thrusters moved me just out of reach as it crushed the roof- there ya are! The ambient glow of that horn stuck out against the night sky, now all I’d have to do was- I saw the shots spark off her own shield at first.

Where those shots came from, didn’t care! They weren’t at me, and that put Blue on the defensive. The glow of a shield overtook her form, and there along the surface more of those shots struck. Alrighty, she was occupied… that left me-

Zap!

Damn it! Another jolt hit from Green, and this time my limbs started to lock up from the impact. I hated that smug look on her face… and I got to see the horn charge up for another hit. Just in time to smack against my own shield. Smug turned to confusion pretty quickly when somepony used your tricks against ya!

And rolling! Again! That steel beam treated me like a hoof ball, and although the shield stopped projectiles, it wasn’t good at keeping me from smashing into an AC unit. Another bolt from Green sparked across my suits’ aura, this time I already got to see it faltering while her own held firm. If I couldn’t go through her shield though…

IF-451 spewed out a torrent of fuel right across her shroud, my fuel mix wouldn’t be enough to eat away at it. Though I doubted the mare inside would want to drop her shield in a shower of flames, thanks Lock for that trick.

One gone with Riff, one blinded, that left… Hi-ya! As many rounds that both the mare and gryphon were dumping into her, the horn of Blue never faltered. 5.56 was nothing compared to the right spell, 14.4mm APECR however… a burst of my cannon called the shield out on the mare, and after that quick succession parts of it already started to falter. Apparently, these things could feel fear, and as her camouflage disappeared, I got to see it across the mares’ face.

In Lunas’ name, the real one that is, I wish she could see my grin. Another salvo of shells erupted, this time the mare bucked and dodged with her wings to avoid it. My accuracy might have improved, but this mare had been at this a while! Still, the few shots that did land broke chunk after chunk from her cover exposing that flank. I just happened to get a front row seat to her tail singing all the same.

And… freeze in place? Sure enough, the imposter fell to the ground as her wings caked up with frost. With as much grace as… well, me falling, there was a thump as her hooves slammed but didn’t break. It must have taken every ounce of strength this mare had to stay on all fours, now it was time to finish the- and she exploded.

Or at least her torso did. From neck on down to where the cutie mark would have been, all that remained was a set of legs, a head, and what could have been compost. A sick part of me was enjoying that terrified look locked in on the severed head, as behind I heard another round being chambered in a very special AMR.

Another round from Mercy smacked into Green as the orb of flames began to die out… oh what the hell?! The shield itself might not have been completely intact, but every ounce of power left was put into the front. All I saw was the spent round slump to the floor at her hooves, and I got another grin in return. Seeing one of her sisters in pieces hadn’t so much as fazed the mare, if anything it just powered her up even more.

Another torrent of arcs broke from her horn, leeching across the roof. The other two weren’t in her sights, even with the literal cannon the mare had. No, I got that lucky ticket to be her target. Firepower was nothing if I couldn’t get that shield down, or at least weaker. Let’s see how she did up close! Against the roof I galloped, and with every arc that jumped on the metal frame I could feel my limbs wanting to jerk away.

Error signals flashed left and right from the hits, but so long as the suit wasn’t completely dead than neither was I. All I needed was to get in a tad closer and- Oh that one stung! Less than ten feet from her the next jolt shot through my legs. One spasmed, followed by what felt like the others, and instead of meeting her shield point blank with the cannon, I did with my face.

In all fairness, she looked just as surprised to see me as I was, and that broke her concentration enough to make her cover falter. The suit smashed into her chest, and I just knew that wasn’t my bones breaking. My momentum wasn’t something she could hope to waver, as both of us careened through the base of a crane and toward the edge.

From here muzzle to muzzle I couldn’t hope to hit, even with my head and gun swiveled down to hers, that was a headache I wasn’t looking forward to. Out the corner of my visor, her wings began to flail out for purchase, “Oh no you don’t!” my hooves wrapped around the appendages and held them firm to her side.

Ahh… that’s the fear I liked to see, geez that sounded twisted. For only being about four stories, the ground sure took its time with coming to meet us. When it did though, I watched as her skull smashed not only into the ground, but mine as well. As tough as these things were, metal was still tougher.

Slowly muzzle met muzzle, and hers began to stretch over it as mine pushed through tissue, bone, and everything else in-between. I’m pretty sure by this point I was about wearing her face on my helmet. Not to mention the rest of her body bursting out from under me like a tube of toothpaste.

*rmor in%$@^ity: 45%

War*&ng: Disp&$#@ in*@tiv#!

Faulty HUD or not, Med-X started trickling in almost as soon as the warning tried to spit out the message, and after using my body as a literal battering ram powered by gravity… it was a welcome-

Crunch!

If I had been paying attention more, I might have thought it good to look up a few seconds earlier… metal crunched against my own, and I felt the pressure of its weight impacting the suit over and over again. Each impact pushed me further into the body beneath, and the ground below that. If the Alicorn wasn’t dead before, she sure was now!

It felt like minutes had passed by as my face met the dirt, until I heard more fluttering overhead. “Wild! Ya down there?” ahh friendly fluttering this time.

“Whmp ou thinmph?!” I didn’t need to repeat that a second time as some of the weight above started move about.

“Yep, he’s there,” no shit Tumble…

Though how much could a mare and gryphon really move on their own? Every twist and turn they gave fell back to where it was, and my hooves were in no position to lend any aid… however, those were some heavier footsteps. Just then the weight started to fall off my back, and this time it stayed off.

I could feel my helmet freed up, and as it rose so did my head to see the hound that joined up with us. I didn’t need a headlamp to see the new sheen in her coat, and all I could make out from her face was the same underlying question.

“What happened to you?” both of us said.

“Self-proclaimed battering ram…” I wanted to slump my head back in the dirt, but a chuckle from the hound kept it risen to meet them.

“Purple bitch tries to drop dog,” Riff grinned at me, before fishing off whatever it was that kept my ass planted in place, “Not work so well.” You know, even with that weight off… I didn’t feel like moving from here, “This Tumble fault.” Riff pointed out.

Much to the surprise of said mare, “What?! Why me?”

“I second that motion,” my forehoof went up, finding purchase on the ground, “you just had to say it was getting old…”

Tumble stayed silent after that, and Deacon did the smart thing following her lead… wastelands easy with two tanks after all. A paw down to my hoof beckoned me, and as much as I wanted to rest here for the night. I also wanted to do so in the comfort of my own-

My forehooves found their place, but it still felt like a weight was sitting on my ass. A quick turn around showed just what had fallen. A crane at terminal velocity wasn’t in the testing for power armor. Yet here it was, off the side in a tangled heap, and I could make out the damage done to the suit even if it couldn’t tell me.

The guns were missed, but right along the flank plate something didn’t feel right… for that matter, something didn’t feel at all, “Guys… I can’t feel my legs.”

***

For all the armor plating I put on this thing, I have to admit, it’d be nice to feel the warmth of a fire against my coat at times. Slavers cleared? Check. Slaves saved? Also check. Unexpected guests taken care of? With a brutal check as well! Now all I had to do was try to relax for the night, Riff offered to take first watch. So I was free to-

“Will you get out of the damned suit and let me take a look at you?!” -piss off our group medic.

“I said no, you can look me over when we get to town,” and mark off another tally, I think that’s the fifth time I told him now?

It might have taken a bit longer with walking away from the mill till we felt comfortable calling it a night, but I still made it! How bad could it really be? My legs were kinda numb inside the suit, and I couldn’t feel the sensation of metal against my coat from the hips down. Though the suit did as it was commanded, and kept the pony inside moving.

And another facehoof… or facetalon I should say, answered me, “It’s been about three hours now, Wild,” Deacon groaned at me again, “if you can’t feel em then there’s something going on inside… just let me-”

“No… not out in the open like this,” I hushed him, “if I’m outside it, and something comes at us, it’ll just be you and Riff…”

His silence at least meant he understood, even if it was acknowledging my next to uselessness as a standard pony. Between the two of them they could probably manage, though having to cover my ass as well wouldn’t help the matter.

The blue bar approaching in the dark was a welcome sight to behold, and while I might not have heard the shots. I knew the mare wasn’t coming back empty hooved. Tumble finally came into the light of the flames, and across her back was what looked like Radrats… or was it a mole? Screw it, food was food.

Not soon after she camped out by the fire was the few rats thrown over it on a stick. “Still not getting out of his suit?” she asked not to me, but our medic.

“He’s probably one of my more stubborn patients…”

I’ll take stubborn over being vulnerable any day thank you. Though I didn’t want him to jump on that subject any more, “What were those things?” I tried to divert their thoughts, “I’d been alive for the actual princesses, but they were a lot kinder than what I just saw…”

“Alicorns,” Tumble answered the obvious, I put that much together already, “they’re part of some sort of group, call themselves Unity… but don’t know a whole lot about em.” Well so far you knew more than me, “experts with magic, and shields as you’re familiar with… hell the only things in the wastes that make them nervous are Rangers and Hellhounds.”

“Rangers have big guns,” Riff just pointed to myself, “And hounds…” her claws flashed out, and that was enough said for me.

“No wonder they wanted to separate you two,” Deacon poked at one of the rats, likely starving himself, “Think we can get some extra caps for dealing with them too?”

I’d love to get the extra caps for having my ass dropped on my stomach… and getting hit with a crane. Alas that’d have to wait till we got back, and sitting here near the fire waiting for food was boring. Luckily, I had some hindsight while grabbing ammo to bring a little something along to pass the time. Just like myself, the stubborn matrix floated out from one of my compartments, as the helmet came back up.

Now let’s see… where to start with- my hoof came up, and soon my side met the ground. Apparently sitting on already numb legs didn’t make the best cushion, and together the trio just stared at me on the ground.

“…I meant to do that,” one hindleg begrudgingly kicked out after some effort, and put me on my stomach. I could feel them rolling their eyes, but they weren’t making any comment about it so far.

That left my stomach still growling, and my mind with something to do for the time being…

***

I was never going to get tired of passing by these gates… it might have taken longer than intended, but the less I thought about moving the more the suit was able to do its own thing. Still, it had been an entire day, and my legs still weren’t waking up from their slumber. Half the time it felt like they were just dragging behind me now.

Not a nice prospect should I have to beat hooves and run.

At least the town was shaping up, shacks were patched, turrets were running, and in a few of those guard towers there remained some figure with a gun. All was right in this part of the wasteland, and I know just the mare who helped drive it forward.

“There ya are!” Alimite materialized seemingly to my side, nudging my shoulder with her own… well I could feel that! “Decided to take the scenic route did ya?”

All I got was a snicker from one hound before she walked off with the bounty paper. Tumble and Deacon however remained silent, and I just knew the gryphon was itching to get me out of this thing.

“You could say that…” just play it off for now…

“I’m glad ya did, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten any news for you by the time ya got back,” Alimites eyes were lighting up more than usual, and truth be told so were mine, “I found your ride.”

“How’d you get it so soon?” Deacon asked what I was already wondering. We’d only been gone a day and somehow this mare managed to pull something out of her bandana.

And the mare looked all too proud of herself now, “Station owner reached out with a job to any who could help just this morning, sounded pretty urgent,” as if anything for a train out here wouldn’t be considered urgent, “and here’s the real kicker… they’re offering free travel to the ones who deliver…”

My hooves ground to a halt, and I felt the whole suit bump forward. A quick turnaround told me the same thought was shared by my friends as they ran into me. Free travel… that was fucking wonderful news! Now we didn’t have to fetch every quest and bounty the wastes had to offer. Just get whatever the owners needed, deliver, and we’d be well on our way to- Wait…

“What’s it they need…” I peered to the mare, and even through that smile it started to falter.

“Yeah, that’s kinda the hard part…”

Great, there was more to this story than just a happy ending, “Let’s get back to the shop…” and I had my own deck to figure out, “…that might not be the only hiccup.”

***

“You’re telling me you can’t feel a thing?!” the mare… or my mare, shouted into the mic barely before I had gotten the sentence out.

“Only the back part!” and that sure sounded better in my head.

Alimite looked about ready to take a can opener to this thing to get me out. Before she could I took center stage down in the basement and started feverishly undoing latches. I’d really need to brush my coat if I spent any longer in this thing, and as much as I enjoyed seeing the town come into view. Feeling that fresh air across my back was a welcome treat in of its-

Oh, hi floor!

As I pushed myself out the front, my muzzle soon met the cold concrete base. Deacon and Alimite were to my sides just a second too late, but they were already trying to stand me up. Mind you, trying being the key word. With both of my forehooves wrapped around their shoulders, my hind legs literally now dragged across the ground. I tried looking down between my legs to see how they were moving… but they weren’t responding in the slightest.

Hell, I couldn’t even feel the concrete scraping against my hooves, and the fresh air I mentioned was nonexistent across my hind limbs. Together the two dragged me over to one of the cots, and plopped me down on my stomach. The musky pillow was far more welcome than the floor, though I’d still prefer Alimites’ bed.

“Oh shit…” That is not something you want to hear the resident doctor say!

“How bad is it?” I’m positive I didn’t want to know that answer.

“Just… give me a minute,” Deacon trotted off somewhere else in the room.

Now I could see the nerves getting the best of the mare to my side. Last time I saw that on her I’d almost overdosed, and I could still feel the same pit in my stomach starting to grow with every passing second.

“While he does his thing,” Come on there girl, don’t fret over me just yet. Quick! Change the subject! “What was it they needed?”

That didn’t help her mood, and I about saw blood starting to trickle as she bit her lips, “… A Spark Generator Axil…”

If I had anymore fuses left after leaving the stable, that might have just burst the last one… alrighty, stay calm. You’re in no place to freak out now, Deacon is working on you, Alimite is next to ya, and Tumble is probably finding some booze to celebrate getting the train. Yep, just a relaxing day out in the wastes.

“A fucking Spark Generator Axil?!” and my head found a new level to the pillow to slump in.

I heard the clanking of the bottle before I even saw the culprit, “What the hell is that?” Tumble asked as she took a pull of some amber liquid… called it.

Talons across the floor welcomed soon after her, and- “Ouch! Watch it!” my eyes met the gryphon, and there he held a needle dripping with fresh blood.

“Sorry… just running some tests.”

Right… tests, which involved stabbing into me. No point in disturbing the doc, so instead I kept my eyes forward, and off whatever it was he was doing. If I was going to be laying here for the foreseeable future as Deacon worked, I might as well put that time to good use. Plus, change the subject for my own benefit.

“Coal was getting pretty scarce during the war…” Duh, that’s kinda what lead to the world blowing up, “Some of the first to be sanctioned and have their supplies cut for the effort were the trains, at least ones carrying passengers… so they looked for alternative means to make money by travel.” Subconsciously or not, my head started drifting back towards my flank.

Up until Alimite pressed her hoof to my bare cheek and kept it still. I wanted to take a look what he was doing back there, but something in her expression told me to sit tight. “One way of doing that was with a Spark Generator,” the mare picked up where I’d left off, “same principal as the Spark Batteries, but larger… much larger.”

“Enough to move a whole train,” I tagged teamed the lowdown on these things, it was my distraction after all! “They just needed a way to make to take the energy stored and turn it into motion… hence the axil.”

“So? Let’s find a pipe, clean it up a bit, and were home free,” Tumble waved her hoof around, enough to make me wonder just how much she was celebrating.

Alas, it’s never that simple when it comes to machines and magic. Even worse when you combined the two, “The axils are special mind you, they had to be machined to withstand the energy flowing into them, and not warp from the heat.” Pure Equestrian overengineering!

Oh, those were some heavier steps coming our way… out the corner of my eye I could see Riff join in on our little circle, and in her paws was a mighty heavy bag of caps that jingled. The dog looked so proud of herself; it’d be a shame to burst her-

“We might not be needing those for the trip,” -bubble… Thanks Tumble for breaking that one to her.

“Dog talk nice to pony to give more for Alicorn bitch… and this thanks dog get…” she groaned away, and the bag dropped to the ground, “What change?”

“Owners of the train put out a job, find a… special piece of machinery,” Alimite filled her in, “No wonder they were offering free travel…”

Even Riff knew the deal was too good to be true, “How hard to find?”

Alrighty now it was my turn to chime in again, “The axils are expensive to make… but at the same time, they’re kinda common actually,” oxymoron I know right? “Besides being in trains, some were sold as standalone units to major businesses to keep the lights on as a back- Will you cut that out!”

I couldn’t see him, but Deacon knew I was talking about him. Alimite kept my head forward, so my glare at the pillow had to suffice. Never the less, whatever he was doing, the gryphon continued along his way. At least I hoped he was doing something back there, that numbing shot must have really done the trick.

Let’s get back on track, “Hospitals, prisons, even a few of the Ministry buildings had some apparently.”

“If they’re so common, then why did you flip out hearing that’s what they were after?” Deacon finally decided to join in on the fray.

“Because most places that would have one are either the base of some group, or blown to every level of hell imaginable,” Thank you again Alimite for filling in that gap. Although that wasn’t helping our predicament in the slightest, “and I don’t think we want to attack one group, just to go out and face the Rangers all over again with little supplies… it’d probably be best to get the axil then head to the station on the outskirts of Las Pegasus before another pony cashes in.”

So, there was still a small gap in our plan… okay a major gap. No axil, no train, and no train, then no trip north. I didn’t have shipping records of those parts, nor did I even know where to start looking for one around… Las Pegasus…

“Hold up…” I muttered, and it fell on deaf ears.

“Dog have other question,” Riff spoke up, but my gears were still turning. As if you need to raise a paw? “Wild know how to work on them?”

And now it’s Riff Raffs turn to bring in the weather… for all the skills I learned, general maintenance on a generator was not one of them. Sure I could probably figure it out, but could I in the time we had to get it to the conductors?

“Sadly-”

“I can…” collectively we all stopped and looked at Alimite. Even Deacon did as I could see him halt through the corner of my vision, though why did he have his combat knife in his talon?! “At least I think I can, I’ve done nothing but tinker all my life… I should be able to figure it out.”

And plan still in motion! I had some filling in the blanks to do, and more walking should the suit be up for it, or my friends for that matter. Though it was a plan none the less, find the axil, get to the station, and bring the fight to the Rangers! Dear Celestia that sounded optimistic…

A clank to my side drew our attention elsewhere, and now walking off, Deacon went to a rag and started wiping down his talons. “Allow me then to add another hurtle to cross over…” oh great, what is it this- “you’re paralyzed.” -time.

Funny… I didn’t know the wasteland could get this quiet?

Part of me was still processing that information, but to another they already were long past that step. “Are… you sure?” Alimite questioned, he might not be a medical expert, but I’d trust his word more than most others, “he was walking here just fine not too long ago?”

“That’s the suits doing… Wild explained it before, it reads what the user wants to do and acts accordingly,” Deacon paraphrased a lot with that one, but she got the gist, “first sign was that nasty scaring along your spine from where the crane landed, if it wasn’t for the suit, you’d probably would have just been cut in half…” yeah, just cut in half, “but testing your sense of feeling with a needle, scalpel, and even my knife kinda made it clear. From the hips down you can’t feel or move a thing.”

Whelp I guess that wasn’t a numbing injection after all… “Paralyzed…” I repeated if only to drive the point home. I knew the suit would still work, it got me here after all. Though as slow as I could get with it before, how would I fare now?

“And now you’re about trek across the wasteland, to get an axil, just to face the Rangers again…” Deacon spelled out the other hurtles I already knew of, and this race was getting longer by the minute, “… I already know your answer to this, but I’ll ask anyway… are you up for it?”

When would have been the smart time to throw in the towel? When I reached this town and everything seemed just perfect, hang up the helmet and live a simple life? Maybe when we torched the pier and sent the rangers running, who knows how long it’d take to find me out here, especially if I actually kept my head low. Perhaps the smarter time would have been when the Gunners were dealt with, and our little slice of the wasteland was out of someponies sights… for the time being.

I would have still had my legs.

Alas, hindsight’s twenty-twenty… and although I knew the answer my friends wanted to hear. They knew the one I’d give, at least I knew they’d be there to pick me up when I fell. “I made it this far, why call it quits now?”

A mood that was shared by most, but one still had to ask the obvious. “Then… where do we find an axil?” Tumble brought up that point I’d been working out, with another pull of her bottle.

A bottle I gladly relinquished from her with a tug of my horn, and took a swig myself. Given the news I just received, I think I deserved it, “Leave that to me.”