Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 13: Red Haze pt.2

“Your people lived in this shit?” Sky asked with an annoyed frown. The deep blue glow of his horn was hardly visible in the crimson air around us. “I can’t see a thing down here. And the stuff is exhausting my magic faster than normal. Can’t imagine how you survived like this.”

My PipBuck struggled just as much to try and light our way. At the very least the device's mapping spell kept us from getting lost. “We wouldn’t go out until after it settled. My city wasn’t hit often thankfully, so we grew most of the food. In the wilds, we’d take cover in chem tents when it hit, or shrivel up and die.” The Pre-Store’s resistance was a nice third option, though it still left me on edge. I’d been told countless times how a few seconds of exposure would cripple you. Now I was trotting through it. I actively fought against the urge to run for shelter.

Sky wasn’t the only one struggling with fatigue. Blood ash was hungry for energy, and it wasn’t picky about what form its food took. At least we had protection against the ash itself. My friends all got goggles to keep their eyes clear. Sky and Scarlet tied bandanas over their muzzles, while I made use of my respirator and Free wore the rebreather I fixed for him.

To get the most use out of the potions and make sure no one was overworked, we moved in shifts. Rumble was immune to the magical contaminant, so he’d stay with the active team to map it all for us. It was tedious and exhausting, but it was our only option. Soon Sky and I would return to the MoA basement to rest while Scarlet and Free did their shift. Then I could finally rest…

The areas we could access on level two were underwhelming. Despite the expensive-looking ceiling turrets watching over each intersection, everything we found was worthless. A lot of offices, an eating area, a locker room, and a gym with some kind of flight combat simulator well beyond repair. No fancy tech, cursed relic of evilness, or even snacksa snack to be found.

To make it worse were the keypads. So. Many. Keypads. Every corridor was barred with a magical blue barrier. All with a keypad that I needed to bypass. The repetition was mind-numbing and time-consuming. I narrowed my eyes at the dastardly little security measure as the barrier winked out, and continued to stare it down as I unplugged my PipBuck from it. So many shield generators… and all with separate passcodes! We had to waste time trying to generate the code for every. Single. Barrier.

Sky huffed and shot me an annoyed expression as we got moving again. “You can’t hack every barrier we find, Aella! At this rate by the time we get past level two, I’ll be out of potions, and you’ll have died of old age. Can’t I just blow them up, or something?”

I hissed in annoyance as my head feathers ruffled. “They’re basically magic blast doors. I can’t make that many bombs strong enough to collapse them. Would be nice if there was a magical speaker gun that we could tune to disrupt them. The generator is on level 4, so we can’t kill the power to them either. Unless you know a counterspell for this, or can find me three of four dozen spark grenades, this is the best we can do.”

“No way! that isn’t a good option! It’s a stupid one!” The alicorn's complaints were more akin to a colt than a stallion. “Some prewar jerk might have had the mother damned time to punch in codes constantly, but we’re on a clock! You’re the smart one of your friends, you know this won't work as much as I do!”

He was right… Great spirits above, he was right! “Sky, that’s brilliant! The pre-war workers here wouldn’t waste time and energy learning all of these codes! They’d have keycards or something! Magical ID they’d keep with their personal effects!” I beamed and gave the brilliant mindreader a nuzzle.

I was so distracted by trying to get through in my own way, I hadn’t stopped to consider other options. I hadn’t thought of how they would have done it back then! Once I was looking from a new angle it was easy! Security alerts would happen whenever there was a zebra attack along the coast, and everypony still needed to get around the facility. The higherups had their own private quarters we could search. It was in the opposite direction we were going, but it was worth the risk. A keycard was our only chance.

Four barriers and 15 minutes later we arrived at the hallway labelled “Residental, VIP.” Six private quarters, hidden behind the heavy hydraulic doors Equestrian bunkers were addicted to. I understood their importance in stables, but did they really need such advanced entryways in all underground facilities? Overengineering had been the death of countless careers in my industry. Sky took the rooms on the left, while I took the ones on the right. I pressed my claw to the hoof-sized button and… nothing happened. Of course nothing happened, the overzealous thing was broken! A normal door wouldn’t prevent entry because of mechanical failure! You just push it open! Normal doors are perfectly fine! Not everything has to be fancy and go whoosh when you press a button like some cheesy science fiction book!

Ugh!

I had no idea what exactly was wrong with it, and I didn’t have time to figure it out. The next door was functional but locked. My last door was wide open but no more promising. The room was completely bare and perfectly clean. It’d look completely unused if not for the flickering terminal flickering on the plain steel desk and the uncomfortably thin mattress on the bedframe.

I pulled out the desk chair to take a seat, and couldn’t help but giggle. A cute little rock was relaxing against the cool metal chair, without a care in the world. I pet it with a claw and asked, “Mind if I take your seat for a minute? I just need to use this terminal.” The little dude didn’t mind, so I sat him next to the terminal and got to work.

The device was a mess. Over a thousand unanswered messages, most detailing the diagnostic data of the bunker systems. Three functional Moon Dancer Three spark reactors, a water reclamation system, and four dormant air talismans, one on each level. Megaspell targeting and deployment were on standby. Security on level one was offline, three and four showed online, and two was simply reporting as “compromised.” Security on the lower levels spelled trouble… On the bright side, we knew what we were working with.

The water talisman read insane levels of necromantic contamination, but Vision could still make use of the reclamator. Water and power. Everything Prime hoped for. More, even. I copied the most recent diagnostics for Harmony.

The metal chair dug into my spine as I combed through the data, making me groan and shift in my seat. Once I filtered out the automagic messages the system sent every 12 hours there were only four emails on the device. All were sent to someone outside the facility, and none of them had been returned.

Subject: Goodbye.

Mudbriar.

I know my absence has inconvenienced you. The Ministries needed me. Nopony knows as much about gems, rocks, and metal as I do. Besides, Boulder has become very patriotic since my cousin Destiny and Boulder’s cousin Rock enlisted. He was so insistent on being part of the project he refused to enter the building until he had his own ID card. He doesn’t have pockets, so a unicorn enchanted him to carry the access codes.

-Maud Pie

Subject: Re: Goodbye

Mudbriar

They have the most unusual metal samples for me to analyze. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I asked to see the site the minerals were excavated from, but it’s beyond Equestria’s jurisdiction. It’s a shame, too. The soil composition alone could have told me everything about the area's geological development. Still, it is my first time studying something that isn’t terrestrial in origin. We can’t have everything.

They wouldn’t pay for the equipment I needed for my lab. Then they got upset with me for not doing my work. The work I couldn’t do without the equipment. Turned out it wasn’t hard to get the funding. Three days later it was delivered. They took it from Harkness’ security budget. Apparently he’s upset. Oh well. Lightning and Arcane Glow are in charge, not me.

-Maud Pie

Subject: News

Mudbriar

They got me a similar sample of metal from here in Equestria. Every test indicates it’s the same element and composition. Glow isn’t happy about that. He was even less happy when I told him science doesn’t care how he feels about it. Despite the samples being the same, they react to magic differently. He wants to know why. I have a rocktorate in geology, not geo-mysticism. He liked that even less. I know the basics of how magic reacts with different materials, but I don’t study it.

He fired me. I’ll be home next week. I have to stop in Canterlot first for our yearly Pie Sister Surprise Swap Day first. It’ll be the first time I’ve seen my sister in years, and Boulder is excited to see the city again. Destiny and Rock are stationed there as medics. Visiting them is much way better than sending a postcard.

-Maud Pie

Subject: Sorry Pinkie.

Pinkie Pie.

I won't be making it for our annual PSSD this year. The Ministry lab I was working in is on lockdown due to a chemical leak on level three. Levels two and one are being evacuated. In the meantime, Boulder is staying back to keep an eye on things for me. A bunch of the locals are doing an evacuation drill to a stable nearby, so I’m gonna see if I can take a look. I heard they have the most interesting andesite veins.

*** *** ***

They were trying to understand the difference between Cosmic Steel and starmetal. A complete waste of their time, honestly. We’d told them countless times the difference between the magical materials. Starmetal houses a dangerous, powerful star spirit. Zebras say that star spirits are evil, bent on sowing chaos and suffering to mortals. My people feel that greater spirits are like any other creature, with a great capacity for good or evil. Either way, power like that comes at a cost. No matter how many cultures try to explain a world beyond our own, Equestrians never listen. No place for our superstition in their unicorn spell- and gem-fuelled science.

So level three was arcane compatibility research, testing how different gems and metals reacted to different forms of magic. That kind of made sense. There were a number of minds and queries in the Equestrian west. Miss Pie was also included in a long email thread, containing endless complaints about added restrictions on travel through the third level, including very confrontational words from a “Captain Dust” about having access limited to her own project.

I rested a claw gently on the stone next to the terminal and sighed. “She cared about you a lot to get you your own pass. That, or something out there knew we’d need you to have it. Either way, how about we get you out of this hole?” The rock warmed a bit under my touch, which felt like a yes to me. I tucked the new companion into a vest pocket. “Alright, Boulder. Let's save some ponies.”

*** *** ***

Harmony sat across from me in a hastily set up break area in the MoA basement. Just a picnic table with a microwave and coffee pot, really. A mug of steamy creamy goodness was just what I needed. Meanwhile, Sky was sprawled out on a stack of crates in the corner, using her break to enjoy a bottle of scotch and a cigarette that definitely wasn’t tobacco. The alicorn enjoyed our break with a bottle of scotch at her side and DJ Pon3 in her ears.

While we lounged, Free and Scarlet braved the toxic cesspool below. We’d decided to tackle the lower levels together, but first, they were going to search for anything on the second level we could use. Scarlet was sure such a large facility would have a few hazard suits we could make use of. Even a few extra minutes before we had to drink another potion would help. The extra time from some suits would be helpful, as the ones the Visionaries had were in varying states of disrepair.

Harmony shared my love for the bittersweet bean juice. It at least gave us something to bond over as she combed through the data I recovered. She smiled as she sipped and read. Her mind was already hard at work figuring out how they could put so many intact systems to use for the settlement. I was just worried she’d get her hopes up. I had no idea if I could find the source of the Blood Ash to begin with, let alone disable it. My people tried for thirty years to find the source before a new air current brought it straight down on us. We never even got close.

All I could do was hope. We made a dent in our Pre-Store supplies just going down in pairs. Now we’d be descending as a group. If we ran out… Harmony hid it well, but she was worried too. She was skilled at keeping her feelings from showing on her face, but they were clear in her eyes. Hopefully, my friends would find something we could use.

My friends… I hoped my friends were safe. The haze interfered with Sky’s telepathy and left us with no way to know how they were doing. All I could do was wait for their time to run out, and hope they returned before then. None of them ever dealt with Blood Ash before. They didn’t have the experience and training that I had! If one of them got hurt I don’t know…

No. Gotta think of something else. Shift your focus. Can’t unravel. They’ll need you when they get back. For some reason, they’ve trusted me to be in charge. I can’t let them down. I looked up at the burly griffon still poring through data on her portable terminal. Perfect! Nothing is more distracting than conversation with an interesting stranger! “I thought you were Prime’s bodyguard. Shouldn’t you be… Guarding his body?” I asked awkwardly.

The hen cocked an eyebrow. “Hun, he’s in the most secure building in the most secure town in probably all of Equestria. Guards, cameras, and turrets, all controlled and coordinated from his office. And he ain't just some politician. We had our own wasteland adventures back in the day, just like you and your friends. Hell, his own brother tried to kill him and he got away fine. He can handle himself.”

“Yeah, you got a point… So then, you work as his…?”

“Representative. Advisor. Mental health specialist. Lover if the need arises. And he does anything in his skill set to help me when I need it. We have an open contract, to each other and our ideals rather than to a job or money.” She clicked her beak a few times and changed the subject. “You don’t need to worry about your friends so much, you know. They have far more experience in the wasteland than you. They’ll be fine. Besides, if something was wrong I’m sure you’d know.”

“I…I thought I was hiding it better than that. Sorry… Reasonably I know they’ll be ok, but I still worry. They’re putting their faith in me, risking their lives for my mission. They’re my first real friends. I’m afraid of losing them…”

“You’re afraid they’ll die, or leave. That’s understandable. People die, even before the war. It’s a fact of life. So it wouldn’t be your fault if they did. They choose to follow you, just like you’re choosing to help Scarlet, and by extension the town right now. Whatever happens won’t be any one person's fault. The universe is too complicated for things to be so simple.”

I felt a little bit better as we spoke. She made me feel strong enough to carry all the responsibility threatening to break my back. No… It was more like the weight itself was lessened. Like someone was helping me carry my burden. My fears and worries melted away, streaming out of me. It was a strangely familiar feeling that I couldn’t place. Most creatures wouldn’t have noticed the unusual pull at their emotions. If it was a more positive emotion I’d be sure a changeling was making a snack out of me.

My eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. The griffon had been different from the moment we met, but I hadn’t realized how much. The way she tried to help everyone, how sensitive she was, and how she empathized with others. I was so stupid! I facepalmed at my own stupidity with a hiss. The griffoness before me recoiled as I reared up and my wings snapped open. “I can’t believe… You were… I… E-excuse me! Y-you… I felt you doing that! You can’t just…Without even asking!? That… That isn’t alright…” I fell over my words as anger and anxiety wrestled in my chest. “Y-you had… no right…”

The griffon was stricken. Her wings fluffed anxiously as I towered over her. Her stunned expression shifted to regret. Harmony wouldn’t even make eye contact with me as she opened her beak. “You’re right… I crossed a line. I betrayed your trust. I just wanted to help! I thought if I could lower the intensity of all those feelings you might work through them easier. Usually, creatures don’t notice-”

“None of that makes this alright!” I snapped, raising my voice for the first time since I’d yelled at Specter back in the stable. My cheeks flushed with rage. “I am getting so tired of creatures invading my privacy like this! Scarlet with my PipBuck, Sky’s mindreading, now a griffon with the power to magically manipulate my emotions!? Does no one in this country understand privacy or consent!? Great Spirits beyond, I!- I… am needlessly annoyed right now…”

I sat back on the bench and folded my wings around me. Tears stung my eyes as the torrent of emotions returned, rushing through me. I never… I failed to keep my feelings inside and I yelled at that sweet griffon because of it. “I…I’m sorry…” I squeaked quietly, hidden by a wall of soft purple feathers.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, Aella. You’re processing your feelings. It’s a good thing. Something you should do more of. Everything you’re feeling right now is valid. You have every right to be upset. I’m sorry I upset you. I’ll try to keep from doing it to anyone without their permission. Though sometimes it just happens… I feel the pain shrouding someone's heart, and just… It’s in my nature to try and fix it. That’s why I never got along with my family. My kind aren’t exactly the touchy-feely type. I left home pretty young. Too soft to be a ‘real griffon’ and too hard to join the Followers.” The sad smile I could see on the hen's beak through my feathers broke my heart.

“I…I didn’t know there were any griffons with magic like that. Makes sense though… Most wouldn’t be very happy to have an ability like yours… So you were actually trying to therapize me? If I needed my heart mended I’d ask. Maybe… maybe someday I can deal with all the crap in my head, but there’s just too much I have to do first…”

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. It’s super impressive you could tell. No one other than Prime has ever noticed before. How’d you know?”

I explained my magical sensitivity. How my connection to magic waned over time as I failed to use it productively, before finding a use for it in the wasteland. It was easy to feel the energy in Equestria. Very little life, with almost no spirits guiding the natural world. The energetic dead zone was a perfect place to work out my arcane sense.

She was strangely impressed by my mostly useless ability. She even wanted to help me with it. “I’d love to try and give you a claw with it sometime. I know it isn’t the same, but emotions are just another kind of energy. We could go over some of the exercises I use.”

I smiled, and finally lowered the feathered wall between us. I quickly dried my eyes with my wing. “That could be nice… I appreciate it. It’s pretty far down on my to-do list, though. We gotta-”

“They’re back!” Sky shouted from the corner, cutting me off. He leapt down from a stack of crates and glided to the makeshift airlock of plastic sheets and duct tape. My gaze followed his to the two creatures (and one robot) within it, obscured by the red haze. The ticking and whirring of the filters were like claws on a chalkboard, but at least they made quick work of the toxic mess. Just a minute later the air inside was crystal clear, allowing my friends to enter the basement properly.

Both ponies had dark circles under their eyes. Their ears drooped as they trotted slowly inside. At least the powerful fan had gotten all of the Blood Ash off them. A night of rest and they’d be good as new. The duffel bag draped across Free's back hadn’t been there when they left, either. Perhaps it was the “finder’s fee” Scarlet tried to explain to me? Just another aspect of wasteland economics that ruffled my feathers.

Sky drew Scarlet into a quick winged hug, which the sleepy mare nuzzled into happily. Free greeted the towering alicorn with a half-hearted hoof bump. Rumble beeped a happy hello as it flew laps around the group. I wandered over as my friends said their hellos and caught each other up. “Hope you two made some good progress,” Sky said as he drew out of their embrace. “We found the elevator earlier, but Cap has refused to go anywhere near it.”

“Not a problem, as we found the stairwell!” Scarlet said with a smile. I giggled as Rumble nudged me, prompting me to wrap a wing around the cute little bug bot. Geotracking data transfer received, Level 2 MoA Materials Research Facility complete, flashed in my vision as he sent over the mapping data. “Not only that, we found their clinic. Free?”

Free smirked and threw his newly acquired duffel bag on the floor. He tugged it open to reveal heaps of medicine and chemicals I had never heard of. The excited caw of the griffon behind me assured me it was exactly what we needed. “We can get some more Pre-Store going with this, um…” The griff paused for a moment as she ran the numbers in her head. “Shattered Beaker can get more of the medicine cooked up in a bit over four hours. It’ll buy you more time down there.”

“In the meantime, we should rest,” I said as I joined the group, patting Free with a wing as I gave Scarlet a wonderfully warm nuzzle. “You both look terribly exhausted.”

Scarlet snickered a bit and nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Everyone get some sleep and check your gear. Level three is hostile, so be ready.” Scarlet punctuated her statement with a firm stomp of her hoof. I may have been the captain, but Scarlet was my war chief. My master-at-arms. She had the experience and skill to lead us into combat. She’d get us through safely.

*** *** ***

A stream of 5mm ammo tore through the dim red haze. My ears ached as myriad bangs and cracks resonated around me. EFS barely warned us before the sentry bot bore down on us. We rushed to a nearby breakroom. The metal stove and overturned fridge were perfect covers against the lead rainstorm.

I clutched my left hoof tightly in my talons and wheezed. In the chaos to find cover, I tripped on a busted microwave and cracked my hoof. As far as wasteland injuries went, it was one of the dumbest ways to get hurt. Like getting nicked by some rusted metal and getting lockjaw. The noise and the pain made it nearly impossible for me to focus.

“This is a secure facility. Stand down and be eliminated!” the robot's voice roared in my ears, adding insult to injury. Free and Scarlet took turns peeking out to fire at the towering weapon on wheels. Meanwhile, the minigun on the sentry’s left arm worked to tear away our cover.

I poured half a potion onto my lame hoof and downed the rest. The magical healing worked slower than it would on flesh, but it was better than nothing. I downed the rest of the potion and followed it up with the soothing sensation of a double dose of Med-x. With the wonder drug melting away my pain I felt I could finally focus.

Scarlet let out a war cry as she let loose a burst of shotgun shells into the black-dyed killing machine. Despite the might of her trusty weapon it barely dented the sentry’s reinforced metal skin. She yelped and flinched back as the annoying automaton peppered her stove barrier with bullets.

With it preoccupied, the sound of Free’s carbine clattered next to me. While the accurate rifle was stellar at ranged attacks, it was no better at piercing armour than Scarlet's pump-action. The droid let out an annoying beep and went back to firing at the fridge we braced against.

“Surrender now, zebra infiltrators! Your deaths will be swift!”

“Real convincing argument, rust bucket! Add on some lava enemas and a few shots of taint and we’re in!” Sky snapped. A midnight aura floated her pistol over the fridge and sent a burst of flaming lead into the robot. The zebra pistol too did little against the robot's hull.

“Is everyone ok!?” Free bellowed over the crescendo of gunfire. He kicked a lever on his battle saddle, urging the complex rig to slam a fresh clip into his trusty weapon.

Sky grunted in response, trying to keep his large limbs behind the tiny barricade. Scarlet answered anxiously. “For now! I’m not sure how long we can keep going like this! Guns ain’t doing shit!”

They were right. The only options we had left were my energy rifle or a lucky shot from Sky’s enchanted pistols. I drew the trusty rifle I only just rebuilt. It was up to me. I hate when it’s up to me…

Hot pain speared through my cracked hoof as I reared up. I brought Hurricane to bear. The magical rifle was our best chance. The pain in my hoof vanished as SATS pulled me into a personal pocket of timelessness. Could have been the perfect chance to catch my breath, if only I could breathe.

I took a moment to analyze the situation. Two tons of angry metal alloy blocked the door we’d entered through. There was a door behind us, but we’d never reach it unless I could take out the bot's weapons systems. Upon closer inspection, the hulking beast wasn’t as advanced as I first thought. The weapons and armour were top tier, but the mechanics were basic. Even hidden behind the plates, the internals were clear. The whirr of worn servos and infrequent pulses of cheap talisman were all struggling under the weight of the horribly heavy frame.

After an endless instant, I had my targets. Three arrows of hot orange death tore into the Sentrybot. The first shot melted away its shoulder plates with a violent flash of energy, exposing the sensitive frame and vital crystals. The second shot burned through the targeting talisman within, turning the magical housing into sparking rainbow slag. The third shot struck the base of the machine's minigun, ruining the motor with a rain of sparks.

With its primary weapon offline, the sentry turned to retreat. Magical bullets tore into the weak armour of its backside. Magical fire licked at the robot's insides. The automaton’s speaker sputtered and whined as its systems burned away before it fell silent and still.

I hardly got to see the fruits of my labour. My hoof wasn’t happy about supporting my weight. The pain sent me crashing to the tile as time resumed. My vision blurred the wound shot right through the painkillers. I curled into myself with a whimper, eyes clenched shut. My whole body shook as I tried to push away the pain. A warning about the additional damage I’d done to my rear leg flashed on Eyes Forward Sparkle.

Cool soothing energy flowed up my leg as more healing potion was applied to the wound. My eyes opened to find Scarlet above me. She pulled off my respirator to push a bottle of purple magic to my beak. I drank greedily, impatient for the magic to alleviate more of the pain. I ignored the stinging in my lungs in favour of the magic that filled my stomach. The effects of the healing potion were limited by the strange, energy-sapping magic in the air. It left my limb achy and lame.

Free sat by my tail, dressing the wound in healing bandages with a frown. “This will help you move around, but it’ll never heal properly down here. We should get you outside, and-”

“No! N-no, it’s alright. I can keep going. I just took a Pre-Store ten minutes ago, I don’t want to waste it. Besides, you’ll need my gun if there are more of those.” Free and Scarlet glanced at one another, unconvinced. “I can walk on three legs just fine, ok? We have work to do.”

Free relented. “Well… I can’t exactly force you.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and helped me up. Sky beamed in excitement over her shoulder. “How in the hell did you pull that off? That was damn impressive.” The alicorns praise made my face burn. I hope that my blush was hidden by the crimson air.

“I just um, pictured where all the components could be, I guess…” I answered slowly as I scooped my rifle up from the floor. “I guess I’ve worked on enough robots to know how they all go together…? The rest was just… a feeling or something. Instinct, I guess. Being a good engineer is as much art as science. You have to see below the surface. Listen and feel for problems and solutions.”

“That… is a lot more lame than I expected?” The alicorn grimaced as he spoke. “S-sorry… no pun intended. Still, good work. You gave me the perfect opening to ice it. Gotta remember how we did that.” He chuckled.

“Let's get going,” Scarlet said in her commanding voice. “Next break is in thirty, and we’re already behind-”

A series of anxious beeps cut her off as a little blue bot whirled into the room. The little bots warning had me instantly on edge.

Thunk thunk thunk thunk.

A stream of metal apples soared past the open doorway. Sky shoved Scarlet and away from the door as the building shook. Explosive shockwaves had us eating concrete while the hallway filled with flashes and smoke. I hissed in annoyance as I hobbled towards the rear door. If we could just slip out before our new friend got to us.

The door was locked.

I must have been the least luck mare in the entire spirit-damned wasteland! I didn’t have time to contemplate what sins my past incarnations had done to warrant my terrible life as the grenade-slinging sentry bot rolled in.

Gunfire clawed at my ears as my friends lit up the encroaching enemy. In seconds its chassis was scuffed and dented. Despite the onslaught, the robot's minigun wasn’t spinning up. The grenade launcher didn’t fire. It stared blankly as it was shot up.

After a moment everyone stopped firing. We looked at one another, equally confused. Sky flicked me with his wing to get my attention. “What’cha think, Cap? Did we break it?”

“Unlikely…” I responded as I ruffled my feathers.

“New orders received. Stand down or be detained, zebra scum!” New orders? From whom!?

THUNK THUNK THUNK

Scarlet barrelled into me as a stream of grenades fired from its long tubular arm. I coughed and wheezed as we crashed to the floor, narrowly dodging a death apple. It was a selfless act, but I feared it was in vain. The trio of explosives lobbed at us was more than enough to tear the room apart. The explosion from them would burn Scarlet and I alive. The shrapnel would tear into Free and Sky, while the shockwave collapsed their lungs. I closed my eyes tight. If my friend was going to die on top of me I didn’t want to see it. I hoped that the spirit of my people would forgive me for my failings. I prayed that my species would survive despite my negligence as I waited to die.

Nothing happened.

“Ugh… Where’s the boom? This is usually when it booms.” Sky’s careless remark echoed my own thoughts. I felt the buck step over me as he moved to examine one of the grenades. I cracked an eye open to take a look. It didn’t look like the ones I’d seen on TV, or for sale in shops. Its frame was tall and slim, with two tiny quartz crystals flickering on the top.

“Must have been a dud,” Scarlet muttered. Her weight lessened as she slowly climbed off me, looking sheepish. “Sorry…”

I smiled at her and gave her a nuzzle, making her blush deepen. “Don’t apologize for trying to save my beak, silly.”

The feathers on my head twitched as I heard a quiet hiss coming from the corner of the room. It was like when I found a leak in an airline, the first time I used the pneumatic nailer. But why was I hearing it now?

“Sky!” Free called out as the hulking alicorn fell against the wall.

“I don’t feel great…” he muttered, sliding down to the floor. “Something is wrong.”

Was something wrong? The walls were moving more than usual, and the floor was swaying under me. Like the room was breathing! Was the room alive? No, that was stupid. It was a room, rooms aren’t alive in the same way ponies and hippogriffs are alive. Still, something did seem wrong… Free was shouting something, but I wasn’t listening. Did he even care that the floor was moving? Maybe that’s what he was shouting about…

Scarlet laid on the floor under me, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t interpret. Why did ponies have to use so many facial expressions? They should just say how they’re feeling. Much easier.

No… No no no, wait! Something was wrong. Very wrong. We were fighting. It shot something… “G-gas!” It fired gas! I’d heard it but I didn’t think! I fumbled with my respirator, but it was too late. I couldn’t focus. I was too disoriented to even tighten the straps.

Free! Free had a rebreather, the gas wouldn’t affect him! He could do… something, anything! He just had to get away… I could help! I could do that much! I fumbled with my saddlebag as I pulled a stealth buck from my bag, and slotted it into my wrist. I had to… he needed…

Thud

The floor… I couldn’t help on the floor. At least my head was on something soft. Cinnamon... It was always cinnamon. Why? I’d never even had cinnamon. I felt something trot over me. Tapping and hissing at my pip-buck. Free could do it… If he powered up the peripheral he could slip out. Just like when cinnamon horse and I freed the slaves at the ridge. He’d heard the story. “Just hang on, alright? I’ll be right behind you guys. It’ll be ok…” He’ll get it done… I know he will.

I was finished. My vision was darkening. I couldn’t feel my body. It wasn’t a nice feeling, like taking a painkiller or sedative. It felt wrong. Sickening. My body and mind fought a losing battle against it. They couldn’t win. We were already exposed to the chemical. All we could do was succumb to the gas. I could only hope we would awaken before the potions wore off and the poisoned air consumed me.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 12!

Perk added: Scrapping Genius!: What's compatibility if not just a word? You can now use similar parts to repair weapons and equipment. Fix a carbine with parts from a pipe rifle! Repair your resonance pistol using scraps of a laser weapon! How’s it work? No creature knows, not even you!