Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 5: Waterworks

Gunfire echoed through the muddy fields of the barren wasteland. It was such an ordinary part of life, even if anypony had heard the fighting in the distance they wouldn’t think to try and help. Risking your life for a stranger is a massive risk, as is wasting ammo you might need for yourself.

There were many hard truths in the Equestrian Wasteland. I was ignorant to them all. Even with my new friend trying to school me in the ways of this new world it took me a very long time to adapt to it all. My lessons were always hard-fought and usually had a price.

I panted as I flew over the wet, sloppy landscape a few meters below. It seemed like it had been raining in the north for days but finally stopped shortly after we’d arrived. The sun was still obscured by the relentless clouds that Equestrias weather seemed to favour so much, unfortunately.

Scarlet trotted along under me, her practiced hooves traversing the muddy terrain without slowing. A flash of red magic sent her signature glowing spear soaring back toward our pursuers. I risked a look behind us. The magical weapon dug itself into the dirt before it faded from existence. Dozens of bulbous-looking creatures were flying after us, firing strange spikes from their bodies. They looked similar to a Spritebot but covered in disgusting growths and tumours.

When we first came upon the critters, there were only two or three. Scarlet used the opportunity to give me a shooting lesson! She warned me about the Bloatsprite's toxic quills, and near-insatiable hunger. As I got to work sharpening my skills, a few more bloatsprites came from a ruined sky carriage nearby. Then a couple more. Then some more.

Scarlet's second rule of the wasteland: When things go south, it's ok to run away!

I drew my pistol and rolled upside down to take aim. The inverted manoeuver proved effective. Several SATS-guided streaks of blue death turned the putrid critters into clouds of shimmering ash. Several other bloatsprites decided that the chase wasn't worth being turned to glitter, and disengaged. Much to my horror, rather than targeting easier prey, they started tearing into one another! Ugh, gross icky mutant bugs!

Several continued their chase, despite the both of us being able to move much faster than their tiny wings could carry them. I banked back towards them, trading some of my speed for height. I made use of Scarlet's instruction as I fired another barrage of magic down on them, sending heads and wings in a horror show of gore.

Finally, the attacking hoard decided they were finished with us. They descended on the bodies of their fallen bloatsprites in a brutal show of hapless cannibalism. The sight made me sick, but... better them than us.

Scarlet stopped to catch her breath, glancing over her shoulder to make sure they didn't start to give chase again. I flew up beside her and smiled, pumping my fist in the air. "We're alive!" I shouted happily. Scarlet rolled her eyes at me a bit. "And I actually helped keep them off us!" I let out a gleeful caw.

I continued to fly circles around my friend as she took a moment to rest. The fighting and flying had my heart thundering in my chest. I was starting to understand why some creatures enjoyed exercise. My wings, claws, and hooves were pleasantly tingly.

“You have boundless energy, huh?” She asked as she watched me soar happily through the skies.

I cawed again and came up beside her, going seamlessly from my flight to a steady strut along the ground. “It’s nice being out in the open! And there aren’t any giant fire-breathing birds or Ursa minors to come ruin it. The exercise feels good!” I fluttered my wings as I kept pace with her.

I was still off from all the strain Awesome R&D had put me through, but the runners high I got under threat of death had me feeling strangely nice! Scarlet seemed confused and annoyed at my energetic demeanour, but was at least happy I was in a good mood.

The Skystars batteries ran low on our way to Trottingham, forcing us to land south of the once-great city. Rumble stayed behind in case any undesirables decided to try and break in. Between that and CORE, I felt comfortable leaving the ship alone for a day or two.

We were heading northeast to Whinnies Grove for supplies, a nearby farm town. Scarlet described it as a small town that carried a lot of power. They were the largest source of fresh food in the region, which brought a lot of wealth to the settlement. Sounded like a good place to stock up on batteries.

The town came into view a few hours later. Acres of sad-looking crops covered the town's perimeter, with several roads leading to it. Some rough-looking but intact pipes ran through the rolling fields, likely an irrigation system. Despite the network of pipes and recent rainfall, the dirt under the crops was dusty and cracked. A tall wall of scrap wood and metal stood around the town, with a similarly designed gate. Streams of light came through large breaks in the cloud cover, something I hadn't seen in my few days in the wastes. Maybe the sunlight here was why the farm did so well. And the unfortunate lack of rain.

This part of the Wasteland felt different than the rest. There was magic here. Echos of life energy beating in the soil, trickling into the plants. The necromantic magic that stripped the natural energy from Equestria must have been weaker here. It left a spark of energy behind. Over time it would grow, maybe even attract some nature spirits to help tend the lands. Assuming the earth ponies wouldn't drive them away.

The farmers in the fields all waved as we cantered past. Scarlet was entertained by how happily I returned the waves and smiles they gave. Farm folk always seemed to be the most friendly! A group of farmers was loading a cart up with barrels and boxes of veggies and fruits. Scarlet said that they drive the wagon to the train station in the east, then it's taken to other settlements. A train station. With a working train! I'd never even seen a train! And they had one!!!

The four guards near the gate straightened up at our approach. They looked bored and tired, quietly wishing for a problem to come along and quell their boredom. Scarlet trotted up to one of the guards at the gate, a bulky green earth pony buck in metal armour. A devastating-looking combat shotgun was set into his battle saddle, with some cute green stripes painted along the barrel.

The buck maintained a bored, stoic expression as he spoke with Scarlet. I hovered behind her, still absorbed in the sites and feelings of the settlement. Being from a farm town myself, the place wasn’t really anything to chirp at. But for the wastes, it was a marvel. “We’re here to do some trading, and bed down for the night. Any chance Pear Blossom has a room open?”

The buck chuckled a bit. “I thought I recognized you. You’re that merchant pony. Didn't you have guards and a brahmin with you when you came through last? Who’s your friend? She’s… unusual.”

“Yeah, we ran into some trouble north of Marefort. I um, I'm all that's left." Her ears folded back, but she quickly shook it off. "A-anyway this is Aella, she helped pull me out of the shit. She’s from outside of Equestria, still getting her bearings.” My ears burned at my mention, drawing my attention.

“U-huh…” The buck turned away and reared up against the town's gate. With a small grunt, he heaved against the heavy metal door. With the groan of rusty hinges, it was opened enough for us to fit through. Earth pony strength at its finest! “Well, I’m sure there’s room at the inn tonight. Got 8 heads taking this shipment out tomorrow mornin’, and nearly as many out with rad poisoning. Town’ll be empty as a zebras heart.” He said as he dropped back on all fours. Wow, that wasn't a very nice comment...

Scarlet flicked the stallion's nose as she sauntered past, electing an annoyed grunt from him. I soared past her in a blur, eager to get a look at my first Equestrian settlement. It was smaller than it seemed from the outside, just 20 wood and scrap shacks positioned randomly across the space. Despite the poor materials, the construction was decently sound. The foundations were sturdy, and the walls and roofs had very few holes. I'd still suggest a tetanus shot before going near them though.

Off near the side of the town, there was an area set up for the most unusual livestock I'd ever seen. I read about cows in books and even saw a few on TV or in movies. This was nothing like a cow. Its hide was bald and reddish, with the odd growth or sore. Also, they had two heads.

Several townsponies watched us as we made our way toward the inn. Some were curious about our sudden arrival, while others seemed annoyed or concerned about our presence. Some of them seemed to know Scarlet, so I had no idea why we put them so on edge.

In the center of Whinnies Grove, we found the tavern, Pears n' Mares. The two-floor scrap metal building reeked of stale and charred meat. A nice improvement from the scent of decay and suffering the rest of the wasteland carried. Eight tables were set up through the first floor at random, while the bar was tucked under the stairs at the back. The middle-aged earth pony behind it perked up as we appeared. Her goat was a dull yellow, while her short mane was greying orange. A radio behind the bar played a beautiful song that I hadn't heard before. The vocalist's silky voice soared through the bar and reached right into my soul. I stared at the radio transfixed as the sweet tunes of Saphire Shores flooded my senses. Instantly she was my favourite vocalist. I was so distracted I didn't realize how strange it was for a restaurant to be empty so close to dinner time.

Scarlet took a seat at one of the barstools and nodded to the bartender. I took the seat next to her, still enthralled by the music. “Pear Blossom, how’s business?” My scarlet friend said with a wink.

Pear Blossom whinnied at Scarlet and rolled her eyes. Her voice was weathered and kind, with a bit of a country drawl. “The sad thing about running the food along the railways is that we don’t get many folks coming through to trade. Been great for the town, but terrible for the Inn. Anywho, I’m sure you’re not here to talk ‘bout that. Looking for a room?”

Scarlet nodded in response. “Please. Can we start a tab? Have a saddlebag's worth of crap to offload at Arms and Recreation. Until then…” Scarlet looked over at me and shrugged. “You can come if you want, or-”

“I think I’d rather stay here and have a drink!” I beamed as my wings unfurled. “It’s been a long couple of days and I don't have any alcohol on the skiff. And probably not very good at 'shopping'.” Not to mention if I stayed at the bar, I'd get to enjoy the soothing sounds of Saphire Shores for a little longer.

I turned to Pear as Scarlet left to unload our loot, then to the bottles on the wall behind her. So many choices. “Hmmm… Perfect Pear Wine?” I asked her, cocking my head a bit.

Pear Blossom chuckled with a nod. “You betcha! Best all around. Make nearly all my caps exporting it these days. Recipe’s been in my family since before the war.” She grabbed a bottle from the shelf in her mouth and deftly poured me a glass.

The sweetness of the wine was amazing, coupled with a nice warmness in my throat and chest. I wasn't one to hit the bar very often, but a drink after a long day of three was always a good way to unwind. My ear twitched as the music fell away, and was replaced by an upbeat, energetic DJ. His voice was masculine and rhythmic.

Good evening everypony, hope all of y'all are fairing alright in the big bad wasteland! This is DJ pon3 bringing you the latest and greatest news, from Balimare to Canterlot. From Junction town to Elysium, we have you covered!

Our saviour in the sky has been busy serving up sunshine for all of us my little ponies, resulting in increased hostility with the remains of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. Several rogue factions have split off from their command, trying to take slices of the wasteland for themselves or to remove the pegasi leadership. While many of these groups act like raiders with a new paint job, remember that not all of our feathered brothers and sisters are bad ponies. Most are just trying to fight the good fight like the rest of us, so don't be a dick!

Three more disappearances have been reported in the last few months in the Greater Trottingham area, leaving many folks in the GTA on edge. That makes a total of 9 missing foals in the past year, with no accurate reports of who's responsible. Popular theories range from slavers targeting them for an easy sell, to the insane and xenophobic theory of bat ponies kidnapping them for food! If anypony has information on the disappearance, please reach out to my assistant Homage here in Tenpony Tower, or contact the Followers of the Apocolypse.

That’s all I’ve got for you folks this hour, so tonight I send you to sleep with the newest hit by the Followers leader, Velvet Remedy.

I looked to Pearl Blossom as the broadcast ended, hoping for some clarification on recent events. She did her best to catch me up. “The Enclave has been keeping Equestria under cloud cover since the bombs. Apparently, they needed the space to grow crops or some horse apples. The Stable Dweller, among other things, took control of their weather so we can get some sunshine down here. Course, it’s slow going since she doesn’t wanna stave out the pegasi, even though most of 'em deserve it. That’s part of the reason the towns started to do so well. We’ve been getting about four hours of sunlight a day down here. crops love it.”

It took me a minute to piece it all together. So a pony from a stable took control of a government’s superweapon, (let's be honest, weather control is a superweapon,) so that she could bring back the sky to the wasteland? And that’s something that just… happened? And everyone understands it like, “yup this is how it is!” WHAT!?

This country is SO WEIRD!

That isn’t even a 5th of what that Stable Dweller got up to while she was topside. I planned on getting the rest of the information from Scarlet as soon as possible. I was so distracted by the insanity of the wasteland's recent history, I forgot the rest of the newscast entirely.

After my pearl wine, which I desperately needed after that crazy rollercoaster, I ordered some water and a grilled rat on a stick. Pear frowned at my request. “Only got dirty water right now, sadly. Water hasn’t been coming in from the Plant-like it used to, so we’ve been managing with what’s in the wells.”

I mirrored her sombre expression. “Where is this purifying plant? Maybe Scarlet and I can go take a look!” I bounced in my seat. The prospect of being able to help all of those ponies made my heart smile. It was good to be useful.

She looked unsure as she answered. “I know they’ve been trying to find somepon-er-someone willing to look into it, but we haven't had the ponies to spare. It’s harvest season, you see. I don’t know where the place is, but I can point you to somepony who does.”

*** *** ***

Scarlet watched me with an amused smile as we left the Inn. She found it amusing that I wanted to try and help the town for some reason. I was a technician. No, an engineer! We fix things, and use technology to help people. It was only natural for me to want to get their water treatment plant back online. Anyone would do the same in my horseshoes.

Pear Blossom pointed me in the direction of the clinic to get more information on the situation. The stallion who was filling in for the town's doctor had done the odd supply run out there, along with other odd jobs. Sounded weird for a travelling doctor, maybe he needed the money.

The clinic was near the front gate. In my excitement, I completely missed it on our way in. It was set up in a prewar building that used to be a store. 'Perfect Pear Produce!' the sign above the door proclaimed proudly. A faded poster in the window was advertising a sale that ended two centuries ago; 14 bits for a case of Perfect Pear Wine. No idea if that was a good deal or not. My glass of wine was 7 caps, but I don't know what that would be in bits.

The clinic was more modest than the one back home. Even the Skystars clinic was better equipped. They had one bed, a chair, and one of those stands with all of the noisy vital checking computers on it. There was a shelf set up on the leftmost wall, loaded with first aid boxes and footlockers. All locked. Each container was clearly labelled with the contents, which made my brain very happy. The scent of moonshine clung to many of the surfaces, hopefully being used for antiseptic rather than being drunk.

Sitting in a spiny chair in the corner was a pegasus! That's why he'd do runs out to the water plants, he could fly! The green-coated pony was looking over a mess of paperwork on his desk. His short blue mane obscured his baggy eyes to the point where I wondered how he could see at all. Rather than traditional scrubs, the stallion wore black armoured barding, with medical insignias stenciled on the breast and flank. It was more like an army uniform than a doctor's outfit. Interestingly his right forehoof was replaced with cybernetics, just above the knee joint. The cyberwear was sleek and painted to match his armour. The area where the metal met the flesh of his leg was red and swollen though, which made me wonder if there was something wrong with it.

Augmentation was commonplace back home. Even I had the odd metal in my brain, and Aquas lungs were cybernetic. Still, I never thought I'd see such advanced technology in the wasteland. Very peculiar.

He turned to see us come in and gasped. “You…” My body stiffened as he pointed a wing at me. “You’re a Hippogriff, aren’t you? In Equestria!?” He trotted over with wide eyes, slowly looking me over. “Smaller than I thought you’d be, but larger than most anypony I know. Are you from Mt. Aris?”

I smiled nervously and nodded, extending my wing. He returned the gesture and slapped his wing with mine. He clearly knew about hippogriffs, which made even less sense than everything else. “I am, yes! I’m surprised you know about that! You must… You… Oh…” I narrowed my eyes a bit as the puzzle came together. “You’re with the Grand Pegasus Enclave, aren’t you?”

We had several encounters with the Enclave throughout the years. In history class they taught that the pegasi actually came into our air space over a century ago hoping to find salvage. They found us instead. They’d threatened to take what they needed by force, but we scared them off. More or less.

The young buck shook his head. “I was a field medic until a few years ago. I left all that behind. After what happened in Shadowbolt Tower, it all just... Anyway, now I’m a freelancer. The doctor here got sick, so I'm lending a hoof. I'm Feather Free. Anyway, back to you. What brings you to Equestria? Last reports I saw, Mt. Aris was a thriving community. Clean air, clean water, ample power and food. Why leave?”

“Things have changed... There was this plague. The Blue Flu. It made a huge mess of things. Millions died, our infrastructure fell into disrepair, and the climate started cooling. Now the illness is back. I took my airship here to find a treatment for it, but I haven't found much yet. I-”

“We heard the town's water supply got cut off, we wanna look into it.” Scarlet's interruption made me slump. “We heard you had a map of the region we might be able to look at."

“An airship..." The buck mused to himself, before answering Scarlets question. "Yeah, I have a map. AJ's Rangers hired me to do some cartography work last year.” The Stallion forced a smile and trotted to his desk. He laid out a decent-looking hoof-drawn map, with various landmarks on it. Or was the phrase muzzle drawn? I copied the landmarks into my Pip-buck as he went on." I wanted to look into it myself, but we've had over a dozen cases of radiation sickness. Hardly had time to sleep, really. We rationed all the Rad-away for the foals, so we aren't feeling too hot. Or we are feeling too hot..."

Scarlet studied the map from over my shoulder. “Hopefully we’ll be able to put a stop to that. I don’t know if there’s any official reward in place for this, but we're in desperate need of gear and caps. I'm sure you can find us some kind of payment.”

The buck shrugged as he stifled a yawn. “I’ll talk to some ponies and see what we can work out. Everyone will appreciate the help, so I have no doubt we’ll find something for you two. The buck who tends the water plant’s name is Raul; great guy. See he’s alright, and if not, try to get the pumps running again."

“We’ll do what we can” Scarlet turned towards the door and motioned for me to follow. I stumbled after her, beating my wings a few times to catch up.

“H-hey! Why are we asking for a reward for this?” I continued to flutter my wings a bit as we trotted back toward the Inn.

“This is a job, Aella. People get paid to do them, it’s how it is. We help them, they pay us, and we can use the money and supplies to do good elsewhere. It’s not a perfect system, but it works. Barter will save the wasteland one day, you'll see.”

“I guess… Where I’m from everyone just works and helps out because it’s what’s best for every creature. Then we all have what need. If out here we need money for things… I suppose we should probably try and make some.”

“The water plant is pretty far out. We should get some rest, and head out in the morning.

*** *** ***

Staying in an inn was a humbling experience if ever there was one. The mattresses were stained and lumpy and smelled like a mix of sweat, whisky, and a particular body fluid I tried desperately not to think about. It was better than sleeping outside though. The room was warm and bug-free. The inn was right downstairs if I needed anything, and it was a short walk outside to the lavatory, which was just a pit they dug under a crude wooden platform with outhouses on it. Apparently, Pear and her family had been using 'earth pony manure' since before the war. Ick.

We headed out early the next morning with a local caravan. I was excited to discover that the wagon they used to transport themselves and their produce wasn't pulled. They had built an actual functioning automobile! Rather, the ponies they bought it from did. It was like a motorwagon, but far more simplistic. There was no transmission, and it was powered by a lonely pair of spark batteries. The motor was set under the floor by the back wheels, and the starting was just a rod that jutted through the floor near the front with handlebars bolted on. Without proper power steering, it took some elbow grease to properly guide the heavy machine.

The vehicle was long, with only the front end covered over by tarps hung on rusted metal bars. It was crude and basic, but functional. All of the food was stored under the covering, while we passengers sat on benches in the back! The driver had a small, claustrophobic space in the front to drive.

They called it a Spark Wagon! It was the first vehicle to be manufactured and sold since the bombs fell. It was basic-level electronics, but apparently a rare and expensive machine. Maybe I should start selling them. I could throw together a dozen motors in a couple of days so long as I had the copper.

Once my curiosity over the Spark Wagons engineering faded, the claws of boredom dug into me. I only managed to stay in my seat for half an hour before I decided to just fly alongside/above the carriage instead. I was more comfortable with the wind running across my face and feathers anyway. Plus, I could entertain myself by bouncing sunlight off my flight goggles to hit the ponies below! Heheheheheh.

...They didn't like that and made me stop. Stupid no fun ponies.

Half of the ponies who we travelled with were merchants, armed with ledgers, bags of bottle caps, and even identification cards! Though I didn’t get a very good look at those. They were all very protective of their “Caravan Visas.”

Scarlet explained that the Caravan Visas were very important for traders to have in the region. It meant they were protected by the Visionaries, an influential and powerful faction in the area. They kept the other factions in line and enforced their rules with terrifying force. Even slavers and raiders were held to the standards of their ruling. Registered traders were completely off-limits to raiding and slaving in the Trottingham area.

I never expected the wasteland to have any rule of law. The laws they made left me confused. If they had the power to bar individuals being targeted by raiders, why not protect everyone? It made very little sense. They only had three rules for everyone to follow. First, don’t attack their settlement, someplace called Vision. The place was built from several of the Ministry buildings in Trottingham. Second, don’t disrupt their trade routes. Third, don’t attack their allies.

The other half of the group were guard ponies. They were armed with shiny-looking assault carbines and dressed in green combat armour with a tree stencilled on each flank and shoulder. The village's mark, I assumed. It was also on the flanks of the wagon.

They were all happy when I took to the sky. I promised them I’d alert them to any wasteland critters or unruly raiders, so they got to relax for the ride. While most factions and larger raider groups were under control, smaller groups often slipped through the cracks.

The view of the Wasteland from above was 31 flavour of depressing. An endless landscape of dirt and ash, decorated with ruined buildings and rotten corpses. In the distance, I could make out the mountain where Canterlot used to be. Before the Enclave blew it off the face of the mountain. Because why not?

Despite that, I felt much happier in the air. The view sucked, but feeling the wind in my mane and running across my feathers made me feel calm. I smiled as I soared above the strange new world I found myself in, far from the problems below.

Then the train came into sight. It. Was. Beautiful.

We didn't have working trains back home. Many of us had wings, so fixing the rails wasn't a priority. It was a lovely machine. Four long metal carts, connected to a robust steam engine at the front, a long cylinder housing the water tank and turbines, with an exhaust stack near the front. Each cart had an auto turret of some kind mounted on top, each keeping a careful eye on the surroundings. I had no idea what kind of fuel the train could be using, everypony, griff, and even yak knew there wasn't any coal in Equestria.

The train station was cobbled together from old concrete and rebar, with just a small tool shed and a water tank to refill the steam engine. It was just a simple area to safely load and top off their water. Given the state of the wasteland, it was all very impressive. Scarlet explained that things out east weren't quite as put together as the GTA, but it was getting there thanks to some new and reformed factions. I didn't bother asking more about that, I wasn't in the mood for a history lesson.

The train's whistle screamed as we started north, leaving the caravan to load their gear and go on their way. 20 minutes later the massive steam engine screamed past, leaving a trail of green smoke in its wake.

As we trotted away from the train station, the whistle sounded. The train chugged past us, gaining speed at a surprising rate. A greenish smoke billowed from the front of the engine as it chugged away. We stopped for a moment to watch fade into the distance before we got moving again. I tuned into DJ pon3 on my Pip-buck but was disappointed to find Sapphire Shores wasn't playing. Next time one of her songs came on I'd be sure to record it!

An hour later, we came across the small creekside building. It was mostly brick, with some plywood or metal patches put in place. Several pony-sized pipes ran out into the water, ready to pump and clean all the water anypony could need. Several ruined vehicles were left to rust outside of the facility, mixing with a lot of other trash and rubble. The entrance was a metal double door at the edge of the parking lot, with a… creative design painted on it. A pair of horns, dripping with blood and gore.

I wasn't the only one unsettled by the sight. Scarlet grabbed my tail in her magic to pull me behind a ruined sky carriage. She peaked out over the carriage with wide eyes. I watched in confusion, rubbing the now tender base of my tail. Ow!

“What are you doing…? That hurt!” I whispered as I scanned our surroundings. There weren't any red marks on my EFS, or any marks in general, (Other than my merchant friend of course.)

Scarlet nickered. “The paint on the door is an emblem, marking territory. It’s for this bandit group from up north, I’ve heard about. I can’t remember their name… Something stupid and arrogant. They aren’t like the idiot raiders out east. They’re organized and they can fight.”

“Fight? Wait what fight? We came here to fix the water problem. Fix, not fight. Feather Free didn’t say anything about fighting.”

Scarlet sighed and looked back at me. “Listen. This is the Wasteland. There’s always another fight. It sucks, and it’ll eat away at you. All we can do is find something to hold onto, and never let it go. It’s better than getting dead. These raiders took over the water plant. Only way to repair it is to get rid of them. If we don’t kill them, the farmer ponies die, the people who need their food die. We go in unwilling to kill, we die too.”

I sigh and shrug. “Ok… I’ll try my best. For those nice farm ponies back there. But you said they’re smart. That means we could reason with them! So maybe we try that first alright?”

“You’re really sweet Aella. It’s gonna get you killed.”

*** *** ***

bratatatatat!

The hail of bullets soared over my head as I ducked behind a stack of steel drums. I’d never seen containers quite like these ones. They had a bright yellow triangle on them with a purple emblem. The label cautioned;

Toxic Magical Byproduct. Property of The Ministry of Arcane Sciences. Do not touch, breathe, or stare at.

Oh Runa beyond, that is just lovely.

The orange unicorn mare pinning me down shouted around the gun in her mouth. "Get in my way bitch, get tossed in a ditch! The water is ours, fucker."

I was sitting on my haunches with my back pressed against the cool concrete wall of the oddly wide hallway. Blood seeped out of a hole in my flank, slowed only by my talon pressed against it. Every movement felt like a hot knife being twisted inside my leg. It was so much worse than the wound on my wing. I couldn't be sure, but I thought the bullet had lodged into the femur. All I wanted was to find a washroom, and I ended up in a firefight!

Scarlet had moved around to try and flank the gunmare, but I hadn't heard from her since. Hopefully, she'd find her way around soon. Even if I was in a condition to be on my hooves fighting, she'd put 10 bullets in my brain before I could blink. The only gunfire I heard was directed at me, so my companion was probably fine. Somehow it didn't attract any of the raider's friends, either.

A syringe of med-x in my thigh downgraded my searing wound to an aching one. A healing potion would knit the bullet inside of my leg. The only option was to curb the bleeding with a clawful of gauze. On the bright side, the excitement distracted me from the incessant steady clicks of my Pipbucks dosimeter.

“Come on my little grif-fuck, get out here! Stupid mare thinks she's hot, I’ll show you how you’re not!” She cackled and sent another hail of bullets into my improvised barricade. Seriously? I wasn’t even a griffon! What the h-

FWOOSH

The barrels she hit exploded. Streams of rainbow-coloured poison shot from the ruptured containers. A deadly mist of colour flooded the hallway beyond and pooled below. I flinched back from it. That stuff wasn't even safe to look at, I didn't want it on me. The bullets hadn't gone all the way through the barrels. They only sprayed outward. Right at the rhyming mare.

The screams haunted my nightmares for weeks. They didn't sound like something any equine should make. It was impossibly high-pitched and rumbled in my chest at the same time. There was a heavy thump of flesh hitting steel. She was there, on the ground. Tears of blood ran down her cheeks as she stared at her hoof. It changed before our eyes. Blistering, swelling. The flesh twisted and cracked. Massive patches of her coat shriveled to nothing as the flesh underneath bled from every pore.

All I could do was watch from behind the barrel. I couldn't step out to help without stepping in the waste. I couldn't do anything. My hooves and claws wouldn't move. I shook and cried as a real-life horror film unraveled in front of me.

The mare convulsed, slamming her head against the floor and wall in an uncontrollable seizure. Bloody foam mixed with black ooze fell from her lips. Her hooves were all wrong. The body was melting into the floor. Like she was shot with a plasma rifle in slow motion. The flesh fused seamlessly with the metal. Her eyes bulged out of her sockets, inflated like balloons. I tasted bile. At least I didn't have to pee anymore.

BANG

The raider's head popped like a zit. A mess of gore shot across the hallway, bits of her landing in the pool of noxious liquid. The gunshot pulled me from my shocked state, giving me the chance to look away from the impossible sight. Scarlet was on the far side of the gore and ooze with her shotgun held magically by her side. She looked down at the mutated raider with pity, fear and horror. "Oh, sweet Celestia... Fucking taint. That is... Fuck. Are you alright? Did any touch you!?" I shook my head, my body practically vibrating. "Thank Luna... Aella, take the long way around. I'll meet you over there ok?"

I nodded and trotted down the side hall in a haze. I'd read about taint in the Wasteland Survival Guide, an infinitely useful little book Scarlet had bought for me in Whinnies Grove. The way Ditzy Doo described it, taint was the most terrifying wasteland poison. Incurable, and often undetectable. I knew it was lethal, but that...

Never in my worst nightmare could I ever imagine there was something that could mutilate and destroy a person like that. It was like the chaos magic of the transformation pearl, but wild and corrupted. Directionless, aimless magic with near limitless power. You’d think something so deadly would be locked in a vault someplace, sealed in concrete.

A fit of gags forced me to lean against the wall. My stomach churned and spasmed violently. The horror show was too much for my body. Despite my best efforts, I retched and couched what little food was in my stomach. The sickness pooled by my claws and stained the floor.

I was pitiful. My flight goggles were wet with tears, I was sweaty and shaking. I stank of vomit and piss. I felt even worse. Even though she wanted to kill me, I felt bad that I couldn't do anything to help the unnamed mare. Scarlet setting her hoof on my shoulder made me jump. I hadn't even heard her approach.

She gave me a quick once over, her gaze lingering on my lame leg for a moment. "Come on... We need to keep moving. Let's just get the water flowing and get out of this nightmare." Somehow my friend had managed to overlook my sorry state. I appreciated it.

I trotted forward slowly, with Scarlet at my side. Nothing she said or did quite registered. My body was on autopilot. I was stuck in my head, watching the events play over and over again. She didn't deserve that. No one did. It could have just as easily been me. Or Scarlet. A drop or two on my coat, and I'd be a dead mare. As if I didn't have enough nightmares to keep me up already.

*** *** ***

It took us a while to navigate the facility. Scarlet didn’t know her way around, and I was trapped in a state of shock. It would have been faster if we used my Pipbucks automap, but I didn't care. We didn’t want to rush in case there was more taint in the building, so we took things as carefully as we could.

The next few raiders we ran into didn't put up a fight. They were in a room, enjoying the contents of Raul's personal moonshine still. They were so plastered they could hardly stand when Scarlet pumped them full of shotgun pellets. The only bright side of the SMG mare's death was in contrast, this was much more tame.

Their gear was in poor condition, but I took it anyway. A heavy-looking revolver, and an automatic pistol. This little adventure was proving to be fruitful as far as salvage went, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking anything from the facility itself. It was someone's home, after all.

We trotted into a large room, full of advanced equipment. Multiple terminals, server racks along the leftmost wall, and several ceiling turrets that were offline. I kept a watchful eye on those. The main source of light was a full-length bay window at the front that overlooked the creek. It was a pretty nice view, other than the greenish tinge from the algae on the windows, the horribly toxic water and dead plants. The emergency lights still had a charge, suggesting the power hadn't been out for more than a couple of days. There weren’t any signs of raiders inside, but their tag was painted on the window. They had definitely been here.

I was easily distracted by a curiosity in the corner. A multi-limbed robot laying limp in its dock, with a few more of its limbs sitting on a workbench next to it. An inactive levitation talisman was fitted in the bottom of the spherical body. It was a Mr. Handy, probably used for repair work. No other real reason for it to have a plasma cutter, a saw, and a pincer for its limbs.

"I'd bet my caravan that this is the control room. Not that it's worth anything now..." Scarlet muttered as she looked around for any clues or salvage.

I picked the most important computer to snoop through. The desk with the swivel chair, obviously! With no power, and no idea where the fuse box was, I had to improvise. It was nothing for me to wire the fine stable-tech equipment up to a spark battery. I'd done it a few times with the repo time, and many times when I blew out the power in my workshop and didn't have any fuses. Most of the files were quality reports from before the war, but there were a few interesting messages.

Mosaic what the hell? You said transporting all that crap would be perfectly safe. Do you have any idea how hard it’s been skimming all of that rainbow sludge out of the water? I haven't seen a single living fish or toad in the area since the spill. I thought the point of your project was to preserve wildlife? What, Luna decides that the ministries are in charge now and you both go galloping off to join up with Twilight? You have responsibilities here. Ugh, at least some unicorns from the Ministry of Arcane Sciences are supposed to come to finish up the cleanup tomorrow. but still!

Anyway, we got all the waste barreled up and ready to be transported and disposed of out west. No idea what they could want with any of your work. Not to say you and Gestalt aren’t amazing Unicorns; the Fauna Recovery Effort is amazing. I just don’t see the military application of trying to bring back extinct magical species.

Just…. Try to stay safe… This war is bad news. It's only getting worse. I'm already saving up for Stable tickets for the girls.

-Vapour Trail

So the waste was from some kind of industrial accident. I wasn't that surprised, but I didn’t understand why Twilight's Ministry never came to pick it up. Everything I read said that her ministry was always really on top of things. At the very least it would have saved us some hassle and trauma.

The terminal's remote network controls were locked out completely. Someone deeper in the facility switched all the controls to manual. Just another way these bandit ponies were seeking to make my day more complicated. Why couldn't anything in the wasteland ever be easy!

I got Scarlet caught up as I rifled through the last of the terminal files. They were all junk.

“I wonder if the raiders did it themselves, or if it was the mechanic keeping them from taking control.” She mused. “Only one way to find out. Can you direct us?”

I give a small nod, pulling up the map on my Pipbuck. The stairwell was back near the entrance, so we had to go nearly all the way back. It was annoying, honestly. A few stories down was the actual water purifying equipment itself.

Red blips appeared and darted around on my EFS, to the point where I was ignoring it. The thing couldn't tell a radroach from a death robot, and it had no idea what floor the marks were on. Ugh, computers are terrible. There was also a yellow dash on my EFS near two of the red ones. It was probably Raul, the plant's caretaker. That meant he was alive, which was good news. And with the enemy, which was bad.

The magical radiation downstairs was worse than the rest of the building. My Pipbuck made very sure to inform me of that fact with a rapid array of clicks. Rather than using a water talisman to purify the water before the war, it was easier and more cost-effective to use machines for it. Boil and filter the water, then pipe it to all of the towns nearby. Even after they were developed, water talismans were still rare and valuable artifacts. A lot of magic went into producing them.

The production area was one large room, full of giant tanks, filters, pumps, and boilers. The system was worn, with some of it held together with duct tape and solder. It was impressive considering the equipment was over 200 years old. Past all of the filters and pumps, were two very annoyed-looking stallions slamming themselves against a locked metal door. One had a brown coat with a white mane and a duct tape cutie mark. The buck who was actually doing the heavy work had a grey coat with bright red hair and a molotov cocktail cutie mark. How the heck do you get a cutie mark of a molotov cocktail!? The grey Stallion seemed to be in charge, barking orders through the door.

“You get out here and show us how this shit works, you disfigured freak, and we’ll let you live! Give us your stuff, or we’ll get rough!” He had a pump-action shotgun battle saddle, a considerable improvement over the double-barrel Scarlet was armed with. Oh spirits, hardly three days in the wasteland and I was already planning on looting a pony who was still alive. Lovely.

The brown-coated pony had a homemade magical energy weapon strapped to his side. It was crude at best. The stock consisted of a spark battery, and the body was just a steel rod. The end of the barrel was an emitter, plugged into a bunch of spark packs through a mess of coloured wires. Several gems were soldered in with the emitter, but I had no idea what they were enchanted to do.

“No! I’m not givin’ you bastard Iron Steeds a damn thing. I've kept the water here flowing for 200 years! You ain't the first to try and close the faucets, you won't be the last. You'll get what's coming, you'll see! Vision owns this water plant, Primes men'll blow you to bits! Melt your brains, turn you inside out!"

Scarlet and I moved up behind the noisy ponies, using their screaming match to cover our hoofsteps. My trusty pistol hummed to life as I drew it, its energy beating and flowing around my claw. Even with my weapon ready, I was hesitant to fire on these ponies. Thinking about pulling the trigger, turning them to ash, made me nauseous. My pistol's magical pulsing slowed suddenly. Was it... responding to me? No, no it's just a gun. A magic gun with a cosmic steel core, but still only a gun.

The crafts pony smiled at that, licking his lips. “We can arrange for that, don’t you worry. This door won't hold forever!” The shotgun pony raised his eyebrows at his companion. “Ugh… Right. If they try to block, s-show them that we rock…?” He half-shouted, half stammered. These two ponies left me very confused.

Scarlet's double-barrel pressed against one of the raider's heads as her lips formed a crooked smile. She moved out from behind the water tank, adding a bit of swagger to her gait. I followed suit, levelling my gun at the tinkerer. “Of course, it’s the fucking Iron Steeds doing this shit. Unbelievable. Aren't you a bit far south?”

BANG

I winced as the grey buck brains spattered against the wall. His lifeless body crumpled to the floor. The brown stallion aimed at me with his homemade rifle. Its barrel flared and shimmered as it charged to fire.

I looked down the sights of my gun and mentally slid into SATS. Two to his chest and one to his head, qued. The slowed time gave me a moment to think. To get a better look at my target. He was weathered and young. A long scar ran across his neck, down near his collar bone. It was almost exactly where Scarlet's collar sat against her own throat. He wasn't a raider. He was a craftspony. An escaped slave. A survivor of the endless misery the Wasteland had to offer. What gave me the right to take that from him? Even with my Pip-buck doing the work for me, I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger.

Time returned to normal as I lowered my gun. The stallion looked surprised and shocked at me, but it was too late. He'd bit down on the firing bit. A urine-coloured bolt struck the left side of my chest. The front of barding disintegrated, along with my holster. I couldn't breathe. I fell hard against the large water tank beside me. The magic ate away my coat and melted the skin underneath. It didn't meltdown below the skin that I could tell. The weapon was poorly built, ineffective. Thanks to that I would live.

The Duck Tape marked ponies eyes were wide in shock. He was moving to reach out for me with his hoof, lips moving impossibly slow. Did he regret it? Was he trying to help? Apologize? We'd never know. One moment we were looking into each other's eyes, and the next a cloud of bloody paste was in his place. The bang of Scarlet's shotgun sounded far away..

The burn in my chest lessened suddenly. I gasped and coughed as my breathing returned. Scarlet stood next to me, pouring a healing potion over my wound. The cool liquid helped ease the burn while its magic did what little it could to repair the magical damage.

“Dammit, Aella! I was worried something like this would happen.” She scoffed as she wrapped my wound with healing bandages. “That blast could have turned you to ash, you’re lucky only your garish jumpsuit got vaped.” My jumpsuit was not garish! It was… practical! Yeah! “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m sorry…” I sniffled. My vision was blurred with tears. “I tried to fire, I used SATS but I-I couldn’t do it. The life in his eyes, I couldn’t take that away from him…” And then I got shot. And Scarlet killed him anyway.

Scarlet sighed and brushed my mane back, eyes glistening as she looked me over. “It’s alright… The first kill can be hard, just… Rest for a minute, between your leg and this mess you’re not looking too hot. Too good! T-too well.” First kill. Right.

The rested my head on the floor. The grating was uncomfortable on my spine, but the cool temperature was nice at least. I felt a pinch in my flank as Scarlet dosed me with another shot of sweet, sweet painkillers. I could get away with doubling my dose thanks to my size, but it made my mind a bit swimmy.

The metal doorway sliding open got my attention. An older stallion limped out of the room, h-oh gosh. He looked like the creatures I'd fought in Stable 24, the ghoul zombies! Most of his coat was gone, leaving only oozing, flaking pink flesh. He had a bit of his blond mane still, pulled back into a short braid. He was dressed in a custodial uniform with a worn logo on the front, I assume the water plants. While I was caught off guard by his appearance, I wasn't afraid of him. He wasn't empty like the ghouls that had attacked me before. There was a spark in him. It was weak, damaged. Probably on its last legs, but it was there. A soul.

“Glad you got that riff-raff settled. Now I can get this plant running again.” His gruff raspy voice moved slowly across his tongue, each word deliberate. “I appreciate your help, but you should get going.” The ghoul pony looks down at me. “She isn’t looking good, an' the rads won't help with the healin'.”

I nodded and struggled onto all fours. Scarlet put a hoof under my barrel to help me up, then let me lean on her. "Will you be ok on your own?" I asked through gritted teeth.

His smile showed off his decayed gums and blackened teeth. "Kid, I've been living here for centuries. don't worry 'bout me. Get going. Place ain't safe for smooth coats."

“Ok, yeah… It was nice meeting you, Raul.” I held a claw out to him and managed a weak smile. The buck nodded and shook my claw.

“Thanks for the rescue, ladies. Next time pull the trigger first." He said to me, making me wince.
"Take care of yerselfs.”

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 5!

Perk added: Thick Hide. Your body has become more resilient against the physical trauma the wasteland loves to dish out. You’re thicker, stronger skin grants you +10% Damage Resistance! You are not laserproof, however, so please don’t be a dumb bird. Again.

Author's Note

This was weirdly easy to edit, making me think I missed something...