Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 7: Blinding Vision

The taste of rancid oranges on my tongue made me gag as I did my best to down my third pack of Radaway that hour. I hardly noticed when Free forced the first one into me in my feverish state. Once I had it in my system my condition started to improve.

I wasn't dying, but I felt like butt. I was covered in annoying little cuts and bruises, and it hurt to breathe deeply. My hind leg was mostly healed at least, so walking wouldn't prove too difficult. All in all, I was just tired. Tired of being hurt. Tired of losing patches of my coat... If I kept it up I'd be a bald hippogriff! I didn't have the skill to regrow my entire coat with transformation magic! Free (who got a feather hug from me the moment I saw him, of course) suggested I rest for at least a day before we get moving again. Not an easy task for one as energetic as me, but at least I was in my own bed. I got to drink my own coffee, and read my own books. It made things easier.

My prize for surviving radiation sickness was getting a firm talking to from Free, and a letter from Doctor Heartly about wasteland survival. As a hippogriff, I'm more vulnerable to radiation, and my heightened sensitivity to magic makes that even worse. I had to be more careful than most. Carry a respirator, use Rad-Safe, and keep an eye on my Geiger counter. Doctor Heartly also suggested I adjust my Pip-buck to account for the weakness. It was easy to change the resistance coefficient, but I had no idea what to set it to. I cut it by half, to be safe.

Free officiality asked me if he could join us now that his contract with Whinnies Grove was done, and things were getting back to normal. While I still didn’t trust him, I let him come. I kinda had no choice. It felt wrong to let my biases toward his ancestors affect my opinion of him. That wasn't the kind of person I wanted to be. He seemed like a nice pony. He helped save my life, he and Scarlet got along well enough, and he even made sure we got paid for helping the town.

A novasurge rifle was slung over my back. A sleek, long rifle painted black. Several gems lined the barrel, waiting to magically charge shots that it could no longer produce. It was in rough shape, sporting several cracks and dents along its body. The weapon not powering on did nothing to kill my excitement. With my brain and my claws, I can fix anything! A busted-up rifle? Piece of cake. Soon, I'd have one of the most advanced magical energy weapons Equestria ever developed at my disposal!

Free gave it to me as part of our payment. A relic he kept from his time serving the Enclave. I think he also gave it to me to show us and himself that he'd left that part of his life behind, that he wasn't an enclave pegasus anymore. We also got a bag of caps that I let Scarlet deal with, (Cause that's what money is, as everyone knows. Obviously.) and a hoofdrawn thankyou card from the foals. It was adorable! I couldn't stop fussing over it. They made stick ponies of Scarlet and me, with a geyser going off behind us. A bunch of thank yous were messily written along the sides. I kept it at my side the entire time I was recovering.

Free was amazed at the technological marvel that was my ship. From my perspective, the technology and talisman used weren't all that special or advanced, but I could understand how it would look to an Equestrian pony. Even the Enclaves tech didn't meet our standards in some regards. Developing new technology is a lot easier without the resource constraints they have in the sky. He asked loads of questions, and actually seemed to understand some of the answers!

Free was most excited about the clinic. diagnosis equipment, various machines, and most importantly it was sterile. He was so excited to be working in a functional (mostly) stocked clinic. It was his first time having a proper workspace since he came to the wasteland. He was intent on giving Scarlet and I physicals. Me to make sure I was healing well, and both of us so that he could have an idea of our overall health and underlying conditions. An 'intake appointment' he called it.

I had no problem having a physical done. It had been a few years since I'd seen a doctor, so it was probably worth checking out. Plus, I could teach the buck about the differences between pony and hippogriff anatomy! He was eager to learn what I managed to retain from school, and for everything else I had textbooks!

Scarlet wasn't receptive to the idea. She had some trust issues, especially around stallions. She hated anything that would make her feel exposed or vulnerable. I couldn't blame her. She'd probably dealt with some horrible things throughout her life. The wasteland was a dangerous place for a mare on her own.

I stripped out of my tattered barding and plopped myself onto the same low-sat bed I was in after the crash. Free was about to hook me up to the medical terminal to get an idea of how my body was doing on the inside. I motioned at my Pip-buck with a chirp, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Pony feathers... I really wanted to use it..." The buck got started with his exam, starting with my chest. The entire left side of my breast was a mess of bumpy, dark-coloured scar tissue. I felt a bit like crying as he told me he didn't think my coat would ever grow back there. It was nothing to wasteland standards. A flesh wound. But it was a big deal to me. Not even a week in Equestria and I was disfigured. I wondered how much worse things could get before my quest was over. If I could even succeed at all... If I was back home my sister would help me shapeshift it to normal flesh when it was healed better, but even with transformation magic, it would never be quite right.

The bullet wound on my flank healed slowly, but I wouldn't have any visible scars from it. The wound was scabbed over and already had a few hairs growing back in. I was battered, but I tried to focus on the fact that I was still alive. I'd recover with few complications. Only because others stepped in to save me. If I could save my sister's life, my people, it would be worth all of the pain I'd endure.

After checking my temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure I was finished. Well, the physical was. He did want to take a look at my beak, talons, and wings, mostly out of curiosity. Apparently, I had longer thinner feathers than pegasi did, and my talons were more brittle than griffons. Not sure if that matters for anything though. He didn't comment on the wounds on my wing, other than that it was healing well. The feathers I'd lost would be good as new soon.

That reminded me that I needed a bath and to preen my wings. I couldn't remember the last time I'd preened my wings, so it had to belong overdue. A body needs just as much care and maintenance as any other machine or piece of equipment, after all.

“Your fever broke, and your Pipbuck isn’t showing any radiation in your system. Your vitals all look good." He said as he looked at the monitor above the bed. It got constant updates from my Pip-buck and implant, everything from vitals to neurological function. "You need to keep it easy on that leg though. The bullet wound will slow you down. Try to use it regularly so it doesn’t stiffen up, but don’t put all of your weight on it either. It fractured one of the bones, so we don’t want that to get any worse.”

“Hah, that might actually be a problem, feather brain. Aella here spends as much time as she can in the air.” Scarlet quipped with a laugh. If Feather Free was bothered by the lazy insult, it didn’t show. He simply nodded, taking a moment to feel the muscles in and around my wings. He seemed content with my overall health and physique.

Armed with a fresh bill of health and a persistent headache I slid off the bed. The buck had done so much for me. Helped get the medicine to treat my sickness and patch me up. Coming along to keep an eye on us, and help me save my people. Having a medical expert would give us an incalculable edge on our journey. I wrapped my arms around Free, overcome by the urge to hug him. The little buck stammered for a moment as I have his soft coat a nuzzle.

Scarlet sneered a bit as I pulled out of the hug. The charismatic mare trotted past us with a huff and sat her flank on the bed. She glared at the confused buck expectantly. "Well? You wanted to look me over."

The show of trust made Free smile a bit. "Sure, let's get started. Would you mind removing your barding so I can get started?" The crudely armoured jumpsuit I'd given her was peeled away, leaving only the mare underneath.

A story of pain and suffering was engraved across her body. Long shallow scars. Short, deeper wounds still struggling to heal. Blotches of purple and green bruising. Mangy fur marred with bald patches that would never heal. All skillfully hidden under her barding or rags up until that point. I'd never realized how thin she was before. Scarlet kept her face on the floor, out of shame or embarrassment.

The mare's body told a story of pain and suffering worse than anything I could imagine. Her back was a mess of long shallow scars, with the odd short deep one cutting sideways. There were blotches of bruising that never managed to heal properly, leaving patches of purple and green flesh covered in a layer of thin grey hair. Her limbs and flank weren't much better. Her coat was mangy, with various bald spots through it. Scarlet kept her eyes cast down at the floor, looking solemn. She didn't want me to see it, and I couldn't understand why. Was she ashamed? Embarrassed? Maybe she just didn't want pity. That was something I could understand.

I always assumed Scarlet's cuts and nicks were from years in the wasteland. I also assumed that her being captured and enslaved was a one-time occurrence that she'd escaped from. I assumed a lot and was wrong about all of it. Years of whippings and malnourishment were etched and burned right into her flesh.

The only thing I was sure of at that moment was that this little pony that saved my life was hurting. She put so much effort into hiding the fact. My heart bled for her. I staggered to her with a gasp and wrapped my arms and wings around her tightly. She slowly put a hoof around me, but kept staring down. Tears were streaming down my face. If she wasn't going to cry, then I'd cry for her. It was all I could do.

She let me hold her for about a minute before she pulled from my embrace. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. It’s just… I don’t want to be seen as just another escaped slave in the wasteland, that isn’t who I am. I’m a trader, I’m an explorer, I don't… want my time in Fillydelphia, or anywhere else back then to define me. Not when I’m finally free of it all.”

Scarlet's history was long and sad. She was enslaved as a filly and forced to work on rock farms or factories, sold from one place to another. She got a taste of freedom a few years later when she escaped a mining camp out east. She was captured again when a raider clan attacked a village she was staying in. Sold to the worst pony to walk the wastes in ages. Red Eye. The charismatic ruler of Filly was dead now, but the wounds he left on the wasteland would never heal. An entire city built on the backs of slaves. She escaped Fillydephia sometime later. She wasn't willing to go into the how of it all. Just that it ended with a lot of dead friends, and an ocean of blood. A single tear ran down her face as she finished. I sat next to her with my wing draped over her shoulder.

“Let's just… Get this exam over with ok? I don’t want to think about this, iI just... I want it all to be gone. I need to keep moving forward.”

I didn’t pay any attention to Scarlet's physical. I couldn't. Too many emotions to process. Too many thoughts shooting off at light speed. I was told one story, but I heard two. One was the story of someone I was growing to care about, fighting for her right to be free in a world stacked against her. One was the echo of the story. The countless ponies who had been through similar experiences. The ones who hadn't been lucky enough to find their freedom.

The wasteland was scary. Cruel. A place devoid of light and love. Even after the Lightbringer brought hope to the ponies below, there was still so much suffering. It terrified me. It broke my heart.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Hey Aqua

I hope everything is ok back home. Things here have been… rough. But not terrible. My new friend Scarlet and I helped save a farm town. Their water was broken, and we fixed it. They were so happy… The foals even made us a card hahah. It’ll all be detailed in my official reports, so don’t worry you’ll hear everything!

Wasn’t all fun and games though. I was shot twice. I got radiation sickness. It was pretty rough. But I made a real difference. I’ve… never felt happy or fulfilled with my life before. Sure back home my work made me feel challenged and kept me busy, but this… Travelling around and saving people. Seeing their smiles. People are capable of great evil… But we can do good, too. So that’s what I wanna do. Of course, I’m still going to work to find a way to help you all, but… My journey, the suffering of our people can all mean something more. I think I can make the wasteland a better place while I’m here. I have to try. There are heroes here, just like in the stories! Countless individuals and groups of friends who make life better for those around them. Lights in the darkness. I want to be part of that.

I’ll stay safe. With my friends beside me, I know I can overcome whatever this tainted, radioactive country has to throw at us. I love you sis. Stay safe.

-Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

Scarlet's plan to get us to Vision was simple. With the Skystar being unreliable under the cloud curtain, we'd have to leave it behind. We parked it in Whinnies Grove, hoping it'd be able to get a decent charge from the town's limited sunlight before we got back. The train was going to come through to bring back the merchants and their spoils, so all we had to do was ride the rails up to Vision when it arrived!

We were as ready to brave the wastes as we could be. We packed food, meds, water, ammo. Free wore his Black combat armour, carbine snug against his side. Despite having his own pair of wings the pegasus seemed content to trot along beside Scarlet and me. I was too busy trying to unknot the mess of emotions in my chest to fly. It was like untangling cables if you weren't willing to look at them while you worked. Scarlet had her new pump-action shotgun we’d got from the pump station slung over her shoulder, and a new set of leather armour she’d been gifted by the owner of the general store. ‘Whinnies Grove General’ was embroidered on the breast of the armour. Apparently, adventurers made for good advertisement. I made sure to give both of their weapons a once over before we left. Scarlets was in dire need of a good cleaning and oiling, while Free's was well maintained. I wouldn't expect anything less from an army buck.

I had my new broken Nova Surge Rifle hung at my side. Its long slender frame was mostly intact, with just a few dents and scratches. The black and green paint it had been previously was chipping away, but I didn't mind. I planned on painting it purple to match my wings anyway. It didn’t have any discernible trigger, so it was probably controlled through a spell matrix, like EFS or SATS, built into the enclave's power armour. I’d probably be able to wire it to my Pipbuck. From there I’d be able to fire it with my neural interface. Finally a use for that stupid implant my father forced me to get as a foal.

I’d also gotten myself some better barding before leaving Whinnies Grove. I’d grabbed another set of utility barding from the ship, these ones a deep forest green, which the nice lady at the general store armoured with heavy leather padding for me. The deep green with the dark leather went really well with my look, thankfully! And it was a lot safer than just wearing barding, of course.

Despite my best efforts, my mind kept trying to wonder as we made our way to the train station. The nightmares and memories I suffered through while I was sick were fresh in my mind, and I was having a hard time pushing them back down again. It was like I was treading water. Every memory was a wave that threatened to flood my lungs and pull me into the briny deep. Not a great metaphor considering I can breathe underwater, but that's how it felt. My friends were worried for me, I think. Scarlet kept glancing over at me when she thought I wasn't paying attention. Free checked up on me every couple hours, or sooner if I started to cough or limp.

When she wasn't worried about me, Scarlet was regaling the farmers with the story of what happened at the animal clinic. The ponies enjoyed the distraction from the dull ride to the train station, and everyone got super into it. It seemed everyone was starved for entertainment in the wasteland, and sharing the details of a good adventure was perfect to alleviate the boredom.

Hearing it all again made me feel worse. They'd risked their lives for me. Ponies died! It didn't feel far. I'd need to find a way to make it up to them. It did bring up the question of why the alicorn creatures were fighting one another, and who the unusual earth pony was. I didn't have enough wasteland experience to even attempt to find the answers though.

The feathers on my head and wings drooped as we stood on the train platform. The rain had come on suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere. A group of farmers were with us, already sending up another load of their crops. These ones were mostly canned goods to keep them preserved. There was no overhang for us to get out of the steady rain falling on us. My friends had decided that the best thing to do was have me stretch out my wings so they could sit under them. Better only one of us get soaked than everypony, I guess. Well, Rumble was getting wet too but the little bot wasn't as bothered by it.

Finally, the train rolled up and we could all get out of the rain. The farm ponies waved and nodded to us as they got to work offloading their goods and getting their spoils from the merchants. After just 15 minutes, the farmers were driving their spark wagon home while the merchants inventoried the crates of canned goods in the boxcar.

We found a cozy table to sit at in the passenger cart, where we'd be spending most of the journey. The walls were metal, rusted with peeling red paint in spots. The cabin was lit by weak gem lights in the ceiling, flickering when the train rumbled back and forth every so often. It was a sad atmosphere on the outside, but the existence of the functioning train itself was a marvel.

Tired from the journey we all enjoyed our breakfasts in silence. Between the train workers and the heavy turrets on each car, it was probably the most secure land vehicle on the planet. It's not like there's any chance of somepony getting a tank up and running or anything. Scarlet even broke out one of the bottles of wing Pear blossom had gifted us, which she was enjoying immensely. The merchants sat a few rows back from us, quietly chatting about their own recent adventures or things they'd heard about on the radio. I mostly tuned them out.

I was much more interested in the trains speaker system. It was playing the same station that had charmed me in Pearl's bar. It was pretty quiet but added a lovely energy to the otherwise dull space. Especially when Sapphire Shores' sweet voice came across the airwaves. When the song ended, the sweet silky vocals were replaced with the charismatic radio host, DJ Pon-3. I quite enjoyed his attitude and demeanour and appreciated when he gave advice on wasteland survival. I had to learn everything I could.

Good evening everypony, it’s your favourite radio DJ here to bring you the latest news from across the wasteland, no matter how bad it hurts. New Appaloosa is on the road to recovery since they were attacked by what's left of Old Appaloosa. Assistance from the Applejacks Rangers, Followers, and some local pegasi citizens has expedited the process and has the town feeling a whole lot safer. That's right, Velvet Remedy's little group is finally getting their hooves off the ground, now employing dozens of alicorns, ponies, and even the odd griffon of all creatures! Need to make some caps? They're always looking for more hooves. Now I know the first instinct of most folk when they see an alicorn is to go in guns blazing or head for the hills, but a lot of these folks are just trying to make up for the bullshit their goddess put us all through. So try not to shoot 'em on sight, alright? Not that you'd be able to take them on, anyway.

In other news, word in the west is that a pair of mares saved the farming settlement of Whinnies Grove from their choice of radiation sickness or dehydration. See, the place was on the brink! No Rad Away, no Radsafe, not a drop of clean water in sight. That is until these heroes flew in on their airship to take their water plant back from a pack of Iron Stead Raiders! That's not all, see one of ‘em is an honest-to-goddess Hippogriff! I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried my little ponies. If you see The Captain and her crew flying around in that shiny boat, give ‘em a friendly wave for me would ya? Keep fightin’ the good fight, girls.

With the news out of the way, I leave you with the lovely sounds of your favourite medical pony, Velvet Remedy.

I was on the radio? I was on the radio. I was on the radio!

“I was on the radio!” I said with a smile as I leapt from my seat. Scarlet giggled, with Free just smiling a bit. “How-how-how did he know? Did someone tell him? How did he know so much about what happened? I thought he was on the other side of the country? This just happened two days ago! I-I-I-I-”

Scarlet giggle gave way to hysterical laughter as she thumped the table with her hoof. “I think the voice of the wasteland broke her.” She joked, much to Frees amusement. After a few more seconds of laughing, she did her best to fill me in. “No ponies really sure how the DJ knows what he knows, but he’s been reporting the news across the wasteland since before the war. Lotta theories how, I personally think he’s a ghoul. Love the idea of a ghoul living among those stuck-up pricks in Manehattan, hahah..”

I sat back down in my seat, a smile still plastered on my face. “Wow… I’ve… I’ve never been noticed by any pony before... o-or appreciated. Not by anypony who wasn’t family… Oh no, what if ponies start to recognize me!? I’m probably the only Hippogriff in the country, I don’t like being the center of attention!”

Scarlet continued to giggle. Free rested a hoof on my shoulder. "It'll be fine. Most of the wasteland won't even know what a hippogriff is. And besides, it's pretty early. Odds are good nopony heard the broadcast anyway." The kind buck reasoned.

That… was a good point. Most ponies just seemed to think I was some kind of griffon, which wasn’t far from accurate. The broadcast had brought up something that I’d been curious about since Pearls bar but hadn’t had a chance to bring up. “Caps?” I asked to the confusion of my companions. After a moment I realized how broad and random the statement was, and explained. “Caps are used as currency? That is… that is your money?”

Scarlet still looked confused, but Free just chuckled. “It was a bit of a surprise for me too. Up above the clouds they’re still using bits. Was shocked when I found out a can of soup would run me 26 caps.” Scarlet raised her eyebrows in shock. Apparently, that was a lot? “It was Tenpony Tower, prices there are… Ugh, yeah.”

“Tenpony tower?”

This time it was Scarlet who filled in the blanks. “Some booshy ass settlement in Manehattan. Bunch of primping asshat wearing aristocrats. Fucking assholes is what they are.” She followed up her answer with a long swig of pear wine. She had some very strong opinions on those people.

“Right... Anyway, caps. Why caps? I understood bits, more or less. The government made a currency for trade to be convenient, it represents the value of gold, capitalism blah blah blah, that all kinda makes sense. But who in the wasteland decided one day, let's use bottle caps for money? ”

Scarlet just kind of shrugged. “It’s how it’s always been, I don’t really know why. I’m sure someone in the wasteland somewhere understands it, but I don’t. My father probably would have known, I heard he was a decent trader. I just roll with the punches.”

“It makes sense in a strange way.” Our medic interjected. “They’re rare, but not super rare. They’re easy to identify, hard to counterfeit. It’s likely they tried different things, and bottlecaps just happened to work.”

I nodded to the feathered buck. He was right of course. When put that way it almost made sense. But from an outside perspective, I still found it very very stupid. Makes more sense than paper money, or trying to use bits again though. Surely there are better things to barter with, even items as simple as ammo and drugs.

I sighed and laid my head down on the table. I’d had enough learning about caps for the day. Caps hurt my brain.

Instead, I watched the sheets of rain pour over The Greater Trottingham area. Despite the thunder and lightning being far off, every time the sky flashed or rumbled made my feathers stand on end. I tried to pretend that my friends didn't notice how uncomfortable each strike made me.

I spent most of the train trip sleeping. I was still exhausted from my recent run-in with death, and it wasn't like there was much else to do on a train. Without nightmares haunting me I manage to get some actual rest

*** *** ***

The following evening started with the worst wake-up call of my life. I went from a lovely dream about a cute pegasus mare to nearly being flung from my seat. I gave a startled yelp as the train lurched. Scarlet wrapped a hoof around my semi-conscious form to keep me in my seat.

Feather Free spoke before I could even ask what was happening. “I’ve never taken the train before, but this doesn’t seem normal.” He stated with a note of concern. Scarlet confirmed his suspicions.

“I swear if a vehicle I’m in is getting struck by lightning again…” I muttered under my breath. I narrowed my eyes at the storm that was now raging above us. It was a small miracle it hadn’t woken me from my sleep. Every 15 seconds or so there’d be a bright flash from above, followed by the sound of a cannon going off.

As we got up from our seats one of the train ponies galloped in from the cargo area, charging towards the engine. I waved a wing to get his attention. “Is everything ok, why are we stopping?”

The young charcoal-coloured buck shook his head. “Rockslide from the storm. Tracks up ahead are buried. The conductor's worried being stuck here will make us a target for bandits, so we're securing the area. Keep your guns close just in case.” Without another word, the buck rushed off to the engine.

None of us needed convincing as we double-checked our weapons. It seemed unlikely anypony would come after the train though. Between the laws saying ponies weren’t allowed to, and the giant guns on the roof. Both very powerful deterrents.

What was likely was that we’d be there for a while. The train ponies weren’t going to try and clear the track until the weather improved, but nopony knew when that could be. The conductor radioed Vision to ask for aid, but they weren’t willing to send any ponies out into the terrible storm either.

There really wasn’t much we could do at that point. It could be faster to go the rest of the way on foot, but I had no desire to go for a walk in the rain. For all I knew, the sky was trying to kill me! Did the Light Bringer somehow have it out for me? Or was I just the unluckiest mare in Equestria?

We settled on heading out once the lightning died down. I wanted to stay on the train and wait, but Scarlet insisted we keep moving. I wasn’t excited about trudging through mud and rain for the rest of the… day? I was pretty sure it was late morning, but the stormy sky was nearly black. A clock appeared in the corner of my EFS for a moment, prompted by my curiosity. Oh wow, 7pm. Way off.

We all saddled up, wrapping ourselves in crude ponchos made of old tarps. It was better than nothing. While my friends debated the best route to take on foot, as apparently, a straight line was not an option, I found a corner to sit in. I know I wasn’t any safer from pending lightning strikes in a corner, but it made me feel a bit better.

After an hour of waiting, we were off. The wind was terrible, to the point where fighting it to fly over the mud wasn’t worth the energy. I landed beside Scarlet and Free panting and shivering. Free chuckled, finding entertainment in me trying and failing to fly in the harsh weather.

Even the light of Pipbuck, horn, and flashlight hardly made a dent in the darkness. We only had 5 meters of visibility at any time, often less when the rain or hail decided to come down harder. Trotting through the sopping mud quickly soured my mood and sapped my energy. My coat and feathers were caked in mud halfway up my legs and tail. We all were. The longer we walked, the less talkative and more grumpy everypony became.

Every few minutes a bolt of lightning would come a little too close for comfort, making me squawk or wince. After two or three scares I ended up having to explain to my companions about the crash that led me to meet Specter. I didn’t want them thinking I was a little filly afraid of a storm. I was almost fully grown! Once they were caught up my friends understood why I was still a bit twitchy in rough weather.

After only an hour, the three of us were soaked to the bone, chattering from the damp cold, and generally miserable. We decided to divert our route to try and find someplace to get out of the cold.

It wouldn’t be hard to find shelter in the ruined suburb of Trottingham. Finding intact shelter, however... Most of the houses on the outskirts were too ruined to be a decent shelter. All missing walls, roofs, or simply filled in with rubble. As we were heading down the street toward more intact houses, I noticed something flickering in the distance. It was hard to see through my water-covered goggles, but…

“Guys, I see a fire?” I half-shouted over the rain. Both of them stopped to look at me, then followed my gaze. I felt a tug on my tail as I continued to trot, almost making me trip into the sloppy ground. Scarlet dropped my tail from her mouth, before fixing me with a stare.

“We can’t just go over there! We don’t know who’s fire it is. It could be a raider camp, slavers, it-”

“It could be a trader or some travellers like us too! I’m not saying walk up and say hello, we can get close and take a look at them. At the very least I’ll be able to check them out on EFS.”

Scarlet still looked hesitant, but Free flew in for the save. “I agree with Aella. She has a Pipbuck, we should make use of it. If they’re not hostile, it could be nice to sit and get warm by a fire. They probably have some shelter.”

Scarlet sighed and stomped a hoof but relented. “Alright, fine. But if this goes south, I told you so!” The red mare grumbled.

“We’re not going south, Vision is still to the North.” I pointed out, sauntering towards the flickering light in the distance.

The orange and blue maned mare stammered for a minute, before sighing softly. “It’s an expression Aella, as in if something goes wrong I’m holding you two accountable.”

“Oh, oh! Yeah, I don’t see a problem with that!” I remarked with my trademark enthusiasm.

We made our way towards the light, slinking through backyards to keep out of sight. The light we’d seen came through a window of a department store. We settled into an adjacent storefront, studying the building from the second floor.

A unicorn stallion and an earth pony mare watched over the entrance. Both wore silver-painted combat armour with an eye stencilled on the collar, armed with assault rifles. There were at least three more ponies on the roof armed with snipers. My EFS proved to be less useful than I’d hoped. There were too many markers in the area to make out any individual tic. A sea of yellow with a blotch of red here or there.

The symbol of an eye with a star-shaped iris was spray-painted on the side of the building, matching the ponies barding. 'Vision Penitentiary' the wall above it cautioned in bright blue script.

“Vision has a prison?” Scarlet muttered to herself as we looked at the building. It made sense to me. Vision upheld the law in the region, so it stood to reason they'd need a place to keep those who broke them. “I always wondered what they did with their criminals they didn't hang. I guess now we know. It’s weird I’ve never heard of it though...”

“You think they’d let us get out of the rain in there?” I asked as I studied the unusual building. Many of the windows were boarded up, and those that weren’t had iron bars crudely bolted over them. Amateurs. The building had several entrances, but all but the one near the front and the loading bay near the back were barricaded and boarded up.

“It’s worth a shot. I’ve been to Vision a bunch of times, they’re kind ponies. Keep your guard up though, no idea what might be going on here. Especially if they have raiders locked up in this place.”

We approached carefully, the ruby glow of Scarlet's horn making us visible to the guard ponies. The two of them cock their heads as we approach through the endless downpour. I smiled and waved my wing at them. They responded by levelling their shiny rifles in our direction. Rumble let out an anxious beep as he hid behind me.

“What’s your business?” The earth pony mare asked. She wasn’t near her firing bit, but her unicorn friend's rifle was floating at the ready between them. Scarlet slowly approached them with Free and I on either side of her.

“We were looking to get out of the rain and came across this place. The train tracks are covered over from a mudslide, so we’re trying to hoof it to Vision. Any chance we can get out of the rain a bit to warm up?”

The mare considering it for a moment. “No. This is a private facility. 'Sides, we already got enough to deal with. With the power out, keeping this place warm and lit has been a pain in the ass. I’m sure-”

“What’s wrong with your power?” I stepped forward as I cut in.

The two ponies looked at me for a moment, before the stallion answered. “Fuck if we know. Spark generator just died on us in the middle of the storm. Couldn’t get the damn thing to restart, no idea how to fix it.”

Scarlet raised her eyebrow at me, silently asking if I could fix it. Pfft, as if that's even a question. Of course, I nodded. “My friend here is an engineer. How about we fix your power, and you give us lodging until this shit clears up?” Of course, barter! Scarlet's specialty.

The mare thought for a moment, looking me up and down. “You are wearing the barding for it… You clearly ain't from around here. Alright. She can go look at the genny. When the lights are on, you two can come in.”

My friends looked hesitant, but I nodded and asked, “It’s on the roof?” The guard pony nodded. “Great! I’ll be back in a couple of minutes!” With a dramatic unfurl of my wings, the storm winds carried me up to the roof.

The second I landed there was a yelp. Then a gun in my face. The sniper pony wasn't happy about the sudden appearance of a flyer. I was lucky he hadn't pulled the trigger from just how much he was shivering. I raised my claws and chirped anxiously. “Friendly! H-hold fire or whatever! I’m here to fix your power! Please don't shoot I’ve been shot more than enough this week!” After taking a moment to double-check my story with the two guards on the door he let me get to work. Annoyingly they insisted on me doing it under guard, which was a bit distracting. I think it’s quite reasonable to not enjoy having a firearm pointed at you!

The Spark Generator was in good condition for being over two centuries old. A giant metal box filled with complex spell matrixes, gems, and countless other doodads. I spent five minutes checking over the basics. First spark. Capacitors were still charged, so that wasn't it. Fuel? Spark Generators didn't use fuel in the same way other machines did, but I could feel magic in most of the gems inside. Compression? Not a coal or natural gas engine, so that didn't matter. Maybe I was a bit out of my depth...

Just as I started to doubt myself I cracked it. The primary relay was burnt out, and the capacitors for the secondary had burst. I didn't have the parts or tools to replace a relay assembly, but I could easily swap out a few capacitors! Another unit across the roof had what I needed. This one was blackened and bent. The case sagged into itself. It was hit by lightning... At least I wasn't the only one the skies hated.

I stripped the busted generator and pocketed all of the good parts, save for the ones I needed. Five minutes later sparky was fit with a pair of new-old parts! With a flip of the primary breaker, it roared to life. The instrument panel flickered on, as did a blinking red light on the top. I could feel the magical energy in the air being pulled gently towards the machine to be converted into usable power. It only ran at 20% capacity, but I figured it'd be enough for heat and lighting. Even if I wanted to sit down to work on it, restoring the machine wasn't an option. Too many bad parts. It'd already been jury-rigged into working at least twice, with random duct tape and wires bypassing damaged parts.

"Holy hell you actually powered that thing on..." The sniper said with wonder as I stepped away from it and pulled off my work gloves.

I gave the buck a sideways glance. "Well yeah, I said I did. Hippogriffs know better than to go back on a deal. She still has a few decent years left in her. Though, once it breaks down again you'll need to replace it. Keep that in mind." With that, I glided down to meet my friends. Two very shocked guard ponies watched me land. It seemed neither of them thought I’d actually be able to fix the centuries-old technology either. I stuck my tongue out at them as I bumped my claw against Scarlet's outstretched hoof.

Our negotiator sauntered up to the guard's ponies and winked. “As you can see, my brilliant Hippogriff friend has made good on our end of the deal. So?” The stallion sighed and went to unlock the door. The mare was still watching me, wearing an expression I couldn’t quite place.

Finally, she nodded towards the opening door. “Head up the stairs, that’s the guard shack. I’ll need all of your names for my report?”

Report, huh? How organized! “I’m Aella. Aella Breeze!” After a moment I added. "Tec-I mean Engineering Apprentice H-71." They were army ponies that did reports! They'd probably be all specific with titles and stuff.

“Scarlet Keeper, I’m a local caravan head.”

“Feather Free, freelancer, medic.” Apparently, we're keeping it simple and to the point then. Ops.

“Ruby Rain, pleasure. Our boss should be up there manning the radio, let him know about the deal, yeah?” We all nodded and headed in. The doorway was once an emergency exit out of the stairwell. The door into the department store was barred, so our only option was to go up the stairs as we were told.

The lights were on now, though like most places in the wasteland very few of them worked. They'd converted the breakroom upstairs into a command center or office of some kind. Sat at the far table was a griffon hovering over a shame radio. Her feathers were a nice deep green, accented by the bright colour of her beak. She had her fair share of battle scars, though nothing like Scarlets. She was larger than me in build, and several inches taller. A heavy sword was slung over her back made of shining silver metal. I swear the energy around the sword was vibrating... Or I just stood next to a running Spark Generator and my arcane sense was thrown off. Duh.

In the corner was a set of what could only be her power armour. The metal was painted to match her feathers, mainly protecting the sides, chest, and upper legs. It wasn't as complete as Steel Ranger armour, likely so it wasn't too hard to move around in. The areas that weren't actual plate armour were lined with ballistic fibre. All in all, it was of beautiful design.

The chick glanced up at us and groaned. "Oh great, what is it now!?" The griffon's voice was gruff and rumbly, but most of all tired. She was trying to hide it though, even going as far as to stifle her yawns.

Scarlet smiled as best she could as she explained. "Sorry to intrude. Ruby said if we got the lights on we could come in to dry off and warm up."

The griffon nodded a bit. Her eyes met each of us, ending on me. She rose from her seat, talons clicking against the floor as she walked up to me. "What in the damned wasteland are you supposed to be?"

I gulped as I tried my best to answer. Suddenly there was a desert in my beak. She was at least three times as scary as she was hot. Not a bad ratio at all... "Hippogriff. I'm one, I mean. From out of town... Obviously." I slowly extended my wing out towards her. Because it's the polite thing to do. Not because my wings were going to unfurl anyway. No reason for that to happen.

“Huh. Half pony half griffon. Not half bad." Was that a compliment? For the life of me, I couldn't tell. "Not the weirdest thing I've seen in the wastes I guess. Well, good to meet you. Suppose that’d make you this Captain the DJ's been going on about. Don't you have a flying machine? Meh, doesn't matter. Names Strife. Take a seat wherever, I got work to do.”

We left the griff to her work as we all stripped our barding to dry. A fire in the corner was still lit, so that's where we hung our stuff and got comfy. Rumble floated quietly nearby. He seemed curious about everything going on, or at least I thought he was. Too bad I can't tell what he's thinking.

If I really wanted to I could connect him to my Pipbuck. It can work as a wireless node. Still, that would give him access to a lot more than I was comfortable with. Even if he was my friend, I wasn't comfortable being that vulnerable. I have no idea what kind of stuff he'd be able to access through my augments. I wanted to play some of the music I recorded from the DJ's broadcasts, but it seemed rude with Strife trying to talk on her radio. Better not to annoy the giant griffon with the me-sized sword.

Strife had a hard time raising anyone on the radio for a while. An hour later I was about to offer to check over her equipment when she finally managed a signal. She got in contact with the train conductor of all ponies. “I can’t send any ponies to work the lines until the weather fucks off. There’s no point getting them out there to work if it’ll just cause more problems. Once the sky’s done pissing rain, I’ll have Sherbert and Ruby get their lazy stock down there to dig the tracks out. That should be enough security to make sure none of ‘em try to make a run. And listen, next pony to suggest that someone set off charges to cause the landslide will be joining 'em, got it?”

Scarlet went ridged beside me. Her body was vibrating. Her breathing was faster, shallow. Something was clearly wrong but I had no idea what. We were safe, warm, dry. Despite that, her eyes were wide open. She was staring at something only she could see. Whatever it was had her terrified. I hadn't known the mare for too long, but I'd never seen her react like this before.

I moved closer to her on the bench we sat on and rested my claw on her shoulder. The mare shuttered at the contact but didn't react otherwise. "Scarlet, what's wrong?" Free looked up from a can of beans he was eating and frowned. "I've got it." I mouthed to him silently. He nodded but continued to keep an eye on us.

"I can't be here..." She barely whispered. I wrapped my wing around her and slowly started to stand her up. I needed to get here someplace else. Anywhere but here. Something triggered this, and the only thing I could think of was the radio conversation droning on in the background. I couldn't understand why, but that didn't matter. Something triggered her panic attack, and we needed to get here away from it.

"Let's get you out into the hall, ok? We can talk there if you need to. It'll be quieter." She leaned her body against mine the same way I had when I had radiation sickness.

"Have a good smoke break, don't stay in the rain too long," Free said as we trotted into the stairwell. I didn't understand it at the time, but apparently, he'd been covering for us. He didn't want Scarlet and I to draw the attention of Strife. Thankfully she was too busy squeaking into her ham radio to notice our departure anyway.

Suddenly scarlet took the lead. Down the stairwell, to the barred door near the first floor. Without a thought, the mare pulled the bar away with her magic and threw it open. Every time I thought I'd experienced the worst the wasteland had to offer, it found a way to one-up itself. Chuckling to itself as it watched the living fall deeper and deeper into despair.

The department store stank of excrement and blood. The guards wore respirators or bandanas to keep the smell at bay. The sprawling department store had been completely gutted and remodelled. Shelving units were welded together and reinforced to serve as cages, spaced randomly through the room. Thin slits cut every few inches provided the only light or fresh air for their occupants. Planks bridged the gaps between cages to function as a walkway. A few of the cages had tables set on on top of them for guards to sit at and chat as they worked.

The occupants were suffering. Too many creatures forced into too small of a space. Covered in a mess of untreated bruises and cuts. Infection seeped into the wounds from their dirt and body fluid-caked bodies. Most were naked, though a few of them wore tattered rags stained with blood and dirt. Their eyes were sunken. Their bodies were just skin and bone. A few were starting to lose their hair as their skin flaked away. I wasn't sure if it was from starvation or radiation. Probably both. My breath caught in my throat as the sound of rutting and crying flowed from one of the far cages. Whimpers and cries sounded every few seconds from one place or another. I had no concept of how many ponies they were holding. Under all the grime in the dim light, I couldn't even be sure any of them were ponies.

It was insanity. Everything I knew about ponies and their country was ruined forever. Tainted by the monstrous images of the sorry prison they kept. If this was their idea of civilization none of them deserved it. There was no friendship and love here. Just a group of ponies who got off on having control over others. I had no doubt if their princesses could see them now every one of those ponies would burn.

Half a dozen ponies sat around a table on the cage in the center. They paid no mind to the suffering around them. I don't think they even noticed it. The guard ponies focused on their 'work,' mostly by slacking off. Cards were shuffled, dash inhalers were spent, and no hoof was left without a bottle of beer. They didn't look how I imagined slavers to look but I had no doubt that's what I was seeing. They were dressed in high quality, well-maintained armour just like the ponies outside. The only difference was these ones were armed with cattle prods and whips along with a variety of small firearms. A few of them laughed or shouted for the tortured souls below to shut up as they gambled carelessly.

The slavers were playing cards and drinking. One of them was taking a hit of Dash with a giant smile on her face. Three of them were armed with whips and cattle prods, while the others had firearms. They completely ignored the suffering of the ponies below them, casually talking over the moaning and crying of the tortured souls.

We could see the ponies of the nearest cage well enough. Eight ponies were locked into a five-by-five-meter space. Nine ponies... The heap on the floor I thought was garbage was coughing. She was doing badly. Chunks of red coat gone, oozing fluid. Covered in growths and scabs. She shivered and chattered. the best she could do for warmth was curl into herself. She was even more skinny than most of the others. The growing pool of dried vomit by her head made it clear why that was. The others did their best to care for her. They gave her water and made sure she had cardboard and rags to lay on instead of the stone floor. Four of the ponies in the cell weren't doing much better though. Whatever work they'd been doing for Vision wasn't safe. I wasn't a doctor, and I'd only been in the wasteland for two weeks, but I knew the signs of radiation sickness well enough.

It wasn’t acute radiation like I had. It was the effects of weeks, maybe months of consistent untreated exposure. No medicine, hardly any food. Given the option to work or endure harsh punishments. I understood why Scarlet had reacted the way she had. This was hell. And only a slice of it. Scarlet came up in a city of this. My chest tightened and my knees shook. I fit of dizziness forced me to lean on the doorframe. Even as my eyes blurred with tears I couldn't look away from the horror. No one could commit a crime bad enough to justify such suffering.

Scarlet cried silently beside me, her body pressed against mine. I didn't remember putting my wing around her, but I made sure to tighten my grip when I realized I was holding her. Her eyes scanned every atrocity they could find. The entire time her right hoof rested against her disarmed slave collar. She'd been in their position. Scared, hopeless, resigned to die in the service of depraved ponies. She felt their pain on a level only a fellow slave or an empath could understand. The mare I cared so much for had to endure this... For years. Somehow she got out of bed and smiled every day. Kept moving. Kept living. It seemed impossible.

Finally, my friend shut her eyes. She couldn't look anymore. I'd never stop looking. It was seared on the inside of my eyelids. Burned into my soul. Scarlet's hooves managed to support her own weight. Without a word, the shadow of a mare turned away and trotted back up the stairs. After a moment I secured the door and trotted up after.

I didn't know what the vengeful mare could do in her emotionally charged state. If she decided to charge in and hurl a spear through Strife's chest we'd have bigger problems. We couldn't fight past all of those guards, and I doubt The Visionaries would be alright with us killing their people.

When I found the ball of scarlet fur curled up in the corner of the stairwell murder was the last thing on her mind. She had her back to the breakroom. Her body twitched and quivered as she wept. The smallest sniffle or whimper would escape her lips whenever her sadness and stress spiked. She heard my gentle taps and clops as I walked up behind her. "I-I can't believe those stupid... selfish... power-hungry assholes would do this. No... No, I totally can. They're just like those plot lickers out east! Ugh... Prime said to my face that Trottingham wouldn't be the next Fillydelphia, and I fucking believed him..."

I sat down next to the downcast mare and draped my wing over her. She moved closer to me, nuzzling into the soft feathers. It was too cold for her to be sprawled out on the floor without some covering. It was the best I could do. I didn't have the knowledge to try and talk it out that way, and I wasn't the best at handling emotions. It tore me apart inside but I had to ask. "What happened to Fillydelphia?"

She sniffed and dried her eyes before answering in a much quieter tone. “Filly became a giant slave empire after the war, run by power-hungry ponies who thought they knew better than we did. They enslaved countless ponies. Worked them to death for the sake of industry, and lining their own pockets. An industry that doesn’t even exist anymore. All of those lives wasted for nothing… so many innocent ponies forced... “

She shuddered against me, steeling herself with breath before she continued. “Prime, the leader of Vision, promised it wouldn’t be another Fillydelpheia. To my face! Now they’re enslaving people who don’t follow their rules? Forcing them to labour for the good of the city? Prime is no better than Red Eye… I’ve seen the industry being built in Vision, the railway, vehicles, weapons, I… I should have realized sooner that it was all too good to be true.”

I tucker my other wing around her, shielding her from the wasteland with my purple feathers. Not only was my friend dealing with the horrors of her own past, but the betrayal of her trust as well. This Prime person was just another authority figure abusing his power to her. He swore that Vision would be a good place, and he tainted it with lies and pain. I have no idea if the two of them were close, but it hurt her deeply.

My feelings for my friend and the countless other ponies who suffered similar fates flowed out of me in the form of salty tears. And we had to leave them behind. “I know you’re upset. I am too. Everything about this is horrible... But we can’t help them right now. There are over a dozen ponies in this prison, all well armed and armoured. Even if we freed them somehow, they’re prisoners. We can’t run a prison, and we can’t let them go out and start murdering people again.”

“I don’t… I don’t know what to do…” She whimpered into my chest with a snuffle. I slowly stroked her back and mane

“It’s alright, hun… The best we can do right now is wait out this storm and head to Vision. You said Prime was their leader? We can talk to him. We will make him listen! He has to know how wrong all of this is. Maybe he just needs to hear it from somepony who’s lived it.” I hoped that telling someone how wrong their actions were would be enough to get them to stop it. I was slowly learning that it wasn't the case, but I still had to try. What else could I do?

Scarlet nodded against me and nuzzled deeper into my coat “Yeah… ok. But when we can’t get him to listen we come back here. Guns, mercs, whatever it takes. I won't leave them to suffer.”

“Of course. I’m so sorry Scarlet...”

*** *** ***

The morality of the slaver prison weighed on my mind for the rest of our journey to Vision. Slavery was bad by all accounts. At the same time getting raiders and thieves out of the wasteland wasn’t a bad thing. Using them for labour to help sustain the town, the entire region, sounded on the surface like a good cause. But the conditions they were living in. Filthy, beaten, starving on the floor. As much as it disturbed me, I know it hit Scarlet worse. She hadn’t spoken since we got moving through the gentle misting rain. The weather improvement didn’t help our moods, though.

Free seemed as disturbed as I was when we told him about everything. He wanted to fly up to Vision and give them a piece of his mind, but it wouldn’t be right to do so without Scarlet there. It was personal for her.

I still worried about what might happen when we got to Vision. If my friend started shooting up the place in a fit of rage or assaulted somepony, it wasn’t something I’d had the heart to be a part of. I hoped there would be a non-violent solution to all of this, but… Fillydelphia didn’t stop until the Enclave, and the slaves laid waste to the city. I can’t imagine any of the town's ponies want to give up the convenience of cheap labour, fuel, and accessible food that they’ve created on the broken backs of others.

At the very least we knew why Scarlet didn’t know about Vision having a prison. They didn’t want the townspeople to know about the horrid conditions that the prisoners were kept in, or how they were being exploited for free labour. It was something we could use if it came down to it.

Footnote:
Welcome to level 5!

Perk added: Scientific Method! Your curiosity and intellect are your strength! Those with keen minds find your inquisitive nature disarming. When speaking to anyone whose Perception or intelligence is 7 or above, you gain plus +35 to your speech and barter skill.

Companion perk: Flightful Fix! That buck knows what he’s doing!While Feather Free is in the party, The effectiveness of all health items is increased by 20%. Passive healing is also improved by 10%. Please try not to get hurt though!