//-------------------------------------------------------// Fallout Equestria: Blowtorch & Corkscrew -by Lightning Sprint- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Introduction //-------------------------------------------------------// Introduction Introduction War. War never changes. The opposing sides may change but the concept of war remains the same. The magical land of Equestria is no stranger to War, the war between zebras and ponies raged on for a long and painful period of time, so much so that alliances needed to be formed. Even Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army set aside their past feuds with ponykind and joined up with the Equestrian armies. These alliances indeed helped to turn the tide of the war and gave the Equestrian armies more of a foothold in the conflict. Battles raged and the war drew on for longer and longer, neither side showing any signs of slowing down no matter how the battles were going. That's when the megaspells fell and the land was consumed, destroyed by balefire and left as a husk by the horrors of the conflict. However, in varying locations across Equestria, Ponyville and Manehattan for example, the ministries orchestrated the creation of the Stables. Each Stable with its own job and its own way of running things systematically. One by one these Stables were created, many of them placed in similar locations to one another but each one was its own unique society. Stable 54 was no exception. Each pony inside had their respective position, whether that was enforcing the law as security, keeping the Stable running in maintenance or the all important position of Overmare. Everyone within the Stable was entrusted to do their job right and to do it effectively. The inhabitants of Stable 54 were versatile in their fields and could even chip in for one another in different positions. The more positions that you were able to competently cover, the higher you were in the Overmare's good books. Ensuring that the Stable operated smoothly was everyone's top priority, for if even one job isn't complete then everything could fall out of place. The situation regarding workers wasn't as dire as workers were allowed to have long times of breaks as well as more off days where working wasn't needed. However, when numbers in the stable began to drop, they needed to tighten up and ensure that each member of the Stable did their part and was knowledgeable in their main field of work as well as with others. It was important for all Stable residents to find a partner once at the right age and produce more young to add to the Stable's headcount. The decision was not forced on them but was highly recommended. Each job in the Stable that anyone would have assigned to them would be encouraged to their children to take up. That way, parents could eventually leave the work to their children and let them aid the Stable in working at full capacity. This system has worked like clockwork and there have not been many disagreements on said system although the odd comment would be muttered between coworkers every now and then but the overall atmosphere around the Stable was a positive one. This atmosphere translated to how the ponies act around one another. Friendships are a welcomed sight and relationships and couples have blossomed as a result. This was normal in 54 as everyone got on with everyone and ensured that any issues or altercations were resolved quickly. Things were usually dealt with well in advance of anything serious but once in a blue moon, the Overmare would be contacted and would make her way to see to the matter personally. The Overmare was harsh but fair and above all she was respected. Her interactions with the inhabitants of the Stable were brief and straight to the point, but her words were what each individual needed to hear and all Overmares who followed after her adopted the same approach. Nobody in Stable 54 ever went against the Overmare as punishment for doing so was usually something long and tedious, such as mopping the floors or cleaning up the cafeteria with the janitorial workers. By doing this, it was made clear to the entire stable that rules were meant to be followed and instructions carried out at all times. The first Overmare of Stable 54 set out specific rules for everyone in the Stable, that they must follow. These rules were passed on to her higher ups, who would then display them for the rest of the Stable. Rule 1: All workers must complete their scheduled jobs for the day before finishing their shift. Rule 2: The section leaders must be reported to with any concerns before the Overmare can be contacted. Rule 3: The Stable door must remain sealed unless there are appropriate circumstances. Rule 4: All workers must complete all training before they commence work in the Stable. Rule 5: The Overmare's word is Final. Failure to follow these 5 rules is subject to more intense punishments, such as being placed into confinement for a day and in turn needing someone to cover for them in their position of work. As a result, residents stuck to the rules and ensured to always work how they were required to by the Overmare's Laws. Each area of the Stable have their own goals to reach and tasks to have completed under the watch of the Overmare and it is imperative that they meet them. Down in the lower regions of the Stable, past the cafeteria and security stations. Below the medical wing and past the personal quarters, the maintenance halls and reactor chambers are located. The work day would usually begin with the blare of an alarm clock. With four walls surrounding a bed, the sleeping stallion laying upon it would soon have his slumber disturbed and his work day would begin. This is Gearshift's way of life and is all he knows. The earth pony would always ensure to set the alarm at the correct time so that he could be up and awake well before his work day would begin so that he would have ample time to get himself washed, dressed and readily equipped for any busy day of work and whatever would be thrown at him. What could go wrong? Fallout Equestria: Blowtorch and Corkscrew Author's Note MERRY CHRISTMAS/HEARTHSWARMING EVERYONE! Thought I'd get that out there first. This is the first type of Fallout story I've ever even considered putting onto Fimfiction. I'm looking forward to hearing your comments and constructive criticism. Key word CONSTRUCTIVE. Anyway, I hope to gain an audience with this story. If you haven't seen me before and are new to my page, check out my other stories. I'm sure they'll tide you over whilst I get this going. My inspiration came from Kkat's Fallout Equestria and I wouldn't be making this if it weren't for that amazing story. Happy holidays everyone! //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Outside //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Outside Outside. Leaving the Stable wasn't something Gearshift had ever processed in his wildest dreams before. But here he was, standing in the entrance of the cave where his home was, the Stable in the distance behind him. His body tingled with a mix of excitement and uncertainty, sending a shudder up his spine and resulting in a less than ideal sound coming from him. The shudder got a chuckle from someone to his left and upon turning he saw Steel Tip looking back at him. "Everything okay, Gear?" Steel Tip asked. "Yeah, I'm okay, just getting the jitters out." Gearshift answered. "Is that what that sound was?" Candy Cane asked from the other side of him. "This..... this is what our home is now." Gearshift said, the reality of their surroundings hitting him all at once. As the rest of the group got to the opening, they all took in their first look of what Equestria now was. The dimly lit sky was the first factor that presented itself. Dark clouds covered the sky, enhancing the dark hues of the ground below. The ground itself was equally as dark, dead trees and plants scattered the ground in various areas around the landscape. A soft breeze blew through, everyone's manes blowing gently as a result. The Equestrian Wasteland was the complete opposite of the safety and comfort of Stable 54, with the dark and dismal outdoors replacing the metallic walls and long corridors. The calming words of the Overmare's morning announcements were no more in the outside world. Gearshift looked around at the immediate area around the cave entrance the group were standing in, taking in a lungfull of the outside air. The air felt different as it caressed his nostrils, it felt sharper and more intense compared to the filtered air in the Stable. Lifting up his foreleg, he checked the glowing green screen of his PipBuck, the green glow illuminating his face and getting the attention of the group. Forming a small huddle around him, they all looked at the screen and the map that was displayed. "Going off the PipBuck map, we need to head in this direction." Gearshift said, pointing east, the compass labels on the map backing up his words. All taking a moment to compose themselves, each of them nodding when ready, Gearshift took the first few steps out of the cave and out into the Equestrian Wasteland. His hooves felt heavy as boulders, each step taking an age. After five or six steps, he turned to look back at the group. The six of them were close behind him, each taking in their new surroundings in their own way, whether it was looking up at the darkened sky or staring at the rough ground beneath their hooves. Gearshift's eyes were focused on his PipBuck, following the map on the screen in the direction of the Trottingham Research Laboratories. His eyes were so focused that he would occasionally stumble over cracks in the ground and rocks on top of it. Continuing to watch the map, leading the group for a good few minutes, something caught his eye, a symbol on the screen of his PipBuck. The symbol showed that of a town, the symbol had a label beneath with the name of the town displayed. Trottingham The town was located between the group and the laboratories on the far side. The town itself was still a good walk away but the determination would see them through in the long run. As he picked up his gaze from the screen of his PipBuck and took in the surrounding area, it all looked just like the stories he'd been told. Even if those stories were only told to scare little colts and fillies into doing as they were told or eating their vegetables. The one thing that wasn't mentioned in said stories, however, was how bland it all was. Hopeless was the word that stuck out the most. The memories of those stories passed through his mind as he walked, glancing around at his surroundings and then at the others. "We just have to pass through Trottingham itself and TRL is on the other side." Gearshift said, pointing ahead of them in the direction they were heading. The group all followed his hoof, looking into the distance. "How far away is the town, anyway?" Steel Tip asked, peering at Gearshift's PipBuck. "It says here it will be at least an hour." Gearshift answered. "So we better get a move on." "An hour?!" Lavender Blossom exclaimed. "Gear's right. We need to get moving." Fresh Canvas said, looking at him with a nod. With very little further complaining, the group continued their walk through the Wasteland. The breeze picked up slightly, blowing through the group, causing a shiver from a couple of them. Besides that, the weather didn't cause any more issues for them. ◇◇◇◇◇ As time passed by and their journey continued, the town of Trottingham gradually appeared on the horizon, much to Gearshift's relief. The town was exactly where the map said it was, but there was something else. A yellow blinking dot on the PipBuck's Eyes Forward Sparkle had made itself present a short way ahead of them. "Hey, you guys see that?" he asked, stopping in his tracks and looking at his map more intensely, causing the others to stop and look at their own PipBucks. The blinking dot, sure enough, was present on all of their screens. "What is that?" Tulip asked, uncertain about the blinking light. "Keep your eyes open, we don't know what is out here. If anyone sees anything let us know." Gearshift said, picking his head up once again. The group would continue walking, all looking around for whatever the source of the yellow dot could be. The dot would gradually get closer to them the further that they walked and eventually would be near enough beside them. Briefly stopping, the group looked around. The search of the area didn't take them long as the source soon revealed to be a living creature itself with a whimper of pain. A mare's whimper of pain. Turning in the direction of the whimpering, the group caught sight of a unicorn mare laying against a thick, but dead, tree holding onto her leg. She had a rather nasty looking gash on her leg, accompanied with the fact that she only had a small saddlebag with her. Her feint blue fur was muddied and dishevelled and her yellow mane looked all out of sorts. "Hey, she looks hurt." Snowball said, pointing towards her. "We should help her." Tulip added, the two beginning to walk towards the injured mare. Gearshift watched as they walked towards her, briefly checking his things to see if he had any medical supplies. His gaze quickly came back up to the mare, who saw the duo approaching and shook her head, then flicked to the surrounding mounds of dirt and large rocks that were close to the tree - that were big enough for someone to hide behind. His eyes went wide and he quickly bolted forward towards Tulip and Snowball, trying to stop them from reaching the mare. "Snow! Tulip! Wai-!" Gearshift called out before the figure of a pony stepped out from behind the tree. As the pony moved into Gearshift's line of sight, their features became visual. A unicorn stallion with a muscular build stood before them, his dirty brown coat covered by a black jacket shrewdly cobbled together by some bits and pieces of fabric. It only took a few seconds for Gearshift to note the details but the main one was impossible to miss, in his magical grasp was a nasty looking shotgun. With one rack of the weapon, Tulip and Snowball froze in place, almost colliding with one another as they tried to back away. "Ah ah ah. I don't think so." The stallion said, aiming the muzzle of the weapon at the two of them. "No!" Fresh Canvas yelled, seeing the two mares in danger. He was about to rush in to help the pair but the click of a pistol on the back of his neck soon put an end to that. He froze in place, not able to see who was behind him. Quickly turning to face him, Gearshift saw the pistol's owner. A dark green earth pony mare, holding the pistol between her teeth. But this pair were not the only ones to brandish a weapon as another three ponies stepped out from their respective hiding spots, although Gearshift could only see two of them. "Move n' you're dead, y'hear?" A mare said from behind him with a sadistic giggle as the blade of a machete came around the back of him in a red magical glow, the tip of which gently pressed on the side of his neck, a small cut forming and a few drops of blood rolling out, making him wince in pain. The two ponies he could see were two stallions ahead of him, an earth pony and a unicorn, the unicorn pointing a shotgun at Lavender Blossom and Candy Cane whilst the earth pony held his pistol up at Steel Tip. "Now what do we have here?" The muscular unicorn said with a grin on his gritty looking face, his yellowed teeth visible for the whole group to see. "Looks like fresh meat to me!" The machete wielding mare said, laughing maniacally before a glare from the stallion shut her up. "As I was sayin', you folks wandered into the wrong patch o' land. Now what say y'all just empty out your bags and then we'll be on our way." The stallion continued. "Come on, Crush, can't we just kill 'em and take their stuff?" The mare asked. "I'm itching to gut somethin!" "I'd like to keep my insides on the inside of that's alright with you." Gearshift commented. "Well then, if you just tell your posse here to drop their things we won't have a problem we?" The other stallion levitating a shotgun said, taking a step closer to Lavender Blossom and Candy Cane with a sadistic grin. "Yeah, drop em!" The mare repeated. "Chamber! Switch Blade!" Crush suddenly snapped, addressing the stallion and mare respectively. "I swear for the love of all that is holy in this forsaken Wasteland, if you two don't stop cutting in when I'm talking I will gut you fuckers along with em! Do you understand me?!" he boomed, almost making the pair drop their weapons in shock from being yelled at, his charismatic farmland accent vanishing to a commanding voice of power and authority. The pair both nodded their heads as the Stable Ponies all looked at one another. Composing himself, Crush placed a hoof on the injured mare, his yellow grin returning. The mare herself winced as he touched her, her leg looking worse by the second. It didn't help matters when he placed said hoof on her injured leg and pressed down on it, making her let out a yelp of pain. "Clock's ticking." Crush said, pressing down again. The mare cried out in pain once more and Gearshift held up a hoof. "Stop. Stop!" He exclaimed, Crush taking his leg off her as a result. "Chop chop. Empty your things or her leg comes off with a swing of that there machete." Crush said, gesturing Switch Blade to move over to him. The unicorn moved out from behind Gearshift, running her hoof along his neck to get the blood off him. This allowed Gearshift to finally get a good look at the mare who had held him at knife point for the past few minutes. Her coat was a dark and more soot and dust covered shade of red than the glow enveloping the machete and her mane and tail with the same shade of dark brown as the ground they were standing on. "Like what you see?" She asked, her eye twitching not helping her case. "Why of course, you look ravishing." Gearshift said, about as sarcastic one could be without flat out saying no. "I'm getting Impatient." Crush said, glaring at the group and waving his shotgun around with intention to use it. The group all looked towards Gearshift, who nodded his head and slowly pulled off his saddlebags, the rest of the group slowly began to do the same. Weapons remained trained on them as they reach took off their bags. Once they were on the ground, Crush stepped forward to look at their bags. "Open them. I want to see what new toys I'm going to have." he said with a chuckle. One by one the group went down the line, opening up their bags to show what they had. Whether it was canned food, water or spare clothing, it was all on show for Crush and his lackies to split between them. "This is all we have." Gearshift said, looking at their bags. "It's the truth. Please just don't hurt us." Candy Cane said, trembling in fear, Gearshift putting his hoof on her to try to calm her. "I'm not gonna hurt y'all, little lady, you gave me what I wanted so there won't be no consequences." Crush said, lowering his weapon. As Crush moved his way down the lines of bags, he began to pull out things from each bag that he found important enough to keep for himself, only leaving scraps or things he didn't have room to carry. That was until he got to Snowball's bag at the end of the line. His eyes fell on the bandages and medical supplies as well as the small amount of food too. A hungry look in his eyes formed and he used his hoof to scoop them out. One could almost see a look of joy brewing, whatever twisted and deranged view of joy that was was a different matter. That all changed with a yelp, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground with a thud. All attention turned to the pair behind Crush, Switch Blade and the injured mare, looking on in shock and disbelief. Switch Blade was on the ground, the machete jammed in her neck and her blood splattered onto the injured mare's muzzle. "You BITCH!" Crush yelled, sweeping up his shotgun and bringing it up towards her eye level. Without a moment's hesitation, Gearshift rushed forward and jumped onto Crush's back, wrapping his forelegs around his neck. Before the other weapon wielding ponies could react, they were also descended upon. Fresh Canvas dropped low, sweeping the earth pony mare's legs out from under her, knocking her onto her back. Steel Tip lunged forward and tackled the earth pony stallion before he could react, the two scrambling on the ground. Chamber turned, seeing his own group quickly being overpowered. He froze in shock for long enough to give Lavender Blossom and Candy Cane a chance to get in close and knock him backwards, causing his magic to falter and him dropping the shotgun. Gearshift tightly squeezed his hooves against Crush's neck, trying to choke him out as quickly as possible. The muscular stallion used his magic to spin the shotgun in an attempt to blow the earth pony away but Gearshift's back legs swung around to connect with the weapon and kick it away from his head just as the trigger was pulled and it fired. The shot cracked through the air, missing him by inches and leaving a sharp and uncomfortable ringing sound in Gearshift's ears, dazing him momentarily. This gave Crush a chance to throw Gearshift over his shoulder and onto the ground, as much as Gearshift tried to hold onto him. His back slammed into the stone ground and had Gearshift's adrenaline not kicked in, he wouldn't have seen the butt of the shotgun coming down. He rolled sideways and quickly pulled himself up to his hooves, rushing at Crush once again. Crush attempted to rack the shotgun and chamber in another shell but Gearshift got to him before the shell was fully chambered, giving him a punch to the jaw for his troubles. His physique didn't stop him from feeling pain and he visibly winced. Gearshift reached back onto his belt, pulling out his security baton and gave an almighty swing. The baton connected with Crush's jaw and the sound of his jaw bone crunching followed, followed itself by a yell of pain. Crush clutched his jaw and his magic faded, the shotgun clattering to the ground. Swing after swing of the baton followed, each connecting and doing more damage than the one that proceeded it. Eventually, Crush hit the ground, writhing in pain from his now broken jaw. Gearshift's eyes then met his discarded weapon. Dropping his baton to the floor, he picked up the shotgun whilst balancing it between his teeth and a hoof. Turning back around towards Crush, who was still writhing on the ground, Gearshift managed to place his hoof on the slide of the shotgun and pull it back, but the weapon did not rack. A pink glow would then enveloped the shotgun and pull it away from Gearshift and before he could react it was racked, aimed and then fired, chunks of Crush's head went everywhere, blood and small chunks of brain hitting Gearshift and making him stagger back in surprise and fall onto his side. The ringing came back once more, making him clutch his temples in discomfort as she he tried to shake away the sound. The ringing was so severe for his senses that he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground a few yards in front of him and gradually blacked out, his surroundings going dark. ◇◇◇◇◇ Eventually coming to, Gearshift slowly opened his eyes. His vision took a few moments to adjust as he slowly sat up, only to have a pair of hooves softly take hold of him. "Hey, hey, hey. Not so quickly now." Candy Cane said from his right side. As her eyes met Gearshift's, he could only see the color of her coat as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings and the mare sitting in front of him. "What happened? I-Is everyone okay?" Gearshift asked, his body still trying to stand up even though his brain didn't want to go anywhere. "Everyone is fine, you don't need to worry." Candy Cane answered, keeping him seated to give him time to recover. Gently turning his head to the left, as his vision finally cleared up, he saw the group sitting next to the tree. Snowball and Tulip were helping out the mare with her leg, bandaging it up and fixing it up with the medical supplies in Snowball's bag. Turning his head slightly, he saw Steel Tip walking over to him as Lavender Blossom and Fresh Canvas went through the now dead ponies' things to gather what they could. "How's he doing?" Steel Tip asked. "He should be okay." Candy Cane nodded, gently tapping Gearshift's shoulder in reassurance. "We should get moving soon. We don't want to get caught out by another group like those guys." "You're right. I'll help Gearshift up and grab our things then we can get going. Is Primrose ready to go?" "Who?" Gearshift chimed in, looking between the pair. Candy Cane pointed towards the injured mare, who they had helped, revealing that was her name. "Primrose, that's her name. Whilst you were having a nap she introduced herself to us." she said. Finally being strong enough to get up, his body and brain in unison, Gearshift got to his hooves and walked over to Primrose as her makeshift medical appointment was finished up. "How are you feeling, miss Primrose?" Gearshift asked, as he approached her. "I'm doing much better now, thanks to all of you." Primrose answered, looking at him. "If you hadn't sprung into action when you had I'd be meeting my maker right about now." "We couldn't just sit there and let him kill you." Gearshift said, looking at her wrapped up leg. "I can't thank you all enough for what you did for me." "You would have done the same for any of us." Snowball said, packing the medical supplies back into her bag. "Are you well enough to walk?" Steel Tip asked, observing the way her leg was bandaged and amended. "I should be able to, I just think a good amount of sleep and letting it heal naturally will be for the best." Primrose answered, slowly pulling herself to her hooves, with Tulip's aid. With a gentle smile, she looked amongst the group as Lavender Blossom and Fresh Canvas finished up their scavenging and joined up with them again. They had managed to gather up both shotguns with 8 shots between them as well as the two pistols with a few bullets inside. The machete wasn't going anywhere, still lodged in Switch Blade's neck and wedged there with both gore and bone keeping it in place. They had all been carrying bottle caps, which Fresh Canvas had decided to keep hold of just in case. Grabbing their bags, the group set out, focusing their attention on Trottingham and in turn TRL. ◇◇◇◇◇ Half an hour or so had passed by as the group walked towards the distant town, watching as it gradually got closer to them, the bodies of the raider ponies getting further away. They filled Gearshift in on what had happen whilst he was out cold and how they dealt with the raiders. The supplies that they were carrying would provide more firepower to the group and aid in keeping more lethal travellers at bay should the need arise. Although the journey was pretty straight forward as they headed for Trottingham, the outskirts of the town eventually becoming visible. The town looked as though it was walled off from the rest of the Wasteland, with one way in in the shape of an entryway. The group continued on towards the entrance, gradually taking in the material of the outside walls. It looked as though they were made of slabs of sheet metal and recycled aluminum. Approaching the entryway, they paused before going in unsure what to do upon going inside. Their hesitation got them a few looks of concern and interest from several of the ponies standing near the entryway. It didn't take them long to be coaxed in, Gearshift taking the lead and stepping into the town. Looking around, he noticed the homes within the town. Small houses made out of similar materials of the outer walls as well as older materials that had somehow survived for all this time. The inhabitants of which went about their days, walking around the town as well as trading, buying and selling goods and various stalls in the immediate vicinity. A small smile began to make its way onto Gearshift's face as he walked, the group following on behind him. His eyes continued to scan the surroundings before something caught his eye, no, someone. The creature a short way ahead of him did not look like any pony he had seen back home in Stable 54, the all black furless exterior, bent horn and jagged looking ears. The creature's dark purple non-reflective eyes seemed enticing in a way, Gearshift only then noticing the fangs pertruding from the creature's mouth. His eyes then fell on the insect like wings, different from any pegasus he'd seen in his books in the stable. His dumbfounded look was clearly much more obvious than he realised as when the creature turned towards him she couldn't help but giggle, seeing him standing there looking at her. "Gear, what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost." Steel Tip asked, waving a hoof in front of his face. Turning his head to follow his line of sight, he also saw the creature and shared the same expression on his face. One by one, the others all looked towards her as she began to make her way over towards them. "Is there something I can help you with?" She asked, looking amongst the group. Her voice seemed... different in some way that Gearshift couldn't quite put his hoof on. Shaking himself out of his daze, he cleared his throat and straightened up. "Uh, yes ma'am. I'm sorry for staring, it's just that I've never seen a creature like you before." Gearshift answered. "You're not from around here are you?" She asked, looking amongst the group and taking note of their matching blue and yellow attire. "No ma'am. No we're not." Gearshift answered with a shake of his head. "That shows in your reaction. Definitely never seen a changeling before, have you?" "A change- what now?" Fresh Canvas asked, giving her a up and down look with his eyes. "A changeling." She repeated. "But please, where are my manners? I'm Enigma." "A pleasure to meet you, miss Enigma. I'm Gearshift." Gearshift introduced before gesturing to his friends. "This is Fresh Canvas, Steel Tip, Candy Cane, Snowball, Lavender Blossom, Tulip and Primrose." "It's lovely to meet you all." Enigma responded, keeping the pleasant smile on her face. "Well now that you're here, I should probably take you to see miss Morningstar." "Miss Morningstar?" Gearshift asked. "She's like our town's mayor, for lack of a better term." Enigma explained. "Come on." As Enigma began walking, the Stable Ponies all looked at one another as if unsure what action to take. "What do we do?" Tulip asked, looking between the group, sharing the same uncertain look on her face as Snowball had. "She might know how to get to the laboratories." Candy Cane said. "If she doesn't, maybe this Morningstar will." Lavender Blossom said. "Don't dawdle now." Enigma called to them. "Coming." Gearshift called back, looking back at the others as they all began to follow her through the streets of the town. As they walked, he took in more of their surroundings. In turn, he noticed more of the same creatures as Enigma, the changelings, talking with ponies and visiting different shops and stalls. "Looks like she's not the only one." Fresh Canvas said as they eventually caught up to Enigma. Enigma led them further into the centre of town. Passing through the main square, the group were surrounded by even more buildings, shops and stalls than the area near the entryway. Turning through the square, Enigma pointed towards a larger building at the end of the street. It was one of the only buildings made out of stone that they had seen whilst walking, although it looked older than any other building that they'd seen. Making their way towards it, the size of the building became apparent the closer that they got to it. "I guess size really does matter." Lavender Blossom said, looking up at the building. "Size isn't everything." Fresh Canvas said. "Suuuure it isn't." Lavender Blossom said. "Now now, let's keep it above the belt." Gearshift smirked. "Unless you two need some time alone." He teased, getting multiple jabs in his side in the process. As their small talk subsided, they arrived at the large building. "Here we are, Horseshoe Hall." Enigma said, looking at the main doors to the building. "In here is where we'll meet miss Morningstar." With a nod of the head from the group, Enigma pushed opened the door and stepped inside. Gearshift held open the door for the group as they all came through, joining them in the main entrance of the building. The interior of the building looked slightly worse for wear compared to the outside of the building but there were still a good amount of ponies and changelings on the inside going in and out of multiple rooms. Each individual that passed by cast a glance at the group but upon seeing Enigma with them went on their way with whatever business they had to get to. "Enigma." A voice said from nearby, getting the group's attention. Walking towards them was a grey coated unicorn mare with a curly dark brown mane and tail with a set of surprisingly well kept glasses. "Ah, Role Call." Enigma said with a smile. "Who are your new friends?" Role Call asked, adjusting her glasses. "They're new in town and I'm bringing them to see miss Morningstar." Enigma answered "I see." Role Call said, looking amongst the group. Taking in each of their appearances one by one, she nodded in approval. Stepping away from the group and looking back at Enigma, the two mares shared a smile before Role Call turned and lead the group down the hall to a room at the end of it. After knocking on the door and a short pause, a voice came from inside. "Yes?" The voice asked. "Miss Morningstar. It's Role Call." Role Call responded. "I'm here too!" Enigma called. "Come on in ladies." Morningstar said. Pushing open the door, Role Call let the others all go in first before following them in and closing the door behind them. Inside the room, a mare was sitting behind a desk. She had dark green fur with a black mane and tail with a few blonde streaks. This was Morningstar. "I see we have a couple of guests. Nice to meet y'all." Morningstar said, her accent making Gearshift think back to Crush's accent and the similarities between them. "Nice to meet you too ma'am." Snowball said. Getting introductions out of the way, Morningstar looked between the group with a smile. "So, what brings you to Trottingham?" she asked. "We're trying to get to Trottingham Research Laboratories ma'am." Gearshift answered promptly. "We've been tasked to locate and retrieve a power core to keep our Stable operational." "I was wonderin why y'all were wearing the same outfits." "That's right, ma'am, residents of Stable 54." "I understand. Well I'll do what I can to help you out in your mission. But I do have to say, I've not heard of anyone heading out there for a long time now." "E-Excuse me ma'am, if I could just interject, are there any medical areas or infirmaries you may have?" Snowball asked. "Primrose has a bad looking leg injury, I've done what I can to bandage her up but without proper medical potions and healing medicines, I fear her leg may not heal properly." Hearing her words, Morningstar cast her eyes down towards Primrose's bandaged leg. "I see. Role Call." Morningstar addressed. "Yes ma'am?" Role Call answered. "Take miss Primrose here to Suture Seam. See what he can do about her leg." "Of course ma'am." "Enigma." Morningstar then turned her attention. "Yes ma'am?" Enigma said. "Go and find Deputy Butch, he knows the area towards the labs better than almost anyone here." Morningstar instructed. "Got it." Enigma nodded. With that, Role Call, Enigma and Primrose made their way out of the room, leaving Morningstar and the Stable Ponies in the room together. "Now then, before you all get on your way I advise you listen to what Butch has to say. Once Enigma brings him back you can discuss the details but until then I have a favor to ask of you." Morningstar said. "What can we do for you ma'am?" Gearshift asked. Walking over to the group, Morningstar smiled at them once again. "I'd like to hear about your Stable situation. Plus I would like you to help out Butch with a job he has been taking on by himself for a while. It shouldn't take too long but it would mean a great deal to both him and myself if he got the help." Gearshift glanced at the group, having brief second thoughts about it. However, understanding that they were being helped out, it was the right thing to do and help out Morningstar in return. Nodding his head, they all nodded in response. Looking back at Morningstar, Gearshift matched her smile. "Where do we start?" Author's Note Greetings Wasteland Travellers!! I'm so so sorry for the extended wait for Chapter 2. I have been going through the ringer recently with a lot of personal stuff but I will make sure to keep up as many chapters as I can. Give your feedback down below and I hope you're looking forward to when Chapter 3 drops. Plus if you want any side stories outside of Fallout in the meantime I'd be happy to make those too. Fly High Everyone! //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: You Scratch My Back, I Scratch Yours //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: You Scratch My Back, I Scratch Yours Having filled Morningstar in on the current state of Stable 54, the Stable Ponies exited Horseshoe Hall to wait outside for Enigma to return with Deputy Butch. The residents of Trottingham were still going about their business, going to and from stalls and homes. The wait for Enigma to return did not take too long. Gearshift looked down the street and caught sight of her walking towards them. As she got to the group, she gave them a pleasant wave. "I'm back!" She said with a smile, getting waves from the group in response. "Good to see you again." Snowball said, although noticing she was alone. The rest of the group had also noticed and shared equally confused expressions. "Miss Enigma? Weren't you meant to be coming back with Deputy Butch." Gearshift asked. "I did, he's behind me." Enigma said. Looking past her, the group saw the stallion in question. He had a muscular build with piercing red eyes, the same fangs, horn and ears as Enigma and many other changelings in the town. Atop his head was a black cowboy hat, matching the shade of his body, which was in turn draped by a sheriff's coat. Gearshift's eyes scanned the stallion, slowly panning down to a holster on his side which contained a lethal looking pistol. "You always have to follow behind me instead of walking alongside me?" Enigma asked. "Don't try to make something out of it." Butch said, looking at her then turning his attention to the ponies standing in front of him. "Stallion of the hour." Gearshift said, smiling at him. "Stable Ponies, meet Deputy Butch. Deputy Butch, meet the Stable Ponies." Enigma introduced. "Ladies, gents." Butch said, tipping his hat to the group. The group gave various nods and waves in response. "A pleasure to meet you sir." Snowball said. "Pleasure's all mine m'lady." Butch responded. "So I hear that- hold on." Turning his head downwards, he seemed to be looking for something. "Is something wrong?" Lavender Blossom asked, to which Enigma sighed. "You really need to put him on that leash." Enigma said. "He hates being leashed." Butch responded before turning around fully, giving the group view of his tail. The tail in question was unlike Enigma's, as Butch sported a scorpion tail, a tail which was currently relaxed and low to the ground. The group all looked at it with varying expressions. Gearshift was amazed the the physique of the scorpion tail, scanning how it looked and the potential damage that it could do. A high pitched whistle made his ears twitch and caused him to look straight ahead once again. A whistle which was followed by silence, which was then followed by a bark that made the group all look in the direction Butch was looking. Scampering towards them was a grey furred dog, closing the distance to them very quickly. Upon getting to them, the dog slid to a stop beside Butch and sat down with a wagging tail. "Smoke! I told you to keep up." Butch said, petting the dog, along with giving some scratches behind the ears, much to Smoke's enjoyment. "Awwwww." Candy Cane said, looking at the happy canine. Soon enough, Butch turned his attention to the group. "So Enigma tells me that you're all looking for some help." he said, getting nods from the group. "Well I'll be willing to help you all out but first, I need something from all of you." "What do you need from us?" Gearshift asked. "I need some assistance in fortifying the walls on the east side of town, we had a incident with a few raiders a short while ago and they did a number on the wall trying to brute force their way in." Butch explained. "Was anyone hurt?" Snowball asked. "Sadly, we lost a couple folks in the attack. They didn't even see it coming." Butch revealed, removing his hat in a gesture of respect for the fallen. "We're so sorry for your loss." Candy Cane said. "This is why I need your assistance, so that something like that doesn't happen again." Butch said. "Lead the way." Gearshift said. Butch did just that, turning and leading the group towards the east entryway into Trottingham. It was a short walk that the group spent mostly in silence. Butch tipped his hat to some of the residents as the group passed by, Enigma waving every now and then and Smoke happily barking and wagging his tail. Butch had a positive and hopeful smile with each pony or changeling alike that he greeted, but Gearshift noticed the look he had when the residents weren't looking. It was one that seemed troubled, conflicted to an extent. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, Butch continued to lead the way, eventually leading them to the east entrance and it was as rough looking as they could've imagined it was. They all approached, taking in various areas of and the varying levels of damage that had been done. Parts of the walls had chunks missing as well as some of them being riddled with bullet holes. Large scorch marks adorned the pathway leading into town, belonging to some sort of weapon of some kind that could cause some damage, given the evidence and size of the marks on the ground. "W-What made those?" Tulip asked, shuddering at the thought. "Something that I've never seen before in all my years." Butch answered, turning to face the group, his statement getting their attention back on him once more. "It was one of those raiders." A voice said from close by, making the group turn their heads. Crouching down by one of the holes in the wall was another changeling stallion, working on moving some metal plating over the wall and hammering it into place, his back and lower neck were bandaged up. The bandages were as white Snowball's coat, showing their freshness. Turning to face the group, his dark purple eyes scanning them, several glances were cast between him and Enigma, who herself had her eyes on the stallion. The bandages on his back wrapped around and covered most of his chest, looking to have been precisely wrapped around certain areas. "What are you doing out here?" Butch asked him. "You're supposed to be resting!" Enigma exclaimed. Standing up, the stallion's eyes moved to his fellow changelings. "I'm fine. I'm doing what I can to help." he said. His physique wasn't as buff or as large as Butch but he did look in good shape, besides the bandages. Enigma rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. "I assume you know one another?" Steel Tip asked, gesturing his hoof between the three of them. "Unfortunately." Enigma muttered under her breath before speaking up. "Yes, yes we do." Butch checked the stallion over, mainly examining his back and neck. "Suture Seam told you two weeks minimum." "You know me, Butch. I hate sitting around." The stallion responded. "Stable Ponies, this is my brother, Sentry." Enigma introduced. "Charmed." Sentry nodded. After exchanging pleasantries, the group all looked back towards the piece of the wall Sentry had been fixing. "How long have you been here, Sentry?" Butch asked. "Half hour." Sentry answered, a little too quickly. "You liar." Enigma chimed in. "Sorry to cut in here on your reunion but you were talking about those lowlifes that attacked." Fresh Canvas said, looking between the changelings. "Also, Deputy, you said it was something you'd never seen before but if it was raiders then this must have been the first time you've been attacked before, right?" "Not exactly. We've had attacks before but not ones to cause the kind of damage that you see here." Butch said, shaking his head. "It's what they brought with them." Sentry said, pointing at the scorch marks. "One of them, big ugly looking bastard, had metal cylinders strapped to his back. But he was holding some kind of tube at the front that..... shot fire at us. What the hell kind of creation shoots fire on command?!" Gearshift's eyes went wide, as did the rest of the group's. Shoots fire? Is that even possible? The description made no sense. The concept was alien to him as it had never been presented in any of the textbooks back in Stable 54. He turned to look at the group, shrugging his shoulders to which they all looked equally as confused. "Did you take him out?" Gearshift asked. "We almost got the jump on him but he fled with the others we didn't manage to get." Sentry answered. "If Enigma didn't come and grab us it could've been much worse than it was." Butch said. "I could've held out longer." Sentry said, sounding annoyed with himself. "You're lucky we got there when we did. If we would've been even a moment later we could've lost even more." Enigma scolded. "Look, things played out in the way that they did but we need to rebuild. It's what they would've wanted." Butch said, stopping the two before an argument could materialise. "The sooner that we get to work in helping you to repair the damage, I'm sure we'd be willing to listen to everything that transpired." Lavender Blossom said. "Right, if you would all like to grab any tools from those crates then we can get to work." Butch told them, pointing towards two black crates that were sitting on the ground a couple of feet from where Sentry was initially situated. One by one, the Stable Ponies walked over and grabbed themselves a tool; whether it be a hammer, screwdriver or something in between. Metallic clangs and shifting metals followed as replacement panels and additional protections were fitted, amending the damages caused. Butch and Sentry directed the group, pointing to where new metallic panels should be placed and secured, making sure to meticulously monitor each one as it was screwed or hammered into place. With each repair on the east entrance, the aura around the group became more positive and a greater amount of relief began to make its way through them all. ◇◇◇◇◇ The minutes went by and eventually an hour had passed, the final few panels and defenses being put into place. Stepping back to look at the completed job, Gearshift examined their work with Butch joining him, standing beside him. "Looking good?" Gearshift asked. "It does. This way into town should be much harder to break through." Butch answered with a nod that was half confident and half hopeful. "That is if ugly fire cannon buck doesn't come back." Sentry commented. "I'll just introduce him to Full House." Butch said. "Who?" Gearshift asked. Pulling his coat to the side, he presented the holster on his side once again and levitated out the pistol inside it. "Couple shots from this baby and he won't know what hit him." Butch said, showing off the weapon. "That looks like it could do some serious damage." Steel Tip said, walking over to get a closer look. "You better believe it does!" Butch said proudly, twirling Full House in his magic before slotting it back into the holster once again, then casting his eyes back towards the repaired wall. One by one the rest of the group would come over to look at the work they had done over the past hour. It was something that they'd all pitched in to help with and the feeling of accomplishment was plentiful among them. It was a victory, a small victory but a victory all the same, the first feeling of accomplishment Gearshift had felt since leaving Stable 54. The moment was a pleasant one for him but it appeared only fleetingly. His mind cast back to those in the stable and a sense of urgency washed over him, the same one that he experienced when standing in the entryway of the Stable, in front of the giant steel door. "The walls are looking much better than when we got here." Gearshift said, then cleared his throat and donned a more serious expression. "With that being said, we've held up our side of the deal. Miss Morningstar said that you know more about areas leading towards TRL better than anyone else. You said that you'd help us and we're in desperate need of that help, our Stable and more importantly the ponies inside are counting on us." All eyes turned towards them and a stretch of silence followed. Butch's gaze narrowed on Gearshift as he gave the stallion a once over. "So, this mission of yours. What exactly is it that you're after?" he asked, all eyes moving onto Gearshift. "We're heading to Trottingham Research Laboratories in order to acquire a fusion core so that we can keep our stable functioning." Gearshift explained, his gaze turning down towards the floor and his voice softening. "We don't know how long they have, so we need to move as quickly as possible." Butch brought up a hoof, tapping his chin. "Alright, I'll need to grab a couple things from the office and then we'll be able to head out." "Understood." Gearshift said a nod. Nodding back, Butch turned his attention to the changeling siblings. "Enigma, Sentry, you two watch over town whilst I'm away. If anything happens, go straight to Morningstar and tell her." "But-" Sentry tried to protest. "Sentry, you're barely in a condition to walk from one end of town to the other, let alone leave to and venture towards those labs." Butch put a hoof on his shoulder. "We'll be back before you know it." With a sigh and a scuff of his hoof on the ground, Sentry nodded. "Fine." "I'll make sure he goes home and rests." Enigma said with a salute to Butch. "Thank you." Butch said, tipping his hat once again. With the plan established, Enigma and Sentry went on their way with a wave to the group, taking Smoke along with them. Waving back, Butch led the others in the direction of the Trottingham Sheriff's Office. The office was located on the opposite side of the square to Horseshoe Hall, mostly wooden in structure with swinging saloon style doors at the front. The building was around half the size of Horseshoe Hall although equally as important, Butch would preach those words to anyone who disagreed. Leading the group over to the building, Butch pushed one of the doors, holding it open as he turned back to look at them. "Wait right here, I just need to grab a couple things." Butch told them, turning and then heading inside. He was true to his word, coming out with only a couple of things; some extra magazines for Full House, along with a compass. "Shall we?" Gearshift asked. "We shall." Butch nodded, pulling the doors closed behind him. Stepping down from the doors, looking at the compass in his hoof, he turned south and began walking. "Next stop, TRL!" Steel Tip exclaimed as the group followed after Butch. "54 is counting on us. We can't fail them." Gearshift said. "Don't worry. We won't." Candy Cane said, a reassuring smile on her face, which did its job of calming Gearshift for the moment. ◇◇◇◇◇ The walk that followed was one that Gearshift spent in silence, all that was on his mind was the labs and what lie within. Their mission was straightforward and with a guide it would be just that little bit easier for them. We're almost there, dad. We'll be back home soon. He hadn't been paying much attention to the others, only hearing portions of their conversation when a break in his train of thought occurred. "....I mean who names their kid Crush anyway?" Lavender Blossom asked, making Gearshift pick his head up. "It's not exactly the most common name, huh?" Candy Cane said. "He was pretty scary." Snowball said. "Don't worry Snow, he's not an issue anymore." Lavender reassured her. As the eight of them continued walking, Gearshift panned his eyes down at his PipBuck once again to check the map. Trottingham was gradually getting further and further away behind them but there was no sign of any buildings or structures ahead of them of note, especially not any laboratories. "How do you know about this route?" he asked, looking at Butch. The question made Butch almost stop upon hearing it. "This route was used by myself, miss Morningstar and a few others as we tried to get supplies for the town. We just happened to stumble upon the labs a while back by chance. It was like striking gold but... then the security systems activated when we got too close. Only myself and miss Morningstar made it back to town." Butch answered with a soft sigh, looking towards the ground. "We agreed not to take any more residents out there and leave the labs be. That was until today." "Thank you for agreeing to bring us, we can't imagine how hard this must be." Snowball said, giving a respectful bow of her head to him. "I'm glad to help you. Your mission is extremely important and I won't stand in the way of that." Butch said. Gearshift smiled gratefully at the Deputy, increasingly more and more glad to have him travelling with them. "We're glad to have you here." he said, taking one more glance at his PipBuck before lowering his leg once again. Looking ahead once more, Butch raised his own hoof and pointed ahead of the group. "Over that hill straight ahead of us on the far side of it, lays Trottingham Research Laboratories." he said. Gearshift followed his hoof, as did the others, and saw the hill in question. It was a good distance away from them and raised up a decent height above the ground. The group wasted no time in heading out once more, keeping close to one another and keeping their eyes open as they went. The ground felt different under Gearshift's hooves compared to the ground of Trottingham, feeling fresher in comparison. It's flatter nature made it evident that no creatures had come this way in a while, unlike the ground inside Trottingham which everyone living there had been walking on. His gaze turned downards as he walked, looking at the ground beneath his hooves, visually taking it in. His thoughts began to wander, going back to the Stable and everyone in it. Eventually, the hill was close enough that the ground beneath his hooves began to incline and the walk up the hill commenced. The gradual ascent up the hill went by quicker than expected, Gearshift's determination taking the steepness of the hill out of the equation. Looking up to the sky, the dull and dreary clouds looking back, a feeling of uncertainty briefly washed over him and then dispersed just as quickly, the thoughts continued to come and go in spurts as they continued up the hill before eventually reaching the top. Once they had all reached the top, Gearshift took in the view, looking across the immediate Wasteland vicinity, seeing Trottingham in the distance behind them. The quiet surroundings was almost beautiful. "There it is." Butch said, catching Gearshift's attention and making him look ahead. Ahead of them, down the other side of the hill, was a large building. It's exterior was metallic and white in colour, although several patches had turned a shade of gray and in the time it had been there. The building was at least three to four stories high, although the width of the building made it look larger than it was. Several catwalks and walkways stretched around the sides of the exterior, connecting entryways and outdoor stairwells. Upon closer inspection, Gearshift noticed what was Butch's cause for not returning to the area. A pair of large metallic doors sat at the front and centre of the building but on the wall above the doors and embedded into the walls above the walkways were several automated machines, each machine in question boasting a pair of machine gun barrels pointed outward in most directions. This was Trottingham Research Laboratories and it's deadly security system. "They're going to be an issue." Gearshift commented, his eyes fixed on the wall mounted turrets. "..." Butch didn't respond, his eyes wide and staring towards them. "Deputy?" Snowball asked, nudging him gently. It seemed to do something as Butch wavered slightly but shook himself out of his daze. "H-Huh? Yes. We're going to need to be extra vigilant. I've seen first hoof what these things can do and believe you me in ain't a pretty sight." he said. "Do you think there's any way to shut them down?" Candy Cane asked. "We don't exactly have a lot of firepower here." She added, gesturing to the few weapons that the group were carrying. "We'd have to get close enough to even consider trying to shut them down." Butch said. "That is if we can." Fresh Canvas said. "We can take cover around the outer perimeter and avoid any gunfire that may come our way." Butch said, pointing a hoof to the immediate vicinity outside of the laboratory building. There were low brick walls, some of which had broken over time as well as large rocks that could be hidden behind. There were also a few of the lower walls closer towards the central entryway, which would also allow for cover. "Hopefully it won't have to come to that." Gearshift said. Once all in agreement, weapons at the ready, the group headed down the hill slowly with Butch leading the way. Gearshift kept his eyes focused on each of the turrets in turn. They were moving in a scanning pattern for now, thankfully, but seeing how many of them were there cast an image into his head about what could have warranted the need for them. An attack? Safety precautions? It was built with them? Each question only brought up more follow up questions instead of any answers. As the last of the group reached the bottom, TRL took on a new visage, looking even larger at ground level. The outer walkways looked even higher up in the building's sides and the turrets looked increasingly more lethal from this position. Coming in from the front, the main door turrets were the main concern. There were four in total, all in their sweeping motion whilst scanning the area. Gearshift paid attention to the motion in order to determine the best approach. 1....2....3....1....2....3.... His breathing slowed as he analysed the turrets. The closer the group got, the more developed his plan became. Taking cover behind one of the low walls, Gearshift peeked over and got more look at them. 1....2....3....1....2....3.... "Gear?" Steel Tip asked, seeing him looking at them. Gearshift turned to look at him. "Hm?" "You okay?" "Yeah. Take a look at the turrets." He said, Steel Tip doing so before the others did the same. "The way they rotate, it's almost like a pattern or a timer." The turrets' movements confirmed his theory. "We need to move in the open window so that we're not torn apart." Fresh Canvas said. "We have to get to the door and get inside." Butch said, looking towards them. Several looks were exchanged between the group. "Do all of us have to go together?" Gearshift asked, which got several looks of surprise from the others. "What?!" Candy Cane and Lavender Blossom exclaimed. "Gearshift, what are you saying?" Steel Tip asked. "Think about it. If those turrets are in a pattern, it would only take one of us to get to the door and then open it up before the others can make their way over." Gearshift explained. "What would you do upon getting over to the door?" Butch asked. This made Gearshift begin to reconsider, looking back towards the main doors once again in search of anything he may of missed out. Scanning over the doors once again, he watched the turrets as they moved once more. His eyes then moved to just beside the left door where a square object was mounted onto the wall, a small rectangular object connected to the bottom of it. A keyboard. "That looks like a terminal." Gearshift said, leaning slightly closer to look. "A terminal?" Candy Cane asked, following his eyeline towards it. Upon seeing where he was looking, she looked him square in the eyes. "CC?" Gearshift asked. "I'll go." Candy Cane said. "Terminals are my thing anyways." "Since when?" "Since I spent everyday sitting in front of cameras as well as fixing up screens when they went dead." "Fair enough. But I'll go with you." "Gearshift-" "I'm not debating it." The sudden response caught Candy Cane by surprise and she stood looking at him in silence for a few moments. "Fine." she said. "Butch, if anything happens whilst we're heading there, you'll have to give us cover." Gearshift said. Levitating out Full House, Butch nodded his head. "You got it." Gearshift looked at the rest of the group, as well as the weapons that they had. "Counting on you guys too." he said. Each of the nodded their heads too. "No need to worry." Steel Tip said, levitating one of the pistols. Looking back towards the doors, Gearshift and Candy Cane got ready to move. Shuffling to the edge of the wall, Gearshift leaned out and looked towards the doors. "Okay, let's do this." he said. Watching as the turrets rotated away from them, Gearshift stood up. "Now." Candy Cane was right behind him as he came out from behind the wall and ran towards the doors. The two of them slid into cover behind one of the low walls nearby as the turrets swept back in their direction. The others watched from their position as the pair advanced. Poking his head out slowly, Gearshift looked for the next piece of cover. Ahead of them was another section of wall that jutted out closer to the building. Gesturing for Candy Cane to get ready, Gearshift looked back towards the scanning turrets, only standing up after they had passed by. Springing over the wall, Gearshift took the lead into the next group of bounds. As Candy Cane followed after him, Gearshift looked back at her momentarily, long enough to see her eyes widen. Looking forward once again, the barrels were aiming right at them. "Gearshift!" Candy Cane exclaimed as her horn illuminated. Gearshift felt his weight shift as he was dragged back. The two of them went backwards over the wall they had just come over and the turrets opened fire, missing them by inches. The bullets pounded against the wall, small pieces falling away thanks to the force of each bullet impacting against it. Gearshift covered his head, making sure to keep Candy Cane close enough to keep her protected too as the hailfire of bullets continued raining down on them. A second sound entered his ears, more gunfire. Whilst keeping his head down, he looked back towards the others. The crack of Full House now had a visual partner as Gearshift watched the pistol fire off two rounds before being retracted back behind cover. The rain of bullets soon rattled against the section of the wall where Full House was being fired from. He watched in a stunned silence as the turrets continued to fire with the occasional crack of Full House following it. "Get moving!!" Steel Tip called out, adding fire from his own pistol towards the turrets before ducking back behind the wall as some of the turrets turned their attention on him. "Gearshift! GO!" Butch exclaimed. It wasn't until Candy Cane physically grabbed hold of him that he snapped out of his stunned state. "Gearshift!" She said, holding onto his face and looking into his eyes. "We need to move!" "R-Right, yeah. Come on." Gearshift nodded and shook himself off. With the turrets being occupied, Candy Cane led the way with Gearshift following on. The need to be discreet was irrelevant, leaving the pair free to run straight for the doors and the terminal. Keeping their run wide, they remained out of range of the turrets in case they swung around at them again. For now, they were still firing at the rest of the group. The wall was holding on for now and the group were continuing to fire back when they had the chance, keeping the attention on them for even longer. Eventually, Gearshift got to the side of the building, his own body slamming into it. The wall felt cold against his side, the metallic structure as solid as he expected it to be. His attention then turned to Candy Cane, who came up just behind him. "Here comes the fun part." she said, shuffling past him. The terminal laid before them, very similar to the ones within their stable home. Candy Cane wiped the screen with her hoof in order to get a clearer look at it. Looking over the keyboard, she gave a few of the keys some taps. As fate would have it, the screen booted up with a feint green glow. As she got to work on the terminal, Gearshift looked around in case any other turrets or openings became visible from where they were. There was nothing present for now and Gearshift was getting agitated as the turrets continued to fire. They were very loud this close up, the amount of rounds held within them contributing greatly to that. "CC, any luck yet?!" Gearshift asked, having to raise his voice in order to be heard. A metallic buzz answered him, coming from the terminal. "Gearshift!" Candy Cane snapped, looking back at him. "That's one of my tries gone!" "Your tries?" "You only get a few tries for a terminal or it locks you out and if it locks you out you're unable to access it. In turn, we won't be able to get in if I get locked out of here!" "Oh. I'm sorry, go on." Gearshift moved back, allowing Candy Cane the space she needed. As much as the back and forth cracks and barrages of gunfire were prelific, she was very much in the zone and was searching for the correct password in order to access the terminal. *BUZZ* "Shit." Candy Cane muttered under her breath. "CC? Any time now." Gearshift said. "Gearshift, I mean this in the nicest way but shut up and let me think!" Candy Cane turned to him for a moment before looking back at the terminal. As she got back into her focused mindset, Gearshift looked back towards the others. His eyes widened upon seeing that there weren't firing back anymore, the turrets however were keeping up the relentless assault on the wall that they were sheltering behind. The wall was starting to break apart and little by little the group were becoming more and more exposed to the turret fire. But then, they stopped firing. The rounds stopped flying, leaving the barrels of each turrets smoking and reddened from the high amount and velocity of rounds that had been fired over the last few minutes. "I got it! Turrets disabled!" Candy Cane exclaimed. "Yes!" Gearshift cheered, wrapping his hooves around her in a hug. "You did it!" After taking a moment to gather themselves and catch their breaths, the others made their way over to Gearshift and Candy Cane, the later of which was going through the terminal systems. "Thank goodness you managed to shut them off." Tulip said, thankfully. "You guys kept them busy for us." Candy Cane said. "Good thing you shut it off when you did, we would've been in one heck of a pinch." Butch said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "In hindsight, a password of 'Invention' was something I should've figured out on my first attempt. You know, considering it's a laboratory." Candy Cane said, rubbing the back of her neck. A few more clicks and taps from the keyboard followed as Candy Cane continued to work her way through the systems. Gearshift looked over at the screen as she moved through them one at a time eventually a screen displayed itself: Trottingham Research Laboratories Outer Terminal •Turret Controls •Hallway Camera Settings •Entryway Controls "Entryway Controls! Get us inside, CC." Gearshift said, almost knocking her over in his enthusiasm. She looked back at him with a small eye roll and then turned back towards the terminal screen. As she moved down the options and selected the third option, a small buzz came from the screen as the screen changed. Once the new screen appeared, new options appeared along with it. Entryway Controls •Open Main Entrance •Retract Turrets •Backup Entryway Systems •Return "Backup entryway? What's that?" Steel Tip asked, looking at the others and getting equal looks of confusion in return. "Check it out." Gearshift said, nudging Candy Cane. Selecting the option, the same buzz would return as the screen displayed a message: Access Denied: Only Dr. Bunsen Burner is allowed access to this entryway. "Guess we're not getting any secret passages." Lavender Blossom said. Returning back to the previous screen, Candy Cane selected the option labeled: •Open Main Entrance Another message displayed on the screen: Open Main Entrance Confirm? Y / N With one last button and the screen turning off, a green light brightly flashed above the doors. Gearshift took a step back and turned to face the doors, the others all doing the same. Candy Cane was the last to look towards the doors, standing beside Gearshift. The flashing over the green light continued, illuminating the group. After a few moments of flashing, the two metallic doors were slowly pulled in opposite directions, a quiet steamy hiss emanating from them as the distance between them gradually increased. Looking through the widening gap, Gearshift panned his eyes downwards at the floor. The green flashing light above the door was one of a pair, the other on the inside of the entryway. The doors finished their opening cycle, an audible *klunk* coming out of the mechanisms in the walls the doors slid into. Then there was only silence. "Well, time to get moving." Gearshift said, looking at the others. Each of them seemed a mixture of nervous and ready to go, contrasting emotions prominent. He then turned to look at Butch, who was in turn looking at the deactivated turrets. "I hadn't imagined that I'd be back ever again." Butch said, keeping his eyes on the turrets as he spoke. "Well thanks to you we've already come this far." Snowball said, smiling at him. "Snow's right, you've done so much for us in just getting us here." Gearshift added, placing a hoof on Butch's shoulder, the two sharing a look and a following smile. "I still have more to do." Butch said, everyone looking at him. "I did help get you here but the inside of these labs are uncharted territory and we have no idea what could be inside." He added, gesturing inside. His response got smiles from the group, who all were in subconscious agreement. "You better be right alongside us as we head through this place then, huh?" Fresh Canvas said, giving Butch a soft jab in the shoulder. With a nod of his head, Butch looked back into the dimly illuminated corridor. Gearshift matched his gaze, looking ahead into the unknown. Taking a step forward, Gearshift breached the threshold of Trottingham Research Laboratories for the first time. The rest of the group each took their own first steps inside, moving as cautiously as they did when leaving Stable 54 and entering the Equestrian Wasteland for the very first time. After stepping through the entryway, Gearshift noticed the same square shape on the the wall on this side as that had been on the wall on the outside. Another terminal. He had to squint his eyes in order to clearly make out the shape. Moving into the corridor, his hoofsteps clicking along the floor, Gearshift brought up his foreleg and used his nose to click on his PipBuck light. The green glow of his PipBuck was soon joined by the lights of each PipBuck that was present on a Stable Pony, Butch keeping close in order to be able to see where he was going. Casting his eyes, and raising his forleg upwards, Gearshift noticed the lights hanging from the ceiling. Turning back towards the others, Gearshift held the light up to his face so that they could see him. "Alright, stick together, it doesn't look like any of the power is-" he began. However, he was swiftly interrupted by one of the lights loudly blinking to life at the far end of the hallway and remaining lit as the next light closest to them flickered on. One by one, each light from the ceiling came on until the one above them flashed to life, momentarily forcing them to shield their eyes from the brightness. "Agh, you were saying?" Steel Tip asked, rubbing his eyes. "Scratch that, the power is fine." Gearshift said, rubbing his own eyes before switching off his PipBuck light. Once his eyes had adjusted to the new light, he turned to the others once again as they shook themselves off. Once they were all set, they began to walk down the now lit up hallway. One thought was in Gearshift's mind. The core we need is here. Now all we have to do is find it. As they continued down the hallway, the gentle hum of the lights above them, the main doors hissed once again and slowly but surely closed with the same *klunk* as when they opened up, separating them all from the Wasteland. Author's Note Guess who's back, back again! Lights is back, with chapter 3. Once again, super sorry about the wait but chapter 3 is here and ready to go for all of your viewing pleasure. I can't wait to hear what you think about it and I'll get to the next couple of chapters as soon as my schedule frees up again. But worry not, it shouldn't be too long. Fly High Everyone~ //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Trottingham Research Laboratories - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Trottingham Research Laboratories - Part 1 Seeing the doors close, the mood amongst the group shifted. Several glances amongst one another and then towards the door followed. The atmosphere in the hall grew cold as each of them tried to process what had just occurred. "Looks like there's no going back now." Fresh Canvas said. "Then we push on. Our home is counting on us." Gearshift said, looking at him. Looking down the now illuminated hallway ahead of them, thoughts began rolling through Gearshift's head. Butch had said it himself that from this point on, not even he knew what to expect. It has to be here. It just has to be. The image of Stable 54 in disarray attached itself to his mind like a vice. Everypony struggling to carry on going, with no power and then the eventual meltdown of the reactor. The mental image then switched to Tool Box, alone in the reactor room as it all went wrong. Quickly shaking his head, he looked at the others as Butch was now standing beside him. "Everythin' alright?" Butch asked, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm okay. The sooner we find the fusion core and get out of here the better." Gearshift answered. With that, the group began walking down the hallway, whilst keeping mindful of their surroundings. Upon reaching the end, they followed the hallway around and to the left, the ceiling lights flickering on just as the previous ones had done. The hallways were eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from the humming of the lights and the sound of the group's hoofsteps against the floor. The walls either side of them were dark grey in color, having dulled over the years with no one entering or exiting. At the far end of the hallway on the wall, a sign marking out the various locations of the floor they were currently on sat. Approaching the sign, the group each took in its features.