Fallout: Equestria - Operation Killjoy
Chapter 5: Tunnels
Previous ChapterNext Chapter“We seek shelter to find hope. But what were they seeking in this place?”
“Shib, this is enough.” Fade turned her face away, but Shibboleth used her magic to pull Fade’s muzzle back to clean the wound. “We have to pack and leave!” Fade protested.
“Key and Feather are doing fine packing our things. Not just that, but we have to wait for Midnight anyways.” Shibboleth was cleaning Fade’s injured wound with barely filtered water. At least it was boiled and came with the cleanest cloth they could find on a quick notice. The warm light of her horn gently illuminated the small room, constantly applying a spell to Fade’s muzzle dulling the pain.
Fade was quiet and looked over to her mother who was checking every small speck of food they had, just in case it was too spoiled to eat.
“I didn’t know you were able to use healing spells.” Fade said eventually. “Could have been useful for my leg.”
“Sadly my first aid training didn’t involve radiation burns.”
“What kind of radio operator knows first aid anyway? Yet alone healing spells.”
Shibboleth sighed. “Fade, would you please shut up and let me do my work if I tell you?” But Shibboleth noticed the curiosity in Fade’s eyes and sighed again. “Counter-Espionage. Radio division.”
“Wait, you were a counterspy?” Fade’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Didn’t we agree on you shutting up?”
Fade grumbled but was quickly distracted when Key entered the room. She was straining her magic by levitating bundles of various things for the journey. “Mom? Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, sweetie.” Shib mumbled.
“Do you think Dad worked at that Shadowbolt Hub, we are going to?”
“We don’t know if Dad really is a Shadowbolt.”
“I heard him say it at least,” Fade added.
Her comment drew a stern look from Shibboleth. “Surely he just said it, because that’s what Everlast wanted to hear. Now drop it already, alright? Is this everything we need to carry?”
Before Key could answer, the door to Feather’s school opened once more and Midnight limped inside. He carried a big bundle of small bags and linen sacks on his back, but what immediately caught Fade’s attention was the disappointment and frustration in his eyes.
“Not enough evidence!” Midnight grumbled before anypony could even ask. “A cleaver wouldn’t withstand a court, they said.” He dropped the bundles and sat down in a corner, flicking a dirty cloth out of his jacket and began cleaning his rifle.
“But you’ve got something as a reward, no?” Fade said, wincing as the numbing spell began to wear off.
“Oh yeah, he gave me five messy suits and a splint for the effort. Better you stay away from me, I had to rub in some irradiated ash.”
“What happened to your leg?” Key asked.
“Almost got chopped off, but with some luck it might just grow back together,” Midnight huffed, unable to bring himself to sound calm and collected.
Feather headed to the door to examine the bundle and ignored Midnight’s warning. “Only five suits? With my own suit, it makes six.” She thought for a moment and shook her head. “We sell half of them and use the rest to improve what we lack right now.”
“And where do we trade?” Shibboleth asked, her voice growing more tense. “If Everlast is in the city already, then it’s very likely his lackeys are already on the market as well.”
“Then we just trade with whoever we find!” Feather tore the bundle open and threw Shibboleth some of the suits. She wrinkled her nose when she noticed the ghoulish odor sticking to the fabric. “Now pack up, we have to get as far away as possible before it gets dark.”
The group ran out of food on the first day of their journey. Feather’s supplies didn’t even make it to the next morning. As much as the map on Key’s PipBuck helped them travel north without too many problems, they still had to stop at every ruin, every broken down cart or any corpse they’ve encountered, to find something useful or edible.
On the second day Midnight decided to head out to hunt, only to return with a cat. The scrawny and tough meat had no taste and all but Key managed to force it down. The next day, they gathered dead grass and tree bark. They gave up on luck, but remained hopeful, knowing that they made it past Edmareton and had to endure only three or four more days.
The next night they had to huddle together next to a fallen tree to ward off the cold. All but Midnight remained close under a blanket of cloth and warm breath. He kept his distance, his winter suit tightly wrapped around him. Midnight held his damaged hoof to his chest, hoping the radiation from the crater’s dust would help him fight the frost that settled on his body.
Their journey continued and the mountain to the east began fading away just like their last chance to get to Priob. Going east would take them as long as reaching Stalliongrad. The weather was kind and during the brightest hours of the day, they could even see the mountains to the north. However, the pure sight of the snow covered peaks alone made them shiver.
Snow was soon falling in thick flakes. The ground didn’t thaw from the freezing nights and while they wandered through the bleak landscape, the finer details were soon covered by a layer of white and gray. If it wasn’t for the gnawing hunger, they could have thought to wander during a clouded, but still idyllic winter day.
After a while they arrived at an abandoned village, seemingly too small for the zebras to even care about bombing it. The group became much more aware how close they were to Stalliongrad and its almost perpetual winter. Even the chance to take rest in a proper shelter for the rest of the day didn’t lift their spirits all too much, knowing they had to face even colder days.
Key’s E.F.S. didn’t show any signals of living or hostile creatures. Midnight decided to investigate the nearby houses anyway, just in case the device couldn’t pick up a hibernating ghoul. The houses were all empty, showing signs of a quick and unprepared evacuation. Everything that wasn’t immediately helping to survive the balefire winter was looted over the past twenty years. Only a very few specks of dried out food and dirty clothes were left. All of the other homes were like that as well, except one. There, Midnight found the remains of a family of six, huddled up in the corner, seemingly spending the last moments of their life together in a tight embrace.
Heavy-hearted he moved on. Eventually they settled in a house with a large fireplace. Finally a very uplifting discovery. The house was well insulated and the fireplace was able to effortlessly spread its warmth throughout the entire room. Midnight explained that the carpets on the wall were not only just for decoration.
While the fire was burning, Shibboleth brought the biggest pot she could find and briefly checked the canned food they found, pouring everything that would go together into it. She grabbed some snow from outside to further fill up the pot and thickened the broth with the stale oats they’ve gathered.
It was the first real meal in days, yet it was enjoyed in silence. Shibboleth gave half of her meal to Key. Even though there was a spark of guilt in her eyes, Key ate without protesting. Fade wanted to share her portion with her mother and Shibboleth, but both shook their heads. Even if the food was the biggest meal they’ve shared in weeks, it was still not enough to fully satisfy their hunger. Hot water had to do as well, since they didn’t find any crumbs of tea.
Shibboleth got up first. During their search for food she found a thick roll of colorful yarn and some needles. The group was expecting her to repair their clothes but instead she sat down a few feet away from Midnight. Her magic tugged at his damaged leg. Midnight knew what she was trying to do as she threaded the needle and let her proceed without protest.
“What will you do with Killjoy?” Key asked as she rested her body on a thick pillow in front of the fireplace, her legs hurting too much to simply sit.
“Helping Equestria,” Feather said. “With Killjoy we can open the Ministry Hubs and get access to the same vaults The Mandate has. Then we can fight him back, plus with the resources inside the Hubs we can easily rebuild Equestria.”
“All of it?”
“Most at least. We will also take control over the weather and open the clouds. We can rebuild the farms, factories and houses. The Stables can open and with both their resources and everything from inside the Ministries we definitely stand a chance.”
“Will you go home to Tall Tale afterwards?”
“Key,” Shibboleth interrupted. “It was a long day. Maybe you want to sleep a bit.”
“It’s okay, let her ask,” Midnight said. “It’s the first time in days that we get the chance to talk and not be on the run or busy surviving.”
Shibboleth only shook her head.
But Key smiled and turned around. “What do you want to do with Killjoy, Midnight?” She asked.
“Oh… I don’t want to search for Killjoy. I am bringing you to Stalliongrad because I am looking for a friend.”
“Don’t you want to help Equestria?”
“I tried to help Equestria once,” Midnight said. “It didn’t work out as planned, but I figured I can help a few ponies here and there. Killjoy is… too big for me, but getting you to Stalliongrad is just within my reach.”
“Admit it,” Fade chuckled. “You are just scared to dive into the taint flooded salt mine.”
“It is certainly a stupid idea and yes, I am afraid of it and so should you,” Midnight said.
“As long as it helps defeat the Enclave, I am not that scared and certainly willing to risk it.”
“Is the Enclave always the reason for you to do anything?” Midnight asked.
Fade rolled her eyes. “Rainbow Dash once fought against the Enclave.” She remembered the toy in her pocket and took it out.
“Is it true that ponies had funerals before the bombs fell?” Kay got more curious.
Fade, Feather and Midnight exchanged looks of confusion.
“Ponies in the Stable,” Shibboleth began to explain. “Get recycled.”
Fade’s body shivered when she realized the implications.
“Yes, he had a funeral.” Feather told her. “Two even. Fade was too young but… I had to attend a public and a private one only for us.”
“When… When we get Killjoy and restore Equestria, can we bury Dad too?” Key asked hesitantly, hugging herself tightly.
“Of course.” Midnight smiled, earning a stern glance from Shibboleth. “By that time recyclers won’t be needed anymore, so everyone can get a funeral.”
It was a peaceful and silent night. Even Midnight allowed himself to just close his eyes to remember the feeling of falling asleep. None of them even noticed the gentle snowfall and the next morning the group found the land covered in a thick blanket.
They searched the house for the last time and picked up a few things, all of them pretty but utterly useless. They hoped after one or two more days without food they could at least sell the trinkets for something to eat, once they reached Stalliongrad.
Midnight took the lead, trampling down the snow as much as his frail body allowed. He wasn’t suffering from fatigue like the others and led them steadily north towards his old home.
The closer they got to the heavily urbanized Stalliongrad area the more the cold air began to burn in their noses and throats. Every time they rested they tried to warm their bodies one way or another. Even Midnight found himself repeating the now useless ritual of breathing against his hooves, or keeping his legs tightly against his body.
With every hour the snow grew deeper, slowing them down until Midnight had to lead them to the next highway. The entire area told them of panic, caused by the sirens, that led to a selfish exodus. Ponies tried to escape, knowing full well that the heavily industrialized area would be one of the primary targets for the zebra’s balefire weapons. Even though the snow wasn’t much of an obstacle on the highway, it was blocked by countless vehicles and only narrow paths remained. Eventually they passed by a truck, which tried to push through the smaller vehicles in front, crushing them underneath its huge wheels, until it finally came to a halt.
“That will be our resting place,” Midnight said with a raspy voice, the frost setting in his throat. He looked up and saw the skyline of Stalliongrad very far in the distance, only briefly lit by the light of the setting sun.
Fade tried to open the tailgate only to get showered by snow. “Aw! Fuck it!”
Key chuckled at the sight of Fade and then she noticed letters she couldn’t read. “Midnight? What does this say?”
“Perekrestrot. Oh! Maybe we are lucky and there is some food left inside.”
“Food?” Key stepped closer.
“Yes. Perekrestrot is… I mean it was one of the biggest supermarket chains in Stalliongrad. They had everything.”
“Yeah. Cool.” Fade growled. “Also, maybe you want to help me?” She made some room for him.
Together and with some help of Key’s magic the door finally sprang open. The transporter was filled with broken crates and glass. Key lit up her horn, but unfortunately and less surprising, the transporter was looted a long time ago.
Shibboleth was surprised to see how much Key helped remove the broken glass to turn the transporter into a temporary shelter. The others searched the debris for food. At the very front of the trailer they found some flour. Most of it was destroyed by moisture and mold, but they scrounged enough together to shape a tough dough and roast it over a small fire.
“How far is it still?” Key asked after taking a bite of the bland food.
“Tomorrow we go underground.” Midnight replied, his throat slowly thawing thanks to the fire. “The surface is highly irradiated but the metro is deep enough to give shelter from it and the cold too. We have to get to one of the safer metro lines and then it’s only a matter of hours.”
“That sounds good. I really need a bath,” Key said, clearly with optimism in her voice but also weak from days without proper food and rest.
“You don’t even know what a bath is,” Shibboleth said. She tried to give her lump of dough to Key.
She just shook her head. “Just because we don’t have them in a Stable, doesn’t mean I don’t know what they are.”
“Wait, the Stables don’t have baths?” Midnight wondered.
“Only showers,” Shibboleth said. “Baths were too luxurious for sure. Given the insane prices for a ticket, it does feel like a rip-off that they didn’t have at least one.”
“Clean water is very valuable in the wasteland,” Feather said. “Hot water is a luxury as well.”
“A proper road would be a luxury.” Key stretched her hurting legs.
Midnight smiled. “The highways are still better and safer. You have no idea what lies under all that snow. One wrong step and your hoof could end up in the ribcage of a frozen ghoul.”
“Yuck…” Key groaned. “Are there… wild ghouls in the tunnels, too?”
“In some there are, yes. But I will bring you to the safer tunnels, remember?” Midnight explained. “There are not many entries to them, but the few there are, lay outside the heavily irradiated zone.”
“And food?” Key asked. “Do they have that in Stalliongrad?”
“They hav,” Midnight nodded. “And since you already know a few things about terminals, I could teach you one or two things and then you can work for food.”
Key smiled for a brief moment but then frowned. “Probably, but I think… Uhm… shouldn’t I learn how to use a gun instead?”
“No,” Shibboleth replied harshly. “As long as you are with us, we will protect you.” She briefly looked at Midnight and he decided it was best to stay quiet.
The snow grew colder, harsher, almost feeling like sharp glass with every gust that blew into their faces. What began as a calm day quickly turned into a dire storm, eventually turning thicker, to a point they couldn’t see lightning in the sky anymore. Only the thunder was noticeable as it rumbled through the clouds above, briefly drowning out the howling winds.
Midnight was only one or two feet in front of the others and even then they lost sight of him every other moment. Key pressed her shivering body against her mother and even Fade and Feather sought shelter by staying close.
With every minute the temperature seemed to drop further and the snow grew more painful. Even Midnight couldn’t face the wind anymore. When he briefly stopped to rub the ice from his face, he felt how fast the snow was building up against his body.
“How far is it?” Fade shouted through the storm, but she couldn’t hear her own voice. After another few attempts she gave up and forced one hoof in front of another.
Midnight suddenly stopped. Something felt wrong. Amidst the wind and show he felt a warmth as if through a miracle the clouds broke open to reveal the blazing sun. He glanced up briefly but found himself surrounded by dark, gray snow. Yet the feeling of sitting too close to a fire remained.
He turned around and rushed to the others. “Key! Your PipBuck!” Even with his voice coarse and brittle, the fear was still recognizable.
Key pushed the sleeve of her suit away to reveal her PipBuck. While the wind was too loud to hear the radiation warning, the rainbow shaped indicator showed red.
“Move! We have to move!” Midnight yelled the moment he saw the red color. He stomped forward, not waiting for the others. He needed to keep them walking, moving, raging through the snow in the hope to escape the radiation.
He suddenly felt a magical tug on his tail. Looking back he saw Key struggling to reach him. Shibboleth was right behind but Fade and Feather were only visible as silhouettes.
Midnight heard Key’s voice but her words were carried away by the storm and drowned out by the thunder. She just lifted her leg to get his attention to the PipBuck again, this time showing a map. The green lines were indicating a railway, hidden deep beneath the snow. But only a few dozen feet away the map revealed a tunnel.
Midnight hesitated. The PipBuck wasn’t showing a station name. It was one of the industrial routes; mile long tunnels without light and any stations. Midnight remembered ponies venturing into these tunnels when the metro stations were overfilled with irradiated corpses. All that went into them were never to be seen again.
But the radiation didn’t give him a choice. He gave Key a brief nod and followed the direction of the PipBuck. He moved fast , fighting his way up the snowy slope. The tunnel was close, he knew about that. They just had to keep climbing and they would see it. When he reached the top he realized that the entrance was buried under snow.
“What now?” He heard Shibboleth calling over the howling wind, trying to shield her daughter with her shivering body. Midnight knew she must already feel the burning sensation of irradiated snow on her exposed cheeks by now.
Without much time to decide, Midnight started digging. His weak hooves pushed the snow away, but the wind quickly brought in more. He felt the warmth of the balefire radiation every time he forced his legs into the snow.
Fade suddenly appeared next to him, starting to dig as well. Shibboleth’s magic pushed the snow away, focusing at the spot where Midnight tried to find a way underground. Everything around them quickly lost all its meaning. The storm, the snow, even their hunger. The only important thing was to dig. And dig. Minutes, which felt like hours later, a narrow but black maw opened up under their hooves, leading deep down into the tunnels below.
Fade went in first with her knife in her muzzle. Key followed quickly after, turning on both the PipBuck’s flashlight and E.F.S. The moment the spell enhanced her perception, she aimed the light at the signals and stirred up several huge roaches. Some of them were longer than a pony, yet they managed to hastily escape into crevices not wider than a hoof.
The others followed quickly. Midnight took his rifle and aimed down the wide tunnel. He pointed his weapon at any of the corpses illuminated by Key’s light. Each time he noticed that it was nothing more than a skeleton covered in dirt and old rags, he aimed at a different one. “Be quiet and keep your weapons ready. There might be wild ghouls.”
Feather readied her energy rifle as well, adding a steady hum, their ragged breaths and the frantic clicking of Key’s PipBuck, which appeared to be deafeningly loud in their ears.
“Okay, go!” Midnight slid down the snowy slope from which they emerged and down into the tunnel. Reaching the bottom his body bumped against a dry corpse, his rifle still aiming. He heard the clicking of insect legs in the darkness and strange hissing noises from the cracks in the walls.
“Any red signals, Key?”
“No…” Her voice quivered. “But a lot more regular signals.”
“Radiation?”
Key responded slowly. “Orange.”
Fade took her own flashlight and tied it to her head, adding more light to keep the roaches away. Luckily, nothing else stirred in the darkness ahead of them.
“We have to move.” Midnight stood up and took a big step over the corpse. He still tried to ignore the dozens upon dozens of skeletons and how their clothes were torn open by roach bites. “And make sure to shake the snow off your clothes.”
Shibboleth kept her daughter close, her pistol floating nearby in the grasp of her magic. Key pressed her body against her, afraid of the sight corpses. It wasn't only ponies. She saw the cannibalized remains of roaches and even the little bones of rats, sometimes piling up at the walls.
The further they went the more the PipBuck calmed down. As they followed the rails the sight repeated again and again. The remains of ponies who just sat down to die became as normal as the pipes lining the walls. The hungry vermin have pulled the corpses of foals away from their parents a long time ago.
“Can we rest a moment?” Shibboleth asked when the PipBuck’s clicks disappeared among the hoof steps of the group. “It is really hot down here.”
Alarmed by her words, Fade looked at Shibboleth and saw the sweat running over her forehead. Her legs were shaking. She hurried to help her sit down. Once she did, Shibboleth began to tug at the clothes.
“No. Keep them on. It is freezing down here,” Fade stopped her.
“Is Mom alright?” Key asked.
Fade nodded. “Yes, she… she is alright.”
“No, she isn’t!” Key stepped closer, not buying into Fade’s desperate lie. “I’m not a stupid kid. What’s wrong with her?”
“Look, given the circumstances she is fine,” Midnight tried to calm her down. “We just went through a heavily irradiated snowstorm, but we got out in time.” A look into Fade’s eyes made Midnight realize that she saw through his lie as well.
Fade turned around and stomped to the closest cadaver and began to dig in the pocket, looking for anything that could help.
“Fade, we won’t have time for that,” Midnight said. “We have to get to the settlement.”
“How far is it away?” She asked as she continued digging through the old belongings.
“Well, if we would travel on the surface—”
“How far?” She raised her voice.
Midnight hesitated. “I… I don’t know about the industrial tunnels. The longest metro line in Stalliongrad is longer than thirty miles—”
“Yeah, okay… I got it Midnight. I got it.” Fade looked at the dead bodies, strewn around her. She looked at three skeletons, still huddled together in a fragile embrace. She sighed. “What do I have to look out for to get to the settlement, Midnight?”
“Anything that leads us deeper. Stairs, maintenance shafts, literally anything. Look for rails of a different width. Oh, or look out for train carts made for ponies. But most importantly, tell me when you notice that corpses are… missing.”
Miles upon miles they wandered along the twisting tunnels. Key and Feather were helping Shibboleth walk, while her body grew weaker with every hour. Soon they had to ration the remaining water as Shibboleth felt more and more thirsty. Midnight was listening and watching for any sign of danger. The frustration grew in him when he still heard the roaches skittering around.
Fade was hurrying to any spot that appeared promising to hold medicine; Groups of ponies, boxes on the walls, a lost crate or briefcase. She found a dusty gun, next to a dead body. The magazin was missing only one single round. She huffed as she looked at the scene in front of her. The gun still had a certain worth to it. She picked it up and brought the weapon to Key. “Here. That’s yours.”
“No! Key won’t get a gun.” Shibboleth was breathing heavily from speaking up so suddenly.
“It’s for her own protection, Shib.” Fade replied.
Shibboleth shook her head. “Her PipBuck is protection enough, It has E.F.S.”
“Yes and it also has S.A.T.S.! Right?” Fade made sure the weapon was secure and operational, then pushed into one of Key’s pockets.
“What is S.A.T.S.?” Key asked.
Fade looked up and glared at Shibboleth. “Are you fucking—You didn’t teach her about S.A.T.S.? I don’t have a PipBuck and I know about it!”
“Only Stable security needs to know about it!”
“Yeah, okay! Then it’s time that I will teach her.”
“No you won’t!” Shibboleth mustered the strength and stomped her hoof onto the ground.
Fade glared at her once more. “You know how dangerous the wasteland is and you didn’t teach your daughter how to defend herself? I have seen six year old foals who can handle a firearm! And Key doesn’t even know about S.A.T.S.! What’s your fucking problem?”
“Key will not kill ponies!”
Fade stomped her own hoof and growled. “She doesn’t need to kill a pony, but S.A.T.S. can help her by poking a stick into somepony’s eye, so she can run away. Or fuck do I know! Shoot them in the leg! Are you so narrow minded that you can’t think further than kill?”
“Don’t give her any ideas! She can learn how to handle a weapon when she is old enough!”
“Oh is that so?” Fade spat. “It’s always ‘Old enough’! Either that or until you’re fucking dead!”
Feather hit Fade’s head with her wing. “I told you to never say these words ever again!” She yelled at Fade.
“That was twenty-five years ago!” Fade protested.
“Shut up!” Feather shouted and turned away quickly. She put a wing on Shibboleth’s back, forcing herself to speak much more quietly. “Let’s go. Let her keep it, just in case something really bad happens.”
Shibboleth pushed Feather’s wing away with her magic. “I know how to raise my daughter myself.” She continued walking, no longer accepting help from the other.
A hole in the ceiling made the group stop. The collapsed brickwork formed an unsteady ramp up into the hole. Some restroom fixture was hanging from the broken ceiling, covered in long icicles.
“What does your PipBuck say, Key?” Midnight whispered.
“Green. It doesn’t really click anymore.”
“Let's take a look.” Midnight flew up on the cargo train and turned on his light to examine the hole. “It’s a public restroom.”
“Why is it broken? Was that a bomb?” Key asked.
“No,” Feather said. “The cold made the water in the pipes freeze and that made them burst. The rest was just waiting to thaw and freezing until everything collapsed.”
“Always a teacher.” Fade couldn’t resist a small smile and she flew up as well. She helped the others climb onto the train, while Midnight briefly checked if the damaged section was able to carry their weight.
Key’s E.F.S. didn’t detect anything, but when Fade went first she still had her knife ready. With her light she found a big public bathroom and even more dead ponies. She was used to sights like this and just examined the restroom. Half of the sinks and stalls were still intact. Her eyes fell on the already plundered first aid box. Everything but a few bandaids were taken. “It’s safe.”
Climbing out and standing in the bathroom her eyes locked on her image shown in a cracked and stained mirror. Fade noticed that something was off. She stepped closer and rubbed over her swollen cheek. She winced but noticed a reddish tint under her fur. Frowning was all she could do.
While the others climbed through the hole, she continued her exploration. Upon leaving the stall she found herself in a huge waiting hall. It had enough seats and free room to easily give shelter to more than a hundred ponies and it certainly did. Blankets, clothes, bags and stuffed animals were strewn among a terrifyingly small amount of corpses.
Looking up at the big glass facade of the shelter made her feel exposed. A sliding door was forced open. She turned off the light and slowly stepped backwards. The quiet crunching noise of dirt under her hooves made her wince. “Midnight,” she whispered. “There are too few corpses.”
Midnight was checking the stalls for anything useful, while trying to avoid the gross stains, caused by ponies dying of radiation sickness. He stopped his search, turned off his own light and took a look as well. “Can you close the door?” He asked after a minute. He turned to the others, who were helping Shibboleth to sit down. “Quiet now.”
Both sneaked into the waiting hall, carefully avoiding any of the items, walking on the dirty blankets and rags to quieten their steps. Fade made her way to the door. With only a little bit of light from Key’s PipBuck she forced the door shut. She looked out into the dark, but couldn’t see anything.
Midnight approached the security office. He slowly nudged the door open with his rifle, stopping at any time he heard the hinges creak. “Fade. I need more light here.”
She joined him and covered her light with a wing before turning it on. Carefully both spied into the room, finding terminals, filing cabinets and two more dead ponies. One was lying curled up on the floor, the other slumped over a terminal. Its panel was still covered by the sticky residue of flesh molten by radiation.
“Midnight look. I think there is a map.” Fade pulled his attention away from the corpses and shone the light at the wall. Both studied the map briefly. Fade wasn’t able to read any of the words, written in the local print. She grew impatient while Midnight traced the lines with the tip of his wing.
“We are halfway there. One of the safe lines is nearby.”
“Finally some good fucking news… What direction?”
“I… I don’t know yet.” Instead of answering her, Midnight took his rifle off his shoulder and gave it to Fade.
“What am I supposed to do with that?”
“I’ll fly to the next station and see what direction we need to head. If the ghouls wake up, use it. It’s better than your knife.”
Fade raised her brow. “Uhm, I can kill a ghoul with a knife, pretty confidently so.”
“I know, but I don’t want to know the details,” Midnight said and left the security room. Fade followed him, holding the rifle awkwardly with a wing of hers, while both returned quietly to the door.
“Use a rifle, it’s better than a knife… yeah right, that thing is so damn cumbersome and heavy.” She grumbled to herself.
“If I am not back in an hour, try to get to Komsomareskaya Station.”
“Komso—The fuck did you just say to me? Midnight, I can’t read those letters! Why is the damn R backwards?”
“Just look for Komso on the map but the s is a c. You also have Key’s PipBuck and your mother can surely help. Also, that R isn’t—”
“Whatever Mr. Ghoul, just do your thing. By the way my mother doesn’t even speak Stalliongrad, so…”
“She doesn’t?” Midnight wondered. “Well, looks like I am the only one who can speak to the locals.”
Fade groaned. “Just fuck off already, this thing is heavy and you didn’t lie when you told Key it’s covered in your slobber. And don’t bring back any hordes!”
“Don’t worry. Ghouls don’t attack ghouls.”
Fade and Midnight pushed the door open just enough for him to slip out. He wandered into the darkness and when he was far away enough from the door, he turned on the light. Fade watched him following the rails until his flashlight revealed a massive blast door. With no other choice, Midnight turned around and took off.
Fade sat down when she couldn’t see the lightcone anymore. Only now she realized how much her legs were hurting. Since they entered the tunnels they were walking without a break. Fade didn’t even want to loot the bodies and luggage for medicine anymore. She saw enough corpses today and didn’t want to be reminded of how fragile families were in the wasteland.
Suddenly she heard a few hoofsteps. Midnight was already returning and just landed a few feet away. His eyes were locked to the ground for a brief moment. Fade let him in. “What’s wrong?”
“I… found the dead ponies.”
From a small window in the security office, Fade caught a small glimpse at them. Five feet high they were piled up against another blast gate. These bodies still had their flesh. They were too radiated for the rats to devour and by this time too dry and leathery for the roaches. Fade had no idea what drove the ghouls to go there of all the places.
Shibboleth was brought into the security office, after Key and Feather removed the two dead ponies. Midnight was already working at the terminal and tried to get it running. His hope was that the station had an emergency generator somewhere and that the thick cables would lead him to it.
Key carefully and quietly opened one of the filing cabinets and took out one of the thick folders. She flicked through the pages and was surprised to find photos and detailed profiles of ponies and zebras alike. “Was this a police station of some kind?” She asked when she read the lists of felonies under each picture.
“Why do you ask?” Fade wondered and took a peek at the file herself. “Heh… Stalliongrad had a lot of criminals.” The size of the folder amused her.
“Shelters like these often have such a file, so they could arrest ponies on sight,” Midnight said. With a sudden and loud clang Midnight managed to force open a tiny hatch and found a bunch of energy cells. He smiled. “Feather, can you check if they are still charged?”
Feather sat down nearby and tested them by plugging the cells into her rifle. Even though there was no gauge or anything, the buzzing noise of it charging up was enough. Fade and Key kept flipping through the pages. Key eventually chuckled. “Being seen with a zebra in public was a felony?”
“Yes. That’s why we kissed them.” Midnight told her with a proud smile.
Key turned over the page and her smile disappeared when she recognized the gray coat and blue mane. Fade recognized the eyes as well, but the ones on the photo appeared as if they were from a stranger. The picture of his cutie mark just made it more difficult for Fade to believe what she saw. “Midnight? Here is a picture of you. And your… secret name? Black King.”
“Of course there is. Every pony who didn’t blindly follow the narrative was considered a criminal.”
“I know that, but… this profile says a lot worse things than just kissing zebras in public.” Fade read over the rich list of crimes.
“Oh ignore those, they are all lies. They just make it look worse than it actually is.”
“Worse?” Fade took the file and began to read. “Armed insurgency and ambush on members of the police, military and steel rangers. Midnight, what can be worse than that?”
Midnight grabbed the file and flicked the pages, almost tearing some out. “If you want to see something bad, look for Blue Sky. He was our leader. His list of felonies will surely contain nonsense like planned assassination of the princesses or some shit.”
“But the file says you were the leader and not him,” Fade said.
“Drop that.” Feather grabbed the file with her wing. “These two are still working. Can you get the blast doors open with that?” She shoved the spark batteries back to Midnight.
With a grumble he put the cells back and the terminal sprung to life with a small beep, loud enough to startle them, but too quiet to alert anything else. Key didn’t even dare to take another file from the cabinet.
After a while the terminal offered Midnight a few options. One was to open the blast doors, even though a warning was pointing out that the last maintenance check was twenty years overdue. But he found another option.
“Unseal Emergency Exit (Warning! High Radiation Detected!)”
Midnight however picked the option anyway. From the corner of his eyes and through the security window he saw an orange light flickering up. It was next to the blast door and the emergency gate was hidden behind the bodies. After a few more flickers, the lamp busted. He remained quiet, watching if the corpses would react and move.
Luckily for them they didn’t and Midnight was hopeful enough that they may have been frozen solid, even though the temperature wasn’t nearly as cold as on the surface. “Just in case these corpses can still move… turn off the lights,” Midnight told them. “I will open the gates.”
One keystroke was enough to set the shelter alive. Deep rumbles and vibrations wandered through the ground. More lights at the gate came to life, tinting everything in orange. A loud siren suddenly erupted only to crackle like breaking bones and die. The massive blast gate shook and dust was raining from the ceiling. The machinery inside the walls began to screech loud enough that they had to cover their ears. A sudden burst of fire erupted from between the loose plates next to the gate, followed by the lights flickering and dying down. A last surge of energy rushed through the system and the terminal in the security office shut off.
The quiet that followed was soon pierced by a long wail. It came from the pile of corpses, deep and dull. And then the wail was answered.
Only Key’s E.F.S. and the permanent wailing outside the shelter told them how close the undead ponies were. Shibboleth held her daughter tightly in her forelegs, trying to soothe her, while Key’s eyes followed the many signals only visible to her.
They remained still in the darkness, knowing that even the tiniest glimpse of light could draw their attention, now that they were aggravated. They wouldn’t get to rest any time soon, as each of their howls enraged them even further. Under any other circumstance they would sit it out, but Shibboleth’s worsening state didn’t give them that choice. Her breath already began to sound wet and slimy from the mucus collecting in her throat.
“Mom? They are coming inside.”
“They aren’t,” Fade said, still listening in.
“But I have a signal in the next room,” Key said, her voice quivering. “And there are more coming… what do we do?”
“This is impossible. We would have heard them breaking through,” Fade slowly went to the door and listened. She couldn’t hear anything inside the room. “There is nothing there.”
“Below us,” Feather said. “Like rats.”
“Below? Will they come through the bathroom?” Key spoke out what they all dreaded.
“Listen up,” Midnight said. “I get out and distract them with one or two gunshots. Cover the window and find a tool to remove it. Then you go to the emergency exit and follow it to the next station.”
“We can go back through the tunnel,” Shibboleth said. “I’ll be fine.”
Fade and Midnight knew that wasn’t an option. At least it wasn’t an option for Shibboleth.
“Block the door.” Midnight left the room quietly, not giving Shibboleth a chance to argue. After he closed the door, the others got up, moving slowly through the dark and finding hold on the cabinet. Then they waited and listened. At times they didn’t dare to breathe when a ghoul was just wandering by the window.
The sudden and loud crack of Midnight’s rifle made them flinch. The ghouls outside answered with a chorus of dry and broken voices all joining in unison.
“Now,” Fade whispered and pressed her body against the cabinet. They moved it slowly and the groan of metal on metal ringed painfully in their ears. Even the noise when it reached the door felt like a shockwave.
Midnight turned on the flashlight to save his limited ammo. He turned it on and off, luring the ghouls to the other blast gate. The pale light showed the leathery bodies of the undead ponies, the flesh burned by the freezing cold and balefire radiation alike. As one after another stumbled past the window, they couldn’t recognize them as ponies anymore. They couldn’t even recognize faces, where flesh no longer held to bone.
Midnight’s plan wasn’t working as he hoped. Some ghouls didn’t show any interest in the gunshot or the light and were instead stumbling aimlessly between the security station and the emergency exit. In his desperation, Midnight fired a second shot, but to no avail.
Fade took the map off the wall and pressed it against the small window. “Key, use your magic to remove the screws! Quick!” She kept trying to cover the whole window, but the map wouldn’t fit.
But before Key could even begin to search for the fixture, a loud wail echoed through the shelter. It was followed by the sound of something stumbling over chairs and bodies. One really made it through the hole in the bath and its angry shouts just lured in more. Midnight fired a third shot to keep the horde around him, but one after another followed the wail inside the shelter.
When Midnight held his light to the room he saw that it was not only one ghoul, but a second was already leaving the bathroom. Midnight checked the magazin in his rifle and counted the bullets. He took aim, made sure to hover steadily in the air. He had to clear the path for them and fired.
Fade saw just past the edges of the map, that one of the ghouls got struck down by a bullet to the head. A second fell a moment later. “Midnight frees the way for us,” she warned the others. “Get your guns. You too, Key! Mom, can you melt the window with your rifle?”
“This will draw them to us,” Feather protested.
“They are already on us!” Fade paused when she heard more wails from the next room. “Just do it, please!”
Feather took the two spark batteries from the terminal. She activated the energy rifle, stepped next to the window and pressed the glowing tip against the frame. When she pulled the trigger, the room was filled with a bright flash pink, followed by a thick plume of smoke and pink dust floating, as the magic dissolved parts of the window. They held their breaths and tried not to cough.
A ghoul, angered by the sudden flash of light, threw its body against the window. The head collided violently with the armored glass, cracking the skull open and leaving a stain of half rotten, half liquified meat behind. As they gasped from the shock, they began coughing. Key screamed when the face returned, pressing the broken muzzle against the glass, smearing more of the putrid fluid over it. Its hooves hammered violently against it.
“Feather! Hurry!” Fade turned on her light and pushed another cabinet against the door. Just a brief moment later, one of the ghouls, already inside the shelter, threw its body against it and made the door shake. The loud crash and the noise of cracking bones was soon drawn out by a permanent roar when the horde was drawn to them.
Feather fired the second shot, sending another blinding wave of smoke into the room. The window soon began to budge from the attacks of the ghoul outside as well as destructive magic. The window frame finally burst when another ghoul jumped against it. The small window was pushed inside and the ghoul was snarling like a rabid animal. Feather fired out of reflex, hitting the head and slowly burned the creature into pink dust. Midnight fired again to kill the other.
Fade headed for the window, but when she looked back, she just stared at the door in horror. Not only bare hooves, but flickering magic tore at it. Heads shattering against the metal and then the first muzzle, missing skin and teeth, forced its way inside. Fade rushed the door instead and tried to keep it shut. “Mom! Get Shib and Key out!”
Feather hurried through the window, guarded by Midnight who had to shoot down another ghoul.
“I have three rounds left!” He shouted.
Shibboleth urged Key to follow her, while she held her own weapon in a weakening magic glow. Sweat was dripping from her muzzle, but she still helped her daughter to climb through the window. For a brief moment the entire horde was focused on the waiting room.
“Fade! You next!” Shibboleth started to cough harder.
“No way, you first! Move your sick ass you stupid bitch!” Fade yelled and she felt her hooves slowly slipping over the floor. The noise on the other side of the door grew in intensity. The wave of rotting bodies rushed inside, heading right for the small security room. Fade was almost thrown away when the mass of flesh crashed into the door. A brief look showed that Shibboleth was struggling. The radiation weakened her body too much.
“Fuck it!” Fade ran to the window and pushed Shibboleth through it, moments before the door burst open behind her and the first ghouls were trampled under the wave that followed. She hurried to climb through the window and felt the muzzle of a ghoul, snapping for her tail. “Always the fucking tail!” Fade yelled and kicked the rotten muzzle. She pushed herself through it and fell on her rump on the other side.
Feather pulled her up, not giving her even a second to rest. She was already dragging to the exit. Fade looked back briefly and the first ghoul managed its way through the small window. She couldn’t see the muzzle anymore.
“Move!” Feather yelled in Fade’s ear. A hasty glance told her that other ghouls were surrounding the shelter instead of fighting their way inside. At first there were only a few, then dozens and then she couldn’t believe how many. They were snarling, wailing, yelling as they galloped madly towards them.
Feather aimed at and fired. The shot dissolved the knee, severing off the leg and made the ghoul fall over. The ones behind couldn’t react and stumbled over it, but soon the other just jumped over the pile or swerved around, not giving them any second in return.
“It’s stuck!” Key yelled, as she struggled with the neglected door. Shibboleth tried to help but couldn’t muster the strength anymore. Midnight had to shoot down another ghoul to slow the horde for a brief moment. Fade charged at the door and screamed when she threw her body against it. The door, luckily, burst open but the pain in her shoulder pierced through her body. She curled up, unable to stand or take note of the cold and narrow emergency corridor she was in. She only heard how the others were ushering each other in and soon Key zoomed past her. A last shot rang from Midnight’s rifle before Feather and Shibboleth closed the door.
“Fade! Get up!” Midnight yelled. “The lock is broken!”
Key suddenly screamed. Midnight turned around and saw a ghoul jumping at her. Both rolled over the floor and the ghoul pinned Key underneath. Midnight shot at it but the bullet tore only a part of the skull away. Fade tried to stand up, but the pain in her shoulder made her flinch and stumble. Key yelled in pain when the ghoul bit her mane and pulled at it until some of the skin gave away, blood began to flow over her face.
Key grabbed the pistol in her jacket with her magic and pulled the trigger repeatedly. The shots went wild, one bullet however finally struck the ghoul’s head. The ghoul collapsed on top of her and convulsed, as the failing brain couldn’t coordinate the body anymore.
Fade closed the distance despite the pain and pulled the ghoul off her. “Get up, we have to move!” She pulled her up onto her hooves and pushed her along. Midnight was already rushing ahead and Feather was forcing Shibboleth forward as well. The door to the corridor was pushed open by the horde. Fade looked back and saw how the ghouls were crushing and trampling each other when dozens upon dozens forced their way into the way too narrow corridor.
They ran as fast as their tired legs let them and after they rounded a corner, Midnight abruptly stopped. Down the corridor he saw even more ghouls, enraged by the noise already charging at them.
“Midnight! Left!” Fade called out.
At first he had problems figuring out what she had meant, until he noticed the door. He rushed forward to take position between them and the ghouls. The others followed Fade as she stormed to the room she had just discovered. With the roaring noise of the horde behind them, they ran inside. Midnight followed closely behind and Feather quickly closed the door. Not even a split second later, the first ghoul rammed its body against it.
Trapped. There was no other word to describe the situation they found themselves in. They were trapped in a small and bare shelter, with nothing else than a few metal benches and a tiny bathroom chamber. Fade and Feather were pushing the benched in front of the door, all while the ghouls were crushing each other's bones to reach them. Midnight pushed his frail body against the benches just like Feather and Fade. Together they managed to keep the ghouls outside.
Key was crying and shivering, her head still bleeding from the bite. Shibboleth tried to soothe her, but was always on the brink of passing out herself.
“Mom…?”
“I’m here sweetie. We will get out of here somehow, don’t worry,” Shibboleth whispered, too weak to speak any louder.
“Theoretically, if we are quiet enough… They may lose interest.” Fade suggested.
Midnight shook his head. “I doubt it, they may go on like this for days.”
“My PipBuck says the radiation is on the yellow level.” Key said.
They were quiet. The only noise was the ghouls.
“Fade? How long will it take you to dig through the floor in the bathroom with your knife?” Midnight asked.
“What the—” Fade let out a chuckle, which almost turned into a sob. “You are a fucking idiot, Midnight. Digging with a knife…” She shook her head. “But maybe… Mom? Do you still have the energy cells?”
“I do. But I don’t know if they have enough charge?”
“What are you talking about?” Midnight asked.
Fade smirked. “I take it back. You are a genius, Midnight! Key, can you get up and see if your PipBuck detects a crawl space under us?”
“I don’t see how energy cells help us here,” Midnight said.
Fade looked at him. “You were a terrorist and don’t know how to turn energy cells into makeshift bombs?”
“I was not a terrorist!” Midnight yelled.
“Okay. Sorry! But do you know how?”
Midnight nodded briefly and only with hesitation.
“Good. Key. Is there anything?” Fade asked.
Key nodded only briefly and her attention went back to Shibboleth who fell asleep. It dampened Fade’s sudden enthusiasm.
“Okay. Midnight! Listen to me… I want you to connect the cells and build a small bomb. Can you do that?”
“I… I guess I can? Can you two keep the door shut?” Midnight whispered.
“Much better than you. I am not going to die in this shitehole you call home.”
Midnight grinded his teeth and left the barricade to fetch the spark batteries from Feather. With tense steps he entered the bathroom, examining it briefly before tearing the toilet seat out to get access to the pipe. “Key! I need you here. I don’t have tools.” He tried his best to keep his voice calm and collected.
“It’s okay, Key. I will take care of your mother.” Fade encouraged her.
Key tried to hold back her tears when Shibboleth didn’t react to her getting up. She joined Midnight and she followed his instructions until they had a ragged chaos of wires connecting the energy cells.
“Listen, you need to use your magic and push it as deep into the pipes as you can,” Midnight said. “When I turn on the switch you have only a few seconds.”
Key nodded quietly, rubbing a tear away.
“Hey… When we are in Stalliongrad, I will do everything to make sure your mom gets the medicine she needs. I promise. Pinkie Promise, even. Like they taught us in the Shattered Hoof.”
Key nodded again.
“Good. You better take cover.”
Both positioned themselves just next to the bathroom door. The bomb was shaking in Key’s magic.
“On three! One… Two… Three!”
A loud bang echoed through the small room, dust and dirt was whirled up into the air, making the entire room shake.
Fade groaned from the lingering ache in her shoulder as she carried Shibboleth through the hole. Key was worried about Midnight. He stood behind to hold the bathroom door shut. Outside the ghouls were still raging, the door shaking whenever they pushed against it. All Midnight could do was hoping that the dust would cover their tracks. That the door would hold long enough. He hoped that they were fast enough to save Shibboleth.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting for him, he let go of the door handle, hoping and even wishing that the others were far away enough. The door was still shaking, creaking, the sound of muffled groans still clearly audible. He sighed and followed the others through the hole and once he arrived in the crawlspace he saw Fade waiting for him some distance away. With his head low he approached her, her eyes looking tired and exhausted. Among the dust he saw a red stain on her nose.
“Two… maybe three hours and we can rest,” he said.
“Does Shib have three hours?”
Midnight didn’t want to answer. He remembered vividly the tiredness that overcame him when he died from the radiation. “Let’s go.” He walked past her and decided to ignore Fade’s angry scoff.
Further down the way, Feather and Key had to take a short rest in the maintenance tunnel, which hopefully would bring them to the safer lines.
“Why are you waiting?” Fade asked, already rushing to Shibboleth, fearing the worst.
“I have signals on my E.F.S.” Key answered. The blood on her face was caked and dried by dust and dirt.
“How many?”
“Two. But… They seem friendly!”