Fallout: Equestria - The Storm

Fallout: Equestria - The Storm

Chapter 7: The Doctor Is In

***** ***** *****

I dove into a pile of scrap as Washout opened fire, bolts of bright green illuminating our surroundings. Knight simply stood there as she was bathed in plasma, stoic and unyielding until the pegasus ran out of ammo. Despite the Star Metal being a bit hot, her armor was completely fine. Anywhere not armored, however, was riddled with burning holes.

“Wash-” The robotic alicorn began to speak before the Hot Rod slammed into her and launched upward, both of them breaching the concrete into the factory main floor. I flew up after them.

“You’re it, aren’t you!? You’re what killed them!” The enraged pegasus slammed herself into Knight again before she could respond, crashing through assembly lines. This would end up getting taken outside soon. Knight wasn’t fighting back now, but if she saw the Hub’s new striped residents…

Making my way out as fast as I could, I quickly started telling the Hot Rods I saw to start getting all the zebras indoors, preferably underground. Muffler was about to ask why, but an explosion from inside the factory snapped him and the others into action. Those who could speak zebra helped hurry them along. The last stripe made it indoors not a moment too soon.

Knight was launched out of a barricaded window into the air, though she quickly caught herself, hovering. Those wings weren’t for show, she could fly. Slowly, but gracefully. Washout’s flying, however, was fast and erratic. The Enclave-trained mare slammed into the advanced machine over and over, from all directions. Knight continued to let her, possibly until she tired herself out.

Washout let out a primal scream, then launched herself straight up, nearly to the clouds, and dived. A wide vapor cone formed around her as she accelerated, narrowing tighter and tighter as she neared her foe. At the point of impact, a boom of light and sound cracked throughout the Hub and beyond. Waves of green and white reverberated through the city.

*****

A crowd began to form around the Hub’s new crater, sans zebras. I took a place with Slash and Gritt as they arrived. Peepers, Snowmelt, and Muffler began to step towards the dust, then raised their weapons as a dilapidated winged figure rose from it. Knight, held together only by her Star Metal parts and telekinesis, and carrying an unconscious Washout, glided to the edge and gently set her down. The others kept their weapons trained on her as she removed the pegasus’ helmet, clasped a claw on her head, and enveloped them both in faint blue magic.

Not knowing what to do, everyone waited in silence, ready to act at any sign of trouble. Minutes passed, and tears began to slowly stream from Washout’s closed eyes. The magic faded and Knight released her, stepping away.

“I’m sorry,” was all Knight had to say, before heading back into the factory.

“Me too.” Washout buried herself in her hooves and continued to cry.

*****

It took some time for Washout to explain, but the magic Knight used apparently allowed them to view each other’s minds and understand one another. She understood that Zendaya’s and Zip’s deaths weren’t Knight’s fault. She admitted it was hers. A tragic mistake. The other Hot Rods embraced their leader, comforting her. I went into the factory, Slash and Gritt following.

Knight was busy repairing herself, magically shredding the destroyed Assault-Mares and absorbing the scrap. She must have done the same thing before releasing me from the lab. Before long, she looked as good as new.

“The zebras can’t stay hidden away from you forever,” I began. “We need a solution.”

Knight pondered for a while. “My IFF is triggered by visual recognition. I can disable my sight while zebras are in the vicinity, but I will need a guide.”

“Allow me,” Slash stepped forward and took Knight’s shoulder. The robot turned off its eyes and allowed the dragon to lead her.

Gritt spoke up. “You might not flip out at zebras now, but they will flip out at you. We need to wrap you in a cloak or something.

Knight agreed, and we quickly got something from the market.

*****

Now that the only thing identifying her as a machine was her voice, we took Knight out into the Hub. The residents who saw the earlier display steered clear. She reached a hoof out and felt around until she found me. “Rosegold? You mentioned rescued slaves before. Do any of them require medical attention?”

“I… believe so. Why?”

“I’d like to help them. I know some healing magic, and have installed modules akin to an Auto-Doc.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if you identified a zebra by touch?”

“I assure you, my IFF is specifically linked to my visual receptors. Tactile or auditory identification is not sufficient.”

“If you’re certain.” We led Knight into the Ministry of Peace building and to the most critical patients.

She wasted no time, enveloping the immediate area in a magical aura that allowed her to accurately feel her surroundings, and floated an assortment of medical chemicals into compartments in her chassis. The zebra stallion before her was unconscious and in poor condition. He was extremely skinny and covered in infected cuts and bruises. Medical displays indicated he had a fever and dangerously low blood pressure.

Knight began by medicating the most severe wounds with a series of syringes deployed from her forehoof, then stitched them with a sewing-machine-like apparatus. As this went on, she requested that someone retrieve compatible blood for a transfusion, and a nearby nurse obliged. She lowered her horn to her patient and applied a slow, but helpful bone-mending spell.

As more medical tools and spells at her disposal were put on display, I became more sure I needed Knight as a traveling companion. Her benefits outweighed her liabilities. Satisfied that her current patient would make a full recovery, she moved on with the next, and so on for the rest of the day. Slash chuckled at the skip in her trot.

*****

“Enjoying yourself?” the dragon asked.

“Very much so!” Knight’s voice had a sing-song cheer to it. “Helping others heal brings me joy. There’s nothing I love more, and I haven’t had the opportunity in so long.”

I raised a brow. “That seems like a bit of a design flaw, considering what you are.”

My words caused her to halt. “My… personality was not an intentional addition. I was supposed to be as much of a mindless drone as the others. I theorize that the unique materials in my construction have something to do with it. Star Metal has reportedly had odd and unpredictable psychological effects when involved with other projects.”

“Do you have a soul?” The robot turned at Slash’s bizarre question.

“I like to think that I do, but who could say?” Knight’s voice was hopeful, but unsure. Then she let out a chuckle. “I noticed earlier that I could see the sun. And the blue sky. They were hidden last time I was outside.”

Gritt started to explain recent history, but Knight stopped him. “I learned everything from Washout’s memories.”

“You can read memories? Like a recollector?” the griffon asked. “Is that something you installed yourself?”

The alicorn android lowered her head. “No, it is part of my original design. For the purpose of extracting memories from captives by force, and depositing them into memory orbs. I’ve learned to be… gentle, so I can use it for psychiatric care.”

“Well, if I ever need another shrink…” Gritt joked and started to head out. “We really should be on our way. Getting around Fillydelphia and into Manehattan will take a while.”

I tapped Knight on the shoulder. “I want you to come with us. We could use a medic.” Slash agreed immediately. Gritt and Knight seemed unsure. “You could find more opportunities to heal others, and we’ll make sure there aren't any incidents with zebras.” Knight reluctantly nodded.

*****

Not trusting that we wouldn’t stumble across zebras at random, Knight kept her eyes turned off. She flew as close to Slash as she could, using a magic field to keep track of her guide. The android became much more willing to travel with us when we mentioned Tenpony, and explained she received most of her healing magic knowledge when she was there a century ago. Eager to see if there were new spells she could learn, she was more than happy to come along.

“Does Tenpony have any striped residents?” Knight asked precautiously.

Gritt answered. “As of my last time there, no. Zebras tend to settle in or near Glyphmark, which is close to the Canterlot ruins. The slaves we found were a surprise, they must have been shipped to the area from another region. Only other place I’ve seen zebras live in or visit is Junction Town, and we have no immediate reason to stop there.” He lit a smoke as he flew.

Satisfied, Knight briefly turned her eyes back on to take a look around. “Equestria is improving substantially. It was… horrific last time I wandered.”

“Trust me, there’s still pockets of horror.” I muttered. Speaking of which, a thunderstorm began to roll in ahead of us. Time to find shelter.

*****

The upper floor of an apartment building protected us from the rain, but the poorly insulated walls did little against the cold winds blowing in from the north. Slash was the worst off, shivering around a hastily made fire. I was faring better, but laid down on the other side of flames all the same. We had both removed our armor, as the metallic plates worsened the chill. Gritt and Knight were unphased.

“H-How can you s-stand this c-cold!?” the dragon moaned pathetically.

“Aren’t your lungs full of fire?” Gritt chuckled. “It was colder back when there wasn’t any sunshine, and even then it wasn’t that bad. Personally, I can’t stand the heat. Kind of sucks when you’ve got black feathers. Summers these days are sweltering. Would it kill Pip to add a few more clouds and breezes during the hot moons?”

I started to close my eyes, but was startled when Slash grabbed me and yanked me over to her. “What are you-!?”

She wrapped herself around me, spooning me. “I’m cold and you’re warm. Don’t make this weirder than it needs to be.” There go my pheromones again. Slash either didn’t notice or ignored it.

I grumbled. “Just try not to roll into the fire while you’re holding me. I’d rather not be ignited this week on top of being shot, beaten, choked, mauled, and drowned.”

Gritt snorted and laughed. “Hey, some peeps pay good caps for half of those.”

Knight let out a processed laugh. “When the weather subsides, I was hoping I could give each of you a physical? If I’m going to be your caregiver for the foreseeable future, I’d like to get a sense of your overall health.” The three of us thought about it and agreed. It couldn’t hurt.

I did my best to get comfortable in Slash’s scaly grip and get some rest.

*****

The hot breath of the dragon on my face, and the nuzzling of her muzzle against the side of my head gently woke me. She was still asleep, her affections entirely unconscious. Rubbing the powerful arms wrapped around me, I decided to enjoy it. She’d wake eventually, and OH-woah-oh, okay, the licking is a bit much! Slash woke and snapped out of it as I squirmed out of her grip. She rolled off of me, stretching and yawning.

“Wow, you’re comfy,” she teased. “Next time you molt, can I have the feathers? I want to make a pillow.”

“Very funny.” I stood up and shook myself. “I could go for a dragonhide jacket next time you shed.”

“Don’t hold your breath. I’m not due for a growth spurt for a long while.” She got up and joined Gritt in the next room, who was getting his check-up from Knight.

It was the first time I’d seen the small mercenary unclothed, and maybe it was his onyx fur having a slimming effect, but he truly was skinny. While I have a preference for females, males do occasionally catch my attention, and he was quite cute, despite his eye and many faded scars.

Gritt caught my stare and smirked. “See something you like?” He leaned back, taking the pose of a model, and looked between me and Slash. “Figured you were spoken for, the two of you snuggling and nuzzling all night.”

Slash audibly gagged and stepped up for Knight to examine her. Gritt slipped off the old coffee table acting as a gurney and got dressed. The dragon and I were deemed the picture of physical health, and our doctor admitted that she relished the opportunity to improve her medical knowledge of our species. There was an awkward pause as she examined my head, but she said nothing.

To everyone but Gritt’s chagrin, Knight shifted the conversation back to sex. “Shared physical affection and release of endorphins could improve bonding and group cohesion.”

“Would you be joining in?” Gritt asked the android teasingly. “Shall I assume the position?”

“No.” she responded flatly.

*****

We flew over the dark woods surrounding Hollow Shades. Gritt told us the only thing of note were the ruins of an ancient village, but there were rumors of bat-ponies living underground in the area. He’d never seen any, but if they are around, they’ve never attacked anyone.

The skyline of Fillydelphia was visible to the east. The griffon didn’t even give it a glance.

“If we went through Filly, we could check the MAS hub there, scavenge, rest, trade…” Slash would be annoyed if her goal was there and she had to backtrack.

“Look, if your ceremonial glow stick ends up being there, I’ll refund half my fee and let you check on your own. Your new boyfriend and his emotional support deathbot can help you.” Gritt wasn’t hiding his contempt for the idea.

“Is Fillydelphia particularly dangerous for some reason? Washout’s memories indicated it was quite stable now.” Knight added to the group’s confusion.

“That city doesn’t mean anything good to me, alright?” The merc extinguished his cigarette and spat it into the woods. “It’s none of your business why, so just drop the subject.”

Knight made a concerned noise, but didn’t press him. I changed the subject by asking to check the village of Hollow Shades proper.

“Looking for another piece of that thing?” Slash asked, pointing at my chest. I nodded.

“How do you know where to look?” Knight questioned.

I tapped my PipBuck. “A predecessor of mine left clues. And the magic from the pieces I have gives me a kind of gut feeling when I’m on the right trail. That’s what led me to you, and the shard you had.” I pondered. “What led you to it?”

Knight tapped her hooves together. “Back when I wandered on my own, I encountered scholars who knew about old magical artifacts. I told them of my problem, how I wanted an escape from my core programming. They theorized that the magic of the Pearl of Transformation could be powerful enough to make me a flesh and blood pony. I’d be free. Unfortunately, the shard at Horseshoe Lighthouse was the only one they could help me find. After… incidents… with zebra settlements, I gave up and locked myself where you found me.”

Slash rubbed her metal shoulder. “I’m sorry you went through that.” She looked at me. “If we piece together the whole thing, we should see if those scholars were right.”

I nodded. This was good. If my companions had their own benevolent reason for helping me find the pieces, I wouldn’t have to make anything up.

*****

Hollow Shades was… unimpressive. What was once a medieval village of wood and straw was reduced to stone foundations. Knight, having a pre-war database, informed us that the village was abandoned long before the war. Gritt was on guard, admitting that he wasn’t sure what dangers lurked around. He’s always just flown over the area, never landing in it.

Letting the Pearl guide me, I was drawn towards a boarded up well in the center of town. Nagging impatience overpowered my caution, and I began yanking at the boards. Slash and Knight assisted, while Gritt kept watch. Once the opening was clear, Knight jumped down first to make sure it was safe for the rest of us. After a signal, we followed.

A feeling of overwhelming eeriness washed over me as I reached the caverns below. Natural rock quickly changed to carved granite and marble. Lighting my PipBuck, I found a torch for Slash. She lit it and went around igniting sconces mounted on pillars.

“Fuck!” Slash lept back as she reached the far wall, dropping the torch. We rushed to her and cursed as we saw what freaked her out. The shadowy mural in the center of the wall was MOVING. A depiction of a black alicorn stallion was shifting and pulsing, darkness licking the air in front of it like a flame. Six other ponies, their features impossible to identify, floated behind it.

“The Pony of Shadows,” whispered Knight. “We need to leave. We dare not release this foul being. Its evil predates Nightmare Moon.”

Pulling my shard from my armor, it moved forward on its own, pointing towards the mural. Did Skystar… throw it in? Was she in there herself? No, her final stop was Canterlot. Taking a step forward, the pull became stronger. I heard… whispering. There was more than the Pearl beckoning me closer.

Knight clasped a claw on my shoulder, stopping me. “We need to leave. My dreams are not worth this risk. Your reasons can’t be worth it either.”

I turned to face her, irritated. “You have no idea what you-” I hadn’t paid attention to my footing. My tail slipped into the wall of black, and something yanked me hard, forcing a squawk of terror from my beak. Knight clasped onto my arms, and we both flapped our wings as hard as we could. Gritt and Slash grabbed Knight and tried to help, but to no avail.

The marble flooring Knight had dug her hooves into gave, and she and I lurched forward. Our other two companions lost their grip, unable to save us.

Knight and I were pulled into the abyss.

***** ***** *****

Footnote:
No Level Up.