Fallout: Equestria, Darkness Falls

Chapter 18

“This is the Equestrian Wasteland. It's nothing if not cruel.”

Tales.

I heard only a few while I grew up in my home. Most were inconsequential, or just a boring rumor that some other filly made up. It used to make me mad, since they seemed to be only lies and that was against the creed of the Goddesses that we followed day to day. ‘Stop spreading that nonsense!’ I would tell them, then threaten to tell Dawn of what they had said. Needless to say I was not very loved for that behavior. The evidence that Harmonics was my only friend would attest to that. The biggest tale was, of course, those about the Great Seal, which I now knew to simply be a big metal blast door.

Everyone wondered the same thing. Where did it lead? What was behind the Great Seal? Would anyone return if they went beyond it? And of course, no one had the courage to find out. It also did not help that to do so was considered taboo.

Until recently, anyway…

Now I found myself in a world full of tales, mysteries, curiosities… horrors… nightmares. All of which I now had to contend with or lose my life.

I had questions. So many questions. However the answers were frustratingly kept from me. More and more I felt that feeling wrestling inside my mind that everything was off. Something nibbling at the psyche of my mind that I could not quite comprehend. A hoof simply could not be put on it. Like an errant eyelash stuck in your eye, but you cannot find it with a mirror.

I had only seen a fraction of this world beyond my own. Heard so many things that were foreign, alien, and beyond my admittedly limited comprehension, much as it instilled a sense of frustration and fear within me. Nearly all of it was bad in one way or another.

The question at the forefront right now: Have they moved yet?

I chanced a very slow peek around the overturned metal table, then immediately ducked back around. The answer was ‘nope, still there!’

Scarlett grumbled right behind me and I lightly kicked her. Not ten feet from us were at least four of the damned creatures. One of which was literally so close I could reach out and grab his bloody, decaying fetlock with my own.

But they hadn’t seen us yet, thank the Goddesses.

Just like in the vent we were forced to buckle down, stay quiet, and pray that they would not have the curiosity to poke around in the wrong direction. Luckily, with the curved hallway behind us and only the mass expanse of room to our right, there was not another avenue of approach for us to get spotted from.

I glanced back. Scarlett was behind me, followed closely by Blaster, with Whiteout covering our tails. I mouthed the words. Anything?

Blaster very cautiously took a peek and I held my breath. When he quickly ducked back down -- and when the bloodthirsty howls did not come -- I dared to relax a smidge. Blaster pointed at his own eyes, then to a direction away from us and at an angle that led into the room.

Just ahead of us was the hallway, and maybe fifty feet away was an elevator. We had to get there in order to reach our destination; Room 316. The stairs a short ways behind us were a no-go. Blockaded by welded footlockers. And, as luck had it, booby trapped with things called ‘grenade bouquets’ which Blaster was capable of disarming. Each of us now had a collection of three grenades to our names.

“Well?” Scarlett whispered very quietly. “Why don’t we just spam these things at the fuckers and bolt? Each of us throws one. Four grenades, dead monsters, right?”

I sighed. “Because, we don’t know precisely how many are nearby, nor do we know if the elevator works. If we throw grenades, run, and it doesn’t work, then we die. We need to distract them somehow and check the elevator first.”

“I’m getting tired of crouching here.” Scarlett squirmed as quietly as she could. “It’s almost been an hour.”

I nodded, feeling the strain as well. “I know, I know. Blaster, what else can you see?” I whispered a little further back.

He once more took a peek, then ducked back down a little slower than before. A good sign, I hoped. “They moved a little bit. None’r facin’ us. There’re a few rooms off that’a way, we could maybe toss a can or somethin’ in there. Draw ‘em in.”

Well, it was the best plan we had so far… I gave a nod and waited.

Whiteout’s horn lit and she found an empty bottle, easy to do since this room seemed to be some kind of open cafe or kitchen. Not a true cafeteria, as it was too small to serve more than maybe a dozen, but it was littered with garbage. She took her own careful peek, then hurled the bottle down the hall, right over their heads. A second later came the distant, brief sound of shattered glass.

Didn’t have to wait long. The things chittered and growled, then we heard their steps head away from us. Very slowly I peeked for hopefully the last time. It did the trick, all four of them were now in the next room down the hall, plus three more, which confirmed my fears. Who knew how many a grenade barrage would have attracted? We had no way of knowing and quite frankly it was an answer to a question I did not want answered. Ever.

“Okay, let’s go,” I whispered and slowly stood to advance, keeping one eye on the empty hallway and another on the cavalcade of freaks. Scarlett followed, then Blaster and Whiteout.

Quickly and quietly we fled and made sure not to accidentally kick any of the minefield of loose trash scattered around on the floor. Scarlett, Blaster and I crowded the elevator panel while Whiteout hugged the wall corner to watch the monsters. The three of us winced as the rusty panel popped free and Whiteout gave a nervous glance back. After a second, she gave a hoof-up as we were still fine… at least for the moment.

“For the love of the Goddesses,” I whispered. “Please be quieter.”

“Hey, Ah’m tryin’, girlie.” Blaster looked over the wiring and control circuit board. He worked in silence, examining the electronics for functionality. … or at least I assumed so.

It was as if time slowed to a crawl and my racing heart fought relentlessly to speed it back up. This was taking way too long for my comfort. My eyes stayed on the still form of Whiteout, straining for any signs of our worst nightmares to be realized. The long hallway was barren of cover or alternate escape routes. No place to run, no place to hide if we needed it. There was a vent, but it looked stubbornly secured and I doubt I could convince the others to climb into one again. Not after last time.

I felt so useless, powerless even. The feeling was strange to me, going from a leader of hundreds where they all followed my word as strongly as the Goddesses themselves, to a lamb waiting to be slaughtered down here and forgotten.

Conviction levitated by the side, ready to fire if I needed to, but with only one spark pack…

“Blaster?” I whispered softly and felt cold against my backside. Apparently in my nervousness I had backed against the elevator door.

“Nearly there, girlie.” Sparks suddenly shot out from the panel and he cursed, but got right back to work.

I gulped. How long would the monsters be distracted? Ten minutes? Five? Less? There was no way to know and the feeling of imminent death weighed like a ton of bricks on my back.

Then Whiteout’s ears perked up and she quickly but silently crept back towards us.

“They’re coming back.” … and delivered the worst possible news.

Shit.

I winced and just stared forward at the hall. Then my breath hitched as the morbid snout of one of the creatures just barely poked out from the doorway, joined by a macabre, boney spear of an arm floating in the air. The three of us not working on the panel squeezed into the left side wall, trying to keep ourselves from being spotted and not caring in the slightest for personal space. Blaster had no such luxury, yet he saw what we were doing and why, so he scooched over as much as he could while still reaching the panel.

“Damnit, hurry up shit for brains!” Scarlett urgently hissed above a whisper.

Shit.

I could see the thing moving. It was still mostly around the corner, but just one small step forward would be enough…

Shit.

Conviction was pointed squarely at where I imagined the creature to be should it step forward, and I was ready to bring SATS up in a heartbeat. In my peripheral, Whiteout and Scarlett were ready too. I just hoped an itchy trigger wouldn’t get the best of either of us.

Shit.

Goddesses I can’t stand this!!

I held my breath lest I might scream. Conviction shook in my telekinetic grasp and the very tiny, quiet rattle of the weapon amplified that terror. Would it hear my weapon? It was certainly really loud!! Gyah!!

Shit!

Ding.

The sudden bell behind me nearly made all three of us shriek, but three simultaneous hooves slammed into our muzzles in a desperate attempt to stop it.

Ow…

But then that was enough. The creature growled and stepped forward, drawn to the faint but distinct noise, its head already turned in the direction of the elevator. Its wide, dead eyes fixated on us.

Shit, shit, shit!!!

It growled and that turned into an unearthly howl, then it charged forward on decaying hooves to murder the hell out of us.

Time slowed as I activated SATS when my wit returned. Five shots, all center mass.

Pzzat! Pzzat! Pzzat! Pzzat! Pzzat!

The first two missed, the third sizzled the thing’s right leg, but the final two shots struck true and the creature’s body stumbled and glowed, then turned to ash as it came within a few yards of us.

I shakily allowed myself to breathe, the smell of ozone and ash actually welcomed for once. But now my targeting spell was depleted and the howls of the others drew closer for round two and horrible, horrible vengeance.

“Why the fuck isn’t it opening!?” Scarlett yelled next to me. There was no point in being quiet now.

I craned my neck to look, still sandwiched between Scarlett and Whiteout. “Blaster!?” My blood ran cold, the door indeed remained closed even though the light said the elevator was here.

Oh Goddesses!

“I don’t know! It should work, damn it!”

“Get it open or we’re fucked!!”

“Yes, please do!!” I whimpered, teeth grit and checking my ammo. One sparkle pack, now used by half, and my targeting spell hadn’t even begun to recharge. Not even enough for a single SATS assisted shot.

The others rounded the bend, bounding over each other like a tidal wave. It worked in our favor as it slowed them down, which bought precious seconds as Whiteout and Scarlett opened fire. I held back, trying to give my spell more time.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang, bang, bang! Bang!

Hot assault rifle lead and buckshot raced down the hallway, tearing into rotted flesh. Small fonts of blood painted the rusted hallway, one of the creature’s eyes exploded with half of its face, but like before it simply did not care in the slightest. Only the force of the impacts even mildly mattered with their weapons.

“Blaster!” I yelled, keeping one eye on the advancing monsters and the other on my SATS spell. I didn’t have to look at the door to know it was still closed, my flank did that for me as I desperately backpedaled into it as flight and fight battled for dominance in my brain.

“Ah fuck it!!” He nearly backed into our line of fire when I heard his massive combat shotguns rack fresh shells. Whiteout and Scarlett stopped to reload, leaving the monstrosities totally unhindered now.

Blam!! Blam!!

Twin shots rang out and a flurry of sparks erupted from the now destroyed panel.

Ding.

“Ahh!” The three of us fell backward into the now open car, and of course with my luck, it wasn’t completely level as the interior floor was a pony length lower than our level. I landed painfully on my side, with two heavy-ass, fully grown mares knocking the wind out of me.

Blaster landed next to us with a thunk, and remembered to bring Conviction with him as he let it drop onto the floor. He pounded the close door button and it slammed shut right as the monsters closed the distance.

“Oh thank you, Goddesses -- nngh! Get off of me, already!” I grunted and squirmed under them, struggling just for adequate breath.

“S-sorry!” Whiteout scrambled up first, then Scarlett took her sweet time.

“Somehow you’ll live, Princess…” the unpleasant ex-raider murmured.

I slowly got to my hooves, rubbing my side. “Yeah, well, you’re not exactly light either…”

Scarlett blinked, then scowled at me. “Did she just call me fat?”

“Sounded like it.” Blaster egged her on with a wide grin.

“Why I oughta…!” Scarlett glared and I stared right back.

“Girls, come on…” Whiteout stepped between the two of us. “Can we not do petty arguments while running away from super killer monster things?”

Scarlett snorted and rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. What fucking floor?”

“One second.” I consulted the map on my pipbuck. Thank the Goddesses for its ability to just pluck map information out of thin air. “So, uh, we need to go down six levels. That will be where room 316 is. Thankfully the room is also just down the hall.”

Click.

“Done.” Scarlett smiled and we all let out a sigh of relief as the elevator descended without issue.

“Are all Stable elevators this slow?” Whiteout asked.

I frowned. “No, not normally. Or at least not in my home.” This was taking far longer than I would like. Maybe we were all being impatient and on edge, but seriously, it had already been a full minute and we had only descended two floors.

“Thing’s centuries old with no maintenance,” Blaster commented. “Should be happy it works at all.”

“Yeah but I’m not fond of being stuck in a tin fucking can. I’m not a TV dinner!” Scarlett argued and truthfully I agreed. Especially after the whole vent scenario.

“Here, hit the next floor. Maybe we can take the stairs if we’re past the obstruction.” I gestured to the panel. Scarlett obliged.

Ding.

The door slid open…

Oh fuck me!

… right into the backside of a huge, putrid monstrosity. It mirrored the bulbous belly of the previous one that tried to chase me under the door before. We froze and dared not even breathe, the thing mere feet in front of us. Again the four of us backed away until our flanks bumped against the elevator wall. Miraculously, the thing did not turn around… yet.

But that would not last. Just past the huge mound of rotted muscle and flesh, I glanced several more of the thinner monstrosities. And they were not turned around and would notice us at any moment.

I dared not even whisper. I crouched and inched my way to the panel at a glacial pace, eyes darting fearfully between the ones down the hall and the one in front of me. Scarlett was closer, but we could not afford to delay. If that thing turned around too early, well… we would be a very messy but accurate interpretation of a blender. A prospect I did not look forward to.

Both the hallway and the elevator car were poorly lit, so I hoped it would buy me the time I needed before the other noticed as I slowly creeped forward. Every chirp and groan from the nearest monster made me jump and nearly pee myself.

Almost there…

I reached a hoof up.

My ear twitched, a more aggressive chirp down the hall. Even worse, it caught the big one’s attention as its ear did the same.

I wasn’t discovered just yet, I reached up. Another inch…

Come on…

The other down the hall had figured it out. They let out blood curdling screams and bounded down the hallway towards us. Big One hadn’t yet figured it out but… he started turning.

Shit! Stealthy pretense gone, I lunged the rest of the way and jabbed the close door button, and poked it repeatedly.

Goddesses close! Close, close, CLOSE!!

The Big One screamed in outrage and raised its scythe-like limbs high, ready to teach me the error of my ways. And this close there was no way to dodge.

Blam! Blam!

The twin report of Blaster’s heavy shotguns staggered the creature back and sprayed me with its blood, but I couldn’t afford to move. I had to close that door and why wasn’t it closing!?

“Come ON already!!” I screamed at the damned door. Big One wouldn’t be stunned long and his friends were nearly upon us. But right as he recovered and went for a second try at killing me, the metal doors slid shut.

Everypony in the cramped room gave a collective sigh of relief.

“That was too close…” Whiteout said.

“Yeah, no kiddin’.” Blaster grimaced, then gave a flat glance at Scarlett and I. “No more detours, alright?”

I nodded, still slumped on the floor. “Probably for the bes--”

A metallic screech above our heads, muted slightly by the elevator car cut me off. Everyone’s gaze shifted upwards, our ears straining to make out what we just heard.

“Now what…?” Blaster bemoaned and crouched his hindlegs so he could aim upwards. I scrambled to my hooves and pointed Conviction as well.

“More fucking bullshit?” Scarlett grit her teeth and followed Blaster’s lead with her rifle.

“Was it the elevator cables?” Whiteout gulped and shared the same thoughts I had.

“I hope not, I would rather not--”

Bang! Crash!

“Ah!” I couldn’t help the shriek as the whole elevator shook. That was on the ceiling! It dawned on me with terrible clarity. “Goddesses, it-... it’s above us!” Now I really wanted the car to hurry up!

“Oh fucking wonderful…” Blaster growled.

Terribly long moments passed with only muted growls and whispers. Then, a sudden rend of metal, and a long, boney spike lanced right through the roof! I reared back as it came within a foot of my face, wriggled around for a second as the serrated tip flailed, then withdrew.

“Fuck! Everypony, stay low!” Blaster commanded.

“D-don’t have to tell me twice!” Whiteout replied and crouched near me. I second that motion!

And just in time as the monster speared through the roof for a second time, right above Whiteout’s small frame and narrowly missing her. As it withdrew, a second lanced in the middle of the car. Ineffectual, but it was random and we had no way of predicting where or when the thing would strike next. It shrieked above the car as we moved, like an angry fisherman who still couldn’t get a satisfactory catch.

“Light the fucking thing up!” Scarlett challenged and raised her weapon to open up.

“No!” I yelled back and batted her rifle back down. “Do that and you will weaken the ceiling further!”

“It’s coming in soon anyway, damn it!” she retorted back, her weapon struggling to raise despite my hoof. I imagine she wanted to shoot me right now, but I didn’t care. I had to make her see things my way.

“Yes, but we have nothing we can fight with! We need that ceiling to hold as long as-- ahh!” It stabbed again, right between Scarlett and I, but hit open air. “B-but if it gets in here before the car stops, we’re dead!”

“Fuck! I hate it when she’s right!”

“Plus, you might -- eep!” That was close to Whiteout. “Y-you might sever the cable, then we’ll fall again!”

That was a good point. I had enough of that, thanks! And the damned car was still going at a snail’s pace as the whole shaft seemed to groan under our weight and that of our uninvited guest. By now the roof had several holes and I could see the macabre creature -- it was the big fat one that was just outside the door a few levels up -- as it thrashed around above, determined to skewer us alive.

Come on, come on!! I tried pressing the button again and again to no effect.

“Aaaagh!!”

I didn’t see it but I sure heard the scream of agony behind me. I turned to see a font of blood spray the far wall of the elevator, its source from Blaster’s bleeding shoulder as he tried to thrash away from the bony spear.

“AHhhh! You fuckin’ piece of shit!!” he repositioned and before any of us could stop him…

Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!

The boom of his twin shotgun battle saddle lanced upwards, cutting straight through the elevator roof and into the monster above. It squealed in pain… but so too did the long, terrible, rending metal that just had to be the elevator cables.

The very same cables that kept us from plummeting down the shaft.

I stared at him in flabbergasted horror and it only seemed to quench his fury now.

“Uh…”

Scarlett was under no such spell as she bellowed, “You fucking idiot!!”

By the time she finished that very true statement the tortured and rending metal replaced itself with a metallic snap. Then gravity reversed as the car screamed down the shaft.

The screams of terrified ponies only drowned out to the squealing of the emergency brakes as they desperately tried to slow us down. At least they seemed to work, as the digital indicator for our level changed far faster than I would have preferred. It seemed almost comical, falling down an elevator shaft for the second time. Only this time I doubted we would get so lucky to survive.

My flailing hooves left the floor as Blaster, Scarlett, and Whiteout floated with me in impending nothingness. I don’t know why, but I still tried to pound the little open door button as if it would somehow save me. At least the damned creature couldn’t attack us through the roof as I imagined he fell down the long tunnel with us.

Then suddenly, and very painfully, gravity reasserted itself.

“Agggh!” I tasted metal and had to have bitten my tongue.

Thunk!!

I glanced up, through the holes, the thing landed. There was little time as the roof groaned, as did the emergency brakes.

“Come on!” Against the protests of my battered body, I forced myself up and to the door. “Come on! We have to get this open! Now!”

Everypony seemed to catch on why. Thank the Goddesses, because I was in no mood to explain why we needed to act to save our lives right now.

“Move!” Whiteout declared and I did so. She had her combat knife out and jammed it into the door’s crease. “Help me push!”

The door fought for every inch as the knife, too, bent from the four of us using it as a lever. My heart pounded as it seemed like multiple angles of death closed in on me from all sides. What would give first? Would the knife snap? Would the roof cave in and let the monstrosity above murder us? Would the emergency brakes lose their grip and send us crashing into the abyss?

Everything seemed possible…

No! I can’t give up! I have to get out of here!!

I grit my teeth, fueled by adrenaline, and pushed, even bracing my rear hooves on the wall and used my whole body like a jack. My legs ached and burned, but I could not afford to be weak right now!

Inch by inch the doors parted at an agonizing pace, but it was enough that the others could get a better grip. Soon we could see the level doors.

“Ah fuck! We have to open another door!?” Scarlett yelled out as the car’s sliding doors revealed we were between levels. One door sat above and the other below.

I groaned, then gasped as I remembered. “Wait! Th-there’s a button! Here, on the inside of the door!” I leaned under the bottom door, it had to be here! Butters once showed me the mechanism. If this Stable was really that similar to my home, then it had to have the same doors, right!?

In the dark, I saw it! “I need a push!”

I wormed through the opening as much as I could, the others pushing against my flanks. I might have cared in another circumstance, but all my focus was on stretching myself toward that crucial button.

“Come on!!” I groaned, my very joints felt like they would snap from desperation. Every second, the brakes ground against their mounts. I couldn’t reach it, I was still short!

“Ah! Push… harder!” Even as I groaned the words out, my hips pressed solidly into the door and felt like they were crushing me. It hurt enough that my eyes watered from the pain.

No! Damn it, come on! Just a few more inches, it was RIGHT THERE!!

Screeeeeech! Wham!

Like a light switch had been shut off and on in the span of a second, the world lurched around me. I screamed and flailed my hind legs, and felt my rear hoof connect with someone (sorry!), as the mental image of being torn in half flashed through my mind’s eye.

But that didn’t happen as the elevator car lurched. I was by no means comfortable… but the button now hovered so close to me that I could have booped it with my nose. Any further and the next level’s floor would have sheared off my horn.

Goddesses, that was close!

Taking my blessings in hand, I jabbed the button. Somewhere above me there was an affirmative beep and the door slid open on an emergency mechanism. I fell through and to the next level…

And a chill ran down my spine as I scrambled to my hooves and drew Conviction, expecting an angry welcoming committee…

… only to be met with a silent, empty hallway of half lit lights.

I gasped a sigh of relief, and a second lurch of metal brought me back to the peril at hand. I was safe, but the others weren’t. Not yet.

I reared up and helped to inch the doors of the elevator open more. Whiteout squeezed through easily, being the smallest of us -- and it only now occurs to me that maybe she should have went to press the button -- then Scarlett. Blaster needed more prying, the elevator jolted several more times, the brakes nearly spent. The monster had recovered by now and was angrily trying to slash his way through the elevator’s decimated roof.

“Why do you have to be so fucking fat!?” Scarlett groaned with the three of us as we tried to pry the doors open more and pull Blaster through.

“That’s muscle honey.” Blaster tried his best to squeeze through, even after removing his battle saddle, he was still too big.

“You’re still going on a damned diet!” Scarlett retorted back.

“Shut up already and PULL!” I shouted in kind.

The elevator lurched every few seconds now, at any moment it would fall and if we couldn’t get him out…

Goddesses, please! The last thing I need is to see somepony get sheared in half!

With one final tug, and a shriek from Scarlett and I, Blaster came out with a pop. Once more the crushing weight of the big stallion knocked the wind out of me.

SNAP!!

And not a second too soon as the elevator very suddenly fell and took our uninvited guest with him. The sound of metal grinding on metal gradually became distant and ended with a crashing thud. Seconds later, wisps of dust wafted up the shaft doors. Then silence.

Whiteout, the only pony standing right now, collapsed on her flank, panting with the rest of us. “So… no more elevators?” she asked hopefully.

I nodded, too tired and sore to push Blaster off of me. “N-no more elevators…”

“A-are we at least on the right floor…?” Scarlett asked now.

I couldn’t look at my pipbuck as my foreleg was still pinned, but I grinned and nodded as the sign said so. “Y-yes…”

Living Quarters, Sub-level Three

Footnote: Level up.

New Perk: Finesse. With the “Finesse” perk, you gain a higher chance at scoring a Critical Hit on opponents in combat. Equivalent to +5 extra points of Luck!

Author's Note

Whew! Long time coming, I know. And I also know it's not that much... but I needed to get started so I could get going again. Gonna post short-ish chapters so I can go more frequently. Still not going to give a timeline, because as I said it a previous blog post, that simply isn't fair for you all because I know I won't be able to stick to it.

But anyway, here is the next installment! With more to come, because I won't just give up!