open Fallout Equestria: Ground Zero [RP]

[Blacklight 118]

As they entered the hotel Renatus replied, " Well that actually is one of the methods we use. By replacing ponies or by preforming more...private matters we can voluntarily get emotions from other ponies. I'll tell you more tomorrow if you wish." After watching Knight eventually go to sleep after writing something into his pip-buck. Tunring to the bodyguard he said, " I'll be gone for while, please don't shoot me when I come back." With that said, he quietly opened the door to the room and walked out, his hooves making almost no sound as he left the hotel and was greeted by the cool, moonless night. Stepping into the shadows, he reverted back into his normal form as he made his way though the town, though he made sure to avoid any guards as he searched for his next meal. He hadn't mentioned it to the others earlier, but he was starving. The raider had barely been enough to sustain him, though the day's event had left his with an empty stomach. He smiled sinisterly as he spotted his target, a lone brahmin attached to a post by a rope. It's probably a trader's. he thought as he noted the supplies stacked on the creature as he began stalking his prey.

Eventually closing the distance, he a few meters away from the creature when he accidentally knocked over a rock, suddenly alerting the brahmin and causing it to let out a loud series of yells as it tried to run away, only to be held back by the rope. Quickly pouncing on the brahmin, he bit into the first head's neck, tearing out it's throat, and as the first head lay dying, tore into the second's throat, cutting off it's yells abruptly as it fell to it's side, dead before it hit the ground. Giving a small smirk as he licked the blood off his mouth, Renatus took a moment to soak in his kill before digging into the carcass. He ate until he felt he could burst, though it was an oddly nice feeling as he walked away from the still somewhat intact carcass and back into the shadows.

 

Making his way back to the hotel, he waited until the owner had gone into the back room before quietly slipping back inside and after unlocking the door with one of the room keys, made his way to one of the beds, not really caring at that point if the bodyguard had spotted him, and fell asleep almost as soon as he hit the rough mattress. Forgetting entirely of the blood still covering most of his face and some of his body.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Blacklight01

[Anon In Equestria 57]

Connor was sitting in his room adjusting the sights on his laser rifle when he heard noise coming from the next room. It sounded like the griffin was having a nightmare a bad one from the sounds of it he kept mentioning ana must be a friend he lost some where along the line. Connor left the room intent ongoing next door but instead spotted the changeling leaving connor decided to wait for the changeling to return and when he did he was covered in blood Connor didn't like this fact and decided he would question him in the morning he then went to the room was in and knocked on the door.

 

"Open up its just your friendly neighbourhood enclave here"

[Lil' Lovebug 1,041]

I bolted awake. Loud noises normally don't wake me, but the shot of a gun is one that does everytime now. It was still echoing by the time I got up. Not enough trees to mask the noise. I looked around to see if I could see where the noise originated. Nothing in the immediate vicinity. I took out Silence, my sniper in case I haven't mentioned that, and aimed down the scope. I looked around and adjusted the zoom. I noticed some forms out where the pony (assuming it was a pony anyways) passed me by. I saw the form of a stinger, radscorpion, and what looked like two ponies, though one could have been a part of the radscorpion. It looked like it was all good so I went back to bed.

 

I pondered over the radscorpion and stayed awake for a few moments. I finally decided to get up, put my helmet on, grabed Silence and ran in the direction of the radscorpion. As I got close I turned on my PipBuck light and... yawned? That wasn't supposed to happen. Anyways, I saw three distinct forms once I got really close, though still to far for my liking. I went to yell something when I was cut off... by a rock. I was falling. Fun! I slammed to the ground, sliding, and just layed there. "Oh! This is a nice place to sleep too!" I said. Then I fell asleep.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Bladed & Verses

[Scribblegroove 565]

@, @, @@TheLineTrotter, @@Guardian Braveheart

 

Neuro

 

Neuro had been playing around a little more with his ideas and designs on his pip-buck, trying to come up with new things, or improving old things. He hadn't made a lot of progress, but he had enjoyed himself nonetheless. Now he had shut down his pip-buck and attempted to sleep, his head still storming with memories, ideas, equations and calculations, and the connections he could make between them. He breathed in and out slowly and calmed down, emptying his mind until only a zen-like emptiness remained. He had learned this trick from Lon. It helped him think clearly or to sleep. With a brain as big as neuro's, sometimes thoughts could get out of hand. That was his curse. It was almost never silent in his head...

 

And even now when he slowly dozed away into unconsciousness and started to dream, there were still dark memories and bright inspirations crawling around in his brain. He could see them float by, shifting and warping as they sharpened and blurred out when he paid attention to them. Then, eventually, one memory seemed of interest to him. He let himself submerge into the memory completely, slipping away deeper into his sub-consciousness.

______________________________________________

 

Dream

 

"We did it... We actually did it!" Petrovich, a tall light brown pony with a thin gray mane exclaimed. Neuro looked at him with a grin. "Of course we did, what did you expect from the greatest minds of pony civilization! No one expected it, no one saw it coming, and no one has noticed us. We are already victorious. In whatever way anyone will recover from what happens next, we will have more resources than anypony else!" He said to him. He grinned to all the other ponies in the metal walled room. Around fifty of them. Some in advanced combat power armor, others in lab coats or engineer suits. All of them a bit uncertain of themselves, but all of them very proud and happy. Neuro's grin became dark and maniacal. "I want to congratulate miss Gershwin on her developments in the mind-seeding program. Without her help we would've never been able to settle my megaspells in Fluttershy's head. A round of applause everypony!" He said, and then raised his hooves to applaud for the middle-aged mare with very messy hair in a lab coat. She smiled lightly and looked around the room a bit sheepishly, not certain how to react to being applauded like this. 

 

"And of course, we must congratulate you Neuro, to bringing us at the top of the world. You truly lived up to your father!" Petrovich said to get the others to applaud to Neuro's success with leading them into victory. He bowed as everypony in the emergency conference hall applauded to their leader. "Yes, yes, thank you..." He said with a slight grin, trying to get them to pay attention to what he was going to say.

 

"We can all be proud of ourselves. We have done so well, it exceeded all of my expectations. Within only a few years we managed to provoke the world into destroying itself!" He said, with a bit of irony. Was it something to be proud of? The ponies in the room got his joke, and snickered a little, illustrating how wicked everyone in this room really was, laughing at the thought of being the reason behind the destruction of ponykind. There were faces everywhere. Some old, some young, some shady and others charismatic, some rough and others subtle, but they had all come here for the same cause. To survive, and eventually prosper.

 

"But now, I am afraid the last stage of my plan has initiated. It is time for us to lay our heads down and rest. We have been very busy for the last few years, and we deserve a long sleep... A very long sleep." He said, laughing at his own joke a little. "Well then, the hibernation tubes are ready, I propose all of you make your way towards the assigned ones, I will see all of you in one hundred and thirty years!" He concluded his speech, and gestured everyone to move. A last round of applause resonated throughout the room, and then ponies left one by one, some talking, others in silence.

 

In the end, there were five ponies who remained. The inner circle. Lon, Petrovich, Neuro, Gingershine and Merdyn. All of them had exotic names and looks. They all had serious faces. Lon, the large military expert. Petrovich, the psychologist, diplomat and sociologist. Neuro, the jack of all trades, the leader and the entrepreneur. Gingershine, the female mechanics specialist, and Merdyn, the zebra double agent. "I am not good with sentiment, so let's just say that we have done well, and the time has come for the long sleep to commence. It has been an honor working with you..." Neuro said briskly. "Right back at you Neuro. Good night..." Petrovich said as he walked off. Gingershine followed him, nodding at neuro as she left.

 

Then the number hand gone down to three. "It is good to know that my people will now be despised for eternity. They had it coming..." Merdyn the zebra said grimly, and then he walked off as well. Neuro frowned. After all this time Merdyn had stayed the same. He didn't give it much more thought as his only friend Lon was still standing next to him. "One last look at the world?" He asked Neuro. Neuro smiled him, in a way that could nearly be seen as truly empathising. Coming from a calculating pony like Neuro, that meant alot. "Of course..." Neuro replied. The two of them walked out of the metal room through the back, in the opposite direction of where all the others had gone. They ended up in front of a giant steel blast door. Neuro used his magic to press a button and it opened right in front of them. The two ponies walked out to have a last view at the world.

 

"Neuro... Are you sure this will end well?" Lon said as the two of them looked down from their heightened position in the mountains, in front of the exit of the Omnine-vault. "Of course I am not, but one has to take risks to succeed... To become great." Neuro replied. There was a moment of silence while they both enjoyed the sun beaming down on them, and a soft breeze blowing in their mane. "Up until now your plans have always worked, but I am afraid that you've overreached yourself this time." Lon admitted without looking at Neuro. They both thought the same thing, but neither of them said it. It was too late to change it now...

 

"The balefire bombs could drop any moment now. Merdyn made sure of that. It is time for the long sleep Lon..." Neuro said as he walked back towards the vault. Lon followed without speaking. The vault closed behind the two ponies, closing away the outside world from the ponies who caused it's end...

 

______________________________________________

Lon

 

Lon grunted at the changeling walking in without a warning, but he didn't pay much more attention to him. He was coated in blood... Wait, what? Lon turned around quickly to look at the changeling. He was coated in blood... "Hey little fella, what the hell did all this blood come from?" He asked the changeling, before realising he had already fallen asleep. He sighed. "God dangit what did the world turn into..."  He thought to himself. He focused on the guard shift again. He then heard the enclave stallion knock on the door again. "Leave us alone, we want to business with you. Walk away or prepare to be dealt with..." He said to the enclave behind the door, readying his weapons just for good measure. He awoke Knight in the process, nudging his chest. For any nescesary assitance, and because Lon's shift was nearly over anyway...

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[Anon In Equestria 57]

Connor shook his head and banged on the door again.

 

"You must be one of the smartest ponies ever huh you'll let in a changeling who is soaked in blood and is just in general a threat to anything that has a beating heart over the enclave soldier who is sworn to protect. Look I just want to come in and find out whose blood he's covered in then I'll leave"

[Guardian Braveheart 23]

"Ugh... five more minutes sweetie..." I said out of my subconsciousness. After being fully awakened, by Lon, I stood up, feeling a bit ashamed for calling him Sweeite. That was a fail. 

 

"Oh... uhhh... I guess it's my shift now, huh?" I asked, but not waiting the answer. I knew what the answer was anyways.

 

Heading to my post, I saw the enclave standing there. Coincidentally, Lon looks battle ready. I took my Nigh Strike, seeing this might not end pretty. I looked up my inventory. How many Armor piercing rounds do I still have... 3!?!?!?! Damn... Better make these count. I loaded the last 3 AR to the rifle, just preparing for.

 

"Ok, What the hell man? It's the middle of the Night, and you want to murder someone in their sleep? What, are you the boogeypony (boogeyman) or something?" I said to him.

 

I looked at my companion. At least he's still asleep... and covered in blood. Well someone went out hunting. Couldn't be a pony since the last time I saw him do that with a raider is the fangs are only crimson, not the whole body. I guess he went out on a feast of meat or something like that.

[Anneal 2,197]

"You know, while the wasteland could be considered horrible, I don't think it's horrible enough for ponies to be killing themselves, if that's what you were intending," Forage said as he walked along with Anaphora, voicing his opinion. "Now you, young mare, were running towards a group of radscorpions, screaming and all that. And I know a pony with problems when they have one. So what's yours?"

 

Anaphora reddened awkwardly, looking away from the stallion, until she finally replied, remembering one of Line's stories and putting up her best face of tragedy. "I couldn't do anything..." – Anaphora broke into a sob – "They used me and took advantage of me and traded me like brahmin! After that session, I felt useless and dirty...and I didn't want to live in this miserable world where I could only be used for another pony's pleasure..." 

 

Forage lifted his eyes as Anaphora showed him an explosive collar in her saddlebags. "After that, a vigilante named Bauxite Amber liberated the camp and helped me deactivate my slave collar...and I ran as fast as I could. But I couldn't get that thought off of me..."

 

Forage simply stared at Anaphora and her explosive collar, then broke into a laugh. "What? Why are you doing that?" Anaphora yelled with some tone of sadness; even Anaphora herself wasn't sure if it was meant to be real or not. 

 

Forage then called her bluff. "Yeah, nice try, miss, but you're going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to trick a pony. If you were a slave as you claimed, then why is the slave collar clean as a whistle? And since the light on the collar isn't flashing, that means it was never activated in the first place. Therefore, that slave collar was never worn on you, let alone any pony. One more try."

 

Anaphora stood dumbfounded, dropping her explosive collar. "How in Celestia did you know about the slave collar mechanism? Let me guess – you're a slaver?"

 

Forage smirked. "I should be asking you that question myself, but to answer your question, no. My occupation is related with explosives, which is why I'm familiar with the explosive mechanism of slave collars. And also..."

 

He showed Anaphora a bounty poster with her face on it, which made Anaphora step a few hooves back. "No need to panic, miss," Forage reassured, raising his hoof. "I'm not here to collect your bounty. After living my early days on meager amounts of caps and currency, I decided it wasn't worth the trouble not to get myself too involved with anything that involves any form of money. Furthermore, I've given up on killing ponies. Not surprising that the bounty's starring a special slaver standing not far from me, and I'm not taking the shot."

 

Anaphora twitched a bit and glanced at Forage. "Really? But I'm a slaver. Aren't you supposed to be killing me because you're going to think I'm evil?"

 

Forage grinned again. "And your point is?"

 

Anaphora kicked a rock on the road, sending it flying into the fine dirt. "You know what? I'm just done talking to you. You're a weird pony, not even drawing a gun at a malevolence like me."

 

"Well, it could be the fact that I don't think you're malevolent. Different, maybe. But the thing is, all of us are trying to achieve a common goal. The only difference is how we get there."

 

Anaphora stopped for a short while, then tried to change the subject. "Fair point. So where are we going, then?"

 

"Regia. Nearly fourty-five kilometers from here. Heard there was an attack around that place, so it'll be interesting," Forage answered excitedly, his eyes wandering onto a pitstop diner that read: Golden Road Diner: Open 24 Hours!. "Hey...you hungry?"

 

Anaphora shrugged. "I already ate for dinner, but since it's the middle of the night and before my breakfast time, I'm a bit uncertain. I usually don't eat this early. And it looks abandoned."

 

Forage sprinted to the diner entrance, kicking the hanging door open. "Table for two!" he shouted, looking around the carriage-like diner. The neon lights were long broken, one of them that read "OPEN" with the E gone. "You know what?" Forage shouted again, "We'll just take it to-go, ma'am!"

 

Anaphora rolled her eyes, taking a box of sugared cookies and tasting one for herself. A powerful surge went from her mouth to all parts of her body like never before, along with a sweet aftershock; sugar even after a good hundred years or so still had that sweetness in them. There was also a Sugar Bomb cereal box, which Anaphora consumed quickly, forgetting about her dining manners. She was eating anything she could find while disregarding the risks of eating expired food while looting the place, from pre-war bits in the cashier to the ammunition and a .32 revolver (?) safe she was able to open (breaking a lockpick in the process). 

 

For the first in a long time, Anaphora actually felt content, forgetting everything that happened before. Her mane ended up a bit messy and her straw hat crumpled – until she snapped back into reality and combed her mane back to her normal self. "So, how does it feel?" Forage asked. "Gr-great!" Anaphora returned, drinking a bottle of moonshine directly into her mouth, feeling a bit woozy and faint. 

 

This proceeded until the break of day, where the clouded skies started to brighten, and Forage and Anaphora, looking through a hole in the cloud, saw the sun rise and gleam into their eyes. "Looks like we got the best seats in the house, right?" he said. 

 

"Yeah...if it was like this every day..." Anaphora agreed.

 

((I'm going to stop on Anaphora for some time to allow some people who are still doing stuff in the night to finish up.))

[notten1 18]

@Charcoal Embers

 

Dream: ((Why is it we all got Dream ideas lately ))

 

       I was walking down a path, a dirt path. I was walking along a group of people. I didn't really care, but wait, why are ponies walking through me, Uh oh, not a vision...  I kept walking and got out of the group and I was stunned to see my fily self, I was back here... I kept walking along the group and saw my mother nuzzling my flank to keep along with everyone else. I think they're names were Bart ((From Bartering)) and Harper.

 

       I kept walking and saw them walking together talking now, and I think I heard them. "Honey, this ain't feelin' right. I feel like there's somethin' watchin' us" My Pa... Bart said. "It's Ok, we're Ok if we stay on the Trail" My ma, Harper said. Bart replied with,"I don't know... I don't feel right comin' from my last job, it just ain't right" I noticed something wasn't right here either, there was shifting through the bushes in the hills to the right and I saw shadows dashing right.

 

       No. Not this again, but this time I'm not in my little body. Ma said, "Look just because you were someone doing evil things dosen't mean you are evil, and it makes you better if you get out of it. You are a good pony, Bart, one of the best I know." Pa said, "Look, I don't feel right wit' myself, it ain't right what I did, all it done was hurt ponies and ponies were killed too" There was a long tense pause "I never would come back to life from being a Sl-"

 

       Immediatly at that moment, His flank was shot and bleeding, all the Stallions in the group drawing their weapons and battle saddles, my Pa, who was an earth pony, readied his battle saddle and tried to stand up, but collapsed when he couldn't hold his weight. He tried again, but in mid try, he got shot in the leg. He yelled in the agony. I saw my self being telekinesised over to a circle to where the Brahmin were at, dead or Alive, with the other Mares and children. I saw my mothers tears as she left my father in the front of the 'fight' alone to die, she was broken inside. I was too young to fully comprehend what was really going on, all I was told was "Bad ponies are coming" and that was it.

 

        My father wasn't mercy killed like the rest, it was disgusting and horrifying. Also it was weird since my Ma was Hugging me and pulling me away stopping me from seeing him die. "Well, we've seemed to see each other again." said from a Pegasus Pony with Shackles as a Cutie mark, "We've been very mad at what you did, now are we boys!" A Unisome yell of "Yeah!" while my father was there dying on the ground barely consicous from the loss of blood from a new wound in the stomach as Acids slowly spill on the ground and burning the inside of his body slowly. "Now you see, we didn't like what you did back at camp, we didn't like you releasing the goods" I saw my Pa lift his head up, face with Agony and tears, face the Cruel Pegasus pony and said, "I would rather die, than work with you and enslaving innocent ponies!" Then I saw the Pegasus Pony immediatly loaded his Rifle Battle saddle and point it at his face, "Well, I guess you're gonna die than be a Slaver."

 

        I wanted to run up and stop the bullet or to at least stop that cruel son of a bitch pony, And I was running at him because of instinct, everything went very slow and I saw everything. I saw the Stallions dead on the floor, the Brahmin formed into something of the such of a Wall, I saw Ma Crying heavily, I saw me seeing my Pa... At the moment I laid my Eyes back on my father, I saw him die, and right at the moment that it hit my fathers helpless head I woke up. I was sweating, seeing myself on the other side of the room from where I was at before, and I was... Terrified. My Father was a Slaver, but died as a Trader, not a slaver, and a good pony. Is that the reason I'm going after Anaphora, is that the reason I forgive her? Oh Goddesses, I was crying. Sobbing so hard when thinking of the moments in my Vivid Dream and what had happened to me. And then something weird also got me crying, Why did I do that to Ana...

Edited March 30, 2014 by notten1

[Guardian Braveheart 23]

((Ooh, Murky Number 7. Hey, I got an Idea now.))

 

As I lay low and calm myself from the situation, I took my Ear bloom and started to hear some of my recordings to pass the time. I wasn't looking at first, but I knew it was a mistake to hear that recording. I accidentally heard Entry 13.

 

Entry 13: The Incident

 

I know I shouldn't talk about it, but... if I don't write it down or something, it will haunt me for the rest of my life. Just... Please, don't listen to this... It's... too much to bear...

 

I tried to remove the program, but it somehow got stuck and I can't override it in time. Damn it, I'm going to hear it again.

 

I made this in third person, just to make it a bit simple.

So... at the day of the incident, Knight was fixing terminals as usual. Upon entering Security for his next job, gun shot were heard from above. Red light flashed in the area, signifying something bad is going down. He had no time to change into his proper attire, and rushed into battle with a suppressed rifle and a Stealthbuck active. One by one, the Raiders fell. Every shot was accurate. But that wasn't the incident.

 

He saw the leader take a pistol from his companions and tried o shoot a filly. His marefriend, Fortune, got shot trying to save the filly. She got ganged by the raiders. The last thing Knight saw to her was her lifeless body. Something in his mind ticked, and he became visible again and took the chainsaw from the leader, hacking him alive. The others, stunned by what is happening, tried to help, but kept hitting the wrong person and killing the innocent. This just fed his anger and started killing them mercilessly. By stabbing them while the chainsaw was still revving, 'til it ran out of gas and started beating them with it to a pulp, he developed a bloodlust, trying to find more ways to kill them painfully, making them pay.

 

But one of the raiders, the last he killed, gave up. She surrendered in front of him, begging for her life. But he never forgave her, and crushed her, like she deserved it.

 

The Incident wasn't the raiders killing half of your Stable, it was me... my anger... my rage... I became a monster. The ones who survived feared me, never went near me. They saw what I was capable of, a murder machine that can destroy a whole group.

 

Please me, don't listen to this. This will break you...

 

After the recording, total silence. My whole mind went blank. A single tear ran by my face. I was a monster... A Psychotic killer that cannot be stopped until it's too late.

 

I checked my Pipbuck again. Apparently, there's a broadcast check, not far from here. Hmm, wonder what it is...

 

*Anaphora, this is Line, Where are you, we want to help you! I at least want to say thank you...* Repeat. *Anaphora, this is Line, Where are you, we want to help you! I at least want to say thank you...*

 

It was a loop message. Was it a distress call? Maybe something important? Coded message? Ugh, I hate this mixed emotions right now. I checked where the frequency was. My Pipbuck showed me the source was now at a cave, about a few kilometers away from here. Should I check that out? Nah, I have a job to do. This is much more important to me for now. Until this escorting thing is over, I should go check that out. It might be something important.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Guardian Braveheart

[Scribblegroove 565]

@, 

Greshken

 

As Knight Mendiant sprinted away from the fight, things started to go downhill for Greshken. Paladin Aeon, Paladin Parabola and their Senior Paladin Cleavage were firing away at him with a barrage of plasma bolts and lazer beams. Greshken started to become frustrated. Where did all these ponies come from!?

 

He decided it was time to end this situation. He grabbed his hammer and readied it in his muscled arms as he picked his next target. Ignoring the several hits he was taking and trying to find someone who would expect nor know how to react to him. In a surge of bloodthirst he thought it was time to teach these steel rangers a lesson about minotaurs… He picked the most dangerous and proficient target of the three of them and charged. If he took their senior out, the others would surely flee.

 

Greshken’s vision turned red as he prepared his coupe-de-grace. Scanning the ponies armor on weak points, he built up speed in his charge and tension in his muscles. The senior did not have enough time to realize that the hulk of muscle charging at him would hit him out of the park. His eyes opened wide when it became apparent to him, but it was already too late. Firing a few last shots at the minotaur’s head and then gritting his teeth, knowing what was about to come. Greshken came to a skittering halt in front of the senior paladin and with a mighty underhand swing Senior Cleavage was hit on his bottom jaw.

 

The armor the paladin was wearing was lazer proof, plasma proof, blast proof and shock proof… But it was not Greshken proof. Not by a long way. The helmet cracked with a loud clang, Followed by the senior’s skull. The unfortunate pony flew 10 foot into the sky before dropping down with a horrible * thump*...

 

The two remaining paladin’s looked at eachother. They were furious that their senior had been obliterated by this foul creature, but they took their chances. “Retreat!” Aeon shouted. Parabola happily agreed. The both of them ran away, firing their last clip reserves at the now exhausted Minotaur. Greshken was lucky that they ran away, because he didn’t have much left to give. He couldn’t help but feel proud though. “OH! RUN! RUUN! I’m coming for you!” He shouted at the retreating paladins. Once they were out of sight he sighed. “Ok, no more attacking armed ponies on sight…” he thought to himself. He should’ve known better.

 

He looked at the senior that way lying on the ground. He grinned. “Dinner’s ready!”

 

(The next time I write something about Greshken, he will be near one of you... You better hide.)

Edited March 30, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[Anon In Equestria 57]

Connor gave up trying to enter the room and left the hotel deciding to go recon the town and see what was around and also to see if he could spot something to shoot.

 

Connor then spent the next half hour getting dirty looks from most of the locals as he reached the far end of the town he thought he spotted a punch of flashes most likely energy weapons Connor decided to find a place nearby to wait for anyone to come this way.

[Anneal 2,197]

Click.

 

I woke up to a flash of light, my eyes first being blinded before adjusting and clearing. Where am I? I thought. I tried to move his hooves, only finding out that they were stuck into place with metal cuffs. Augh, was it those metal armored ponies the ones that brought me here? I recalled going unconscious after being hit by a few beams then grabbed by the hooves. Surely it was those ponies that captured me.

 

I tried wriggling around, only to find out that my hind hooves were tied as well. Even my wings were stuck, and tied around with rope around my stomach. Looking.around, the room I was trapped in was completely white, with a table and a glass panel in front of me. Outside, through the panel, were three ponies, still armored, but with their helmets off. One of the ponies with the light-weight armor was a light yellow mare with a short purple mane; the other two, a sky blue mare with a noticeable scar next to her muzzle, and a gray stallion with dark blue eyes. They were talking, and I could hear it through the wall. Guess they didn't make interrogation rooms soundproof.

 

"Look, since our senior paladin is 'not present' anymore, I am automatically acting as senior paladin and second-in command of this bunker. Therefore, I'm calling the shots. Got that?" the mare snapped.

 

"Fine...Senior Paladin Parabola," the stallion retorted, pounding a button on the door and leaving.

 

"Now Mendiant, you said this stallion is from the Stable-Tec Stables. If that's the case, you may know something about him."

 

"Well, the clothing he's wearing definitely isn't Enclave, and most of all, the pegasus has a model of the PipBuck 3000. You don't see that on the Enclave. Nonetheless, I think the stallion may have valuable resources we could use to our advantage, so we might keep him here for a while."

 

I looked down at my Pipbuck, seeing a new notification from the map. "Bunker Omicron", it read. I couldn't really read the map, since I couldn't switch the lever or buttons.

 

"All right, you're coming in with me, then," the heavily armored mare named Parabola said, opening the door. "My apologies for my friend over here. She shot you down, and we couldn't bring you here in the heat of things, so one of our Paladins had to knock you out for the time being. Luckily for you, you don't seem to be one of our enemies, so we won't act too harsh on you."

 

I wiggled my chair. "If I'm not one of your enemies, then can I leave?" I asked.

 

Parabola shook her head. "Sorry, stranger, but I can't allow that. As far as we are concerned, we can't let some random pony leak our location." I shuddered. What was the mare trying to imply? "And I don't want to be killing non-combatants, so you're stuck with us until you can gain our trust. Knight Mendiant was the mare that brought you back here, so she would be asking the questions. Answer to the best of your ability." And with the, she left, leaving me with the light-armored mare.

 

"Sorry about that. It's just because the entire contingent and the bunker system has been really tight lately, and a lot of things are making the ponies here crazy. It's nothing personal," Mendiant said. "Soon enough, Senior Paladin might let you move around here. By the way..."

 

A syringe was stabbed right into my left hoof, the one without the PipBuck. "Gah!" I sputtered, looking down at the flashing light on my hoof.

 

"My bad. This is the tracker," Mendiant explained, pointing to the flashing light. "That way we would know where you are, in the case you go off task or leak any information. The device also has a built-in microphone, so don't do anything fishy and you'll be fine."

 

I shrugged. If it was something that didn't involve me dying, I would be happy enough. "As commanded by Senior Paladin Parabola, you will have to do one task for us in order to gain our trust. The task is simple; go to Regia and investigate the town. There had been a shooting within the last week, and the ash piles and slime that was left from it means that the place with hit by energy weapons. Sadly, the town suspects us for pillaging the town, since all the guns and energy weapons are gone. Not a single one left. The town ponies believe that we may have attacked the town during one of our patrols there.

 

"Don't get yourself killed; I just want to you check the town. Ideally, try to find who the real culprit is, and at the least put the blame away from us. Oh, and here are your weapons," she added, giving me back my revolver and 10mm pistol. "We had to confiscate them for the time being, but it might be some use to you. Good luck."

 

I looked at my gun. Indeed, this was going to be a sticky task...

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@Guardian Braveheart, 

He looked at knight. "Make sure to wake Vincent in time and get some sleep yourself. You look like you might need some." He said when he noticed the expression on his face. It was definately not a happy one. Lon decided that it would be best to take a nap now. Knight seemed to be in control of the situation, and he didn't want to let a good night's sleep slip away. They already were so uncommon for him, so he could better take every single one he could get. He disarmed his weaponry and picked a corner in the room. He then simply closed his eyes and immediately fell into a very deep sleep that was hibernation-like. Even though he would only get to sleep about 2-3 hours, he would get an enormous amount of energy out of it. He had learned this little power-nap trick in his training as an elite combat soldier. Stuff like this could rescue you when endurance meant the difference. The more efficiently you slept, the more you could fight afterwards.

[notten1 18]

((This one is going to be short and in a single place because Charcoal isn't responding))

 

@Charcoal Embers   

 

   Oh my goddesses, what did I just watch. I walked back over to where I was sleeping, picking up the corked bottle of Vodka I must have knocked over. I sat back down again on my bedroll, looking into the fire seeing the same image of my former slaver Father getting killed mercilessly. I don't know why this is happening to me now, I've seen Slaves, hell, I've killed 'em. But this is all different now, the tables have changed. I deperatly look away from the fire to stop myself from getting that image stuck in my head and make me go insane. So I look toward the small stash of Ammo and bag of booze. I took out the booze, Whiskey this time. I knew that if I keep doing this, I'll never go back, but What the hell. I drank the whole bottle and passed out

Edited March 30, 2014 by notten1

[Guardian Braveheart 23]

I simply nodded to one of my employers. With the Enclave giving up, his night might go smoothly, with not the part that I'm extremel depressed and fear myself now.

 

I'm a monster... I'm no better than a raider...

 

I killed them mercilessly... even after they begged for mercy...

 

Ugh... Keep your mind in the job! Stop it with this nonsense.

 

Just... keep calm. In another 3 hours, you'll be back in your sleep in no time. 

 

Maybe... I should fix up my Bubble Bullets. Using surplus ammo does take it's toll. Still, it saves some caps. I took out my last Weapon repair kit. Damn, if the Ammo won't drain me, the Repair kits will.

[Anneal 2,197]

Anaphora glanced at her pocket watch, checking the time. 5:54 AM. She was waiting on Forage for a few minutes now, who was repairing his own lever-action shotgun by replacing it with the chamber of another and strapping the newer looking one on instead. Anaphora simply observed his reparations; her own pistols usually didn't wear off until after a few weeks, and she didn't work well with detaching rifles. She remembered accidentally losing the firing pin for her old friend's hunting rifle at the days where they did mercenary work.

 

She looked at the bounty poster of Dragoon Mallet again. "The NER desperately wants him dead, right?" Forage asked, pulling and pushing the lever to check the weapon. "They're all the same. Every single living object in this world isn't invincible, ponies included; it's only time until some pony armed with a sniper rifle shoots him in the head. Pretty easy to just kill some pony, right? We have those times where we feel no angst, no remorse, and just feel bloodthristy. Heck, I've even seen a stallion go mad after his marefriend died. Couldn't blame him, his whole underground shelter home, every pony he knew, was dead."

 

"Raiders?" Anaphora counter-questioned.

 

"Indeed," Forage tersely replied. "But hey, you're a slaver. Most ponies won't think you're much better, though I have to admit, you got some damn spirit for a mare who's being hunted down. Got to give you credit on that."

 

Anaphora waited for a short while, moving on without a question. A minute later, she asked again, "So what happened to that stallion you were talking about?"

 

Forage closed the chamber of his shotgun shut, starling Anaphora. He had a brief glare at her, but reverted to his typical state. "We can't waste any time idling around here. Better get moving to Regia if we want to see what happened."

[Charcoal Embers 169]

@@notten1,

 

Charcoal sighed as she watched Line go into a drunken stupor before walking deeper into the cave. Sh had no idea what to expect, but she hoped she wouldn't run into anything too bad. As she walked through the cave she could only hear the sound of water dripping from the ceiling and her hoofsteps against the hard stone. When she got further down into the cave she began hearing some sort of crackling sound. She wasn't sure what it was so she walked on. Then she got into a large room in the cave. In the center of it was a busted up radio, an old pony skelaton, and a small chest in the dead pony's hooves. Charcoal thought it looked interesting and began walking towards it. All of the sudden her collar began beeping. She panicked and backed up, causing the beeping to stop. She sighed in relief and looked out at the pony. She had to get to it. She backtracked to where Line was sleeping and shook her awake.

[00Pony 286]

(Hey look, I'm alive, and finally posting here.)

 

"...So I guess all of you here on the western side of the wastes can rest just a little easier. Can't say the same for our friends out east, though. Seems like The Hoof is gaining one more Demon to rain terror. You all remember those reports I gave about the a scourge on ponykind? The pony I called 'The Sword Mare'? You know, 'avoid at all costs cause she just might slice you apart for no good reason other than money'? Last I saw her, she was trotting off into that abyss after leaving one of her old pals bleeding on the doorstep to Tenpony Tower. At least it wasn't the other way 'round. This guy has some of the 'good fight' in him. But anyway children, I think I'll let you get back to the music now... I doubt many of you tune in just to hear me jabber on, after all. I'll sign off with just this: Good riddance Sword Mare! Hope the Hoof gives you a warm welcome."

 

It was an older transmission, but it still provided closure on what had happened to his two old comrades. The first time he heard it, Rapture had made it a point to record it for sentimental value. He listened to it now and again, reminding himself of what became of them. What had been a constant mystery since then just what had happened that left Winchester broken. From Pon3's message, some might assume Darcy attacked him. It wasn't outside the realm of possibilities, but Rapture doubted that was the case. She may have a moral compass as gray as the cloud layer, but she was at least friendly to him.

 

Rapture closed out of the 'notes' window of his PipBuck, returning to the 'condition' screen. The Zebra turned his attention away from the device after that, looking out at the expanse of Wasteland before him. He had stopped for a short break in his journey, setting out a small meal of scavenged old world fare, purified water, and even meat. Unlike most equine races, Rapture was accustomed to the consumption of meat and saw nothing wrong with it - so long as it was not the flesh of another equine or likewise sentient creature. He had finished his meal with no interruptions, and as of now had returned what supplies he still needed to his saddlebags, slung them once again over his back, extinguished his small fire and finally secured Recompense, the unique sniper rifle he carried, back to its harness. With all of this taken care of, the stoic bounty hunter once again began to trot on his way. 

 

If his E.F.S radar was to be believed, and the device was yet to lead him astray, there was a settlement not much farther ahead of him.  Even if his PipBuck was failing, he could see the outline of the settlement from here. He wasn't really in any danger of running into anyone other than the odd scavenger, raider, or maybe even wanderer, but all the same, he pulled his hood over his head and lifted the breathing mask once again to his mouth. While the war between their countries had been long since passed, many ponies still held a grudge against the Zebras, especially the Ghouls who had been there the day the bombs fell. As it was, he found it necessary to conceal his race, and in keeping with this kept his mane cut short and never removed his armor or hood in another's presence. The breathing mask made it difficult - but not impossible - to wield any of his weapons, but usually in the heat of battle, he was not near anyone else to see his striped muzzle, and if he was, usually they were not going to be in any position to reveal him by the time his business with them was concluded.

 

And even if they did learn of his race, he was still reputable enough to receive work. Funny, how folk conveniently forgot the sins of the past when they saw potential for blood to be efficiently spilled. Rapture remained silent as he stopped moving to reassess that he was alone, swishing his armored tail idly behind him. The small framed Zebra remained still for a few seconds, save his head as he scanned his surroundings with the E.F.S, then began to move on once again at a brisk pace towards the settlement. 

 

--

 

After perhaps an hour of walking, broken slightly by the necessity of stopping to drink a small portion of water, put down a pesky Wasteland creature that had been following him for the past several minutes and roll said creature's carcass into a ditch, Rapture arrived at the settlement. His PipBuck pinged, and the words 'Defiance' panned briefly across his E.F.S. It wasn't too significant, but there was always one upside of discovering another settlement. New town, new bounties. New bounties, fresh caps, and fresh caps bring about a resupply. Rapture knew he wasn't the best at getting good prices from the various merchants about the Wasteland, but bounties usually gave him enough caps to survive their steeped prices. It was likely that if many knew he was a Zebra, they wouldn't do business with him at all. Then he'd have to resort to theft, which - while certainly not out of the question - didn't end well if caught. Tends to ruin one's chance at doing business in that town in the future. 

 

With such things in mind, Rapture stepped into the town, doing his best to avoid any who might be out at this time of night. He was unlikely to overhear much of anything pertaining to potential bounty targets without ponies to eavesdrop on, but he would make do. If all else fails, he could find a dark corner in the settlement to nap in till morning. Granted that wasn't always wise, as it was not out of the question that someone may try to rob him, and that would require him to shoot them, and that would potentially make his dealings in this town strained. But that wasn't to say he couldn't slip away and move on to the next town. With such thoughts in his head, Rapture nearly missed a distinct sheet of paper being set onto a board next to the corner of a building not too far ahead of him. Curious, the Zebra slowed his pace below a walk, watching the Unicorn as they pinned the parchment to the wall and moved on in the opposite direction. As soon as they were out of the way, Rapture picked up his pace and examined the paper. He couldn't help but smile beneath his mask. This pony must have done something to get her likeness put on a bounty paper. The price labeled below her was not too bad either. It was enough to pique his interest. 

 

Rapture turned his gaze to the pony displayed, dedicating her face to memory before glancing to the name shown, "'Anaphora'... Well miss, you may very well be my next paycheck. Take solace in the fact that you will bring about future meals for another."

 

The Hunter spent a few minutes more seeking out someone who might have seen this particular mare. His breathing mask muffled his voice enough that most would not catch the faint hint of accent he bore, and he had spent much of his life around pony folk and his speech patterns matched theirs convincingly enough. It took a few tries, eventually resulting in him having to find another poster to tear down to show to folk so they would know who he was talking about, but eventually he got a lead. She had be last seen moving eastward. A bit vague, but it was a start. Not one to waste time, Rapture tucked the poster into his saddlebags and began following his E.F.S eastward. He had learned that Anaphora had been in the company of two others, a slave and someone else. He could seek them out, question them about his target's behavior - having been a slave in the past, he would not hesitate to tell anyone who might kill his older masters everything he knew about them. But to seek them out would take a while, and Rapture was of the mind frame that the longer he waited, the further his quarry would get from him. 

 

With this in mind, he tightened his weapon harness, pulled his hood further over his ears, and moved eastward, finally having a goal once again. 

[Anon In Equestria 57]

Connor was sitting on top of a cargo container just on the edge of the settlement when a pony walked into town and left about half an hour later holding a wanted poster and a sniper rifle holstered on his back Connor thought about stopping the pony but decided against it just in case flashing lights decided to turn up

[Guardian Braveheart 23]

After fixing up my gun, I looked up at the clock on my Pipbuck. Wow, it past 2 hours. Well, time for Vincent to guard. I walked up to the sleeping griffin and started nudging him awake.

 

"Hey, Vincent," I said to him. "It's time for your shift."

 

I noticed him shaking a bit. A nightmare, perhaps? And I think I heard him say something like Anaphora. Who is that? Hmm.. maybe I'll ask him in the morning.

[TheLineTrotter 100]

Click... Click... Click... Cl-

 

Vincent's eyes oppened wide as he was prodded, glancing about the entire room, trying to remember where the hell he was... for some reason, the events of the previous day eluded him as he first awoke. Once he remembered, he forced himself onto his 4 feet. "Alright... get some rest..." he muttered as he climbed from the bed, walking towards the door. He stood there, trying to distract himself, taking out Taurus and cleaning it, making sure it wouldn't jam or anything like that, trying to distract himself... but it was futile, his mind refuseing to ignore his latest dream...

 

He hadn't expected mention of Anaphora to cause something like that... he tried to shake both the imagery and the words themselves from his mind... he had a job to do... he couldn't be distracted... couldn't... couldn't do something stupid like try to run after her... save her... doing anything like that would... would just be dumb... 

 

Yet... he couldn't ignore the fact that just about every fiber of his being was yelling at him to dash out that door, fly out in the direction those NER troops had mentioned, track her down and... and... he didn't know what after that. Shoot her? Get shot by her? Ask questions? Stand there awkwardly? Die just trying to get to her? He didn't know... he didn't even know if he wanted to do that... he... he had a job. He always completed the job... but... Anaphora might have been worth leaveing any job for...

 

He was so deep in thought, he barely noticed when the sun rose... his shift had been over 10 minutes before he finally realized he had to wake up the rest, going over to each of their beds and shaking them awake.

@@Guardian Braveheart,

@@Scribblegroove,  

[notten1 18]

 @Charcoal Embers  @00Pony

((Broadcasters can move and change locations while retaining signal while walking))

 

 

"Wha- Wha?" I had been sleeping for a few minutes when I saw Charcoal, "What is it?" When I was awake again, I still had my headaching thinking of my dream, damn have I been wrong? I walked into the area that she seemed to have come from, and it suprised me. It seemed to look like somone built Vault-like rooms into the Caverns and I saw some equipment too, although behind locked gate. I focused on the center of the room, where there is a pony next to a broken Radio and a box. I went closer, seeing some uneasy tension in the room some reason. I was about to open the box, but to the right to Line, she heard clopping in the surounding edges of the room, out of their sight for the Darkness. I yelled, "Hello, who's there?." No answer. I looked back at the box, opening it slowly, seeing it half way as something metal, but before I could really open it, a clopping sound appears again. "Ok... We ain't alone..." I said to myself quietly. Oh, this is just great.. "Who are you?" I start to see a figure form. An earth pony mare, who had a light armor of some sort. "The name is Lily, I'm wonderin' what you're doing here." Uh... This was unexpected. "W-we were stayin' for the night, while we're lookin' fo' a Friend." I said in a Sheepish tone. I shouldn't be scared, I've been in way worse situations. Lily replied, "Ok then, I'll have to know who it is you are looking for" I dunno why I replied but I said, "Anaphora, I'm looking for Anaphora" I saw her eyes widen, I saw her press a button on her suit and said into it, "We've found some tribals looking for Anaphora, Paladin, What should I do?" Wait?! She's a Steel Ranger?! A voice came back in the room tinny, a deep Stallion's voice echoed, "Bring them to the forward base, Knight Lily. We might need them aswell." Well, shit, here we go. I saw the Knight Lily walk out of the room saying, "Follow me now" I said urgently, "Why are we goin'?" She replied, "Because the Paladin wishes to talk to you about matter's to help with" And then we gathered our stuff, the broadcaster and we walked. We walked to the Steel Rangers Forward base, but in reality, it was just a library in an abandoned town from outside a forest. We walked inside, and they were doing the weirdest thing, reading books. We walked in and I saw a Unicorn in a Red Robe, the Stallion looked up at me and said, "If you're looking for Paladin Crossing, He's in the back with the other knights" I saw Lily nod and trotted into through a backdoor in the Library and saw 5 other Steel Rangers, with one in particular looking quite sure of himself. I'm guessing he's the Paladin. I saw Lily gesture us in to the room, while she went into another room for... something, I guess those rumors about them eating nails, back fired at them. Anyway, I walked into the room with Charcoal with me and stood in front of the more assertive and More Battle damaged Suit of armor. I wanted to make it that he has to introduce me. However, it's a Steel Ranger, and I'll have more likely to have a drink with their 'elder' than to have that happen. So in other words, I had to introduce myself. "Excuse me, Paladin Crossing, I am Line and this is Charcoal, we were sent here to help you guys, and I think you're Knight Lily mentioned that you knew where she is. I do this, you get to tell me where she is, got it?", I saw the Monolith of a Pony turn his head at me and stared me in the eyes, though I didn't know because of his Visor. He stared and said, "Accepted, though we only know where she went and where she's going to, not where she IS" I felt my heart both flutter and whimper at those words. "You're mission, Make a trading company supply the Steel Rangers in the Mountains." I was shocked, "Wait, how did you kno-" He jabbed back, "We've been tracking you ever since we've seen you with Anaphora. So we sent an Operative to spy on you and it turns out you seem to be able to do the job" I have a quest? Great, now it's going to be like one of those roleplaying games people play, now is it... I walked outside, I said to Charcoal, "Ok, step 1: Get to my Tradin' Company..."

[Lil' Lovebug 1,041]

I woke up on a wagon. I went to jump up, but was stoped by ropes around my body. I was about to freak out when I heard the driver say, "You're awake back there? Good. I thought I was going to have to carry you into the hospital. Sorry bout the ropes by the way. I didn't want you turning over on you're skinned side." That was when I realized that my side burned horribly. But ho- oh right... I tripped.... Damn.

 

I used my magic to untie the two knots I saw and sat up. Upon inspection, I could see that my bags and armor were on the wagon. "How'd you find my stuff?" I asked. "Simple," she replied. "You left hoofprints in the dirt." Oh... yeah. The mare let out a giggle. "I noticed that you were on your way out of Defiance. I was on my way to Regia, so it's no hassle for me to give you a ride. I can always use the company. Come up here and sit with me."

 

I obliged, making sure to not aggravate the burn too much. I used my magic to grab some water, bandages, and a cloth out of my saddlebags, using it to clean the wound and cover it. I then realized that my helmet had been taken off and my cheek felt sticky. The one that was exposed while I was laying down (my right side is what I hurt in case I didn't mention that so I way laying on my left). I pressed a clean part of the cloth to my check and took it off revealing a... lipstick stain. Ponies actually had and used lipstick out here? I looked at her smiling lips and confirmed that they were coated in a decently maintained layer of lipstick. Interesting.

 

She nuzzled against my neck and giggled, making me a tad uncomfortable, so I started asking her quesstions. "So what's your name?" "Amber Whiskey, trader and traveler. Also very proficient at making alcohol too. I'll let you try some when we stop for lunch." "Nice to meet you. I'm Steady Hoof, Sniper and ex-stable pony." She giggled. Why did she keep doing that?

 

"So how much longer till Regia?" She pouted. "Awwwwww. Do you not like my company? Fine!" Damn... I knew she was lying, but I couldn't help but feel bad. "Noo! Not that! I... I just... I...-" There went that giggle again. Oh Celestia it was growing on me! I checked my PipBuck and looked at the time. Early morning. Not bad. I took out some various food and offered her some. "Oh thank you." She kissed my cheek. Damn this was gonna be a long ride.

[Blacklight 118]

Renatus slowly awoke as sunlight...or at least what amounted to sunlight in the wasteland began quietly shining though one of the few cracked, dusty windows in the room and directly onto his face. Raising a hoof to block the light, he murmured, " Ugh, morning...couldn't you have waited five more minutes?" Well it wasn't like it was interrupting anything...he noted, referring to his rather uneventfully sleep. Rising to his hooves. He yawned loudly as he stretched the morning stiffness in his body. Noticing the griffin was awake, he nodded towards him as he greeted, " Good morning. So how did you sleep?" He didn't stop though as he trotted into the bathroom and after locking the door, gasped in mild surprise as he saw his reflection though the somewhat broken mirror, revealing the blood and bits of gore adoring his face and barding. Shit...he thought as he remembered last night's snack. Quickly pulling off his barding, he jumped into the shower and was greeted with mildly cold water as he turned it on. As he began furiously scrubbing the blood and gore off his body, he mentally chided himself, I should have washed myself off as soon as I came back. Stupid me however thought it would be ok if I fell asleep like this...Goddess, I hope the pegasus didn't see me or I'm never going to hear the end of it from that Enclave bastard. I just hope the nopony in town notices the blood on my barding, which reminds me. I need to find a doctor for my leg, it's starting to hurt like hell. Now, I just get the last of the gore out of my holes and I'm good. Sparing a glance at the shower floor, he noticed the water had turned red from the blood and gore as it poured off him and flushed down the drain.

[Anneal 2,197]

Assuming my PipBuck was giving me the right directions, I was moving towards Regia, which was marked by the Steel Rangers that gave me the information. Apparently, from the information I got from the terminals the Scribes (the research members of the organization), they had in fact existed since the war and survived the ultimate destruction of the world, and their goal was to recover technology. It sounded reasonable enough, though that was as much information I was going to get; the Rangers were not willing to share too much of their secrets with strangers, even Stable "dwellers" like me. Ironically, it was because I am a Stable dweller that allowed them to trust me to do an important job for them...

 

The sky was brightening through the gaps of the large storm-like cloud bed, sunlight shining down on patches of barren land. I found it a bit strange; if the pegasi wanted to restore Equestria at a faster rate, wouldn't they have cleared up the skies so that it could grow crops? Or were the Enclave's intentions to stagnate Equestria's growth? I remembered that the Enclave pegasus was spitting out insults towards the other non-pegasi; it looked like the Enclave didn't really like these wasteland ponies very much. But regardless, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. Guess that was a question I had to put for later.

 

When I looked forward, through the hills, I stopped for a short while. Smoke, black smoke, was rising upward from my direction. That wasn't a good sign. (Intelligence 6) Furthermore, when I smelled it, there was a horrific, intense odor; some pony was burning plastic or rubber. The Steel Rangers were correct – something was wrong here.

 

And indeed, there was. When I climbed up a hill, I saw nothing but an unpleasant scene of sheer destruction. There were piles of junk burning, along with collapsed buildings, some of them burnt as if there was a fire. A cloud of smoke was forming above the devastated town. Debris was virtually everywhere. Something was very wrong here.

 

I galloped down the hill into the city, passing through a highway route sign into the devastated town. Not long after I entered the place, I was stopped by another stallion with a brown coat and an amber mane who rushed at me from the exit of a crushed building. He had a glaring look of on his silver eyes, almost like he had a meeting with Death itself, and his cutie mark was a cannon fuse. How fitting. "You might want to rethink your travel plans, outsider," he deadpanned, "Regia's been blasted into Tarturus."

 

I decided not to linger with lesser questions and got straight to the point. "I was sent to investigate what happened here. Do you know what happened?"

 

The stallion chuckled, spitting on the ground and lighting a cigarette. "The detective type, aren't you? I'll keep it short; Steel Rangers came into our damn town and raided and burned the whole place. Fuckers just shot ponies who tried to oppose them. There's nothing interesting. You better turn your head the other way before your ass gets blown to pieces." He placed the cigarette into his mouth, taking a deep breath and blowing smoke.

 

"So who are the Steel Rangers?" I asked, pretending to be the naive pony in the conversation.

 

"You're saying you don't about the Steel Rangers?" The cigarette in his mouth drooped downward in surprise. "They're weapon hoarders, that's what they are. I would go as far as to say they're glorified raiders. I've seen them beat up, torture, and kill ponies right in front of me, all because of their obsession with their little technology. Xenophobic morons." He put down his cigarette and spat again, this time with more force, crushing the dirt beneath it with a stomp. "The name's Cascable. Since it looks like it's your first time in Regia, I'm going to give you a suggestion: don't get yourself involved with those shitheads. The wasteland is already fucked up as it is."

 

And with that, he left, storming out onto another road. The hatred of the Rangers were severe around here. I went to a house with it's entire roof burned off, seeing only a pile of ash and a few empty cylindrical boxes; my PipBuck read them as "Micro-Sparkle Cell". If I wasn't wrong, these were used for those energy weapons the Steel Rangers had. There were signs of a struggle, with blood on the wall and ground and several dark holes on the walls.

 

I swiftly left after collecting the spent cells and salvaged a box of bullets. Finding nothing else of importance, I moved onto another street. There was a mare and her two foals, dirtied and scarred, merely glancing at me when I passed by. I tried not to stare at the poor family, and closed my eyes while moving on. It was simply too hard to bear seeing ponies having to endure through this, and made me even more determined to find the real malefactors.

 

I stopped at a surprisingly intact shop in the ruins, opening the door. Surely the ponies inside know what happened here. When I entered the building, I was greeted by another stallion who was detaching his rifle and cleaning it. He was a light tan earth pony with a bluish gray mane and similarly blue eyes. He was wearing a trench-coat that covered most of his body; his cutie mark, a bayonet, was partly covered. "You a traveler?" he questioned coldly.

 

"Uh...yeah."

 

"Didn't you hear what the other ponies said? Leave this place," he commanded, not looking up.

 

"Sorry, but no. I'm here to find out what happened."

 

"I'm not going to ask you again. Get out. Now."

 

"I'm not going anywhere."

 

The stallion dropped his gun on the table, sighing. "Stable ponies, always thinking they can do something heroic..." he murmured, slouching from the counter and picking up another rifle, slinging it on him. "You must be deaf if you didn't hear what I just said. But since you're one of those ponies who would keep bugging me until I give way...what do you want?"

 

"Information," I tersely replied.

 

"Right outside," he said, pointing to the door, now in the storage room next to the counter, searching for something.

 

There was a few seconds of silence. No, I was not going to let this go through. Justice needed to be done, no matter the circumstances. Finally, I broke the silence, shouting out, "I know the Steel Rangers didn't do it."

 

The stallion hesitated, dropping an object. I got his attention now. "What do you know about the Steel Rangers, Stable dweller?" he said.

 

"I've met with them. They aren't those kind of ponies," I defended, suddenly reminded about the dark holes on the wall. They looked similar to my burn scars, and that the mare who shot me used a laser rifle... "I checked a scene and found something curious. There were dark marks, that of which can only be left by magical laser rounds. And by the direction where it was fired, I can assume it was the victim that was using the laser rifle. But the Steel Rangers use plasma, spell-flux, and magnetic weapons; why would they attack a pony who only had a laser rifle and a petty amount of property? This would also be contradictory if we assumed that it was the other way around; that the Steel Rangers attacked on the other side of the building."

 

The stallion just stared at me when I finished up my explanation. Then he broke into a laugh. "How observant of you! So you did do your work for a change, and somehow, you managed to make me rethink my perspective for once," he stood up straight, holstering his pistol. "Name's Frizzen. I'm a member of the Gun Gallopers, though before..." – he unbuttoned the top part of his jacket, revealing a Stable jumpsuit with the number "32" on the collar – "I was from a Stable, just like you. I still recall that day when the Stable was attacked; 2203 was the year, if I'm not wrong. I was thirty that time, working on gun manufacturing. Got a reputation there with my lil assault carbine, 'Royal Flush'. I think you may have a point for a pony fresh out of the Stable."

 

I was at first wondering how did he know I recently came out of the Stable, until I looked down at my own jumpsuit. Compared to him, my jumpsuit was relatively clean, a tell-tale sign that I must have washed the clothes somewhere. "But yes, I've been suspecting that it wasn't the Steel Rangers at all. They came here a few weeks ago for patrol, harassing the residents to give up their weapons and cells. They pushed a few around, though they left without hurting any pony. Later on, there was another group that was wearing power armor, just starting an all-out massacre on the town and killing ponies that opposed them. What I thought was strange, however, was that those power armor lacked the insignia of the Steel Rangers, and the fact that they're returning to the town when they already forced the population to give up some of their weapons. While they aren't the nicest ponies around, and aren't fully innocent of the matter, they certainly wouldn't have blatantly killed civilians."

 

I smiled. Finally, someone believed me. "And since you're not as different from me..." Frizzen added, giving me a pistol, "Here's something for you. A .45 pistol, the Royal Equestrian Army service pistol in the pre-war. Just for you if you end up finding some trouble on the way. If you do find out who the ponies who did this are, it's yours, free of charge. I just want to find the ones who destroyed my home."

 

I nodded. This was an atrocity that needed to be brought to light. This is what needed to be done. 

Edited April 2, 2014 by Late Suri Polomare