Fallout Equeastria: Subject 00

Ch.8; Through the Gate

“Don’t leave a pony behind”

Jade woke to the sound of a door closing as she felt her head pounding. Her vision was still blurry but she could tell she was in some sort of room that smelled of something Jade didn’t want to know. She blinked to clear her vision as she noticed a figure next to her, after a couple of minutes she was able to recognize Daisy shaking next her. The mare’s armor had been removed for the first time since the mare had joined them.

Daisy’s back was covered in scares that were from what Jade could tell were caused by multiple tools. They were random at best, but she could recognize the number twenty seven on her shoulder. That scare was made from a brand.

Jade looked around the room noticed blood and something that she really hoped was not what she thought it was. She looked back to Daisy who had noticed she was awake. The mare tried giving a reassuring smile to Jade but failing to keep it. Jade looked the mare up and down checking the mare for any injuries, which besides the scares, weren’t many.

“What’s going on?” Jade asked rubbing her head.

“Are…you…We’ve just been captured by the Blood Gates.” Daisy said the panic clear in her voice. “And their wanting to add us to their fuck toy collection.”

The fear in Daisy’s eyes told Jade the mare wasn’t joking. Jade looked back to the room then Daisy that started to shake as well as the situation became clear. They didn’t have their weapons, or armor. They didn’t know where they’re other companions were. Unless someone Stitch and Shock could take on the base by themselves and find them…Jade didn’t even want to think about was going to happen.

It was around then that the sound of shouting and ponies picking up guns was made known to the mares. Jade looked a Daisy who shrugged and stood up walking up to the door with Jade close behind. Jade put her head to the door trying to figure out what was going on. But all she could hear was the sound of hooves and an assortment of weapons moving down the hall and the roar of orders. The only thing she could make out of the noise that made sense was the word Wraith being repeated over and over.

Jade noticed Daisy had pulled out a screwdriver and some bobby-pins. Jade didn’t know where the other mare had found them till Daisy pointed to a tool chest some pony had left by mistake. Jade smiled at their luck as Daisy started picking the lock. It was while until the white mare had gotten the open which she had been on her last bobby-pin.

“I haven’t needed to pick a lock in while.” Daisy said before opening the door. She up and down the hall trying to see if there was anyone then smiled. “Looks like what ever got their attention got everyone of them away from us.”

“Any idea where our gear is?” Jade said seeing a discarded collar.

“No, looks like we were really lucky. Bomb collars, bet if I had tired opening that door with that my head would have been gone.”

“That’s not a mental image I needed.” Jade said rubbing her neck. “Let’s get some weapons and hope Shock and Stitch are still alive.”

“And we live through this.” Daisy said walking down the hall followed by Jade.

The green mare looked to her pip-buck and was surprised to see it had mark a new objective. “Okay now that just weird.”

“What?” Daisy said looking back at Jade.

“My pip-buck’s been marking objectives…any idea?” Jade asked.

“Look, I have no idea how those things work. I just used one.” Daisy said dismissively.

“Wait you had one these?” Jade asked shocked.

“Well, yeah, everyone in my stable did.” Daisy said picking up a shard of glass from a broken window in her magic. “Was standard issue for my Stable.”

“Oh,” Jade said as they passed a corner.

“Now, I think we should be quiet before a guard hears us.” Daisy said sternly before passing an open door. The sound of hoof steps caused both of them to duck into the room which was occupied by a mare who seemed to have her legs nailed to the floor. She had dirty yellow coat and brown mane. Jade couldn’t tell if she was alive or dead, but by the scent alive would be more accurate. Daisy shook her head at the site but pushed Jade to the wall next to the door as stallion with a shotgun walked in.

“Seems the Wraiths are finally targeting our little gang, and instead of dying trying to fend off those freaks I’ll just have some fun.” The stallion said dropping his shotgun and stared mounting the mare. She didn’t even acknowledge anything, seemingly lost to the world.

Jade grabbed the shotgun with her magic, trying to stay quiet as the stallion rutted mare. Daisy watched the gun with worry until Jade had it next to her. Jade offered it the other mare, but she declined as she shuffled up to the stallion. She brushed his side by mistake.

“Pin Drop that…what are you do…” The stallion didn’t finish as Daisy used the shard of glass to slit the throat of the stallion as he bleed over the mare. The mare didn’t flitch as she was drenched in blood. Jade walked over and noticed Daisy looking at the mare with sympathy as she held the shard of glass to her throat.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jade said stopping the improvised knife.

“She’s already dead.” Daisy said pointing to the mare’s eyes.

“She’s breathing!” Jade countered noticing the mare’s chest slowly moving.

“That doesn’t mean she’s alive. She’s nailed to the floor and they’ve broken her. She would even survive in the wasteland in this state. And don’t say there’s pony’s who can help her. At best she’d be placed in a room and kept alive, possible begging to be treated like this once she realized that she’s not.” Daisy said pointing at the mare’s limbs that would bleed ever so often.

“But…Daisy…” Jade looked between the sharpshooter and the mare. She mulled over her option as she did so unsure of what they should do.

It was then that the mare spoke up in a raspy voice that told of years of disuse. She looked to Jade with pleading eyes as she begged, “P…plea….please…I don….don’t want…t.....t.....to die…”

Jade looked at the mare as she made her mind up then looked at Daisy. The white mare sighed as she moved her magic to the nails as she pulled them out one by one. The mare screamed with each nail until the last one was removed. The mare stood shakily as Jade pulled out a healing potion from the stallion’s bags and gave it to the mare. She drank it with earnest before she thanked then and ran out of the room. Jade smiled and turned to Daisy and was surprised to see a grim expression on her face.

“Daisy, what’s wrong? We saved her, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, we did.”

“Then, why are you…?”

Daisy sighed turning slowly to look Jade. Not a trace of a smile, and hidden worry was on her now. “Feeling yourself a hero?” I hope so.” Daisy said before looking to the door again. “Jade, don’t get me wrong, I kinda understand her, I know how it feels. I was like her more than one time, felt sorry that no one took his time and put the bullet in my head to end a life full of torture. First, it was Stable, I told you about it. Then, the Wasteland…though there are some things that made me stop, and you were not the last of those reasons. But her…”

“What about her?” Jade asked, curiosity took the better of her. “Why didn’t you want to help her?”

“….Because sometimes it’s better to die to die then to live a life of vengeance.”

“Oh, come on! It can’t be that bad, right? Maybe She will find herself a mare or a stallion, and…”

“Yeah, yeah, maybe you’re right. Sorry, but…let’s just hope that you’re right, and I’m wrong. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise?” Jade repeated no liking what Daisy was saying.

“Some bad things are about happen.”

Jade checked the body for anything else they could use and took the bags after getting rid of things she really didn’t want to know about or to have seen. When she left the room Daisy was trying to pick a lock with magic. Jade walked over and noticed the word storage sketched over the top of the door. It took a bit but Daisy had got the door open looking at the lock with distain but the bliss of victory over the obstacle visible on her face all the same.

Jade walked into the small room and was thank full to see it was in fact a storage room. She saw an assortment of items for sexual activities along with a number of bomb collars. Jade saw her armor in the back of the room next to Daisy’s. They donned them they checked for their weapons. Daisy was dishearten not to find her rifle, but Jade found her AR tucked behind a box full of something Jade didn’t want to know.

“Here,” Jade said as she levitated her Assault Rifle to the other mare.

“What, but…” Daisy said in surprise.

“Look, you need a gun, and I think you’re better with rifle than shot guns.” Jade said motioning to the gun she took from the stallion before. “This Caravan Shotgun should be enough for me for a bit.”

“Fine…” Daisy said taking the rifle from Jade’s grip. The White mare checked its ammo the readied the rifle before leaving the room.

The two mares walked down the halls most of the doors locked as they tried to find a way out or the rest of their gear. It wasn’t long till they found a stair well leading down to the floor below. The signs at the top of the stairs told them another storage room was below them and more rooms. Daisy looked to Jade who shrugged before they descended down to the floor below with little trouble. Once they were down the lights had gone out as the ground shook.

Jade activated the flashlight on her pip-buck as Daisy casted a light spell creating a wear light over head. Jade looked to the white mare annoyed which Daisy just shrugged and smiled apologetically to the other. Jade deactivated her flashlight as the searched the floor for the storage room. The building looked worst without the lights as the wear light made was blood and other fluids more visible that coated the walls or doors or glass that adored the hall.

They ignored the rooms because at most these were empty for the ponies in them were in not condition to move or dead by legal definition. Jade hated have to kill them to put them out of the misery but they weren’t in the same state as the mare she had saved up stairs. Killing them was merciful at best.

After walking through two more halls they found the storage room and Daisy picked the lock. It wasn’t as hard for her as the one on the floor above had been. They entered the room and found a number of things that must have belong to ponies that where brought here or the gang themselves. Most were just knickknacks or guns or gear. Jade was able to find Life and Reaper among them without much damage from the gang’s handling. Daisy was able to find her rifle tucked away in a corner disassembled and their bags. Jade dropped the gangers and replaced it with her own and looked at her inventory. Everything was there thankfully.

“Okay, let’s get the out of here.” Daisy said turning around. “Then maybe we can fin…”

“Oh, but I thought you two would be staying?” A stallion said as Jade turned to see a unicorn that choking Daisy while struggling to take her rifle. Jade reacted as fast as she could fire the shotgun as the first slung left the top barrel. It hit the stallion’s jaw at best breaking his concentration. Jade misjudge the weapons firing style had the seconded slug almost missed the stallion neck. Jade cocked the barrels forward to reload and noticed how they were built. She looked at Daisy confused as she reloaded the gun replacing the slugs.

Daisy coughed then explained. “That’s an over and under shotgun. Just try remembering which barrel you’re shooting from.”

“Okay.” Jade said closing the weapon.

“You fucking cunt…” the stallion mutter the best he could with a shattered jaw. Daisy pointed the AR at his head and fired.

“I think we should have are guard up now.” Daisy said as she walked buck into the hall wincing a little in pain. Jade followed watching the rooms knowing there might be a ganger waiting to ambush them.

“We’re on the basement level right?” Jade asked trying to figure out if they were going in the right direction.

“I think so.” Daisy said as she stopped a corner.

Jade looked for any indication of their floor in the darkness but there wasn’t much to go by. The rooms had no windows besides the ones on the doors. And the same could have almost been said for the floor above. Jade noticed a terminal in one of the rooms before Daisy could protest. Jade started doing her best to hack the terminal the way she had hacked the schools computer, but it was harder with Shock helping her. She got past the security just before the terminal locked her out and started going over what was in it which was mostly messages to a pony named Bell Ring and from what she could gather the building had been an apartment or hotel at one time.

“What are you doing?” Daisy asked guarding the door.

“Using Talcum’s username to the system to get a map of the building. Looks like he was the super attendant or of this place or something back before the bombs. Was complaining to a Bell Ring about the changes in the power systems, saying the light were scaring the occupants of the building, they felt like they were being watched.” Jade said as she tried to flip through the junk to try and find something that would help them.

“Useful.” Daisy said rolling her eyes.

“Okay, got access to building schematics. Uh, built by West Fort Building Co.” Jade said noticing the company that had gone bankrupted early in the war. Jade brought up the blueprints and then looked for the floors they had been on. “Looks like we’re on the second floor, there should be another stair case at the end of the hall.”

“Great, so we were going the wrong direction?” Daisy said pointing a hoof to her forehead.

“Well kinda.” Jade admitted. The two left the room and started for the stairs. “We haven’t met much resistance.”

“Might be too busy with whatever got their attention. Let’s hope it stays that way.” Daisy said before round the corner and found a group of ganger looking over the stallion they had killed.

“Well, well, well. Seems we got our selves two mares that think they can just leave.” A mare with a heavy ascent said as noticed Jade and Daisy.

“Uh, well seems their bad goods.” A stallion grunted as he kicked the body. “Must be from a gang the Wraiths are in control of.”

“May as well kill them too then.” Another stallion said aiming rifle. Before any of them fired a small cylinder slid into view from behind them. The stallion with the rifle looked and exclaimed, “OH FU…” before the grenade went off killing the three gangers before they could lift a hoof.

Daisy and Jade shielded their eyes as the flash blinded them and they were hit by the gore of what was explosion left. Jade was the first to lower her hooves and see a familiar blue face grinning in front of her with his goggles covering his eyes. He wiped away the blood on lenses before he walked over.

“Oh, is it I have to always save your ass.” Shock said as he looked them over. “You don’t seem to have been…”

“Got lucky.” Daisy explained.

“Good.” Shock looked to Stitch who was had a battle saddle with a shotgun attached to it and an ammo chase on the other side. “Been fight through this place looking for you two.”

“Any injuries?” Stitch asked when he could see them clearly.

“No, again lucky.” Jade explained. “So was it you two that started the chaos outside?” She asked noting the sound of fight still going on.

“No, it’s this mare with some freaky weapons.” Shock said in disbelief. “Got us out of where they were holding us and sent us in your direction.”

“We should get moving, had a bunch of the Gates behind use.” Stitch said turning around and started walking.

As they descended to the next floor Jade noticed Shock wasn’t wear his battle saddle as was carrying a weapon with a large barrel. “Shock?”

“It’s a grenade launcher, been doing more damage with it.” The pegasus said with a smile.

They exited the stair way just before a group of Gates entered the hall. Shock fired the grenade launcher just as the Gangers noticed them and the explosive landed in the middle of the group. The explosive went off killing most of them. Daisy killed the stragglers with the AR before they continued on.

“Who’s attacking the Blood Gates?” Daisy asked.

“No idea.” Shock said before he stopped behind a corner. “Didn’t get a good look at her, I just know she’s mare.” The stallion peeked around the corner and ducked back as a bullet in the corner. He backed up a bit and aimed his weapon at the wall and fired. The grenade bounced off the wall and the group down the next hall shouted in panic. A mare rounded corner just before the grenade went off and was shot down by Stitch.

They started down the hall picking their way through the bodies as they did. Jade looked at E.S.F and noticed there too many red bars in to really tell were how many were left. She guessed they would still have to fight their way out.

They reached the main doors to the building and another group of the gang blocked them. They duck behind a desk as pair with machine guns on their battle saddles started firing. Jade was thankful the wood was holding as they got pined.

“Shit!” Shock exclaimed holding his shoulder as he covered a fresh wound.

“Hold Still.” Stitch said as he started working.

Daisy took a chance to look out only to duck back. “We’re going to need a grenade to kill those two.” Daisy said as she looked to Shock.

“He can’t with this shoulder at the moment.” Stitch said trying to work.

“Stitch I’m fine…” Shock said trying to smile through the pain.

“No, you aren’t. Now stay still you idiot” Stitch said pulling out a set pliers.

Jade looked to each of her friends. They need someone to take out those two pinning them behind the desk. Stitch was working on Shock and the blue stallion was in no condition to move and his armor was too light. Daisy’s armor was like Shocks if only padded a little heavier. Jade wasn’t heavy but it could take more punishment if only for when bit more time then her friends.

She rushed past Daisy and charged the ganger as they at her. She fired her shot gun at the closest ganger killing him as a hole appeared in his chest. Jade aimed for the others head with the lower slug as she began to react to her partner’s death. Before the mare bit back down on the bit of the rifle, Jade fired her gun and at the range she was the pellets exited the barrel and destroyed the mare’s jaw and killed her as they hit her brain.

Jade ducked behind a turned over table as she looked at her bleeding forelegs. She looked back at Daisy who started firing into coward of ponies before they could. Shock and Stitch came out of cover and came over to Jade. Stitch looked her over then just handed her a healing potion.

“That was reckless.” Shock scolded hitting Jade in the head then he smiled. “Good job though.”

“Sorry, but we were kind of pinned.” Jade said flatly.

“You’ll turn into a regular wastelander yet.” Shock said shaking his head.

“Well we can’t afford another one of those heroics. We’re low of Healing potions.” Stitch said sternly. “Had to use a few of them getting here.”

“Yeah, been one hell of fight.” Shock said sighing before pulling the pin on a grenade and tossing it into the barricaded ganger. “But, hell, we’ll survive this.”

Daisy joined them and reloaded her gun. She was bleeding from a scratch on her cheek but ignored it. “We’ve nine left.”

“And a whole lot more coming.” Stitch said rolling his eyes. “Well, miss commander, what’s the plan.”

Jade looked to her friends in somewhat disbelief as she looked to the main entrance. She could see her house marked in the middle of this war zone. Did she really want to risk her friends trying to get there? She hadn’t known them that long, but still she trusted them.

“How many are fighting that mare that got help you two?” Jade asked Shock and Stitch.

“More than half this place, I’m surprised she’s still alive.” Stitch said before peeking out from cover. “Shock, they’re about to try charging can you…”

“On it!” he exclaimed as he fired his weapon. The resulting explosion and yells told them he had hit his mark. Daisy fired a few rounds at any stragglers.

“Okay, My house in is the middle of this war zone, but I think we should leave it. It’s not worth risking our lives.” Jade said looking at them.

“Jade, our route out is in that direction may as well search it if going that way.” Shock explained.

“Uh,”

“Besides the whole reason we came here was for you find whatever you can about your family.” Daisy said before she ducked out of their cover and moved forward.

“I don’t really care as long as we live through this.” Stitch said before joining Daisy.

“You’re a real friend Stitch.” Shock said rolling his eyes before firing another grenade at the enemies as they tried regrouping.

“I’m just here to make you guys live.” Stitch said firing at mare as she dove away from the grenade that Shock had fired.

“Let’s just get this over with.” Jade said shaking her head but had smile on her face. “I mean like you said, may as well do it while were going in that direction.”

“Well we’d better move.” Daisy said pointing to the opening they had. Jade nodded following Daisy to a rundown tank that looked as if it had been hit by mortar. Shock took to the air flew to cart just a ways up the road. Stitch sprinted after him just before sniper shot pegged the entrance of the building they had been in.

Daisy took out her sniper rifle and shot the stallion before he could reload. Shock fired a grenade in the general direction of the sniper taking out an encampment of gangers. Daisy used rifle to pick off who was left.

After a bit of silence the four of them got out of cover. Jade noted that there weren’t any enemies in the area, but saw most of them were fighting a blue bar. An explosion sounded in that direction and Shock whipped around.  “Fuck, there using mortar.”

“Another reason not to go near there.” Stitch said looking to Jade. “Where to, Miss Commander?”

“This way.” Jade said walking towards her home.

“Thought it was this way.” Shock said with a smile. “I had seen the store front, had guessed your family must have been the ones that lived there.”

“Kind of stands out doesn’t it?” Jade said with a smile. They walked down the streets not letting down their guard

“Yeah, Deep green with purple?” Shock said smirking.

“My dad’s idea.” Jade said with some embarrassment. The group walked into the market of the area without finding a ganger insight. “Whoever they’re fighting is keeping them busy.”

“Yeah, let’s hope it stays that way.” Daisy said.

The four of them walked down the market until they reached a two story building with deep green paint covering it in an almost sporadic manner. Most of the paint was gone and faded but there was enough for it to stand out again the normal blue or white hues of the market. Jade walked up to the store front and was sad to see the damage to the first floor. The glass had shattered and spread along the store front. The glass case which had held things her father had gathered on travels or bought from other merchant over the years was destroyed.

Jade kept her feeling in check the best she could as she went to the back and found the stairwell to the second floor. It looked to have been ransacked at best but she found her old room. Jade opened the door and found all her things had been left, or were there. Most of her belongs were destroyed beyond repair. Some had even been burned like her desk. She dug around and found a photo album she had kept still in somewhat good condition.

She put left her room and started searching the other rooms of the second floor but other than damage there wasn’t much. She stopped when she spotted a memory orb. She picked it up with her hooves and placed it in her bags not wanting to slip into the memory at this time. Once she had it in her bag she went down the stair and found her friends picking through the shop grabbing ammo that had been stored there.

“Found anything?” Shock asked as he took notice of her.

“Something, not very much is left, should have expected that.” Jade said looking around. She looked to the fighting and noticed there was a lot less red bars then before. “I think we should get going.”

“Yeah, it sounds like the Blood Gates are losing.” Daisy said tilting an ear in that direction.

“What if that pony is willing to help us?” Shock suggested.

“That mare is a Wraith you feather brain.” Stitch said hitting shock in the head. “They’re one of the most dangerous groups in The Brook. I don’t think one would want to travel with a band of ponies that are following Miss Commander. I mean we just barely got out of this alive and we had to have help from that mare.”

“That’s what I’m saying she helped us. Maybe she wants to help.” Shock said pointing to the direction of the fighting.

“She more likely just took pity on a couple of morons and gave us a chance to leave with our lives.” Stitch argued poking Shock in the chest with it hoof.

“And I’m saying there might be more to it.” Shock said his temper starting to get the better of him.

“What? She wants a new fuck toy out of this group!” Stitch yelled waving his hooves in the air for some reason.

“Will you two idiots keep your voices down.” Jade ordered as she rubbed the bridge of her snout with a hoof. “Do you want to attract more attention?”

The two stallion blinked a little confused they chuckled a little uneasy as they apologized rubbing the back of their heads. Daisy just looked at them annoyed then rolled her eyes muttering something about stallions being a bunch of hormone driven morons. Jade was two seconds from agreeing with the white unicorn.

“Come on.” Jade said as she left the store. She tucked the caravan shotgun away and pulled out her volcanic pistols wanting some range while they got out of here.

The path from the market and the gate of the wall The Blood Gates was full of corpses as they walked down the streets. They were almost there when Shock yelled for them to stop. They looked to him as pointed to some carts that had been tipped over. Jade looked and noticed what had to be home made mines. She looked at Shock confused then her pointed to the gate and she looked noticing at lot of mines had been placed down.

“Why would they booby trap their only exit?” Daisy said looking at the mines.

“I don’t think they did.” Shock said taking out a grenade. Jade stopped him as she pointed out how close to the fighting they were.

“So the Wraith did this…smart prevent the enemy from retreating or if they did they’d lose ponies.” Stitch said looking around. Think we’d be able to jump the wall?”

“I can’t exactly fly you guys over,” Shock said looking over the wall, “even if I did it one at a time.”

“It’s alright.” Jade said looking around and noticed a mortar launcher or whatever you would call those. “Shock, know how to use those.”

“But what about…?” Shock said pointing to the fighting.

“They might not come looking if they think their own people.” Jade said suggestively.

Shock looked confused then realization spread across his face. “You’re learning fast.”

“Just hurry up.” Jade said monitoring the fight notice bars were running now. “I don’t think the fight is going to last much longer.”

“Okay.” Shock said as he got the mortar ready, aimed, and fired. The resulting explosion cleared them a path which they walked through before anything came to try and stop them. It was about then when Jade noticed another group of Ganger wearing similar to The Blood Gates. Jade didn’t have time to think about why they were there when a rocket was fired straight at them.

It never hit, in fact it stopped stock still in mid air. Jade blinked at the missile and then the confused group of gangers. The rocket was pushed back at a bust of sound which killed the gangers that didn’t have the sense to run. Jade was about to ask what the fuck happened there when a manic laugh echoed from behind them.

Jade turned around to see a gray unicorn mare with an eight note for a cutie mark and strangely enough, tattoos. A dragon wrapped around her neck and timber wolf was on her shoulder. Her man was a spiky mess and was blue with white high lights. She couldn’t see her eyes as she wore a pair of solid ice blue shades with gray blue frames. But what really caught Jade’s attention was the manic grin the mare had, her canines looked as if she sharpened them. That and the fact that she was covered almost head to hoof in blood.

The mare looked at Jade and her group. “Well looks like you two got your friends out.” She walked over and stopped right in front of Jade. “Hey there Gem. Names Boomer, I’m a Wraith and I’m your new best friend.”  The mare said sticking out a hoof.

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