A merc receives a mysterious package from a unknown sender offering 50,000 caps. Who is this Sender? Why offer so much? Why give him a pipbuck? Why him?
A pipbuck, 50,000 caps, and the top of every wasteland asshole's shit list. Typical wasteland story. Take this pipbuck, he said, I'll give you 50,000 caps, he said, you're getting a good deal, he said. Bullshit!
War never changes. It was only little over 200 years ago when it was never even thought of by Equestrians. It was only in works of fiction. They never knew one day they’d go to war. 1,000 years of peace and it only took a few years for Equestria’s only war to manifest and bring the end. It unfortunately was not the end. The megaspells were thought to bring the end of every thing but they only opened up the bloodiest chapter in Equestria’s once peaceful history. ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
I had never really thought of it. What was my life like? I just lived day to day scavenging caps and supplies to live. Not live, just survive really. Few ponies lived nowadays. It ranged from many things. Weapon maintenance, food, ammo, armor, what ever I needed at the time.
I stared back at the young filly, trying to find the correct words. How to phrase it? Even in this horrid world the great Equestria had become were cruel actions took place ever minute, I still wanted to shield this little filly from it. What could I tell her? I kill ponies for caps.
“Well Mister? What’s your life like?” Her huge eyes stared right at me, piercing though me. She was young. Very young. She still looked years away from her cutie mark. She possibly just mastered speech. She was an earth pony with a white coat and a turquoise mane.
“I… um… find… er um… sell things I find in old ruins.” (Not a lie, I had scavenged a couple times for extra caps) “Also if somepony wants another to… go away they… can hire me,” I began to talk slower as I noticed it would have been best to leave the last part out.
“Make them go away?” she repeated, “to where?” She was staring at me again.
How do you tell a foal that you kill people in a way with out telling her you actually kill people? She had to find out how cruel the world is at one point or another, but I still couldn’t find it in myself to tell her. I’m not one to lie. I rarely ever lied and always tried to avoid it. Well I wasn’t technically lying. I was just telling the truth in a more appropriate way for a foal. Given all this I still couldn’t find it in me to reveal to a young foal the cruelty of what I did. Damn it!
“Yeah,” (I send them to the afterlife. That’s technically a place right?) Please let that be her last awkward question.
“Why would you do that? It doesn’t seem very nice”
DAMN IT! Why the hell did she have to be so curious! I looked back toward her and couldn’t stay angry. She was a pretty cute foal and it was natural for a foal to be curious. I remember when I was at her age. I miss being that naïve. I took a deep sigh and released my anger with it. I began to try to find a way to dodge this one when her mother, another earth pony, called out to her.
“Honey, can you please stop bothering the nice stallion.”
The filly replied with an, “Ok,” forgetting about our conversation and running over to her mother.
I wouldn’t have used nice to describe me for escorting them. I was just a gun for higher who was escorting them because they gave me some caps. Had they not had the caps I wouldn’t have escorted them.
I decided to help the Father of the family put up the pathetic excuses we had for tents. I always had two tents. One was riddled with holes and the other… had less. The one in worse condition was a back up. I didn’t use them often and always tried to reach a town to stay the night in. It wasn’t safe to sleep alone in the wasteland. I wouldn’t call it common or rare but there was always the chance a raider, slaver, or some wasteland asshole would kill or take you in the middle of the night. If I did use the one of the tents while alone I’d find a safe spot to sleep like a cave or abandoned building and carefully set traps if I had any.
The father was another earth pony. His mane was gray and his coat was a deep blue. He looked at me as I walked over to help.
“Mind if I help you?” I asked.
“No,” He stayed focused on the tent and didn’t make eye contact.
There was a silence between us. I thought to break it but it became apparent by his body language that he was in no mood to talk. I thought back too earlier today. I had found the family wondering the wastes being chased by raiders. It was a small raiding party of about three ponies. It was easy to dispose of them. The family told me those raiders were some of the many that wiped out there small settlement. I told them I could escort them for 30 caps, a cheep price but they didn’t appear to have much and their settlement was just wiped out by raiders. It was decided they’d give me 10 caps at the moment and 20 once I got them to safety.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we got your name,” The blue stallion broke the silence. He appeared to be a little uncomfortable by trying to talk to me.
I had just finished setting up one tent, the one in worse condition, which I would most likely choose to sleep in out of courtesy. I looked up toward him. He appeared older then his wife but that may have just been because of the gray mane.
“My name’s Wanderer” It was a simple three salable word. I’d lived with it all my life. It described me well. I wandered around for work as a merc. I didn’t have any place I could stay at, no family, and no friends. Its odd who names often end up describing a pony when they were named before they found their special talent or job. It’s usually so common you don’t really think about it too often but when you do it makes you wonder.
“Well, I can’t say I respect you for killing people for a living,” (Couldn’t say I respected myself for it much either, but these were desperate times and I needed to make a living. It’s not like when I was a colt I aspired to be a merc.) “But, thank you for escorting my family.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m a merc. If you didn’t have the caps I wouldn’t have done it.”
“I’m not an idiot. Only thirty caps isn’t something a regular merc would charge to bring us across the wasteland.”
“It’s a short trip. The next town isn’t that far. We’ll be there by noon tomorrow.”
“A regular merc would have charged more or at least have tried to. I can tell you aren’t like most.”
“How do you know that?’ I stopped putting up the tent for a second to look at him.
He grabbed a part of the tent and began to talk with it in his mouth. “Well,” His voice was muffled from the tent being in his mouth. He sighed with it still in his mouth. “My family doesn’t know but,” He continued. He finally finished putting up the tent. He had done a pretty good job considering it appeared he had little if not any experience with putting up a tent. He opened his mouth again, now with out anything in his mouth. “I was a merc at one point too. I didn’t have much heart like you seem to. I was near heartless and I don’t like to remember it, but that part of my life is behind me now.” He looked to his wife who had their daughter sleeping, leaning against her. “I have a family now.’
...
I decided to get some fresh air. The old stallion’s words stayed in my mind. A family. I used to have one when I was a colt. I had never thought of making one of my own. I was still young. I didn’t need to worry about it and I didn’t even know if I could find a mare. The wasteland seemed to make it so it was impossible for somepony to actually be kind enough for me to actually settle down with. Maybe my standards were too high. Maybe I would find a nice mare one-day. It would be nice to have a family again. Ponies who cared for me. I’d been alone in the wastes for awhile. I began to think about my family and became sad as the memories of their deaths came back to me.
I had to get rid of the thought. I was on a job. I had a few mines and I decided to set them down near the mouth for extra protection. It was getting late. I had decided to take the first shift guarding our little camp. After midnight I’d wake up the father of the family and he’d stand guard until 4 or 5 in the morning. He’d wake me up and I’d guard until 7 then wake everypony up and we’d head out.
I looked up at the sky. The sun had already set and it was dark. I guessed the moon would have just begun to rise if the clouds had not heavily layered the sky. It had always been that way ever since I was a colt. Even before that. It was most likely around ten o’ clock by now. It was difficult to tell with the clouds always covering the sky. At night, guessing the time was usually based on how bright it is or was.
I turned back toward the mouth of the cave and headed back in. The family was asleep in the tent in better condition. There was a small fire I had started it using parts of a dead tree and a match. I sat next to the fire, made sure my battle saddle was fully loaded, aimed it toward the mouth of the cave, and waited.
...
“Ah!” My eyes shot open. I heard a small explosion from outside. It was most likely one of the mines. I sneaked around to the mouth of the cave, hugging the wall. Outside I could see three raiders. One of their buddies just got her leg injured by stepping on a mine.
“Well fuck. There’s mines all over the fucking place.” I heard a stallion say.
“That’s how we know there’s crap worth gettin’ It ain’t like there gonna be hard to get around. Just shoot ‘em and they explode,” A mare with a voice that sounded sinister replied
Damn it! Why the hell would raiders even bother to look in a cave? Then I realized, the fire! The light from it could probably be seen from outside. Damn! I knew I should have put it farther from the entrance. Oh well, it was just three raiders and one already hurt herself by stepping on the mine. With a surprise attack I could take them down easily.
I snuck toward the mouth of the cave and hid behind the wall of the cave that was near the entrance. I spun out from behind the wall of the cave into the open and bit down on the firing mechanism for my battle saddle. The mare with the sinister voice was down. A bullet bounced off my combat barding narrowly missing my neck. I shot the one who had the source of the bullet in a levitation field and the mare wounded from the mine fell.
I looked for the brown stallion and quickly found him running. A grin moved across my face as I though of how he was already fleeing but once I took notice of his battle saddle it become obvious he wasn’t fleeing.
BOOM!
I dodged back into cover as a rocket exploded in front of where I was standing and took the mines with it. Crap! There went pretty much all my mines. I waited. After a couple seconds a second rocket hit the inside of the cave near me. The cave shook and I probably should have been concerned about a cave in, but I was more focused on killing the raider.
Based on the time in between the first and second shot I guessed the rocket launcher could only hold one rocket at a time. I popped out of cover shot the raider twice in the head while the battle saddle reloaded. He fell with a thud.
The two mares laid in a puddle of blood near one another. My focus shifted from the battle and the adrenaline began to wear off. I noticed crying. Probably the young filly reaction to being awakened by the explosion. It must have been going on since the explosion but I was too absorbed in the battle to notice. I went back to the tents to find the father headed toward the mouth of the cave.
“What was that?” he asked
“An explosion,” I replies in a bit of a smartass tone.
“Where’d it come from?”
“Raiders. Small party of three. One had a rocket launch…. They’re all dead now.”
“Good. Those mines do the trick?”
I paused. “More or less.” Other then waking me up not much really, but I thought it’d be better to leave that part out. “It’s about seven, I’m guessing.” I continued, “Let’s pack up and start headin’ out.”
...
We finally arrived at Dead End at about late afternoon after a breakfast of canned corn. It was a small town. It was pretty much surrounded by mountains, the town had an old mining facility. It was once a mining town but now the old buildings and facilities are used as homes and storage. They made money by trading whatever scavenge they could from the old mines. By the looks of the town it was probably still in use the day the end of the world came.
The family gave me my 20 caps and we parted ways. I went to the local inn to go rent a room for the night. It was rundown like most things in the wastes. It looked like it was an inn before the war too. The windows were the same color murky color as pretty much all the others in the wastes and the wood that made up the building and front desk was rotting. Despite these facts, by wasteland standards the place was better then most.
The room I got was a basic one-pony room. I’d fall asleep early so I could set out early tomorrow. I got my battle saddle, my saddlebags, and my armor off. I laid on the bed. The mattress was the same as most in the wasteland. Hard. At least it wasn’t as dirty as most. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
...
Knock Knock
My eyes opened. “Wah?”
Knock Knock
Why was somepony knocking on my door in an inn? Maybe I slept in too late and they were kicking me out? I turned to look out the window in my room. Yup, definitely slept in to late. Crap.
Knock Knock
“I’m coming. Wait a second.”
I began getting my barding back on.
Knock Knock
“Wait a damn second!”
My armor was all back on and I opened the door. To my surprise there was a ghoul pegasus mare with a chalkboard that read Delivery! She had a big smile across her face. At her feet was a small cardboard box. It was in good condition, a rarity in the wasteland.
“Umm… Thanks?” I noticed her amber eyes were crossed. I tried not to focus on it so I didn’t appear rude. “ Are you sure you have the right pony? I just checked into this room last night. I doubt anyone who would send me a package would know I’m here already. Actually I doubt anyone send me a package.”
She looked confused for a second then looked to a clipboard and flipped to through the pages. She shook her head yes. She erased Delivery! with a Hoof and wrote: This is the correct place. Unless the sender got the wrong place this is yours. She erased the board again and wrote: Have a nice day! She gave me a smile and left.
Ok… How odd. I looked at the small box and saw To: Wanderer. How did it have my name on it? Well guess I should open it. After I was done opening the flaps on the box I saw a pipbuck along with a note. Put this on. I pulled the pipbuck out of the box but hesitated to put it on.
It’s hard to trust somepony you just meet in the wasteland so how was I to trust a stranger who just sent me a random pipbuck? Well pipbucks were good for traversing the wastes from what I’ve heard. They could monitor your condition provide maps of the area your in for a couple miles around and a local map. They could even give the user an E.F.S. and even more from what I’ve heard. I’d never actually seen one only heard stories from my father and a couple other wastelaners.
I was hesitant but I put it on. It’s not like I won’t be able to take it off… I hope. The screen came to life. “Interesting,” I mouthed. I moved my front leg, the left one where I had put the pipbuck, around to inspect the new addition to my foreleg.
I looked back to the cardboard box I had gotten the pipbuck from. Inside, under were the pipbuck had been was a small device. It was metallic and had some type of speaker. It was most likely some type of radio. I picked it up by my teeth and saw another note under it. I hope the pony that sent me this package knew there was more to a box then just vertical space.
The note read Wanderer, Please place the transmitter into the pipbuck. I would like to talk to you. What!? Who the hell was this pony? They cant just expect me to do what they say!
I stared at the pipbuck for a second thinking about what to do. Curiosity was stronger then my judgement, so I tried to attach it. It took a second for me to figure it out but the transmitter could be placed into a slot on the pipbuck.
I placed the transmitter in the slot. “Hello?” I asked.
There was static for a short time followed by a shorter silence then the voice a stallion came through the transmitter, “hello, Wanderer.”
“Who the hell are you and how’d you know were I was?” I asked in an angered tone.
“Well I have my sources to know were ponies are. As for who I am… you can call me Mr. X for the time being. There’s no need to get angry though. I’m just another employer. You are a merc correct?”
Mr. X? Really? That’s the best he could come up with? How corny.
“Yes…” I hesitated, “What’s the job?”
“Hmm. Right to business then. Well fine. The pipbuck I have sent you is important. I need you to meet some of my men in the old Ironshod firearms factory to the south. This is only the beginning of the job though. If you stick with this until the end I’m willing to offer 50,000 caps for the job.”
50,000 caps! Holy Celestia, how the hell could one pony get all that money? Wait… how could somepony get that much money? Concealing identity. Doesn’t seem good about this… but… 50,000 caps. Could going to an abandoned factory be that bad?
“Wait… Why give me the pipbuck, why not one of your own men?”
The radio crackled then static. Really!?
Well, might as well get ready to set out…
...
I got the supplies I could afford from some of the stores in Deadend and set off toward the factory. Apparently, my pipbuck had a marker on its map for the factory along with Deadend… and nothing else. I thought these things were supposed to be the best piece of technology out there. Well aside from the map function every thing else seemed to work fine.
The trip to the factory was pretty easy. It’s not like there was much out in the desert. Just some secluded mining towns near the mountains and the occasional factory… or well that’s what I heard. I actually hadn’t spent much time in the area. I had only been around for a little less then a month. I had grown up in a caravaner family going between the settlements of the wastes. I came here because it was quieter then what’s going on the rest of Equestria, with Redeye and the Enclave and all that.
The trip probably took somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half. The factory just looked like another wasteland ruin. It still looked like the roof and walls held up. I walked inside and looked around. In front of me were three dead bodies. Well I hope these weren’t the ponies that were supposed to help me.
Then the wall behind me exploded. I flipped over what I guessed was once a workbench and used it as cover and not a moment to soon. I heard the sound of a gattling gun start up and 5mm rounds hit the wall behind the workbench and me. The force of the rounds kept the bench nearly glued to my back. The gunfire stopped for a moment and right before I came out for my cover (a reaction based on instinct and not me using common sense to figure out the gattling gun could be started up again at any moment or the rocket fired at anytime) the bench exploded.
I was sent flying back and hit a wall (head first) as shrapnel went flying too (some into me). I was bleeding but the ringing in my ears and the threat of being blown to bits made me take my mind off it. My breathing wasn’t normal. I was taking slow, long breath (you know the ones you take before you die). I had trouble opening my eyes to see my attackers. My eyes just barley opened and all I could see were too figures that seemed bigger and bulkier than most ponies.
I was fighting conscious now. I wanted to close my eyes and fall into a sleep, but I knew doing so would most likely get me killed. The two other ponies approached me. My eyes were getting heavier. Then I couldn’t help it they shut.
Footnote: Level up! Swift Learner (1) You learn things quicker than the average pony and gain +10% exp. For every time you earn exp.
They’re not fun. I’m not sure what part of it I hate the most. That it can send me flying, the ringing in my ears, the shrapnel piercing its way through my skin, or maybe that it’s very, very deadly. They also can knock you unconscious and make you wake up in a strange cell without any gear. I especially hate when that last one happens. ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
I’m not sure what made me want to get up more, the cold, hard floor or my pounding head. Still just five more minutes would have been nice...
My eyes slid open to stare at a blurry patch of gray until it became a metal wall. I pulled myself off the metal floor and turned around to see bars.
Well... fuck.
To top it all off my gear was gone with the exception of the cloth I keep covering my flanks. I fell to my haunches. The sudden movement reminded me about of headache. I moved a hoof to my forehead as if it would help. I noticed it felt heavier than usual, which reminded me of the pipbuck. At least they, whoever they were, didn’t take it.
I moved toward the bars of the cell to see if there was anyone around. The thin hall stretched in both ways. To my right I could make out what I guessed to be a dead end several cells down, while to the left the hall stretched further to a point the bars would not let me go out further to see. As with my cell the hall was lined with the same silver-gray steel walls.
“Hello?” my voice echoed. “Anyone?”
Silence
…
I think about an hour had passed until I heard hoof steps down the hall. My view of whoever it was was blocked by the narrowness of the hall and the bars of my cell until she stopped by the cell next to mine, pulled out a piece of bread, and tossed it in between the bars. She moved toward my cell and proceed to reach into her bag.
“Hey, where am I?” I asked.
She continued to pull the bread out, ignoring my presence.
“Hello? You nearly make me explode, lock me in a cell, and take all my shit, the least you could do is acknowledge me!”
She stared at me for a second, then threw the bread into my cell and walked back in the direction she came.
I sighed and went to go eat the bread (which was stale and moldy. It was probably 200 years old and i doubt prisoners got their best food.) I sat against to the wall that separated me and the other cell that had gotten bread.
“Do you know where we are?” I asked whoever was in the cell next to mine.
No answer
“Hello? I know somebody over there got bread.”
Still no answer. I paused, formulating my next words carefully.
“Is answering me really that difficult or are you just an asshole?”
“We’re in a Steel Rangers bunker. Happy?” A deep voiced stallion responded.
“Asshole.” I mumbled to myself
I heard hoof steps down the hall again. Three ponies stopped at my cell. One in the trademark Steel Ranger’s armor without her helmet, the other two in robes. The pony in front had dark blue robes with several detailed lines and curves all over. The other pony wore red robes with much fewer extremities than the other.
“Is he one of them?” The pony in the extravagant robes asked the other in power armor.
“Don’t believe so ma’am.” replied the metal encased pony post haste. “He entered the factory shortly after we wiped out the others. He wasn’t wearing their outfits or anything similar.”
There was a short pause. “Hmm...” Her gaze turned to me. “Where’d you get the pipbuck?”
“What I don’t get one of those fancy interrogation rooms with the one way mirror?”
“We don't have an interrogation room. But we do have an execution room.” She leaned in with a grin across her face. Being a smart ass never does help many situations.
“Fine,” I sighed with defeat. “I’m a merc. An employer sent it to me yesterday.”
“Who was the employer?”
“I don’t know who he was. He only contacted me through my pipbuck. He wouldn’t give me his name.”
Fancy robes looked over to the other in robes and gave a nod then turned back to me. “We need you to take the pipbuck off.”
In my time waiting in the cell I had decided to pass the time with my pipbuck. In that time I found out the pipbuck doesn’t just slip off. “I can’t” I felt a small sense of victory over my captors.
“How can you not take it off?”
“Ma’am,” Other robes interrupted, “pipbucks can’t be removed that easily. If he doesn’t have the key he can’t take it off.”
“How do we get it off then?”
“I have an idea.” The metal armor clanked as the armored pony approached.
It wasn’t until she raised her armor-clad hoof everyone had realized what she was doing.
“No!” Other robes yelled.
I’m going to be spending more time unconscious, aren't I?
…
Yes, yes I was.
My eyes creeped open for the second time today. I proceeded to move my head out of the puddle of drool my unconscious mind decided to let escape of my mouth. Unfortunately, I was stopped by how cumbersome my head felt. Oh, and the searing pain from where I was hit in the head and from where I could guess my head had bashed into the back wall. I decided to deal with the pain over staying in the wet puddle of saliva.
“Good to see you're awake.”
Outside my cell sat the other mare in robes from earlier.
“Uhh... ya,” I respond still half in a daze. “How long was I out?”
“Somewhere around thirty minutes.”
I nod to acknowledge I heard. A few minutes past in silence as I gathered myself. I looked back to robes. She was still sitting outside my cell. Her lingering presents was beginning to feel awkward.
I tried to break the silence. “So... What’s your name?”
Robes looked up at me, then moved her gaze to her hooves, “It’s... Metallic barrel.”
A brief silence.
“Well... it’s different...”
“My parents were paladins and I guess they thought I would become one too.” A sigh escaped her lips. “And yours?” Her tone adjusts.
“Wanderer.”
Her mouth moves but is cut off as a speaker out of sight crackles to life. “Barrel we need you back at lab D now.”
“Coming” She stated back to the speaker. She looked to me as if to say goodbye then runs off.
…
Time passed. I couldn’t tell how long or how much. I was lying on the cold metal floor when I heard hoof steps down the hall yet again. I raised my head as a mare in the same less elegant robes barrel wore earlier approached the bars. A glow encompassed her horn as a key appeared from her a small saddle bag and fit it into the slot on the door. She twisted the key as I stared, somewhat confused. She gripped the handle in a magical glow and the door swung open.
“Umm... Hello.” I stared at the silent mare, confused.
“You need to get out of here follow me.” She ordered me.
“Ok...” I hesitantly agreed. “Why are you helping me?” I asked rising from my spot.
“I work for the brutes.” A short unemotional answer.
“Who?” I kept my eyes on the mare as I emerged from my cell.
Without pause she answered,“Mr. X’s connections and mercs.”
I nodded in agreement. I found it alarming how he had an entire group under his command. It would make sense how he would have all those caps though.
A question came to mind. “He has agents in the Steel Rangers?”
“Only a few... but enough.”
Another nod from me followed by silence. The quiet mood was broken by two scribes ahead, staring at us, their minds processing the two in front of them The mare and I froze in place. They stood still until both their minds came to the same conclusion: I was suppose to be in a cell. One pulled out a laser pistol, the other soon following his lead. Both scribes fired. I quickly use the doorway as cover. The traces of light hit the mare then she falls to the ground.
Small beams of light passed the doorway and hit the back wall. A short break in the barrage and I took my chance. I popped out and retrieved the laser pistol from the mare’s fresh corpse but at a cost. Two streaks of light hit me. One singed the cloth covering my flank while the other singed my fur and skin. I had the pistol in my mouth and moved behind the other side of the doorway. I took a short breather then popped out again and pulled the trigger with my tongue five times.
I wasn’t at all adept with energy weapons but that didn’t stop me. Out of the five I fired, one hit. I couldn’t aim with the damn thing! There was a lack of real sights on the thing and firing it just felt different from a conventional gun.
I begin to panic. I could hear the two scribes advancing now. I wouldn’t have much of a chance if the two of them flanked me. They were getting too close. I popped out again just trying, hoping I’d hit something
Suddenly the world around me slowed to almost a stop. A dim yellow light highlighted one scribe's torso. Next to her torso, head, and limbs appeared numbers in percentages. Less than a second later a message appeared on my E.F.S.
WELCOME TO S.A.T.S.! (STABLE-TEC ASSISTED TARGETING SYSTEM)
The rest of the directions were self explanatory enough. Line up body parts of enemies then S.A.T.S. helps with the aiming. The percentages are your chance of hitting the different body parts.
I lined up four shots for one scribes head then accepted. Time resumed as quickly as it had slowed and my pistol aimed for the scribes torso. I pulled the trigger four times. It felt like I was watching in slow motion as all but one of the streaks hit the scribe. She tumbled and fell to the ground, dead. The other stopped in her tracks as she saw her friend fall. I moved behind the cover again and reloaded the gun.
I took a deep breath and came out from the cover again. I aimed my gun in the other scribe’s general direction and activate the aim assist. a message popped up on my E.F.S.: SATS is currently depleted. “Fuck!” I cursed aloud and begin firing almost randomly in an attempt to hit the scribe. Only one or two of the barrage hit, most zooming past her.
I ducked behind cover again and noticed the fresh singe marks on my fur and warped skin as they began to sting. I squinted my eyes from pain and reloaded my gun. I took another deep breath, knowing this time I have to aim my own shots. I jumped out again, more ready this time. I aimed the gun at the scribe, carefully. I fired four shots and two hit, making her fall to the ground, no longer breathing.
The adrenaline wore off and my mind switched back to it’s usual state. The gears in my head began to try to think of a way out of the bunker.
“Hey.” A deep voice from down the hall interrupted my thought. I trotted over to the source, the cell next to mine.
“Look, if you get me out of this cell, I can help you get out of here.” The stallion stood taller than the average buck with a dark gray coat and jet-black mane. His bright red eyes completed it, making his looks able to intimidate the strongest of creatures.
“How do you know how to get out of here?” I asked skeptically. Lying was all too common to save your own ass in the wasteland
“I’m an ex-Steel Ranger. I left. They didn’t like that so I’m in here.”
“Fine” Even if he was lying we had a better chance escaping together than me by myself.
After taking the key from the mare sent to help I took it back to the dark stallion’s cell and unlocked the cell. The separate series of metal bars swung open and he immediately walked out and in front of me. “Follow me. I know where they should be keeping our gear.” He ordered, continuing forward. He took a laser pistol, holster, and ammo from one scribe. “Take the ammo from the other.” He ordered again, not even turning to make eye contact. I did as he said and took the ammo and the other laser pistol she had, hopefully so I could use parts from the two I had to make a better one.
As we exited I crouched down and looked up to the dark stallion. “Get down.” I whispered. “In case, anymore are nearby.” He looked back to me for a second before crouching down too.
…
We continued for a short time occasionally seeing another scribe that we were able to get past. It was only after a short time after he said, “We’re almost there. Only down this hallway,” that the speakers came to life with a crackle and the voice of a stallion came on to say, “The two prisoners have escaped. Everyone be on alert. Two scribes were found dead outside the holding cell area. They are armed and dangerous. Everypony please be cautious and on guard.While lethal force is authorized, if you encounter the two it is encouraged you do not kill the stallion with the pipbuck.” Well, guess that meant if worse came to worse I could use the dark stallion as a meat shield.
“Shit!” The dark stallion cursed “Hurry up.” He barked in a whisper. As we reached the door that lead into the room where our gear was being held, “There! Its them!” was shouted from behind us. The dark stallion didn’t hesitate to open the door and hide behind the wall to the side of it. I was not as fast. A single streak hit my hind leg before I could get to cover on the other wall next to the door.
After I got behind cover, dark didn’t hesitate to fire off several shots at the two scribes. Only a few hit... but he was still better than me. I popped out from cover and activated SATS. I lined up four shots for one scribes head. I was soon watching the scribe fall to the ground in slow motion. “Help!” The remaining scribe yelled as loud as he could. It wasn’t long after he fell to the ground, next to the other.
We rushed further into the room. It took us all of two seconds to begin checking every locker and foot locker. The first, locked. Second, locked. Third was surprisingly locked. I swung my hoof toward the foot locker with a grunt followed by the pang of metal as my hoof hit the locker. “Damnit...” I mumbled to myself.
I turned around to check the dark stallion’s progress. He seemed to have little luck either. He muttered something to himself, probably a curse. He stayed facing away from me as he checked another foot locker. It wasn’t until now I took note of his cutie mark. Five silver-gray stars aligned in a pentagon. I begin to ponder what the stars could mean. Into astronomy? Doubt it. Doesn’t seem a Steel Ranger would have time for something like that. That is if he could even find a way to see past the clouds.
“I don’t go that way.” I jumped from my thinking state and came back to reality as the stallion talks.
“What?” I asked once I regained my grasp on reality.
“I’m not a coltcuddler so you may as well stop staring at my flank now.”
I swallowed and felt my face becoming red. “I don’t go that way!” is the only thing I can think to say. Although, blurt out would describe what I did better. A short but still awkward silence passed until I blurt out, “I’m straight!” Although if I weren’t he would be pretty irresistible... What are you thinking, Wanderer!? You’re straight!
He only responded with a brief stare and shake of the head. I swallowed again as my mind refuses to forget what happened. The heat coming from my face didn’t help either. I moved my eyes away from his flanks. The stallion’s colors were so bland. Black and gray. It made me think of my own coat and mane colors. I looked to my own coat. Same bright red coat. I look up to my short cut, almost blinding yellow mane. I always hated my coat and mane color, made me stick out like a sore thumb.
Especially in the middle of the wastes.
Almost like my genes decided to make me a living target. At least I don’t have to worry about anything accidentally running me over in the middle of the night. Maybe his colors wouldn’t be so bad but it does seem bland. And from what I had seen I doubted his personality makes up for that. He didn’t look too bad with them I guess. Makes him look intimidating... and... attractive...
Damnit! Brain stop it! I do not go that way! Without even a gaze in my direction. “Told you, not gonna happen.” I found myself staring again... Brain. I hate you.
I sighed and looked back to the lockers. “So find anything? All these lockers are... well locked.”
“Doubt you even did much looking staring at my ass...” He mumbled. I decided it's better to just ignore the comment altogether. “No they’re all locked here too.” He said more clearly and looked around the room until his eyes rested on a door in the back of the room. “All these should have electronic locks if memory serves and there should be computer through there.”
As soon as he finished I walked over to the door. “What are we waiting for?” I asked as I tried to open the door without success.
He only sighed and shaked his head. “I wasn’t finished... the door’s probably locked too.”
I would have had a rebuttal but the door exploded.
Me and the stallion were thrown against a wall. Shrapnel hurts alot more when you have no armor. I could tell the stallion figured the same as he tried to recover from the blast. Shrapnel had made it’s way into his skin too, made evident by the small spots of blood forming on his body. My body was still trying to recover as he got to his feet and yelled something. Unfortunately the ringing in my ears was louder. The stallion whipped out his pistol and began firing off rounds... or well, beams at a target my head didn’t want to turn to. Seconds turned to minutes as I lie on the floor. I blinked as I regained my composure then move to get my legs back underneath me. I was shaky at first but I had to get balanced quickly I got my balance and stood on all fours.
The stallion yelled something again as I got to my hooves. The ringing still overpowered his voice but I could make out. “Get to the computer!” Without a nod of agreement and only the time it took my brain to decode what he had said, I rushed to the computer. I jumped through the the scrap metal that was the door and turned right to face a wall then right again to get to the computer. The room was small with nothing more than a few supplies and the computer. Luckily the blast didn’t damage the computer to my knowledge and I got to work. A screen that asked me to enter a password stared me in the face.
I remembered years ago when I was a foal. My dad had taught me the basics of getting past a password screen. I racked my brain to remember them. As each step popped up in my mind I entered the correct commands to access the desired screen. I stared at the random symbols and letters, soon spotting out the a word amongst them and entered it. Wrong, zero of four letters correct. Three tries left. Dammit! I rushed to type in the next. Wrong, one of four letters correct. Two tries left. I matched the letters of the last word to another. They have one in common. Enter. Wrong, one of four letters correct. “Celestia damnit to the moon!” I cursed aloud without noticing. Another boom from outside.
“Hurry the fuck up!” The stallion roared. I remembered one of the tricks my dad taught me. If you have one try left, back out. The system will reset. I pressed the back key and then entered the commands to get to the same screen I was at seconds ago. I choose the first word my eyes recognized on the screen and typed it in. Luckily that was correct. One option popped up on screen and before my brain could recognize the letters I pressed it. A screen flashed afterward telling me all lockers were unlocked.
“Done!” I shouted out. Amongst the gun fire I heard his laser pistol thrown to the ground.
I rushed out. I almost stopped and crawled back into the small room when I saw a huge Steel Ranger in their iconic armor with a gargantuan, high-tech rocket launcher mounted to his back, followed by three scribes armed with various rifles. Some of the scribes occasionally used the one in armor as cover. Two other scribes lie on the ground next to the two others from earlier. Although I was in mortal danger my mind couldn’t help but think the large stallion was compensating for something.
“Surrender and you will not be harmed.” Over-compensation shouted a few short seconds before he launched a rocket right at me. I ducked as the rocket whizzed back my face and exploded in the back room.
I quickly made it behind the door’s archway. “You didn’t even give me time to say anything!” I shout back.
“Well do you surrender?” He asked in a relatively calm tone amongst the chaos.
“No!” I shouted back without hesitation.
“Hey coltcuddler,” I looked over to see the dark stallion crouched over a foot locker. He was lucky I needed him or else I would have had as many shots as I could lined up for his head in SATS. “Stop arguing with short dick over there! Cover me while I try to find something useful!”
I nodded then popped out from cover and fire a few shots without even aiming. I continued several more times. The fourth or fifth time as I came back I saw the dark stallion moving to another locker. “Any day now.”
“Shut up half these are empty!” He opened the next foot locker and a grin slips across his face. “Finally!” He pulled out a battle saddle and two tommy guns. “I just need to get this on.” He moved back behind the door’s archway and fumbled to slip the saddle on.
I kept giving suppressing fire until I come back to cover and saw the stallion with a grin on his face, a battle saddle on his back, and the two tommy guns at his side. He gave me a nod. I ran over to the lockers as he popped out from cover. I reached an unopen locker and check. Nope, nothing. Next, a stimpack. Might come in handy. The next had most of my stuff. Before I can reach down to pull something out I noticed the sound of lasers. Not laser pistols. Something much more rapid. I turned and saw the two tommy guns firing lasers. The stallion’s grin had now turned to a full on smile as he sprays across the outside hall. Over-compensation flinched a few times as he was hit. The dark stallion gets behind cover and reloads as another rocket fires.
My eyes moved back to the foot locker. Nowhere near all my stuff was there but the bear essentials were. I pulled out my combat armor first. As I slip it on I couldn’t help but notice its condition was starting to dwindle. I probably should do something about it soon I thought. I picked up the two rifles and tossed them to the floor to grab my old, beat up battle saddle. I couldn’t help but smile at the only reminder I have of my family. I run back to my cover with my rifles and battle saddle held on my back. I sit down and hurried to get the battle saddle over my armor and then get the guns attached. If I remembered they’re single shot but still better than a laser pistol.
I made sure the guns are loaded. Then I popped out and hoped S.A.T.S. works with a battle saddle. I lined up two shots from each gun for a scribes head. Apparently a battle saddle uses more energy in S.A.T.S. then a single gun. I agreed to the what I had entered and its not long before the scribe hit the ground. I went back behind cover and reload. I can’t help but notice over-compensation didn’t even seem close to falling.
I look to the black stallion with a small frown. “We gotta get rid of the big guy.”
“I know! What do you think I’m trying to do!?” He yells back, angered by my statement.
“We need something more...” I pause to think for a second as the stallion pops out and starts shooting again. I finally come to something. “How many electronic systems should that suit have?”
He thinks for a second after taking cover again. A rocket whizzes by and explodes, leaving a hole in the back wall. He finally responds with one word. “A lot.”
I dive for the lockers again. I search through several, finding nothing.
“What are you doing?” He asks
“Praying to Celestia I get lucky and find what I’m looking for. Just cover me for now.”
He nods having nothing else to do but shoot at the others. Only one locker left. I start to lose hope. By my guess the stallion has wasted almost every round he has on over-compensation. “Please.” I mutter to myself, almost praying. I open the final locker and look in. My face lights up and I almost want to burst out in pure happiness. I grab the small object with my teeth and run back to my spot.
“Take out the scribes first.” I ordered.
“What did you get?”
“Just do it quickly.” I poped out again and killed a scribe as the stallion took the other.
“I need back up. ASAP!” Over-compensation yelled to thin air. He probably had some kind of communicator in his armor.
I took the object in my mouth and activated S.A.T.S. I aimed once at over-compensation and ended the targeting section of SATS. I watched in slow-motion as the grenade arched and landed right under him. I smiled in contempt as a blue electric like sphere surrounded him. He tried firing his rocket launcher but nothing happens.
“Follow my lead!” I shouted as I exited my cover and rushed to the walking tank. The other stallion followed behind me. I came up to him and the other stallion covered him from behind so he can’t escape. I pointed my guns straight at his head, right into the eyes. One bite of my trigger and the behemoth fell.
I took a few deep breaths as adrenaline drained from my body. Time seemed to slow to a normal pace as my brain realizes it was not longer in mortal danger. A grin slide across my face as I looked up, across the body, to the stallion.
He looked back. “Don’t look at me like that coltcuddler. I know what you're thinking.” Before my brain could fully register and adjust my facial expression he releases a small smile then turns away. “We need to get to the exit it should be on the top floor... which won’t be easy to get to.” His tone was back to a more serious one.
I wanted to retaliate at his ‘coltcuddler’ comment or at least grumble something under my breath but curiosity got the better of me. “Why’s that?”
“Lots of paladins patrolling and working closer to the surface.”
I paused for a moment. One paladin was hard enough. Several though... not good. Even if the one paladin we faced was a walking tank, I still doubt many would be a good idea to take on with only the two of us.
“Is there any other way out?”
He thought for a second. “Well...” He soon shook his head. “No.” He came to his final decision.
Before we can even turn around to start toward the exit we heard the clank of metal rushing down the hall. Around a corner down the hall came another big (but not as big thankfully) paladin, barreling toward us with immense speed. On his sides were two gatling guns. He was followed by several ponies in what looks to be some form of armor. Not the iconic Steel Rangers armor but one that covers their torsos and legs.
Great...
My eyes widened before the stallion and I almost immediately jumped behind cover. The gatling gun started up slowly but quickly speeded to it’s intended speed.
“What the fuck is wrong with you ponies!?” I yelled over the sound of the gatling gun to the stallion beside me.
“Yeah... we can go a bit overkill at times,” He replied, losing himself in thought for a moment, before snapping back as a bullet nearly penetrated his skull.
“A bit!?” I yelled back.
We kept behind cover. Neither of us could tell due to the two gatling guns firing 6,600 round per minute but I was certain they were using the suppressing fire to slowly approach the corner we hide behind.
“We gotta move now!” I yell. My throat was going to get sore at how much I’d been yelling...
With the only the nod of his head we began down the hall, the way we came. After we had turned a corner, the gunfire stopped but we didn’t.
My ears picked up “They’re finding an alternate route. Cut them off!” from the other direction. I braced myself for someone to pop a corner at any moment and it seemed the stallion did the same.
We were able to run for half a minute before taking cover from two of the Rangers in the smaller armor.
I popped out and aimed a headshot for each in S.A.T.S. The world slowed down as my guns fired. The first missed but the second hit. The pony still stays on his hooves. I went back behind cover and reloaded. Before I finished reloading the stallion popped out and began firing. After my saddle reloaded for me with a simple push of a bar with my front hoof, I popped out again and fired along side with him. I missed a several shots but the battle ended with two Steel Rangers on the ground.
I pushed the bar down again to reload. We both took a short breather to reload. Unfortunately for the stallion, his battle saddle was not as advanced. he had to pull out two new clips and replace them manually. He took the time to also replace the ammunition in his last one so it was full next time he reached for it. I did the same.
I should probably modify my battle saddle and these guns to not use clips. The battle saddle had been equipped already to not always need clips and could have a belt fed weapon. Unfortunately the two guns I had were not equipped to be belt fed. I can probably fix it by-
The thought was interrupted by the thunderous roar of a gatling gun. Several bullets dug their way into my leg before a short lived scream of pain then darkness.
…
My eyes slowly opened again for the second time today. The rest of my senses came back slowly afterterwards. First came sight with the opening of my eyes to a metallic ceiling. Then sound. The sound of gunfire and lasers. Luckily no rapid sound of a gatling gun but the sound of lasers was somewhat rapid. Nowhere near as rapid as a machine gun but still somewhat faster than the average assault rifle. Most likely the stallion’s. Last came touch. And with touch comes pain. The pain of several bullets implanted deep in your leg by a machine firing them at a speed faster than that of sound.
I moved my head to look down at my hind legs and saw spots of blood drip out from the holes. I decided looking at the ceiling is more pleasing than my crippled legs.
The gunfire died down and the stallion walked over to me. He took notice of my eyes, even if they were only slightly open.
“Can you walk?” He didn’t hesitate to ask.
I thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Someone’s given me the legs of a changeling.” Even when I’m slowly bleeding out and have at least a pound of lead in my legs I can still keep my dry sense of humor.
He didn't even take notice of my remark. “Try.”
I rolled over from my side to my stomach. Moving my front legs wasn’t much of a problem. My two front hooves reach the floor and stayed there where as moving my hind legs was a tedious process. They moved as if in hardening concrete, that hurt... because of bullets.
I finally managed to get them on the ground after several fumbles and squints from the pain. I pulled my body up from the ground. The weight of my body on my back legs felt like lead despite lead being in the latter. Seconds after getting my body into the air and above my legs I felt my back legs tremble more and more until...
“Celestia Damnit!” I cried. Part from falling down, part from possibly breaking my muzzle on the metallic floor.
The stallion didn’t say a word. He merely bent his head down and began to slip his muzzle under my body in order to what I guess is to get me on his back.
“No.” I shook my head.
He dislodged his muzzle from under me. “Hurry. It was hard to get far away from that maniac with you on my back and there wasn’t much distance between us when I had to set you down.”
By the time he finished I had already reached into my bag and pulled out the stimpak I found. I held it with the needle pointed out of my mouth and moved it down to my hind leg. I braced myself for the needle then had it pierced my leg. My tongue moved to push the medication into my bloodstream. Then, I pulled the needle out and through it to the side.
I struggled to move my body off the ground then through the air. In the end I succeed despite wobbling to get my balance.
“The elevators down this hall.” He didn’t look at me as he moved down the hall.
Walking down the hall hurt and I was sure I was limping despite my best attempts to move the pain from the front of my mind. Luckily, the stallion was right and as soon as I turned the corner he had been using as cover I saw the elevator. One movement of his hoof and the tap of a button opened the door. I could only guess the elevator was on that floor due to the overkill amount of ponies they were sending after us. As soon as we entered I feel to my haunches without my brain telling my legs to do so. The stallion pressed a button and I felt my body jerk downward before my adjusting to the new direction.
“Why are the Steel Rangers so intent on getting this?” I asked, holding my pipbuck in the air.
“I don’t know.” He answered, still not looking at me. His nonchalance, lack of tone, and not even facing me started to piss me off.
I kept my anger aside. “You don’t know anything?”
“It must be important if they’re willing to send so many after it...” If I hadn’t asked him I’d have thought he was thinking aloud. “Not to mention they also want you alive...” He muttered the last sentence, seeming to forget my presents until the door slides open, telling us we had arrived at our destination.
Standing back up wasn’t as hard but still painful. This hallway is the same. If I hadn’t felt the elevator moving I would think we were on the same floor. The stallion was the first to walk out and I followed close behind.
“I’m taking you to medical.” The stallion broke a silence that had grown between us. “I doubt we’ll run into many others. They’ll probably all be near the main door now but I doubt it’ll take them long to figure we’re here.” I nodded my head in agreement even though he couldn’t see me behind him.
...
After reminding him to sneak we made our way to medical. Although crouching isn’t the best when your legs are aching from a pound of lead. This floor was small compared to the last and filled with fewer ponies. From what I could tell the floor seems devoted to medical and a few scribes. Whether they did research or had their living quarters there, I can’t tell.
When we reached the door to medical the stallion stood up to open the door. As the door opened, the gazes of medical ponies meet us. Before they could react though (or myself for that matter) the stallion bit down on his battle saddle. It wasn’t long before the room was filled with corpses that used to be the medical staff.
A part of me felt bad for the staff and angry at the stallion. They were only doing their job to try and help others. Then we came along and without a second thought the stallion wiped them out. But who was I to get angry? These ponies weren’t as innocent as some of the ponies I have killed...
“On the table.” He ordered, facing an operating table.
It made me a little timid. “You're not doing surgery right?”
“Hopefully.”
I gulped and did as the stallion said. He walked over to a counter and grabbed several meds. I tried to peek over at what he was now carrying back to the table on his back. All the meds were in syringes. I could make out the unique shape of a few stimpaks while the others appeared to be med-X.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “You do have medical knowledge right?”
“I’m no doctor if thats what you’re asking.” Him replying like this would usually piss me off but it just filled the ever growing fear in my mind.
“But you can remove bullets without killing me?” I couldn’t help but feel my heart race and hear my voice crack.
“I’ve been taught to.”
My eyes widened as the top of the needle pushed down and the contents make their way into my blood.. “So you haven’t done this before?”
“You don’t get many bullet wounds in full body metal armor.” He spoke so indifferently. It may have been an attempt to calm me down but all it did was piss me off.
I tried to change the subject. “So I never got your name.” The thought didn’t fully occur to me until after it left my my mouth.
“Coldsteel.” Another mechanical response
My head bobbed up and down slightly despite him not looking, still scouring the area for supplies. “I’m Wan- AH!”
Pain shot up through my leg as a needle pierces it. A black blur came from the counters and next to me with a syringe in mouth. The wind around him continued forward to brush against my face.
“I’ll get your name after I’m done. That way if I kill you I won’t feel as bad.”
What. The. Fuck!?
The world darkened for the third time today. My eyelids crept over my eyes as I resisted the overwhelming urge to sleep. In the end it was just another useless struggle.
...
Sleep is good. Sleep is nice. It’s the best way to escape the hell our ancestors made for us.
Unconsciousness is not. If you feel anything at all, it’s uncomfortable and brief. It’s even more uncomfortable when it happens to you three times the same day...
... Lasers and gunshots again.... fantastic...
Again my eyes open followed by my other senses coming back. Hey, I’m waking up to look at another gray, metallic surface.
I just stayed immobile to let the last of my senses begin to fully register again. The firefight died down momentarily. My head moved from one gray wall lined with counters and cabinets with medical supplies to another with a blood stain. The murder of the medical staff came back to me.
The brzt of lasers started up again from near the door. I wouldn’t have bothered to look over at the stallion if it hadn’t been for a scream that followed after. He stopped firing as the source of the scream dove behind a wall for cover.
“Don’t shoot!” She hollered. “I-I’m here to help!”
The stallion took a pause. His head retreated from the firing mechanism but he stayed in a defensive stance. “Put all your weapons on the ground!”
My sense was still returning to me as I simply observed the situation, not thinking to intervene.
A laser pistol arched from the corner and clanged against the floor. “Thats all I have I swear!” The stallion stayed silent waiting for her to make the next move. “I- I uh....” She attempts to break the silence. “I’m... umm... here to help... I just want... to see Wanderer...” She continued to stumble on her words as her sentences turned to ramble. The stallion seemed to have lost interest in her words as he contemplates what to do.
“Fine...” The stallion finally decided after a brief silence. He turned to me. “Your name’s Wanderer then?”
I slowly nodded, still somewhat out of it. “Can you stop calling me coltcuddler now that you know my name?” Talking seemed to take some of the grogginess away and helped bring back focus.
“You gonna stare at my ass?”
“No”
“Then I won’t call you that.”
Barrel walked in, a confused look on her face. My mind scrambles to explain. Before I can open my mouth Coldsteel interrupted.
“Are you gonna get up or lie there all day?”
I fought the feeling of my cheeks reddening as I scrambled to get back on all fours. The feeling of being back on my legs (and them working) felt foreign despite being on them earlier today. I struggled to keep myself up momentarily until my mind reminded my legs how to work.
Coldsteel had already turned to the mare in the room. “What is it?”
Barrel was caught off guard. It became obvious I wasn’t the only one intimidated by the stallion as she stumbled on her words and kept her eyes on everything but Coldsteel. “I... uh... well...” A gulp followed by a deep breath as her sight rest on the floor. “I... wanted to help...”
Coldsteel’s expression stayed locked in its regular state as he looked the mare up and down, analyzing her. “Why, and what would we need it for? We’ve been making progress on our own. All you’d do is slow us down.” Despite his monotone voice and composer the words hit their target like a deadly steamtrain.
The hurt showed on her face. I wanted to hit Coldsteel for it and I might have if not for him being the biggest, with the strongest weapon. “Well... I was going to help you escape...” Her voice would have made a mouse sound loud.
“Well gee, thanks because we just thought we were gonna stay down here and keep killing Rangers.”
“Well how’d you plan to escape then, smartass!?” Her voice stayed soft but still was able to hit back at his verbal assault.
He doesn’t take time to hesitate or formulate his words. “Keep doing what we’ve been doing. Fight our way through until we’re at the top.”
“What are you some kind of moron? There are twenty plus paladins up there. You may have got lucky and killed a few but there is no way the two of you can take on all them!”
“Oh, well thanks for coming then. A scribe who can’t even spit out her own words should even out the fight.”
It was becoming obvious rage was filling inside her. She pressed her lips together as her nostrils flared. “No, I have another way.” I could almost hear her teeth grinding.
“No.” Coldsteel tried asserting his dominance by standing taller and moving his face closer to Barrel’s.
She didn’t back down from the large stallion, pushing her face closer to his. “What you think you have a better chance with Paladins?”
Their faces were less than an inch away from each other as Coldsteel leaned in another time. “Yes.”
Barrel looked to me. Once Coldsteel noticed she was no longer looking at him he looked to me too.
The spotlight fell on me, the quiet observer. “Don’t look at me. Your the two who know this place.”
“Anything has to be better than every paladin left in this place right?”
“Well, not hellhounds....” My joke goes without a laugh or smile, not that that was the intent. It was only to stall.
Barrel only needed her eyes to burn a hole through me, to tell me that wasn’t the correct answer. Coldsteel’s expression, on the other hoof, (surprisingly) doesn’t change.
I sighed in defeat and looked back to the dark stallion. “She has a point. So far we’ve been riding on luck and your two guns to get through. Even with the three of us I doubt we’d be able to get through.”
Coldsteel debated this in his head. His muscles relaxed and he moved back from Barrel. “Fine.”
...
The elevator doors opened, revealing a new floor no different from the last two. Coldsteel forged ahead to make sure the halls were safe. Barrel and I stayed walking down the hall at a normal pace. We spent a few moments in silence. Coldsteel was still farther ahead but not too far. His yellow tick still showed on my E.F.S.’s compass.
“That was brave of you.” The silence was broken by my comment.
“What was?” Barrel looked to me for the answer.
“Standing up to Coldsteel like that.” She still looked confused. “It was brave... y’know...” I stumble to explain. “You just don’t seem like the most assertive pony.... and Coldsteel is pretty intimidating.”
Her eyes moved back to the hall. “It’s not that. I mean, he is intimidating. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out but I’m not usually so scared of ponies. I guess I am unassertive at times but he’s got a strange past.”
“He told me he was once a Steel Ranger but left. I always thought it was a lifetime deal.”
“Well, it is for most. From what I hear though he was kicked out.”
“What’d he do?”
She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Good question. The elders, or ours at least, want him locked up for it. There’s all forms of rumors about what he did but I doubt anypony other than the real high ups know.”
I, nodding my head, looked back from Barrel to the hall. The large figure that appeared from the corner made my whole body jump. If my mind hadn’t acted faster than my body I might have ended up screaming at Coldsteel. If Barrel had been startled she hadn’t shown it. I felt my cheeks heat up as I hoped she nor Coldsteel saw my reaction.
“You two are so slow.” He directed his attention to Barrel. “The exit’s right ahead. The way is clear.” He turned and trotted back down the hall.
Barrel and I followed. At the end of the hall approached what at first looked like a dead end but soon became a reinforced door. The door blended with the steel-silver wall around it. Next to the door was the green glow of a terminal that I was surprised I hadn’t noticed.
As Barrel approached the mounted terminal, it’s keyboard came down and she rested her hooves on the keys. One hoof reached into the air to type-
“Good job Barrel.” Interrupted a familiar voice.
Coldsteel and I turned to see the figure of a mare in familiar elegant robes followed by several ponies in power armor.
