• Published 29th Jun 2014
  • 1,597 Views, 45 Comments

Fallout: Equestria - A Heart of Steel - Pentagrade



Crossword, a budding Steel Ranger in the Far South Contingency, finally gets a chance to prove herself in the field, but everything is stacked against her. What will it take for her to reach her dream?

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Chapter 1.5 - Another Awakening

Author's Note:

Thanks to Dick Warwick for providing me with some good ideas for future chapters :)

Any spelling, grammar or puntuation mistakes, please let me know. As for ponyisms, these chapters dont need them really.

Any questions about the chapter, I am more than happy to answer, these are designed to be confusing

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MacintOS v0.81

Start-up Sequence Initiated

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Beginning Boot-time scan

- File System Check : [OK]
- External Integrity : [OK]
- Spell Matrix Performance : [OK]
- Internal Component Check : [WARNING]
(7 Faulty Diodes detected, re-routing to backup)

- Motor Status : [OK]
- External Controller : [ERROR]
= No Controller detected at station
= Defaulting to A.I

- Artificial Intelligence Status : [OK]
- Protocol Verification : [OK]
- S.A.T.S : [OK]
- E.F.S : [WARNING]
Differentiation capacitor not detected, disabling self-defence and hostile combat systems for safety

- Power Supply Efficiency : 99.9% [OK]

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Retrieving System data

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Device : Project 17 - "Delta"
Manufacturer : Ministry of Wartime Technology - Experimental Department
Days since launch : 1946
Users registered : [DATABASE NOT FOUND]

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Start-up complete

Activating A.I

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I was in hybernation mode from last night as I was beginning to overheat due to the base's Air Conditioning failing, but I can now hear the fans working once again, but also I could hear something else. As soon as my visuals activate, I see a large rat in front of me. However this rat appeared to be mutated, developing sharp long fangs, similar to a prehistoric creature I had researched called a Sabre-toothed Tiger. Its fur, rather than the normal brown to black scheme, was tinged dark green; its eyes were still black but had pinprick red dots in the centre. I immediately seized it in my Anti-Gravity Field before it could run away, but when I began to lift myself up, the mutant rat emitted a high pitch squeal, unusual to its species. Following this, five more rats of a regular variety escaped from a panel on my side carrying various parts with them in their fangs, and scurried off into the tunnels.

I looked at my readout and saw that a vital part of my Eyes Forward Sparkle was missing among the parts they stole, disabling my combat systems. Without it, I could not fulfil my protocols and protect the base as well as myself. It was of vital importance to regain those parts, so I immediately gave chance after them still keeping the mutant rat in my field. Using the barely functional E.F.S, I could track their positions in the tunnels and look for ways to intercept them. But it looks like they are making all the right turns, knowing where to go exactly that would prevent me from catching them. But they encroached upon a dead end, giving me a chance.

I slid into the opening and looked upon the sandstone wall that ended this tunnel. At its bottom were the five rats reering at the wall, trying to find a way through, impossibly. My entire weapons array was disabled due to the capacitor one of the rat has in its possession, so exterminating them is not an option. I could use my Anti-Gravity Field to just enclose them, but it would mean me losing the one I had in my grasp now, which was reluctantly not an option either. I looked to my environment to see if there was anything in the vicinity I could use to my advantage, but sadly the tunnel ended with solid smooth sandstone with the walls and ceiling showing no exploitable devices or suitable debris. This meant resorting to my final option, and while it has a 78.2% chance of working, its costs were great, but so was the loss of this capacitor.

Two years back, while researching the experiments that were being undertaken at Project 17, a strange experiment was undertaken, nicknamed "Overwing". Its purpose was to reconstruct the already existing Power Armour created by the Ministry of Wartime Technology and worn by Steel Rangers, with the ability to take flight. The need came so that those on the ground could combat any future threats from the Grand Pegasus Enclave. While there were never any recordings of a serious attack from the Enclave in the databanks available to me, the experiment went ahead anyway. The outcome was inconclusive due to many complications with the engineering, as well as a a number of issues arrising from within the Ministry of Awesome, who's engineers were contributing towards the experiment. But yet after researching it, I found that remnants of its code, both original and modified, were found in my system. I may be ill practised as I have no room to test the Overwing here, but I know that its turbines can be fully controlled, giving me my only option.

The plan would be to use the Overwing turbines to produce a reverse air flow strong enough to keep the rats in the tunnel, and also drag them close enough for me to manually terminate them. The catch to this plan would be the use of my one non-renewable fuel source, diesel. The crude-oil based chemical contained inside me is the only volume I have found after my explorations of the base, meaning once it is used; I won't be able to use the Overwing again. I calculate, taking into account the amount of revolutions needed to create the necessary air flow and the 10 metre distance I will need to pull the rats, that my fuel tank will be depleted by 25%.

I deliberated this for exactly half a minute when the mutant rat emitted another loud shriek. This echoed down the tunnel, reaching the rats who immediately upon hearing it, began to act. They charged. This needed a different strategy. They were advancing along the tunnel towards me at an increasing pace, beginning to squeak in a seemingly aggressive way. Using the Overwing was now out of the picture, but then it occurred to me. The entire time I was chasing these rats, I was aware that they were a neutral party, stealing parts, but unarmed. This meant that my E.F.S would not have targeted them as hostile, but now that they are in a hostile like stance, charging towards me, they must be hostile.

I didn’t need a differentiation capacitor to see this, not any longer.

Bypassing Security

Weapons Array Activated

E.F.S Fully Functional

I locked targets on all of the rats now at 5 metres from me. Choosing the cleanest method of eliminating them, I open up my left side panel and reveal my Mark 2 - Incinerator. Powering up the Magical Energy Beam, I set the entire tunnel alight


I sat in the Library of Project 17. An oval room surrounded wall to wall with bookshelves roughly six metres high. In the centre, I was sat at one of five desks, this one being the grand central one made of ivory wood. In front of me was my current project that I had worked on since I had become bored of my normal scheduled functions, maintenance, cleaning and scavenging. Instead it's a book. But this book was not finished. It was started by a significant member of the scientists based here at one time, named Dr Redthorn. Dr. Redthorn was responsible for work on the central experiments here in the base. He had his name written across many things here, from programs to books, a whole library of them. When I first discovered the Library, it allowed me to research much of the basic knowledge I now have in my personal databanks, but when I finally reached the last bookshelf, I noticed all the books were either blank or partly finished. One book took my interest in particular, titled "A Guide to the Species of Equis". The book was unfinished, but contained various entries of different creatures found across the lands above. I learned what I could but the empty pages left me with a new directive, to fill in any pages that Dr. Redthorn missed or could not fill. He had already made detailed entries on the base species so far, many of the new entries I had made are mutations of those. I had tried to use the book to identify what I was exactly, however none of the entries seemed to match any of my capabilities. None of the books in the library did.

The mutant rat sat in a small cage on the desk. I had created the cage from strewn metal bars I had found on the way back from the incinerated area. It squealed constantly, begging for freedom from his imprisonment. However I was not done with him, I needed to sketch an accurate drawing of it first, then a detailed log of its defining features as well as any biological abilities it may have. Often or not, these mutated creatures had some very fascinating abilities. Once I found a bat, extremely mutated and violent. It was no match for my Incinerator at close range but I managed to recover a fairly intact carcass. Unlike the regular bats haunting the lower levels of the base, these had developed a taste for blood of any type, such as the rats and other creatures that find their way in. They also developed into incredible sizes compared to their genetic parents making them a force to reckon with if confronted.

I remembered while drawing the sketch that this rat appeared to have some form of control over the other regular rats. Rats by nature do not have a hive mind or a dominant rat; they often grouped or went solo, making this rat very unique indeed. It didn't appear to physically assert itself above the rats, but it did have that squeek. It must have developed a way of producing a frequency that was hypnotic towards others of its species, making it some form of self-elected leader. I finished my sketch for the entry and closed the book. I returned it to its position in the "unfinished bookcase" and placed my oculars on the rat that remained in the cage. I decided to call it an Alpha Rat, due to its assertation as a leader. But now its usefulness had come to an end. After the annoyance it had caused me today, despite discovering I no longer needed a differentiation capacitor, I could not risk it theiving any more property of the M.W.T. I approached the cage with the rat now silent, possibly wondering what was next. I activated my Anti-Gravity Field around its neck and before it could release a full squeak, I swiftly snapped its neck.


A clatter came from the chute as the dead body of the Alpha Rat dropped into the depths of Project 17. There, the 'Bloodwings' (As I come to know them as from video logs) would take care of it, rather than traveling up to main floors looking for live prey, resulting in more work for me.

My charge was beginning to get low, so I began to make my way back to the central lab to recharge. I went over the events of the day today, it’s been two weeks since the last new entry in the book, and I’m beginning to believe that I’m running out of creatures to document around here. If the guide was finished, then the entire library was finished, and I would be left with nothing to do. Unless...

I left Project 17 to go to the surface?

There must be an endless amount of creatures that have yet to be documented. My directive would be satisfied forever. But. No. I couldn’t do it, my protocol requires me to be here to protect the base from intruders such as the Steel Rangers, and I could not deny that. However, I was never sure what I was actually protecting. I knew the entire contents of Project 17, but I could never find anything unique, just parts and information. I questioned at one time if the library was the goal of these intrusions, or possibly the weaponry hidden in the lower floors. Possibly the computers in the central hub were their target, it was hard to say, especially when all I understood from my intruders is that they were just as unsure as I am.

I entered the hub once again and walked up to my pod. To the side were two buttons, green and red. I pressed the green button and the pod began to rumble as the front slid forward and up, revealing a number of mechanised tentacles. They came to life and reached out to plug into my neck, chest and my legs. I was then lifted into the pod and slotted into place with a loud whine of metal on metal scratching. The lid slid over and my oculars shut down. I would be charging for approximately 48 hours, hopefully some more life was waiting for me to document afterwards, maybe even a few puzzles to solve. That would be nice.

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Shutting Down Now

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END OF LOG

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