• Published 10th Aug 2014
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Fallout Equestria: Memories Best Left Buried - CivilWarPony



The rebuilding of Equestria has finally started to take shape after the world was destroyed in magical bonfire from Tartarus. Now an old foe and long dead memories resurface to plague this fragile world that is struggling to find meaning again.

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Part Two: Ghost Of The Wastes

Part Two: Ghost of the Wastes


Pulling out a canteen from his utility pack Airborne a long swig from it, feeling the cooling waters rush through his overheated insides. He passes the canteen to Fractured who dumps the contents of the canteen over his head then passes back the empty canteen to Airborne. Starshine angrily says, "Nice going Fractured! We could have used that water instead of you deciding to take an impromptu shower!"

Fractured looks back at her saying, "Maybe you ponies are used to this blasted heat but I am not! My skin is practically boiling out here." Celestial snorts and rolls her eyes trying to ignore the argument instead she focuses on a plume of black smoke rising steadily in the distance. Airborne notices her gaze and follows it seeing the smoke as well. Celestial says, "We should go investigate what happened. It might give us a clue where Discord or Nightmare Moon might be." The small group of ponies trots towards the smoke and they quickly begin to smell the pungent stench of burnt flesh. Coming over a rise they see the burnt remains of a wagon caravan and the hastily dug graves of the ponies who met an unfortunate end at the hooves of something.

Airborne trots down among the wreckage and stops before the first grave saying, "What do you think happened here? Somepony came by here before we did and buried these bodies." Sunrise pokes the remains of a wagon wheel and watches as it crumbles into a pile of ash. She notices a set of barely recognizable hoof-prints leading away from the destroyed caravan wreckage, the prints were only a few hours old. Whoever made them was still in the area. Sunrise turns and looks at the other ponies saying, "There is a set of prints here. They are still fresh, if we follow them we might find somepony who knows about this attack." While Sunrise and Airborne scout out the route the tracks head off in, Starshine and Fractured gather what little supplies they can from the remains of the caravan. Fractured comes across a small doll half buried beneath a pile of what used to be a wooden axle. He grabs a hold of the doll and stares at it then he looks at the blackened scorch marks carved into the ground like angry scars. He says, "Something foul happened here. What could have done this?"

Starshine trots over to him and sees he is holding a doll. She says, "Even though we have made the Wasteland safer for ponies to travel there are still a lot of threats that can claim somepony's life out here." Starshine takes the doll from Fractured and gives it a cuddle before placing it onto a small grave nearby. She turns to see Airborne and Sunrise returning from their scouting mission. Airborne says, "The hoof-prints head east. If we follow them we should be able to find somepony who has the answers we need." Starshine finishes loading the last of the supplies into her saddlebags saying, "Well let's get going. We need to find them before nightfall. I would rather not stick around to find out what did this in case it comes back." Airborne nods and trots away from the from the wreckage followed by the other ponies. As they leave a dark figure emerges from the shadows of the destroyed caravan. Her piercing blue eyes narrow and shes smiles sinisterly. She chuckles and says, "Well, what do we have here? Perhaps somepony worthy to finally challenge me?" Airborne turns thinking he heard something but doesn't see anything.

After a few hours they find that the tracks lead into a cave. Entering the cave Airborne hears a voice say, "Stay where you are if you value your life mortal. Otherwise I will defend myself." A blue light suddenly appears illuminating the face of a unicorn standing at the back of the cave. His face partially hidden behind the cowl of a tattered black cloak. Airborne can see the intent to kill in this pony's eyes should he make a wrong move.

Airborne hears Starshine, Fractured, and Sunrise readying their weapons, the unicorn reaches into the depths of his cloak and grabs onto something. Airborne says, "We mean you no harm. We just want to understand what caused the attack on the caravan. Whatever information you can give us would be very much appreciated." The unicorn looks at Airborne, the air around this Pegasi whispered silently to him. Telling him everything about this particular pony but unlike his companions this pony was different. He had been touched by Death, the experience had left traces on both his body and soul. But something had happened to reunite the two again. Something that could have only been accomplished with the magic the permeated Equestria. The unicorn says, "You have been to the other side and returned. Tell me how is it possible that you are still alive?"

Airborne pins his ears back in surprise and asks, "How do you know that?" The unicorn smiles slightly and then he says, "These kinds of things are for me to know. All those who can read the world like I can have this information at their disposal." Airborne asks, "What are you then?" The unicorn says,"Something beyond your comprehension, but where are my manners. Please sit and allow me to cook for you. I will tell you the information you seek." Airborne watches as the strange unicorn gathers up some scraps of wood from around the inside of the cave and using his magic he lights a fire. Fractured, Starshine, and Sunrise take their seats around the fire while Airborne cautiously sits next to the strange unicorn. The unicorn can feel the uneasiness that all these mortals feel and he says, "Don't worry I do not wish to cause you any harm. Please relax and enjoy your meal." The strange unicorn quickly produces a frying pan from his saddle bag and cooks a few slices of bloatsprite meat. Airborne says, "What do you know about the pony who attacked the caravan?"

The unicorn replies, "I don't know who attacked the caravan. I arrived on the site a few hours after the attack. There was only one survivor, everypony else was dead. What I do know is whomever attacked that caravan was exceedingly powerful. There are not very many ponies who possess that level of magical skill in the wasteland to destroy a well armed caravan. So whoever attacked it knew what they were doing although I doubt they had any intent to take what the caravan had as nothing was taken from the ruins of the wagons when I arrived. The only intent I could discern from the attack was that the pony wanted to cause as much destruction as possible. Only a maniacal fiend would attack a caravan with foals and mothers." Starshine and Airborne both look at each other and nod.

The unicorn says, "You don't seem as surprised to hear that. Mind telling me what you know?" Sunrise says, "We had received some conflict reports that both Discord and Nightmare Moon had been spotted in this region. We came here to investigate and if possible put a stop to whatever plan they both have come up with." The unicorn stands up and says, "I knew it. Only the God of Chaos could be so devious to attack caravans of innocent ponies and that would also explain the echoes of pain I felt from Princess Luna at the site of the attack. It would seem that Discord has violated the laws of nature to revive Princess Luna in whatever form she possesses now. What Sleipnir wouldn't give to wring the life out of that twisted Draconequus's neck."

Fractured stops eating and says, "Did you just say Sleipnir? What would you know about the Goddess of Death?" The unicorn looks at Fractured saying, "I know Sleipnir very well, you could say I know her intimately although it has been along time since I last saw her." Airborne asks, "Who is Sleipnir? I have never heard of her before." The strange unicorn replies, "Not very many ponies would recognize the name these days but she was as familiar to ponies as Discord was in the past. I am or was one of Sleipnir's servants tasked with the eternal duty of escorting the recently deceased spirits of the dead to the other side. But I have failed in my duty and know I am trapped here unable to properly perform my duty as her servant."

Airborne asks, "If you are a servant of Sleipnir what were you doing at the attacked caravan site?" The unicorn replies, "Even though I am trapped in the body of this mortal I can still perform my duty in separating the souls of those who are dying from their shells and making the process easier for them. Its the least I can do for them." The unicorn's hooves glow with a white aura and he continues to say, "I have been guiding the spirits of the dead to the other side for centuries. The way I am now however is an unintended consequence of me violating my duties to Sleipnir."

Starshine says, "If you don't mind, could you please tell us how you ended up this way. Maybe we can help you return to normal after we deal with Discord and Nightmare Moon." The strange unicorn replies, "As I said before I was a servant of Sleipnir. But before that I was a mortal the same as you are. I don't remember my old name but I only have flashes of my old life, a few precious memories I was allowed to keep before I became to be in Sleipnir's service. I don't know what made Sleipnir choose me to be one of her servants, I can only assume she attached some value to my abilities from my former life. All servants of Sleipnir are to obey a few unbreakable rules while they are in the employment of the Goddess of Death. The first is that they are to never to reveal our presence to the living with the only exception being when that pony's appointed time has come. Second, we are to never to intercede in the saving of anypony from Death, this is so the natural order of things is maintained. The last and most important rule is that we are to never to covet the life lives of any of the ponies we interact with, this is to prevent us from becoming to emotionally involved in the lives of the ponies who's souls we must part from this world. However upon the moment of death we feel everything that the specific pony we have been assigned to guide to the other side feels. We feel the final pains as their body dies to the emotions they feel. It is so we can empathize with them more effectively and guide them so they do not become a wandering spirit who cannot cross over."

Airborne asks, "So if you were once a servant of Sleipnir what made you violate your duty?" The unicorn stares into the fire and says, "The War changed everything not just for you mortals but for the servants of Sleipnir as well. Day by day more ponies were dying from the horrific wounds they had sustained in battle. Many of them dying before they even had a chance to fully live their lives. As the War dragged on our numbers grew, Sleipnir could not compensate for the amount of ponies we had to cross over on a daily basis. As a result the servants could not effectively perform our duties. The souls of those we could not cross over wandered through the physical realm in an attempt to reconnect with their old lives. Even today there are many places were these long dead ghosts linger and where the living can feel the confused emotions of the dead."

Fractured bites into the last piece of bloatsprite meat on his plate before belching loudly while rubbing his now distended belly. The sound doesn't even phase the strange unicorn as he goes onto say, "From seeing all that seen and felt during the War I came to understand how truly precious life was and how easily it could be thrown away when hatred consumed somepony causing them to kill somepony else. There was one couple however that I came across during that chaotic time that managed to hold onto the love they felt for each other. Even when they were on the front lines killing other ponies they still didn't allow the reality of the horrors of war to drown the feelings they felt for each other. You could say I became envious of what they had. I wanted to experience this for myself but I could not because of my duties to Sleipnir. When I had made up my mind that I had to experience what they had at least once before I could go back to fulfilling my duties it was too late."

"Everything ended so suddenly I had to act fast. Both of these lovers I had been watching over were stationed in the city of Manehattan on The Last Day. When the bombs dropped I possessed the body of the male and infused my magic with his to create a large protective shield to protect us both. But my efforts were in vain she died before the shield could fully enclose us and I was trapped inside of her lover's body. Spirits of Death are never meant to inhabit a physical form and I found out the hard way why that was. When I possessed the male I had destroyed his soul and his body underwent a metamorphosis. Effectively I became immortal, my body will never age nor can it ever come to harm. Also I do not need to eat or sleep. But while this might seem like a blessing it has been a curse I have endured for two hundred years. I lost my one chance to feel something real for the first time and my actions only ensured that the love I had so admired came to a very tragic end. So now I am trapped as a living immortal in a world that has no place for a living servant of Sleipnir." Tears streak down the sides of both Starshine's and Sunrise's muzzles while Airborne sits stunned digesting all he had just heard. Fractured just stares blankly at the cave wall ahead of him not saying a word.

Airborne finally says, "So what will you do know then? You have been still attempting to perform your duty as a servant of Sleipnir for these past two hundred years for some reason. Maybe you can come with us and find out that reason for yourself." The strange unicorn stares at the Pegasi and says, "Perhaps I will anything is better than just sitting here waiting for Sleipnir or Discord to find me. If I aid you in your quest I can finally redeem myself in the eyes of Sleipnir." Airborne smiles and says, "We never did get to introduce ourselves. My name is Airborne, and this is Starshine, Sunrise, and Fractured Heart." Airborne gestures to each of them then asks, "What is your name?"

The unicorn shakes his head and says, "I have no name. I gave whatever name I had up when I became a servant of Sleipnir and I will not take the name of the unicorn in whose body I reside. It would not be a fitting way to honor the memory of the lives I destroyed in my selfish actions to have what I should not possess." Starshine says, "Well we cannot simply call you nothing so I will call you Duty as it seems to be a fitting attribute that you have." The unicorn mulls the name over and says, "The name Duty will do. So call me that from now. But for now you ponies should get some rest. We have a long day of searching tomorrow. I will stand guard and watch over you until you awaken."

The next day Airborne awakens to find that Duty had already prepared for them breakfast. He says, "We were planning on traveling further south today towards the border of what used to be Mustangia. But I am curious what direction you think we should travel in?"

Duty replies, "I was heading south as well. From listening to the information I was able to gather from the caravan attack site the individual responsible for its destruction fled south shorty after they destroyed the caravan." As they both speak they suddenly look over to Fractured as he flips onto his back with all four of his hooves pointed into the air. He flails them around mimicking like he is running as a pool of drool soaks the ground underneath his head. Duty and Airborne laugh hysterically, their laughter awakening both Starshine and Sunrise.

Starshine rubs her eyes with her left forehoof saying, "I don't see what is so funny that you both had to laugh so loudly to wake me up." She then notices Fractured's strange behavior and starts to laugh as well. Sunrise quickly takes notice of Fractured's flailing form as he rolls around the cave floor and she quickly doubles over laughing so hard she holds onto her sides from the pain. Fractured rolls over the fiery embers from the previous days fire and whinnies in pain as he springs to his hooves wriggling his nose from the smell of burnt hair. He sees all of his friends laughing at him and his face turns crimson. He says, "Nice of you all to wake me up before I rolled over a bed of hot coals. I really do appreciate it."

Airborne catches his breath replying, "Sorry Fractured. I would have woken you up but you seem so content in your sleep. I figured I will continue to let you get some rest before we headed out. Although I don't know why you were flailing about so much. What were you dreaming about anyway?" Fractured's face turns a deeper shade of red and he doesn't respond. Duty says, "I can tell you all what the Crystal pony was dreaming if you desire to hear it." Fractured says, "Don't you dare say anything or I will have to test how immortal you really are." Duty ignores the threat knowing the Crystal pony was only saying that because of his hurt pride or his burnt flank, it was hard to tell when a pony was feeling so much at one moment. Starshine and Sunrise continue to snigger at Fractured who simply sticks his tongue out at them. An hour later they had packed up their camp and followed an old buffalo trail further south towards the border of Mustangia and hopefully Airborne thought to the location of either Discord or Nightmare Moon.

Author's Note:

This is part two in my final installment of the Airborne Chronicles. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to give this story a thumbs up. Please feel free to leave your comments below!!!!!

Fallout copyrighted to Bethesda Softworks

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic copyrighted to Hasbro Inc.

Fallout Equestria copyrighted to Kkat.

All other characters are copyrighted to me.