//------------------------------// // 12 - Ice // Story: Fallout: Equestria - War Does Change // by tom117z //------------------------------// Chapter Twelve: Ice “Without the Heart, the Crystal Empire's about to be buried under a mountain of ice and snow!" And I thought the mountains had been cold… A good layer of frost caked the bare, cracked ground around us. And it just looked whiter and whiter the further north one went. Fortunately, we weren’t going that way. In the past two days since we left Our Town far behind we had continued to skirt the very edges of the frozen north, following the boundary until we were directly south of the stable, which wasn’t going to be too much longer. Not even my patched up barding fully protected against the nip in the air. You see, an advantage to freezing our coats off was that nopony else really had the desire to be up here. It was too close to the Frozen North and, in those past two days of travel, we hadn’t seen anything else for miles around. Just us, the clouds above, and the frost on the ground. Yeah, I guess a bit of cold was better than fighting every raider gang between us and the changeling hive. Right? “How much further?” Cobalt asked from a little way ahead of me. “Surely it can’t be too much longer!” I grunted in response, bringing up my PipBuck and switching over to the map screen. A marker showed my position along to border of the Frozen North, my main objective marker wanting me to travel a little south-west while my custom marker was bidding me to go straight on forwards. The latter led to the only pre-war town I could see directly on the border, and one that was directly north of the hive itself. “Just a little bit more,” I shouted back up at Cobalt. “This thing will ding when we get there.” “We should look through the ruins while we’re there, I do not like the dwindling food supply,” Stripe suggested. “And maybe a blanket or two,” Cobalt dryly added in. “Seconded,” I agreed, letting off a shaky breath that I could see in the cold air. “Who knows, maybe one of the buildings could have central heating.” “Or perhaps something you repair to make it so,” Stripe remarked. “If not, a fire should suffice.” “We probably shouldn’t linger at the town for too long though,” Cobalt stated. “We can make some good time. Another day to the hive if we’re fast. Maybe two, if not.” I huffed, conceding his point. “Never thought I’d miss the normal Wasteland weather. I can’t believe anypony lived up here before the war.” “Well, they did,” Cobalt responded back. “Though I’d prefer the old Crystal Empire over some random town on the edge.” The Crystal Empire, huh? Looking at my PipBuck, there did seem to be something deep into the Frozen North, a clear spot in the otherwise desolate landscape. I did recall some city being up there in the snow. Though I really knew as much about it as I did the tribes of the zebra and how they all worked. Though, speaking of the tribes… “Stripe,” I spoke up, glancing at my zebra companion with a question in my eyes. “Your family was Zencoria, right? Storytellers?” “Zencori. And my parents and brother considered themselves as such, yes,” she confirmed. “Why do you bring this up?” “Oh, I was just wondering if you had any good stories about the frozen hellhole up north. We need to do something to pass the time.” Stripe frowned, entering a moment of thought. “I could tell you a story of a Starkatteri who tried to use spirits of wind to control the Frozen North, only to end up freezing himself. But truly? I would rather not repeat the stories that drove them to a dark path.” “Well, I’m sure other zebra would consider you just as Equestrian as you want to be,” Cobalt deadpanned. “Thank you.” I wasn’t sure that was necessarily a compliment… “But what of you, Cobalt?” Stripe asked in turn. “You seemed to be knowledgeable.” “I know whatever Tenpony had in its database,” Cobalt responded. “The Crystal Empire is as old as Equestria… kind of.” “Kind if?” How can something be ‘kind of as old’? “Well, it was founded around the time Equestria was. Though a dark mage made it vanish from time for a thousand years,” Cobalt explained. “When it returned, the Ministry Mares ended up saving the Empire and killing the mage. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza then wound up taking rulership and the Empire joined Equestria.” “Princess who?” Since when were there more princesses than the two goddesses? “I’ve never heard of her.” “She was Princess Celestia’s adoptive niece. An alicorn, just like them; and not one of the abominations you see running around Splendid Valley.” “Then why isn’t she as well known as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” “Well, when the war started the Crystal Empire protested it,” Cobalt stated with a shrug. “They ended up splitting off and becoming a separate city-state again, under Cadenza’s rulership.” I looked out towards the Frozen North, the winds howling along the eternally white graveyard. I’d never realised that the city had an alicorn ruling it. I mean, I’d heard it was a city of ponies, but still… “Of course, I assume they did not escape the end,” Stripe noted, also taking in the dead echoes of the Frozen North. “Well, considering we haven’t heard from them... unless they’re as secluded as the pegasi,” Cobalt remarked. “I don’t think they were hit by any of the bombs, though the radiation could have killed them like every other country in the world.” Given how cold it is up there, the survivors probably didn’t stand a chance once everything collapsed. “Guess not many ponies would have made it out of there, huh?” “Maybe,” Cobalt replied with a hum. “There are rumours that the Princess’ descendants still live somewhere out in the Wasteland, but it’s just hearsay. She and her husband, Shining Armor, did have a couple of daughters though. Also alicorns.” “Well, the only alicorns I’ve ever heard of in the Wasteland are described as boogiemen. I tend to stay far away from Splendid Valley.” “Good choice,” Cobalt stated. “If descendants did exist, I’m sure the Twilight Society would have found them. Shining Armor was Twilight Sparkle’s brother, after all.” Well, I guess the Ministry Mare had plenty of connections. “Still, it does explain why the hive was up here too,” Cobalt added in. “Huh? Why?” “Changelings are meant to feed off of love, as in the actual emotion. Probably not for actual food, or a stable would have been a bad idea, so probably just for magical strength or something of the likes. One could drain a pony to death if so inclined,” the stallion explained, and I noticed a shiver that was decidedly not from the cold. “Cadenza was the Princess of Love. Doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together on how that worked.” “I thought they weren’t a part of Equestria anymore?” “Doesn’t mean they didn’t have trade deals.” Love sucking bugs. You know, a good part of me was really hoping the stable was long empty… Aside from the lack of a profit if it wasn’t, anyway. Cobalt sighed. “Not much out here now, though. All the towns are long ruined. There aren’t really even any settlements up here between what used to be Our Town and Vanhoover. Well, except for raiders and gangs.” “A Wasteland truer than most,” Stripe mused. My PipBuck dinged, and it was at that moment that I realised I could now spot a few outlying buildings up ahead. And according to my E.F.S., the town was known as Haven. Or had been, a very long time ago. “We’re here,” I announced to the group. “Haven. The hive should be due south of here.” “Finally,” Cobalt said, turning to face us. “We should make this quick.” I nodded, and I couldn’t say I was keen to stay in this ghost town for too long. Nothing was appearing on my E.F.S. at that moment, but the frozen town was already giving me the creeps… “We should check for a shop.” Any town ought to have one, right? “Don’t bother with the houses, we don’t have the time. Just any building that might have food or any supplies. A clinic too would be helpful.” We picked up our pace as we cantered towards the town, passing around one partially collapsed building and stepping from the dirt and onto ancient concrete. The concrete covered space was sat out in a large rectangular shape, rotten benches lining the edges and several vehicles parked up nearby. A road led away from said vehicles and into the town proper, though the purpose of the space was made clear by the arched structure sitting right in the centre. “Looks like an entrance to the local metro,” Cobalt noted as we slowed to a halt a few metres from the entrance. “It’s probably just filled with derailed trains and rat shit. Ignore.” “Wait,” I said to stop him, freezing myself as I spied a single red bar suddenly pop up on my E.F.S., a bar pointing right at the metro’s entrance. “Shit, there’s movement coming from inside. It’s not friendly.” Stripe immediately had her sniper drawn as she turned to glare at the entrance to the station, all while Cobalt just took on an expression of mild concern. “It could be a radroach. Or a giant rat,” he pointed out. “Places like those a full of them.” “We should investigate nevertheless,” Stripe contended. “If there are people here, we should not go into the town unaware.” She certainly had a point… “I’ll go have a look. Just, uh, keep an eye out for me.” Dammit. Stripe nodded. “I won’t let any foolish ponies get the drop on you.” “Yeah, thanks.” Welp, there I went. Trotting slowly towards that red bar, gun already drawn into my magic and S.A.T.S. at the ready. I mean, it was probably just a radroach. And even a big ol’ mama radroach wasn’t really much of a threat. Stamp. Squish. Job done. Yeah, just a radroach. I reached the structure, moving around the outer wall until I rounded towards the open staircase leading down towards the underground station. At the bottom of the staircase was a rusted chain-link gateway with a couple red warning signs hanging precariously to the entrance. A large stylised ‘M’ was displayed just above the doorway, though faded heavily through time. And the red bar was coming from inside. Peering down towards the gate, I could see that it was pushed a little bit open. What was more is that, just inside the gateway sitting on the edge of the inner darkness, was an equine shaped figure. So… not a radroach then. I looked back over at Cobalt and Stripe, giving them a look of warning before I took two steps downwards, my pistol trained on the figure inside. Maybe I should have already fired, red is dead right? But still, if this was a raider or a bandit or something then we could at least get some information out of them. How many more are there? Are there any good supplies in this place? At least, that’s how I rationalised it as I held my fire and opened my mouth… “Hey, you!” The figure stirred, looking lamely around at me. I couldn’t get a good look, and I didn’t move a step closer. “Don’t reach for any weapons,” I warned. “Back out of there, slowly. We don’t want any trouble.” The figure didn’t respond, and I could almost feel them staring at me from within the shadows. And then it screamed. It wasn’t a scream any normal pony would make, I knew that for sure. No, this was a shrill shriek that would make anypony’s blood run cold, and it was a scream heralding all that came next. The figure burst straight through the gateway and unbelievable speeds, sprinting so fast up the stairs that I barely had time to engage S.A.T.S.! And when the spell did engage, I was able to fully realise what exactly it was mere inches from my fucking face! Feral ghoul! The creature that was once a pony had no fur covering its body, its skin torn and blistered from head to hoof. Barely a strand of its mane and tail remained, any cutie mark was no longer visible on its flank. Its teeth were broken and sharp, old dried blood permanently engrained into them, eyes milky and dead, no life or soul visible within them. Just hunger never-ending. “FUUUUUUUUUCK!” I screamed as I pumped every single shot I had into the bastard! I just fired with S.A.T.S. assisted accuracy as it landed on my body, completely limp and bleeding gunk that could barely even be called blood. The red bar winked out. And I just laid there, heart pumping like mad with the bloody thing still draped over me. I mean, dear Celestia why me!? Robots. Raiders. Cultists. Mutated creatures. Explosions. And now zombies! Was this job doing its absolute best to make me soil myself? Because it was doing a really good job! “Scrap Heap! Are you alright?” Stripe called out in alarm as she and Cobalt ran up to my side. The latter used his magic to push the corpse off of me while the zebra helped up sit up. “You crazy fool! Why did you shout out to it?” “I thought it was a pony…” I muttered lamely. “Well, you were half right,” Cobalt noted as he knelt down to examine the body. “Looking at the frost layer covering the ghoul, it’s been here a while.” After ensuring I was alright, Stripe descended the staircase and looked at one of the walls by the gateway. There was a small board I hadn’t noticed the first time with a slightly shrivelled map inside a class covering. She squinted her eyes as she examined it, following the various routes the underground trains would take. “These tunnels lead off in two directions,” she noted. “Another town, ‘Prosperity’. And the other tunnel leads to the Crystal Empire.” “A tunnel leading to the Empire?” Cobalt questioned, moving up to examine the map himself. “Huh, I wasn’t aware such a route existed.” “Could this thing have been one of the ponies from the city?” I asked, finally getting up to my hooves and giving the shrivelled creature a very wide berth. Could they get up again after death? “Maybe,” Cobalt replied. “Ponies trying to flee the Empire when the radiation caused a collapse, perhaps. Or maybe ponies who’d tried to get there on hoof.” “Or both,” Stripe added. “If radiation flooded those tunnels after the bombs ravaged Equestria, then it would have been an impossible journey for the average pony.” “It is a long way from here to the Empire,” Cobalt agreed. “Those tunnels are probably filled with ice now with nopony to maintain them.” “Well, that explains Frosty over there,” I dryly remarked. “Can we go now? I’d rather get back to scavenging, I’m good at that. Feral ice ghouls? Pass.” Cobalt laughed. “Yeah, can’t say I’m eager to go exploring down there. I’m a data analyst, not an archaeologist.” Of course, in true fashion, it was just as he said those words that another red bar appeared on my Eyes Forward Sparkle. And another. And another. Oh, it was basically becoming a sea of red. Oh crap. “Uh, guys…” I gave them a slightly strained smile and decided it was best to point a hoof at the countless milky eyes now staring at us from inside the metro station. “Run.” Stripe wasted no time and, in a flash, her rifle was brought up as a single shot blew the head off of the first feral ghoul in the herd. We began to scramble back up the steps as the ghouls all gave ear deafening shrieks, and I grabbed onto my shotgun and fired three shells into the crowd, tearing into several of the ghouls and rending huge bloody chunks into them. And I think we only made them mad. Like an unstoppable force of nature, the ice-covered ghouls burst from the entrance of the metro tunnel and rushed up the stairs just as we made it to the top ourselves. With S.A.T.S. still recharging I just fired on the first couple to reach us, Stripe firing two more rounds into the ghouls as Cobalt unleashed a bolt of his magic into another. But even as those first few fell, the other ghouls just kept on coming. We could probably deal with a decently big group, but according to my E.F.S., there had to be dozens inside that tunnel! We had really disturbed the hornet’s nest. “Move!” Stripe shouted towards us, and neither myself or Cobalt could really argue as we all bolted away from the tunnel and moved towards the town. And the ghouls didn’t seem eager to give up, because of course they didn’t! In a congealed mess, they swept out of the metro and began their pursuit, chasing after us in a raving horde that threatened to swallow us whole. I glanced behind me, swapping back to my pistol and firing a few shots at our pursuers. I think I spotted one go limp and fall to the ground, but I couldn’t be sure. Following the road got us into the town, and we shot between a few buildings to help shake off the ghouls. The town was as frost covered as everything else, many of the homes having long collapsed with only a few buildings still remaining intact. “This way!” I shouted, leading Stripe and Cobalt between two more collapsed homes and out onto a cracked street. To the left of us was a line either side of the road filled with nothing but dilapidated old homes, the road turning off at the end of the street. The right was much the same, only the road split off in two directions towards more buildings. However, a little way off down to the right and across the road was a far more intact building than those around it. It was an oval shaped structure, its windows long blown out and the front door hanging open, a collapsed statue of a doughnut laid on the roof while the words ‘Donut Joe’s’ being displayed across the front of the building. There was another shriek from somewhere behind us, echoing throughout the empty town. “Some of them are still looking for us,” Stripe stated in some alarm. “We need to wait for the herd to disperse, or at least until they are in small enough groups to fight.” “Head towards that place,” I said, pointing at the Donut Joe’s restaurant. “We can take shelter. And there might even be something to scavenge inside.” I led the way into the establishment, the three of us quickly piling in through the door and shutting it tightly behind us. We moved past the torn booths and behind the counter, the door to the back rooms being thankfully unlocked. Just as we made it through, I caught a glimpse of some ghouls running past the building at full sprint, unaware as to where we were hiding. We found ourselves in a kitchen, rusted pots and pans hung above the long-dead appliances. A group of fridges laid in the corner, though the foul smell coming from them suggested that we didn’t want to eat anything inside. “That was… close,” Cobalt stated as he breathed a sigh of relief. “Those ghouls have probably just been wandering the station for the last two hundred years. We’ll have to wait for them to disperse into something more manageable.” “That might take a little while,” I replied, leaning up against one of the counters as I holstered my weapons. “There might be something in the back rooms. More preserved foods, maybe a medical box in the bathroom.” “Then we should also use the opportunity to rest,” Stripe added. And we had been making such good time too. Oh well, when a horde of feral ghouls was concerned Stable 84 could wait a little longer… Too bad that, at the time, we didn’t know we had just stumbled into a place far more dangerous than we could have imagined. Footnote: Level 11 New Perk: Stonewall - +5 DT against melee and unarmed attacks.