Fallout: Equestria L.U.N.A.

by SkyDreams


>[subroutineUknown]

Luna took some time to look over her new body. It was one of the sentinels assigned to protect her sister Celestia. The midnight blue paint was faded but she could still make out a portion of the robot model; L0-N. The sentinels were supposed to have been a joke, she remembered laughing with her when they were revealed. Brilliant white and yellow to protect Princess Luna and Midnight blue and black to protect Princess Celestia. The idea was that they would always be there for eachother. She felt herself trying to smile in a body that had no lips.

The mechanic mare, Toggle, had made some major changes to the sentinel frame Luna now inhabited, including rusted metal patches and a large makeshift energy pack that replaced the Magical Energy Cores sentinel robots usually sported. The energy pack looked like a series of chopped up rifles that Applejack and Twilight had been working on, Magic Condensation Rifles. The idea was to absorb ambient magic as an energy source for weaponry. It seemed this Toggle had perfected the invention.

"So Princess... er, Your Highness? How did you end up inside this sentinel?" Began the ghoulish mare after several minutes of silence. Toggle didn't seem like the conversational type and the frequent pauses in her speaking really showed it. She made a few grunts while waiting for a response, trying to manually push a wrench so that it would tighten a bolt on Luna's chassis.

Luna tried her best to remember.

>[Core(8)] : dataPreservationBox.Access
>[Access.Core(8)] : File.Luna
>[File.Luna] : Status(Saved)

Luna was shocked to see these lines of code appear in her vision. She hadn't learned how Applejack coded these things so she had to make her best guess. "We are not sure, It seems the sentinel that I now inhabit had something to do with it, but I can't seem to get at that memory. It only recorded the fact that it saved us, not how." The end of Luna's sentence was punctuated by the screeching of rusted metal scraping against rusted metal and then a loud clattering of parts. Toggle began swearing up a storm. "We don't understand, why don't you use your magic to turn the wrench?" Luna's red spotlight was cast over the mechanic, watching her nurse a hoof that had been hurt when her wrench flew free.

Toggle licked her hoof and started to shake it about to abate the pain. "Oh that? Sorry your highness, my magic isn't all that strong. It's great for delicate work, not tough work." She levitated the wrench up in a gentle orange glow and pocketed it into her tool belt. "I'm strong enough to handle the rest on my own though. Father was an Earth Pony afterall." She stepped out in front of Luna, contemplating the state of her princess. "Well, however this happened I guess you're still Princess Luna right? Um, is there anything I can do to make your uh... body more comfortable?" Toggle tried her best to give an honest smile but seemed to still not quite believe what was going on.

Luna looked about, not sure exactly what comfortable was in the body of a sentinel, trying to find an answer for her. After looking about, seeing everything in the red light cast by the sentinel light, it dawned on her. "We would be happy if you could change the color of our light? We like the color blue." Toggle smiled, seemingly more at easy at having been able to help.

Soon enough Toggle was releasing the Princess from the machine being used to make repairs and adjustments, Luna watched with her new blue lense. Toggle kicked a rusted lever, releasing mechanical clamps that had been holding the chassis to the large robot workbench. Next was a cable hooked up to a mini-terminal where a pony could adjust user settings and perform diagnostics.

>[Execute] : selfDiagnostic
>[selfDiagnostic] : Status(running...)
>[Core(1)] : energyDistributionMatrix.Status(online)
>[Core(2)] : eyesForwardSparkle.Status(online)
>[Core(3)] : combatInhibitor.Status(criticalFailure)
>[Core(4)] : sparkleAssistedTargetingSystem.Status(criticalFailure)
>[Core(5)] : ordanancePackageOne.Status(criticalFailure)
>[Core(6)] : navigationMapping.Status(online)
>[Core(7)] : interactionInterface.Status(online)
>[Core(8)] : dataPreservationBox.Status(online)
>[Core(9)] : shieldMatrix.Status(criticalFailure)
>[System] : dataIntegrity.Status(45%/%35)
>[System] : systemIntegrity.Status(67%/15%)
>[System] : structuralIntergrity.Status(51%/25%)
>[System] : guardianRoutine(1).Status(Running...)
>[Warning] : System.Status(suboptimal)
>[System.Message] : "Systems above minimum functionality. Unit activation is OKAY"
>[System.Message] : "Systems are suboptimal. Avoid damage, seek additional repairs."
>[System.Message] : "Yeehaw."
>[selfDiagnositc] : End

A wall of Applejack's robot code streamed in front of Luna's vision like lightning and she was suddenly able to move her new limbs. Though vastly different from her hooves, neck, and tail, she didn't seem to have much difficulty getting a sense of how to move them to complete tasks.

"I have to hand it to you, your highness. You're handling all of this very well." Toggle stated, sounding less impressed than her words would have let on. She walked over to the garage door that sealed the old workshop off from the rest of the world.

The Princess tried her best to nod as she moved forward, trying her best to roll on her wheels instead of walk. She ended up half walking half rolling, wheels were hard. "We must maintain composure for the citizens of Equestria. They look to us for strength. With the war escalating we are unable to afford the luxury of freaking out over a change in body. What the zebras did to canterlot was the last straw. We must hurry and find Ministry Mare Twilight. She was working on a project that could very well end this. Alternatively, we could try the O.I.A. However, in recent days we hesitate to trust them. Come Honorable Mechanic Toggle Switch, you are here-by granted the rank of royal advisor to Princess Luna until such time as your services are no longer required or a qualified replacement can be found."

>[System] : addPersonel.Targeted("Toggle Switch")
>[Personel.Toggle_Switch] : Promote.Rank(royalAdvisorLuna)
>[Personel.Toggle_Switch] : Display.Id

Suddenly an image of Toggle, as well as some statistics, appeared in her vision. Toggle Switch, Sex: Female, Race: Unicorn, Eye color: Orange, Mane/tail color: yellow, Coat color: Navy Blue, Age: 28, Cutiemark description: "Metal Electical switch w/ red handle". The picture looked like it was taken at an Equestrian military base and showed a much nicer complexion than what she had not. Her coat was fully intact, along with her mane, and she was smiling like a filly at her cutecinera. A second photo was displayed afterwards, this one looking like it was take from a security camera or possibly a robot. In this picture toggle was huddled up with a bunch of other ponies trying to escape some sort of tunnel. She was smiling in this one too, but it spoke more of a desperate thanks than any actual joy.

Toggle pressed a button on the wall with her hoof, seeming to prefer physical contact to using her magic. "Why thank you very much for the promotion your highness." The Garage door gave a squeal and began to slowly trundle open, rolling up to the ceiling. "I'm sorry to say, but you have been out of commission for a lot longer than you think Princess Luna." The door gave way to a truly bleak sight, one that would cause Luna's mechanical heart to sink far more than she thought possible. From the side of the road that wound up the mountain Canterlot rested on she could see the blasted lands that were once called equestria and a sky that was nothing but cloud cover. "The War is over..." Luna rolled outside as she listened, speechless as she took in the devastation. "We lost."

The pain of seeing Equestria in such a state was too much to bare. Luna just wanted to curl up and cry, oh how she wanted to cry, but the restrictions of her new body wouldn't let her. She chose to simply sit silently, morning in her uncrying body as best she could. She was accompanied by the mechanic , now royal advisor, that had brought her into this world. "You know, its alright though." She said, surprising Luna with how upbeat she sounded. "A wise old hero told me something important once. As long as we survive, Equestria will survive through us." Toggle put a hoof on one of the roller legs and looked up to Luna. "We may have lost, but we survived. It might be hurt, but Equestria is still alive."

It was a lot to take in and a lot more to try and understand it. "How long?" Luna asked, casting her blue light down to Toggle. "How long has it been?" She spoke with a great deal of concern in her voice, having been away from Equestria meant she had failed everypony. She knew she had failed them a great deal but exactly how much was a burning question in her heart.

Toggle sat down, gazing off to the side where Canterlot loomed not too far away, now ruins by anypony's standards. It was clear that the city held a great deal of her emotions inside, slowly being eroded away by the Pink mist that still swirled about within its walls. "Since The War ended? Probably about a hundred years? Since Canterlot was destroyed, 114 years 5 months 22 days." Toggle looked back to the sentinel princess, a life time of hardship and pain replaying in her eyes. "I count every day. I need to."

114 years was a long time for a normal pony, a blink of the eye for Luna. How had this unicorn lived for so long, especially with whatever disease she must have that was causing her skin to rot and scar over. Thinking about it, her condition reminded Luna of a certain golden pony she once knew. "114 years? But how?" Luna asked.

"Well..." Toggle began. "Like most of the survivors from Canterlot, I'm a ghoul. At least that's what the stable dwellers called us." The rotting mare stood up and began making her way back to the garage, which luna noted was actually a reclaimed maintenance entrance for the train tunnel that bored through the mountain. "Lucky for us. Being ghouls allowed us to survive the long winter, 20 years of radioactive snow and ice from the fallout of the bombs. The radiation heals us but it has its downsides as well." Toggle Motioned for Luna to follow her into the train tunnel itself which had a large gate in front of it now comprised of scrap wood and steel.

Luna was lead into the mountainside where it appeared as though a large group of ponies had at one point made their home. A makeshift sign hung from the ceiling that read 'New Canterlot'. The only thing resembling homes were box cars that had been left cut into and strung with Hearth's Warming lights. Toggle pointed over to another ghoul pony who was meandering the tunnel with no real sense of urgency. "That's my best friend. His name is Brass Casing. We're the only two ponies left in New Canterlot." She called out to her friend, who looked over to her with blind eyes. He began a slow shuffling trot towards Toggle and Luna.

An ID and two pictures flashed in front of Luna's vision as the sentinel information identified the individual. Brass Casing, Sex: Male, Race: Earth, Eye color: Blue, Mane/tail color: Ash gray, Coat color: Mahogany, Age: 30, Cutiemark description: "5mm ammunition container with bullet belt spilling out", Rank: Lance Corporal. The first picture was a military graduation picture complete with equestrian flag in the back, he looked rather handsome. The second picture had the soldier in full body armor shouting for a crowd of ponies in a tunnel to follow. Luna recognized it as the same tunnel in the picture of Toggle huddled alongside other ponies. These must have been the other survivors all escaping from a tunnel somewhere in the city.

"Togggsss." Droned Brass Casing as he approached. Though he was clearly blind, he seemed to be able to navigate the area from memory alone. "Toggss." He said again with the same tone and inflection as before. When he climbed onto the walkway above the tracks and approached Luna and Toggle he gently butted his head into Toggle's side and rolled it from side to side. It was very strange behavior, especially for a soldier of equestria. "Togs." He said one last time, sounding rather content this time.

Toggle smiled like a mother caring for a foal and gently patted him on the head. "He's going... But most of him is still here. How are you doing Brass? I brought a new friend. Remember that sentinel that helped us out? I finally fixed it! Turns out the princess is in there, neat huh?" She smiled and waited for a response from her friend, only to get the half spoken version of her name again before Brass plopped his chin over her back and started staring blankly at Luna. "That's right. With her help we can save you." Brass Casing began to drool.

Luna Looked over to her new Royal Advisor. "Save him? Maybe if we had our magic we could do something. But." Luna lifted up her arms to remind Toggle of the state she was in. As it stood she couldn't even levitate objects. The Sentinel body was completely without magical capability.

There was a short laugh from the mechanic pony before she started to lead Brass through another maintenance door a little further down the tunnel, Luna following. "I'm very sorry to say, Your Highness, but I had no idea you were in that body. What I needed was the sentinel." Toggle placed Brass in front of a weapons workbench that had a stack of broken weapons next to it. Against the wall was a crate that had perfectly cleaned and repaired guns of various sizes placed gently inside. "Here Brass, Why do you play with your guns and I'll go talk to our new robot friend okay?"

Almost as though he found new life, Brass Casing stopped drooling and picked up weapon parts from the pile. He began cleaning and repairing them diligently. Once the gun parts were back to military standard he would assemble the gun, check each mechanism and place it gently into the crate against the wall. He seemed quite content doing just this for the time being.

With only a moment's hesitation to admire her friend's work, Toggle picked up a crate, similar to the one Brass was filling, and hefted it onto her back to carry. "C'mon Princess. I'm gonna take you into town, make some caps, and see about outfitting you with some guns. The ones you have just won't cut it in their condition."

"We don't understand, you intend for us to act as a soldier?" Luna followed behind Toggle after exiting the maintenance room.

Heading towards that far end of the tunnel, leading down the mountain, Toggle flicke dan ear back to listen to the princess. "I know it's a strange thing to ask of royalty but I've been working day in and day out so that I could save Brass. Can I ask this favor of my Princess? You always said you cared about our soldiers, right?" The ghoulish mare looked back to give Luna a wide grin.

It was true, Luna did care about her soldiers. She recalled speaking at Big Mac's Funeral, as a Spritebot hovered about, capturing the scene for the whole of equestria to mourn the hero that had saved Princess Celestia. She had cried more that day than she had during the entire war. If she could save one of Equestria's finest, she would. "Very well Honorable Royal Advisor Toggle Switch. We hereby swear that we will do everything within our power to assist."

Toggle didn't show it in her face, but he whole body visibly relaxed. "Good, I'm glad to hear that our princess is still fighting for Equestria." She opened up the gates at the other end of the tunnel and stepped out, into the wasteland. "Cause I'll be damned if it doesn't need somepony to fight for it."