//------------------------------// // Calm Before The Storm // Story: Fallout Equestria: Rogue Thunderhead // by Salty Alty //------------------------------// ========================================================================================== 8/16/2090, 06:00, 4.5 miles off the coast of Manehattan. ========================================================================================== As the sun crept its way above the dull gray horizon, the lower hangar bay was filled with the sounds of those on morning shift mingling and talking, and one could hear the occasional flame of a welding torch or clank of a tool being put to liberal use. A cacophony of raindrops assaulted the sides of the massive warship, the sound echoing throughout the entire hangar bay. It was a cold day on board the Cirrostratus, everypony having bundled up in whatever warm clothing they could get their hooves on. The largest concentration of such ponies were near one of the larger, more heavily armed variants of the Vertibucks, which had the image of a bird's beak painted upon its nose. The area around the aircraft was crowded by maintenance ponies and engineers, who were fussing over its left wing, a few of its large rotor blades bent at an angle. A single large burn mark dominated the left side of the Vertibucks hull, blackest at the center. A mare sat off away from the hustle and bustle of the working ponies, her peach coat bearing a small number of large oil splotches, her scrappy maroon mane singed and poofed, and she wore a heavy jacket with a leaf stitched into the fabric. The edge of its sleeves were slightly charred at the edges. A few medics fussed over her, wrapping bandages over various small burns around her hooves, and checking her over for any more wounds. Her teeth chattered every so often, as her rapid breathing slowed to a calmer pace. As the medical staff tended to the mare's wounds, an older, stark white mare coughed loudly near her, making her presence known and causing a few of the gathered ponies to jump and salute. She looked at the injured pegasus and medical ponies with scarlet, half-lidded eyes. She gestured to the ponies fussing over her friend to back off a bit, the ponies complying hesitantly. Hoofing over a thermos to her friend, she sat down roughly in front of the pony. "'Ey there, Windy. You don't look too hot..." Pulling the pony into a soft hug, she pulled back, looking at the mare's singed and freckled face. "What happened out there?" Emerald eyes snapped up, looking at the white pony. "I-I don't know Swift... I was doin' some scouting in the storm, like the brass asked me to when some lightnin' struck Ol' Canary there!" She exclaimed, shakily gesturing to the larger Vertibuck with a hoof. "She's proofed for  lightnin', but I nearly went down when that cloud struck me! It just... Lashed out like 'twas a rabid timberwolf!" Windy shakily brought the thermos to her lips, hot vegetable stew flowing into her mouth. Gulping down a mouthful of soup, she continued. "20 years, and I ain't ever had a crash. But them clouds... they nearly did me in. I'm telling you what, Dive... Ain't ever seen a storm that fierce in my life." she said a tad more steadily, her body shaking a little less and her breathing lighter than her previously labored gasps for air. Swift Dive nodded, the dog tags attached to her neck jingling as she did so. "Easy there, sister. I already know you had a rougher time than when I had to pull off Keel's loop. Let's just take it from the top. Start from the beginning, okay?" she said softly, trying her best to come off as reassuring. She had never been good at this sort of thing, more suited to hyping up her fellows and acting a rambunctious fool than calming ponies down, but she tried her best. Sighing heavily, Windy spoke, walking over and laying a hoof on the large aircraft. The thin aluminum skin where the lightning struck was completely melted, leaving Swift to wonder just how powerful it must have been to melt such a conductive material. "Awright. We had just been a couple klicks out when we first entered that... That storm. My co-pilot for the day was Rocky Wind, and we still had around an hour or two before our fuel level hit bingo. Both of our flight suits were in tip-top shape, and our oxy' masks were working as they should have been. The lightnin'... It was weird. 'Was different colors, like a rainbow. The clouds were also thicker than they should've been, almost like jello. Our avionics were also on the fritz and I had to shift to manual after a half hour. It's when I tried pullin' back, that shit hit the fan. One of the clouds, a yella' one if I remember right, suddenly shifted to a bright red before the cloud just... exploded, and two bolts of lightnin' hit us right in the side and our rotor. Some of the consoles started to 'splode and set on fire, and I could hear the port rotor clankin' somethin' fierce. Rocky passed out, and the flight stick barely wanted to respond at all... I coulda' died then and there if I hadn't stabilized our bird quick enough." Swift walked over to Windy and put a hoof on her withers, casting a critical and scrupulous gaze over the hull of the Vertibuck. Indeed, on closer inspection, one could notice slight variations in the hue of the burn, like an incredibly dark rainbow. "And I assume that's when you managed to make it back here, yea'?" The flighty pilot nodded. "Aye. My bird barely managed it, but we dropped below the storm and I was able to limp us back here... Somewhat safely. She'll definitely be grounded for a few months, that's for damned sure." She said, kicked the ground and letting out a loud snort. It was then that she heard a pony stomping up to her rapidly and the sound of ponies standing at attention barely registered in her ears before she was on the receiving end of a verbal onslaught from the pony. Her dark grey coat, straight cobalt blue mane, and the hornet cutie mark were among the most abhorred of the crew. Everything about this pony screamed "By the books", from the pristinely pressed uniform to the perfectly brushed fur on her coat. "Ahem! What are you doing back here so early Ensign?! And where's Sergeant Rocky?! The Captain ordered you two out for 5 hours, and it's only been 2!" The mare screeched, the tufted ears and fangs made as apparent as possible. Nearly stepping over her own hooves, she shakily brought a hoof to salute the enraged officer. "S-Sorry Lieutenant Vespa, Ma'am! The storm nearly downed our aircraft and we were forced to RTB!" Windy's eyes were wide and she swore she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Tears brimmed in her eyes and her jaw started to quiver. Vespa terrified her and it showed. Windy had joined the navy to fly support aircraft and had only been drafted to combat duties once the Great War ended and good pilots became scarce and harder to train.   Giving an annoyed huff, Vespa's nasally voice cried out once more. "Then why didn't you continue observation if you were still flying?!" Attempting to defend herself, the pilot stammered out a reply. "W-W-We couldn't! Our avionics were buste-" "DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE IF YOUR AVIONICS WERE BUSTED?! YOU HAD YOUR ORDERS AND HAVE DIRECTLY DISOBEYED THEM! YOU HAVE EYES, OR ARE THOSE BROKEN T- AGH!" Her complaining was cut short as she felt an impact directly to her chest, finding a white hoof connected to a mare's body. Swift Dive looked at the shorter mare with a dangerous gaze, retracting her hoof and cracking her neck. "Now, how about you simmer down now, and give this mare an apology before I dent the floor with your skull?" She pawed the floor a few times as her tail dramatically flicked. Vespa snorted, using a wing to pull back her collar, revealing the silver two bars that marked her rank. "I'm not sure if you're aware of who you're talking to, pogue. Perhaps if you walk away and forget about all of this, I won't report you to the Captain." She smiled smugly, daring the mare in front of her to protest. Unfortunately for her, the last thing she saw before her head was slammed into the metal floor was the snowy mare giving a cocksure smile. Her head spun and she was fairly sure she was seeing stars as she impacted the floor once more, as the world around her rocked and twisted. She felt herself being pulled to her hooves, and shakily stood up. Swift glared at her with contempt, standing to her full height, towering over the smaller thestral, and she too pulled back her collar, revealing three silver stars. "I want you to listen close and listen well. I've dropped deuces more intimidating than you. I've seen the worst shit the Great War had to offer. And I didn't survive all of that, just to deal with an uptight twat who thinks she's the best thing since sliced bread!" Her volume had raised and her shouts could be heard across the entire hangar bay. "You're damn right I'm a pogue! Because you know what snowflake? At least I actually made an impact in the world! Your ass? You ain't seen, nor done, shit! You'll never make O-9 sitting in an air-conditioned office all bucking day, jilling yourself silly while the rest of us work our asses off to appease you and your stupid bucking Captain! So go buck yourself twinkle-hooves, and don't you dare talk to my buckin' troops like that ever again... GOT IT?!" Vespa nodded rapidly, clumsily walking away with her tail between her legs, her nose leaving a small trail of blood across the hangar bay. Swift Dive rolled her eyes and as she saw Vespa retreating up the stairs, she growled. "Buckin putz." ========================================================================================== 08/16/2090, 13:00, 4 miles off of the coast of Manehattan, Approx. 2 days travel to the storm. ========================================================================================== Two pegasi sat in a small, dim office room. The lights flickered every so often, and the ceiling fan let out a nearly imperceptible hum. One, an orange stallion with a rust colored mane, was laid down on a slightly worn down couch, a mechanical wings' servos occasionally revving and whirring as it fidgeted in place. A set of aces adorned his flank, as well as 3 poker chips. The other, a creamy white mare, sat in a cushy faux leather office chair, her strawberry red mane tied into a bun. She held a large clipboard between her wings, the pencil clutched in a hoof as she looked across the room at her patient. Gazing lazily across the room, she spoke with a nearly lifeless tone, though it carried a hint of something softer. "So, High Roller... Is there anything else you'd like to talk about this session? You do still have-" She quickly looked at the antique hour glass sitting on the desk next to her. "-20 minutes left in this particular appointment." The stallion thought for a moment. "Not that I kin' think of in particulah'. Th' old wings' been giving me some trouble lately. May need to go see your sistah' once I'm done here." His eyes tracked the blades of the fan as it spun, blinking every few seconds. He turned his head towards the mare. "So doc, what's the verdict?" Humming to herself, her eyes scanned her clipboard, taking a second to properly select her choice of diction before speaking in the same tone as before, looking her client in the eyes. "Well, I think I will maintain my policy of not sugarcoating these... delicate issues." She sighed deeply. "The adjustment period for cybernetics usually lasts for up to a year. Yours however... has lasted for nearly six years now. While it is not unnatural necessarily for there to be certain issues regarding bionic limbs and the requisite neural bonding procedures, the situation we have on our hooves is certainly... unique." She chewed on the eraser end of the pencil for a few seconds, struggling to find her words. "Regarding the other issues you have brought to me, I don't think you will ever fully free yourself from these habits. You have certainly come a long way after your Angel Dust addiction, though you have reported immense difficulty when you attempt to quit gambling, seeing as well-" She frowned. "It's your special talent. My personal recommendation to you is that you nurture your talent, however despicable you may find it. It can indeed be hard to nurture something you find distasteful, but here is something I don't quite think you realize; Cutie marks are not always to be taken at face value." She said, her tail flicking every so often. The stallion grumbled, turning his head back towards the ceiling and glancing at the doctor out of the corner of his eye. "Waddya' mean by that?" Her ears straightened, and he swore he could have seen her eyes light up ever so slightly. "Well, take my cutie mark for example. It symbolizes my ability to calm ponies down, and my aptitude as a psychologist. It doesn't just mean I am good at putting ponies to sleep... Though I harbor that particular talent as well." She said, letting out a giggle. "I suppose the point I am attempting to make is that while some talents can certainly be taken at face value, a cutie mark is multifaceted in it's symbolism." Roller blinked, his brain having to process the information. "Huh. I 'Spose you've got a point there... I'll need to think on that 'till our next lil' rendezvous. Same time next month, Calm?" She nodded, swiveling in her chair over to the small computer at her desk, jotting down his next appointment. "Of course. It looks like I can slot you in for.... The nineteenth at 18:00. Is that fine with you?" The large pegasus rolled off of the couch, cracking his neck. "Yeah. That's perfectly fine." Walking out of the door, he turned back to the milky mare. "Tell Life that I said hullo, will ya?" Calm Mind let a small smile slip onto her features, nodding. "Of course. Have a good day, Roller." She heard the door click shut, letting out a sigh of relief after she was sure nopony could hear her. Reaching a hoof to a drawer at the side of her desk, she pulled it open and fished around for a bit, before retrieving a small metal cylinder, a small blue light blinking at the top. Putting the small tube to her lips, she depressed a button near the bottom and let the sweet, sweet taste of nicotine and cherry assault her taste buds, her eyes rolling back as she took a hit off of the electric cigarette. Blowing the smoke out of her mouth, she melted into her chair, crossing her hind legs and transferring the device to her wing. Her eyes followed the slowly fading cloud of smoke, a faded cherry scent filling the room. Swiveling in her chair, she simply reveled in the feeling for a few minutes, her muscles completely loose and relaxed as she took another drag. Blowing the smoke out in rings, her eyes followed their movement as they were sucked into a nearby vent. She nearly jumped out of her skin as suddenly, there was a light tapping at her door. She swiftly stashed the device in her drawer, kicking it shut as she hopped out of her chair and walked to the door. Looking through the small peephole, she grimaced and steeled herself, plastering on a fake smile as she opened the door to the hall outside. Opening the door, it revealed a near perfect copy of herself, the only difference being a cleaner coat, a red cross cutie mark, and the light blue scrubs the pony wore, a worn name tag reading off DR. FLIGHT. "Hello Life! How've you been lately?" Calm said, noting that the mare's nose wrinkled as she smelled the remnants of cigarette smoke in the room. Sighing deeply, Life Flight looked at the mare in the doorway. "Hello Sis... I've been great. The sick bay has been stuffed to the brim as of lately. Who bucking knew that flying so close to Manehattan would irradiate the maintenance crews?!" She raised her voice, nearly shouting as a vein in her neck threatened to burst. Huffing, her eyes snapped back to her sister. "So! How have you been? I've gotta say, your office smells positively lovely." The psychologist snorted, and her ear quickly flicked to the side. "I've been good. I've had less patients than usual recently, though the ones I do have are riddled with the usual insomnia and anxiety. And if you would like for me to go back on Men-Tats, then why didn't you say so?! It isn't like smoking keeps me from relapsing or anything!" She hissed out, rolling her eyes dramatically. Life huffed, pulling a small stack of papers out from under her wing. "Tch. Whatever. You've got a new round of patients coming in for Psych-Eval after we've patched em up." She trotted away, leaving a forlorn and seething sister behind. ========================================================================================== 08/16/2090, 24:00, 4.5 miles off of the coast of Manehattan, Approx. 2 days travel to the storm. ========================================================================================== The nightshift was always a pain to work, and tonight was no exception. A small team of eight gathered inside the upper hangar bay, currently in the process of donning hazmat suits and checking their equipment. They had various toolboxes and saddlebags of wrenches, welding torches, and any other tools or replacement parts they would require. A shorter pink mare was currently being assisted by High Roller, as she struggled to fit into her suit. As he pulled back the final zipper, the mare spoke, her pigtails barely fitting within the confines of the suits mask. "Not that I'm complaining sir, but are you sure we have to wear these? We sh-ow! We should be far enough from the Manehattan blast zone to be fine, right?" The rust-colored stallion chuckled, shaking his head as he saw her scrunched up face. "Ah'm positive. We've still got radiation hittin' us way out here, n' half mah crew has already been put into sickbay from it." Pulling his own suit on, he stomped his hooves into a set of black boots, which had a small red gem at the back of them. "These suits r' a damned pain to work in, but it's the only way we aren't gonna have problems, you hear, Mornin?" He said, giving her a bearded smile. The mare sighed, stepping into her own boots. "Affirmative, Sir." Giving her wings an experimental flap, she frowned. "Oh these are going to be a pain to fly in." She thought to herself, before being startled out of her musings with a loud cough. High Roller tapped Morning's shoulder, pointing towards a pony who was sat on a stack of crates. "See that colt there? That's Frosty Gust. He's the big kahuna in charge 'round here." She looked towards the hangar door as the frigid white stallion shook his icy blue mane and turned to address the assembled ponies. "Alright, alright, alright everypony! Let's get this little shindig started!" He shouted, giving everypony a goofy smile. "Our job tonight is to get workin' on Anti-Dragon batteries two and four after the scuffle a week back. In addition to that, we've gotta check all the Anti-Gryphon turrets on the top deck-" Everypony groaned as they heard those words. "-as our boys over in electrical have told us they've been on the fritz. Any questions?" Nopony raised a hoof. "A'ight, get suited up and prepped for departure then. We've only got a four-hour window to work in, as we had to raise Tartarus to get the fillies over at navigation to slow down enough for us to work." Waving Morning over, High Roller took his mask off and grabbed a large metal saddlebag in his teeth, hoisting it onto Morning's back with a thump. "Don't worry ‘bout losin' anythang. Everythin' in there is magnetic, and if ya don't do summin' stupid like drop yer tools, you'll be right as rain!" He said, pulling the straps on the saddlebags, tightening them to the mare's barrel. She nodded, before assisting with him putting on his own larger saddlebag. "Have you ever worked on those batteries before? My last deployment was as an engineer to a Sky-Tank, and our main battery wasn't close to the size of one of those Anti-Gryphon turrets!" She asked giddily, watching as High Roller's face broke out into a grin. "Oh yeah, plenty o' times. They're big bastards too, prolly three times the size o' those lil' guns you had on your metal turtle. 'Thousand rounds o' hot lead spewin’ out of them barrels a minute, ain't nothin’ like hearin’ that roar in th' middle o' the night." He felt her tighten the straps to his saddlebag, the metal boxes sitting snugly at his sides. Pulling the mask up above his face, he tightened the zipper with a wing, his beard tickling the air filters inside of the suit. Morning looked at the boots on her hooves, before looking back up to her superior officer and asking, "What are these? I've never had to use them." He chuckled, clicking his hooves together. The red gems lit up as he walked over to a wall, suddenly walking along it as though he had forgotten gravity was a thing. "Mag boots. Keeps us from flying off o' the ship while conductin' maintenance. 'Means we don't waste energy tryin' to keep up with sheer wingpower." She nodded, clicking her own hooves together and attempting to walk, failing spectacularly as her steps fell out of sync. "Whoa! It's like I'm walking in quicksand!" Trotting over briskly, he stabilized her. "Hahaha, Don't you worry none. It's just like walkin' in pumps." Nodding, she took his advice, managing to step forward without falling, before his words registered in her brain. She turned around to face him. "How the hay do you know what it's like to walk in pumps?" High Roller gave her a big smile from behind his mask. "I didn't always work on a ship!"