//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Bon Voyage // Story: Fallout Equestria: The Rangers // by Tytan //------------------------------// Chapter 4 Bon Voyage A week of bed rest and sucking down bland healing potions had left me feeling like a million bits, if bored out of my skull. There’re only so many times you can count the number of rings holding up your curtains. When I wasn’t getting visits from my friends and loved ones I was thinking about Clip and why he’d betray everyone he’d ever known. I just couldn’t understand it, and I couldn’t think of anything that would make him do so. Imp spent most of her time sleeping and babbling nonsense. I guess her smaller size meant that med-x had a more profound effect on her than me. She didn’t share my concern; although, to be fair, she also forgot how to swallow for a little while. We were eventually weaned off the painkillers. I felt less lethargic, but definitely more painful. I felt achy all over and my hide where I was burned didn’t feel like it was bending like normal, like it was made of leather or something. The doctors told me it would feel better when the nerves grew back into my skin. I was supremely relieved to hear that we could go. I had something I needed to do before anything else. I made my way to the residential area where everypony lived. I moved past row after row of near identical doors until I found the one I was looking for; Number 117, Clip and Butters room. I was a little hesitant at first; I wasn’t sure what I’d find. Maybe Clip left another mine, maybe Clip was still inside waiting for me so he could finish the job, maybe there’s nothing. I worked up the nerve to open the door and found that my lattermost suspicion had been confirmed. The room was perfectly clean. There were no clothes on the ground, the bed was made with military precision, and the dresser had been emptied. The only thing I found was a piece of paper on the desk. Something was written on it. It was really crude, almost like somepony tried to hold the pen with their hooves instead of their mouth. Scrawled on the paper was the following message; HELP THEY HAVE HER THEY’RE WATCHING It didn’t make any sense. I needed to show somepony. KNOCK KNOCK “Come in!” The door opened and Pin looked through the door at me, “You’ve been out of the hospital for all of ten minutes and the first thing you do is visit the room of Stable 33’s first traitor? I’d accuse you of having mixed up priorities if you didn’t have a look on you face that said you found something.” “I did find something, take a look at this.” She scanned the note and considered its contents, “What does he mean ‘They have her’. Who’s her?” “I’m not sure, but I think it’s Butter.” “How could somepony have her? She’s dead.” “I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember Clip saying she’s dead. In fact, I don’t remember him saying much of anything.” She didn’t argue my point. “Okay then, who’s ‘They’ and how could they be watching, Red Team were the only ones to walk through that door.” “I don’t know, but if they were watching then Clip took an awful big risk writing this note. But I’ve got an idea. Let’s go find Imp.” I grabbed the note and we made our way to the one place I was sure Imp would go when she got out of the clinic. The workshop. The air stunk of oil and metal shavings. There was also the high pitched grind of metal cutting metal. Imp was at a workbench cutting a length of pipe in two. We waited until she’d completed her cut, so as not to startle the little pony with the power tools. She powered down her saw and turned to meet us. “Sup?” “How’d you know we were here?” “That door’s louder than you think. What do you need?” “I need Amber for a second, I need to test a theory.” “Sure thing. Amber, you have a visitor.” The screen on Imps pipbuck hummed to life, “How can I help?” “A few days ago you said that Red Teams tags have been disabled. Did you check Butter Creams?” “Why would I? I was under the impression she was deceased.” “Humor me.” “Okay… huh, that’s odd.” “What is it?” “It’s still active. And if I’m correct it’s a long long ways away.” “Good. Could you synchronize her tag to all of Blue Teams pipbucks?” “I did it before you finished that sentence. Check your eyes forward sparkle.” I brought up my EFS and sure enough among all the other marks showing nearby ponies there was a bigger diamond shape that didn’t move when I shifted side to side. “Good job. Could you send a message to Trauma to have him meet us in General Bullets office asap?” “Say please.” “Alright, please. Now lets go.” We met Trauma right outside the Generals office. I went in first, followed by everypony else. The General got up from his desk to greet us, “Afternoon. Sergeant, Imp, How are you feeling?” I answered for myself and Imp, “Much better thank you.” “What can I do you for?” “I think I’ve come across something important.” “What is it?” I passed him the note. “I found this in Clips room.” He read the note carefully. “And you didn’t find anything else?” “No, sir. His room was completely bare.” He considered this new information, “The implications this raises are troubling, to say the least.” “If you’re thinking what I’m thinking sir, then you know we have to leave immediately.” “Are you sure? Didn’t you get out of the clinic an hour ago?” “I’m sure. We’re ready.” “Okay, let’s get you outfitted.” “Just a second sir.” I turned to Imp, “Amber, could you send a message to Summer. Tell her to meet us at the Stable door atrium.” Amber sang her answer, “What’s the magic word!” “Ugh, Please?” “Sure thing! Done.” I turned back to the General, “Ready sir.” “To the armory then.” The armory was right next to the firing range. The door was a solid slab locked by two terminals. The General took his place by one, and I took my place at the other. We typed in our unique passwords, scanned our retinas, and, after a quick wipe, scanned our taste buds. The door ground up and revealed a long room with several rows of shelves and dozens of lockers. Four of the lockers had our names on them. I went up to mine and opened the door. Inside there were a few personal items. A heavy leather jacket with a Stable 33 door branded on the flank; it’d look a lot like my cutie mark if it didn’t have the number. There was a battle saddle rig that could be adapted to a number of different guns and had some saddle bags attached to the back and holsters for smaller weapons. The last thing was a gryphon trench knife. Supposedly my many times great grandfather took it off the body of a gryphon commando that had nearly killed him during the Gryphon Wars. It looked a bit like a standard combat knife except that it had a spiked guard that gryphons used for punching in close quarters. A pony can’t punch like that, but the spikes are supposed to be a nasty surprise for anypony trying to buck you in the face. I pulled on the coat and put on the battlesaddle. I sheathed the knife with a smooth shick. I looked at the rest of my team. We all wore the same jacket, but our equipment differed quite a bit. Trauma had pulled his massive hammer out of his locker and put an automatic pistol from the wall behind us in his shoulder holster. Pin had her custom rifle slung across her back and a silenced automatic pistol in its holster. Imp had her insanely intimidating grenade machine gun attached, gun on one side and ammo pack on the other, I’m sure her exosuit made it as light as a feather. I moved to the wall and selected my preferred load out; a combat shotgun with a barrel magazine on my left, and an assault rifle on my right. I preferred this configuration because it would allow me to fight effectively at mid and short range. I kicked two levers and the actions on both weapons cycled with a satisfying click. We all loaded up on provisions; canteens and freeze dried food packs. We must have look like big damned heroes right then. We were armed as heavily as any pre-war commando unit. I’d go so far as to say that we might have given Macintosh’s Marauders a run for their money. I spoke to the rest of my team, “Let’s go.” We followed the General out of the offices and down the stairs to the Atrium. The door was indeed ajar as the doctor had told me, and Summer was waiting for us. I excused myself. I walked up to Summer, she was clearly very worried, “Hey Babe.” “Hey. Are you sure you have to go now? I mean you just got out of the clinic and…” I cut her off, “I’m sure. I think I found something really important, and if I’m right then we need to find Clip.” “If you’re sure, then…” she threw her arms around my neck, pulled me in tight and kissed me. I have no idea how long it lasted, but when we were done everypony else was looking at us with expressions varying from surprise to respect. “Goodbye.” “Goodbye, and good luck.” Summer left. She didn’t want to see me leave. Pin hit me on the shoulder, “You are one lucky buck loverboy. I wish I had somepony who’d kiss me like that.” I smirked, “I bet you do.” The General coughed, “Sergeant, before you go I have something I need to tell you. It’s been an honor to know you, and I commend your bravery.” “Thank you sir.” “Good luck Sergeant.” We saluted one another and the General left, leaving me alone with my team. “Are you all ready?” Imp spoke first, “Can we do this before I lose my nerve?” Pin took off down the tunnel yelling behind her, “Last one there’s a rotten muffin!” No one gave chase, but we trotted out the door after her. The tunnel was circular and was made of the same rock some of the lower levels are carved out of. We found Imp at the end of the tunnel struggling with a second metal door. “Hey help me get this.” Trauma walked up to the door and spun the release handle. The entire door slid up and Pin fell flat on her face. Bright light flooded the tunnel. I was the first to step outside, followed by Trauma, then Imp. Everything was so… big. Big and empty. Oh so very empty. I’d never seen so much empty space before. I’d read about the fields and deserts and mountains, but words can’t do it justice. I didn’t see any fields, but what I saw was almost what I’d pictured a desert would look like. There were massive orangish stone pillars scattered around the horizons. They didn’t look like mountains, their sides were too steep and their tops were flat. I decided that they must be mesas instead of mountains. Something else I noticed was that we were really high up. The door had been placed midway up the side of one of the many mesas. The ground bellow wasn’t made of rolling sand dunes, it looked perfectly flat. The sky wasn’t what I expected at all. It was gray and looked all lumpy. I’d kind of been hoping to see a grand blue expanse with the sun shining brightly, I was honestly disappointed. We were on a smallish ledge with a wooden railing. The railing encircled the ledge and continued down a skinny trail off to our left. Off in the distance I could see massive craters pockmarking the land at random. If I was right then they were balefire bomb craters. But what were the Zebras aiming at out here? They couldn’t have known where 33 was, could they? Had they been firing blindly? Were they just burning everything? Pin finally joined us and was transfixed by the sight. When I looked at her she was staring at the horizon with her mouth agape. “I guess that makes you the rotten muffin.” *** Level Up New Perk: Gun Nut- You are something of a firearm savant. You gain +10 to small guns and repair. Small Guns- 25 Melee- 25 Science- 25 Repair- 25