//------------------------------// // Chapter 53 // Story: Fallout Equestria: Black Cat // by Rixizu //------------------------------// “More barrels?” Break’s magical radiation detector on her PipBuck buzzed with activity upon entering the tunnel, finding the path the Steel Rangers had chased her into blocked. A pile of oozing steel drums obstructed her path, their contents spilled over the tracks. It offered no other alternative but turning back. Whoever set up this obstacle didn’t desire visitors.  It gave her two options, turn back and face the Rangers or enter the radiated area. She cursed her lack of knowledge of these subway tunnels. The maze-like structure twisted her around many times, leaving Break confused and lost. The Steel Rangers, however, didn’t suffer such issues. Break guessed they had a map of the tunnel system in their systems. Break tensed as she heard charging hoofsteps. While bulky and lacking in mobility, the Steel Ranger power armor gave them powerful strides, moving at surprising speeds. They moved not unlike a train, running down anything in their path. Her debating cost her precious seconds, leaving her no option but to move forward. Did their armor provide protection from magical radiation? Their power armor pumped chemicals through their veins, offering healing, or painkillers.It made them a pain to fight. They might have anti-rad drugs.  Oh, ponyfeathers. Someone had placed these barrels for protection and she didn’t want to bring a fight to anyone’s doorstep, but her enemies offered her little choice. A grimace twisted her face as she flew over the offending barrels, not daring to touch any of the radioactive green substances. Dear Celestia, more? More barrels lined the corridors, and already she felt weak from radiation poisoning. Her stomach twisted, ready to burst at any moment. It returned unpleasant memories of when she swam through radioactive water while fleeing from Robin and his cohorts. Her eyes brightened with hope after spotting a door leading towards a maintenance area. It might at least distance her from the poisonous barrels which seemed almost numberless. Where had they come from? Magical radioactive material wasn’t uncommon, waste material from a bloody and destructive war. Bringing them down here, while time costuming, wouldn’t be difficult.  With her stand, she threw open the door and cried out in surprise as she crashed into somepony. They collided with a tangle of limbs, and Break groaned in pain from the impact. “What the heck?” A raspy voice said. They gasped in alarm after noticing the stranger. “A pony?” Break raised her head, and her eyes widened at the figure pulling themselves from her. They had dried-out skin, leathery and corpse-like. They had no hair, and appeared emancipated like they hadn’t eaten for months. It was a ghoul! They appeared female, but it was hard to tell. Their coat was hot pink, but that rarely meant anything. The ghoul pony glared at Break looking her over and appeared relieved that the intruder wasn’t wearing any weapons. “What are you doing here?” “Uh, hi.” Break replied sheepishly. She realized the sizable amount of radioactive material’s purpose. Ghouls fed on magical radiation, which kept them strong and healthy. Her knowledge of their kind was limited because they were a rare sight in Whinnyapolis part of the wasteland. She’d never even seen a ghoul until today. It made her conscious and awkward, not wanting to come across as racist staring at the freak.  Break coughed and regained her composure. “Sorry, I’m in trouble.” “She came this way!” A Steel Ranger yelled, which made the ghoul pony jolt in surprise. “Perfect, she’s dead regardless if we catch her.” Another replied. “Should we enter Paladin Bumper?” “Don’t underestimate her, remember all the crap she’s already survived.” A familiar voice said, and Break gasped. It was that Lucky mare. Why was she working with the Steel Rangers? “Our armor will protect us, but the radiation levels this high are too dangerous. This area is unknown and possibly contains hostiles. Something created this barrier of radiation on purpose.” Paladin Bumper said after mulling over his options. “For now, guard each exit. My map only reads four potential exit points. She can’t stay there forever. Either she leaves, or the radiation gets her. She had a PipBuck. She has to know what she’s facing down there.” Lucky laughed. “This isn’t a large area to search. A radiated corpse shouldn’t be hard to find.” Paladin Bumper nodded his agreement. “I’ll procure the necessary amount of anti-radiation drugs for the infiltration mission.” “What? Steel Rangers?” The ghoul gaped after overhearing this conversation. They sent another scathing glare towards Break. “Yes, they’re trying to kill me, but I mean you no harm!” Break replied. “Tell me one good reason I shouldn’t throw your flank out there?” Break opened her mouth to reply, but her strength left her and she leaned herself against a nearby table for support. Dear Celestia, the radiation was worse than she thought. The ghoul eyed her dispassionately, unmoved by Break’s plight. “What’s going on here, Flower Power?” Another raspy voice said. An aged stallion trotted into the room. “A visitor?” “Kettle, the Steel Rangers are after this pony.” The other ghoul explained. “She’s foolishly entered our city to avoid them.” Unlike Flower Power, the other ghoul looked upon Break with sympathy. “Then we should help her. Your heart is too hard, ponies in need require our help.” “But!” “No buts.” Kettle admonished. “The Steel Rangers are bullies, and I won’t have them killing a poor defenseless pony on my watch. Forgive my grandson, he can be hard on strangers. Come, we have some anti-radiation drugs that might help. On the way, you can explain your story.” Break didn’t reply for several moments, too overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you.” She managed. “The wasteland is already a hard enough place, we don’t need another needless death added on to it.” Kettle bowed his head, a smile creeping onto his face. Flower Power wasn’t happy but helped Break stand, leading her farther inside the room towards another door. “Welcome to Ghoulapolis.” Kettle said as they entered a larger tunnel. The ghoul city wasn’t quite what she expected. Fine wooden barricades with floral designs separated sleeping quarters. Ghouls lounged on the finest furniture she’d ever seen. She also spotted objects that would fetch a handsome price in pre-war days. Break supposed being ghouls, they could explore places most ponies couldn’t and discover the highest quality of items possible. She spotted one of those fancy beds with curtains. It was a far cry from the lice ridden mattresses she was used to. The tunnel system would give them access to far parts of the wasteland. Still, lunging all this furniture couldn’t have been easy. She noticed they were doing some digging also. A large section of the ground was exposed, which expanded into a new tunnel leading deeper into the ground. What type of building project were they planning? “Well, um, I’m not exactly sure why.” Break said, trying to provide the best answer without sounding crazy. “They think I’m dangerous and want to remove me.” “That can’t be all.” Flower Power replied. “Did you sleep with the Senior Paladin’s spouse or something?” Break didn’t even dignify that question with a response. Kettle gave his grandson a disapproving look before turning to face Break. “Does it have something to do with your fabled special powers?” Break gave the older stallion a startled look. “You are the Black Cat, right?” Kettle chuckled. “Even the Princess of the Wasteland says there’s something special about you.” “Everypony thinks I’m special, but I’m not.” Break gave a weak, hopefully reassuring smile. “The Steel Rangers believe I have something they can exploit. They want to dissect me.” This earned some gasps from the ghouls. Flower Power remained unconvinced, remained silent. Some ghouls muttered angry comments about the Steel Rangers. They had a sorted history with the ghouls that often ended with violence. The Rangers viewed the ghoul as abhorrent mutants which required extermination. Break could relate, and the ghouls didn’t seem in any hurry to betray her. “Don’t just stand there.” Another ghoul chastised. “Bring her over quickly. Or do you wish her to die on the spot!” Kettle smiled sheepishly. “Sure, Doctor Tender Care.” He led Break towards a shack towards the end of the tunnel. Unlike the other living areas, the ghouls had used salvaged wood to create a private area for the makeshift clinic. “Sit here.” Tender Care led Break towards a hospital bed, which she sat on. It surprised Break how clean everything was. This ghoul doctor took her profession seriously. “There will be a small pinprick, okay.” Tender Care held a needle after withdrawing some chemicals from a shelf. Break nodded and winced as the doctor injected something into her. Much to her surprise, her nausea cleared almost and her breathing improved. “There, that should help you resist the radiation down here. You’ll require further treatment once you return to the surface.” Tender Care said. “You’re lucky the radiation levels aren’t as strong in the city.” “Really, I thought you eat radiation?” Break asked, curious. “Wouldn’t you want it as strong as it can be?” Tender Care laughed. “Not quite. It’s true we absorb radiation, but too much is dangerous. It makes us unstable with odd side effects, like…” Her voice trailed off, not wanting to continue. Break didn’t press her, realizing it must be an uncomfortable subject for the ghouls. “Fine, she’s better now.” Flower Power said. “What about the Steel Rangers? If they charge inside, it will be disastrous!” Break winced. “Yeah, I don’t mean you any trouble. They're after me. If you help me locate my friends, we can lure them away.” The doctor crossed her front hooves. “Won’t they just catch up with you again? Their influence is far reaching.” Break remained silent, conceding this point. Alone, her stand powers couldn’t defeat the Steel Rangers. Worse, she just learned Lucky, a fellow stand user, had joined forces with them. And she had no proof Scavenger’s stand would have much use against power armor. What a disaster. She broke into a frown. “Do you plan to evacuate everypony? That might be your best plan.” “Do not fret about that. We have tunnels Steel Rangers don’t know about.” Kettle said. “There are secret paths leading to the surface.” “A secret path?” Break perked up with excitement. Sure, the Steel Rangers might chase after her, but confusing them would be useful. A light shining in Flower Power’s and he beamed. “I have an idea, and it would kill two birds in one stone!” “Uh, I don’t get you.” “One secret path goes through a Stable, Stable 77 to be exact.” Flower Power replied. “With your strange luck, going through shouldn’t be difficult. Ponies say you can survive anything. The Steel Rangers wouldn’t be so lucky.” Sending Steel Rangers to their doom pleased him greatly. A Stable?! “I’m not liking the sound of this.” Ponies called Stables death traps for a myriad of reasons. Reasons Break had become intimately familiar with on numerous occasions. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.” Break grimaced, hating all the weird idea ponies got about her. “That Stable is too dangerous.” Tender Care snapped. “We deemed it a nonviable route for a reason.” “Better than endangering the entire village.” Flower Power shot back. “And it’s her fault!” Break’s ears flattened at this statement, overcome with guilt. It wasn’t entirely her fault, but that didn’t make her feel better. The two ghouls argued while pondering over this terrible plan. My stand can’t defeat the Steel Rangers. This trap might be the next best solution. She dreaded going into another Stable, however. She disliked bringing her friends inside one even more. “I can’t decide this without my friends.” Break said.  Ray’s smart. He’ll devise something better. Besides, if they were to enter his horrible Stable, Scavenger’s help would be invaluable. His navigation skills were uncanny. Kettle nodded. “Sounds fair. Hurricane, see what you can find.” “On it!” Hurricane, a ghoul pegasus, nodded and flew down a tunnel. “Okay.” Tender Care said. “Let’s see if we can solve this without sending somepony to their death, hmm.” -- Scavenger slinked around a corner, watchful for any dangers. Steel Rangers weren’t the only threat down here. Ray stood behind him, gun ready for trouble. The Cosas walked with a visible limp. Scavenger had pulled some collapsed rubble from Ray’s leg, and the rock had done some considerable damage. While the healing potion Scavenger had found earlier while scavenging helped, the injury had been substantial. Fear gripped his heart as he worried about Break. The ceiling had collapsed completely on top of the mare. No amount of digging had revealed anything. Scavenger had thought Break dead, but his stand, Free Bird, had heard digging amongst the rubble and Break’s faint voice. Somehow the lucky mare had survived! Her stand must have saved her. Miracles never ceased when the Black Cat was around. Scavenger grunted in annoyance when barrels of radiated waste blocked their path. His pocket radiation detector buzzed with activity, indicating the danger path before them. “Come on! This should have given us a straight path to Break!” Scavenger had mapped the tunnel pretty well while exploring. They should have discovered his friend by now. Ray studied the block path for a moment. “This seems deliberate. Why?” “Probably ghouls.” Scavenger replied. “The zombie ponies like hiding in tunnels.” It would explain the eyes watching them. He tensed, wondering if they were feral. While they miraculously survived the intense radiation caused by the Megaspells during the war, it left them genetically unstable. Ghouls were rational for a time, but eventually their minds decayed and they went insane, feral. Scavenger had encountered many feral ghouls during his travels. The creatures were fast, dangerous, and didn’t care about their own safety. It made them a formidable threat. Great, the last thing they needed. “Someone is coming.” Free Bird stood to attention. It had been watching the tunnels for trouble. Its nose open to anything they might approach them. “It smells of pony and oil.” “Steel Rangers.” Scavenger cursed. “Hurry.” Ray pointed towards some broken pieces of roof from a partial cave-in. It didn’t provide much room to hide and they hid in the darkness, trying to remain silent. Much to Scavenger’s surprise, the Rangers stopped before the radiated path from earlier. They waited several moments, but it seemed clear the Steel Ranger had no intention of moving any further. They strained their ears to catch any snippets of conversation. “Are they really expecting us to go inside there?” Steel Ranger one asked. “Don’t worry, it won’t be long.” The second replied. “The Black Cat’s gotta be dead from radiation poisoning. We’ll find her dead on the ground. No problem.” Scavenger cursed. Break was inside there? Why wasn’t he surprised? Fear resurfaced, remembering the ghouls inside. His friend could defend herself, but the zombies could be dangerous. If she survived the rad poisoning. “But what if the radiation destroys whatever mutation gave her those special powers?” One said. “Who cares, that’s the scribe’s problem.” The Rangers chatted away, obvious to the eavesdroppers. Ray frowned. “She’s stuck like a rat. Troublesome.” Scavenger nodded, then rubbed his face hard. “Right. At least it appears the Rangers are spreading out to cover the exits to these areas.” Free Bird laughed. “Perfect! It will make it easier to pick them off! Let’s cut their heads off already! We can test my claws!” Scavenger frowned, considering the idea. He didn’t know if his stand was powerful enough to challenge the Steel Rangers’ power armor. He knew the armor’s weakness at the joints and neck, but would Free Bird’s claws be strong enough to sever those vulnerable points? His stand seemed confident enough. Scavenger gave a weak smile. “Risky, but I doubt we have little choice. Better to learn now, than in a heated conflict later.” “I will provide a distraction.” Ray nodded, catching the meaning of the one-sided conversation. The Cosas’ only weapon was a pistol, but appeared ready for battle. Here goes nothing. Scavenger kept low and crept amongst the rails. While not perfect, it hid Scavenger’s slight form. Ray would draw the Ranger’s attention away from the more dangerous Scavenger emerging from the rock cover. Free Bird was eager for bloodshed and slinked down like a cat ready to pounce. Scavenger had briefly explained his plan, and the stand nodded. Unlike Break, Scavenger had to give his stand commands by word of mouth, a real inconvenience. Without warning, Ray opened fire, and a Ranger cried in pain as a bullet impacted a joint along their neck. The Cosas aim was perfect and caused some serious damage. The Ranger, however, received only superficial damage, and both went into high alert, returning fire. One opened a comm and reported they were under fire, just as Scavenger planned. It would add some confusion amongst their ranks. Ray leapt back, hiding behind a stone indent in the wall. It didn’t provide much protection, and he winced as fragments of stone flew past his face. Scavenger hoped the new threat would make the Rangers too distracted to notice him. But somehow a Ranger spotted Scavenger and pointed. He cursed and ran forward, closing the range between them. Scavenger hated the limited range of his stand, which always forced him to move in close. This seemingly suicidal tactic from an unarmed opponent momentarily confused the Rangers, which gave Free Bird the time it needed to strike. One Ranger pointed its raingun towards Scavenger’s exposed face and gasped in surprise as something cut the weapon in two, its barrel clanging to the ground. “Senior Paladin Bumper! We’re being attacked by a stand user!” The Ranger cried out, which surprised Scavenger. They know about stands? It left the questions for later. “Aim towards their throat!” Scavenger yelled, but Free Bird didn’t need prompting. He would target the weakest point first and worry about cutting the full armor later. “What the…” The Ranger didn’t finish their sentence and blood oozed from the open wound as Free Bird’s claw tore through the vulnerable point. Not powerful enough to sever the head, but killed the Ranger with a sliced throat. “No!” The other Ranger screamed in horror and pointed their grenade launcher, ready to unleash the explosive at close range despite the danger. They didn’t get a chance as Ray shot the vulnerable point in the back of their neck with his pistol. They’d forgotten about the other attacker and screamed in pain. Free Bird didn’t waste the opportunity and dug its claws into the Ranger’s throat and the pony died drowning in their own blood. “Yes! We rock!” Free Bird said in triumph, pointing its claws towards the heavens. “That was too close.” Scavenger grabbed his out of control, beating heart. “Hurry. Test your stand’s effectiveness against their armor. We have little time.” Ray said. Scavenger nodded, already hearing the chatter from the Ranger’s helmet. Other Rangers would arrive soon to investigate. He doubted they’d survive long without the advantage of surprise. “Oh, come on!” Free Bird said in frustration. Its claw couldn’t cleanly cut through the power armor. Its claws could slice through the thick armor, but it took some serious effort. They couldn’t even cut through a limb without some difficulty. Disappointing, but valuable information. “Your best bet is targeting their weak points.” Ray said. “Easier and cleaner kills.” “How stupid!” Free Bird groaned in annoyance. Scavenger nodded. His best chances of confronting a Steel Ranger were targeting the neck, or the joints around their limbs. He doubted he could impale them in the heart. That was one of the most protected parts of their power armor. Still, he could kill them, though he hated that he needed to enter close range for the kill. I wonder how effective Break’s stand is against the Rangers? He scowled, realizing it mustn’t be very effective since he’d seen her fleeing from them. Still, he’d killed two Rangers. Their fellows would discover the bodies and be left wondering why. An effective psychological weapon they might exploit. Too often the Ranger were overconfident in their power armor’s ability to protect them. Scavenger turned around to leave with his ally, when a new voice stopped them. --- “Uh…” Flower Power stared in amazement at the strange scene he’d just seen, backing into the safety behind the barrels. Somehow that normal pony killed a pony without magic or touching them. The other had a gun, but he’d seen no weapon on the unicorn. “What is it Flower Power?” Hurricane, a fellow ghoul, asked. “Nothing.” He replied, trying to sort this new information. “The Black Cat’s two friends just took out two Steel Rangers.” Hurricane snorted. “That isn’t nothing. The Black Cat’s friends are better than we thought. If the coast is clear, we should bring them inside now before reinforcements arrive.” “Right.” Flower Power held back as the other ghoul ran from the safety of the highly radiated barrels. He only trails behind, too distracted by his racing thoughts. Besides, he wasn’t a pony person, anyway. That should have been impossible. He thought he detected something strange about the Black Cat. Never in his wildest imaginations had he conceived such abilities. Stand? Is that what they called it? He didn’t catch much of their conversation, caught that word's repetitive use. The big guy hadn’t raised an eyebrow at that strange magical power and he presumed the Black Cat also knew about it. What did it mean, though? Did the big guy also have a stand? How would he even know? “Who are you?” The unicorn tensed as Hurricane approached. The poor guy didn’t realize how dead he was if the little guy became violent. Good thing he stayed behind. “A friend! Break sent us.” Hurricane replied, beaming. While wary, the stallion nodded, much to Flower Power’s bafflement. “So this is a hideout for ghouls. Break sure is good at making friends. Lead the way. You’re not asking us to walk through those barrels are you?” Was this stallion a fool? Didn’t he realize this might be a trap? Must be overconfident because of his special power. “No need!” Hurricane replied. “We have a meeting point set up. Flower Power, tell the others we’ve found them.” “Meeting Point?” The bigger stallion asked. “Free of radiation, that sort of thing.” Hurricane waved a vague hoof. “We have a plan.” “Very well, lead the way.” The unicorn said and Hurricane led him down the tunnel, leaving Flower Power alone. The sound of thumping hoofsteps caught his attention, and he ran towards the Ghoultopolis’s entrance. “Hey!” A Steel Ranger cried out, but the ghoul entered safety before they could do anything. After calming his racing heart, he spent a moment considering his options. He realized Break might have a stand too. Unlikely, but still possible. It explained her strange fortune. Was this why the Steel Rangers were chasing after the Black Cat? If true, he refused to allow that. The Steel Rangers destroyed anything they deemed impure. He couldn’t let them utilize such powers. I need to stay close to the Black Cat. It would at least allow him to determine if she has stand powers. He smirked. “Yes, maybe it’s a power you can learn and obtain.” Nothing would be beyond his grasp. He’d burn the Steel Ranger’s headquarters to the ground, and a cruel smile formed on his face. If he couldn’t, at least the Black Cat would bring the Steel Rangers to their doom. That appeared to be her special talent. “Yes, nothing will be beyond my grasp.” Being around the Black Cat would change his destiny. Just what he’d always desired, to become something greater than a horrible rotting ghoul. “Oh dear, I can’t dawdle here.” Flower Power said out loud to nopony in particular. Again visions of great stand power filled his mind. He’d make this power his. Even if he couldn’t get stand powers, he’d use the Black Cat to her fullest. The Steel Rangers would suffer. Perfect.