//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Fallout Equestria: Old Adversaries 
// by Silver Eyes 
//------------------------------//

What's the best way to survive a zebra attack? Luck, plain and simple. The thing I absolutely love about the stripy fanatics aside from their balefire is that ponies around here absolutely despise them. And hateful creatures never think. Walking down an alley in a large city, pretending to be unaware of the locals glaring at your monochromatic body long enough to reach a nice quiet alley and wait for the telltale signs of your impending breakfast. "Filthy zigger". Three of them by count, one earth pony, one pegasus, and a unicorn, how exotic "please don't hurt me I have a family to feed". I normally stutter when I do the whole puppy eyes and quivering mouth routine. But honestly, this is job is so repetitive it the whole mugging scene becomes amusing, I kid you not, it takes all my self-control to not break into hysterics when one tries to talk while biting a crowbar or baseball bat. Still the three of them actually look threatening and the unicorn probably has a firearm judging by the bulge in his saddlebag. "Please, just leave me alone" I murmur looking at the ground while one walks closer towards me "we won't lay a hoof on ya darling" he says levitating a knife to my foreleg. "Not a hoof" he says bringing it down the blade coated in light grey magic. His magical knife goes straight through my disguise’s fetlock plunging into the pavement below "what in Equestria" the earth pony says dropping his weapon. The pegasus figures it out and tries to fly, after a single wing beat she hits three armored bodies and falls back to the pavement in a daze. The earth pony turns in time to see his companion fall and receives a bright green blast of concussive magic from another looming figure. While his help drops unconscious the unicorn stares at my leg, his grey aura mixes with cyan colored energy causing my stripy body to catch flame and my disguise burns away in a flash. His mouth moves trying to form a coherent sentence, "don't bother" says a familiar changeling mimicking his voice "you won't be missed" turning slowly he watches as harvester twenty three slowly changes mimicking his appearance. The thug's eyes bulge and he soon faints, with some assistance of course. A quick body switch, verbal beating about the use of excessive force on a quote "clearly incapacitated target" and I’m on my way back home with breakfast in a garbage bag. 
And what a sweet home it is. A hospital, or more accurately an ironic disguise filled with drones masquerading as nurses and other merciful caregivers. Home is a few levels down to be specific, just next to the industrial sized washing room; ponies called it a morgue I think.
The Bleeding heart general hospital acts as our humble harvesting hub in the region due to the sheer amount of emotion surrounding the place and more importantly because it’s the only place the insane ministry of morale mare won't stick her snout in. Unfortunately being a hospital it becomes hard to tell who is actually disguised or not "Subtle what are you doing here" asks one of the nurses "ah nurse tender hooves? Nice ta see ya lass" she groans and rolls her eyes as per usual. "Oh, beg yuir pardon ma'am ya look a lot like tha nurse in charge of me boy" the accent is a great attention getter and if the floor manager decided to get up early today.  "Mister Subtle your son is fine, he told me a moment ago he just..." 

"An who might you be miss" I say staring at the newcomer 

"Nurse tender you've met me twice before actually, surely you..." 

"O that's right yur tha nurse after me boy, again sorry there ma'am" 

"Sir" comes she interjects looking frustrated "I know your worried about your son's health and he does react well to the amount of vegetables you bring in" the other nurse begins to back off returning to whatever task she had before. "But I’m sure there are some others who would love some of the produce you have" 

"So do I" came another voice across the hive mind 

"Shut up I’m in character” we both replied “ah dinne know ya had a veggie shortage here lassie, where'd all them carrats go" she takes the garbage bad and begins to walk towards the lower level elevator "Oh the harvest family left a while ago, reserved some spot in a stable and where going to pack just in case" she paused while walking out of sight with the bag "you know". As the nurse wandered out of sight with my cargo she sighed once letting a small blue cloud leave her muzzle. Her breath was carrying emotions as far as I could smell, weak yet intricate combination of feelings, a touch of sadness mixed with remorse. Subtle but strong enough for my eyes to see the concoction float to the ground and settle, before a set of obviously disguised legs absorbed it. Unfazed by what must have been a bitter meal the drone, disguised as a security guard stopped next me "Thirty five you need come with me immediately" 

"An who might you be, lad" 

"This is no time for theatrics, your presence is requested" 

"All right, all right, give me a moment"

"Move" he said shoving me

"You don't outrank me, don't push it" He stopped pushing but didn't slow down. "Follow me, the commander requests your presence" he scolded walking towards the lower level entrance. 

And that he did "drone thirty five please welcome numbers ten and twelve from the Manehattan hive" both drones blinked in recognition, both of their eyes turning creamy white, presumably the colours of their hive. "And prince Solance" both of the Manehattan drones bowed in respect, while our leader simply blinked his eyes to our hive colour of bright yellow. The prince turned his head and shifted his wings, radiating discontent "and why does the hive host continue to refrain from common etiquette" our leader simply chuckled without exuding any readable feeling. "And why does a prince of none come to a house of a Queen" the Manehattan drones both shot back up processing the new information "quaint" the prince replied "I come on my own behalf to extend an offer before you jump into whatever alliance is proposed here". In unison both of the visiting drones spoke their voices thick with venom "an amusing scenario, a discarded prince who seeks to disturb our agreement without food or friends". Diplomats or the proud holders of the fifth place in the dangerous augment ladder were the demi princes of a hive usually through fear their weapons of choice being, hurtful words and powerful endorphin stimulating magic. While the base leader and his guard seemed to be holding their own against the diplomats, I could feel their loathing gather like bile. If the prince felt as I did he wasn't showing it "who says I don't have friends, only a day ago I had a lovely chat with some blind drones from the Manehattan area, do they sound familiar". 
The diplomats doubled their efforts subtlety focusing their magic against the prince, the air became thick with negative emotions to the point where I could not breathe properly. "Yes, interesting bunch" the prince said while his eye twitched "they said they had been attacked by a wave of drone militia while trying to deliver a message to the nearby hive". Hopefully because he saw my knees were about to give way the commander intervened "may I remind both parties here that this is meeting is kept hostility free only by my good graces". The commander spoke in a low, dangerous tone while his guard unfolded his wings and dropped into a low combat stance "what wonderful tact you possess commander" the prince stated sarcastically. "I will concede that my genes do not possess the silver tongue of an emissary" the commander replied walking towards the prince "truth be told were it not for my innate ability to dismantle threats to the hive". 

The prince looked at his horn and froze as green magic surrounded it and pulled him to eye level with the commander "or the dozens of soldiers I have around the place I dare say I’d never leave the hive let alone step into someone else's". He released the prince and turned towards the diplomats "Drone thirty five walk with me" I followed his advance, as the diplomats stand strong. "While I respect the wishes of my hive and yours, should any harm come to angling under my command, intended or not". The opposing drones stood motionless and waited wordlessly while the armored head of hive security picked up a pen in his magic field floating it close to face of the opposing drone "we might have to re-negotiate our deal". One diplomat lit his horn and the other smiled passively "if there has been any harms towards any of your guards we do apologise on our behalf" the guard received a glance from the commander and returned to his position. "Sorry to interject" the prince said bluntly "but if an apology is all it takes to make you completely forget the facts that you have been defiled by whatever animals these two represent you’re more gullible than my previous company". All eyes focused on him the prince smiled showing his bloodstained teeth "Surely you noticed that not all of your underlings have escaped unscathed" he said pointing a fore hoof at me. "I'd say the poor thing has about an hour of love left in him" I knew he was right, the air still felt think even without the two malcontent Manehattan minions to poison the air. By the great mother I’m spending too much time in Zebra form. "Drone status report"  the usually mild tone of the commander echoing though my skull “weakened state commander, my link is breaking". He stared at the diplomats both of them flinched under his gaze "thirty five try to keep standing" grit your teeth stifle your tears and ignore the food poisoning in front of the guests, seems legitimate. A pair of armored soldiers walked in the room and flanked our leader "escort the emissary to our storage room" he said without breaking eye contact with remaining drone. "We will not be separated our hive has warriors and will retaliate" the diplomat stated as the guards pulled him away from his partner "you killed one of my drones" the commander said coolly. 

Dead? No I’m sick, some indigestion maybe but we live in a hospital, I’ll be fine, the guard glared at me with the universal 'one word and your dead' look. "It is a mere worker the loss of productivity in your hive would be minimal" the prince chuckled and walked forward to stand beside the commander "you mean like the other blind beggars I found". The remaining diplomat and the commander both looked toward the prince while the guard kept his eyes on me "It would be rude to leave such a sad story unfinished, after some encourage they did tell me what happened to them". The diplomat nervously glanced between the prince and the door small amounts of fear wafting from him "although they lost their sight, their mouths were relatively intact in fact you would not believe just how much one drone can talk if you ask them to". The commander turned to the guard and gestured him to stand at the doorway, bowing left the room and stood vigil just outside. "Did you know for instance" the prince continued "that starvation is an excellent catalyst for friendship" the commander smiled slightly, closing his eyes while listening.

"And minimum wage does not buy the undying loyalty of shipping workers" the diplomat now visibly shaken moved his mandible, words however never left his mouth "to answer your question from earlier the drones did in fact survive and make a full recovery". The diplomat's eyes shot back up threatening to bore a hole into the prince with looks alone "I wouldn't" the commander threatened; his wings slowly extending "you would risk war just for me; the prince of 'nothing'?" Solance asked rhetorically. "While I am flattered that you'd think I would fight another hive without authorisation from my Queen, you should know I would gladly shatter your carapace and take your little contingent of drones".  The commander’s voice was filled with mirth, contrasting terribly with the dimly lit room and quaking representative of the Manehattan hive. Smiling in a benevolently the prince turned to face me "and how long do you think you will survive, should your leader kill me in cold blood" I simply freeze, I cannot hear the voice of the commander even when his horn glows, the burning sensation from my gut becomes a fully-fledged internal inferno. "Here is my offer, give me a place in a hive, your hive if possible I save your cleanup detail some work and you gain a prince for your empire" the commander laughed as my left hind leg began to give way "and of course perhaps thirty drones all full of vim, vigor, and insight to the Manehattan hive" the diplomat slowly stepped closer toward the door. The commander turned to face Solance, leaving the diplomat to the guard outside "and say I agree what do you gain from this enterprise" the prince slowly turned away looking down at the armored figure below him "Love, plenty of it, perhaps favor of the fairer sex, but then again I do enjoy working for the greater good" his horn charged resonating with a clear blue aura. The commander took one look at me "do it" he said as blue light swarmed around my body. "Your drone will be ready by tomorrow" the prince said "you two take him to the foodstuffs room, put him next to the ponies, remove him come the next morning" light left my world. Following quickly came voices, sounds of fellow drones moving my petrified body to the morgue, the sounds of the ponies who had yet to be encased, the diplomat demanding release lest his hive "crush the life from your sprawling bodies", a combat drone stomping a foot down in anger silencing the world again. Then one final verbal voice "we will see you tomorrow, pleasant dreams, um, double Zero". 

Suffice to say they lied