The Citadel, mid-2280
When Dominica woke up, it felt like she’d just been stomped on by a behemoth. Her entire body was unresponsive and breathing was a struggle. As if to compound things her throat felt like she had swallowed radscorpion venom and her eyes wouldn’t open.
“Holy crap, she’s awake! Get the Sentinel!” In response, someone rushed out, the swish of robes audible along with hurried footsteps.
The Paladin tried to get up. She really did, but her body just refused to respond.
“Dom.” She could hear Sarah’s voice. “We thought we’d lost you.”
“Water,” she managed to croak. Her vision was obstructed by a water bottle being pushed against her mouth. As it was slowly poured into her mouth, the pain began to fade. “Thanks,” she said, noticing her voice was still very rough.
“What happened? Everyone in Paradise Falls just mentioned a bunch of explosions, and a few mentioned mushroom clouds.”
“You remember... how we took down that Enclave base? The orbital missile satellite?” She paused for a moment. “Talon Company... managed to find one. Used it. On me.” She smirked. “I really am invincible, aren’t I?”
“Yeah,” Sarah said uneasily. “Talon Company? I thought - ”
“So did I. Should’ve known they’d still be around.” Dom coughed suddenly, causing the Sentinel to spill the water on her. “Oh god that hurt,” the Paladin groaned, trying to raise her arm. “How long have I been out?”
“Only a few days. How do you feel?”
Dom was a little confused by the question. Wasn’t it kind of obvious? “Like shit. My throat is really dry.”
As Sarah poured some more water into her mouth, she asked another question. “Anything else? You don’t feel any... different?”
“Not really,” Dom replied, her confusion mounting. She doubled over into another coughing fit, this time bringing her right hand over her mouth. “Oh goddammit that... that...” The Paladin’s mouth just hang open in shock as she took in her hand. “No...”
“Dom I’m... I’m sorry,” Sentinel Lyons said softly as the newly-ghoulified woman stared at what she had become in shock.
“Get me a mirror.” When there was no response, she repeated herself. “Get me a fucking mirror.”
Sarah could only watch as an Initiate retrieved an old hand mirror and uneasily passed it to the ghoul. There was a terrible moment of silence as she stared at her face. Then, she began to weep.
As the four entered the room again, Dom was forced into a situation that tested her willpower and instincts. Every fibre of her body was screaming at her to punch the thing with its arms wrapped around her before driving a knife through its skull.
“I’m so sorry!” the thing wailed. “I didn’t mean to hurt you! I wasn’t thinking and I said the first thing that I thought of but I never thought you’d take it so badly and now you hate me!”
Everyone else in the room looked at this in shock. Shining Armor was especially worried, knowing full well the Paladin’s deadly capabilities. Yet, he did nothing to stop what was happening. He was fully prepared to intervene, if the need arose. but he hoped that wouldn’t happen.
“You have five seconds to let go of me,” the ghoul growled. Pinkie Pie looked up at the scowling face and quickly detached herself.
“Does... does that mean you forgive me?” the pink party pony asked, rubbing at her running nose and tear-streaked face.
“It’s a start,” Dom replied. “But if any of you insult me, my family or my friends, then I am leaving,” she warned. “Clear?”
The ponies murmured their uneasy agreement, now curious as to why she would react so badly to the last two. “Those terms seem agreeable,” Luna commented, now next to her sister.
“A little harsh, don’tcha think?” Applejack asked.
Dom pointedly ignored that and pushed on. “Alright then, I’m sure you have questions. Let’s get it over with.”
The ponies were taken aback by how brusque and irritable she was.
“Just what are you?” Rainbow Dash asked loudly, hovering closer to the ghoul.
“A ghoul. As for ‘who’ I am, Paladin Dominica Esposito of the East Coast Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. I am also known as the Lone Wanderer.”
“How did ya get a title like that?” Applejack asked.
“Well it certainly wasn’t because I surrounded myself with people all the time.” The farmer shot a glare at the ghoul after her cruel remark. The ghoul sighed. “Not that I wouldn’t have minded that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I may be the Lone Wanderer, but it was never because I wanted it,” she explained solemnly. “Fawkes. Jericho. RL-3. Reilly’s Rangers. Even Dogmeat. God, I miss that little son of a bitch.” At the last name she smiled sadly as she recalled her canine companion.
“Could you watch the language?” Rarity asked, covering Sweetie’s ears with her hooves. “There are children present. And what is that hideous armour you’re wearing?”
The ghoul’s expression hardened. “Watch your mouth. What did I say about insulting my friends?” This quickly shut the unicorn up.
“You’re not very friendly,” Pinkie Pie muttered.
“After all I’ve been through, it’s amazing I can carry a goddamn conversation for five minutes,” Dom replied harshly. “Nearly everyone I’ve met has tried to kill me or manipulate me. Hell, nearly got killed by those damn Commie freaks once. God that was weird,” she muttered to herself.
“Commie?” Shining asked, trying to understand what she meant. Meanwhile, the Element Bearers were all trying and failing to hide their shock and horror at how easily she was discussing this.
“Cool!” Scootaloo said loudly.
“What of your home?” Celestia asked, hoping to steer the rather gloomy conversation to somewhere brighter. “Surely things are much better there.”
“The place I grew up or the place I live now?” Dom asked in response.
“Didn’t you say you grew up in a Vault?” Veronica asked.
“Yeah. About eighteen years.”
“What’s a ‘Vault’?” Twilight asked, still not fully recovered from the rather disturbing things the Paladin had said.
“Giant underground bomb shelters, designed to house thousands and protect them from nuclear holocaust,” Thomas said, speaking up for the first time. “Not even a hello?” he asked cockily.
“That’s what the advertisements said,” Dom added darkly. “Only a few actually did what they said they would. For the most part, they were giant laboratories. Some of them were pretty benign.”
“Vault 21 in Vegas had all problems solved through gambling,” Thomas added. “Still can’t believe the place lasted two centuries.”
“And the one I grew up in, 101, had a dictator. Not as bad as it sounds. But some of the others...” Dom chuckled. “Let’s just say it was probably a good thing the bombs wiped out civilisation.”
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked timidly, her voice so small even the mares right next to her had trouble hearing her.
“Subliminal suggestion, cloning labs, mind-altering drugs pumped through the vents...”
“There’s one near Boulder City where the residents were convinced that they had to sacrifice someone every year to keep the place running,” Thomas added. “And everyone in Vault 19 went completely nuts.”
“So that’s what happened?” Veronica asked curiously. “I remember a few Paladins talking about that place a few years back. Also something about Fire Geckos.”
“What kind of government could do that to their citizens!?” Luna yelled, horrified and furious.
“The kind that shipped protesters to a science facility to be human test subjects,” Thomas spat. “One run by monsters.”
“I wasn’t kidding when I said the end of the world was the best thing that happened to America,” Dom added. “Gave the world a fresh start. Rise up from the ashes, and all that. Wasn’t that simple, though.”
“H-how so?” Twilight asked nervously, her own morbid curiosity compelling her to ask.
“Washington got hit bad. No clean water, most of the city turned to rubble, and the surrounding areas are still filled with wild animals. The White House took a direct hit from a nuke, too. Nothing but a smoking hole in the ground.”
“The what?” Thomas asked. The ghould turned and let out a groan when she caught the matching blank looks the Courier and Scribe were giving her.
“Do you know nothing about American history? It’s where the President of the United States lived.”
“How significant is this?” Luna asked.
“Basically, he had your position. The final say in any major political decision.” She looked around with a grim smile. “The White House blown up like that, it’d be the same as if this palace was destroyed.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“We have orders, Frost.”
“Yeah, I know, but they seem so...”
“I’m not happy with this either, okay?”
“Come on you two,” a third unicorn said. Even in the gloom his golden armour shone slightly, his flanks showing a pair of crossed trumpets with cobalt banners attached to them. Poking from his helmet was a slate-gray horn. “Firebolt, Frost Lance, you know our orders.”
“This seems wrong,” Frost muttered, the ice-blue unicorn looking around the moonlit dirt plain.
“We just take out the hostiles,” Firebolt muttered. “Only the hostiles, not the civvies, only the hostiles, not the civvies,” he repeated, the mantra keeping him calm.
“Shut up, corporal,” the other Knight replied, pulling rank in an attempt to maintain order.
“Yes, sir.” Despite his superior’s order, he kept muttering to himself.
“Clarion Call, are you really sure about this?” Frost Lance asked nervously.
“Honestly? I can’t help but think this’ll only make things worse.” The unicorn sighed. “But orders are orders. We don’t have a choice.”
“They pulled us out of Fillydelphia for this? A torch-and-burn op?”
“Hey, makes sense they brought you along, then,” Frost said with forced cheerfulness. “Dunno what I’m doing here.”
“Alright you two. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can leave.” Clarion Call led the three into the caverns. “Let’s show them what happens when they mess with Equestria.”
Author’s Notes:
This one was a pain.
Who else had this massive “Holy shit” moment when they came across 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Fallout 3?
And another Knight! Wanna guess his talent?