//------------------------------// // Ch 23: Discovery // Story: Fallout Equestria: Do Robot Ponies Dream of Electronic Bunnies // by ScottWolf //------------------------------// FoE:‭ ‬Do Robot Ponies Dream of Electronic Bunnies Chapter XXIII:‭ ‬Discovery ‭“‬Shut the fuck up,‭ ‬fat man.‭ ‬This ain‭’‬t none‭’‬a yo goddamn business.‭”‬ -‭ ‬Jules Winfield,‭ ‬Pulp Fiction System Report:‭ ‬0000000023 Unit Status:‭ ‬Active Location:‭ ‬Cape Unicorn,‭ ‬Zebrion Satellite Signal Status:‭ ‬GPS active. Begin data dump to external off-site memory back-up: -‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ -‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ -‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ -‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ -‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬-‭ ‬Done. Preparing visual report:‭ ‬Done. Date:‭ ‬--/--/2212,‭ ‬200PA‭ (‬+66‭ ‬days activation‭) Time:‭ ‬0820‭ ‬Local Cape Unicorn‭? ‬A pony city in the middle of the zebra wastes‭? ‬Anyone else‭’‬s bullshit alarm go off‭? ‬Something didn‭’‬t add up. We‭’‬d landed around‭ ‬4‭ ‬am.‭ ‬Dragon said we were near enough our destination that we could walk the rest of the way.‭ ‬Spent some hours giving Chef Sandy a decent funeral,‭ ‬then headed on.‭ ‬AC felt kind of wrong with how quickly we were moving on,‭ ‬but he didn‭’‬t complain.‭ ‬He just hung his head as we stepped into the ruined city.‭ At first glance,‭ ‬you couldn‭’‬t tell there was a secret development facility in the city.‭ ‬It looked pretty urban,‭ ‬with some basic office buildings in the center of town.‭ ‬Dragon promised we‭’‬d be safe,‭ ‬the bugs and ghosts don‭’‬t go near the city.‭ “So,‭ ‬where is this place we‭’‬re looking for anyway,‭”‬ Scratch asked as she glanced around.‭ “This city is of pony design.‭ ‬I‭’‬m as foreign here as you with my kind.‭”‬ I thought Zirc was gonna work on his Equestrian.‭ ‬Or maybe he just didn‭’‬t trust us enough yet.‭ ‬Zebras have a weird cultural taboo about the way they speak.‭ ‬Won‭’‬t talk normally unless they know you really well. ‭“‬Verse,‭”‬ Night Rose said,‭ ‬looking at me skeptically.‭ “‬You do know where we‭’‬re going,‭ ‬right‭?” “General direction,‭”‬ I replied.‭ “‬I‭’‬m watching a signal from the place.‭ ‬It‭’‬ll get stronger as we get closer,‭ ‬then I can pinpoint it.‭” “So long as we know where to go,‭”‬ she said,‭ ‬glancing back at AC.‭ ‬He walked sullenly alongside Frieda,‭ ‬who tried her best to ignore his mood as she scanned the area around us. ‭“‬Think I should take to the air,‭”‬ she asked.‭ “‬Provide a little recon maybe‭?”‬ I could tell she wanted to get away from AC,‭ ‬and worse,‭ ‬so could he.‭ ‬His ears pined tightly against his head and his tail drooped even lower as he looked away,‭ ‬visibly shrinking a bit.‭ “Not right now,‭”‬ I told her.‭ ‬She looked at the effect she‭’‬d had on the red pony,‭ ‬and instantly regretted the suggestion.‭ We moved further into‭ ‬the city.‭ ‬I took point,‭ ‬keeping my focus split between the sine wave indicator on my HUD and the road ahead.‭ ‬It was‭…‬ difficult.‭ ‬The damn thing kept doing a roller coaster impression‭; ‬up then down then up then back down.‭ ‬It even did a loop.‭ ‬Never gonna explain that one.‭ ‬After about an hour of this I finally gave up watching it.‭ ‬The signal was apparently coming from everywhere.‭ A sniffing at my side brought my head down.‭ ‬Swiftpaws was nosing at the side of one of the houses.‭ ‬I was about to ask what he was‭ ‬doing when a panel of the wall shot upward.‭ ‬He yelped and jumped back next to Scratch.‭ ‬Eleven guns were suddenly pointed at the opening‭ (‬Zirc,‭ ‬Night Rose,‭ ‬Frieda and everything I had that wouldn‭’‬t kill us all on detonation.‭) ‬We stood there for a moment,‭ ‬waiting.‭ ‬When nothing emerged,‭ ‬Swiftpaws moved forward and poked his nose inside,‭ ‬sniffing furiously.‭ “I smell metal,‭”‬ he said after a few seconds.‭ “‬Smells like Verse,‭ ‬only bigger.‭ ‬Metal and plastic and something I can‭’‬t identify.‭ ‬I also smell‭…‬ death.‭”‬ All our ears perked at that as he continued.‭ “‬Rotting,‭ ‬decaying,‭ ‬but not quite dead.‭” “So either zombies or ghouls,‭”‬ Frieda said.‭ ‬She‭’‬d taken up a protective stance in front of AC,‭ ‬who thankfully had snapped a little bit out of his sorrow for this and was watching intently.‭ “‬Either way,‭ ‬what do we do‭?” “I‭’‬m going in,‭”‬ Night Rose said as she put her helmet on.‭ ‬She looked at me as if daring me to stop her,‭ ‬but I nodded my ascent.‭ ‬Like I could do anything to stop that mare.‭ ‬More likely be able to raise the sun and the moon.‭ ‬She nodded back and disappeared into the hole.‭ ‬To say I was tense was a bit of an understatement. ‭“‬So why aren‭’‬t you going in after her‭?”‬ I turned and looked at AC.‭ ‬It was the first thing he‭’‬d said all morning.‭ “‬Go on,‭ ‬get in there.‭”‬ I mentally bucked myself in the face,‭ ‬then dove in after her.‭ ‬It was completely dark.‭ ‬The path went downward after a few feet.‭ ‬I switched to thermals and found my marefriend a few meters ahead,‭ ‬staring down at something.‭ ‬I quick ultrasonic pulse revealed what she‭’‬d found.‭ ‬Steel Ranger armor.‭ ‬It gave a rough return,‭ ‬which meant it was rusted over.‭ ‬The design was off as well. ‭“‬Now that‭’‬s interesting,‭”‬ I said aloud.‭ ‬Night Rose jumped and nearly smacked me in the face with her rifle.‭ ‬I could tell she was scowling at me as I continued.‭ “‬This was an original model‭…‬ old style circuitry‭…‬ what‭’‬s this antique doing here‭?” “Let‭’‬s keep going then,‭”‬ Night Rose said.‭ “‬Call the others and tell them it‭’‬s safe.‭” “We don‭’‬t know it‭’‬s safe,‭”‬ I replied immediately.‭ “‬We‭’‬ve only gone a little way in and this tunnel could go for miles.‭” “Well we can‭’‬t leave it unexplored.‭ ‬And we can‭’‬t split up.‭ ‬What do we do,‭ ‬then‭?” I sighed and thought.‭ ‬We could probably separate.‭ ‬The only indication I had of life were the blue bars that marked my friends.‭ ‬But that didn‭’‬t mean squat for anything past fifty yards.‭ ‬On the other hoof,‭ ‬covering this city as one group would take too long.‭ ‬Splitting up for the moment seemed the most logical choice.‭ ‬Maybe an aerial recon,‭ ‬like Freida‭’‬d suggested.‭ “What about your signal,‭”‬ Night Rose asked,‭ ‬interrupting my thoughts.‭ “‬Is it stronger‭?” “It‭’‬s stronger,‭”‬ I replied.‭ “‬In all directions.‭ ‬It‭’‬s like this whole city is transmitting the signal and I keep walking past emitters.‭ ‬Only reason I‭’‬m not getting a headache from it is it‭’‬s a low-fi signal.‭” “So we could be going straight towards it,‭”‬ she said thoughtfully. ‭“‬Or we could be walking away,‭”‬ I finished with a nod.‭ ‬I told her what I‭’‬d been thinking,‭ ‬and she reluctantly agreed.‭ ‬A quick trot back to the entrance and we split into two groups.‭ ‬Frieda took to the air and acted as scout and cover for Scratch,‭ ‬AC,‭ ‬and Swiftpaws.‭ ‬Zirc followed Night Rose and myself back into the tunnel.‭ ‬Night Rose lit the lamp on her head so the zebra could see better.‭ ‬He was the‭ ‬only one in our group without enhanced sight.‭ ‬The walls were painted a sort of off-white.‭ ‬I‭’‬d heard somewhere that the color tope was supposed to be soothing.‭ ‬I wasn‭’‬t all that calmed by it. We came to a T-intersection.‭ ‬No signs told what was in either direction.‭ ‬Night Rose and Zirc took the path to the left while Swiftpaws and I explored the right.‭ “Call if you need us,‭”‬ I said as they walked off. ‭“‬You too,‭ ‬metal butt,‭”‬ Night Rose called back,‭ ‬and I saw Zirc chuckle as he turned away.‭ ‬I shook my head and couldn‭’‬t suppress my own smile as we were dropped back into the dark.‭ I decided to try the same trick I‭’‬d used back in Trottingham,‭ ‬combining radar,‭ ‬ultrasonics and thermal imaging.‭ ‬It gave me a pretty good impression of the hall,‭ ‬but nothing else really.‭ ‬Not like I‭’‬d expected anything more than two walls,‭ ‬a ceiling and a floor.‭ ‬A little ways down,‭ ‬I found a door with an electronic lock. Swiftpawes elected to move on as I fiddled with it.‭ ‬The lock was glowing red,‭ ‬so it still had power.‭ ‬One scan later and I knew how to get in.‭ ‬I brushed my front left knee across the front of the lock,‭ ‬activating the passkey component hidden there‭ (‬I was still discovering things about myself.‭ ‬What‭’‬s next,‭ ‬a flame thrower in my ass‭? ‬I hope not.‭) The lock cycled and clicked,‭ ‬and the pad changed to green.‭ ‬Silently,‭ ‬the door opened inward.‭ ‬It took a fraction of a second to know what was in the room.‭ ‬It was mainly empty save for a desk and a terminal.‭ ‬I trotted over to it and plugged myself in.‭ ‬Within seconds,‭ ‬I had a floor plan for this level.‭ ‬It was labeled as B-1‭ ‬of‭…‬ 99.‭ ‬Swell. This brought back to my mind that building in the last town we‭’‬d stopped in.‭ ‬It had been deceptively deep too.‭ ‬Was this a trend for Zebrion‭? ‬Build a mysterious facility in each town to discourage an attack‭? ‬If you didn‭’‬t know you were hitting the right one,‭ ‬what was the point,‭ ‬or something like that‭? ‬Strategically,‭ ‬it made sense,‭ ‬but everything here was of pony origin.‭ ‬Zebras didn‭’‬t use this sort of technology.‭ ‬Maybe we‭’‬d wrestled it from them in the war and set up shop.‭ ‬But then,‭ ‬that didn‭’‬t make sense either.‭ ‬If you‭’‬ve got something special to work on,‭ ‬you don‭’‬t put it in a contested area.‭ ‬It‭’‬s kept in the back until it‭’‬s ready to deploy.‭ My head was starting to spin again,‭ ‬and I unplugged myself and went to catch up with the wolf.‭ ‬This terminal had nothing else in it.‭ ‬But that just brought another set of questions.‭ ‬Why was that the only thing on this thing‭? ‬And what was it doing in a room with nothing else‭? Confound those ponies and their conspiracies.‭ Most of the rest of the floor was uninteresting.‭ ‬No signs of life,‭ ‬no threats.‭ ‬No nothing.‭ ‬After having a good look around,‭ ‬we headed back toward Night Rose and Zinc.‭ ‬They shortly appeared ahead of me,‭ ‬coming my way.‭ “This place is dull,‭”‬ Night Rose said as we met up.‭ “‬Nothing here at all.‭” “I expected more than just gray walls,‭”‬ Zirc put in.‭ “‬I was hoping for something with more balls.‭” “Since when did you get glory hungry,‭”‬ I asked incredulously.‭ “When one is expecting a major fight,‭ ‬to be denied it does not feel right.‭” “Yeah,‭”‬ Night Rose said in agreement.‭ “‬I thought this was some sort of R&D site.‭ ‬Where‭’‬s the R&D‭?” Probably‭ ‬98‭ ‬levels down,‭”‬ I replied.‭ “You‭’‬re kidding.‭” “I wish.‭ ‬Found a floor plan listing this as‭ ‬1‭ ‬of‭ ‬99.‭” “Brilliant,‭”‬ she said,‭ ‬and if she hadn‭’‬t had her helmet on,‭ ‬she‭’‬d probably have spit.‭ ‬Not that I could blame her.‭ “‬So now what‭?” “I say we skip a few levels.‭ ‬This place is too big to cover all of it.‭” “I agree,‭ ‬that would be wise.‭ ‬The building above belies its size.‭”‬ Zirc‭’‬s head suddenly whipped around.‭ ‬Instantly,‭ ‬Night‭ ‬Rose and I had weapons out and aimed in the direction he was looking.‭ ‬Unfortunately,‭ ‬he was staring at a wall.‭ “What is it,‭”‬ I asked,‭ ‬scanning intently‭ ‬. He didn‭’‬t answer immediately.‭ ‬He just stared at the wall as if it were about to attack.‭ ‬Finally,‭ ‬he shook himself. ‭“‬It is nothing,‭ ‬pay me no mind.‭ ‬We best move on and not fall behind.‭”‬ He looked expectantly at me.‭ ‬I nodded and stored my weapons,‭ ‬then led them to a set of stairs. We‭’‬d gone down maybe thirty levels,‭ ‬stopping occasionally to check things out briefly,‭ ‬when we finally hit something new.‭ ‬Giant cables leading from one wall into another.‭ ‬The second wall was more convex‭…‬ and didn‭’‬t seem to be attached to the rest of the room.‭ ‬Exploring another room‭ ‬yielded‭ ‬no answers,‭ ‬so we‭ ‬went a few floors further down.‭ ‬The stairs opened up onto a catwalk going around a large area.‭ ‬I looked up,‭ ‬and my breath caught in my throat. ‭“‬Well,‭ ‬this is dull,‭”‬ Night Rose commented,‭ ‬still looking downward.‭ ‬“Just a big empty room with some pillars that go up‭…‬ to‭…‬” Her voice died as she looked upward,‭ ‬her lamp illuminating what I saw.‭ ‬Zinc offered a prayer in Zeebraneze,‭ ‬his eyes looking up in wonder.‭ Before us stood the biggest mechanical pony I‭’‬d ever seen.‭ ‬Its head was crested with a large spiny fin that ran down its neck.‭ ‬At its shoulders were massive‭ ‬cannons and hanging from its chin were what looked like two high-powered energy turrets.‭ ‬Further back I could see heavy‭ ‬artillery‭ ‬guns mounted on its rump,‭ ‬and what could have been a massive plasma cannon on the flank closest to us.‭ "Wow," Swiftpaws said. “Verse,‭”‬ Night Rose said shakily.‭ ‬“Wh-wh-what is that‭??‬” “I have no idea.‭”‬ I was furiously scanning my military index but came up blank.‭ ‬“It must‭’‬ve been made after I was.‭” “Correct,‭”‬ a voice boomed.‭ ‬It startled us and we thought it came from everywhere.‭ ‬As‭ ‬it‭ ‬continued,‭ ‬we realized it was actually coming from the mouth of the mecha.‭ ‬“This unit was created approximately two years,‭ ‬five months,‭ ‬and ten days after your‭…‬ episode.‭ ‬It was also done in secret,‭ ‬here,‭ ‬outside of‭ ‬Princess Luna‭’‬s authority.‭” I knew that voice.‭ ‬It couldn‭’‬t be. The eyes of the mecha lit up,‭ ‬and I found myself looking at the degraded face of a unicorn I‭’‬d once loved.‭ ‬A unicorn who‭’‬d helped me and programmed me. Moonshine stared back at me,‭ ‬eyes full of something I couldn‭’‬t‭ ‬place,‭ ‬but the rest of her face seemed to be all anger.‭ “Been a long time,‭ ‬Alpha,‭”‬ the ghoul said,‭ ‬hate seething through the speaker.‭ ‬“Good to see you in such good condition.‭ ‬It‭’‬ll be so much better knowing I don‭’‬t have to track down any more of your tech after I destroy you.‭” Wait.‭ ‬What‭? Footnote:‭ ‬New Quest‭ ‬– Stompy‭ ‬Must Die:‭ ‬Your creator has survived as a ghoul and now seems intent on ending your life.‭ ‬And she has a big-ass mech to do it with.‭ ‬Defeat her and find out why.