//------------------------------// // The Discovery // Story: T.R.O.T.T.E.R. Shadow of Cheernobyl // by EricNeoMatrix //------------------------------// I do not own anything from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, except for original characters. MLP is copyrighted by Hasbro. ... T.R.O.T.T.E.R. - Shadow of Cheernobyl Death comes easily here - death above us, death below us, death in the air, death in the soil and the water. You can catch a bullet for speaking out of turn, stepping on the wrong patch of grass, or possessing anything of value. You may share bread with a pony, and be forced to kill him in self-defense the next day. You face peril in every place and at every hour, from the bored bandits deciding whether their victims live or die to the most horrifying monsters imaginable lurking in every shadow. You may go out for a day and never come back, vanishing in woods filled with gnawed corpses. Or you may simply rot in a muddy hole, magic radiation melting away your body. You will die, and you will not understand what happened, except that your end was not quick enough. But if you survive, good for you. If you succeed, well done. If you make it out, never look back. Such is life in the Zone. - Anonymous ... "... Hello?..." The big-bellied earth pony shifted in his wheelchair, taking another bite out of a piece of bread. He tried to get the radio in his bunker working, to very little effect. Fiddling with the dials as best he could, loud static was all he got in response from the outside world. "Faust damnit..." He cursed to himself, turning the dials more in a vain attempt to boost the signal. Three hours wasted on this piece of junk. It had to be the military blocking the magic signals somehow, or maybe it was the freak atmospheric conditions. He didn't really know or care at the moment. What mattered now was that he had no contact with the outside world. And without finding sources of clean food and water, starvation would set in before the ponies trapped in the Cheernobyl exclusion zone would even see it coming. Needless to say, the earth pony knew that their survival was up to him. He had to keep the holes in the military cordon open for as long as possible. And how was he supposed to do that with no radio to contact his scouts? The small blast door in front of his stall suddenly opened. A light-green unicorn, garbed in worn fatigues, entered the chamber. Sid noted that she looked more like a filly playing soldier than a well-known pioneer of this new world. "Vhat have ya got?" Sid asked to the unexpected guest. "... A body, from a military truck." She stated. "And he's got a mark." Sid deftly propelled his wheelchair over to the counter so he could take a peek. The tiny colt looked no more than a few years old at the most. His skin and hair was a deep jet-black, almost like it was scorched in a fire. His mane looked gray and sickly, a wilting mess of hair covering his head. Scars and lacerations crisscrossed his body. "Huh." The obese earth pony shrugged. "He's probably dead anyvay. Just leave him in..." "He's alive." Sid recoiled in his chair. "Dragon shit! You're lying!" He spat, glaring venomously. "The Zone take me if I am, Sid." The mare retorted. "He's malnourished and dehydrated. One of his legs looks broken too. Not sure if it was from torture or from the crash." "Let me see!" As carefully as she could, the mare maneuvered the young pony on the stall counter. He had to see this for himself. Sure enough, investigating the broken colt, Sid noticed the letters "T.R.O.T.T.E.R." cut into the flesh on the back of his hind leg. The colt began stirring, almost like he was dreaming. "I'll be damned..." That was the third one they found yet - and the first living one. Guess they were getting desperate for information if they were roughing up a little kid this badly, Sid thought. "Vhat's his name?" "No clue." The mare replied. "He's pretty much out cold." "Vell... If I were you, I'd put a bullet in his head and be done with it." Sid suggested. "I'm having enough problems trying to get the supply trains through that damned military blockade." As much as he detested suggesting the death of an innocent child, the kid probably wouldn't survive his injuries anyway. Her voice turned deadly serious. "I'm not going to do that, Sid." The earth pony snorted. "Ohhhh, so you vant to be his mommy now." Then his expression turned deadly serious. "I'm telling you, he's not gonna make it." Snake Eater paused. "What other chance does he have? If it comes down to it, then I'll gladly take care of him by myself." Sid could see the "look" in her eye, that motherly twinkle that denoted a mare's willingness to do anything for a pony she cared for. He had seen it many times before; he knew that there would probably be no convincing her. "Vell, you can do vhat you vant, Snake Eater. None of my business." He nodded slowly. "If you think you can save him... then I'll believe you. Ve need all the help ve can get anyvay." A soft cry droned from the new arrival's mouth. The little colt shifted slightly, eyes fluttering open and mouth agape in a silent scream. "Must... run... please... no... no..." His good leg twitched, and he groaned. Then he was still once more. The green mare fastened her gas mask firmly onto her face using her magic. "I don't have any meds left. If you could maybe watch him for a little while, I could go find some more." "I'll help him as much as I can, but no guarantees." Sid offered, earning himself a grateful nod from the adventurer. "Good hunting, trotter." Snake Eater saw herself out the door and pulled it shut behind her.