Fallout: Equestria- Luck of the Draw
Chapter 3: Bit by Bit, Bean by Bean
“I don’t have a problem with caffeine; I have a problem WITHOUT caffeine!”
After surveying your surroundings, you decide it would be best to explore the ruins of the boardwalk and its stores. You slowly walk upon the wooden walkway, wary of any rotting boards giving way. Two hundred years of sea air and lack of maintenance will probably corrode the nails and wood heavily. As you stroll down the path, you look to your left at the stores that make up the seaside. You notice that it’s not just a few stores, but the beginning of what seems to be miles of stores, all lined up like ducks in a row. You deduce that starting from Buffalo Billiard’s Hotel, the shopping district begins and extends into the city. However, you also notice there is a distinct smell of coffee in the air, and it makes it curious where it is coming from. Not that you have a problem with coffee or anything, it was served in the Stable and was a favorite for those who liked to pull all-nighters like your father. It was just odd that you smell it in the air…maybe somepony was in one of the stores brewing some?
You pass by the stores one by one, looking at their names as the boards creak under your hooves. It was kind of amazing, you walking on this path like ponies have done hundreds of years ago, going to the beach and shopping to their heart’s content. Some of the stores were boarded up, probably to protect the inside of the stores after word got out the megaspells were used, but other stores were actually still intact with windows unboarded. One of the unboarded stores was named “Fancypants’ Fineries”, showcasing some ponniquins wearing what used to be tuxedoes and dresses that have worn down by time and moths. The store sign featured a silhouette of what seemed to be a unicorn head with a moustache and a monocle. You assume that Fancypants was the name of the owner, although you find it funny that somepony named their kid “Fancypants”. The thing that captures your interest the most were the sets of jewelry in the display cases. You think those would have been taken immediately by ponies already living on the surface (as you assume there are since your father was ponynapped) but amazingly enough they are still there, shiny and sparkling. You get the idea that maybe you should take them, just in case somepony would be sensible enough to barter for it, or maybe use the jewels for some energy utensils, as you know they use them in the Stable. Plus, they are very shiny.
You walk in the door quietly, but a bell hanging at the top of the door startles you. You never seen one of those before, but realize it was probably there to alert the store clerks there was a customer entering. Putting that little crisis aside, you walk up to the display case which was, unsurprisingly, locked. Your ability in lock picking was rudimentary at best, as you never really had the need to break and enter anything in the Stable. Besides, you didn’t have any tools to pick the lock with. You decide to use your own brand of lock-pick: the 0.38 caliber kind. Using the blunt end of your revolver you smash the glass of the display case, hoping no alarm would sound. Luckily, there was none, or perhaps there was but it may have been powered by the electricity that doesn’t exist anymore. In any case, you all the jewels in the case and stuff them in your bag. You also decide to check the cash register for any bits that might have been left over. Once you get to the back of the store, you jump in shock as you see a pony skeleton lying on the ground where the clerk would normally be. You sigh in relief and regret for the poor soul who was just tending the store only to die from magical radiation. You begin to feel a pang of guilt from stealing from the store, but you rationalize that if you are to survive, you have to do some things like this, even there are remains of the dead lying about. You open the register to find only a dozen bits, pocket them and head out of the door. The bell jingles once more, as the door closes on the well dressed tomb.
The next opened store that was a block down was called “Quills and Sofas” and due to your inherent curiosity you take a peek inside. Sure enough, the only things that were stocked were quills and sofas, although, there was quite a variety. Sure, some of the sofa springs were jutting out of several of them and the quill feathers were practically just sticks with bits of feathers attached to them, but it was apparent what they were. A sale sign stating for every sofa bought came with 10 quills (that were worth one bit each) were free. You wonder how many ponies actually bought sofas, or wondered if this store had any business at all. Then again, this store was in business over two hundred years ago, so you think that ponies really liked their sofas and quills to take advantage of such a deal. In any case, you decide to test a few non-broken sofas, and decide that they are quite comfortable. Maybe when you return you can tell your Stable about this place so they can refurbish…after all, the last time they refurbished was when it was first created. You also snag a few of the high quality quill-and-ink sets, as you never know when you might need them.
You head toward the register and pray there wasn’t another skeleton behind the counter. This time, it was just some dusty clothes and a door labeled “Storage” and a computer next to it. You try to push the door open, but it is locked, probably by the computer. You push the on button and amazingly enough, it works! Maybe the Finery store was connected to another power source or this place had its own magic electricity generator, but in either case you have a chance to hack this computer. You connect your PipBuck to the computer’s interface to find the password to open the lock. Among the choices for passwords the words “Quill” and “Sofas” appear.
…
It can’t be that easy.
You type in “Sofas”.
The screen changes. You facehoof. It really WAS that easy.
The screen began to list a couple options including “Unlock Door”, “Unlock Safe” and “Re: Sale”. Unlock Safe? You look around and don’t see any obvious safes in the floor or the wall, that is, until you see the drawing of what may have been the owner, a stallion with a cutie mark with a quill and sofa. You wonder how long it took HIM to figure out his talent. You select the option to unlock the safe and then hear an audible “click” from behind the picture. You walk up to it, push it aside and sure enough, a safe is hidden behind. Opening the safe, you find a pile of bits, a few documents, and a faded autographed picture of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with a quill attached to the picture. Wow! An actual picture of the Princesses! You take the bits and the picture and store it safely in your bag. It may not have any monetary value anymore, but it sure has some sentimental value.
You return to the computer to check the message “Re: Sale”. The screen changes to what appears to be a letter.
“To All the Managers of Quills and Sofas:
As you know, since the start of the war, sales on sofas have been going down, while quills have maintained a constant, which is surprising due to the invention of these new-fangled computers and memory orbs. Ponies still like to write the old-fashioned way, like myself, but I have had my secretary send you all an electronic mail to convey the urgency of this problem. In order to give ponies an incentive to buy our new sofas, I suggest a sale where we provide 10 free quills (each worth 1 bit) for every sofa they buy! Please put up signs in your stores and report to me any interesting results ASAP.
-CEO and Founder, Davenport”
Well, at least he was an optimistic pony, considering the end times. You shut down the computer and walk into storage room. Inside you see boxes of various sizes. Some boxes were large and wide, which you assume house sofas, while others were small, which undoubtedly held quills and their accessories. With this many supplies, you could refurbish the Stable ten times over! With this idea fresh in your mind, you go back to the selling floor and hop on to a sofa and begin writing with one of the new quills you bagged earlier on a notepad you brought from home. Then you have an epiphany; maybe this is what his cutie mark meant? Does his cutie mark reflect his ability to sell comfortable sofas to ponies to be while they write with his equally comfortable quills? It’s a stretch, but it is a possibility. In fact, this sofa is so comfortable that…you…want…to…sle-
You suddenly jolt awake on the sofa, feeling drool on the corner of your mouth. You fell a little embarrassed that you fell asleep on a sofa in a store that is nearby your stable, but you rationalize that a good nap is what you needed after so many things happening to you this past couple days. (You feel well rested, double experience points for a few hours!)
You climb off the sofa and walk out of Quills and Sofas, refreshed. You look around, and realize that the boardwalk is not exactly a straight path down the beach; it is actually curved, with some stores going more inland and others going out, causing some areas to be out of your line of sight. Then at the corner of your eye, you see what resembles a tail of a pony! Somepony is here! But you exercise caution; who knows how dangerous these surface ponies are. The pony hasn’t noticed you yet, so you crouch low to the ground and sneak up on him with your revolver in your mouth. You close in on your target, only to notice something odd: your Eyes Forward Sparkle isn’t picking up any life forms nearby, friend or foe. Even robots like the ones in your stable resonates a signal, so what is this mystery pony?
You are mere inches from him and you realize it isn’t a pony at all, but a life-sized figure of an earth pony mare with a crème colored coat with blue and pink hair and three wrapped candies for a cutie mark. It showed some signs of rust and decay, but overall if this represented a real pony you thought she was kind of cute. It was jammed in the doorway of a store, one with the name “CinnaBonBon’s”. You look inside the windows and see what appeared to be a bakery of sorts or a candy store, or maybe it was both. But what was more interesting than that was not what was in the store but the store next to it. It had a flashy look to it, which looked odd when juxtaposed to the homely bakery/candy store. It was called “The Lounge” and had a neon sign of a pony sitting upright in a chair. It looked awfully uncomfortable. Instead of going into the candy bakery, you wander into the bizarre establishment.
Inside, it looked like it was a club or bar of some sorts. There was a stage in the back, with tables and seats in front of it. Looking around some more, you actually see another door leading into CinnaBonBon’s! Was it some sort of joint venture? If so, you wonder if such a business combination was even possible. Some of the chairs in the club looked familiar, like they were from the Quills and Sofas store. Maybe this place was a big customer for him, at least for the sofa half of his inventory. The overall atmosphere was kind of gloomy, the air was musty (and still smelled of coffee), and cobwebs were all over the place. You begin to feel this isn’t the only place that is going to be like this. That is when you notice some stairs leading upward. Was this a two story club, or was there another store upstairs? There is only one way to find out.
You walk up the narrow stairs, which lead to a simple door which was slightly ajar. You hear a faint humming noise, like the sound of a computer that was on, and see light flickering within. You open the door and are surprised to find what appear to be some sort of living space, complete with a kitchen, living room, and more doors, which possibly lead to bedrooms. Perhaps the owner lived here. Your thoughts return to the computer that was buzzing, waiting to be used. On the screen appeared to be a few entries. Curious, you open the first one.
“Dear Diary,
Happy 10th anniversary! Today marks the 10th year Bon Bon and I moved to Seaddle and opened up our stores. Well, it was actually my store, she already had one of her chain stores set up here (which I helped build), but it was great that I was able to get the building right next to it. Talk about lucky! And, our old friend Davenport from Ponyville helped us out with the couches! Double lucky! Anyways, my idea to have a place where ponies can enjoy her goods and have some live entertainment has been a hit. Aside from me providing some music, we had the local flavor hired to advance their careers and get some advertising, therefore improving our reputation overall! But look at me rambling, I know this, but I feel like after 10 years I need to remind myself how good life has been, what with the war going on. Sigh, the war. I really don’t understand why can’t everypony get along? Anyway, Bon Bon and I have a dinner date tonight, and she is looking H-O-T! But not as hot as me, heheheh! Here’s to a decade of good times, friends and cheer!
-Lyra”
The entries immediately following it seemed to be corrupted, so you scroll down to find any more readable files. One was labeled “I AM SO MAD”. What could make this cheerful pony angry?
“Stable-Tec can shove a tree where the sun doesn’t shine!
Bon Bon and I got a letter today from them saying they’re ‘regretfully sorry’ they can’t admit us into one of their Stables! Bon Bon is a candy tycoon! So what if we are in a relationship, they can’t exclude us because we don’t want to make babies! I mean, I understand their logic, but we have a right to be safe as any other pony! I remember that brat Applebloom when we used to live in Ponyville, playing with her stupid friends, always causing trouble for the town! I swear, if I ever see her again, she will wish she was never born!”
Wow…Stable-Tec excluded ponies unwilling to reproduce? This is quite a revelation. You scroll down to see a foreboding entry titled “We’re all doomed”.
“Cloudsdayle has been destroyed…Canterlot is done for…all hope is lost. Bon Bon has been giving away food to those Stable ponies heading to the Buffalo Billiard’s. She is such a wonderful pony…sometimes I think I don’t deserve her…it’s only a matter of time until Seaddle is hit as well. I don’t know what we are going to do. Are we going to live? Are we going to die? We are far from the center of the city, but still, I don’t know…I am so scared. We have nowhere we can hide. As long as I have Bon Bon, I will be happy.”
There was one final entry, marked “Sorry.”
“So tired. Using recollector. To anyone who reads this, I am sorry. Goodbye.
-Lyra Heartstrings”
You stand there, feeling slightly disturbed at the last entry. Why was she apologizing? What is a recollector? You sigh as you turn off the computer, and begin to look around. You open one door, leading to the bathroom. Inside, there was a bathtub and a box with a cross and butterflies on it, and you recognize it as a first aid kit. Opening it, you find some well preserved healing potions and bandages, as well as some Med-X…or at least you thought was Med-X, only the syringes were empty. Oh well. You exit the bathroom and open the other door, revealing to be the bedroom. You freeze, as you see a large lump hiding underneath the covers of the bed. You notice it is not moving, but you cautiously pull off the cover. You wince, as you discover two pony skeletons holding each other, one a unicorn wearing some sort of tiara with a black jewel in it, and the other an earth pony. Curiosity getting the better of you, you take the tiara off the unicorn’s head and look at it from various angles before plopping it on your own head.
Big mistake.
You become paralyzed and the world fades to black.
=ooooOOOOoooo=
You become conscious again, but you feel weird, as you begin to move, but are unable to control the movements. You feel like you are sitting in a chair of sorts and in an uncomfortable position, yet it feels like you have sat like this for years. You are facing the computer you just turned off, confusing you greatly. It is then when you get off the seat that you turn to face a mirror and shock overcomes you.
You are a mare!
A sickly green unicorn mare, at that…with patches of fur missing, with clumps of white hair only attached to her skull, eyes sunken in and covered in horrendous ulcers. She is wearing the tiara you just put on your head just moments ago. Then you realize it hurts to even be alive! You feel so cold and achy and sore and dehydrated. You taste blood in your mouth, and your lungs feel like you are underwater as you can barely breathe. The pony in the mirror speaks.
“To whoever watches this, I am sorry. I thought this is the only way anypony can feel what I feel only days after the megaspell was set off in Seaddle,” she spoke wearily. “As you can probably tell, everything is pain. Dying instantly is better that having to suffer like this. Even with a couple doses of Med-X everything just hurts. I just thought everypony should know that I am the result of what years of fighting over stupid things like coals and gems has done to me. To everypony like me…to…Bon Bon.”
She began to walk to the bedroom and looked toward the bed. Inside was basically a paled version of the pony statue outside, resting in bed. The pillows by her mouth was stained with blood and vomit, her hair lacking the beautiful curls she once possessed, her breathing shallow, her eyes even more sunken in than the pony you are inhabiting. The smells of the room make you nauseous
“Bon Bon was outside when the megaspell hit, but I doubt that would have made much of a difference, seeing the way I am. But still, none of this would have happened if Stable-Tec…none of it…”
“Lyra,” Bon Bon whimpered. “Lyra, where are you? Are you talking to somepony?”
“Bon Bon! Don’t worry honey, I’m here, let me change your sheets…”
“No more…”
“What?”
“I…I can’t take this anymore…”
“NO! No…please, don’t say that,” your host pleads, hot tears welling up in her eyes.
“It’s okay, Lyra…I think I am ready to go.”
“NO! No no no no no! I’m not ready, I’m not! You can’t leave! You just can’t!” She cries, rushing over and jumping on the bed, holding Bon Bon’s face.
“Lyra….Heartstrings, its okay…I…We, led a happy life together…and even though I wish it had ended differently, I…” Bon Bon’s eyes began to shut.
“Bon Bon..?”
“I…I…” Bon Bon’s eye’s shut, and tried with all her might to smile her last smile.
Lyra just sat there, tears falling on her face, silently crying to herself, as you can feel her lungs wishing to jump out of her mouth. She slowly gets off the bed, lumbers to the bathroom and opens the first aid kit. You recoil in your mind as she takes all the Med-X that’s left and injects them in her forelegs and shuffles quickly to the bed and pulls the covers over both of them. The pain starts to numb and you begin to feel colder than before. Lyra holds Bon Bon in her forelegs, closes her own eyes, and breathes out a whisper.
“I love you, too.”
=ooooOOOOoooo=
You return to reality. Unsurprisingly, you are crying as well.
You decide to take the Memory Orb Recorder, along with Lyra’s memory orb once you figure out how to take it out. You replace the covers on the skeletons, close the door and make your way back out onto the boardwalk. You continue in silence for a few minutes when you notice the boardwalk takes a sharp left just ahead. Following the path that is laid before you, you make the turn and, once again, shocked by what you see.
Brown.
The sea is an odd shade of brown. The reason for this is apparent once you look further ahead. The land has curved around itself to form a bay area, and at the furthest point inland is a large building made of bricks and stone. A large sign reads “Starbucked Coffee Bean Packing Headquarters”. One of the large silos that you assume held coffee beans was submersed in the bay. It all made sense now; the smell in the air, the brown colored sea. The sea brewed into coffee! Then you notice another problem.
Pests.
Hundreds of them. Bloatsprites, Paradores, Radroaches….and are those ants? Giant ANTS? Dear Celestia, how can this possibly get any worse?
Then it got worse.
A crab like being crawled out from the sea and onto the fallen silo, walking on two legs and attacking anything it can get its pincers on. From the factory, radscorpions and the ants started fighting, biting and stinging, and you swear one of the ants breathed fire! More crab-things started to join the fight, more fire being breathed, creatures buzzing, screeching, spitting, gnawing, gnashing, bashing, and crushing!
You had to get out of here.
You begin to back up when a large CREAK was emitted from the board you just stepped on. All compound eyes turn to you.
Shit.
You pull out grenades and begin chucking them at their direction, hoping it will kill them or slow them down, when you also start shooting with your revolver, while running away toward the inner city. You hear stampeding insectoids chasing after you, and leave behind more grenades and fire off more rounds. You keep some extra clips in your wings for easy access and fast exchange…wait. WINGS! You can fly! Or you wish you could, seeing you were the ONLY pegasus in your Stable, so learning how to fly without somepony to teach you was pretty much impossible, not to mention the closed spaces of the Stable wasn’t air-space friendly. However, this is a fight or flight situation, and pal, you needed the flight pretty darn badly. You begin to flap your wings in desperation, hoping to get airborne as soon as possible. The hissing and clacking was getting louder by the second, your wing muscles burning in agony as you jump and flutter in the air. In a bout of desperation, you drop a low powered grenade at your hooves, hoping the knockback will push you into the air high enough to give you some sort of boost. With the bugs almost on top of you, you jump and flap at the exact same time the grenade explodes, launching you into the air.
You are in the air…free…as a bird…well, technically gliding, but at least you are out of reach at the moment. You look around with the bugs returning to fight amongst themselves to the East, the Buffalo Billiards to the South and unexplored lands to the North, West, and Northwest. Where should you go next?
Go decide Lucky’s Fate!
Level up!
Level 3
New Perk:
Rapid Reload- All of your weapon reloads are 25% faster than normal.
Quests Complete:
Tugging your Heartstrings
Attack of the Caffeinated Creatures!
Quest Perk:
Yellow-Feathered Coward- Once a day, you can fast travel even if you are in a battle!
Guns: 34-> 38
Science: 21->25
Sneak: 19->25