//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Wasteland // Story: Fallout Equestria: Black Sky // by headhunter //------------------------------// Fallout Equestria: Black Sky Chapter 2: The Wasteland The ground wasn't what caught my attention. My unbound curiosity directed my vision to not what was in front of me but what was above me. I must have looked like a filly who was staring up at a new toy. For the first time in my life I didn't see a ceiling over my head. Instead i now saw something thousands of times more amazing. I saw the sky. I gazed up into the dark endless void. I had only seen it in textbooks before. They told us the real thing was more beautiful. And to think I didn't believe them. The moon stood out among the darkness. It's bright round shape casting light down across Equestria. But what really got to me were the stars. All around were hundreds of tiny flickering specks that filled the night sky with beauty. It was beyond what I ever expected. But I had to look at everything else at some point. My gaze shifted to the ground. I was met with a vast expanse of destruction as far as the eye could see from the hill I stood upon. Dirt, rock, and debris covered the landscape. A small shack stood just at the base of the hill. Two roads a little ways out ran parallel heading off to my left and my right. Further off in the distance I could make out what looked like a mass of dark, tall silhouettes that were bunched together. The whole scene was so awe inspiring that I had paid no attention to my hooves and tripped on a rock as I stepped forward. Unable to regain my balance I tumbled forward down the steep hill. Wonderful! My very first action outside of the stable is seriously hurting myself. I curled myself into a ball hoping to keep from damaging anything only to slam into the shack at the bottom of the hill. I landed upside down with my back against the wall and my hind legs dangling upward as I faced up toward the sky. Mostly unhurt if not aching a little I flung myself onto my side and got back to my hooves. "Dumb rock!" I shouted up the hill a bit dizzy as leaned myself against the wall. The wood caved in and I fell through into the pitch black interior of the shack. "Dumb wall!" I shouted as I pushed the planks that had landed atop me aside. Me slamming into it didn't do anything so how does leaning on it force it to collapse? Regardless I wasn't off to a good start with the whole adventure thing. I got back on my hooves again and switched on the Eyes Forward Sparkle on my Pip-buck. It was a sort of built in radar compass waypoint thingy that showed up down in the corner of my vision. The amber colored readout showed up instantly. I turned myself in a 360 degree circle. I was looking for tiny bars that showed up to identify other ponies. My focus was entirely on the E.F.S display. I finished my circle and it came up with nothing. I was completely alone for the first time in my life. Was a little company too much to ask? I turned on my Pip-buck light and looked around the inside of the shack. It was a little larger than my room. A door was at the center of the left wall with shelves on either side of it stacked with a number of boxes and rusty looking cans. Ahead was a heavy looking metal desk with a glowing terminal sitting on top of it and the wall to my right was lined with lockers most of which had hung open and empty. I crossed to the desk and examined the computer terminal. How it was still functional was beyond me. I tapped my hoof down on the enter key and the monitor began buzzing with activity in a flow of ones and zeroes before prompting me to enter a password. After nearly getting locked out three times it accepted ARGUS and gave me two command prompts. I tried the one that said lights but was only met with a brief shower of sparks from the ceiling. The other read 'unlock munition storage'. When I selected it a locker behind me gave a tiny click before slowly opening a crack. I trotted over to it and pulled it open as I shone my Pip-buck light inside. Leaning up against the side of the locker was an unloaded rifle that looked to be in pretty good condition along with four spare clips and two boxes of .32 caliber rounds which I stashed into my satchel. I pulled the rifle out of the locker. It had both a hoof lever and bite trigger the latter seeming beyond impractical as a means of firing. Then again I'd look ridiculous on my hind legs shooting this thing. I gently slid one of the spare clips into the underside of the gun until it clicked into place and pushed back the slide with my hoof. Good thing I read Daring Do and the Sands of Saddle Arabia five times otherwise I wouldn't know anything about guns. I stood on my hind legs and aimed down the sights at one of the cans on the shelf across the room. Not the easiest shot for my first gun given how dark it was. I pulled the lever back and the rifle responded with a startling bang along with a recoil that I was not prepared for as I lost my balance and fell on my haunches. My aim had been off by a bit noticing the bullet hole to the left of the can. It had punched straight through the wood and pale moonlight now shone through the opening. There was no way I could think to shoot using the mouth bit. Chances are I would break my neck having nothing to stop the recoil. So I stood up and tried again with the lever. This time taking holding it significantly tighter in my hooves to keep it from flying back and smacking the barrel into my face. I then positioned my legs a little more spread out to keep myself from falling over again. Pulling back the lever this time I was able to keep my stance as the gun sent a second round a bit closer to the can but still through the wall creating another hole. This was getting a little frustrating. I started adjusting the sights only to stop moments later with the realization that I had no idea what I was doing. Daring Do never adjusted the sights in the book and that was my entire knowledge behind guns other than pictures in textbooks and a lecture on Stable security. I aimed down the sights once again. My hooves were a bit more shaky this time around but I didn't let it bother me. This can was practically taunting me over the fact that only ten feet separated us and I still couldn't hit the damn thing. Either I triumph over this cylinder of rust right now or no doubt it would bother me for the rest of my life. I pulled the lever back once again which sent a .32 caliber round streaking across the room and slamming into the rusting piece of tin with a resounding clang. The impact sent it flying off the shelf and onto the floor. I came back down onto all fours. "Dumb can" I muttered under my breath before directing my gaze to the rifle now resting against my shoulder. I had to admit it was a nice gun. I'd need quite a bit more practice with it but eventually I could get the hang of it. I pulled a pen out of my satchel and after a bit of thought i wrote ARGUS on the stock of the rifle. It seemed like a fitting name for a gun. Intimidating but also kind of cute at the same time. I slipped the pen back into my satchel and slipped the gun under the strap. It was a bit uncomfortable but I would be able to pull it back out quickly. There wasn't anything left I could think to do inside so I headed for the hole in the wall I had made on my way in. I gave the can which had served as my first bit of target practice my sinister glare as I passed by it sitting on the floor. All cans were officially evil. The way they all just sit and taunt me for my bad aim. As much as I hated to leave all the other cans in the room unharmed I stepped out into the night. I turned to the front of the building. The outside looked like something i would build in art class out of popsicle sticks. Very flimsy, two hundred year old, possibly bug infested popsicle sticks. A worn sign hung over the door that read 'Park Ranger Station'. Though given all the dead trees around it was safe to say there wasn't much of a park left. After finding the road again I set off in what my compass said was north. It had only been about an hour since I left the stable and walking was quickly becoming my least favorite thing to do. Aside from the abundance of dead trees, rocks, and occasional pools of water there wasn't much to look at so I found myself looking up at the sky more than in front of me. Of course this led to me bumping into things but my gaze always eventually drifted back to the stars. I was fascinated by it and more so than I should have been. It truly was something I had never come close to experiencing back in Stable 13. It felt like opening your eyes for the first time realizing that you've wasted a portion of your life having them closed. I had dozed off at some point lost in deep thought and when I snapped back to reality an hour had passed and I couldn't remember what I'd been thinking about. It was like one of those moments where you get some really great ideas and then you realize you've been half asleep and you instantly forget all those great ideas. I seemed to remember vaguely something to do with squirrels and hacksaws but that was about it. Maybe I was tired having not slept the previous night and having a rather busy day prior to now. I was on the brink of dozing off again when my gaze shifted across my E.F.S. down in the corner of my vision. There just off to the left of the center of the readout were three red bars. It made me stop and focus down the road ahead of me. I could see them. Three silhouettes concealed behind the dead brush. Being completely exposed in the middle of the road there was no doubt they saw me by now. I moved to the right and into the brush on the opposite side of the road. They didn't move as I made my way through the brush. I still had no idea who or what they were but this was my first time dealing with a situation where something wants to kill me and if I could avoid a confrontation that would be- "If you're trying to give us the slip it's not gonna work," Came a gruff voice from the direction of the hidden trio making me stop dead "We can see you and have a clean shot at your head. you come out now we won't mess up that pretty face too bad before we make off with everything you have". Looks like negotiations were out of the question. If I tried to run they'd no doubt shoot me before I got too far, If I gave in they'd probably have their way with me and then shoot me anyway, and if I did nothing it would just be an awkward moment followed by a combination of them shooting me, looting all of my belongings, and then having their way with me. And hopefully in that order. As much as it pained me I pulled Argus off my back and stood up on my hind legs as I aimed the rifle. Perching myself against a nearby tree to accommodate for the recoil I set my gaze down the sight at the most distinct head looking silhouette i could spot. I sighted one which looked to be aiming down a rifle similar to mine. Okay...I was about to do this. I took a deep breath and and held my aim. "Okay uhh...I'm coming out" I shouted at the three hoping they would fall for my rouse. It paid off as the three stepped out of the brush and into the pale moonlit road. The large one in the center of the bunch was only armed with a knife between his teeth but the one on the right was indeed armed with a rifle and the smaller pony to the left had a pistol looking weapon in his mouth. It would be seconds before they found out I lied so I focused with all my concentration on the red maned stallions head. He had his rifle strapped to some sort of harness on his back and had his teeth in the mouth grip. If I didn't act now they would. After taking aim I clenched my eyes shut and pulled the lever back. The bullet flew from the barrel with a resounding 'bang'. I opened my eyes to see the armed stallion slump to the ground with a stream of blood coming from his forehead. It left the other two stunned a moment but they quickly moved in my direction once again. This time with a much more worrisome pace than before. I set my aim on the small pony to the left. He fired at me with his pistol as I was trying to aim at his head. The round whizzed past my ear and into the forest behind me. Moments later i lined up my sights, clenched my eyes shut, and pulled the lever back sending the round through his head. I opened my eyes again to see that the large pony with the knife had stopped and stared at his fallen companions. Then he stared at me with fire in his eyes as he charged me at full sprint. I aimed again, shut my eyes, and once again pulled the lever back. But I wasn't met with the bang and recoil the gun had responded with before. I popped my eyes back open. The only sound it made was a distinctive 'click'. I was out of ammo. Stupid me forgot to put in a fresh clip after target practice with the cans and it was a five round clip! I wanted to smack myself on the head but it looked like the stallion who just jumped at me would take care of that and then some. Right before his knife came down on me I ducked to the side and out of its path. With nothing to block his path he slammed into the tree i was leaning on before. I started to back away slowly but he immediately recovered and jumped at me again. His angle forced me to jump out of the way and skid across the ground on my side. Argus flew from my hoof onto the ground just outside my reach. I tried to get up and run only to be stopped by a sudden jerk of my tail sending me face first into the dirt. I glanced back to see he had pinned it beneath his hoof. I started struggling but he then lay his fore hoof on my back and held me down. I panted as he stood atop me. "Are...you going to...kill me" I asked with obvious fear in my voice. I was terrified now more than I had ever been before. He kicked me onto my back and pressed his hoof to my chest. "Kill you? Yes...that seems like something the boss would appreciate...but you won't get off easy," I tried to get free but he just pressed harder and flipped out his knife "you're going to pay for what you did to my men. Slowly and painfully," he leaned in close to my head "lets start with those pretty green eyes of yours." My instincts weren't telling me to do anything useful and he was leaning in with his knife. So I did the only thing I could think of. I bent my head up and sunk my teeth into his leg he pressed atop my chest. He screamed and dropped his knife in the dirt as I clenched my jaw down. His hold on me finally loosened so I released my jaw and rolled to the side onto my hooves. Before he could recover from the bite I pumped into the road and ran toward the only thing I could think of. The pistol from the pony I had just shot. I ran for it as fast as my legs could carry me. Upon reaching it i scooped the mouth grip into my mouth and turned to face my opponent. He had been running after me and as I set the pistol on him he stopped dead five feet from me. He dropped the knife from his mouth and stood silently. I had him and he knew it. There was fear in his eyes as i stared him down. I had never killed in cold blood before so I was shaking more than he was. All I had to do was pull the trigger and he'd never bother me again. From what I could gather he deserved it! He was going to gouge out my eyeballs with a knife. The moment seemed to last for forever with me holding this large stallion at gunpoint. He started inching toward me no doubt figuring I didn't have it in me to pull the trigger. He left me no choice. I clenched my eyes shut and pulled the trigger. The recoil wasn't nearly as bad and the sound was a lot quieter. I slowly opened my eyes again at the sound of the thud of him hitting the paved road. He lay motionless on his side with a trail of blood seeping from just above his left open eye. I spit the gun out onto the ground and backed away from the three dead ponies that now lay in the road. I practically tripped over myself before collapsing onto my haunches some ten feet away. That feeling was...horrible. Sure it was in self defense but...I just killed three ponies! I was fighting back tears trying to get myself back together. This was to be expected of me but I didn't expect it to feel like this. Eventually I got back to my hooves after what was apparently five minutes according to my Pip-buck clock. I had cried a little but I managed to hold back my tears for the most part. After recovering Argus and reloading it with a fresh clip I grabbed the pistol that I had spit onto the ground and the spare ammo the dead pony had in his bag. It would be easier to use than the rifle which I still needed practice with. Then I unstrapped the harness looking thing from the pony who had carried the rifle. If he could use it to carry and use a rifle I thought I could do the same thing. Sadly to my disappointment it was not only too big for me but the mechanisms built into it were beyond my understanding. For now I slung it over my back for further investigation later. Rather than stick around with the possibility of more insane ponies showing up I turned and continued down the road. At a somewhat quicker pace than before this time. Hours went by where nothing else happened. It was just me and the road ahead. It's not that I wasn't grateful for the peace but there was a rock I had been kicking along the road for quite some time now. I eventually accidentally kicked it down a tall cliff which had been building up to the left side of the road. A quick glance over the edge revealed that the fall would most definitely kill me. The dark silhouette of a city loomed over the horizon beyond the cliff. It was hard to make out details since the moon had gone behind a cloud making visibility less than before. I yawned loudly continuing down this road that seemed to go on forever. My Pip-buck clock said it was half past one in the morning and it was starting to feel like it. My insomnia probably wouldn't bother me tonight if I could find a place to go to sleep. The cliff eventually turned into a somewhat steep hill which led up to an outlet from the road. A few wagons littered the space and there was a sign that read 'Los Pegasus Scenic Overlook'. I couldn't exactly call it a 'scenic' overlook but an overlook none the less. I trotted over to the edge. There wasn't anything to see now except for a few dim lights from within the ruined city. My spyglass would do me little good until it got brighter. A four wheeled wagon that was made of what I determined as sturdy enough wood sat on the edge of the overlook. A wedge beneath the wheel kept it from rolling anywhere. It didn't have a roof but a peek inside revealed a crude bed consisting of towels that had been laid on the floor. Most of the towels were dirty and smelled like one of my stable jumpsuits after working in the greenhouse for twelve hours straight. And it was still the most welcoming sight I had seen since I left the Stable. I climbed into the wagon and set the harness I had looted slung over the side. Argus was placed perched against the corner as I slung my satchel off. As it hit the floor the flap flung open and my Daring Do books slid out. As good as a late night reading session sounded all I wanted to do was sleep so I nudged the books back into the bag with my hoof. As they went in a tiny piece of paper slid back out. I didn't pack any loose paper so it grabbed my curiosity. I lifted it up with my hoof and turned it over to reveal that it was actually a photo. After switching on my Pip-buck light I could make out what it was. It was a picture of me and Sprocket on my birthday last year. In my hoof I was holding a copy of Daring Do And The Quest For the Sapphire Stone. He had his fore leg over my shoulder and we were both smiling. Down in the corner he had written 'Stay safe: Sprocket' in black marker. It brought a tear to my eye. He must have slipped it into my bag while I wasn't looking. I held it against my chest. I'd always keep it. It may have been the only memento I'd ever have of home. I lay down on the bedding looking up at the night sky as I slid the photo into the pocket of my stable barding. I cradled Argus in my hooves in case something or somepony decided to attack me in my sleep. My worries were eventually forgotten as I continued to gazed up at the night sky. It was calming to look at with the clouds rolling across the horizon with the stars glimmering in the background. I soon found myself drifting off to sleep. Footnote: Level Up! New Perk Added: Night Filly -- You are fascinated by the night sky. So much in fact that you feel stronger at night. Between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., your health increases by 20 points and you gain plus 2 to strength.