//------------------------------// // First Contact // Story: Fallout Equestria: Hunters // by lonely colt //------------------------------// First Contact So, that was it. Those two weeks are nothing but memories now, and we've been prepped to leave the stable. I really tried not to think about what was waiting, but it was difficult to with the constant training and having been relocated to the Fighter's barracks. I'd never thought that I would miss the boring grays and whites of my room. Despite all of the mental, physical, and other sorts of training for this, I couldn't believe it: they were actually opening the stable! They told us that when we got back, we'd be heroes to the stable dwellers for being the first to see the world in over 200 years. I really don't mean to be the pessimistic one, but we'd only be praised IF we get back. They'd drilled into our heads the importance of this. The vitality of meeting a world that's already gone. I mean, who knows what's out there? Would we see society rebuilding? Or would it be an uninhabitable abyss that we would have to wait out for another 200 years? Two more had joined Erő and I before leaving; a young mare with a steel gray coat and an icy blue mane. A pair of snowflakes emblazoned her flanks. Again with the irony of this place! What in Luna's name even were those? The most we'd learned is that before the war, they had fallen from the sky when it was cold. Like that makes a whole lot of sense! The mare beside us was Icebox. I heard her job was freezing water for conservation. I guess that it wasn't thrilling enough. I never knew her, but I had heard through the grapevine that she was the kind of pony who would make you feel like hell when you're alone, but ask all about you when she's with someone else. A real ice queen, huh? That's the thing about gossip, though. She could be the nicest pony I've ever met. Or not. I guess we'd all better learn to get along if I'm going to be putting my lives into these pony's, and griffon's, hooves. And talons. The other to join was a largish stallion named Jury Rigger. Upon flicking his blonde mane away from his earthy brown coat, many scars and marks were visible. It may seem intimidating to see a pony like that, but the truth is, he's a real softie. Most of those scars were from accidents on the job, and the worst he's ever been in was a small scuffle over a filly back when he was still in school. I saw a roll of duct tape and a hammer as his cutie mark. He'd never spoken more than a hoofful of words to me, and I still knew him better than Icebox. The real strong, silent type. Between our group, everyone's nerves were beyond tense. Everyone except Erő. He'd always managed to hold onto a calm demeanor, despite was going on around him. But his eyes betrayed his attitude. I saw worry in them; fear. I saw a pony behind a console, pushing a few buttons before our attention was brought forward by such an alien sight and sound. The giant metal door of Stable 44 hissed as it moved inwards and rolled to the side, beckoning someone to leave for the first time since the world ended. This really is it, then. Erő was the first to stride forward, motioning us behind him. “Shall we?” He asked, acting like this was just another ordinary, everyday thing. Icebox was the first to follow, accompanied by Jury and I right behind her. Upon exiting the stable, we were greeted by a cave with several century old skeletons. They died waiting for the door to open. Jury, Icebox, and I were pretty taken back by this. Erő seemed distraught for a moment before steeling himself and pulling our stares away to proceed. After a few more moments, the stable door began to roll back into place before sliding shut, enveloping the cave in darkness and truly sealing our fates. We had been trained to see in low-light conditions, not complete darkness. Jury had lit a flare and thrown it a good distance before it bounced off of one the cave walls before settling on the ground. To prevent injury within the first ten minutes of leaving, I used my magic to throw the flare every time we were a few steps away. Eventually, the cave had let light in and signaled an exit. Based on how long we had been gone, it was still early morning, probably around 5:00AM. Icebox was the only one in our group to wear a PipBuck. They were generally reserved for the ponies who went into the working force, and the Fighters of 44 had believed that they were a crutch because of the preset auto-targeting spell, S.A.T.S., or Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell. Autumn Gust believed that, at least, one of us should be wearing one for its ease when outside. Activating her Eyes-Forward-Sparkle, or EFS, Icebox scanned the before before looking at us and shaking her head. “I don't see anything. This place is dead.” She told us with a look of worry. “Could we be the only ones left?” I asked in surprise. I got a few worried looks from Icebox and Jury Rigger before Erő had put a talon on my head and pushing himself up onto his hindlegs and leaned on me. “That's ridiculous, Gust. What about the other Stables? Other have bound to have been opened up.” He tapped his talons on my head before jumping down to all fours and proceeding. “Come on, there's gotta be something out here.” After a few minutes of walking, Icebox motioned for us to get down and stop moving. “What's wrong, Ice?” I asked, my anxiety returning. “There's a red mark on my Eyes-Forward-Sparkle; a hostile.” She whispered. “I'll fly up and take a look. Shouldn't be too long.” Erő said as he drew his bow and took to the sky. His voiced called us over to him, where we found a massive roach skewered with an arrow down the middle. Icebox honestly looked like she was going to scream. “What. The hell. Is that!?” She hopping on the tips of her hooves and squeaking in fear as if it were to come back alive. “Relax, it's just a radroach, we had em' all the time down in maintenance.” Jury Rigger said to Icebox, calming her down, but she still looked like she was gonna lose it. “Big-ass roaches? This place can't get any weirder.” Erő remarked before pulling out the arrow and wiping the guts off of it. Once again, Icebox looked like she was going to vomit. “What? It's still usable, in a way.” He said with a smirk. I had a strong sense of Déjà vu, and a familiar set of words came to mind. “This is going to be a long, long week.”