//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Fallout Equestria: Influx // by Lex the Pikachu //------------------------------// Fallout Equestria: Influx Prologue My name is Crystal. I’m twenty six years old, and a crystal pony from the Crystal Empire. Sadly, I have never had the sparkle of a crystal pony, since my ill health has kept me in a state of depression which has left my pink coat and yellow mane dull and gloomy. When I was born, they said I had a weak heart and needed several operations before I could even be taken home by my parents. I was in constant pain, I could feel my heart beating with irregular patterns as it struggled not to give out. I could never go out and play with other foals or do anything that would cause me to exert myself as it would put too much stress on my heart. You can say I had a bad foalhood. A weak heart was only the start of my problems as I was also getting infected with all kinds of illnesses on an almost regular basis. A doctor told my parents and I that my immune system was extremely weak, which meant I could easily contract illnesses from viruses and bacteria that a normal healthy filly wouldn’t suffer from. Thankfully, most of them were curable but meant a trip to the hospital every time if I contracted so much as a head cold. When I was five, my parents moved down into Equestria so they could seek out better medical facilities to better support me. I had contracted the flu from somepony on the train down to Las Pegasus, which meant I spent the first day in our new home in the hospital. Again. I didn’t like it for a while since I hated the sun and the heat, but after several years I grew used to the climate and other changes of the Marejave. It was nothing like the cold north I’d grown accustomed to. When I was around eight years old and at school, I suffered a trip and tumbled down a short flight of stairs which was like what, five steps? Anyway the result was that I landed on my ass hard and broke my hip, again finding myself in a hospital to get treated. During my examination it was discovered I had brittle bones, which meant a hard enough fall or impact like the one I’d just had would fracture or break my bones. My life was a complete and utter mess as I missed out on a lot of school, from spending time off sick to the fact that I couldn’t live like a normal filly. I couldn’t have friends over to play as I could probably either get sick from them, break a bone while playing with them, or drop dead with my heart giving out. It was awful, and I got more and more miserable with each passing day. Things just wouldn’t work for me no matter what I was given or treated for. Then, the war broke out between the zebras and us. The war hit us hard, and my father was forced to give up his job to enlist. My mother would have been drafted too if she hadn't been required to care for me. She had to quit her job too as her employer wouldn’t allow her to take much time off. The war was requiring a lot from many companies. My mother thought the newly built Fluttershy Hospital in Las Pegasus would finally be able to help me as the Ministry of Peace was pushing for better medical care, and with Fluttershy, being the strong, compassionate pony that she was, may have been able to help. Unfortunately, the focus wasn’t on health problems like mine, but rather war related. Her hospital did give better medical care than the older General Hospitals did, but it wasn’t enough. I was still going in and out on a regular basis. I managed to finish school with some qualifications, not good ones mind you, but at least I got some when I was sixteen. I got a job in a warehouse, standing or sitting by a computer and processing parcels to be sent off to wherever they needed to go. It was thankfully not a job that needed much exertion, so it didn’t put pressure on my weak heart or my brittle bones. I was able to at least earn a wage. I even made a couple of friends there who didn’t act nice because they felt they had to on account of my medical conditions. They were real friends who looked at me as if I wasn’t any different form anypony else. I actually felt happy for a short time, at last I could experience a somewhat normal life for a change. But of course, that didn’t last. Being a warehouse, the place was dusty. So much so that some boxes that have sat on the shelf for a long time were nearly black. The dust I was breathing in soon began to affect my lungs, making it harder for me to breathe properly. I didn’t complain about my breathing until I collapsed from lack of oxygen, which was probably a bad decision in hindsight. After eight months I was forced to resign as I couldn’t work in that sort of environment anymore, which put me into another depression. Thankfully, the damage to my lungs was healed at the hospital as they were in better shape than the rest of me. Though this meant they’d recover, it also meant I could never take another job like that again due to the health risks. I ended up getting a job where I could work from home: this was being a Sales Pony for Stable-Tec when they opened up a branch in Las Pegasus. At first, when the war was in its infancy, the products were more or less everyday items created by Stable-Tec, and it was a boring job then as barely anyone would be interested. I spent maybe a couple of days a week phoning up customers to try and sell something and they would either say they were not interested or just hang up as soon as I began. Those days were frustrating as hell. As the war dragged out and things began to grow more intense, Stable-Tec started to get me to sell guns, armour, spells and other things that seemed to fit more with the war, rather than everyday life and my career in selling took off then as lots of ponies were pretty interested in those things. The front line soon came to the Marejave as Luna’s soldiers began holding Horseshoe Dam against Zebra attacks. It was said on the news that the Zebras were attempting to burst the dam. That would have been horrible for more than one reason. One, the loss of the dam would mean Las Pegasus and the surrounding area would be without power. And two, the many towns along the Coltorado River would be swept away, taking thousands of lives. With the war growing more and more intense, things were getting more desperate, Stable-Tec began building their Stables in and around the Marejave. I stopped selling things and was told to sell places at the numerous Stables being built. The demand was high, and I ended up talking to some rather abusive customers. Stable-Tec later gave me a questionnaire; I was to ask customers to see if they could be eligible to be sold a position in a Stable. They didn’t want the wrong type of ponies getting a place, since they said the purpose of the Stables was to save ponies worth saving. For eight years that had been my life, phoning up ponies to sell them shit. It wasn’t so bad, as being able to work from home meant that I wasn’t in and out of the hospital that frequently. My visits to the hospital in those eight years however, were becoming more and more worrisome. To save explaining everything, I will simply say that with my health problems, my body was now beginning to shut down on me. My condition had been re-diagnosed as terminal. It hurt beyond all reason to know I was going to die young. I never had a special somepony or even a crush. I never got to experience the finer things in life. My mother was distraught as well, she has spent most of her life looking after me and to know she was going to lose me broke her heart. It happened around the same time I turned twenty five, my body finally decided it didn’t want to work for me anymore. I was admitted to the hospital when things got really bad for me. It turned out that my body could no longer support itself, and was breaking down. There was nothing that could have been done apart from make me as comfortable as possible in my final moments. I can’t begin to describe how horrible it was to lay there, watching the seconds tick by, knowing this was it, the end of the line. I didn’t want to die. Nopony does really, but I didn’t want to die because I never honestly had a chance to live, and I went as far as to pray to Nightmare Moon herself for a chance to live. Yeah, I know, that’s pathetic of me but I was desperate. After my twenty sixth birthday, I could barely move my limbs with how weak I felt. I had been given only months to live after that. A few days after my birthday a doctor, well I think he was a doctor, came to visit me. He looked a lot more serious than the nurses and doctors I’d seen but it didn’t matter. “Good afternoon Miss Eclaire. I won’t insult you in asking how you are doing since I know how bad things are for you. I am very sorry to have learned about your condition and, it pains me to know a young mare such as yourself will die without having a chance to live your life to the fullest. I can see you are tired so I’ll cut to the chase. I am with the Ministry of Peace’s Medical Research department and I would like to offer you a chance to help future generations of Equestria from suffering the illnesses that have robbed you of your life,” He said in a sincere and kind voice. I didn’t think much on it. I mean, if it means that future foals don’t get to suffer what I suffered, I’d be happy to help how I can. “I will be happy to help any way I can,” I answered. I thought I saw a ghost of a smirk appear on his muzzle but it was most likely a trick of the light as he wore a grateful smile as he approached my bed and levitated a document over to me. “Thank you Miss Eclaire. Please sign this contract so that when you eventually pass on, we will have possession of your body so we can conduct our medical research. I am sure, with the research we will be able to conduct with your body we can spare hundreds, maybe even thousands of foals the pain and suffering you have had to endure.” I nodded weakly as I took a pen he had offered to me into my mouth, and sloppily scribbled my signature on the dotted line he indicated. Once I had signed the piece of paper, he took it back with a grateful smile. I opened my mouth to say something, but instead, started to hack and cough. “Oh dear, here, have a drink,” He said sympathetically and offered me a drink from a plastic bottle filled with a filmy looking liquid inside it. Too weak to refuse, I took a big gulp of it, which thankfully cleared and soothed my throat but made me cringe due to the taste. I hate lemons. He gave his thanks and sympathy one more time before he left the room. All I can do now is lay here in this hospital bed, and await my death. I yawned feeling extremely tired, and decided to close my eyes to get some sleep. XXXXXX The doctor walked down the halls of the hospital after leaving Crystal’s room, looking sad until he exited the hospital and got into his Ministry of Awesome issued chariot. With a nod to the driver, he sat back into the plush seat as his driver began to pull him away from the hospital. Now, in the privacy of his private chariot, he allowed a sinister smile to grow on his face. “That went as well as I predicted,” He said to himself as he lifted his left foreleg and activated his broadcaster. “Doctor Pear Shape, the subject has been acquired,” He said into the device. “For the thousandth time it’s just Pear,” Came the reply from the pony on the other end. “So are we ready to get started Colonel?” “Indeed we are doctor. The subject has signed her body to us and we’ll be ready to collect her in the morning. I have administered the serum to make it appear she has died,” He paused for a moment. “Do we have everything we need from Project Steelpony?” He asked to double check. “Yes sir we do.” “Good, and the replacement heart from Project Chimera?” “Yes sir, and a pair of lungs since the medical report did say the subject had an issue with her lungs in the past.” “Well then, yes, we are good to go. I want you to have the stasis chamber prepped and ready to receive its cargo for oh eight hundred in the morning to transport her to our Manehattan lab” “Yes sir it will be prepped and ready.” “Good, tomorrow we finally begin Project Infiltrator,” The Colonel said with a dark smile on his face.