//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Love // Story: Fallout Equestria: Reverence of the End // by NitoKa //------------------------------// Fallout Equestria: Reverence of the End By NitoKa Chapter 3: Love “Now unleash your annihilation of love!” Waking up is always the hardest part of the morning: you never get up right, and lets face it, you really just want to stay in bed. These cliches apply even for me, especially with the fact that I had a certain unicorn named Spritzle Regen on top of me almost screaming in my ear that it was time for me to get up. I opened my eyes slowly and saw the purple pony staring me down. “Wakey wakey Gizzy! Today we go out into the town and become detectives just like that one pony you let me read about in your Neighponese comics! What was his name? It was a weird one... J? Q? Ah well, point is we need to work to find out where that place is, you know, the delivery one!” She bounded relentlessly, not letting me blink without poking me. “Wait... how did you know we were trying to find that place?” I asked, after all, Innocent and I had only spoken of that last night. “Innocent decoded the document and found out we need to ask about the Skytrust Delivery Service! She said she did it all be herself with no help!” I faked a smile. “Oh really? How smart of her!” I said with fake enthusiasm. But in my mind, I let my words be known: ‘By herself?!? What a bitch! I decoded that thing with her and saved her countless hours that she then turned around and slept through!’ I was livid within my head, but outside I managed to contain it. Speaking of Discord re-incarnated, Innocent trotted down the stairs at that very moment with her glasses shining brightly in the morning sun. For all the hate I was brewing, I still had to admit, she was rather good-looking. “Let’s get up and go, we need to search high and low today to find out exactly where that delivery service is.” She said with a check list floating beside her, “Pyre has already went ahead of us and got a few leads,” she opened up a book, “ Spritzle, you’ll be looking for a Mr. Redge. He used to be a scavenger of the wastes before he settled down here, maybe he has found the place and can tell us how to get there. Gizmo, you’ll be looking for a Storm Nettle,;a ghoul who’s been around since before the war. Try and find some things out about him. I’ll be looking for a few other clients. It may not much help, but maybe one of these drunkards and addicts actually have information we can use.” She closed the book and levitated it into a small pack. “Well? Let go!’ She said as she left out the door, leaving Spritz and I to ourselves. “Go ahead Spritz, we’ll meet up back here...I think.. She never said where to meet back, this seems the most likely of all places.” I smiled and got up before shaking my hair. My mane set back to its normal spread-locks formation, showing my forehead almost completely. I don't like this hairstyle much, but my mother used to put it like this for me all the time when she was still around. She always said i looked so handsome like that, so after she passed away, I started putting my hair like that more and more. I cant say i don't mind the attention it used to give me at events in the Stable, I’ve had a few mares come to me looking for a coltfriend, and several of them had me as one. The one thing that had broke most of us up was how much time i spent with Nightshade and Spritzle, they simply got jealous. Actually, you might wonder at this point, or maybe at an earlier point, am I a virgin? The answer is no. i have enjoyed the carnal act of sex, but i cant say I’ve made love, it was all just pointless and lustful mating. I’m not some sort of sex prince though, I’ve maybe been with a mare or two, oh and a stallion! I don't mind what gender somepony is, as long as they are attractive and can keep my attention for longer than five minutes. “Okay dokie Gizmo! I’ll see you tonight!” Spritzle said. And just like that, she had left the house, leaving me to check around the house again for something thing to eat. I looked in what would constitute as their kitchen and noticed the leftovers from what would have constituted as breakfast. They had indeed ate without me, not that I mind much, its rather a moot point if I complain later about them not waking me up for breakfast and then complaining about how early I had to get up to eat breakfast. I got some Fancybuck Snack cakes and ate a strawberry flavored one while I walked out the door and into town. --- I traveled around town and asked about this Storm buck. I gleamed that he wasn't antisocial, and he doesn't like the past being brought up, also that he seems to have had a foal before the war hit and the child died in his hooves. But it turns out he lives in the smaller rural section of the town, which was a pleasant surprise. Herald doesn't seem that bad, nopony trying to cut you or steal from you, and all the other niceties. I made my way to the poor ghoul's home and knocked a couple times. The pony that answered could only really be described as a zombie, complete with rotting flesh and exposed brain, but his eyes were full of kindness and compassion. “Gizmo?” The pony asked, much to my surprise. His eyes widened in shock and horror as though I was a Nightmare Moon returned. “B-but, you went into a Stable! You tried to get me and my family in but they wouldn't let you! How are you still alive after all this time?” I was extremely confused, I had never met this buck before, yet he seemed to know me like a brother! As confusing as it was, somehow my mind managed to piece it together rather quickly: “You must have met my ancestor, Garren Gizmo Gearturner, I’m Gizmo Garren Gearturner as well. A little confusing isn't it?” I asked with a small chuckle. Storm’s eyes went back to normal size as what I said registered. He opened his door and pushed me in rather quickly. The house seemed normal, nothing strange, not even a bad smell surprisingly. “Sorry, you just look almost exactly like him. Garren was a good friend of my mother's, her name was Metal. He had hired her as a lab assistant a while back before even Stable-Tec was founded. She had to leave when she got pregnant with me but otherwise they stayed in touch, in fact he had delivered an invention to us to assist with  pregnancy of my sister Carnival. I miss all of them...” He sighed and smiled as if he was remembering a far-gone memory, and his gaze met mine. “Sorry about the mix up, now and then, I assume that not only are you not here to chat about somepony you’re not, but you're here to discern some information about somepony or someplace, am I correct?” He trotted into the kitchen and levitated out a tray of tea. “W-well yes, I'm here to find out the location of the Skytrust Delivery hub.” I sat down sitting down on a rotting sofa gripping the teacup in both my hooves and taking a sip. It had a nice, mysterious taste, like an arrangement of flavors all working together just to relax me. “You even have his slight stutter, wow.” Storm laughed, his voice sounding deep and gravelly. “Well yes, I know of the place, its just a little east of here, not to far, on the outskirts of Manehatten.” My Pipbuck beeped in recognition and a marker appeared on the map that said  ‘Skytrust Delivery Service Hub’. I smiled and held my hoof out to the old ghoul. “Thank you for your help, I greatly appreciate it Mr. Storm.” Storm smiled warmly. He shook my hoof with such vigor that I was surprised that his didn't fall off! I left the house with a smile. --- I decided I could look around a little bit at the market. All the wares were old, obviously the wasteland merchants couldn't even afford to polish up their goods. I came across a small mechanics booth and smiled as he tried to sell me useless parts that would never work in a million years. I shook my head at his offers but he kept insisting. “I know something that’ll interest you! I found it out in the wastes a few days ago!” He pulled out a small sphere. It looked familiar, a lot like a Spritebot, but something else about it struck a chord in my memory. I examined it closely and found a few parts from one of my drones! This bot had been modified into a combination of my drones and a Spritebot! “How much?” I asked, desperately wanting to fix it up and maybe find the pony who performed the modifications and give them a piece of my mind. The salespony smiled as he could sense my desperation. “200 caps,” he said with finality. Actually, this wasn't a bad price, Spritz and I had both gotten about 500 caps from Chop and I hadn't even spent any of mine yet. Although from the looks of the bot, it would need a few parts before it could even turn on anymore. “Deal.” I said simply as I counted out the caps to him and he hoofed over the bot. I put it away in my pack and examined some other vendor's wares. None of them had much of interest so I made my way over to the hotels. Now, when i say hotels, as in plural, I mean that there were three of them, yet only one of them seemed to actually house ponies. The Hamlet, it was called. As for the other two, one of them seemed to be primarily a bar with a few slot machines thrown in. Starcrossed, read it's sign. The last was well...um...a hotel of ill repute, to put it lightly. A brothel, to be blunt, one with a bar might i add! I read the sign: Thesbian Lovers, it read. A clever play on words. I zoomed in almost as soon as I saw the bartender. I did so not because she was attractive or because I knew her, but for what she was doing as I saw her. She was making a strawberry daquiri, and dear Luna, do I love fancy drinks. I drink for the taste, not the buzz. A virgin daquiri is a boring smoothie, but you add alcohol to it, you get and explosive taste of berries! I sat down on a bar stool and tapped my hooves on the counter, drawing attention from the barmare, a light yellow toned unicorn, with a long light green mane, with a small braid in it. Her flanks were brazened by her cutie mark, a wave that seemed to be made of stars. “I'll have what she's having!” I pointed a hoof down the counter. The barmare gave a seductive smile and practically slid her way over to me. “Oh really? Well, i would be just delighted to make it for such a stallion like you. Perhaps it might be on the house?” I became confused. Usually you don't ask the customer if they want it on the house. But i returned her sly smile and shook my head. “What sort of stallion would I be if i were to just take advantage of a mare like yourself? I’ll pay for it first and maybe when you’re off your shift we can see about free drinks,” I said with a short chuckle. “My my, I seem to have met the one gentlestallion in the wastes. You must be from a Stable.” she added dryly. “But you know what hun, I’ll take you up on your offer, stick around until about six and ill buy you a drink, but for now, lets see if i cant make you a drink you wont forget.” She giggled and made me a Strawberry Daqiuri. I raised my drink to my mouth and the drink slid down my throat smoothly, only to ignite a warmth inside my stomach, a warmth that eventually spread to my whole body. The time was 5:30, almost time for the mare to get off shift. I finished off my glass and smiled a warm smile, i wasn't drunk, nor was I even buzzed. Garren Gizmo Gearturner was a stallion who could hold his liquor. I got up from my seat and examined the surrounding bar. It seemed a lot like a night club, ponies dancing and grinding on each other as the music blared and the lights flashed. Not my kind of scene really, but hey, i might get laid tonight if I stick around and thats what counts right now. I felt my shoulder get tapped as I turned around smack dab into a deep kiss by nopony other than the saucy barmare. I was surprised at first but then got into it, kissing her back with a certain passion that must have came from my drink. She released with a breath and smiled. “Starfruit.” She said holding out her hoof to me. I leaned down and kissed it. “Gizmo, nice to meet you.” I said with a smile and a chuckle, which Starfruit then joined in on. “If you don't mind, perhaps you would like to show me around town? After all I’m just a lost Stable pony.” Innocence flooded my eyes. “Sure hon, I don't really want to stay here and work anyways, they might ask me to stay and help with the night rush.” She led me out of the club and towards the main stage. As I had mentioned before, Herald was built around a theater, and the marketplace surrounds it while the hotels lie within of it. The main stage seemed to not be used for anything, just a whole room, empty. But not tonight, for Starfruit and I were upon the main stage. She was smiling and pulling me around talking about the actors that had been on this very stage before the bombs dropped. “Oh, and there was Ludwig Von Hoofimheim! He came all the way from what used to be Germaney! He had special unicorn magic that allowed him to temporarily take on the form of another pony!” She didn't seem to be the same saucy mare that I had met at the bar, instead she seemed to be a sort of innocent filly, sharing with me what she had admired and loved all her life. I enjoyed it, it made her more than just some random barmare. She wasn't boring me, this stuff about actors seemed cool enough and well, needless to say, Starfruit was pretty enough for it as well. “Hey Gizmo, Let me show you something.” She led me backstage. It was dark except for the soft glow of a few stage-lights. I saw Starfruit's reflection in an actor’s mirror. “What’d you want to show me Star?” I asked with a smile. She suddenly levitated out a small witches hat with a white frill along the edge, as well as a white bow on the frill. It was pristine, not a iota out of place. She set it on her head and grinned. “How do I look?” She walked closer to me. “Beautiful.” I said simply as I kissed her again, not too deeply. She backed away with a giggle. “Well,” she huffed, “if you’re so eager to kiss me, why don't we go back to my place?” A certain shine filled her eyes. She turned and exited the backstage area quickly, and I followed. She was fast, always staying two gallops ahead of me. We raced from the theater to the residential area, chasing each other along the way. She was waiting for me at the front of a small home, with her hat still on her head. She opened the door and went in, playfully teasing me with a small shake of her flank. Needless to say i followed her. --- I awoke with Starfruit, her hat on our bed. She was snuggled up into my chest as she soundly slept. Her shallow breaths warmed my coat. According to my Pipbuck’s clock, it was about 9 in the morning. I hadn't really thought about it, but i had never met up with Innocent, Pyre, or Spritz. They must be wondering where I was. I slipped quietly out of Star’s embrace and put on my saddle pack. I don't really want to just love and leave, I’ve tried that, and it just makes you feel awful, like you’ve used somepony. I shook her awake gently. “Hey, Star, I need to go and meet up with my friends, we’re leaving Herald today.” I whispered. She shook her head and kissed me.   “You aren't going anywhere without me,” she said sternly as she got up and trotted into her closet. She emerged a few minutes later in a fancy saddle pack, with a small white frill adorning it's sides. Her weapons consisted of rather advanced laser weaponry. “Well then, Gizmo, You just signed yourself up a new partner. My full name is Starfruit Spark, I’m kind of an expert in laser weapons, a few of these babies are creations of my own.” She brandished four laser rifles at her side as she levitated her hat back onto her head and tied her mane back into its small braid. “Well then, I’m probably not going to convince you otherwise am I?” I asked, her answer already in my mind. She shook her head and happily trotted downstairs. This is going to be fun to explain to the others. --- “You brought a bartender to accompany us?!” Innocent roared at me, eyes reddened in rage. “I’m not just a plain old bartender! I know my way around the wastes as good as anypony does! I also can snipe a ghoul 200 yards away with my rifle!” Star countered. She was as determined to come with us as I was to go with Innocent back at the library days earlier, but just as she was at the library, Innocent didn't want a larger party to deal with. “Oh big deal, I doubt we’ll be needing a sniper when we’re going into as tight as spaces as a delivery hub!” Innocent scoffed at Star’s talents. Funny, considering i didn't really know exactly what Innocent brought to the table in ways of weapons and offense. Pyre had his flames, Spritz had her poisons and medicines, and I had my trusty battle saddle. “I say we see what she’s got.” Pyre chimed in, much to the chagrin of his sister. Innocent eyed him with disdain and a sense of betrayal. Spritzle walked up beside Innocent. “I don't think we should let her come, after all, what do we know what she can and cant do? She just shows up out of nowhere and now she wants to come with us? I don't trust her.” I emitted a gasp of surprise. “Y-you don't think she should come Spritz?” I asked in disbelief. It wasn't normal for Spritzle to disagree with something I had decided on, she usually thought I meant best and went with what i had to say, even if more times than naught what I actually wound up doing wasn't the right thing. “Honestly? No, Gizmo, I don't think we can trust her just yet. Just how did you say you met her?” she asked accusingly. Spritz knew about my few relationships in the Stable and she did not approve. She could obviously tell how Star had convinced me that she is indeed trust worthy. “She works at a bar-slash-hotel in the main theater,” I said hurriedly, “I went in there for a drink and started to talk with her a bit. I decided that we needed another pony to help us considering you and I are inexperienced in the wasteland, Spritzle.” I lied. Well, not completely, but enough that it earned a grunt of disapproval from Spritz A bridge of distrust formed between us. “Point is, I want to come along and see what this whole thing is about.” Star said defiantly. Innocent huffed. "I suppose you can go to The Hub. But if you do, I won't. So then, Gizmo, you choose." She looked to me as Star nodded in agreement. Apparently it came down to me, and I don't know why, but I swear I could feel that this is how a buck feels when he has cheated on his marefriend and they found out and are asking him to choose. I contemplated it in my head for a pregnant pause. If we went with Innocent, we can find exactly what were looking for at The Hub, but technically, I could find it just as easily, it doesn't require hacker skills. If Star comes, we can learn if she's any good in a fight, but that would mean putting her in danger and I didn't quite like that idea. Innocent doesn't seem to have any fighting skills though, and we still keep our medic and powerhouse either way... "Honestly, I think Star should come. Mostly because I don't think I've ever even seen you with a weapon yourself, Innocent. Star here looks like she knows what she's doing when it comes to energy weapons, and I think she deserves a chance." I finished a took a breath. Innocent nodded understandingly as a hint of hurt passed over her eyes. Star didn't look any happier, she looked pained and worried about my friends. Spritzle sighed and trotted to her medical packs, the three pink butterflies and a small mushroom seemed to bring no comfort to her. "Let's...just go. I want to end this as soon as possible," she said as she trotted out of the house and Innocent went upstairs. Pyre came up to me and patted my back. "I would say you fucked up, but we haven't seen what this Star mare can do." He smiled. It was nice to know I had made a true friend in Pyre, oddly quick though for my tastes. Still, a friend is a friend. "Oh believe me flybuck, I'm great," Star said with wink as she strutted out of the house. Pyre laughed and grabbed his equipment, not equipping his flamer yet. Apparently, while I was with Star last night, Pyre had retrieved our weapons from the gate guard. Pyre and I went out to join Spritz and Star outside and we set out east to our new destination: Skytrust Delivery Hub. --- As we The Hub came into view, I noticed the lack of enemies through the route Star led us through. She really did know her way through Manehatten. She claimed to have some contacts in Tenpony Tower too, but Pyre started to argue that it would almost be impossible for somepony like her to have contacts there. Spritzle tended to talk mostly to Pyre, ignoring Star and I unless she needed us to check something. A concrete fortress rose in the distance. Monolithic, it stood passively on the horizon. An expansive parking lot surrounded it's exterior wall. A featureless retaining wall rose from its base. Size-wise, it wasn't that large, but the drab and dull exterior seemed to stretch for a mile. We neared the rusted entrance gate. The decaying sign read in busted letters: Skytrust Delivery Hub. A few cars were scattered in the parking lot, skeletons strewn near them. We stepped lightly, careful not to break them. As we neared the walls, a noise caught my ears. "This is DJ PON3 children, Here to give you a news update! I just got word from my more than reputable sources that a new Stable has been opened!" The voice echoed around. I was surprised, how could this DJ have found out about Spritz and I's escape so fast? I mean our Stable was in a sewer, for Luna's sake! I opened the door and saw a radio's faint glow. I got closer to it, ignoring my surroundings. Spritzle did the same. "That's right, my little ponies! Stable Two finally opened!" I released a breath. Apparently, Stable Seven wasn't the only functional Stable out there. "Now before you go and trying to raid this Stable, I'd advise you against it, because when I mentioned one pony coming out of it, I guess I should have also mentioned that pony's follow up story. That's right, in only a few hours after that first pony left Stable Two, a second pony was sighted, most likely going after the first. I wish luck to the both of you, you're going to need it. Oh, and let me give you a formal Wasteland Welcome. Welcome to Hell,” DJ PON3 deadpanned, “Now our short news update is wrapped up, we go back to Sweetie Belle, telling us that we can't always get what we love. From your lips to Celestia's ears Sweetie!" The gruff male voice was replaced with a beautiful mare's voice singing. I never was one for music, so I switched off the radio. "Looks like y'all ain't the only Stable ponies to get a mind to leave." Pyre said to us as he hooked up his flamer. When he finished preparing, he took a look around. "Somepony is here. They needed to be to have that radio playing, or else it would have shorted itself out a long time ago." He looked to Starfruit. "I recommend you bring out your weapon, little lady," he said with a smirk. Star returned the smirk and her horn glowed with a faint yellow glow as she levitated out a laser rifle. I looked in the lobby and noticed there were stairs. Silence fell, and I could catch the sound of hoofsteps upstairs. I made my move first, going up the stairs while I told the others to explore below. I went down a hallway, following the sounds of somepony trotting slowly ahead of me. As I turned the corner I saw the flick of a red tail turning into a room, and heard a voice. "Well well! It seems I have visitors! It's best to treat them with kindness, after all it is my un-birthday today!" I heard the voice of a buck and it was followed by uproarous laughter, laughter that no sane pony could ever copy. I trotted slowly and surely near the door, peaking my head into the room sneakily. The room seemed to be something of a surveillance room, monitors were everywhere. In the chair I saw a sitting buck. He had on a green top hat with a slip of paper in it, although I couldn't read what it said. The pony himself had a white mane that jutted out the edges of his hat, his red coat and tail providing a stark contrast with his mane. On the monitors I saw my friends, each having to apparently decided to split up as they look for the pony that I had found. I snuck into the room as quietly as I can, and caught sight of a monitor to my side. It displayed a camera feed trained directly on me! The doors behind me slammed shut as the buck in front of me pressed a button and turned around to face me. His muzzle had a scar directly over the nose, and his eyes were a nice shade of hazel, but the color couldn't hide the obvious madness that had taken over his mind. "Hello there,” he heaved, ”It's very rude to just come in unannounced you know! If you had called ahead I could have prepared tea and cookies!" He he jumped out of the chair and went over to a stove he had dragged from a kitchen. "My name is Hatter. I'm part of a little group we like the call Wonderland. I don't know why I'm telling you this,” he snickered, “you and your friends will be dead soon." He put a pot on to boil and went over to his station. He pressed three buttons as I watched my friend's reactions. For Pyre, a wave of ghoul ponies burst out of the end of his hallway, he was quick though, and armed his flamer, unleashing a stream if fire several trot-lengths long. Spritzle's hallway began to close on her, the walls going towards her. She froze, horror washing over her face. She took a worried moment longer, then galloped for dear life. She didn't stop until she was several yards outside the door. I gulped as the feed turned to Star's hallway. Time stood still, but nothing happened. No monsters, no collapsing walls, no wall of flame, nothing. She just kept trotting. Hatter didn't seem to react happily to this as he slammed the button over and over. "Ah no matter, she's coming up on the offices soon anyways. Well, like I was saying,” he turned back to me, “I'm part of a little group called Wonderland, and we serve to try and make the wasteland better! After the Queen deems a pony worthy of death, she sends them to my little tea party here! I have so much fun!" He laughed maniacally, chest having with each ragged chuckle, "But, occasionally I get wanderers like you and your friends!" My throat went dry. "Charmed, Mr. Hatter. I'm Gizmo Gearturner. My friends and I are just here for some information, and nothing more." My little introduction amused Hatter, and he smiled. His teeth were sharpened on the ends. It was then I realized why he went around without a weapon. He was a mad pony with carnivorous styled teeth. He was his own weapon. "Such manners! I never would have expected that!” He swooned. “You're a Stable pony, aren't you? Oh, it's been so long since I've had one for dinner! Well how about this? I've set my traps for your friends, and I've got you to myself. We're going to play a game.” I muffled a scream. “It's called Prussian Roulette. I load a revolver with one bullet and we aim at each other. If it doesn't fire, I answer a question, if it does, one of us dies. Let's play." I was even about to point out that I should answer a question if it doesn't fire on his turn but I was quite satisfied with only learning information on this deranged pony. He pulled out a small green revolver with a little 'Hg' inscription on the handle. He set up a table an bullet in the chamber and spun it, setting it down on my side. "The guest goes first." "Thank you," I said as I lifted the pistol in my mouth and aimed it at him. Look at me now, Grand-dad, I thought. Playing Prussian Roulette with a murderous psychopath possibly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of other ponies.   I pulled the trigger with my tongue and heard the distinctive click and spin of the barrel. "Good! Too early, and the game would be boring," he laughed as I set down the revolver and pushed it to him. "So, you're part of a group called Wonderland, you've mentioned a Queen, who else is part of it?" I asked calmly, despite every fiber of my being wanting to kick this madpony in the teeth and get the fuck out of this room. Hatter smiled his toothy smile. "There's Rabbit, Cheshire, Dodo, Cards, Hare, Dormouse, Bandersnatch, Walrus, Carpenter, Dee and Dumb, King, Queen, and finally our leader, Alice." he answered calmly. "That's a lot of ponies." I replied. "Indeed," he responded quickly. He picked up the pistol and took aim at my head. Well, I'd lived a good life. A click and and giggle echoed throughout the room. "Next question!" he said excitedly as he tossed me the pistol. "How do you plan to make the Wasteland better?" I asked. "By purifying it,” he stated, “We seek to get rid of all the tainted ponies, all of those who don't see the truth." his tone wavered on insanity and finality. I put the revolver in my mouth and pulled the trigger. A boom tore through the chamber, and a bullet was sent right between Hatters eyes. The recoil sent me flying back in my chair, as I fell, I saw his face. A bloody hole was rent right between his eyes, and a toothy sharp grin was worn on his face. I hit the ground and my body shivered, not from the impact but the feeling of that I had just taken somepony's life...I got to my feet and trotted to the other side of the table. Hatter laid there, his smile permanently plastered on his face, his eyes gazing endlessly towards the ceiling. His hat had landed a good distance away and managed to avoid  the blood to pooling around his head. I picked up the hat and revolver, and pocketed both as I went to the screens. Pyre had burned his way past the ghouls and into a rather large cafeteria, where he seemed to be searching for something. Scratch that, he pulled a Sparkle-Cola from the fridge and began to chug it down. Spritzle had made it to the delivery room, searching the packages for anything of use. Star... Was sitting on top of a huge pile of robot ponies?! Apparently while Hatter and I were playing, Star had been ambushed by robot ponies. I guess the mare really could handle those rifles. "Bravo," I said simply as I looked to the controls. There seemed to be an intercom of some sort. I pressed down a button and began to speak. "Hello? Test one, two. Hey guys! It's Gizmo, I found who was here and well... I'll tell you guys when you get here, just retrace your steps and come upstairs. Spritz, your hallways are open again, just to tell you." My friends all began to look around for me and the source of my voice as they collectively shrugged and started their ways up to me. --- "And then I called you all up here." I finished. Star didn't seem interested, but Pyre and Spritzle's eyes were as wide as a full moon. "So you're tellin' me, we've got a whole organization on our tails now too?!" Pyre asked in surprise. "What? No! At least I don't think so. Hatter referred to us as explorers or wanders, he didn't expect us, so unless they come by and find out who came here, we aren't in any trouble," I reassured him. "They will," Star said bleakly, "And they'll find out it was us, then start hunting us down. These kind of organizations always do, just like the Zodiac family. I just think this Wonderland thing will take it's time with us, faster if they're all as insane as Hatter here." She closed Hatters eyes. "Well let's just get that information and go, I hate like this place," Spritzle said as she waited by the door. I quickly agreed and plugged my Pipbuck into a terminal near the screens. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. I browsed the files, and found a tracker for the truck carrying the books mentioned in the letter. We made a quick way out and began to follow the tracker to the fallen truck... --- Notes: Level up! Perk added Bloody Hooves: You have made your first kill of a pony! Congratulations! You gain an extra 5% damage increase when you fight other ponies! Quest perk added Into the Rabbit Hole: You have met and killed a member of the group Wonderland. Get ready for a fight. You gain some unique dialogue options with certain ponies Companion lost: Innocent Mustang Companion gained: Starfruit Spark Companion perk gained: Ordinary Unicorn: Who exactly is Starfruit Spark? Nevermind! When Starfruit is in your party you gain a whopping +25 to your Energy Weapons! Wow how exactly did she get that good at them? ((Authors note: hey there ponies!!!! Man... Umm let's see, this chapter was half typed on a computer and the other half was on my iPod again. I just feel really comfortable on the iPod. So typing is easy, also autocorrect helps. Well I've introduced a new character and a new backstory! This will be fun! Oh also, Starfruit Spark is a reference to a video game character I really like. Starfruit isn't her name but she does spark alot. If anypony can name the video game series and her character, I'll get them a commission of a character of their choice! Don't worry, I have artist friends so it won't be my crappy drawings. First to get it wins! Send in your answers to askgizmo.tumblr.com. Also Storm isn't my character he's the character of the wonderful Askmetalnco.tumblr.com whom you guys should totally follow. As always I thank Nerdy for another awesome edit! And I thank Khat for making Fallout Equestria. Mimezinga for the awesome fanfic Pink Eyes, because I just love the Puppysmiles tumblr. And Somber for Project Horizons! Keep going dude, you've got fans everywhere! Another long authors note huh? Do you guys even read all this? Oh well. Umm yeah, time for me to go and write some more. Thanks for reading and stay tuned! [technically you can't tune a computer but y'all know what I mean] Bye!)) ((Editor's note: A very fun chapter to edit, Gizzy. I'd also like to thank Kkat for bringing Fallout: Equestria into my life, and for getting me hooked on fan-fiction. I'd like to thank Somber as well for Project Horizons, which I am in the middle of reading! Mimezinga, too, for writing Pink Eyes. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Stay tuned for more! From Linux with love, Parker [mylittlenerdy.tumblr.com])) ((Editors note to Gizzy: I love reading your notes, Gizzy! Because I care.