"Beep, beep, beep, beep!" Steel groaned as the alarm on his E.U.D activated. He opened his eyes and squinted as the faint glow of the sun shining through the window shutters hit his pupils, causing them to contract. He lifted his left forehoof and examined the silver device attached there. The clock application on the small, dark green screen read "7:45 AM." Steel tapped a button marked, "Alarm off" with his muzzle and the beeping stopped. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away the tiredness, before grunting and climbing off of his bed.
He stumbled for a moment as his vision went black, blood rushing to his head. He shook his head as his vision began to clear and he walked towards his closet. He looked around at the pitiful supply of dull, grey and brown clothes. He lazily threw on a grey button-up shirt and a brown trench coat over it and walked over to a tall, polished piece of metal he constructed himself to use as a mirror.
His dark brown fur and reddish brown mane and tail were untidy, strands of hair were sticking out at odd angles. Steel sighed and pressed a button on his E.U.D, causing two curved prongs to slide out of the end. He reached to a shelf next to the mirror and flexed the muscles in his hoof, the two prongs closed around a small brush which he used to straighten out his tail and try to tame his long mane. It got to a point of tamed chaos and Steel gave up. He set down the brush and pressed another button on his E.U.D, the two prongs retracted back into the device and examined himself in the mirror.
He was a stronger pony, better built due to his profession but of average height. His mane was longer than he wanted, almost reaching his shoulders. He would need to get a haircut soon. He examined the time on his E.U.D. "7:52." He examined the surface of his E.U.D. The metal was scratched in some places and the screen had smears splayed across it's surface. He would need to give it a tune up once he got back to the shop. His cutie mark was that of a metal forge hammer, striking an anvil. He worked as a mechanic in a metal working shop, it was a decent job. It payed well and there was always work to be done.
He realized he was spacing out and refocused on the task at hand. He walked away from the mirror and approached his front door. He waved his forehoof in front of it and the E.U.D beeped, a red light on the door turned green in response and the door opened. Steel walked through the doorway and pressed a button on his E.U.D.
"System Locked." Said a feminine, robotic voice, emanating from the E.U.D. The door closed and beeped as it locked, the window shutters closed and beeped in response. Steel grunted and turned away to look out at his town, Craterville. It was an average sized town for a population of average ponies. Most of the town was constructed out of metal, which meant plenty of work for Steel, houses and bridges were built inside of craters which were made during the war. The houses looked like they were hastily thrown together when really it took many months to build each one, finding, working, conditioning and welding the metal took a long time to do.
Steel jumped slightly as his E.U.D vibrated, he lifted his forehoof and examined the screen. The words "You Have 1 New Message!" Were written in green text across the screen with an animated picture of an envelope bouncing up and down beneath the text. Steel tapped the "Open" Button with his muzzle and the animated envelope unfolded, revealing a screen of green text.
"Subject: Fun
Hey Steel! I was hoping after work you could come and meet me at The Slaughtered Unicorn for a drink! Goodness knows you need it, I'll pay for everything, you don't need to spend a single sphere. Oh! And Dale has been thinking of getting an E.U.D, so you can expect him in the shop at around 9:30. Listen, I know you don't give discounts to friends but he needs all the help he can get. He means well, he just doesn't have the spheres to do what he means. Anyways I'll see you in the bar!"
-Silver
Steel smirked and pressed the reply button, the audio feature activated and Steel spoke into the small microphone hole next to the screen.
"Subject: Thanks
Hey Silver! Yeah, why not? Free drinks are hard to turn down, I think I'll invite Dale as well, and yes I'll give him a discount. Just don't tell my boss or I wont be around to give discounts in the first place. See you in The Slaughtered Unicorn at around 11:00."
-Steel
Steel stopped speaking and pressed send. An animation began, a paper was folded and placed inside of an envelope and the envelope whizzed off screen, the words "Message Sent." Appeared onscreen before disappearing when Steel pressed the Okay button. He began walking down the metal ramp, leading away from his house and leading into the main streets of Craterville. The population of Craterville wasn't that big, around 112 ponies and counting. Nearly everypony knows each other, they know which ponies are friends, and which ponies are enemies.
Steel sighed and continued to walk towards the metal worker's shop, a metallic clang rang out on every other step as his E.U.D hit the metal pathway. He walked for several minutes before finally reaching, "Hammer and Nail's Metalworking". Steel waved his E.U.D in front of the door, it beeped and a robotic, male voice said.
"Welcome Steel, right on time." The doors opened and Steel stepped inside. The shop had a small waiting room with metal chairs and a metal desk. Nopony had arrived yet. Since Steel was always early, he had his friend Cable hack into the system and change his arrive time to be twenty minutes earlier than everypony else's. Cable was good for anything you need done on a computer, his great grandfather was one of the first developers of the original computer in the first place, back when computers were the size of buildings. Steel was very particular about most of his friends, a few were friends since filly-hood but the rest were chosen because they had useful skills.
Steel walked past the metal chairs and opened a metal door labeled "Workshop" with his hoof. Inside were the tools Steel used to work, shape, weld and polish metal, this was his life. He walked towards a metal desk with the name, "Steel" carved neatly into the side. The desks they were given when they began working, had a large interface across the desktop and a set of drawers in the base.
Steel opened the top most drawer, inside was a small, rectangular piece of metal with the words, "To keep you safe" etched into the metal surface. Steel smiled at the sight of the metal object. He reached into the drawer and picked up the piece of metal with his E.U.D, examining it closely for scratches or uneven spots. He smiled when he didn't find any.
Steel walked over to a tool he used during metalworking called a drill-press. He clamped the piece of metal down and moved to the operator side of the drill-press. The two sides were separated by a small, glass blast shield to prevent sparks flying into your eyes. the blast shield have a perfect view of the drill head and whatever you were drilling. A small console was set into a metal base of the drill-press, Steel tapped the audio button and spoke.
"Sound doors, close." There was a whining of motors as a rounded sheet of metal slid outwards and sealed Steel inside of what was now an operator chamber. "Drill, activate." On the other side of the glass, a large drill began to spin emanating no sound since the sound doors blocked it. "Metal type, iron, hole depth..." Steel examined the small piece of metal, judging it's size. "1.5 centimeters." He concluded. The drill adjusted it's speed and began to lower. Steel watched carefully, making sure the drill wouldn't malfunction or ruin the piece of metal. The drill reached it's target and sparks flew in every direction, bouncing off of the blast shield. The drill finished it's 1.5 centimeter hole in the piece of metal and it raised itself once more before deactivating.
"Sound doors, open." The metal behind Steel opened and he walked out, he approached the small piece of metal with now had a small hole running through it horizontally. He examined it closely, checking for imperfections, once he was certain it was perfect he un-clamped it and moved it back to his desk. Smiling, Steel walked over to a bin labeled, "Scrap iron". He opened it and grabbed a few shards of broken metal. He moved to a large metal cylinder which stood on four legs, two thick metal doors were set into the front, one on top of the other and a small interface was attached as well. Steel tapped the audio button.
"Mold set, metal wire. Temperature set, 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit." The heat chamber activated and a red glow emanated through the cracks in the door. Steel hoisted himself onto his hind legs and opened the top door, placed the metal inside, and closed it. Steel jumped as the workshop door opened and another pony walked in. This pony had a deep red mane, a light pink coat of fur and beautiful violet eyes. A small image of a rose made of metal adorned her flank, Steel felt his heart skip a beat.
"Hey Steel." Said the pony with a small smile. Steel smiled back.
"Hey Iron Rose." He responded. She smiled at me! Steel thought to himself. Iron Rose seemed to notice the heat chamber was activated. She examined the interface.
"What are you making?" She asked with curiosity. Steel froze for a second. She can't know I'm making this for her! Iron Rose looked back at Steel.
"A gift for... a friend." He managed to stutter. She looked back at the interface.
"You're giving somepony a piece of iron wire?" She asked playfully. Steel chuckled.
"No, this is just a piece of the present." He explained.
"Oh." Said Iron Rose, nodding in understanding. "So where's the rest of it?" Steel blushed.
"I'll show you the whole thing when it's done." Iron Rose looked up and saw Steel blushing, she giggled.
"It must be for somepony very special." She lifted her hoof to Steel's chin and moved his head side to side, examining his blushing cheeks. Steel shivered slightly at her warm touch.
"Yes." He responded, trying his best to at least sound like he was keeping his cool. She smiled softly and patted his cheek before moving to her own desk across the workshop. Steel exhaled after what felt like an eternity, he wasn't sure if she knew he was making the present for her or not. Iron Rose had that way about her, always seeming like she knew more than she actually did. Steel walked to his own desk, opened the drawer and slipped the small piece of metal inside. There was a crackling sound as the intercoms activated, a static laced voice came through the speakers and echoed through the workshop.
"Steel, you're needed out front for an E.U.D installment." Iron Rose looked over at Steel and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm impressed." She said in a surprised voice. "You're qualified for that?" Steel nodded.
"Got my permit last week, I can now legally perform an E.U.D installment surgery." Iron Rose pursed her lips and nodded.
"Have to say, I'm a little jealous." Steel chuckled.
"Never thought I would make you jealous. You're funny, and pretty and smart and..." Steel realized he was actually talking. Iron Rose looked up with a smug smile.
"Am I now?" She questioned with sarcastic suspicion. He turned to her, blushing harder than ever.
"Uhh... yeah... I suppose." Iron Rose tilted her head slightly.
"Well in this light I suppose you look rather dashing as well." Steel blushed harder, which he didn't think was even possible. The intercom fizzed back online.
"Steel," Said the voice once more. "Immediately." Steel left his desk in a hurry and opened the door to the mane room, through the door he saw his friend Dale.
"Hey Steel!" Said Dale with a smile. Dale was a Pegasus who had a sand colored coat of fur with a light brown mane and tail, his cutie mark was an image of a sack full of miscellaneous objects. Pegasi have been rare since the war, nearly all of the Pegasi were wiped out, but the few who managed to survive have grandchildren now. Dale was wearing a light brown jacket and a pale red button-up shirt. Dale's real name was Striking Deal, he was a street merchant, and a rather unsuccessful one at that. He didn't much like his real name so he had people call him Dale instead. Dale had a sleazy, smooth voice which was pumped full of fake charm.
"Hey Dale, you getting an E.U.D finally?" Steel asked.
"Yep! One Equine Utility Device for me." Said Dale, a toothy smile on his face.
"if you two are done socializing." Said an old, wheezy voice. Steel looked to his right where his boss, Strict Hoof was giving him a criticizing look.
"I apologize sir, I'll escort him to the operating room." Steel responded, Strict Hoof nodded and turned his head back to the door as Steel lead Dale to the a door labeled, "Operation room" and they both entered. Inside was a long medical table, a smaller table with many sharp tools and needles, an interface set into the wall and a small table near the wall with information about the E.U.D installation procedure.
"Okay, a few things you should know. One, it hurts." Dale waved his hoof as he sat down on the medical table in the center of the room.
"Psssshhhh, it can't hurt that bad." Dale chuckled, Steel remained silent.
"We're cutting off your hoof, fusing metal to your skin and attaching sensors to the muscles in your forehoof." Dale stopped chuckling. "Also, it costs 150 spheres for the main procedure and fifty spheres for each additional application you order." Dale reached into his jacket pocket with his mouth and pulled out a small sack. He held it in his hooves and opened it.
"Can I see the list of applications?" Steel turned and grabbed the E.U.D installation paper off of a table, Dale watched as Steel's E.U.D grabbed the piece of paper. Steel handed the paper to Dale. He read it briefly. "I only have enough for one extra application." Steel sighed.
"Tell you what, just this once! I will pay for two applications for you." Dale looked up with a smile.
"Really? Thanks a lot! It means so much to me." Steel nodded with a smile. Dale looked up and down the sheet, anxious to pick his three applications.
"Okay, I'll take the Wireless Money Transfer, the Gun Grip and the camera." Steel nodded, Dale handed the sack he was holding. Inside were perfectly rounded, metal spheres bearing the symbol of a star with wings masterfully etched into the metal. These spheres have become the currency in the wasteland of Equestria, only the ponies in power have the equipment to make these spheres without any imperfections.
Steel counted up the spheres and nodded. He approached the interface and waved his E.U.D in front of it, a small funnel folded outwards, Steel dumped the spheres into the funnel. The spheres rolled down the funnel into machine, Steel pulled out his own sack of spheres and poured in one hundred exactly. The machine added up the spheres, the funnel closed and another opened, this one facing downwards. Steel moved the sack beneath the outwards funnel.
"Spheres given, 303.5. Change due, three spheres and one cube." Said the interface. The sack Steel was holding got slightly heavier and the outwards funnel closed. Steel handed the sack back to Dale who looked inside pitifully and put the sack back into his pocket.
"Alright, lie down." Said Steel, Dale exhaled deeply and lay down on the table. Steel waved his E.U.D in front of the table which began to move. A section of the table raised causing Dale's right hoof to raise as well, metal straps slid out of the table and held his hoof in place. Dale gave a worried look to Steel. "Don't worry, you won't feel anything until afterwards." Dale nodded. Steel reached into a drawer and pulled out a small mask with a button on the side. Steel approached Dale and held up the mask, Dale nodded, Steel placed the mask over Dale's muzzle and pressed the red button.
There was a whining sound as gas began to fill the mask, Dale's eyes began to zoom in and out of focus.
"Just breath." Said Steel. Dale nodded and breathed deeply and within seconds he was unconscious. Steel lifted the mask off and set it aside before picking up an electric saw and activating it.
"Wake up." Said Steel, Dale groaned as he began to stir. His eyes opened and adjusted to the light. "The procedure's done, you now have a legal Equine Utility Device, check it out." Dale lifted his right hoof and examined the E.U.D now in place where his pony hoof used to be.
"Cool." Said Dale, squinting as light reflected off of it's shiny metal surface. The main E.U.D menu was onscreen, several boxes to the left of the screen were labeled, "Camera, Gun Grip, Clamp, Messenger, W.M.T". Dale tapped the Camera button and a small lens appeared, the screen changed to show an image of Dale's face, groggy and dirty, a few flecks of his own blood placed here and there."Cheese." Said Dale with a lazy smile and the E.U.D snapped a picture. Dale laid his right hoof back onto the table. "It's heavy." He said in surprise.
"Yeah." Steel agreed, "But you'll get used to it." Dale swung his hooves over the edge of the table and stood up, he winced when he put pressure on his E.U.D. "You'll get used to that too." Dale limped out of the operation room, Steel followed.
"Thanks man, I can't wait to use this thing." Steel and Dale bumped E.U.Ds, causing Dale to wince.
"You should come to The Slaughtered Unicorn with me and Silver later, Silver's gonna pay for everything." Dale cheered and limped out of the shop. Steel turned around with a smile and walked back into the workshop, Iron rose was sitting at her desk, writing on her desktop with a stylus she held in her mouth. "Done with the procedure." He called to her. She looked up and smiled. Steel loved it when he made her smile. She put the final period on whatever she was writing and she set the stylus down in a drawer.
"It's almost time to clock out." Said Iron Rose with a smile, "You have any plans?" Steel paused. Is she asking me out? Or is she just curios? Why would she ask me out? Because of my impeccable charm of course! What's wrong with me? Iron Rose often caused Steel's mind to race like this. He finally came to the conclusion to tell the truth.
"Yes," Steel responded. "I'm going to The Slaughtered Unicorn with two of my friends," Steel paused and mustered all the courage he could. "Do you want to... come with me." Iron Rose paused.
"Sure!" She said with a shrug. Steel felt his heart stop, then start again at double the speed.
"Cool!" Said Steel rather loudly, "I'll see you then, oh and Silver is paying for everything."
"Sweet, I love things that are free." Iron Rose responded. Steel laughed and smiled, Iron Rose smiled back. They sat in silence for a few moments looking into each others eyes. Iron Rose's deep red eyes were beautiful. Steel realized he was staring and quickly looked away. Iron Rose looked slightly disheartened for a second before returning to her normal cheery self. After a small chat while Steel removed the iron wire from the heat chamber, the two ponies got back to their work in silence.
"I'm telling ya man, there's an entrance to the undertunnels beneath your shop!" Said Dale drunkenly. Steel and Silver laughed, while Iron Rose just looked confused
"I seriously doubt that Dale." Said Silver. Silver was a light turquoise pony with a shock white mane. He wore an expensive shirt and jacket with a blue necktie. His cutie mark was an image of a sphere, the currency of course, the star with wings glowing a light gold. Silver worked as a banker pony, he was rich, and foolish. part of the reason why Steel was friends with him.
"So you don't think the undertunnels exist!" Said Dale, sounding offended.
"No, we know they exist," Said Steel. "I just don't think there's an entrance in the metalworking shop." Iron Rose cleared her throat to get Steel's attention. Steel looked over with a smile.
"What are the undertunnels." Everypony fell silent, even Dale.
"You don't know?" Asked Silver, Steel nudged him forcefully. Iron Rose shook her head.
"Uhhh..." Steel tried to figure out how to tell the story, he had never had to explain. "The undertunnels, are basically a series of tunnels connecting every major city in the wasteland. They were built by Earth ponies while the Pegasi and Unicorns were fighting above ground. They say there's an entrance somewhere in Craterville, and Dale is convinced it's in my shop." Iron Rose paused.
"Tunnels connecting the wasteland's major cities?" She asked, Steel nodded. "That sounds awesome!" She chugged a pint of apple cider and slammed the mug onto the table. Silver, Dale, and Steel cheered and followed her lead and drank through most of the night.