Fallout: Equestria - Rolling Bones

by Honey Mead

Chapter 1: A Birthday in Dise

Fallout Equestria: Rolling Bones
Chapter 1: A Birthday in Dise

I could hear them. Mommy tried her best to be quiet, but I could still hear them. He wasn’t quiet. He screamed at her, but I couldn’t understand the words. He was angry with her, I think. She had done something or said something that he didn’t like. I heard her scream and then fall to the floor. I wanted to cry out. To run to her. But if I did he would hit me too. So I hid in my box and cried silently to myself, hugging my new toy. Today was going to be perfect.

Mommy tried to wake me up with a kiss on my forehead, she never did that. I kept my eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep.

“You don’t want to sleep in on your special day, now do you?” she asked, poking me in the side.

Special day? My eyes shot open when I remembered what day it was. Throwing my blanket to the side I jumped up and down on the mattress, my wings buzzing. “It’s my birthday! It’s my birthday!”

Mommy snatched me out of the air and squeezed me tightly. “Little birthday colts still need to wash up before breakfast.”

Wiggling out of her grasp I flew to the tiny bathroom at the end of the hall. Brown water sputtered out of the faucet at first, but that only lasted for a few seconds. Once it cleared up I quickly washed my forehooves and wings. It was a special day, my special day.

Mommy was smiling as I sat down at the table. She had set two places, one for me and one for her. With her good wing she poured me a glass of water, she spilled a lot because her wing was shaky. By the time she placed it onto the table in front of me it was half empty, but I didn’t care. Lifting the salad bowl in her mouth she put it in the middle of the table, and with a set of tongs she began to serve us. Daisy petals, bits of apple, pumpkin scrapings, and lots of hay, my favorite.

I looked up at her as she took her seat across from me and smiled the biggest smile I could. Her eyes were clearer than I ever remember seeing them. She’d been off her medication for almost a month now and everything was wonderful. Those Watcher ponies had said that everything would be better now, and they were right!

Mommy smiled and trotted around the table as I licked the last bit of pumpkin off my plate. “It’s your birthday, Love, would you like to go play with the other foals?”

I shook my head, red and white bangs tickling my nose. “No, I wanna play with the bestest mommy in Dise!”

She laughed at that and pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tight. I felt her body shaking, and she sniffled.

“What’s wrong mommy?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Love.” She squeezed tighter, “I am the happiest mommy on all of Equis.” I didn’t understand, but she was smiling, so I was happy too.

After that we played games all morning. Checkers and pin the tail on the pony and tag and hide ‘n seek. I was really good at hide ‘n seek, I could hide places that mommy couldn’t. We had so much fun I didn’t want to stop, but mommy said that she needed to go shopping. She said that she was going to buy something special for dinner and that she would let me pick out a new toy! A new toy! I hadn’t gotten a new toy in... forever! Best birthday EVER!

Mommy grabbed her bags as we left our shack and headed for the market. I walked with mommy the entire way. When we first left I was flying beside her, but when I noticed the sad look on her face I landed and nuzzled her leg. I knew it was hard for her sometimes. She used to be able to fly, until she had the accident. Her wing never healed properly, and she missed flying. I wished she could fly with me, but even on super special days not every wish can come true.

The market was filled with ponies screaming out the different things they had for sale. I was a little scared by all the different ponies, but only a little, so I stayed extra close to mommy. We stopped at a bunch of the shops and got more daisy petals and even rose petals! Oh, I loved rose petals, they’re delicious. Then she bought some eggplant and other things that I wasn’t so happy about, but rose petals! Yay! One of the nice shopkeepers even gave me a treat, ‘cause it was my birthday! I jumped into the air to grab the paper wrapped candy, but mommy snagged it out of the air with her wing. “Not till after dinner, Love.”

“But MOMMY!” I cried pulling on her leg.

“I can still take the rose petals back.” Not my rose petals! My teeth clicked as they slammed shut.

By the time we walked into the last store I was bouncing with glee. I’m getting a toy! I’m getting a toy!

Mommy talked to the shopkeeper about grown up things before asking what toys she had for little colts. Yay! The shopkeeper smiled, she had an ugly smile, but I was too happy to not smile back. Toys! She was a unicorn and used her magic to open a box behind the counter and place a bunch of toys on the counter for me to choose from. I flew up to get a better look at them.

There were air-chariots and teddy bears and a doll. I almost yelled at her that I wasn’t some silly filly. Then I looked at it. It was the most coolest doll ever. It was a pegasus doll, with a light blue coat and the most awesomest mane with every color I knew, except pink which was good because I didn’t like stupid girly pink. She was rearing up with her forehooves in the air and her wings flared out. Her head was turned a little to the right and she was winking right at me! There was nothing in the world that I wanted more than that doll. I swooped down and snatched it right off the counter.

The moment my hooves touched it I felt better; like I could take on the world and nothing could stop me. The shopkeeper smiled at my mommy as she stared up at me with a surprised look on her face.

“Are you sure that’s what you want, Love?” A rattling sound echoed out of my nodding head, and she turned back to the ugly unicorn.

I didn’t hear the price, but I did see mommy’s face.

I almost cried! I knew what that face meant, we wouldn’t be able to get it. I slowly floated down to the floor. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes, but I wouldn’t cry. I was a big colt and big colts don’t cry.

I reached up to put the little pegasus back on the counter, but mommy stopped me. She was putting a pile of bottle caps onto the counter! She’d bought it!

I jumped into the air and wrapped myself around her neck. “THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!” I squealed with glee. Bestest mommy ever!

When we got home I noticed that there was writing on the base of the doll. “What does this say?” I asked holding the doll up for her to see.

“Be Awesome.” She said without even looking at the doll. That was so cool! I wanted to be awesome.

Mommy continued into the shack dropping her saddlebags onto the table. When I looked up at her my smile faded away. She sat beside the table staring straight ahead. I stepped up to her and held up the doll.

“Do you wan’ hoo p’ay wiff her?” I asked, holding the base between my teeth.

She forced a smile onto her face, “No, Love, it’s your special day. Nopony but you should play with her today.” She let out a sigh. “I need to make dinner, why don’t you go outside and play for awhile.”

“I ca’ helf.” I offered, mommy liked it when I helped in the kitchen.

“No, Love, you go out and have some fun.”

“I wuve you, mommy.” I wrapped my hooves around her leg, and she mussed up my mane before shooing me off to go play.

I had so much fun playing with my new toy that it was almost dark before I knew it. When I went back inside I knew that something was wrong. The saddlebags from the stores were sitting on the table and full of the food we had bought. Mommy, where’s mommy? I heard some sobbing coming from mommy’s room, so I went to go see what was wrong. She was laying on the floor, curled up and crying.

“Mommy?” I asked, stepping closer, “What’s wrong mommy?” She shook her head and tried to say something, but I couldn’t understand her. When I stepped next to her she reached out and pulled me into a hug. She held me even tighter than she had at breakfast, shaking. “Are these happy tears too?” She only cried harder. I didn’t understand and I started crying too.

I don’t know how long we laid there, but we didn’t get up until there was a heavy knock on the door. Mommy jumped to her hooves and began pacing. Her eyes weren’t sad anymore, they were too busy darting around the room. She told me to go to my room and to not come out. She told me that no matter what happened I was to stay in my room until she came to get me. I nodded, sniffling and wiping the tears from my cheeks.

I hid under the clothes in my hooflocker, clutching my doll close. Mommy was scared and so was I, but my doll was awesome and awesome pegasuses were never scared. I wanted to be awesome, too, so I did my best not to be scared. When the door slammed open I almost screamed; I wasn’t very good at being awesome.

I was too busy trying to be awesome to hear what the stallion was saying to mommy. But I knew he wasn’t happy. The more he talked the more angrier he got. Mommy tried to calm him down, but that only made him madder. I squeezed my doll tight. Be awesome. Be awesome...

I heard mommy cry out and fall to the floor. The stallion let out a laugh, I didn’t like his laugh, it wasn’t a happy laugh.

“I warned you bitch! You had your chance and it is time to pay up.” Mommy screamed. When I started to hear the other noises I covered my ears. I had heard them before and I knew I wasn’t supposed to.

“No!” She screamed followed by a sharp crack. He laughed again. Her screams sounded like she was under water. I cried. I wanted to help but I couldn’t move.The laughter and screams echoed in my ears.

There was a loud snap, and everything went quiet. The only sound came from the stallions heavy breathing. Then came the crashing. I heard him moving through the house, breaking everything as he went. His hoofsteps banged against the floor as he stomped through the shack. I heard him stop at the door to my room. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know what would happen if he found me and I didn’t want to know.

The door slammed open and I almost jumped. I struggled to not make a sound even though all I wanted to do was scream. My heart beat against my chest, but nothing happened.

Then I heard him snort and move away from my room. The window groaned as he opened it.

I didn’t understand, why had he left? Then I heard the other voices. When their hoof steps neared I cowered deeper into my chest. The voices gasped and rushed about the kitchen. “Oh Celestia, what happened?”

“Oh no, is she...?”

Mommy?

“Didn’t she have a colt with her last time?”

I heard hooves rushing around the house. “Do you remember his name?”

“Lucky, I think.”

“Lucky, you can come out now.” They kept calling my name, but I was too scared to answer.

They found me. Opening the locker where I kept everything mommy had ever given me. I didn’t know them, but I was too afraid to do anything. The gray mare picked me up and hugged me close. “It’s okay, Lucky, you’re safe now. Everything will be alright.”

She lied.

My eyes stung. My throat hurt. I heard voices talking softly nearby. I sniffled back a sob because awesome ponies don’t cry. My bed gently rocked back and forth, like when mommy carried me on her back.

“Mommy?”

The voices stopped. The rocking stopped.

“Lucky?” somepony asked. I whimpered; that wasn’t mommy. “It’s okay, Lucky.” A strange tingling tickled my skin and I felt weightless. I was moving. I whimpered again, fighting back the tears, because awesome ponies don’t cry. “Shhhh, it’s okay, you’re safe. Nothing’s going to hurt you.” I was surrounded in warmth as the weightlessness disappeared and two legs hugged me close. I whimpered again, tears welling up in my eyes. Awesome ponies don’t cry.

“Can’t this wait till we get back to the compound?” a deeper voice asked. “Uhg, fine.”

One of the hooves holding me began to pet my mane, pushing the hairs out of my face. “You’re safe now, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

My eyes opened just enough to see the blurry gray face of the pony holding me. “Mommy?”

Her eyes got real sad as her mouth moved without making any noise. “L-Lucky... I...” she glanced at the other voice, only to look back right away. “I am so sorry.”

I’m not an awesome pony.

I heard hoof steps getting closer and buried myself deeper into the sheets, hiding under the pillow. The flap swished softly as somepony entered the tent. I closed my ears against the soft impacts of hooves stepping right up to the edge of the bed. Light exploded behind my eyelids, the bed sheets and pillow flying into the air.

“Peek-a-boo! I see you,” cooed Nurse Gray, poking me with a hoof. When I didn’t respond she stopped poking me and started running her hoof over my mane. “How are you feeling today, Lucky?” I mumbled into the mattress. I liked Nurse Gray, she was pretty and nice, but I didn’t want to talk. Nurse wasn’t her name, I just liked calling her that because it made her smile. “That bad, huh? I guess the other colts and fillies will just have to be disappointed for another day.”

“O-other c-colts and fillies?” I croaked, turning my head a little.

“Well, yeah, silly,” she laughed, poking one of my ribs. “You didn’t think you were the only one here, did you?”

I didn’t want to smile at her, but I couldn’t help it. “Wh-why would they be dis-disappointed?”

“Because I’ve been telling them all about you. They really want to meet you, but I told them that they had to wait until you’re ready.”

“I... I guess I could come out,” I sniffed, “and say hi.” I didn’t want anypony else to be sad; I was sad enough for everypony.

She smiled. I sniffled and smiled back. Nurse Gray had stayed with me all of that first night, whispering to me and hugging me. She told me stories about how she got her Cutie Mark, a partially unrolled bandage with a curved stitching needle on top, and how wonderful the Watchers were. I didn’t really hear most of it, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Come on then,” she said, taking a step back as I slid off the bed to follow her out of the tent.

I hadn’t seen much of anything when they brought me in a few days ago, and, staying inside the tent, I really didn’t know anything about the compound. It was a lot cleaner than the streets had been around my shack, but I still didn’t like it.

I stayed close to Gray’s side as we trotted past row after row of tall blue and white canvas tents. The occasional rustle of fabric and voices of the ponies moving around inside the tents kept me squeezing myself closer Nurse Gray’s side. I was almost walking under her a few times until she giggled and stepped to the side. We eventually came to a large clearing filled with other foals playing a game.

One of them noticed us and stopped, pointing a hoof. A ripple rolled through the herd as everypony stopped to stare at us. I tried to hide behind Gray’s foreleg, my feathers rustling against my side.

“...pegasus...”

“He has wings?”

“I’ve never met a pegasus before.”

As though by unspoken agreement the herd of foals surged forward.

“Can you fly?”

“Can you do stunts?”

“Do a barrel roll!”

I shied away from the press of ponies, trying to hid behind Nurse Gray. My doll was tucked under my wing. I’d have to take it out to fly, and I didn’t want to.

Nurse Gray gently put a hoof to my side and forced me out from behind her. “Now children, you all need to give him some space, and remember what it was like when you first came here.” That wasn’t it at all, they all wanted me to put down my doll. “Now, who wants to play a game?” Everypony got really excited, their heads bobbing up and down. Reaching up and Nurse Gray tapped one of the colts on the nose. “You’re it!“ she shouted with glee before bolting off. The rest of us took a moment to realize what had just happened, then all at once we were off.

I didn’t have enough room in my mind to avoid the other colts and fillies and be sad at the same time. Before I knew it, I was giggling with the rest of them as I ran around the clearing. A yellow unicorn filly was chasing me, but I wanted to be it, so I slowed down just enough for her to catch me. When her hoof tapped my flank I stopped and spun around. She giggled happily and took off running the other way. Now it was my turn to do the chasing.

I looked around and chose my target. He was a big colt with a white and blue mane and deep red coat. I took off running straight at him, but he just smiled and stood his ground. The distance between us was closing fast. I was sure I’d get him. There was no way he could be as fast or quick as I was. Right when I was about to touch him he jumped! Right over my head! I was so busy watching him sail up into the air that I didn’t stop moving until I hit the tent.

The tent fabric buckled a little then sprang back, throwing me onto my back. I think I heard some of them laughing, but I didn’t care. I was going to get him next time. I rolled back to my hooves, shaking the dirt from my mane and looked for him. There he was. He’d moved all the way across the yard. I started running again. As I closed the distance I watched for him to start jumping. His legs bent and he took off into the air. I opened my wings and soared up, slamming into him. We both went down tumbling across the dirt. When we stopped I was standing over him and giggled “You’re it!”

I jumped off of him and took wing, flying back to the center of the play area. But none of the other foals were playing anymore. They’d all gathered around in a circle, even Nurse Gray was there. I wanted to see what they were looking at. That’s when I realized what I’d done... MY DOLL!

I felt the tears stinging my eyes as I pushed through everypony to the center of the circle. There she was ‘Be Awesome’ shining in the daylight. Without looking at anypony else I snatched my doll in my mouth, jumped into the air, and took off. I didn’t pay any attention to where I was going, I just wanted to get away.

I hid in a large metal chest. I think mommy called them dumpsters, but I didn’t care what that meant. It was dark inside, and I couldn’t really hear too much outside of it. I didn’t care, I’d almost lost my doll. I curled up with my doll and fought off my tears.

Awesome ponies don’t cry.

I don’t know when I fell asleep or when they found me, but somepony must have because I woke up in a bed. Nurse Gray was there, sleeping off in a corner with her dark gray mane all messed up and hiding her face.

I didn’t have my doll! Where was my doll? I frantically looked around until I spotted it on a table next to Nurse Gray. I fell out of bed with a thud, and then jumped across the room to get my doll.

As I picked it up in my mouth I felt a tingling sensation wash over me. Everything had gone slightly grey, and I was floating! I started to panic a little until I saw Nurse Gray looking over at me with her horn glowing. She gently set me back into bed and sat on the ground next to me.

She reached out a hoof and softly moved my mane out of my eyes. “Is that your special toy?” she asked.

I nodded, gripping it tightly in my legs.

“Did your mommy give that to you?”

Mommy? I felt tears in my eyes and nodded again.

“It’s okay to cry, you know, you don’t have to hold it in.” But awesome ponies don’t cry! “Even Rainbow Dash cried sometimes.”

I looked at her funnily through the tears in my eyes. Who? “You don’t know?”

Don’t know what? I was confused.

Her lips curled into a little smile, “That is a doll of the most famous, most awesome pegasus ever: Rainbow Dash. She was a very important pony during the Great War and was also the bearer of the Element of Loyalty.”

I didn’t know what she was talking about, but it sounded like Rainbow Dash really was awesome.

“Do you know the story of the Elements of Harmony?”

I shook my head, mommy never read me any stories. Her horn lit up and opened the saddlebags beside her chair. A book floated out to lay between us on the bed. A corroded and dented unicorn head decorated the cover.

“Would you like to hear the story?” I sniffled and nodded. Nurse Gray opened the cover and began to read. “Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria…

I woke up the next day to somepony poking my head. I swatted at the hoof not wanting to open my eyes. I had been having the most awesome dream about Rainbow Dash clearing the skies. It was too late, the dream was gone. I groaned at the hoof and rolled over.

“Get up sleepy head, it’s breakfast time.” I just nickered and buried myself deeper into the pillow. The voice returned in an almost singsong tone, “And I have a present for you.”

My eyes shot open as I threw off the covers and bounced on the bed. Presents are awesome. Nurse Gray stood next to the bed with a bowl of greens and petals floating in the air beside her. She looked beautiful and I told her so. “You look pretty today.”

“Well aren’t you the little charmer.” She said, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. “Here, eat your breakfast. Then you can have your present.”

I gobbled up the hay as fast as I could, not even really tasting it. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I took my first bite, and I ate it all the faster. Hunger was the least of my concerns; it was present time! Nurse Gray chuckled at me when I was finished, staring up at her expectantly. “Well aren’t you eager? No point in making you wait, I guess. Here you go.”

A wad of leather straps floated out of her saddlebag into the air between us. I frowned at it. It wasn’t a present. It was bits of leather! I didn’t want bits of leather, I wanted a toy! She saw my face and chided me, “Now, Lucky, you should never judge a gift given freely. I know it doesn’t look like much, but I think when you see what it does you’ll be more than satisfied. Can I see your Rainbow Dash doll?” I frowned even more and she sighed, “Please, just hold it out so I can see it.”

I kept frowning, but I did as she asked; I didn’t want to make her sad. I unfurled my wing and held the doll out between us. Nurse Gray smiled at me. She moved the wad of leather and began wrapping Rainbow Dash up in it. When she was done, the leather straps were secured tightly to Dash with a loop coming off her back between her flared out wings. Very carefully she lifted it from my wings and slid the loop around my neck.

“There you go.” she said pulling my mane out from under the strap, “I think you two were meant to be together. And now you can keep her close, no matter what happens.”

I jumped forward, wrapping Gray in a hug. Tears were forming in my eyes again, but these were happy tears.

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Footnote:
Prologue Progress: 33%