Fallout Equestria: The Greatest Rescue

by BronyRex

The Black Grotto Pt1

"So what exactly do you know about Manechorage?" Vorse asks Era as they are riding in a train to the Stalliongrad New Equestrian Military Base.

"All I know is that it is a place inhabited only by Alicorns, and is a peaceful place. It is pretty devoid of non-alicorns, but the occasional merchant ventures out into the wastes to trade with them."

"And in a place like that, a black market branch developed, which is where you heard that there is somepony selling dragon scales?" Iris Asks, doubtful.

"That is correct. The only problem is that the only thing I know about this branch of the black market is that its symbol is a pair of eyes, with a horn between them, and a wing on either side."

"Well then I suppose we will have to find that symbol somewhere."

"And the city isn't that huge. It's smaller than Blu River Base." Iris

"Where?" Era asks.

"It's a military base where my parents met. Decently sized, at five thousand something, but small for a city. Nothing like the place it's in though. Arbu has become a large place since Littlepip fixed their shit. The dang place is where the transit from Equestria to Red Mountain in the Zebracan nation is."

"Looks like we are here." Vorse states as the train begins to slow down, entering the frigid cities military base.

"On the tickets that we got, it shows that we have half an hour to get to the next train, luckily it set to leave out of a lane near us." Vorse states

~~----------~~

An hour after getting on the train to Manechorage, the city has shown up on the tundras horizon.

~~----------~~

"That place seems very, simple. I mean, it looks like New Appleloosa in the early days, based on the images in the books Spike recorded." Era states as they get off the train at the makeshift, single rail station. "Why would there be black market trade going on here?

"Just wait. The reason they chose this place was because there is a magical nexus nearbye." Isis informs the young dragon

"Yeah. She dragged my sorry flank out here with her on an early mission we had together. I was her bodyguard and she had to solve an issue with the local Ursa population. It did not go well to say the least." Vorse states while trotting off of the train into the small city.

"How so?" Era inquires.

"Well, to summarize the events, we found a changeling mutant hive, had to call a the Pyron Mechant, a fire using robotic suit, just to get in to clear the place, which resulted in a hive queen creating a crater two miles outside the town." Eris informs the dragon. "Luckily though, it was where Vorse here found his suit. Since his magic is green, and of a morphic variant, the suit accepted him.

"What does his magic have to do with the suit?"

"The changelings had been, surprisingly, engineering power armor that had a magic lock, by color and the "scent" as one told us before it died."

"Hay, you two. I found it." Vorse shout to Eris and Era from across an alleyway.

The dragon and mare turn towards Vorse, and look at what he sees, which is the exact emblem they were looking for. The group heads into the building, where there are a pair of green alicorns waiting inside.

"Welcome to our shop." They both say in unison, their masculine voices, though different, harmonizing together.

"How may..." The left one starts.

"...we help you?" The right one states, finishing the others thoughts aloud. "It isn't very often..."

"...that we get non-alicorn customers."

"My brain hurts." Vorse states, holding a hoof to his head.

"They are the telepathic alicorn variety, remember?" Eris asks, nuzzling up to Vorse to comfort him.

"Thanks Eris." Vorse replies softly, taking his hoof off of his head.

"Pardon me sirs, but I thought that there were only female alicorns, yet you two seem to be males." Era asks the two shopkeepers.

"Well you see young dragon, about 40 years ago, the promise that one Velvet Remedy made to our race was achieved. The first male alicorn, our all father, was a pure white alicorn, with no magic power, but was able to breed with the female alicorns. We were among the first 10 broods he made."

"There have been 40 broods in total, and only 15 of them all lived, for it seemed that if one of the newborns died, the entire brood died. With the male to female ratio being very small, makes the fact that we two are alive even more of a mareacle. Now what can we help you with?"

"I am looking for dragonscale powder." Era replies.

The look on the alicorn twins grows evermore serious at his response. "Well young dragon..."

"...it seems you are here for our..."

"...other goods. If you will..."

"...kindly follow us."

When the last words are said, the two teleport to the sides of the entrance, becoming statuesque, locking the door with their shields. That action triggers a shifting in the ground, as a stone circle in the center of the store rises up, revealing a corridor below the shop.

"Now go." The alicorns say to the group telepathically. "You will find what you seek through there. Take this memory orb." A small crystalline sphere is levitated towards Vorse. "It is protected it will only activate when you want to use it. It is a frozen image of the map that leads to the dragon lands. The one who knows where the map starts is through there."

~~----------~~

After the group moves through the newly opened tunnel, they find themselves in a dark, wet, stone cavity of the planet, with the only light source being a faint glimmer, barely noticeable to pony eyes. Thankfully though, Era is a dragon, with natural night vision.

~~----------~~

"Follow me you two. I can see a light. It may lead out of here."

"Just don't knock us off the edge scales." Vorse replies with a chuckle.

Era sighs with frustration at what he takes to be Vorce's idiocy. "Eris, get on my back. Vorse, you can use your suit to see."

"Fine." Vorse groans, using his magic to make a floodlight generate out the side of his suit. The bright light iluminating the cavern for the most part, the dark depths being unseen. The damp walls glistening, and the occasional gem giving of a colored glint.

"That must be the exit." Eris observes, pointing at an ornate archway at the end of the cavern.

~~----------~~

AN: I find that I can't write this story any more unless I change it to first person, so that's what im going to do.

Comments

[Red Light]

Very good

[BronyRex]

3256155

THank ye kindly good sir or madame

[CodenameWA]

It's looking pretty good. Could do with a little more detail and slightly better pacing, but pretty good.