Fallout: Equestria - Frozen Hearts

by ksad96

City

Chapter 5 - City

«Knowledge is power.»

We were greeted by tunnels lit with wall lamps, which let my eyes adjust to full light instead of the cone coming from my headlamp. I watched the young colt as he nervously guided us out, and I thought over what had happened. Dark had waited until I started a fight before intervening, and Versa might have started the fight herself if I hadn’t. I was only gone a couple days, yet we’ve already nearly been killed once. I had the distinct feeling that I’d been luckier than most ponies so far.

Versa spoke up, “Hey kid, what’s your name?” She trotted next to him, just ahead of myself and Dark and seemed to ignore his tension when she approached.

The young stallion hesitated before replying, “I’m called Easy Read.” He kept walking silently, looking down.

“Not much of a talker, huh? Well, I’m Versatile Soul, the smart one is Krystal, and the shady asocial one is Darklight.” Versa was more talkative than she’d been the entire trip, likely due to having had nobody to talk with until now. I listened as she continued, “Why are you so jittery? We’re not here to hurt anyone, we want to bring down the Legion!”

The colt glanced up at that, eyes locked on Versa, then glancing at myself and Darklight, “Bring it down? I, uh, I don’t think that can happen. A lot of ponies think the Legion’s doing good work, since they say they’re gonna unite the Empire again.” He paused, then stopped entirely, as if realizing he might have said more than he should have.

He looked forward again, but now I was interested. “So, that’s what the Legion says. But clearly not everypony likes them. How about you tell us a bit more about where we’re going, and what you know of the Legion and its enemies?” I stepped a bit forward, catching up to the pair of them. Hopefully he’d give me an idea of what I was heading into.

There was a moment of relative silence, only our hooves echoing in the tunnel, before he spoke, “I don’t have enough time. The city is coming up around the next corner here. The only thing you need to know is that we’re too remote to know what really goes on in the Legion, only a few reports from our resident DJ. So we don’t know what they do to ‘unite’ the land, only that they don’t seem to like it if you say no. The town here is neutral to the Legion, but some individuals are more welcoming or hostile. I don’t know if going with those bags is a great idea.” He seemed to have broken from the nervousness, and I understood why he was in the gang we were ambushed by.

“You’re good at information, aren’t you? You catch it, or notice things others don’t.” An underground gang – well, more underground than we already were – would have great use for someone who looked unassuming, but could read ponies and see how they felt, or hear what they meant behind what they said. Somepony who could easily gain information without suspicion.

He shrugged a little, “I’m told I’m good at feeling what other ponies’ mentality or emotion is. I don’t know what to do with it, so I was asked just to look for info for the others in town.” He seemed calm now, no stuttering or hesitation, and was standing straight now, the slight differences making him look older than he had moments ago.

“That leader back there, he seemed pretty hostile about it all.” Versa spoke now, not looking at either of us, but ahead, where an opening showed for the exit, though the tunnel went further still. “I guess he won’t be happy if you come back.”

Easy sighed, “He’s a hothead, really. He talks about there being stuff on the surface, but nobody wanting to go because the Legion is offering false promises. I doubt he’ll treat me very well if I come back just yet. So yeah, I’ll stick with you two for a while.” He led us around the corner to another hall, this one with a flatter surface than the previous one, worn down from decades of use.

I frowned slightly, “Two? There’s three of…” I turned my head, and Dark was nowhere to be seen. I stopped, making both Easy and Versa stop and look back as I backtracked, looking down the hall we’d just been in. No sign of the shadowy mare, despite there being no shadows to hide in. “… us. Versa, where is Darklight?”

Versa frowned as well, looking with me down the hall from the corner, “I have no idea, but I don’t mind her being away. She creeps me out with those eyes.” We both turned back to the brown stallion as he raised an eyebrow. “What? The way she looks… through you. Ugh.” She shuddered and we continued walking, Easy staying quiet about it.

So I wasn’t crazy. Dark was real, very much so, and Versa knew it too. Easy couldn’t have known that she’d be gone, so he wasn’t just joking with us, but had he really not seen her? She wasn’t even hiding after the fight.

I was interrupted from my thoughts as we reached an end to the hall, but before I could say anything, Easy pressed a spot in the wall, again worn down by much use over time, and it slid back slightly, before the wall to our left hissed and slid open. I looked slightly closer and noticed that both the door and the switch had been painted over, both on this side and on the other, to hide the entrance from one side, and the exit from the other. This place clearly wasn’t originally meant to be hidden.

I couldn’t continue with my thoughts for long as I could hear sound beginning to come from down this new tunnel. I glanced at the young stallion, who seemed at peace, and following his lead I relaxed. He seemed to expect the sound here, so I figured we were approaching the city itself.

As we walked down the bright tunnel, I noticed it growing wider and higher, opening up more. From only wide enough for perhaps four ponies side by side, now there was room for the three of us standing in a line, tall enough perhaps for twice my height if I stood on my back hooves only. It was similar to the tunnels we had taken to get this far, but now there was the sounds of life, shadows ahead standing out as ponies were moving past. We approached the final turn before arriving at the actual city, and I realized that I had no idea what to expect from these ponies.

“Wait a second. Uh, any last tips or things I should or shouldn’t do before we get into it?” I felt myself unusually warm, as if anxious about entering the city. Versa glanced over at me as she came to a stop, none of my current emotion echoed on her face. “Like, certain things that could get me into, or out of a fight?”

Easy took a second, then shrugged, “Just don’t let anyone see the Legion of Heart emblems on your bags and you should be okay for the most part. Oh, and do you have any money?” He turned fully to me, “You might want to get new bags quickly before anything goes wrong. I can’t really get you out of a fight if the wrong ponies think you’re Legion.”

I glanced at my Pipbuck, checking my inventory. I had valuables and assorted gear in my bags, but currency was rarely used among the Icehoof. If anything had to be traded without immediate compensation, then a sort of note was written as a promise to repay the favor. My Pipbuck ended up listing some gemstones, old bits from before the war, and a few loose bottle caps as potential valuables, and I showed Easy Read the results, “This is what I have of value.”

The young colt took a moment to scan the screen before shaking his head, “Why in the world would it list bottle caps as valuable..?” He sighed, “Alright, so you have trade goods, but that won’t take you very far. The exchange currency we use at this station is crystals. That might sound a bit dumb, considering crystals can be found anywhere, but certain crystals have latent magic in them, and work much like gemstones. The power of a given crystal is shown in the color of it. White crystals, the kind used for buildings and whatever, those aren’t worth anything. They’re dry, powerless. You want crystals with some hue to them.”

Considering the fact that the land was called the Crystal Empire, I wasn’t surprised that the crystals themselves contained some power. “What is the difference between crystals and gemstones, then?” I had never used a crystal as a power source, perhaps I could use one in my designs, if gemstones proved difficult to come by.

The brown colt shot my thoughts down immediately, “Gems can focus power, or even hold it if enchanted. Crystals generate power innately, as their own source. The magic they create is sealed unless tapped into using some machines, or if a unicorn knows what they’re doing, but they’ll burn themselves out if you use them too much. After that, they’re white crystals.”

I cursed mentally, but nodded, “Good to know. So how could I earn some crystals to spend?”

Versa spoke up now, pulling out a small pouch, “Well, I took some of these earlier. They looked like we could sell them, but I guess this works out better.” She opened it and showed that inside were several crystals of light green and blue hues. “How much is this worth, bud?”

Easy glanced over, then took a moment to reply, “I could probably manage to get you two bags for that much, but I can’t promise anything. As for earning more crystals, you could offer some services around the city, look for odd jobs…” he trailed off.

“Odd jobs like, what, delivering packages? Cleaning houses?” Versa seemed unimpressed by Easy’s tips, but in sarcastically replying had reminded me of something.

“Easy, do you know anyone named Weaver? Tan coat, uh, red mane?”

The brown stallion paused, then after chewing on his lip a little he nodded before speaking up. “I know a little, maybe… But I already told you guys a lot, and like you said, my main skill is picking up information. I don’t share everything unless I can get at least something back for it.”

“What? You’re gonna just go from ‘thanks for savin my ass’ to tryin’ to extort money out of us that fast?!” Anger colored Versa’s tone, making her even less formal in her speech.

“W-wait hold on a minute, that’s not what I meant!” the stallion slightly slowed in his walking speed as he almost flinched from the tone layered in my friend’s voice, “I just… Okay, so you’re going to need crystals or trade goods if you want to go any further than this place, right? I suggest that you two ask around for a little work, or find something that can get you something of value, and once you’ve earned enough for what I’d normally ask for, I’ll give you the information free, and uh, a few tips for what you should equip yourselves with, right?” I had to admit, learning what sort of skills or work is valued outside the tribe did sound like a good plan going forward, even if it was framed around the equivalent of holding an apple just out of reach.

It mostly calmed Versa, though she still grumbled, “Fine, whatever… What’s this place even called? You’ve just been sayin’ The City, as if it’s the only one still around.” That point makes her pause for a second before she follows up, “It’s… not the only city still around, right?”

With what seemed to be the entrance to the tunnel coming up, Easy slowed us down. No sign of Darklight still, despite me trying to keep my eyes peeled during the conversation. I had no idea where she was, and the whole time we’ve been traveling she’s only shown up when someone was threatening us. I gave up on the search as Easy replied, forcing my attention back so I could hear him. “It’s not, sort of. It’s a part of what used to be an underground station, which still has a few transports able to move supplies and people around. A lot of little cities have cropped up like that, all named after whatever the old station was. This is Whitewood, with only one real connection on the tracks. It’s kinda free from the Legion so far, but only so far as we don’t technically have Legion running the place. Anyone who travels along the line gets checked, so taking a train out might be hard unless the townspeople trust you, right? I can sort of help with that, but like I said before… You really need new bags. The exit here leads out to a sort of side road, which connects to the main merchant area with all the shops. You can trade the crystals you have for the bags and any other supplies you want, but after that I recommend looking for work somewhere. If you need directions or anything, I’ll be by the main road where it connects to this road, alright?”

With fascination, I noted each line of text coming up on my PipBuck. The coding in it was more advanced than anything I’d ever encountered, and it was a lot of how the Icehorn had learned to work with technology despite being so distanced from everyone else. That said, I was already learning new functions as a small map was being hazily drawn based on what was around me, then big rings were placed nearby; the indication for the general areas Easy was referring to, unfocused because I didn’t know what was out there, or maybe because the PipBuck itself hadn’t figured it out. The tunnel was fully detailed, even the uneven edges of the walls were detailed accurately as far as I could tell. A theory we’d never been able to prove hinted that the device mapped out surroundings constantly with radar pings, which were saved when encountering solid objects and returning. This unfortunately meant that the surface was often unmapped due to the constant blizzards changing landscapes at times, messing with the radar and confusing the user.

“Hello? Hell-ooo? Krys, you got all that, right?” I snapped out of it and blinked, before nodding.

“Right, side road to main road, get bags, look for work, figure things out, back to you. Right?”

Easy Read gave a nod with each step, then seemed to expect another thing. When I was at a loss for what it was, he finished for me, “And don’t try to leave on the train.”

“Well, I need to know about Weaver still.” I reminded him. He gave a slight grin before nodding again, “If that’s everything, I think we’re ready. Versa? Anything else?”

“Well… Maybe you should have a gun or something, Kryssy? For defense?” Versa glanced at my recently bound wounds, the slight pain in my side having been ignored until the reminder of the shattered glass.

A gun. I had never had interest in anything of violence and really didn’t want to learn, but if we’re already being ambushed this often, I might not always be able to rely on others to keep me protected all the time. But not a gun. Not any kind of firearm. I was terrified that with one slipup, I could cause pain to far too many people. If I was going to defend myself, I’d need to learn how some other way. “I’ll… Think about it, but I don’t want any guns.”

“Probably for the best. Firearms and energy weapons are hard to get ahold of through shops, so you’re better off using your crystals on something else. If you really need a weapon, find an sturdy piece of wood, or a metal pipe or something.” The stallion took steps forward to the exit of the tunnel, brighter lights finally in front of us, ready to greet us again. Versa and I took off our head lamps and packed them, me putting extra clothing over my saddlebags to cover the flap and more importantly, the insignia embroidered on it.

Versa stood close at my side, calmed again and standing a bit taller than me. Her presence comforted me as I nodded at Easy and took a few steps forward with Versa into the station-city of Whitewood.

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Level up (Krystal Clear)

Level up (Versatile Soul)

Krystal: Traps skill at 15

Versa: Medicine skill at 15

Author's Note:

So after a bunch of years on hiatus, this is what I come back with?

I know, I know, sorry, it's a short one, but it's definitely helped me get back into the groove of things.

Chapters will come out somewhat irregularly, but I'll keep things updated on my blog for this story, and I'm always on the lookout for pre-readers/editors to help me make sure that when I'm ready with a chapter that it's the best I can make of it!