Fallout Equestria: Tales of Transylvania

by MeetSouder

Chapter Three: The Friendly Neighborhood Ponies

Chapter Three: The Friendly Neighborhood Ponies

I snapped my eyes open, arching my back and exhaling sharply as if somepony had punched me right in the stomach. I rolled over and fell upon my side, eliciting an excruciating pain up my spine. I did all I could not to vomit from the displeasure and sat for a few moments clenching my teeth, waiting for the grinding sensation to die down.

“A-are you okay?” I heard a feminine voice ask beside me.

With a flutter of my eyes I dared to peek them open, the pain having dulled down to a swollen throb. Struggling to see through teary eyes, I saw that I was laying on a ledge of some kind, a broken wooden door sat far above me on a cliff face. Whatever the case, that must’ve been the reason I was knocked unconscious.

Further above, the rocks ascended into a spire, higher than anything I had ever seen before. I felt so small in comparison to such a massive display, no Stable hallway or even the apple orchard was so impressive. But what really got me, was what rose beyond the spire.

A crystal clear night blanketed the sky above. I had learned about the weather and sky during my time in the Stable, but I never imagined it would look so vast. I felt oddly comforted looking at it, as though that sky was exactly where I belonged, flying freely through the endless air. The stars twinkled gently, framing the nearly-full moon that lazily drifted above. As splendid as it all looked, something felt off about it all, as though the moon showed only a fraction of the brilliance it possibly could. An air of dreadful unease encompassed the scene around me, though bright and unscathed, all I could feel from the moon's pale glow was the presence of death.

I recoiled as something poked my side, shooting up new bolts of pain. “Gah! Stop that!” I hollered, swatting the hoof away and craning my neck to look at my assailant.

Scarlet was sitting just off to my right, our saddlebags were piled up behind her, hers open and a first aid kit sprawled across the smooth stone that we sat upon. She looked like a mess, her red mane disheveled with her bow just barely clinging on. She was holding a half used roll of bandages. For a moment I thought I saw concern in her eyes before she took on a scowl.

“Well you were staring with a look on your face! I thought you passed out again!” Scarlet huffed, throwing the roll of bandages at me.

“Well I’m not!” I flinched as the bandages bounced harmlessly off of my head. “Thanks for poking me exactly where it hurts!”

Scarlet stood up, “Well that’s plenty thanks for keeping you from bleeding out all over the place.” With an irritated flick of her tail, she trotted over to the fallen bandages and began packing up her things.

“Bleeding out…” I trailed off, finally looking down at myself.

My coat was caked in dried blood. Horrified, I tried desperately to find the source of damage. The blood looked old, and with no visible wounds, I guessed Scarlet had done the job well. I gingerly rolled back over to my stomach, being careful to roll on my good side. Rising to all fours, I tried to stretch my wings, only to have my right one rise up and my left one succumb to more excruciating pain. I tightened my jaw, holding back tears, and looked at my left wing.

The appendage was stained with blood, but aside from the bandage holding it to my side, it actually looked okay. It seriously didn’t feel okay however, and I was certain that something was broken in the complicated skeleton. I let out a whimper as I realized I couldn’t fly, if ever at all again.

“It was ten bloody times worse than it looks now,” Scarlet called out from her packing, “you had a bone poking clear out of your skin, I managed to relocate it best I could.” She paused to sling her saddlebag over her back, “I don’t have anything better than bandages, so until we can figure out what to do about it, try not to move it.”

“I can’t fly…” I mumbled.

“No, you can’t, mate.”

“It’s broken.”

“Yes, we can see that.”

“My wing…” I said, trying desperately to come to terms with the fact that the only thing that made me a pegasus was now broken.

Scarlet rolled her eyes and fixed her hair into a half-up with her bow. She stood and began walking away.

I widened my own eyes and cantered after her, “Hey, wait up! Where are you going? Whoa shit!” I skidded to a stop.

Ahead of me, the ledge that we sat upon came to a sheer drop. Far below, a forested landscape draped in fog continued on for miles, stopping at the base of a mountain range that seemed to surround the edge of the forest in all directions. The trees were all brownish-green and covered in thin needles, reminding me of the crazy dream I had while unconscious. I looked back over to Scarlet, only to see her tail round a boulder as she worked her way around the mountain face.

“No, wait! Don’t just freakin’ leave me here!” I hollered, galloping after her. I scooped up my saddlebag and slung it over my back, wincing as it grazed my injured wing. Catching up behind her, I slowed to a trot and caught my breath, “What, so you just get up and leave me?”

“If I wanted to leave you, I’d have just glided down the mountain,” Scarlet shuffled her wings. If wings could be sarcastic, hers were.

“Right,” I replied lamely, falling into step just beside her.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon us as we cautiously trotted our way down the mountain face. The cliffs were jagged drops, the only way down was a narrow path cut into the stone, probably used by the first generation of Stable inhabitants. The descent was rather easy, the smooth path practically spiraled to the base.

When we eventually got to the bottom, the path continued into the forest. Loose cobblestone clopped underhoof as we made our way among the dead trees. Around us, the ancient trees sat sparsely packed, allowing moonlight to illuminate the ground. Thick wisps of fog coiled along the forest floor, trickling around our hooves as we followed the path. We really didn’t have anywhere else to go, but it was bound to lead us someplace right?

I coughed, grabbing Scarlet’s attention. “So, uh, I was dreaming about you,” I said, trying to break the ice as we trotted along.

Scarlet gave me a cross look without saying anything.

“No! Nonono, not like that!” I flushed, heat rising in the tips of my ears, “I mean, it was about a pony made of snow and magic, and I was an alicorn, then the magic snow pony turned into an alicorn too! Then he read my mind and told me how he was like, the prince of all thestrals, and he spoke about you…” I desperately blurted.

Scarlet stopped and reached up on the tips of her hooves, resting a hoof up against my forehead to take my temperature. She looked at me quizzically.

“Don’t tell me you hit your head so hard, you went looney on me,” she sighed.

I swatted her hoof away and glared at her “I’m not crazy! I’m serious, my spirit was taken away from my body and I was transformed into an Alicorn in a land called Umbris!” I explained desperately.

“Luna above, the last pony in Equestria to be stuck out here with and heʼs completely mad!” Scarlet cried out to the sky, trotting along the path once again.

I hopped out in front of her, stopping her with a hoof. “No, really, hear me out?” I pleaded.

“And why should I?” Scarlet spat, lowering my hoof off of her. “In fact, why should I do anything for you? All you’ve ever done for me is get me kicked out of my home and nearly killed! Hell, bandaging your wing and listening to you ramble is more than what I think you deserve of me!”

“Hey that Stable was my home too! Why do you blame me for all of this? It was your crazy sister who instigated it!” I shot back, my temper flaring. “We’re both out here like it or not. All I’ve done was try and at least be friendly!”

Scarlet stamped her hoof in frustration, groaning as she began trotting again. I followed close behind.

“You could at least thank me for keeping you alive for however many hours you were out; you dense, inconsiderate, buck!” she cried out in front of herself.

“Hours?” I paused, “You seriously looked over me for that long?” My anger began to fade, humbled by her actions.

“Yes, Midnight, hours.” She stopped and turned around, poking my chest, “And to make things worse, I’ve never even touched a bloody bandage before in my life, I was panicking watching you bleed like that.”

“Really?” I asked softly. I was touched by her concern for me.

Scarlet’s own features softly fell too, “O- only because you’re the only other pony out here!” Her tone died down, “It’s not like I’d make it far alone anyway.”

“Well, thank you then,” I said genuinely. “If it wasn’t for you, I might not be here right now. I’m sorry I hadn’t said it sooner.”

“You’re welcome,” she nodded, straightening her bow with a sigh and regaining her composure, “Right, shall we carry on then?”

“Only if you let me tell you my story,” I smirked, eliciting yet another roll from Scarlet‘s golden eyes.

“Fine-” Scarlet’s retort was cut off when her tufted ears perked suddenly. “What was that?”

I tilted my head. I hadnʼt heard anything. She must have heard something deep within the forest. My sense of hearing wasnʼt nearly as keen as her own.

“REEEEEE,” a sharp howl echoed throughout the woods.

I definitely heard that.

Scarlet flittered her wings and jumped over me, effectively putting me between her and the source of the un-equine noise.“What the bloody hell was that?!” she screamed in my ear.

I winced. Yup, heard that too.

I scouted the forest desperately, equally terrified. “I have no bucking clue, why ask me?!”

“Well maybe you saw where it came from!” she hollered and slapped my back.

“Is this really the time to be arguing?!” I scoffed.

Off our left, I spotted a silhouette as it began pushing its way through the mist. Trees shook as it barreled its way directly toward us.

“Holy shit, run!” I cried as I galloped down the path.

Scarlet took off and flew above me, that lucky mare still had working wings.

“What the hell is it?!” I asked, not daring to look back.

“It’s a zompony!”

“A what?!”

“A zompony!” Scarlet repeated desperately. She flipped over and gestured vaguely behind us.

“What the buck is a ‘zompony?!’” I yelled, leaping over a fallen log on the path.

Just behind me, the rotten log made a crashing noise, followed by another ear splitting, “REEEE.”

Whatever it was, it was gaining on me. I gulped back my fear and stole a glance over my shoulder.

A massive pony was galloping a dozen hooves behind me, it didn’t have wings, so it must’ve been some other Equestrian pony. But the thing was, it was barely held together. Whatever was left of its coat, hung loosely as dull patches of hair, its skin was torn and rotting, muscles and organs showing through its exposed skeleton. I held back my stomach in horror and disgust, watching as its yellow beady eyes locked onto me.

“It’s a half dead pony! You know, from books like Nightmare Night of the Living Dead!” Scarlet tried to explain, looking down at me from between her legs.

“You know what? I don’t care! Just look ahead and tell me if there’s any way I can lose this thing off my tail!” I looked forward once more, desperately pumping more into my tired legs.

Scarlet peered far ahead of us, “Uh, uh, look!” she pointed a hoof, “The path comes to an end, there’s a clearing up ahead!”

I didn’t acknowledge her, saving any strength to just focus on galloping. Pegasi were not meant to run, that was one thing I knew – and felt – for sure.

Soon, I spotted what Scarlet was talking about, the cobblestone path came to a stop and intersected a much wider road. The new road was made of solid stone, white painted lines separating it into two halves along the length. On the well-moonlit road, I could have sworn I spotted the figures of ponies trotting along, a large canvas covered wooden cart being pulled by one.

“Oh my Luna, Midnight, I think those are ponies! I didn’t think there were any left out here!” Scarlet gleefully cried out above. I let out a grunt in acknowledgement, exhaustion taking over.

Let’s see if these guys are willing to help me out then, I told myself, pushing the last of my strength into my legs and galloping straight out onto the road.

See, the problem with galloping full-tilt meant that all my weight was going forward. Meaning I was going forward. I galloped right onto the road, directly in front of a very confused mare, across, and back into the forest on the other side. All while screaming the entire time.

Scarlet had already flared her bat wings and was hovering above the road, crying out my name as I ran further; the damned zompony still behind me.

I dared to slow my pace enough to circle back around a tree and onto the road again, this time coming up behind the travelers.

There were four of them, all an assortment of colors, something I previously thought that only I looked like. I knew that ponies came in all shapes and sizes, hell I was half pegasus, but I had never seen a unicorn or earth pony in person before. All but one were earth ponies, the last being a unicorn mare. Unfortunately for me though, they were all taking cover behind the wooden cart.

My ears perked as I heard a crack snap above my head. The zompony behind me unexpectedly slumped over and tumbled to a halt, its head taken clean off with a burst of chunks and pink mist. It was followed by a soft boom that echoed into the forest around me as I too skidded to a stop, desperately gasping for air.

Scarlet fluttered over to me, coming to a landing, “Holy goddesses, that was some bloody shot!”

“Some… Bloody… wha…?” I asked, staring at the ground, my breath still long behind me.

“The pony who saved you!” she pointed off into the foggy darkness ahead on the road. “They shot the zompony, and from that far no less,” Scarlet spoke, seemingly proud.

“That was a gun? What the hell?” I asked in utter confusion, having finally filled my lungs with enough air.

“So it was,” an older stallion’s voice spoke in front of me. “You don’t see ghouls like that around these parts often.”

I raised my head up, coming face-to-neck with a large earth pony stallion. He stood over me, smiling through crooked teeth. He had to have been middle aged, his orange coat and brown mane were fringed with gray. He wore a patched brown coat over some worn clothing that looked old enough to be pre-war.

“Who are you ponies?” I asked, taking a look past him. The others had climbed out of hiding and were once more ready to trot along.

“Allow me to introduce myself, my name’s Pumpkin Spice, I run this fine caravan up and down the Transylvanian trade route, right up to Vanhoover herself!” Pumpkin explained, his accent definitely Equestrian.

A canteen seemingly levitated itself before my muzzle, masked in a green glow. I recoiled and stared criminally at the magic bottle.

“It’s alright, it wonʼt bite, it’s just water,” a new voice, this time a middle aged mare spoke from behind me.

I turned around to find that same mint green mare I had nearly tackled earlier. Atop her head sat a horn, glowing a matching green to the bottle. She also wore clothing; some faded denim overalls. Did everypony wear clothes out here?

I nodded in appreciation and snatched the canteen out of the air, gulping down its contents. My PipBuck let out a few chirps as I drank, suspiciously sounding like a geiger counter. The water tasted awful, like algae and rusty metal.

“You know, you’re lucky you two came across us out here. Not so many ponies are as kind or friendly as us.” Pumpkin explained.

“Yeah, no kidding, if not for your help, Luna knows where I’d be now.” I smiled, hoofing over the canteen back to the unicorn mare with a ‘Thanks.’

“Oh-ho-ho that was not any of our doing!” the stallion chuckled, “Me and my wife, Pea Leaf, we run our caravan unarmed. Carrying guns usually causes nothing but trouble. ‘Specially on one of these safe routes you know?”

Scarlet had been quietly sitting beside me this whole time, just watching us speak. I guessed she didn’t like talking to strangers all that much. She shared an equally confused look as my own however.

“You know…?” the stallion repeated, raising an eyebrow.

We shook our heads in unison.

“Right.” Pumpkin shouldered his leather jacket awkwardly, “Between the brand-new Stable-Tec clothing and those fancy PipBucks you got there, Iʼm gonna go on a whim and assume you two are fresh out of a Stable, eh? Didnʼt think they ever built one for you bat pony folk.”

“Itʼs that obvious?” I frowned and looked down at my uniform. The blue suit looked practically fluorescent compared to the drab and worn colors of everything else out here.

“Mhmm,” Pea Leaf drawled from her seat in the back of the covered cart, “Stable ponies like you two are rare breeds. So innocent and new to this world. Best be careful, yʼall might be highly sought after ‘cause of it. Especially the red maned bat.”

Scarlet flinched and looked up at Pea Leaf. The minty green unicorn casually sipped her nasty water and watched us with an emotionless look.

“Well why don’t you two come with us,” Pumpkin spoke suddenly. “It looks like you two have been through tartarus and back. Town’s just up ahead anyway.” He beckoned us toward the covered wooden cart.

Scarlet and I nodded thankfully, and trotted over to the two ponies near the front of the caravan. Both were earth pony stallions, one rigged up to pull the cart, the other carrying a large saddlebag of supplies.

I came up to one of them and smiled, only to be met with silence and terrified eyes.

What’s his problem? I shrugged, I guess a zompony did just try to kill us afterall.

“Why don’t you two come on and take a seat inside the cart, I’m sure you’re tired from the running an’ all!” the unicorn mare smiled, calling to us from afar.

“Oh, uh, I’d rather fly above. New sky and all,” Scarlet laughed uneasily and took off, shooting me a worried glance.

“Well, I’ll gladly take that offer!” I smiled and began to move toward her.

“Midnight, just trot for now okay?” Scarlet whispered, hovering just over my head.

“But I’m exhausted! You weren’t the one galloping this whole time!”

“Look, just listen to me for this one, okay? Please?” she pleaded. She looked genuinely concerned. I couldn’t help but nod.

“Actually, ma’am, I think I’ll just trot along outside for now,” I called out to the Unicorn. “After all, the town's just up ahead right?”

“Mmm, suit yourself, pegasus,” she eyed me then looked away.

With an ‘Alright, let’s move!’ from Pumpkin, the caravan began moving once again.

We trotted along the road for a few moments, the fog having lightened up enough for me to spot some dim lights glowing up ahead. It surprised me that these many ponies had survived the war, from what we were taught, there was nothing but a giant molten crater left of Equestria.

I took a moment to eye Scarlet, who uneasily glided above. She looked tense, like there was something she wanted to tell me. I figured if it was important enough, she’d have said it by now.

As we approached the town, I spotted two ponies flying toward us in the fog. They landed, coming before Pumpkin Spice. From what I could tell, both of the ponies were thestrals, but they were wearing some kind of matching black barding with a multicolored dark uniform underneath their vests. They both had what appeared to be rifles, drawn and ready to use. They began conversing with Pumpkin just out of earshot.

Scarlet landed beside me and was as tense as ever, she poked my shoulder, drawing my attention. “This isn’t good, those ponies up there have explosives around their necks,” she whispered, eyeing the pair of silent earth ponies pulling the cart.

I blinked in confusion and looked more closely at their outfits. Under the rags they wore, I spotted some sort of makeshift collars, each with a glowing red light.

“Are you sure? How do you know?” I asked softly.

“It’s my bloody special talent, Midnight. Thatʼs homemade P4 explosives,” Scarlet whispered desperately.

“Aw come on, you’re just being paranoid, these guys are friendly enough. They even offered me water!” I chuckled nervously. I didnʼt want to believe Scarlet, but she could absolutely be right.

“Is everything okay there honey?” Pea Leaf called out from within the covered wooden cart, poking her head out to see.

Before us, Pumpkin began nervously shuffling, whatever they were talking about clearly was making him uncomfortable. Suddenly, the thestral pony on the left began shouting, pointing his gun at Pumpkin. I nervously stole a glance at Scarlet who was equally as afraid as I was.

Pumpkin suddenly drew a pistol from under his coat and pounced forward, only to be peppered by automatic gunfire by the thestral on the left. His body slumped to the floor, and both of the thestrals pushed forward towards us, guns drawn.

“Aw dammit!” the unicorn cried from the cart. Her horn lit up and she leapt out the back, brandishing a rifle with a drum shaped bottom and letting loose a long sentence of automatic fire.

Scarlet and I both yelped and dove off the road, trying to keep ourselves out of everything. The spray of bullets ran across the earth pony pulling the cart who slumped over as his body was filled with lead. The pack-carrying earth pony jumped in fear and tried to run for cover, only for a soft beep to come from his collar and his head evaporated into mist with a loud explosive crack.

I stared with terrified eyes as everything unfolded, flinching as more gunfire sputtered from Pea Leaf. A line of dirt puffs scraped across the thestrals making their advance.

The thestral on the left cried in pain and fell over, clutching his leg. The other one on the right began firing controlled bursts toward the Pea Leaf. Striking her in the side as she galloped toward us.

She rolled into the dirt and grabbed onto Scarlet, who screamed and flailed against her forelegs trying desperately to knock her off. I tried to dive forward and stop her, only to be knocked on the head by the butt of a levitating rifle. Dizzy with pain, I fell back, watching as Pea Leaf stood up and pressed the barrel of her gun against Scarlet’s head.

“We had a deal!” the unicorn screamed, facing the thestral on the road, rifle aimed at her.

“We don’t deal with Slavers, you know that!” the thestral spoke around his rifle bit, his accent Braytish. I could see a few wisps of white mane poke under his helmet, contrasting to his dark red-gray coat.

“But we thought you’d let us through if we didn’t take bat pony slaves on your land!” miss-unicorn-terrorist hollered, shoving the barrel of her gun harder against Scarlet’s head.

I felt utterly helpless, Scarlet and I weren’t exactly friends, but dammit it would suck to lose her!

“Aye, and so explain the slaves right here?” the uniformed thestral asked, not once breaking his aim off of the unicorn.

“We found these two just here!” the green mare exclaimed, shaking Scarlet desperately.

Scarlet tried biting into the mare’s leg with her fangs, but it either went unnoticed or did nothing substantial.

There it was again, that crack. The mare’s head suddenly exploded in half and she limply fell over with a meaty slap. A soft boom echoed once more throughout the forest. The white maned Stallion rushed forward and kicked the body off of Scarlet, letting his rifle fall onto his chest by a sling. He helped Scarlet to her hooves, who was shaking and looked like she was about to vomit from all the brain matter splashed onto her coat.

“Are you two okay?” he asked, trotting over to me and offering a hoof, helping me rise to all fours. I winced as my wing ground uncomfortably.

“Lunaʼs moon...” Scarlet muttered, staring wide eyed at the bodies littered around the cart.

“Aye, we’ve been having problems with Slavers these past few weeks,” the stallion explained, trotting back over to the caravan with us in tow. “Name’s Lieutenant Silver Dusk, guard of the Night Watch, you two?”

“Midnight Wind.”

“Scarlet Rose.”

Both Scarlet and I said in unison, then looked at each other.

So that’s what her full name was.

“Um… right,” Silver eyed us crossly, and trotted over to where his comrade was tying some kind of rope device around his bleeding leg.

“You holding up okay?” Silver knelt down and cinched the device more tightly for him.

The wounded thestral winced, “No! I just got bloody shot mate, whatʼs it look like?”

Silver helped him stand, “Can you fly yourself to the hospital?”

“Should be able to, well enough,” his friend flapped his wings and carefully made way towards town.

Silver watched him for a moment, then adjusted his rifle across his back and faced me and Scarlet, “How’d the likes of you two wind up in the company of Slavers?”

“Well, it’s kind of a long story,” I sighed, scratching my mane.

“Mmm, perhaps save it for later. I need to report this to my boss. Are you fit for a bit of a… trot?” Silver asked, eyeing my wing.

“Eh, couldn’t hurt.”

“Brilliant, let’s go.” Silver took off in a brisk canter down the road, followed by me. Scarlet, of course, opted to fly overhead. Silver cast a glance over his shoulder, a wry smile upon his face, “Oh, by the way, welcome to Renaissance.”

XXX