Fallout Equestria — S.A.T.

by Faindragon

Chapter 12 (Unnamed)

“Get down,” Bolt growled, pushing me away.

I blinked in surprise. The firing of weapons rung loudly around the arena, but no one was shooting down towards us. Instead, it seemed like the raiders were under attack by... I blinked again. Ponies completely clad in metal, the weapons hanging by their sides bigger than any weapon I had seen spewed deadly lead and fire, heavily assaulted the raiders. Although there wasn’t more than eight of the armor clad ponies, the raiders fell like flies. Sawdust were nowhere to be found.

“Is that Exo’s thugs?” I asked, confused. “I thought it was only Exo was completely clad in metal!”

The unicorn eyed the arena wary. “That’s Steel Rangers.” Her eyes bolted to the gate on the other side of the arena. “Now’s our chance, let’s go.” She started running, the gun floating in front of her. I quickly got up on my own legs and ran after her.

“Steel Rangers?”

She stopped just inside the gate, looking from side to side. “I’ll explain later. For now... There should be an exit here somewhere, I remember seeing one...”

“Hey, Viper, would you look at this. Seems like we have ourselves a runner. I’m sure boss would be mighty happy if we got rid of him.”

I turned around towards the voice. Standing nearly eye to eye with me, a knife within reach, stood the stallion who had been standing over me when I woke up in the house, licking his wicking smiling lips.

Behind him stood another stallion, a light green earth pony, who looked nervously between the gate and me. “I’m not sure... what’s that sound outside? We were only told to kill the mare once--”

“Things change, Viper. Now, you take the cyborg, and I take that piece of fine--”

The sound of a revolver firing twice from behind me drowned the voice of the raider. I stared in horror as, out of nowhere, a single bullet hole appeared on the forehead of both raiders, tearing straight through the heads. Blood and gore sprayed behind them as the bullet forcefully exited their skulls and the two earth ponies fell to the ground, their unseeing eyes staring directly at me.

My mouth worked as I blindly stared down at the two bodies.

“Come on, Cogwheel, we don’t have the entire day!” Bolt wheezed from behind me.

I spun around. “You... you just killed them.”

“Yes I did. You heard how they talked, they would have been done the same!” She spun around. “Now let’s go, we don’t have the entire day.”

“I’m afraid that I will have to agree with Bolt on this one,” Spitfire said as I glanced back at the bodies one last time, before I followed the unicorn. “They were talking about killing you and with all the shooting going down out there... I think it’s for the better to get out of here, and quick.”

“Couldn’t you just... I don’t know, shot their knees or something? I’m sure you didn’t have to kill them.”

Bolt snorted. “Would have been a waste of bullets. Their screams would have drawn other raiders to them, and--”

“Other raiders?! You mean the ones busy fighting those Steel Rangers up there? How would their--”

She spun around and jabbed a hoof in my chest. “You heard how their talked about us, you heard what they said they would do! They would kill us both, and I’m not going to spare a second thought towards me killing them instead, understood?!” She glared down at me, her eyes nailing me in place and her nostrils wide.

“Okay.” I took a quick step back. “Okay.”

“Besides,” Bolt said as she turned around and continued walking down the path she had chosen. “They aren’t shooting any...” She suddenly halted. “They aren’t shooting anymore.”

I blinked and peeked my ears, carefully listened. She was right. The sound of gunfire had ceased, the only thing cutting through the silence was a soft whimpering, cry or scream that could be heard, most likely from the wounded, before a single gunshot silenced that as well.

“What should we...”

“Shh,” Bolt hushed me, looking from side to side. “Follow me, but be silent.”

The unicorn hurried down the path, with me close behind, every now and then stopping and peak her ears. Without any warning she dove into a small sidepath, dragging me after her. As I opened my mouth to ask what she was doing, she put a hoof over my mouth, silencing me. We hadn’t been standing there for more than a couple of seconds before the sound of hoofsteps, followed by the sound of voices, reached me.

“What do you mean gone? I told you to keep an eye on him! Search the area, find that cyborg!”

Two earth ponies, nearly completely clad in armor, walked past our hiding place, one of them half a step behind the other. Both of their visors had been flipt up. “And all raiders are to be shot on sight, wether mare or stallion, armed or not. I want this place cleansed!”

“Yes sir, right away sir.” The one walking behind threw a glance towards our hiding place, before he continued walking after the other earth pony. “I will put everypony on it. And the mare our scouts mentioned traveled with him?”

“He saw you.” Spitfire whispered, as if they would hear her anyway.

“I don’t care what you do with her. If she tries to do anything, kill her, we only need that cyborg.”

“As you wish, sir.” The earth pony bowed slightly and walked out from my view.

“What was that all about? What do they want with me?” I whispered as soon as the hoofsteps disappeared.

“I don’t know, but it seems like they have had their eyes on us, at least since we left Green Valley.” Bolt carefully looked out from our hiding place. “And frankly, I don’t want to know either. Let’s go.”

“We want his help, that’s all.” Both Bolt and I spun around at the sudden voice. Before us stood the armor clad earth pony who had been ordered to find us, still with the visor up, a thin smile adorning his muzzle. “Nothing else.”

He didn’t even blink as Bolt floated up and pressed the revolver against his face. “How did you find us?” she growled.

“We have had scouts observing him for a couple of days now, and when they saw him entering a known raider nest, they called for--”

The blue earth pony took a step back as Bolt pushed the revolver even harder against his forehead. “How did you find us here?”

“Your friends cybernetics reflected the light,” the stallions smile grew as he looked up at the revolver placed between his eyes. “And let me remind you that this counts as an assault, and authorize me to use deadly force. The sound of you, or me, firing will alert the rest of the squad. If I don’t kill you, they will, and he will be captured, with force if needed.”

“There is no light to be reflected!”

“And if you shout like that, they will hear you. I can promise you that, should they see you stand here pointing a revolver to my head, they will shoot first and talk later.”

“Bolt,” I started, gently pushing the revolver away.

“What are you doing!” she growled.

“He saw us earlier. He want us something, otherwise he would have pointed us out directly.” I turned to the stallion. “What is it you want?”

“You heard his orders as well as I did. Had it been anyone else, they would have shot to kill as soon as they saw you had a gun.” He chuckled slightly. “Even more so when you pointed it towards my head. Understand me right, I don’t care much about you, but enough blood have flooded in the name of the Rangers today. Your death can be avoided, all you have to do is put down that gun and come with me willingly.”

“You want us to surrender, just like--”

“Bolt, if they just want my help--”

“You’re after his eye, aren’t you?” Bolt pushed me away and took a step closer to the ranger. “Isn’t that everything you’re after, technology?”

“We want his help, nothing more.” He raised a hoof to stop Bolt from talking. “And before you ask, no, I don’t know with what. That information have not been shared with me. Star Paladin Stroganoff and Scribe Headmaster Ink Dot are the only ones knowing why we need...” He sighed and shook his black mane before he looked back at Bolt. “Why am I even telling your this? Listen, I give you a chance to get out of here alive, take it or not, I don’t care. Stroganoff wants him, not you. Drop your gun, don’t make any move towards the one hidden in your mane, and I promise you that--”

“How comes that everypony seems to know about the gun I have hidden?!” Bolt growled as she threw away the revolver in her grip.

The stallions relaxed as the revolver disappeared from his face, and a small chuckle escaped his lips. “I wouldn’t have known if the scouts hadn’t seen you press it up his face. Don’t think you have been as close to death since you left Green Valley as you were there, they had you in their crosshair and was about to shoot when you removed it from him.”

“How long have your scouts been following u--”

“I’m sure that Star Paladin Stroganoff or Scribe Headmaster Ink Dot can explain everything once we’re back in Biomechatronic,” the earth pony interrupted Bolt. “Now, if you would follow me, and not make any aggressive moves--”

“Do you think they are after SAT?” Spitfire asked. “If it’s true as Bolt said, and they’re after technology, and they are taking us to Biomechatronic?”

I nodded slightly. It may very well be.

“Why would they answer our questions if they were just going to kill me?”

“I understand your doubt, but...” The ranger interrupted himself and moved a bit closer, lowering his voice. “Scribe Headmaster Ink Dot isn’t like that. She... doesn’t advocate violence like Stroganoff does.” He quickly drew back his head, looking from side to side. “Don’t tell him I said that. Now, if you please? The sooner we leave, the sooner you get your answers.”

“Yes, of course,” I said, earning a hard glare from Bolt whom I interrupted before she could say anything. “Just... lead the way, and we will follow.” I met her glare. “Without doing anything.”

“This way, then.” He started to walk, and I fell in behind him. After a moment, Bolt catched up with us.

“What are you doing?” she wheezed. “We can’t tru--”

“I don’t trust them. But, if Spitfire is correct, they might lead us to SAT.”

“...What? How can you--?”

“You said that they were after technology, and SAT was centered in Biomechatronic, where they said they would take us.”

“I doubt SAT was the only place for technology in Biomechatronic.” Bolt rolled her eyes as she took the first step up the staircase after the ranger. “It’s only because he said they needed your help, right?”

“We’re going that way anyway.” I smiled apologetic. “And besides, they just saved us both. I figured we owed them that much.”

The unicorn’s voice turned sharp. “Yeah, and they so seemed to care if I live or not.”

How am I supposed to... I stopped dead at the scenery that unfolded before me. It was the clinic all over again, with ponies lying spread out where they had fallen, unseeing eyes staring forwards and the smell of fresh blood filling my nostrils. Already had flies flocked to the bodies. The sight made my stomach turn, but I quickly took the last steps up the stairs as Bolt looked back at me, swallowing hard to keep the breakfast down.

My eyes wandered over the scenery, where fallen raiders laid in pools of blood. Mares and stallions, young and old, all lying where they had fallen. In the middle of the stand, in an area cleared from corpses, sat a couple of armor clad ponies, talking softly among themselves. As soon as they saw us their talking ceased, and one of the rangers hurried to her hooves, walking over to us.

“Senior Paladin Emulate.” The ranger brought up her visir, showing a worried face as she brought up a hoof to her brow. “I... we have encountered some difficulties. A foal--”

I shared a quick glance with Bolt. A foal. Tiny.

“A... foal?” The color disappeared from the face of the ranger who had found us. “Here? Our scouts said nothing about a foal!”

“Actually, they mentioned a foal following one of the slaves around. They didn’t say anything about foals with the raiders... If you don’t mind me speaking, sir,” she quickly apologized.

“At ease, Knight, no need to apologize yourself. I’m not Stroganoff.” Emulate hesitated. “He... haven’t been told, have he?”

“Negative. Star Paladin Stroganoff haven’t been seen since you two walked down, the foal was found after. We have cleared the area around her from bodies, but... It’s the slave.”

“Did something happen to Blueberry?” Bolt asked, earning a hard glare from the knight.

“A slave collar. There’s nothing we can do. It detonated during the fight, killing the slave and two raiders while wounding three others.”

Emulator turned to Bolt. “Did you know her?”

“She... helped us. Was the only kind one here. She was once one of them, but betrayed them to Exo to save her daughter,” the unicorn said quietly.

“The filly... it’s her daughter then?”

“Tiny,” I spoke up stepping towards the other rangers. “Her daughters name was Tiny.”

“Sir, if you excuse me... What should we do about... Tiny?”

One of the rangers took a step aside. In the middle of the rangers laid the body of the slave. The head had been thorn of at the neck. Blood and flesh had sprayed over the rest of her body. Lying next to her mother, hugging the dead mare’s leg close to her body, were Tiny. The filly’s body was covered in her mothers blood, and tears ran from her closed eyes as she rocked back and forth, her entire body shaking with crying.

“We will take her with us,” Emulator said quietly. “Scribe Headmaster will decide what we’re to do with her after that.” He sighed, before turning to the mare Knight again. “You, take three knights and search for Stroganoff. Let him know that I have found the cyborg. The rest of you, keep both eye on Bolt and...” He paused, before he turned towards me. “Cogwheel, was it?” He waited for my nod before he turned to the rangers. “I’m sure they won’t do anything, but if they do... you’re authorized to use non-lethal force to make them stay.”

“We... We aren’t going to do anything,” I stuttered as the rangers broke up in two groups, one of the groups headings towards the stairways we just had walked up for and the other one standing still, looking sternly at me and Bolt. “Promise.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Emulator chuckled. “They don’t bite. I just want us to be on the same... terms. Don’t want to see you try anything. Now, give me some space, I want to talk with Tiny alone.” He sighed, glancing towards the filly. “Don’t want to just tear her from her mother without having tried to talk with her first.”

The two steel rangers that had stayed respectfully stepped aside and lead us to a relatively clear area, free from corpses, while the Senior Paladin took a step forth and carefully lowered his body closer to the small filly. His mouth moved, but no words reached my ears.

“Does... he do this often?” Bolt whispered, her eyes at the armor clad pony and the small filly.

“No idea,” one of our guards said with an adenoidal voice. “Senior Paladin Emulator haven’t been here for more than two days.”

“...Two days?”

“Yeah,” the other guard, a mare judging by the voice, chimed in. “He came with words from the Elder and the scouts. Unlike the rest of us, he answers directly under Scribe Headmaster Ink Dot, and not Star Paladin Stroganoff.”

“That’s enough, Rue. This is Steel Ranger business, nothing that should concern these civilians.”

“Oh, of course. Sorry Buckler.”

“As long as that mouth of yours don’t get you in problem with Star Paladin Stroganoff again.” I could practically hear the poison in his voice as he spoke the title.

“I don’t think that will be any problem, Buckler,” the mare snickered and snapped her armor clad tail against the stallions flank. “Besides, Stroganoff wasn’t that hard to deal with.”

The stallion muttered something unhearable, earning a snicker from the mare, before he went silent.

I sat down on my haunches and looked around the stand, trying to keep my eyes, and mind, away from the dead. Finally, my eyes stopped at the stallion next to me. Or, rather, his armor.

The metal, although soiled by dust and fresh blood, covered his entire body, even the tail. It looked robust enough to take a few hits, at least if the dents and notches, some of them big enough to be from bullets if I wasn’t mistaken, had any say in it.

“Look,” Bolt wheezed in my ear, nudging me in the side.

I blinked and looked where Bolt pointed towards. Tiny had crawled up on Emulator’s back and the ranger had turned towards us, tears in his eyes. But his voice didn’t show any of the sadness his eyes radiated. “Buckler, Rue, get Cogwheel and Bolt to the road. I will go down and see if I can--”

“That won’t be necessary, Senior Paladin.” Walking up the stairs where the group of Steel Rangers had disappeared down was the ranger I had seen talking with Emulator earlier, followed by named group. His armor was, unlike the other rangers I had seen, decorated, and he spoke in a gruff voice. “This is him, then?” Even though his eyes were concealed by the visor, it felt as if they bore into my very being.

“Yes, this is...” Emulator paused as he turned around to face Stroganoff. “Cogwheel. He suffers from amnesia, as our scouts warned us.”

“Is that so? How much do he remem--” He stopped talking as he looked away from me and looked at the helmet less earth pony. Or, rather, at the filly on his back. His voice turned sharp. “And who is this, Senior Paladin.”

“This, Stroganoff, is Tiny.” The filly in question curled closer to the earth pony, as if trying to escape from the Star Paladin’s eyes. “She will be following us back to Biomechatronic.”

“That’s Star Paladin Stroganoff for you,” Stroganoff snarled. “And I thought I ordered every raider to be shot on sight.”

“With all due respect, Sir, but Tiny here was the daughter of a slave, not a raider.”

“You got a bleeding heart, Emulator. How you got the rank you have is beyond my imagination.”

“I’m sorry, Star Paladin, but I will let Scribe Headmaster decide what we are to do about her. As you know, I’m, like you, under her direct command. I have no obligations towards you.”

The Star Paladin stepped forward, positioning himself a couple of step before the Senior Paladin. “I could have you killed, and not one of the knights would think for a moment before firing.”

“Tell me, what would you do when you returned to Biomechatronic? I don’t think our friends here would be silent once they spoke with Ink Dot, and I don’t think she would be very happy to know that you had me killed for refusing killing a filly.”

“Oh, I don’t think that would be a problem, should I decide to have you killed.” I could practically hear the smile in Stroganoff’s voice. “You’re not the only one authorized to read the scout’s reports.” He paused for a moment, before he turned towards me and Bolt. “I trust you have taken any weapon from them?”

Emulator relaxed and took a deep breath. “Yes. The mare was the only one armed, she have given away her weapons.”

The earth pony nodded. “We’re moving out. And Senior Paladin?” Pausing, he took one step forward. “Take the filly with you, we both know the answer Ink Dot will give you.” He turned around and started to walk. “But she’s your responsibility, don’t forget that.”

{}

“I’m not kidding, he ran at me with a baseball bat!” The mare, Freesia, laughed. “I mean, he had seen how well firearms worked against the armor, and still he decide to try and run against me with a baseball bat! These raiders. Must be something wrong with their brains.”

The knights around the table, and even Bolt, joined in the laughter. Myself, I pushed away the food that had been given to me, my hunger having vanishing with each words spoken. Although I still couldn’t fully accept the necessity of the violence, I could understand it. And I was, of course, grateful for them saving me. But to hear them sitting here, laughing at the death of others...

“Maybe it’s a way to protect themselves. Make it easier to live with the killing,” Spitfire said woeful as another ranger, started his own story.

I don’t care why they do it. It’s... tasteless. I should have left with Emulator. Sighing, I looked up from the table. Right into the green eyes of Stroganoff.

The Star Paladin had, like the rest of the Rangers, taken of his helmet, revealing the scarred, light dark muzzle, when we had sat down around the table. But, unlike the others, he hadn’t taken anything to eat. Instead, he had just been sitting still, his burning eyes never leaving me.

“That’s enough, knights.” He spoke without looking away from me, and barely had his words left his mouth before the rangers around the table had turned silent. A thin smile, unshared by his eyes, spread over his muzzle. “Tell me, Cogwheel, is it true about your amnesia? You don’t have any memories of the time of the war? Of your life before this? Of who you were?”

“Why do you want to know?”

The smile on his lips slipped, and I could swear that at least two of the ranger gasped for air. He quickly plastered on the smile again, his eyes burning even more. “I want to know how much you remember of your past, so I can know if you are even able to do what’s needed from you.”

“I don’t even know what I’m needed for!”

“What you’re needed for isn’t something you will have to care about right now, Cyborg,” Stroganoff growled, ramming a hoof into the table. “All you need to care about now is telling me what you remember, so I can tell if you’re even worth our time!” He pushed himself up, lounging over me. “So spill it.”

“I recommend telling him what he wants to know,” Spitfire said before I had the chance to speak the words on my tongue. “And not piss him off further. Who knows what he would do to just get that information out of you.”

I closed my mouth again and rubbed a hoof against my temple. “Okay. Okay. I will tell you.” The Star Paladin nodded and sat down, the smile on his lips returning. “But I don’t know much about my past. I know that I had a wife and a son, that I had something to do with SAT and...” I paused. Should I tell them that I had something to do with Project Aíonis, whatever that was? What if they wanted to know more about it? That would be questions I couldn’t answer. “And that’s it.”

“That’s everything you know?”

Nodding, I took a deep breath. “It is.”

“Was that things you have remembered since you woke up, or...” He leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice. “Things that have gotten to you during your travels.”

“The later. I seem to remember some things when I get to the site where they occurred, but not always. At times, a memory have come when I have been asleep as well.”

Stroganoff laughed gruffly. “It seems like you’re still of some use to us, then. We will just have to make you remember.” I shuddered slightly under his gaze, hopefully not enough for him to notice. “Buckler, Iron Oak, you two stay. The rest of you return to base.”

“Knights, stay,” Emulator spoke up from the doorway. The knights, half of them standing up and the other half sitting, stopped doing anything, looking up at the Senior Paladin.

“You have no authority here, Emulator,” Stroganoff snarled, for the first time since we had sat down looking away from me. “Knights, move out.”

“I was sent with you by Scribe Headmaster Ink Dot, to make sure her interest were followed here. My words weight as much, if not more, than your words, Star Paladin. And before anyone is leaving this room, you will tell me exactly what you plan to do, sending back the knights to Biomechatronic.”

The earth pony oppose me looked back at me, the thin smile still on his lips. “I will make sure that Cogwheel here is of some use for our cause, which I can promise is of the Scribe Headmaster’s concern as well as mine.”

“How are you planning to do that?” Bolt asked.

Stroganoff moved his eyes to her, and I could feel her shiver slightly next to me. “That’s easy, girl.” He looked back at me again. “I intend to take him home.” Laughing, he added. “That is, of course, if Emulator, doesn’t have anything to say about it.”

“Knights, move out. Report to the Scribe Headmaster that we will take a small departure to make sure that the subject recovers enough memories to be able to fulfil his role. We should be back tomorrow.”

The knights looked at Stroganoff, who slowly nodded, before the ones who had been told to leave stood up and equipped their helmets. “You should go with them, Emulator. Get the filly to a safe environment.”

“I doubt that we will run into anything that would be able to harm her, considering that she will be accompanied by four Steel Rangers, one unicorn and a cyborg. So no, I will go with you.”

“Very well,” Stroganoff said annoyed, rising from the chair. “Let’s move out, I want to get there and back to base as soon as possible.”

{}

A light breeze played with my mane as I sat in the shadow of the oak, staring breathless at the scenery beneath us. The crystal clear lake reflected the sun that was setting behind the trees on the other side of the water and the sky glowed red as the day slowly drifted into twilight. The only thing disturbing the silence was the sound of waves hitting the shore beneath the hill where I sat and the singing of a bird in the green foliage above me.

A gentle touch over my back caused my smile to widen even more.

“It’s beautiful here.”

I sat silent for a moment, enjoying the feeling of her soft feathers against my back, before I looked back at the mare half lying on the blanket we had spread under the oak. “Not as beautiful as you.”

With a smile, she patted the ground next to her. “It’s getting lonely down here, why don’t you join me?” Before I had even lied down completely, she wrapped her wings around me. “Much better.”

I staggered and fell down on my haunches, blinking, disoriented, the mare’s words echoing in my head. The green grass around me had disappeared, as had the sun in the sky. Replaced by dead, brown grass and the everlasting cloud cover. The lake, just a second ago so crystal clear, had now turned a sickly color of green and the oak, once mighty and full of life, was now dead, the trunk and twisted branches nearly black.

“What now, Cyborg?” Stroganoff snarled. “We are soon there, you can rest then.”

I looked back at the Steel Rangers, and Bolt, who had stopped on the road further down the hill, not far from where I had sat down. Or, road. It was more of a track that ran not far from the lake, we had long since stopped walking on the road. Apparently, this way was both safe and faster than the road.

“New memory?” Spitfire asked concerned. “You caught me completely off guard, I wasn’t prepared for you to stagger like that.”

Sighing, I rose again, hurrying up my step to catch up with them. Yes. I have been here before. Avoiding the reason behind why I had been here, although I think that Spitfire caught it up anyway, I looked after Stroganoff and the other Steel Rangers, who had started walking again. The only one waiting for me was Bolt, who looked thoughtful on me. And since he doesn’t seem to care, I don’t see a reason to tell him why I stopped.

“Are you sure about that? I mean, wouldn’t it be better to get on his good side by notifying him whenever you remember something?”

I don’t see how this memory would be of any importance to him. Bolt fell in next to me as I walked, and together we walked a couple of step behind the others, the knights looking back to see that we still followed them every now and then.

“New memory?” she asked with curiosity. “What did you remember?”

“That’s because you don’t know what they are after!”

“I was with a mare on that hill. On a picnic. The entire world was beautiful, green leaves and grass, a crystal clear lake, the sun shining down, warming us from a blue sky.” I sighed, glancing to the dead grass around me. “Not like this.”

“It really sounds beautiful.” Bolt drifted off for a moment, and we walked after the Steel Rangers in silence. “What did you do?”

“In the memory? I said we had a picnic.”

“Yeah, but was that all? Sounds boring.”

“It was relaxing.” I looked at the Steel Rangers, one of the Knights, I couldn’t tell who with the helmet on, looked back at me for a second before his eyes returned to the road and our surroundings. “Who are they?”

“The Steel Rangers?” Bolt lowered her tone, taking a small step closer to me. “Fancy raiders is what my father calls them, and I agree with him. I have only seen them in Green Valley once or twice in my entire life, and both time they have ‘taken back’ what’s ‘rightfully theirs’. With violence if needed. Sure, DJ Pon-3 speaks about them helping settlements, but that’s not what I have been taught. No, father say that they steal every piece of technology they want, wether you give it to them for a ‘fair price’ or they rip it from your dead hooves. They don’t care.” Bolt glanced at me quickly, before she looked back at the rangers. “A rest from before the war, if any of the small articles I have read had any say in it. Founded by the Ministry of Wartime Technology, they were soldiers answering only to the ministry mare or by leaders chosen by her. Some kind of hierarchy system, I don’t know.”

“They must know who I was. More so than I know. Otherwise they wouldn’t have scouts tailing me since I got out of the clinic.” I lowered my head slightly. “Do you think I had something to do with SAT’s business? That they just want to get their hooves on technology there?”

“Without a doubt.” Bolt sighed. “But it’s not like we can do anything. Try to run and I can promise you that those weapons will be turned towards you in one way or another. But hey, look at the bright side.” She smiled slightly, punching me gently on the shoulder. “At least you will get your memories back! Isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I smiled slightly, a smile that quickly dropped into a frown. “But I don’t like the thought of being used like that.”

“Who does.” The unicorn sighed. “At least we won’t have any trouble with raiders or other bugs around them. A raider have to think twice before attacking a ranger in the open like this.”

I guess she was right. Occasionally I had spotted an animal or other kind of wildlife through the sparsely placed and long since dead trunks and logs around us, but they had either slipped away quickly or been watching us from a safe distance. “They are leading us to Biomechatronic, aren’t they?” I asked, eyeing the buildings that had started to be distinguishable in the distance, behind the hill not far away and stretching out on the other side of the lake.

“They are,” Bolt confirmed, floating up the map from her saddlebags. The bags had been found by one of the knights where the raiders had thrown them after emptying them of anything they could have use for, leaving my bag empty and Bolt’s with barely anything left. “In fact, had we followed the road instead of going through this... well, it was a forest. But we would have arrived in the city as well, just closer to the core.”

“Why would Stroganoff send away his men if they were going to lead us there anyway?”

“I don’t know.” The unicorn rolled her eyes as she tucked back the map in her bags. “But you saw how quickly they took down the raiders. Maybe they only were so many in the first place because they knew about the raiders numbers and wanted to make sure to get to us, or more precisely you, before the raiders could do you any serious harm. Now when that threat is out of the way, they might not need to be more than for to protect you.” She paused for a moment. “And besides, Biomechatronic was a big city, maybe he doesn’t believe we will get back to the Steel Ranger base before tomorrow, and wanted to let them know.”

“I... guess you’re right.” I looked up at the building in the distance. Do you think that the Steel Rangers got anything to do with those who wanted to keep Biomechatronic for themselves disappearing?

“It’s a possibility. But didn’t Radio say that it was years since he had heard any mentionings about Biomechatronic?”

Maybe there haven’t been any groups trying to call Biomechatronic their own in a while? And the Steel Rangers have just kept themselves low profile, only lashing out towards those that got to close?

“...That doesn’t really make sense. Why would they keep low profile? I don’t think that anything can really hurt them here, not after what we have seen.”

I stopped before the hill whereupon the Steel Rangers had stopped and now looked down at me. Sighing, I followed the shore on the other side with my eyes and the ruins that lay there. Was it something waiting in the depths of the city, ready to lash out at us? Or was it just the Steel Rangers that had made the slavers disappear? I sighed and started to walk up the hill, my eyes leaving the shore again. What did I know?

Bolt and the rangers stood and looked down over the city as I got to the top of the hill. Biomechatronic had once been a big city, with a wide variety of buildings. Some reached towards the sky, and some buildings, placed close to the river running through the city, I thought of as industries. But one thing that Biomechatronic had in common with Green Valley and the rest of the wasteland was the ruins. Although most of the city seemed intact, I could see the ruins even from the hill. Skyscrapers that had half the building lying scattered around it’s base and houses whose roof had given in.

“Welcome home, Cogwheel,” Stroganoff laughed besides me. “It’s not as beautiful as when you left, I’m sure.”

I looked down at the houses just beneath the hill. For a moment, I could see them with neat, well kept gardens, foals running around playing. Then it felt as if a hammer was brought to my head, and I would have fallen to the ground hadn’t it been for Spitfire. My head spun as the world around me went black.

{}

With cold, uncaring eyes I watched as the zebra, an elderly mare, was getting help from the earth ponies to get up on the wagon, which her son and wife had gotten their hooves on somehow. The wagon, as every wagon that had left from this block, had been loaded with everything the zebras could carry. When the old zebra had gotten up into the wagon, the stallion got the wagon rolling and the family took their place in the line leaving Biomechatronic.

A few of the zebras in line looked up at me as they passed, their eyes begging me to help them, their shoulders heavy with the burden, both physical and mental, they carried as they were forced to leave their home and security for an uncertain future.

“Your words spoke truth, Ministry mare,” I said with disgust, turning my eyes away from the filth that passed by beneath us. “I have been blind, allowing them to work under me, trusting them like I trusted the... ordinary workers.”

The white unicorn looked down at the line, disgust written on her face. If it was from the smell the wind brought with it, the zebra themselves or how my men handled them I couldn’t tell. “Your quick work is... extraordinary, Director.” She looked away from the line and gave me a thin smile. “But, say me, is it not Morale’s work to get them to the town?” Her smile turned into a smirk. “They will simply not be happy hearing about this, I’m afraid.”

One of her guards, a younger unicorn stallion, looked as if she should throw up, while the other, a unicorn mare, looked indifferent about the scenery below her. At times, her eyes darted to the sides or stopped at one of the zebras beneath us, but mostly she looked forward. I doubted she missed anything happening around her.

“I sent my most trusted pony to speak with Morale, Ministry mare. There will be Morale... attendants waiting at the gates of the town to help them find a place to live. Unfortunately, they wasn’t able to find the ponies to personally escort them there. After all, in days like this SAT isn’t the only ones to send away those to the... towns.” Searching through my bags, dragging out on the time to hide the smirk on my lips, I carefully picked up a scroll and gave it to the mare. “If you doubt me, here’s the written permission.”

The mare’s right eye twitched as she snatched the scroll from me and unfurled it, diving right into it. “Ministry of Morale hereby give... in any way he deems necessary... movement of fifty six... foals under seven not... with the maximum load of... to be counted at... Observer Contem.” She rolled up the scroll. Although she was nearly a head shorter than me, it felt as if she glared daggers down at me as she turned to me, the serene smile still on her lips.”Well then, everything seems to be in perfect order. Do you mind?” Without waiting for answer, she placed the scroll in her own saddlebags. “If there was not anything else that demand my personal attention, then I will bid my--”

“Actually, there is,” I interrupted her. The smile practically died on her lips, turning into a scowling frown. “I took the liberty to order my colts to search through the houses and wagons after any... prohibited books. And...”

“Yes?” The mare stared blankly at me, annoyed by the interruption.

“It’s not one of the books on the list, but...” I carefully picked up the heavy tomb, wrapped into brown paper, from my bags. She quickly took it in her magic and tore open a part of the wrapping, the brown cover underneath mirroring in her eyes. “As I understood it, it’s a book about zebra history.”

“No... it’s not on the list.” Her eyes wandered down to the bottom of the cover, widening some as she realized what material the cover was created with. “But clearly it should.” The book disappeared before my eyes. “However, I find it hard to believe that one of your colts just happen to find a book like this that was owned by one of these savages.” She waved her hoof towards the line, the last few zebras passing beneath us. “Less than a week after a raid against yourself. You are not trying to cover something up, are you? You are doing a poor job at it, should that be the case.”

I chuckled heartily. “The book was found well hidden inside one of the more... resistant ones house, together with three books that exists on the list.” I pointed at my saddlebags. “The rest of the books are here as well, and as the law says are they all to be... collected.”

“You’re not doing it any better for you.” Looking between the bags and me, she quickly motioned to one of the guards to pick them up. “Anything else, Director?” She didn’t even await my answer before she turned around, the stallion picking up the bag before doing the same. “The ministries got a close eye on you and your business, and this affair have not been closed, do I make myself clear?”

I bowed slightly against her back, shallow enough to be counted as rude. “Crystal clear, Ministry mare. But you have nothing to fear, your words have made me see what filth they really are.”

“Director?” She stopped, speaking without even looking back, her voice as hard as steel. “Don’t press your luck.”

{}

“Cogwheel, are you alright?”

I peeked open my eyes, my head hurting and my body aching, if from the memory or something else I couldn’t tell. Bolt and the rangers stood a bit away, talking about what they should do with me, from what I could hear. Judging by Emulator’s expression and the worried glances he threw between the unicorn and the Star Paladin, was Bolt defending that they should wait until I woke up rather hard.

No, I’m not. I closed my eyes again, tears seeping out from my biological. I... didn’t care. I was disgusted by them. I sent them away.

“What are you talking about, Cogwheel? Who did you send away?”

Zebras. More than fifty of them. Kicked them out of their homes. I didn’t even care while doing it. It was... it was as if they weren’t worth anything.

“Cogwheel... Equestria was at war with the zebra empire, and...”

That doesn’t...! I took a deep breath, ignoring the tears running down my cheek. I have had other memories, memories where I gave zebras job, and where SAT offered them shelter. Why would I do something like this? Why would I kick them out from their homes and treat them as if they were dirt? I even sent condolences to a zebra couriers family after he had been murdered! This... this is an entire other... this isn’t the me I have seen before.

Spitfire sighed. “Ponies change, Cogwheel. For all you know, these memories can be years apart. Years where anything could have happened.”

I don’t care if I had changed, I didn’t change into this! I refused to even think that I could have. This isn’t me! I know how I am out here, and I couldn’t have been such... such a monster!

“I have seen you out here, Cogwheel, and you have told me about other memories. That have never been anything like what you just described, but...” She hesitated. “You don’t know your story. The war lasted for years, who know what you encountered then, what happened to those around you. The war might have changed you, but since you don’t remember it... you’re unchanged.”

Does... does that mean that I will become like that? I shivered. I... I don’t want to become like that.

“I don’t know. But now when you have seen it, maybe you can work against it? If you remember things about zebras or the war that might have changed you towards this, maybe you can...”

Ignore it?

“No, not ignore it. It is, after all, a part of your past. But... maybe don’t let it affect you as it did then. Now you know what you might become. What you became. Maybe you can work against it?” She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Who was I?” I whispered, opening my eyes again. Bolt and Stroganoff were still standing and argued, but Emulator had looked away from them. Instead looking straight at me. But he didn’t say anything, neither did he tell the arguing ones anything. He just stood there and looked at me with a sad smile. I shivered, why I didn’t know, but I didn’t look away from him.

“I think that you will have to--”

Do you think the steel ranger’s know? I took a deep breath. They must know who I was. I blinked. I know who I was. I was the director of SAT. That must be it. I remember giving order about zebra’s be given homes that SAT would take care of, and now I remember being called director... They want to use me to get something from SAT. That got to be it. They know that I was the director. They must have found the letter from Honey Pod, and connected it with me. But... Grunting, I brought a metal hoof to my head, wiping the last traces of tears from my cheek and massaging my temple carefully. Urgh, it just opens up more and more questions.

“I’m sure you will get all the answers on who you ar... was. Unless, of course, you want to stop this journey.”

Bolt glanced back at me, only to quickly look back at the Star Paladin again, who had turned his head towards me. I sighed. Even if I wanted, I don’t think I would be able to. Seems like the Steel Rangers really want to get into SAT... if that’s what they want in the first place. I could still feel Emulator’s eyes on me.

Whatever the unicorn said fell for deaf ears as the Star Paladin walked up to me, forcing Bolt to take a step to the side to avoid getting stepped on. When he reached me, he looked down at me for a moment. “Your unicorn friend said that this happened the other times you regain memories as well, is that correct?”

“If it is at you believe, then maybe he can tell you who you were. All you have to do is ask.”

I thought about Spitfire’s words for a moment before I nodded. Maybe she was right. But even so, how much would the information the Steel Rangers had about me be true nearly two hundred years after I lived? Did they just have pieces about me, that they puzzled together to a picture, or...

“Did you remember anything that can be of use at all?”

“I don’t know what’s of use for yo--”

“Don’t press your luck, Cyborg,” the earth pony growled, bringing his head closer to me. “Tell me what you remembered.”

Before I could stop myself, I tried to shuffle back from his gaze. “I... I remember standing here, at this hill, overlooking the settlement below and the zebras I kicked out from their homes trying to get their belongings up on wagons.”

He snorted. “That’s not... What happened more?”

“What do you mean that’s not--”

“That’s none of your concern,” he growled, taking a threatening step closer. “Answer my question.”

“I... I gave some books to a ministry mare, a white unicorn. A book on zebra history as well as some books that were on some kind of list and should be collected.”

“Ministry Mare Rarity... Did something else happen? A title? A job? Anything that you can now remember about your past that you haven’t before?”

I took a deep breath. “I was the director of SAT, wasn’t I? I remember this mare... Rarity, call me director. You want something from SAT, something you can’t get--”

“Don’t press it,” Stroganoff warned. “Do you remember anything else? Like your name. What was your name?”

“I’m right then, aren’t--” I doubled over in pain as the Star Paladin brought down a hoof in my guts. Gasping for air, I could see how Bolt had drawn the gun and now aimed towards the Star Paladin, Emulator taking a quick step between them while the other two rangers didn’t seem to notice what was going on behind their backs, their eyes on me instead.

“I warned you, Cyborg. But you had to press it, didn’t you?” he growled in my ear, pressing down his hoof against my abdomen. “Do you remember anything more, something we don’t know?” I hurriedly shook my head, still trying to fill my lungs with air again. “Then I guess we will have to continue. You’re still useless for us.” He looked away from me and pushed down his hoof hard before he stepped of me again. “Remember your place next time, Cyborg.”

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Yeah, great plan there. Physically assault the one pony able to help you with this vague task of yours. That's sure to keep him cooperative.

Very interesting developments, though there are quite a few errors in the text. Still, looking forward to more.

[reader238]

2395241 yea agreed that guy is an idiot, that approach might work for raiders and other wasteland scum but definately not somepony born prewar and pre wasteland, doesn't work on stable ponies either

[Luminous Lead]

Wow, Stroganof's kind of a psycho. Wonder if he's related to Sawdust.

Something to note- Exo could really use a bit of brand-naming for his posse. Reading "Exo's Thugs" everytime that faction is mentioned kind of makes them just seem like faceless mooks. The name doesn't sell much of an image other than "guys that work for Exo", with other people occasionally mentioning that they're jerks that have cyborg parts. With a good organization name Exo could probably earn some notoriety and fear without having to beat down everyone he meets.

There are minor errors here and there, usually to do with verb conjugations. You might want to get an editor to look through this one.

I wonder what the chances are that we'll see Cog's kid pop back up again...

[Faindragon]

2398829
No, this is simply the fact that these chapters have not been edited, that they're basically the rough draft I have had lying on my computer for ~2 months.

For more information, you can read the blog post linked in the synopsis.

[Blewfire]

Finished reading the new chapters that just got posted. I like the characters to begin with but I really like how Cogwheel and Bolt are starting interacting more. I know that last few chapters where not edited but I really enjoyed them any ways.

[Capt the Alicorn]

all and all a great chapter, i notice that the word "was" was used in many places where it didnt make sense, but besides that a great chapter! Good Job :D

[Lunar Rainbow]

So this is dead is it/ I haven't started it but it looks so interesting!! No chance at all to continue it/

[Faindragon]

3820678
If I find a proofreader/editor, then it might start up again. However, the chance of finding one who FIRST want to go through over 100 k words and then continue is slim.

[Lunar Rainbow]

3821115 Damn if I could I would, but I'm not one for checking through a story for errors good for ideas but that about it.

[Vivian]

So, uh, I read through this story and I'm quite liking that the protagonist goes out of his way to not kill or even use violence. I hate seeing a story go unfinished, though. While I haven't worked as an editor for anyone else's published writing, I'm pretty good with fixing up spelling and grammar issues and re-wording sentences to clear up confusion, and I'm interested in working with you on this story. The main concern I have is that you stated a lot of dialogue was almost completely rewritten by your previous editor, and I don't want what I do to clash with the previous chapters; would you have some of the original work available so I can get a feel for what was changed, if you have any interest in my offer?

[PersonalGamer]

3821115
If the lack of an editor is the issue that caused a cancellation, I could lend a hoof. I'm by no means the most experienced editor (rookie at best), but I don't miss a lot if I'm not brain dead. Anyways, I can manage editing another story if you'd like (I get a story out of the deal, too!)

[artisticMink]

Also featured on falloutequestria.wikia.com.

[Lysander Shadowheart]

I really liked this story, thanks Faindragon. I get it that it's cancelled, I just hope it won't stay cancelled.

[Nh_Bleker97]

I was actually thinking of a similar kind of story to do that has a cyborg pony awaken from cryogenic slumber and seeks out to find out what exactly happened to him and his squad mates of the post Great War. Looks like someone already beat me to that very idea, however I guess I could still use that idea for a story. I don't know, we'll see.

[Lysander Shadowheart]

6438275
Wow... Okay I just read Blog Sep-6th-2013 Titled "Cleaning out the old, starting with the new", wondering if you had said anything in-particular about SAT... a shame but I'm still glad I read it through, it was a good beginning and to be quite honest seems to be hanging on. I mean it's been rewritten since it was deleted off your Gdrive and is obviously still loved... it's possible... I will keep it on the tracker in the unlikeliest chance it is revived. Don't worry I wont hold my breath or anything.

[LorannaBeth]

this is a grate story pleas restart it. I love it and do not mind the misspeled words and typos

[dyedquartz]

Mmmmmm beef stroganoff. Your number is up