Carbon: Equestria

by Alfoals Trottenbauer

II - Wasteland

System Crash trotted beside a river of rust. Her sister, Tapped Wire and Short Circuit, her brother, were at the camp a short distance. The tent was in view. Acid rain started coming down. She galloped into the metal shelter. They called it a tent because of a bad habit they had since they were little.

"Hey, sis." Short Circuit said nonchalantly.

Short Circuit was the oldest of them, he generally knew how to handle things. And Tapped Wire was the youngest.

They sat in front of the fire he had made. Cooking on the fire was a rusted can of beans. There wasn't much of anything to eat in the wastelands, and pretty much everything you did find was irradiated. They were outcasts, kicked out of The City for Fueling the Revolt. It wasn't true, however. Their whole block had been escorted out. It was a death sentence out here, aside from some small colonies, there was no civilization.

The three had diversely useful skills. System was good at fighting, Short scavenged for the three, and Tapped was proficient at making weapons.

Short Circuit took the beans off the fire and passed it to the other two.

After they had finished, he got the rest. It was normal for him. The outside sky was filled with smog. Moonlight Company had shipped out almost all of the plants and atmosphere in the wasteland. The City was contained in a giant dome filled with air and trees. Everypony out in the Wasteland wore a breathing apparatus.

The sky grew much darker. It was night. The fire lit the inside of the stucture, embers rising to the top of it.

Their weapons rested on the right side from the entrance. A sword made of sheet metal, which was System's, a dagger made from forged scrap, Short's weapon of choice, and a rusty harpoon, which was Tapped's.

"Who's going to keep watch tonight?" System Crash asked the other two.

"Me." Short Circuit replied.

System and Tapped lay on their sides. After a few minutes, they fell asleep.

Being a unicorn, Short Circuit levitated the dagger from it's place and held it at his side.

The acid rain cleared out.

Short Circuit was about six when their parents died. The three had always stuck together since that day.

There was a howling out in the distance.