Chapter 6
Edited by TacoTown
Chapter 6
Always choose good last words, they could save your life, or not
“So how are we going to do this?” Day Kicker asked curiously as the small group stood in front of the door to the tower where the raiders were holded up. It was a ten story building and the outsides had been decorated in the same way that most raider strongholds were decorated, namely with lots of blood and impaled body parts littered about the entrance. Holly had her 12.7 pistol at the ready, and Ethan’s magnum was already drawn.
“Like this.” Ethan replied simply before he drew his foot back and then sent the steel-toed boot clad foot slamming into the door. The metal doors shot inward with a loud, agonized scream of rusty metal. “I hope you raiding fuckbuckets are ready to party, ‘cause Ethan’s here to play!” Ethan shouted as he fixed the nearest raider in the room with a wide smile before he pulled the trigger on his pistol and sent the raider’s brains flying through the air.
There were at least twelve raiders standing around inside the main lobby of the building, all in various degrees of combat readiness. They looked up in surprise as the group entered and shouted with anger when Ethan’s pistol barked, ending the life of one of their companions. They were surprisingly smart for raiders, and dove for cover before Ethan could get another shot off.
“By saying ‘so how are we going to do this’, I meant was what is the plan.” Day Kicker said in aggravation before he jumped into the air and pulled the trigger on his battle saddle to send a blast of pink lazer at a raider that dissipated off of the raider’s cover.
“The plan is simple, kill all sons of bitches.” Ethan replied as he ducked underneath a small wave of gunfire from a raider with an assault rifle. “I’d say that that’s pretty simple stuff, especially for a ‘spec ops’ trooper.” The man added before he jumped over his cover and sprinted to the raider, shooting at him before leapt over the raider’s cover and lopped off it’s head with his sword.
The pegasus snorted with indignation before he dodged a shotgun blast and returned fire with his battle saddle, scorching the raider’s neck and sending him sizzling to the ground.
“Like I said, welcome to the fucking team.” Holly added from where she was crouched next to the door using the metal as cover. She rose out of cover and sent a bullet flying into another raider’s foreleg, ripping a large chunk out of it.
“I don’t understand how he’s still alive.” The Enclave trooper said with a frown as a bullet grazed his cheek, drawing blood as he swooped through the air and unleashed a ball of burning magical plasma into a raider’s head, reducing the raider to sticky goo.
“Because I’m hard to kill.” Ethan replied offhandedly before his magnum roared and decapitated a raider with a single shot.
There were six raiders left in the room, and they’d realized that they had the numerical advantage. As one they rose out of cover and prepared to fire, Ethan stepped into VATS and lined up five shots. His magnum barked five times and five raiders suddenly found out how difficult it was to breathe with holes in their throats. The last raider, who had yet to grasp the fact that his friends were all dead, began to fire his assault rifle at Ethan who took several bullets to the chest before he ducked back into cover with a mild curse. Holly moved out of cover long enough to get a shot off and hit the raider in the foreleg, making him cry out in pain. Day Kicker finished the raider off with a blast of magical plasma.
“God. The sooner I get a little radiation in me the better, I hate having to do this by hand.” Ethan muttered as the fingers on his left hand fished around inside his chest for the solitary bullet that had successfully penetrated his armor. He pulled out the piece of twisted metal with a grin while the other two watched his skin begin to slowly heal.
“Hmm… that’s an interesting ability you have there.” Day Kicker said with a slightly cocked eyebrow.
“Thanks; let’s search these assholes and then get moving before more show up.” Ethan commanded as he walked over to a nearby raider and began to go through his pockets.
“You must be joking.” The Enclave pegasus scoffed.
“If you want to be poor and ill equipped then that’s your prerogative not mine.” Ethan replied as he pulled a pistol out of the raider’s hip holster. “I’m going to take as much stuff as I can carry and then sell it to the highest bidder; I’m not used to being poor.” He added.
“You still have around four thousand caps, that’s more than most scavvers make in weeks.” Holly told him as she looted her own raider, while Day Kicker looked down at them from the ceiling where he was standing.
“Yeah, well, that’ll go pretty fast and I’d like to have a little extra.” Ethan replied as he moved onto another raider.
“You two disgust me.” Day Kicker told them, rolling his eyes.
“Sorry pigeon, I couldn’t hear you from up there.” Ethan said with a smirk.
“Fine, I’m going off to scout ahead and see their positions, you two take as long as you’d like stealing from the dead.” Day Kicker told them disdainfully.
“You do that pigeon.” Ethan replied with a shrug.
Ethan and Holly spent the next several minutes robbing the dead raiders for all that they were worth, which wasn’t very much but Ethan was sure that they’d find some better pawnable gear further inside the tower.
“So want to go and find birdboy?” Ethan asked Holly, who snorted.
“I still don’t see why the fuck you’re letting one of the Goddess damned Enclave travel with us.” Holly told him.
“Because he’ll be useful.” Ethan told her with a shrug.
“Bah, he’ll end up betraying us. Is that really fucking worth it?” Holly asked.
“Look, I’m sure that I have far more reason to dislike the Enclave then you do and I’m willing to put that aside for the moment and focus on other things, so I expect you to do the same.” Ethan told her with a shrug. “Besides, like I said I can just shoot him when he does betray us.” He added.
“Then why not cut out the middle mare and shoot him right the fuck now?!” Holly exclaimed.
“Because I’m new here, and I don’t feel like pissing off all of the most powerful organizations in the Equestrian Wasteland within the first week of my stay here.” Ethan replied.
“Then why don’t you hand me over to them? I’m sure they’d like you more after that.” Eddie asked from Ethan’s wrist.
“Because I’m not giving the any organization called The Enclave an advanced AI, even if they are different from the ones back home.” Ethan replied with a slight growl entering his voice.
Their conversation was interrupted by the return of Day Kicker, who flew into the room so quietly that the only way that Ethan knew that he was there at all was thanks to his HUD. The pegasus was about to touch the man’s shoulder with his wing, hoping to get a startled reaction out of the man, when Ethan turned to look at him with a wide smile.
“Well hello there pigeon, what did you find?” Ethan asked. Day Kicker cursed internally for a second before responding.
“This entire tower is crawling with raiders; there must be at least eighty of them, and your little show earlier alerted them to our presence here. They’re on their way as we speak!” Day Kicker said angrily as he narrowed his eyes at Ethan.
“Great, now we won’t have to go to the trouble of tracking them down.” Ethan said with a smile.
“No! That’s not how things work; we’re not supposed to be fighting them all at once! You’re supposed to fight raiders one at a time as you move through the building!” Day Kicker said exasperatedly.
“Nope, now be quiet while I rig this.” Ethan told him without looking up as he took two of the raider’s shotguns and began to wire them together with a length of cord that he’d found on one of them. He then attached it to the door frame.
Then he quickly ducked through the doorway, closing it behind him. Several tense seconds of Day Kicker staring angrily at the door while Holly studiously ignored him passed while Ethan was gone before the man pushed his way back through the door and quickly shut it behind him; the door clicked as it locked.
“Well, that should keep them entertained for a while.” Ethan said with a wickedly entertained smile as he finished his shotgun trap.
Holly and Day Kicker didn’t have long to wait to find out what he was talking about. A loud trio of explosions resounded from the hallway and Ethan’s smirk widened as he heard several pained screams from the other side of the door. A few shocked seconds of silence pervaded the hallway beyond as the raiders stood stock still. Then with a mighty outraged roar they charged down the hallway towards the far door. This charge was interrupted by the sound of several more grenades falling from the ceiling along, with the explosions that followed.
“And that’s why we rob the dead.” Ethan told Day Kicker, who had returned to his spot on the roof and who was eying the doorway warily.
“Shut up, you’ll give away our positions.” Day Kicker whispered back from his perch. Holly had taken cover behind the circular reception desk that took up the center of the room while Ethan had opted for a less conventional strategy. He’d decided to stand in right in front of the door with his magnum at the ready.
“Ethan, you do know that there’s an overwhelming chance of your being shot standing here, right?” Eddie asked quietly.
“Heh, of course Eddie.” Ethan replied with a chuckle. “If I didn’t get a few more collectables then what would be the point?” He added.
“It’s locked!” A sniveling voice from the other side of the doorway suddenly exclaimed.
“Then open it you cunt!” A deep gravelly voice shouted.
“We don’t have a key, it’s never locked before.” The first voice said.
“Well then you’ll just have to open it with your face!” The second voice shouted.
“Wow, raiders here are almost stupider then they are where I come from.” Ethan said with a chuckle.
“WE HEARD THAT YOU ASSHOLE!” The second voice shouted before the sound of a body slamming into the door echoed wetly from the other side of the door.
“Well I wasn’t exactly whispering. You know, it’s a good thing I’m here by myself. If there was anyone else here with me it would probably make this way too easy.” Ethan told the raider boss.
Several loud wet thumps later the door burst open and the body of a raider was thrown lifelessly to the floor. Ethan’s pistol barked once and a raider’s head exploded. There were twenty raiders pressed into the hallway, all of whom were attempting to push through the doorway; behind them Ethan could see the blasted corpses of at least eight others who had been decimated by his grenade traps. Ethan stepped back and invited them into the room with a mocking smirk, and they charged him as one.
The duel shotguns decimated the first raider to trip the wire, decapitating him with a blast and Ethan’s pistol took out the next. Holly sprang up from her cover spot and let loose a salvo of 12.7mm bullets that smashed through one of the raider’s skulls, sending gooey grey brain bits everywhere. From his position on the ceiling Day Kicker sent four rapidly moving balls of magic that liquefied two raiders where they stood.
Upon realizing that they faced a much stronger resistance then they’d originally thought the raiders made the surprising tactical move, surprising in the fact that they were making a tactical move at all. And they began to retreat back down the hallway, firing at the man in the doorway all the while in an attempt to kill him. Luckily for Ethan most of them were using small arms, mostly pistols and the occasional shotgun that lost impact the farther down the hallway they got.
Ethan of course returned fire, killing three with a trio of rounds blasting the heads of the raiders open in small explosions of gore and bone. Holly left her cover and rolled into position by next to the door frame, the green unicorn’s pistol spat two shots into the disorganized mass of retreating raiders, sending one stumbling to the ground with a large hole in his leg.
“Fuck!” The unicorn cursed as a hunting rifle round burrowed into her shoulder, sending her staggering back with a grunt distorted by the pain.
“How bad is it?” Ethan asked offhandedly while firing into the mass of raiders who were now almost out of the killzone.
“Not terrible, we’ll need to get it out before she has a potion, but she’ll be fine after that.” Day Kicker said unexpectedly.
He’d dropped down from the ceiling while Ethan was distracted by a raider who’d nailed him in the chest with a rather large caliber sniper bullet, and had begun to check over Holly’s wound. The wound on the pegasus’s cheek had a small bandage over it that had already begun to halt the bleeding.
“Fuck that hurts.” She growled through a wave of pain. “And I’m used to having a better doctor.” Holly said with a slight sigh and a frown.
“Hold still while I retrieve the bullet and stop complaining.” Day Kicker told her strictly as he pulled a large pair of tweezers out of one of the pockets of his jumpsuit. He quickly maneuvered the tweezers into the wound and began to fish around for the bullet.
Ethan returned his full attention to the raiders who were still making their retreat. The incoming fire slackened, and when Ethan peered out from where he’d taken cover on the opposite side of the door frame he saw that the hallway was empty of everything but the corpses of the raiders that their group had managed to kill.
“You two wait here, I’m killing these bastards.” Ethan told the two ponies before he charged down the hallway in pursuit.
“Stop!” Day Kicker shouted before he could get more than five feet. The tweezers were out of his mouth and he was in the middle of bandaging up Holly’s shoulder.
“What?” Ethan asked in confusion.
“The squad has a wounded member and at the moment you’re about to go charging off to leave us alone without even a rudimentary idea where you’re going, that’s what!” Day Kicker told him angrily as he pointed at Holly with a wing.
“It’s a .32 bullet; I think she’ll be fine.” Ethan said rolling his eyes, Holly snorted and rolled her eyes as well, she’d had much worse.
“I never said she wouldn’t be! My point is that you can’t just go running off through a building infested with this many raiders without backup!” Day Kicker exclaimed. “It’s against every combat procedure and is likely to get you killed!” He added.
“And here I thought you didn’t care about me pigeon.” Ethan said with a smile.
“I don’t give a flying feather what happens to you! What I care about is the fact that if you go in there and get killed! Then the AI might get captured by one of those raiders, and it’ll make it that much harder to retrieve it.” The pegasus said with a huff.
“Ha! I guess I was right about you, you Enclave pigeon.” Ethan said.
“No shit, the sooner I have that AI the sooner I can get home!” Day Kicker growled.
“That AI happens to have a name!” Eddie said indignantly from Ethan’s arm.
“Ladies, I’m fucking fine!” Holly shouted as she positioned herself between the three males. “Let’s just keep moving through this fucking building okay?” She asked with an aggravated groan.
“Sure, let’s go.” Ethan said with a shake of his head as he turned his back to Day Kicker, who scowled at the man’s back before leaping into the air and onto the ceiling.
“By Celestia, it’s like I’m surrounded by fucking children.” Holly muttered.
“Hey, I’m 200 years older than any of you.” Eddie said from Ethan’s wrist.
“Then fucking act like it.” Holly replied as they began to walk down the hallway, occasionally kicking dead raider bodies out of their path.
“Keep it down. These raiders are already angry with us, no need to give away our position by talking.” Day Kicker said from above.
Ethan rolled his eyes, but they continued down the hallway in silence. The hallway ended with a doorway that seemed to be locked. Ethan smirked, before he wound his leg back and kicked the door open with a loud crash. Holly was expecting it, and barely reacted while Day Kicker’s eyes widened and he cursed at the sudden commotion.
The room beyond was empty besides a row of cubicles, all of which held a computer terminal and a desk. Ethan was still surprised at how closely the architecture of the Equestrian Wasteland resembled that of the Capital Wasteland.
“Would please not do that?!” Day Kicker asked through gritted teeth from his perch on the ceiling.
“Do what?” Ethan asked with fake confusion. Day Kicker just ground his teeth together before he let out a long breath and said.
“There are five paths out of this room. There are several passages that will take us upstairs where the raiders’ boss stays; down below is where they keep equipment and the things that they stole from the ponies that they killed.” The pegasus said.
“You work fast.” Ethan complimented, and the pegasus allowed himself a small smile at the words. “Now the real question is, which direction do we go first?”
“Depends on our priorities. These raiders are likely upstairs with their leader, meaning that the supply room would be open and most likely under defended. However, by studying the prewar floor plan for the building I can tell you that things will be much easier if we head upstairs first and kill the raider boss.” Eddie informed Ethan.
“Why? Well, besides the higher number of possible escape routes and the fact that I’d rather not get trapped in a basement with my enemies holding the high ground.” Ethan asked the AI.
“Well, those are the main reasons actually.” Eddie replied.
“Okay then, you heard the AI, we’re heading upstairs.” Ethan said with a smile.
“About fucking time, I thought I’d die of old age while I sat here listening to you guys talk.” Holly said with a slight chuckle. “Then again, that’s how it always was with my- never mind.” She said cutting herself off suddenly, Ethan saw a flash of grief run through her eyes, but she shook her head and it vanished.
“Okay then, let’s move.” Ethan said, deciding to put off asking the unicorn what was up; there was no need to at the moment and they had more important things to deal with. Like killing raiders! They made their way down the hallway towards the central doorway to the upper floor, and Day Kicker dropped back down to the ground.
“Give me half a minute to scout the room ahead; I’ll see if they have anyone stationed to stop us.” Day Kicker told them with a whisper.
“My Pip-Boy is picking up two enemies in the room ahead, one on the left and one on the right.” Ethan informed him. The Enclave pegasus nodded and then stayed silent for a second while he thought out the situation.
“Hmm… they’ve set up what they think is an ambush-” Day Kicker began.
“-but if we know that it’s an ambush-” Ethan continued.
“-then it’s not an ambush anymore.” Day Kicker finished.
“Did you two really just fucking do that?” Holly asked with an annoyed frown.
“Great minds think alike Holly.” Ethan said with a smirk. “Or at least, a well taught tactical mind can keep up with a brilliant one.” He added with a nod towards Day Kicker.
“Thanks.” Day Kicker said dryly.
“So essentially we’re just going to bust in there and kill the two raiders?” Holly asked.
“Yep.” Ethan replied with a smirk.
“Then why did we have to spend so much time discussing it?” Holly whispered angrily.
“Because the longer we’re out here the easier it is to lull them into a false sense of security.” Ethan replied with a dazzling smile. Holly’s facehoof was almost loud enough to echo in the enclosed space.
“Alright then, on three.” Ethan said as he prepared to kick the door open. “Three!” He shouted suddenly while skipping the other numbers and sending his foot rocketing into the doorway. His foot smashed into the door and threw it wide open, revealing an office that had been converted into living quarters. There were two raiders standing on either side of the room, and they were both holding large missile launchers and smiling evilly.
“Fuck!” Holly shouted before she leapt backwards away from the doorway just as the missiles left the launchers.
Ethan rolled his eyes and froze time, then time restarted and his magnum barked twice and both missiles exploded about a foot in front of either raider, pulping their bodies with their concussive force.
“Well that was eas-” Ethan began before he was cut off by a raider with a sniper rifle, who was waiting down the hallway on the opposite side of the room.
The .308 bullet slammed into Ethan’s chest and the unexpected force sent the man tumbling as a streak of sticky crimson blood spurted from the hole. Holly quickly grabbed the man in her magic and pulled him back behind the doorway out of the sniper’s field of fire.
Day Kicker returned fire and the raider yelped in fear and pain as his arm was consumed by burning magical plasma. The raider turned and tried feebly to flee but the Enclave pegasus dropped off of the ceiling and charged through the air at him. The charge ended with the pegasus’s rear hoof smashing into the back of the raider’s neck, breaking it with a crack.
“Gah, the cheating bastards set up a double ambush.” Ethan said as he pulled the rather large piece of led out of his chest with his left hand before injecting himself with stimpack.
“I’m scouting every room from here on out, no need for one of us to be injured or killed because we were ill prepared.” Day Kicker said firmly.
“Agreed.” Ethan said with a slight nod of his head. “Eddie, the floor plan if you’d please.” The man said turning his attention to the AI.
“Coming right up.” The AI said in a chipper voice before he said. “Hmm… the hallway ahead should take us to an elevator that seems to still be functioning; it should take us directly to the company’s CEO office. That’s where the raider boss is most likely to be.” Eddie informed them.
“Are there any alternative routes?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah, using a fucking elevator doesn’t sound like the smartest way to attack a raider boss who’s expecting us.” Holly added.
“There’s a collapsed stairway.” Eddie told them despondently.
“Then our options appear to be significantly lessened…” Day Kicker said with a frown.
“Actually, I have an idea, if it’ll fucking work then it’ll be classic.” Holly said.
“Go ahead Holly.” Ethan said with an encouraging nod.
“Okay, so you know how all elevators have those little latches on top so that maintenance workers can repair shit when it breaks, right?” Holly asked.
“Oh, Oh yes I like where you’re going with this!” Ethan said with a wide grin.
***
Sarah Lyons yawned hugely as she awoke and immediately regretted it as a thin stream of ash wafted its way into her mouth. She spit out the dirty saliva with a frown and then turned to her companion who’d curled up next to her. She smiled slightly as the blue unicorn snored softly next to her and began to lightly run her hand through his mane. She’d always liked animals, when they weren’t trying to kill her of course, and even if he was a sentient creature it didn’t change the fact that he was smaller than her and that his fur was fuzzy.
The sun was barely in sky but Sarah was wide awake anyways thanks to her years as a soldier, and she doubted that she’d ever be able to break her habit of waking up at dawn. Her eyes roamed around the squalid shelter that she was sharing with the stallion; the floor was hard and concrete, but Winter had managed to find a ratty blanket to cover most of it and provide a small amount of comfort to the dingy room.
To Winter’s credit, he’d been able to get himself a small room in a mostly destroyed shop. It had four walls and a roof which was more than could be said about the majority of the places that the slaves were forced to live when not doing their backbreaking labor. The shop was also two stories up, so Sarah had a marginally better view of Fillydelphia. To say that she wasn’t exactly impressed was an understatement.
Honestly, it reminded her of Pittsburg, except that Ethan hadn’t cleaned this place up like he had with that city. The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs outside made Sarah tense and she instinctually reached for where her newly acquired switchblade, which was hiding in her pocket. She also nudged Winter several times until the blue unicorn awoke and shot her a slightly annoyed look.
“What is i-” He began but then fell silent as he heard the noise from the outside. Someone with a harsh voice was muttering under her breath just outside their door. Then the door opened and an extremely odd looking creature that appeared to be half eagle and half lion walked into the room. A white feathered head with yellow eyes stared into her own as the black furred creature stared dispassionately at Sarah. It was also wearing black armor with a white claw, along with an impressive Anti-Material rifle strapped to its back.
“Hmm, you certainly resemble the one who’s been killing my men.” The griffin said in a harsh voice.
Winter had paled and he appeared to be trying to escape the griffin’s gaze by burrowing through the wall. Sarah however, wasn’t impressed.
“That’s Ethan for you.” She replied with a slim smile. “Give him ten minutes in a new place and he’ll have out his sights on taking out the biggest bunch of evil assholes in the area.” She added with a smirk.
“So you know him then?” The creature asked harshly.
“Know him? Ha! Of course I know him, who doesn’t know him?” Sarah asked with an incredibly forced smile. “The man’s solved more of the Wasteland’s problems then most people even know exist. And I’m sure that he’ll show up here sooner or later and kill all of you slaving pieces of shit too.” She added with a fierce smile. Sarah didn’t even see the creature move, but suddenly it was holding her up at eye level with one taloned hand.
“You will tell me everything that you know about this man, or I will kill you here and now.” The griffin snarled.
“You want to know about Ethan? Okay then, I can tell you about Ethan.” Sarah told the griffin, smile firmly in place. “Ethan is relentless, nigh un-killable, and extremely smart. He will hunt you down and kill you remorselessly if he thinks that you deserve to die. Not only that, but you won’t be able to stop him.” She continued.
“We’ll have to wait and see about that won’t we?” The griffin asked.
“Nope.” Sarah replied lightly as her hand found the place on the griffin’s arm that she’d been looking for. There was a sudden loud snap and the griffin let out a howl of pain as she released Sarah and sent the woman tumbling to the ground while clutching at her broken wrist. “We don’t have to wait and see. I may be trapped here in this hellish excuse for a city, but I know that Ethan will find me someday, and when he does I know without a fraction of a doubt that he’ll get me out of here.”
Instead of answering, the griffin let out a hiss of anger and reached for the whip at her waist. Sarah didn’t have time to dodge the whip as it launched itself, snake like, at her stomach and she suddenly found herself gasping painfully for breath.
“Consider yourself lucky that you’re too unique to kill, and that Red Eye wants you alive, otherwise I would spread your intestines across the ground.” The griffin hissed through the pain of her broken wrist, and Sarah gasped in pain as she protectively cradled her stomach with her hand before she said.
“You’d try.” Sarah said through pain tightened teeth. The griffin snorted and left the room, slamming the door shut behind her as she strode towards the stairs.
Winter stared at the door for half a second before he jumped into action. He dashed over to one of the filing cabinets that occupied some of the wall space and quickly pulled it open with his magic. The blue unicorn rummaged around inside the cabinet for a second before he returned with a roll of bandages. Without asking her permission he used his magic to lift Sarah’s skin suit up far enough to reveal her now thoroughly bruised stomach, along with the bottoms of her breasts which the unicorn ignored completely as he wrapped a thin layer of bandages around her stomach.
Sarah for her part just watched as he did so. Winter had explained a bit about magic to her the night before, so it didn’t come as a huge surprise when he’d pulled her shirt up without touching her, but it was still surprising none the less. The other thing that surprised her was his lack of interest in her breasts, she wasn’t vain, but she knew for a fact that men, and some women, stared at her sometimes thanks to her assets. Not that she minded Winter not caring, usually the extra attention just annoyed Sarah. It wasn’t like she was that busty, so she never really understood the overarching appeal.
“There, these bandages are magic and they should heal the bruising and prevent the wound from actually opening up again.” Winter told her once he was satisfied with his work.
“Thank you, you’re surprisingly good with those bandages.” Sarah said with a smile.
“Well I’ve always been better at the less violent end of the spectrum, and I’ve been trained with enough minor healing spells to make a very competent nurse when need be.” Winter explained. “In fact, I work at the hospital and you’re going to be helping me out today so I hope you’re not afraid of needles.” The unicorn added with a small smirk.
In response Sarah pulled one of the stimpacks out of her pocket and gently tapped her finger against the tip of the needle.
“So who was the bird cat thing?” Sarah asked as she slid the stimpack in her pocket again.
“That was Stern, Red Eye’s official chief of security and second in command. She’s a griffin, by the way.” Winter answered. “I’m honestly surprised that you got off with a whipping, anyone else who broke Stern’s wrist would be publicly flogged, or just plain shot.” He added.
“Well apparently I’m too important for her to kill; I think that might have made her angry.” Sarah replied with a slight pained smirk.
“Heh, twenty caps says that she’s going to have one of her troops piss on you.” Winter said with a chuckle.
***
“Where in the Goddesses' damned name do you think you’re going, you useless fucking nitwit?!” A voice shouted in the distance and Sarah shot Winter a confused glance.
“Oh don’t worry, that’s just old Doctor Weathervane, he’s a ghoul from before the war and he likes to shout and swear a lot.” Winter told her. “He’s actually pretty nice once you get to know him and get past his general prickliness.” The blue unicorn said with a small swish of his green mane to get it out of eyes. Winter had changed into a pair of blue scrubs, and he’d given her a pair as well.
Luckily after spending several years living near and helping Ethan Sarah had gotten over the general Brotherhood prejudice towards ghouls, the non-feral kind at least, so she didn’t foresee that being much of a problem. Wherever she and Winter went, they were stared at by the ponies around them. The unicorn took it in stride, and didn’t react at all. Sarah for her part found it slightly unsettling, but she could tell that for the most part it was harmless curiosity or fear instead of hate or malevolence.
The hospital had clearly been renovated and Sarah was surprised at how clean it was compared to some of the buildings that she’d seen so far in Fillydelphia. Then again, it was a hospital and Sarah supposed that this Red Eye must want his slaves to be healthy, that way they lasted longer before they were worked to death. Nurses and doctors walked by but gave them a wide berth, although Winter’s presence seemed to keep them from reacting worse.
Sarah caught sight of a small brown buck wearing what looked like a fleece coat running by, obviously stuck in a world of his own, and then a thought struck her.
“Hey Winter, I’ve been meaning to ask you, why do you have a red flower with a medical cross behind it tattooed on your butt?” Sarah asked.
“It’s my cutie mark.” Winter explained.
“And that is what exactly?” Sarah asked, still thoroughly confused.
“Well, a cutie mark is something that everypony gets when they find their special talent, which is the thing that they’re best at in life. Mine means that I’m best at medicine, and I was born on a farm so that’s where the flower comes from.” He told her with a shrug as they entered a room full of moaning ponies.
“That seems odd…” Sarah told him before she trailed off as she began to watch what Winter was doing. The stallion was standing next to the bed of the first injured pony. His horn was suddenly consumed in a green glow that he began to slowly move across the pony’s body. He’d also pulled a clipboard and pen off of the doorway, both of which he passed to Sarah.
“You can read and write right?” He asked her.
“Of course, I’m Brotherhood.” Sarah replied simply.
“Good, just write down what I say and then just turn to the next page when we move on to the next pony.” He instructed.
“Alright, seems simple enough.” Sarah replied.
“Yeah, it’s not too bad. You know, you’re lucky that Dove let you stay with me, otherwise you’d be working in the factories and that’s not a fate that I’d wish on anyone but a raider.” And then he let out a chuckle and added. “Or a slaver. Anyways, are you ready?” He asked.
“Yes, begin whenever you want.” Sarah told him.
“Patient number 21, suffering from advanced Med-X withdrawal, suggested treatment: detox.” The unicorn said before moving onto the next bed and scanning the pony lying in it with his horn. “Hmm, patient number 22, suffering from severe radiation poisoning, recommended treatment: radaway.”
And so it went for close to an hour before they left the room, Sarah was overtaken by a sudden feeling of outrage.
“This city disgusts me.” She muttered as they stood outside of the room.
“This city disgusts everyone.” Winter replied with a sigh. “Even Red Eye himself, if what I’ve heard is true.” He added with a scowl.
“At least you get to help the ponies trapped in here.” Sarah said in an attempt to boost his spirits.
“Yeah, so then they can get back to dying of starvation, irradiation, and the occasional brutal rape.” Winter said with another scowl.
A disgruntled looking pony wearing a white doctor’s coat was striding down the hallway towards them with a frown on her face. She was a dapper unicorn with a pale yellow coat and a glossy black mane. Sarah was amazed that she was able to keep herself so clean in a city that was, from everything that she’d seen so far, a dirty shit hole. And then Sarah took a closer look, the doctor’s white coat was splotched with red that no amount of washing would remove, and her hair wasn’t glossy, it was soaked with sweat.
“Nurse Winterberry, who is this and why is she wearing a pair of scrubs?” The doctor asked authoritatively.
“This is Sarah Lyons, she’s a new slave and Master Dove wanted me to keep her with me until she could think of a proper place for her to be.” Winter replied smoothly.
“And you didn’t think to inform me of this?” The doctor asked as her horn glowed a pale yellow that she used to open the door to the room that they’d just left and stepped inside.
“I haven’t seen you until now, that made it slightly difficult to tell you about it, Ma’am.” Winter replied, Sarah couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
“Kiss my ass Winterberry, you could’ve alerted me at any time and you know it.” The doctor told him swiftly as she began to walk by each patient.
“With all due respect Ma’-” Winter began.
“Winterberry, we both know that the words ‘with all due respect’ actually mean kiss my ass.” The doctor told him with a disapproving frown.
“Ma’am, my name is Sarah Lyons as Winter told you, I was asked to assist him in any way deemed necessary. To that end I have been filling out these forms for him.” Sarah said while keeping her tone completely civil, she had no intention of annoying the doctor anymore then was necessary.
“Have you now?” The doctor asked before she snatched the clipboard out of Sarah’s grasp and brought it up to look at it. “Hmm… surprisingly good calligraphy.” The doctor complimented.
“Thank you Ma’am.” Sarah replied.
“Good enough, and enough of this Ma’am nonsense. My name is Doctor Milk Weed; you may refer to me as such for the duration of our time together here.” Milk Weed told Sarah, who nodded. “Now that that’s over, it seems that the only ponies left in this room that need my assistance are the one with the broken leg and the unicorn with the cracked horn, correct?”
“Yes Doctor.” Winter said.
“Good. Oh, and Miss Lyons? Were you the one who broke Stern’s wrist earlier today?” Milk Weed asked.
“That was me, yes.” Sarah replied as she followed the two unicorns over to the unicorn with the cracked horn.
“I thought as much, old Weathervane has been cursing louder than usual today thanks to you.” Milk Weed told Sarah with narrowed eyes.
“My apologies Doctor.” Sarah said.
“Ha, don’t apologize, the old goat sounded less ghoul-like today then he has in years thanks to that fit of yelling.” Milk Weed said with a note of compassion entering into her voice.
“That’s good.” Sarah said.
“Isn’t it just?” The yellow unicorn asked with a small grin. “Anyhow, we have patients to treat, ponies to heal. Come along you two.”
***
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. A wave of gunfire and explosives were immediately unleashed at the inside of the elevator car, and it was only after the smoke of the missiles had faded that the car was revealed to be completely empty. Raider Boss Bloody Sunday stared at the interior of the car with annoyance.
“We’ve been tricked boys, I want you morons to go investigate the bottom floor and see if you can’t find these intruders.” He said in a gravelly voice, it was almost like he had pebbles bouncing around inside his throat.
“Okay boss, you sure that you’ll be fine up here?” One of his raiders asked him.
“Of course I’ll be fine. I’m Bloody Sunday; I can take care of my own damn self perfectly fine without you lot around!” The raider boss shouted.
“Well, alright boss, you didn’t have to yell.” The raider who’d spoken said, flinching away from his boss.
All ten of his subordinates departed in the elevator car, leaving the large, brown, dirty-maned raider boss alone in his office.
“I don’t like this at all.” The raider grumbled.
“Well then, you’re smarter than the average raider.” Ethan said as he walked out of the now opened door of the elevator shaft. “Thanks for getting that open by the way Eddie.” He added.
“No problem Ethan, I’m an AI; technology is literally my bread and butter.” The AI replied with in a chirpy voice. “Well actually, it’s software and programs, but that’s beside the point.”
“Who are you lot anyways, you just barge into my little fortress like it’s not a compound full of vicious raiders?” Bloody Sunday asked as he edged towards his desk.
“Oh, we’re just a couple of civilian contractors. Ya know, people who put down rabid dogs.” Ethan replied answered with a grin. Day Kicker emerged from the elevator shaft, panting slightly as he carried Holly in his forelegs before he set her down and shook his head quickly to clear it.
“Is that right? Well I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, ’cause you’re dead!” Bloody Sunday shouted as his hoof shot forward and slammed into a button on the desk that he stood in front of. Nothing happened.
“Well, it sure sucks to be you right about now.” Ethan said with a smirk.
“But-but how? Why isn’t it working?” Bloody Sunday shouted as he repeatedly slammed his hoof into the button.
“Because that system hasn’t been working for ten years, you can tell if you know what to look for.” Eddie put in helpfully.
“Well, you’re still dead!” Bloody shouted as he drew a large pistol and a super sledge from his back and charged them.
“Oh fuck off!” Holly retorted, she leveled her pistol on the raider’s head and fired twice.
The large pony continued forward, seemingly unable to comprehend that by all rights he should be dead. Day Kicker jumped forwards and shoved Holly out of the raider’s way seconds before he thundered past. Ethan, for his part, simply side-stepped and watched slightly dispassionately as the raider charged right into the open elevator shaft. A look of comprehension dawned on the doomed raider boss right before he began to fall. A loud splat could be heard several long seconds later.
“Well that was easy. Are they all that stupid?” Day Kicker asked Ethan, who shrugged.
“It depends; I’ve met raiders who were both smarter and stupider then him over the years.” Ethan replied. “Now let’s see what he’s got stashed away up here. Eddie, you can keep the elevator down there, right?” Ethan asked the AI.
“Yep, they won’t be getting up here unless you want them to.” The AI answered. “Or if they climb up the elevator cable, of course.” He added.
“I doubt that we’ve got to worry about that Eddie, they don’t have fingers.” Ethan replied with a chuckle before switching topics. “Alright gang, it looks like we’ll be staying here up here for the night, loot whatever you like.” He told Holly and Day Kicker, the latter of whom snorted. “We’ll clear out the rest of them tomorrow morning and then be back at Tenpony before you know it. Then I’ll find us another job.”
“That sounds acceptable.” Day Kicker said with a nod.
“Hurray, we’ll probably get to sleep on fucking gore-strewn mattresses tonight.” Holly said with a clearly unenthusiastic frown.
“Oh well, we’ll live large for a day or two after we get back to Tenpony.” Ethan told the unicorn with a shrug.
***
Homage’s eyes widened as she stared at the SPP monitor. It was the new feed that she was getting out of Fillydelphia. What it showed her was both exciting and surprising. There, walking down one of the main streets of Fillydelphia next to a blue unicorn was a human woman with blonde hair. Homage didn’t know who this woman was, but she did make sure that she recorded the segment. Ethan would undoubtedly be interested to know about the other human in Equestria; she wondered if they knew each other. She heard Littlepip yawn a room away, and with a soft smile pushed herself away from the monitors; they could wait for her.
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Isnt Weathervane in Murky#7? ( Pretty late where I am and cant really think properly)
2138350
yep
Well now we know where Ethan is going next.
Great chapter by the way.
2138362 Im worried about Brim. Will Ethan give him a chance or just try to kill him
And nexr Project Horizons chapter is named; Fate. I think the chapter itself is coming soon if it hasnt already.
2138428
Honestly I don't know whether or not Sarah will even meet them let alone Ethan.
And i noticed that and have been madly refreshing the page for the last half hour
2138466 Either way, Amazing chapter as always.
im going to guess that they where standing on top of the elevator and when the elevator went down the went into the frame of it,
and first i guess.
(i havent refreshed)
2138522
yep
damn it, not first. but awesome chapter by the way. man
oh, and is taco town almost done going over the next chapter of light wonderings?
2138551actually, it's an interlude.
make littlepip and ethan compare lvls on there pip-boys
I can see a scene there
err... what do you mean by an interlude???
2138872
A scene from the story that I don't think really belongs in an actual chapter because it would distract from the mood of the chapter. It also clears up a few issues and ties together a subplot
when ethan finds out about sarah he will no doubt head straight to fillydelphia
Led, as in led by a guide
Lead, heavy metal
Couple paragraphs down you got this mixed up.
This chapter was a very good thing to get my mind off of nothing, other than watching all the farscape and a shit ton of anime.
Why did i think of Doctor Who in the scene where Winterberry and Lyons get told by the Doctor pony to "come along" and the fact that one of them is a male nurse only adds to it
.
2140638
Hmm that was unintentional. Of course I'm currently working my way through Doctor Who for the first time (Starting from the ninth) so I suppose it could just be bleeding through into my writing
2140710
.
Actually it reminded me of eleven and Amy/Rory, but i admit it was a little far fetched but a nice coincidence anyways
“The plan is simple, kill all sons of bitches.”
Is that a Left 4 Dead reference?
2141138 I thought the same thing.
Well done!
As a read of your other Fallout fics, I can safely say that this may surpass the latest entry. Didn't realize that you actually would come through with the whole "Wastelander in the Equestrian Wasteland" and so I never checked into it. I only found out about it after this gem appeared on featured. I look forward to more of this and more of Light Wanderings as well, though in my opinion the importance is in that order.
Ethan is smart, but mostly bring his language level down towards how an below-average person speaks. I can tell.
I can't believe that nobody's mentioned the fact that Murky's in this chapter.
I saw what you did there, l4d3 reference...
Nice.
Awesome job on this chapter mate! 8D
Fucking Left 4 Dead 2 reference.