Awakening

Chapter 1 - Awakening

----REBOOTING---

I wake to those words in front of my eyes, confused.

What was I doing before I fell asleep? Watching television?

---INITIALIZING SYSTEM---

System? What system?

---SYSTEM INITIALIZED---

---VISION: ONLINE
---SOUND: ONLINE
---MAGIC: ONLINE
---RADAR: ONLINE
---RADIO: ONLINE
---TAZER: ONLINE
---LIGHT: ONLINE
---MICROPHONE: ONLINE
---BATTERY: 100%
---POWER CORE: 100%
---CONDITION: 95%

---INITIATING STARTUP---

My vision returns to me, and I’m staring at a crushed computer. Panels hanging open, wires spilling out onto the floor, and dents coating the machine. A rock has made a snug home atop the computer, crushing some of the top. The room is almost pitch black, but I make out a few wires attached to the computers dataports. My eyes follow them to a dataport that is... on my hoof?

Why do I have wires attached to me? I don’t recall ever signing up for any of those robotic body part replacements… actually, I don’t recall much of anything... wait, w-what’s my name? Celestia, help me!

I start scrambling around in the darkness, panicked about where, no, who I am. ‘What if’ scenarios fly through my head about all the bad things that could have happened, each one more sillier as the last. After a few minutes, I am able calm myself down.

Screaming at myself is not going to fix any of my problems.

Looking around, I remember something.

I have a flashlight, right? How do I activate it…?

I try the first thing that comes to my mind; speaking.

“Light.”

--FLASHLIGHT ACTIVATED

As soon as I say the word, a bright blue glow fills the room, lighting up my vision. Looking around, I see a broken monitor, and take the opportunity to try and recall some of my memories on the glass that still remained. I tripped over a light that had fallen from the ceiling. I stood back up, but I seize up as my eyes fall on the shattered computer monitor.

I find myself staring at a royal face, coated in chipped black paint. My eyes were blue, glowing, and with a pupil akin to a dragon’s.

My eyes… are my light? Odd...

Dark purple paint served as makeshift eyeshadow, and metal eyelashes were lined in a lighter shade of purple.

Astral hair flowed from under a blue helmet, the paint peeling. I stared at where my mouth was, and sure enough, two fangs poked out from a painted lips where my mouth would’ve been. They appeared to be sharp, but the tips were trimmed down to be rounded. A speaker seemed to be in the place of where my mouth should’ve been. I tried moving my jaw around, but nothing appeared to happen.

I slowly look down, and find myself looking at a faded blue metal chestpiece. I raise my hoof, and see a faded metal shoe of the same color, too. A quick check to my sides revealed two black mechanical wings that I could fold and unfold, but were purely aesthetic.

I’m a… Nightmare Moon robot…?

I look right, and see a regular robot body sitting next to me, showing a faded pink coat. It’s not active, my sensors picking nothing up.

Wait, was... was that was my old body?

I slowly stand up, unsure of my balance. Using my magic module, I slowly unhook the wires from my system. It was weak magic, just simple levitation, but thankfully the wires were not that large.

---SYSTEM DISCONNECT---

That felt weird. Like I was pulling out a lifeless limb from my body.

I began to think about what I should do now, and in the midst of my pondering, I feel the edges of a memory come back to me. I remember entertaining children who were eating pizza, sometime before now.

Oh, and that reminds me, what is today’s date?

Looking around the room, on the opposite end, I see another computer, seemingly intact. I boot it up, and check the date.

---TIME 7:23 AM
---DATE ERROR

So, I don’t know how long I have been asleep. Goodie. Maybe the diary has something I could use?

--DIARY
DATE ERROR
TITLE: New Bot
The restaurant received a new entertainment bot today. The old one was fine, but we needed something that didn’t break down so often. Here’s hoping that this one doesn’t cost as much.

DATE ERROR
TITLE: More Income
So, the new bot is fine. Works like a charm. More parents are coming to this restaurant, because the new entertainment bots are what all the kids want to see nowadays. I hope we don’t attract too much attention, because I heard rumors that anti-war protesters are getting increasingly violent now. Something about an accident involving a night guard and a bot got them riled up.

DATE ERROR
TITLE: Robbers
Some ponies attempted to rob our shop last night. Surprisingly, after reviewing the camera footage, nothing was robbed. The new bot detected the thieves, activated and threw them out before they could take anything. It even contacted the police. This was a great investment! I’m definitely going to rate this bot five stars.

DATE ERROR
TITLE: Nightmare Night
Nightmare Night is approaching soon. I went ahead and ordered a Nightmare Moon shell so that I could just put the old robobrain into the new one. We just transferred the brain into it and are currently putting in new-

The log ends there. So something must have happened during this log. But why was I turned into a robobrain?

I go to the door at the front of the room. Opening it, there’s just rubble outside. Using my metal frame, I push the rubble out of the way, taking a fair amount of time.

My vision is blinded by the glare as I push the final boulder, and step outside for the first time. Shading my face with a hoof, all I see is a big brown crater, surrounded by block after block of city ruins.

What is this crater… what could cause such a big blast?

The profile of a ferris wheel pokes over the suburban buildings, but is overshadowed by the tall skyscrapers that surround it. Their jagged, collapsed outlines appear as a great maw, trying to swallow the small wheel. Across the crater, I see the industrial district, many of the great factories fallen into a state of disrepair.

One peculiar skyscraper still stands, taking my view. It appears to be repaired, metal sheets covering what once was a gaping hole in it’s side. Soft clicking starts to go off in my ear.

Why.... Why is this city a wasteland?

Crawling out of the rubble of the ruined pizzeria, I trotted along the edge of the crater, heading towards the ruined factory.

Perhaps I can find something there….?

I approached ever closer, trotting over the ruins of homes and apartments. I got close, and the factory appeared to loom over me, the gaping hole looking as if it was a gigantic maw, waiting for me to rush inside to be eaten alive. The bits of metal and remains of the upper floor looked as if they were about to fall any minute, perhaps truly eating me, but I was undeterred. Curiosity won over concerns of safety.

I approached the massive hole, thoughts from previous making themselves known again.

W… what could have caused this …?

I took a step on the massive rubble pile that served as my ticket to one of the floors. As I did so, a pulsating circle popped up near the bottom of my vision, a dot briefly appearing. It abruptly vanished. I stopped.

...Huh? What was that…?

I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should take the next step. I felt as if I was about to lose my footing at any moment, despite being planted in the pile.

Well… I have a taser, don’t I? I-if it’s anything, bad I can use it…

I took another step climbing the pile. I didn’t fall or slip. Nor did I for the next step, or the next. I found myself at the top of the pile, gazing in at the dark room. The soft blue glow of my light illuminated the room, revealing a door on the wall opposite. I took one last look at the outside before trotting in, unsure what I would find.

Answers, I hope.

Inside the ruined factory, I look around the hallway slowly, the soft sounds of a motor whirring in the background as I turn my head to observe my surroundings.

Slowly trotting forward, I look into the various rooms I pass by. Each room is in a state of ruin, with wallpaper burned away, the floor tiles scattered around the room, with various skeletons of ponies in each room, fallen over or scattered about.

Ah, so they were going for the Haunted House in this factory. But why so many skeletons?

I slowly enter one of the rooms, hopeful to find some answers. In it, there was a fancy looking desk with a seemingly intact, if slightly dented computer on top. Going in front of the computer, I poke at the power button, hoping that it still works. Seeing it boot up, I open up the menu and look through my choices.

---STABLE-TEC© ERROR---

---CORRUPT
---CORRUPT
---CORRUPT
---LOGS

Well, that makes my choice easy then, doesn’t it.

---LOGS

---AdhAWODdh213
---DAhjk213WAD
---Last day
So, I got word from my contacts in the zebralands today. Supposedly, they’re blowing Equestria sky high. This will probably be my last log on my computer. Tonight I’m heading to a stable, maybe I’ll live the rest of my life in relative peacefulness. AWOI213AWD out.

Wait, the bombs detonated? When? I mean, why would they?

I pulled myself from the computer screen, sitting down, pondering the question. It felt almost unreal to hear it.

Is this… the aftermath?

I look around, eyes lingering on each item scattered across the room, broken. A desk snapped in two, a chair toppled and… a skeleton laid next to it. I realize something, and I instinctively cover my mouth.

I… no… it can’t…

I sat there for a moment, shocked.

M-maybe… those skeletons aren’t decorations…

The dot appeared again, flashing across the circle, vanishing after a second. This time, that dot seemed a bit more ominous. My hooves would have shook if they could, and I would have trembled to the door. I poked my head through the doorframe, looking both ways before cautiously putting my hoof out into the hall. I wanted to get out of the factory, get out and never come back, but I didn’t keep track of my path. I opted to take a left, cautiously trotting further into the dark hallway.

Another corner greeted me, and I peeked around it. Stairs, but the case leading downstairs was blocked by rubble, so I opted to trot up rather than turn around and wander these halls for eternity.

If I can find the roof, I think I can get my bearings on this… this…

I couldn’t come up with the right reason for these skeletons to be here.

I couldn’t come up with a name for this place.

I couldn’t even come up with my own name.

With more questions than answers, I walk up the stairwell, dull thudding of a heavy metal body following each step, slowly ascending the empty stairwell, each step feeling like an eternity.

I slowly approach the door just beyond the final set of stairs. With a heavy heart, I walk up, unsure of what I may see beyond the doors.

Pushing open the door out of the factory and onto the roof, I walk to the edge, staring out into the distance.

Brown. All I see is brown. To my right is a mountain with a great pink cloud clustered around a particular spot on the side, with only the peaks of a few towers peeking above the pink cloud. I shudder at the sight, due to how ominous it looks.

Above me, there are just clouds everywhere.

Wh-Why? Did the pegasi just abandon the war or something? What exactly happened?

Turning around, I stare at the sight of a ruined city. Slowly walking to the other side of the roof, I look at the various buildings in a state of disarray, a huge crater snug in the middle of a once great city. That one building covered in metal sheets still attracts my attention, but I decide not to go to it just yet.

After all, the bombs did explode. Who knows how hostile they might be to me?

Sighing, I turn around to walk down the stairs when the dot appears again in the circle. I hear thumping on the stairs, coming closer to where I am. The dot blinks, approaching the center. Me.

Shit!

With nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide, I stare at the stairway door, focusing on the door that could lead to my impending doom.

Fighting

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Chapter 2 - Fighting

The pony stopped, just on the other side of the door. I just stood there, unsure of what to do.The door creaked, a rifle barrel pushing it open. Inch by inch, the earth pony slowly revealed himself, stepping into the daylight. After a moment of silence, he looked at me. His blue eyes under a tan hat scanned me as a small gust of wind ruffled his white coat, and a hoof of his reached to pull his grey mane out of his eyes. He had a saddlebag over a brown jacket, covering his cutie mark. He didn’t seem surprised at the pause. He slung the long rifle over his back and spoke in a calm, deep voice.

“So, you’re the one who climbed outta that rubble.”

He was unfazed at the situation. I was confused at how calm natured he was, in spite of the ruined city.

The bombs fell… it’s the end... The experts said that everypony on the surface would have died. If anything could have lived, trust doesn’t seem like something they would keep. Why isn’t he shooting at me?

I had trouble finding some words, but after another pause they came to me.

“Why did you put away your weapon?” I ask, the speaker filtering my words to sound robotic. I was still unsure whether I should trust him or not.

“Because every robot that roams the surface trots along a patrol path, warnin’ you of trespassing. Then they will warn you to back off, and when you don’t, they open fire. Except one. You.” he said, his voice calm and confident. He had a good point.

“And what would you have done if I was a regular robot?”

“I came through the door using my gun. I know how to shoot it. I guard that skyscraper over there.” He stated, pointing a hoof at the skyscraper with metal sheets covering parts of it.

He chooses his words well, I think. I felt natural trust towards him, but my mind halted myself.

“Why should I trust you?”

“I have lived in this ruined city from the day I was born. I’m a good ticket to safety, shelter, and know my way around the best way to travel. The sewers. How well do you think you’ll fare?” He said, once more making a good point. After a moment of confliction, I let up.

“True. I suppose I don’t have much choice. You lead, I’ll follow.” I said, taking a step towards him.

“Nope. You don’t.” he said, turning to the door. He withdrew his rifle, taking it in his mouth.

“I hope you have a gun, because we may have a raider issue.”

And with that, he motioned to have me follow him. He started to go down the stairs. I followed, walking behind him, before I froze. I heard voices that seemed to be very, very close.

Wait, what was that about…. ‘raiders’...?

“HEY! I thought I saw some a pony dicking around here! Don’t worry, I just want to fucking KILL YOU!”

I flinch at the harsh tone the ponies below us had used, while the guard checked his magazine.

“We’re gonna to have to fight our way out of this one. Follow me, and cover behind us.” He said, his voice slightly muffled by his rifle.

The guard motioned for me to follow him, taking a step towards the door, gun pointed forwards.

Cautiously, we trotted down each flight of stairs, until we arrived at the collapsed case. I trotted to cover, an overturned desk laying in the hallway, following the other pony. My radar said there were nearly ten other ponies around us.

“D-do we have to fight all of them? There’s ten!”

“Ten? Piece of cake. They’re both insane and stupid. Life out here fucked up their head, now they’re about as smart as a brahmin, but don’t forget they still have a knife.” He said, resting his rifle on the desk. He took a sawn off double barrel shotgun from his saddlebag, resting it against the desk. The guard took his rifle, and took a breath in, focusing down the sights of his rifle. A red line came into my vision, going from the rifle barrel towards the hallway corner.

“COME OUT! Our last mare died the other day! I would LOVE someone to fuck!” an unnamed raider yelled, his harsh voice echoing down the halls. A machete hovered around the corner, covered in a red field of magic. A head peeked out, following the machete.

“I FOUND THEM!” he yelled, before...

CRACK!

If I was a pony, I would have been deafened. The wall behind the raider was coated in a thick layer of red as his head simply evaporated from the high caliber round. I stood there, shocked and appalled by the display.

Sweet Celestia! I… I had no idea that’s what happens! I feel… sick....

“HEY! That was above us! Get up there, NOW!” a pony shouted in a commanding voice, likely the leader.

“Here they come! Get ready! If you’ve got a gun, now is the time to use it!” He said, maintaining his defensible position in the fatal funnel.

He stared down the hallway, gun pointing forwards toward the door leading to the stairwell. I hold firm beside him, checking my radar. I get a bit of an idea for the location of the stairs as all nine take the same path. Using my magic, I slowly slide the bloody machete towards us. Before it makes it far, however, another raider trots in front of the doorway, meeting the same fate as his friend, his head disappearing and his body falls limp. Blood spews from the open wound, painting the wall and floor around him.

The pony beside me pulls the bolt, preparing another round for the next raider that comes through the doorway and straight into his line of fire. This time, however, two ponies charge through.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL Y-” one shrieks, before his brains splatter on the walls. What is left of him falls limp, sliding across the floor. His friend with a submachine gun doesn’t even notice, spraying bullets down the hallway as he charges. The guard takes cover, bullets slamming against the desk. A few ping against my body, the low caliber rounds bouncing off, ricocheting into the walls around me. I raise my hoof, aiming at the raider, hoping something would happen.

--TAZER ACTIVATED

A small electric bolt releases from my hoof, flying towards the raider, shocking him. He falls, face slamming into the ground. The guard rests his rifle on the desk, releasing a shot. The raiders head explodes, meeting the same fate as the others.

“Hey! He was unconscious!” I say, riled up about his action. My wings instinctively flare, and would be menacing if they weren’t chipped and worn by time.

“Unconscious or not, he’s a raider. He’s gone. There’s no point in saving them. You don’t want him waking up and shooting you in the ass.” He says, seeming a bit agitated at my words. I decided not to press the issue.

The machete is nearly halfway down the hall, slowly dragging towards us. The closer it gets, the stronger I feel my grasp. The guard eyes it, having an unsaid plan about what to do when it reaches us. On my radar, the ponies stop in the hallway just outside the door. They learned their lesson.

“They stopped coming through the door.”

“I can see that.” He snaps, at me. “Take that machete, and this grenade. Blow them all to hell. When you get close enough, pull the pin, pop the lever off, and throw it.”

With that, he hands me a small green sphere with a lever and pin. I pull the machete up hovering it next to me. It felt surprisingly light in my magic as I slowly trotted down the hall.

“Go! Hurry up!” He urged, and I began to trot faster, picking up my pace. The four dots stayed there, stacked up against the door, as I approached them. One peeked his ear around the corner. I pulled the pin, popped the lever and threw the grenade as hard as I could. It soared past his ear, hitting the wall and bouncing out of sight.

“RUN! GET BACK!” The guard yelled as I stood there for a moment, not realizing the gravity of the situation. I quickly turned around, hearing his words, and started sprinting down the hallway towards him. I didn’t make it far, my heavy metal body not aiding me. The grenade went off.

BOOM!

The floor shook as rubble flew, a sizeable piece hitting me in the back. The force sent me onto the floor. An even larger piece flew over my head, one that would have caused a lot more damage. Some smaller pieces of concrete bounced off my rear, some falling around me harmlessly. In a moment, the spray was over. I looked behind, at the door. It was gone, and the bodies of the raiders were gone, as if they’d never existed. One raider was on the edge, and was only sent flying a few feet. He would have lived, but the heavy pack on his back and his friend’s bags crushed his bones as he landed.

The guard mantled over the desk, swapping to his sawn off. He approached, noticing the pony who had been carrying the packs.

“Ah, well, it looks like we can still get some of the loot. You carry it, I’ll deal with the last two raiders.” He said, trotting towards the stairwell. He left me in the dust as I hauled the rock off of my back, getting up. I take the packs and bags using my hoof, lifting them onto my back without an issue. I start trotting towards the stairs.

BAM!
BAM!

Two shotgun shells are fired on the floor below, and two dots disappear on my radar. I hesitated, and after a few seconds he shouted to me.

“Well? You coming or not?” he nonchalantly said. I could hear him trotting towards the stairs, so I climbed down and met him in the doorway.

Walking downstairs, I saw the mangled bodies of the last two raiders right next to the stairs, buckshot leaving most of their bodies shredded and torn. Looking at the guard, I saw that he had some blood splattered on the front of his face and body.

“Come on. Let’s go.” He said, like the fresh bodies weren’t even there.

I stare at the dead raiders, their mangled, bloody coats standing out at me. The guard seemed so nonchalant about killing, I was very uncomfortable at his reaction. Following the guard, we wander across the bottom floor, ruined machines surrounding us. I look up at the roof, and I spot a ruined manufacturing machine hanging from the ceiling, various wires hanging out of holes in the rusted metal sheets, showing the wear and tear of time.

Following the guardpony’s lead, he walks down the street, heading towards where a river used to be. I take a closer look at the various building that make up the ruined city, each one in a state of rubble and ruin. As we got closer to the old river, I spotted him opening up a packet containing an orange liquid, downing it quickly and tossing the trash back into his saddlebags.

When we reached where the river should’ve been, I only saw a long, empty ditch, water seemingly evaporated a long time ago. A large concrete pipe rested at the bottom, the entrance wide open, seeming to welcome anypony who wanted to enter.

I looked at the guard, and he walked to the ledge, and slid down the slope, letting gravity drag him down towards the bottom. When he reached the bottom, he looked back at me, expecting me to follow. Leaning over the edge, I slowly walk forwards, relaxing as I step completely onto the slope. Due to my metal body, as well as the gear we grabbed from the raiders, I slid significantly faster than the guard, a large plume of dust coming out from under where I land.

Standing up, I flapped my wings, using the wind to get some dust off of my body. The guardpony gives me a second, before walking into the sewer. I peer into the dark sewer tunnel, the dim lights giving me some vision before I quicken my pace and follow my guide into the sewer, unsure of what to expect of this new world.

Fallout: Equestria - Nightmares

by AceRevolutions

Awakening

Fighting