Fallout: Equestria - Empty Quiver Pg. 8



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Fallout: Equestria - Empty Quiver Pg. 8 - by the-furry-railfan Submission information:

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Fallout Equestria Empty Quiver fanfic pegasus Night Strike Crash Dive earth pony Static Charge hills town village Maple creek road river trees forest sea landscape











"Good morning Vanhoover, you're tuned into Radio KAOS and it's all set to be a beautifully sunny day out today, clear skies far as the eye can see. Here's a little tune to get you going this fine morning, for whoever's on the same ungoddessly early sleep pattern as I am - that Boogie Woogie Bugle Colt from Company C. Enjoy..."



Waking up to the sound of a trumpet playing - was that Crash Dive, or did I leave the radio on?... oh, radio - I groggily rubbed my eyes with a hoof, the heavy jacket on my shoulders flapping about as I lifted myself from the bed. Taking a moment to refocus, the green button eyes of the small plush of dad stared back at me, myself lingering as the blood started flowing again. Whoo, feeling a little hot... that's new. Alright, Sparkle Cola nearby, taking a sip, bit more focused now. Sliding the plushie into an inside pocket of the jacket, I took a longer gulp of the glowing soda, letting off a gasp as everything brightened faintly - thank the goddesses for caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, and Strontium 90.



Sliding myself off the bed, the familiar heavy hoof of Crash Dive banged against the door, Static jolting himself awake. Ech, he don't look too well-rested... "Revellrie, c'mon you two! It'll take all day to get to Jericho Beach, and I don't much like our chances if we get caught outside in the dark. Better be packed for a long trip!" I wonder if the word 'relativity' means anything to that mare... granted, I was asleep for a lot of that first trip, but I'm pretty sure with the speeds involved we covered a lot more distance then than we probably will today. Granted, that was only because we weren't on hoof, but whatever...



"Nrrf... at least she isn't giving us a plasma-fueled wake-up call today..." Static groggily rose to his hooves, stumbling over the bedspread as he picked up his saddlebags and adjusted them on his back, sliding the umbrella underneath them. A faint chuckle escaped myself - oh, he couldn't have 'borrowed' a better weapon to have down here... unless the electric prong-thingies attract lightning. Hope we don't find out about that. Trotting out of the room, Crash Dive was busying herself with a pile of old shafts of rebar, loading them into a metal box-thing on the side of her harpoon cannon. Huh, neat, a jury-rigged rotating clip system...



"There should be two roll-up sleping mats in the broom closet, I suggest taking them. If those maps are right, we should reach Jericho Beach by sundown, with a stop outside Maple Creek for lunch and picking up stuff." The solid metal rods clattered faintly as she fit each into the mechanism, topping the box off with the bars before reaching and turning a wheel on the back of the gun. The rounds slotted into places on the tube, a clicking sound resounding as she reached a full turn. Sliding a few more shafts into the clip, the lid clattered and latched into place, a press of a button causing the rods to clatter one more time, the pink-maned mare looking at the device. "Can never be too careful. You two set?"



"Should be, got more than enough for Thumper and Static did pick up those useless grenades, so he's not entirely useless." Letting off a snicker, an annoyed, muffled grunt came from behind me, followed by a heavy rolled-up map being tossed onto my back. Oof, well, guess I'll have to drop these if I want to fly. I adjusted the mat slightly, Static shooting me a glare for a moment before seeming to shrink back, the mat being pulled off by the power armored pegasus and fitted on her own back. "Uh..."



"Pegasi are useless if they can't use their wings. The mare's loaded enough as it is, earth pony." Well, I guess that makes sense... kind of. Coming from the pegasus with her wing covers welded down, it's a bit of odd advice. Crash Dive fit the large harpoon cannon onto her armor, opening up a cupboard and pulling an old, black metal helmet from it, resting it on the barrel of her gun. "Right, well let's get going, then. Night Strike... other. Chocks away."



Crash Dive pushed herself through the small wooden door, the helmet clattering on the long barrel, the sky outside stained a murky blue with hints of orange to the far east. The waves were... eerily calm, for how early it was. Eesh, didn't realize morning was so dramatic down here... what's on the radio at this time of the morning?



---



"That was a lovely flow of songs from the war to wake up to, don'tcha think? You're listening to Radio KAOS, it's a beautiful morning here up north of Vanhoover, and I could almost swear the swallows had come back today. We'll be getting on to the morning news reports shortly, after a quick announcement; for any ghouls who might be listening to us and served in the royal navy, or, any branch of the armed forces for that matter, would any of you happen to know what a Pinnacle - Empty Quiver is? This box on the console has been flashing it since last night, never seen it do anything like this before. If anyone's got any clues, please don't hesitate to call them in.



"Anyways, on to the news properly this time. This following segment, I feel it's only right to precede it with a reminder about that old lighthouse on the coast. There is a very live minefield surrounding the area immediately around it, and a good few places with traps, barbed wire, and other things hidden in the overgrowth. Never go out there by yourself if you're feeling brave enough - or are just plain stupid - because there's a very good chance that you will die one way or another. This story comes out of Maple Creek, where a family recently lost their oldst colt to the no-go zone. We don't know if he's still alive or not, we just know that he'd been seen by his brother a day ago heading to the west, and he hasn't been spotted since. The family is fearing the worst - Baler, if you're out there and still alive, please, try to go back home. Our wasteland might be safer than others, but it's still a very dangerous place. Your family cares about you, and they're worried. Please, go back home.



"There's still been no confirmations on the crash from a few days ago. I urge everyone to not try and seek out information, blood shouldn't be spilled and lives shouldn't be lost over this. You're listening to Radio KAOS, and here's a long Roger Trotters album titled 'The Final Cut'. If anyone needs me, I'll... I'm going to get myself a drink."



A shiver ran up my spine, turning the volume on the radio down as we trotted along, my brain thinking back to yesterday. I think Crash Dive kicked what was left of Baler off of the cliff... wuh. Oh, I -really- hope we don't run into his family. Swallowing dryly, Crash Dive glanced back at myself, her helmet swaying on her harpoon cannon. "You hanging in there, Night Strike? We're a few klicks out from Maple Creek still, but we'll be at the river soon enough." Giving my head a shake, I let out a small huff, answering her with a nod.



"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. Just heard something I wish I hadn't..." The power armored pegasus' eyes looked down to my legputer, the sound of the creek meeting our ears as Static trotted alongside myself. Crash Dive turned her head back forwards, letting off a small grunt as the sun poked out from behind a distant cloud.



"Never really listen to the radio. Always is bad news, from my experience." Trotting along, Crash Dive began slowing, her head slowly leaning forwards as she seemed to brace herself on the ground. Myself and Static both exchange a worried glance before trotting up to her, seeing her teeth gritted hard and eyes wrenched shut. Oh, that can't be good... She shakily lifted a foreleg, leaning herself back as she banged her metallic hoof against her other leg, myself catching the glint of etched metal on the side panel she was hammering. Med-X, huh... Crash Dive gasped deeply before releasing the breath, sitting on the grassy road for a moment as she regained herself. Looking about at either of us, she let off a sigh, getting back onto her hooves. "S-sorry about that. Armor's getting a bit old, acts up every now and again."



She continued on, adjusting the harpoon cannon slightly, myself watching in a bit of silence. Okay, I've seen a lot of not okay things, and that mare? She is not okay. Not buying the suit story, we both caught up after a moment, Static scratching at his head. "So, you've been wearing it, even when it does, uh, 'act up'? Isn't that a bit dangerous?" He had a point, I've seen the armor they've got back at EQUAD, if the motors fail you're stuck and if they misfire, you can kiss that leg goodbye. If an armor's chance to kill me increases with age, having it as my usual attire would not be high on my list... "I mean, don't you ever take it off at least sometimes? Take a bath, do diagnostics, spread your wings or something?"



It's funny to think how some things can happen faster than your eyes can process them. One moment, Crash Dive has this really... well, for lack of a better phrase, 'get my brown pants-level horrifying' look on her face, the next Static's been thrown straight up into the treeline by a power armor-assisted uppercut. The leaves rustled as the electric blue earth pony fell back through, landing against the undergrowth with a heavy thud. O...kay then. Yikes, so, asking her about taking off her armor is a really bad idea, gotcha.



Righting herself with a huff, Crash Dive looked towards myself, a scowl on her muzzle. She didn't really say anything, just looking at me, breathing heavy for a few moments, before she finally began moving again. I turned back to the forest, just barely hearing Static's pained grunts over the rustle of the leaves. "Get him if you have to. I'll be at the bridge. Bloody earth pony..."



Yeah, that mare is -really- not okay.



---



"Is it really a good idea to be traveling with her? Ow..." We'd begun heading for Maple Creek by ourselves, Crash Dive heading around the village by herself. Static was fairing surprisingly well for having fallen at least twenty feet and landing against a fallen tree trunk... but the way he was limping, yeah, finding him something to help with that would be useful. The earth pony grunted heavily as he trotted beside me, us both drawing closer to the small streets of the town. "I mean, sheesh, if her answer to a question is to throw me like a hoof grenade..."



"Well, I dunno, maybe you said something that offended her, maybe she doesn't like being naked or something." Shrugging, I grimaced faintly as he stumbled, gasping and grunting through the pain. Ooh, I really hope that it won't take too long to reach Jericho Beach... Leaning down, I let Static rest one foreleg about my neck, watching him try to recover himself. "Okay, I don't care how long it takes, you're getting something better than a healing potion for that. No way you'll walk the rest of the way like this."



"Is asking you to carry me out of the question?" He let off a weak chuckle, one that turned into a grimace fast as his other foreleg moved to hold against his stomach, the shift in weight nearly being enough to send me faceplanting against the stone road. Goddesses man, lay off the snack cakes! He jammed his forehoof back out, catching us both in time, myself sliding out from under his other foreleg and shaking my mane about.



"Nnfh, that answer your question, spark-butt?" The blue earth pony smirked for a moment, starting to trot back along, a few of the townsponies tending to their daily business. From one part of the villiage, a strange, enticing aroma picked up - ooh, now that smelled like candy. Looking to Static, he seemed to smell it too, meeting my eyes for but a moment before grimacing and scrunching his face up. Okay, doctor first, then we go see what that smell is. That sweet, sweet mouth-watering smell...



Trotting along further into the town, we passed by Sulfur's Stockpile again, the eponymous mare tending to sweeping off the small porch. A smile crossed her muzzle as we passed by, waving at the both of us with a hoof, us both responding back with a wave of our own - at least, until Static stumbled again. Sheesh... Sulfur blunk a few times before seting the broom she had inside, coming back out a moment later and catching up with us both, a look of concern on her face. "Luna above, what happened to you? It, uh, it wasn't from the flash-bangs, was it?"



"No... nnfh... no, it wasn't from them. Just asked something that I shouldn't have to a pony wearing power armor..." Static's eyes widened faintly as he heard what he just said, a faint stammer coming from his mouth. Great, yeah, why not tell everyone that we're with a member of the GPE? Let them know that we have a flying machine with four easily transportable tactical megaspells while you're at it, why don't ya? Sulfur blinked in surprise at that statement, before a look of realization crossed her face, along with one of her forehooves resting on her muzzle as she let off a sigh.



"Oh no, don't tell me that one steel rangers company is back around these parts again. I'm still recovering my stock from the last time they came through here..." ...okay, steel rangers, that was a more acceptable target in this current situation, let's go with that. The old mare slowed in her trotting, motioning for us to follow her down another road, a crudely-painted red cross sign hung off of a building at the far end. "Those drunk idiots in B Company nearly caused my store to go up, with me inside! Do you have any idea what happens when a bundle of dynamite goes off next to a couple of balefire eggs?" Oh, how I had to resist the temptation to say yes. "Gotta say, I can't remember them being delibrately malicious to the point of actually beating up somepony for a laugh. Then again, wouldn't put it past them, either..."



The wooden door of the small clinic let out a heavy bang as it shut behind us, the stallion leaned back in the chair behind the counter letting off a snort and small yelp as he momentarily lost his balance in the chair. Pulling himself back up, Sulfur let off a weak chuckle, myself sticking with Static as she moved up to the desk. The stallion fit on a pair of glasses, strands of his greying mane fallen over his face in a few places, giving his back a stretch before looking up at the three of us. "Eh, Sulfur, wasn't expecting to see you around here again so soon. I told you I need to have at least some of that nitroglycerin for my patients with bad hearts, can't all be used for your dynamite..."



"Heh, not here about that this time Doc, these out-of-towners just need a check-over. Said they were assaulted by steel rangers... you still have that twelve-guage I sold you a few years back, right?" The stallion got himself to his hooves, trotting out from behind the counter and rubbing at his eyes with one hoof. Man, these guys really didn't like steel rangers, did they? Hope we don't have to give him a family history, or if we do, Static remembers to leave the 'Paladin' and 'Scribe' prefixes off. Sulfur looked up at a clock on the wall, trotting herself over to the doorway in a bit of a hurry. "Sorry to cut this short, just realized I forgot to put up a sign. Ah, just put it on my tab, if those morons really are coming around these parts to harass travellers I've got a feeling I'll be getting some business soon anyways. Catch you around!"



"Steel Ranger assault? That's a new one. Bad Company was a nuisance, I'd call them that, but I didn't peg them for the type to beat other ponies up." The stallion sat Static down, tilting his head back and looking at his jacket. Huh... yanno, now I think about it, a lot of the ponies around here were pretty raider-naked... hm. "They might play it loose with explosives and like shooting up perfectly good bottles of rubbing alcohol... eh, jacket?" Static blunk for a moment, reaching up and pulling the zipper down. Oofh, that is one nasty red mark on his chin there. "Thanks. But yeah, they were a bunch of undisciplined pricks, but getting into fights and... using tree trunks? What the hell... what did they do to you?"



"Uh... well, it kind of happened fast. We were walking along, passed by them on the way here, Static here asks them a question and next thing I know he's been uppercut into the forest." Well, that was at least most of the truth. Question, uppercut, flying earth pony, forest - almost sounds like a weird joke. The doctor had brought over a small medical box, setting it on one of the waiting chairs and opening it up. Looking back to Static... oof. Ow, um, yeah, ow, that's more than a few splinters. Myself wearing a grimace, the old stallion had fit on a hoof-operated pair of tweezers, looking back to the bare blue belly of spark-butt and then meeting Static's eyes.



"Blunt force trauma, splinters... you walked all the way here with this? Goddesses above, I've seen ponies with damage like this that can't even catch their breath without attention, let alone walk a good few kilometers..." Slowly the old earth pony got to work, the tweezers working and pulling wood prick after wood prick out. Ooh, I can't watch this... without Sparkle-Cola, at least. The doctor began patting at Static's stomach with a bit of cotton as I popped off the bottle's cap, his ears perking and eyes looking over to myself for a moment. A smirk came to his face as he went back to work, Static biting at his lower lip. "I hope you don't drink a lot of that stuff, addiction ain't pretty, and that stuff is addictive as anything."



"Oh, nah, I'm fine. I've had to cut back since we've been here, down to four bottles a day." Static sucked a breath in as the old stallion stammered, his tweezers pulling out an especially long splinter before they both stared back at me. I blunk in response a few times, the doc patting Static's chest with the cotton again. "What? That's half of what my dads drink every day. Found a distribution depot in Queb- uh, yeah, they found a distribution depot, stocked to the brim with the stuff." The doctor paused, looking myself over for a moment before turning back to Static and brushing his stomach down.



"That's dangerous, you know. I've had to help more ponies addicted to worse stuff, but... you do know that stuff is radioactive, right? It has a trefoil on the bottle's label, for pony's sake!" Taking a big gulp, the cool blue soda flowed down my throat, the doctor letting off a sigh. Hey, if radiation was as bad as people say, I'm half sure that my dads would both be ghouls or dead by now. The old stallion went back through the box of medical supplies, pulling out a smaller box and sliding a syringe out of it, sticking it into Static's chest. He grunted, the grimace on his face tightening for a moment before relaxing, the syringe sliding back out easily enough.



"That should dull any remaining pain some. Med-x, this stuff isn't as downright lethal as the stuff she's drinking but that's all you should have for an injury like that. Any more pain comes up, work your way through it, you're the toughest sonofabitch I've ever seen come in here on his own hooves. If you ever come back through here, I really don't want to see either of you in here looking for Fixer. Warning you now." The Doctor packed up the medical box, setting it back behind his counter, resting back in his chair and picking up a clipboard. Static, meanwhile, zipped his jacket back up, pressing and rubbing over his belly with his foreleg for a short while, looking down at it. "Try to not wind up getting hurt again, you're a nice couple, we don't see those too often in the wasteland. If you don't mind, I think I'm gonna get back to my nap..."



Sharing a blinking glance, we picked our things back up, trotting out the door in silence. A cute couple? Me and Static? Well, I mean, if he did swing that way I wouldn't say no, but... sheesh, it is kind of weird to think about. An awkward silence overtaking us, I hastily looked to my legputer, flicking through the screens. Radio, please have something...



"You can hide, hide, hide...

Behind brown and mild eyes.

...

Oi!"



"Welcome back to Radio KAOS, you're listening to The Final Cut by Roger Trotters. This is an update on the, uh, the crashed aircraft, at least I think it's in relation to it. A ghoul who served with the Equestrian Megaspell Deterrent force back during the war has explained the meaning of the 'Pinnacle - Empty Quiver' warning, in non-military terms it refers to the theft or loss of a functional self-contained weaponized megaspell. Y-yeah, you did hear that right, it could be that that craft landed at the lighthouse contains a fully functional pre-war weapon of mass destruction. I don't think I need to tell most of the listeners on this station exactly what a megaspell can do...



"For the sake of everypony, please, I urge everyone, don't seek out any more information about this... this craft, missile, whatever it is. The wasteland is almost not a wasteland anymore, we don't need to see how well the lightbringer can fix a more recent megaspell explosion. We don't need more people to die out of curiosity... um, sorry, that's the midday news. Up next is 'Get Your Filthy Hooves off my Desert' from the Roger Trotters album The Final Cut."



...well, shit.



---



"So, I've got to ask, um, just out of curiosity... what's your cutie mark of?" Crash Dive cast me a firm glare as we trotted along, the hills rustling with the wind as the sun began it's descent. She hasn't laid a hoof on me yet, I guess she's still a bit Enclave-programmed, even after so long. What'd she say earlier, ten years alone, or something? She let off a small grunt, looking back at my own flanks for a moment before peering forwards.



"I think I should ask you about yours first, I've a feeling it'll be more interesting than mine." She wore a small smile, her armor whirring slightly as it moved, the black metal over her flanks making small noises as they shifted around. Her helmet clattered as it swung on the barrel of her rebar cannon, glinting sunlight every now and again. "How exactly does a mare like you get an intercontinental ballistic missile for a cutie mark, anyways?"



"Heh... oh, these? Now that's a fun story..." First time I ever put on my own fireworks display, that's a day to remember. The road was paved for this section, cracked by undergrowth but still mostly recognizable. Probably is one of the few ways left between Maple Creek and the rest of the wasteland... aw, crap, we forgot to check out what that sweet smell was. Eh, we'll be back there sooner or later... "I was, uh, seven or eight at the time. Twintails and Featherweight brought me along to Pripytrot to check out things there one day, told me to stay in the TOG... I'm a bad listener. And, well, as it turns out, Pripytrot did have a missile base nearby..." Yep... yeah, that was the look I usually get, dumbfounded, surprised stare. Answering Crash Dive with a smirk, we kept moving along, a few houses and buildings coming into view.



"Dad said he used one of the missiles to take out the Tsetse back when he was going around with Minty, during the second siege of Pripytrot. Thought he meant he filled one of those cruisers with balefire eggs, but there was the control room and silo readouts plan to see, and lo and behold, one of them was empty. Of course, with all the blinking lights and buttons, well... come on, it's a big red one in the center of the console and I was a filly at the time, how could I resist?" Letting off a small laugh, Static let off a sigh, placing a hoof to his forehead. Hey, I haven't killed us yet, have I? "Long story short, I -may- have launched a megaspell-carrying ICBM, and it -may- have detonated prematurely. I got my cutie mark, though!"



"Yeah, memory serving, Minty said your dads had to rush to the TOG and try to shoot it down before it got to it's target. Quazar and Nova weren't exactly happy when the big boards were screaming 'NUCFLASH' at them in EQUAD." Giving the earth pony an eyeroll, Crash Dive's jaw hung slack, looking betwen us both. The houses were starting to become a little closer here - well, relatively. None of them seemed to be inhabited. The power armored mare shook her head, catching back up with us, the smell of water and decay greeting our nostrils. Jericho BEach ought to be close...



"Hey, at least mine's better than your cutie mark story, Sparky. C'mon, let's hear it again, I'm sure Crash Dive would love a laugh." Oh, that scrunched face is so cute with that blush. The earth pony let off a small huff, leaving us walking in silence for a few moments, the sun casting long shadows behind the hills. Gently nudging his flanks, and the bolt of electricity on them, his eyes met mine, and he released a small sigh. "'Atta boy, c'mon, it isn't that bad."



"Fine, fine. I was, uh, I was helping Greasy out with one of her inventions... think it was the umbrella, actually." Huh, really, I heard it as he accidentally jammed a fork in a power outlet once. Eh, had something to do with electricity... "Anyways, I was helping her out with getting it to work, guess I might've bit something that I shouldn't have and, well... um..."



"Yeah, the power output of a spark battery probably didn't taste too good, did it Sparky?" Sticking my tongue out at him, he did that cute scrunch-face thing again, hitting me in the side with the dull end of his umbrella. Easy, I don't want to know what happens when you taser somepony's wings, thanks! Crash Dive let off something like a growl, Static sliding the umbrella back under his saddlebag strap.



"It wasn't a spark battery... Greasy was running it off of a power outlet at that time. I wasn't tasting anything for a week afterwards, high-voltage electricity tends to do that." He made a slight grimace, seeming to shake his tongue off to get the memory of the taste out, swallowing afterwards. Oh, c'mon, it couldn't have tasted that bad... for sake of wanting to enjoy Sparkle-Cola tonight, I don't want personal experience. The sun slipped behind the last hills in the distance, Crash Dive glancing backwards and then looking towards the large lake that Jericho Beach was on.



"We ought to find a bunkhouse or something for the night, strange things tend to live in these waters. It's a military depot, it's gotta have something, right?" The power armored pegasus looked about the area in the dimming light, Static and myself following suit. Right, if those old films taught me anything, the bunkhouses are usually big half-tube-shaped buildings made of corrugated metal with other vent bits on the side. And if those old movies were right, then the things should be a good distance from anything potentially explosive, so...



"Alright, here we go. Earth pony, you set up the bedding. Night Strike, see if you can't get some of the utilities up, I think there's a stationary generator by the back. I'll keep watch, and make up something for dinner." Us both nodding in response, Crash Dive forced the door in, myself trotting about the structure. Right, blowing stuff up might be my thing, but I'm sure a simple standalone reactor would be simple enough to get working again. Dad did try teaching me how to care for the TOG's reactor at one point... I hope that's a standard design.



"Arcane reactor, military grade... huh, mark 18 design? That's two revisions older than the one in the TOG. I guess I can work with it." The side panel clattered as it swung open, revealing the guts of the miniaturized reactor and turbines. Eugh, this has seen better days... oh, that is some nasty corrosion on the connections for the generator. Eh... hm. Might be able to work, maybe, hopefully. I'm gonna guess '18-W' means it's made for working in wet environments. Okay, reactor startup, I can do this...



---



A short while later, when the last bits of light had gone away from the sky, I let the access panel for the small generator clatter back into place, letting off a sigh. Picking the Sparkle-Cola RAD up from where I'd set it on the metal box for light, I slowly trudged back to the entrance of the bunkhouse, fighting the cap off and drinking down the glowing liquid. Mmm, Strontium 90...



"Alright, I think it should be working now. As Celestia probably once said... let there be light." Letting off a small chuckle as I stepped through the doorway, the soda illuminated a switch on the wall, Crash Dive and Static sitting around a small lantern and looking up towards myself. With a grin, my hoof flicked the switch, the bulbs overhead flickering as power coursed through them once more, filling the hut with a soft yellow glow... for a few seconds, at least. The lights flickered and sputtered out, leaving us all in the dark again, a warning buzzer coming from the generator. Letting off a defeated sigh, the switch fell back into place, myself turning around.



"Stupid pre-war technology..."







Full Story Arc





Fallout: Equestria created by kkatman

