What is courage? Is it something we’re born with? Something we gain? Don’t ask me. I couldn’t tell you what it was if it slapped me in the face. Some ponies have it, the ones like me, well… don’t. I have heard so many stories from before the war. Especially about the six ministry mares. Each had the courage to go out of their comfort zone to face many villains. Heck, even Fluttershy faced a dragon. A dragon! Just the thought of a giant reptile with sharp teeth and claws scares me to death. I guess that’s why Princess Luna gave them their ministries. I know Lantern Wick is brave. It’s almost like she fears nothing. I just wasn’t blessed with bravery. No matter how much I try, it comes back to bite me in the flank. Not much of an Enclave officer, huh? Oh well. When this mission is over, I’m going home to climb under the covers and I am playing sick for a whole week!

Wick and I trotted, once again, to take-off. Bolt Chaser greeted us with a wave. He already wore his armor.

“Come on, gals! Haven’t got all day!”

“Hold your horses, Bolt. You can’t rush a lady.” Wick nudged me, playfully.

I tried my best to smile as Chaser rolled a wide table towards us. “Suit up. The sooner we get back, the sooner I can get to a bar.”

Wick scoffed, but followed orders. I looked at the suit of armor lying on the table, resentfully. It was pretty intimidating. The armor itself was black metal made to move along with the pegasus’ maneuvering. The wings were also protected by flexible wing covers with protruding blades at each wing tip. The helmet was also black with the exception of the orange visor that had an insect appearance. The helmet contained a program which allowed us to view stats and also communicate with others. Did I mention the scorpion tail?

I sighed. Orders are orders. With the help of a technician, I took off my usual uniform and wiggled my way into the heavy gear. As soon as it was on, it became lighter. It was barely noticeable, but I still felt like a robot. “Your helmet, miss.” The tech passed the abomination to me. I clicked it into place and latched it tight. My vision filled with words and numbers. No injuries so far, apparently. The E.F.S picked up the green bars of my friends and fellow crew.

“Lieutenants, fall in!” Chaser barked. He was a great friend, but a hell of a soldier. Of course, that was his job.

Wick and I stood next to each other and quickly went to attention. Captain Chaser stood straight and in front of us. I suppose it was an act for the crew.

“At my order, we take flight.” He said as the large wall beside us began to rise, slowly revealing the grim sky. “The Typhoon has been spotted and will be recovered, but for now, our job is to safely retrieve her crew. We will be directly above the crash site, shortly. Sienna, I want you to go to the upper levels and begin your search for any soldiers or crew members that may be alive. You’ll take these healing potions and distribute them to any injured.”

He gave me a small bag of the vials as I nodded.

“Wick, you take the lower levels. If either of you find survivors, radio Raptor 27 so they can send a transport team. I will scout the immediate area. If you come across an enemy, take them out. Show them no mercy. Luna, be with us.” Chaser saluted and we returned it.

“Wings, ready!” We spread our wings at his order. I was a little hesitant, but I knew better than to doubt Chaser.

“Fly!” The three of us dove, simultaneously. In a “V” shape, we rocketed out of the sky and into the dusty landscape. I felt nauseated. I wasn’t afraid of heights, but I was afraid of what was beneath me. The ground seemed to come at me at a fast pace. As if I had practiced a million times before, I flapped my wings to slow down to a flutter. The others soon joined me as we landed on the dead earth. At this point, I was glad to have a rebreather. The air just looked toxic.

To my right, I spotted it. The other airship, known as the Typhoon lay on its side. Frail and broken trees surrounded it. Upon further inspection, I noticed the dents in the turrets. Somepony or something attacked them.

“Something’s not right, Chaser.” Wick said in hushed tones.

“Just watch your back. Whatever did this is likely not far. Let’s go.”

Chaser and Wick trotted along as I fell behind. It took everything I had not to faint. If there was something here that could take down a Raptor, I imagined what it could do to a pony. My hearing and sight suddenly escalated as I heard a gunshot in the distance.

“Ch-Chaser…” I squeaked.

“It was far away. Just stick with the orders, Sia.” He reassured me.

I gulped down the lump in my throat and walked with my head down. Arriving closer to the entrance, I could make out piles of ash scattered about. There had been a battle here. You didn’t have to be smart to know the ashes were pony remains after the energy weapons vaporized them. The dirt below each pile was charred. I became a lot queasier. Between two rocks I thought I saw something. I squinted my eyes and cautiously approached the…

“B-Body…”

I sat down hard. Just beyond this pony were corpses of even more dead ponies. At least half a dozen. I vomited in my mouth as I got even paler than I was. Scraps of metal and debris hid several more bodies. A mare, it seemed, was sprawled out on the ground with an axe through her head. She was one of ours. The crushed flesh of what used to be wings gave it away. Another body lay a few feet from her. He was a unicorn with his throat slit. Old slashed and shredded barding barely covered him. I couldn’t breathe.

“Sia!” Wick caught me as I began to fall. She gasped when she saw the gruesome scene.

“S-Sienna, come on. Let’s just get this over with.” She said as she tugged on my hoof.

I wearily followed, trying not to look at the slaughter around me. We stopped and she turned to me with determination.

“Listen, I know you weren’t expecting that. Well, any of this actually, but we need to focus. We have to help the survivors, if there any.” She didn’t sound too sure there were any.

“Go search the upper levels. I will be right down here, waiting for you, okay? Think of our spa trip and nothing else!” She lifted my chin and smiled warmly. I nodded, not sharing the smile.

Why couldn’t I just be a scientist?

I forced myself into the ship. No bodies here, it seemed. I trudged past the fried control panels and doors and to the stairwell. Something disabled the electronic components of the ship. I groaned and began to hover up the steps. I didn’t want to make any more noise than I had to. My ears swiveled back and forth to listen for any sudden noises. The only bars on the E.F.S were my friends. I sighed, knowing there weren’t any live ponies on board. Might as well scavenge the medical room for Med-X to calm my nerves. My heart was pretty much thundering at this point. A loud bang sent me flying for cover.

As soon as my teeth stopped chattering, I braved a glance. Just a piece of the ceiling. I chuckled nervously at myself. “See? You’re just overreacting.” I told myself.

Taking a few deep breaths, I continued on. The hall was pretty cramped up here. Maybe three ponies wide and two ponies high. Just enough room to hover off the floor. Damage was scarce up here, with the exception of the ceiling panel. It just seemed messy. Like ponies were in a hurry. The glorious red cross at the end of the hall caught my eye. I thought it odd that it was the only door even ajar. I carefully sat my hooves on the metal floor with a soft clank. I walked forward towards the door and shoved it open. It was difficult since the power was disabled. I expected a mess, of course, but this wasn’t just a simple disorganization. It was chaos.

The gurney that should have been in the center of the room was flipped completely and leaned against a cabinet. The cabinet, itself, was dented and broken. Papers were scattered and boxed ripped apart, spilling their contents. Shelves had been forcefully torn from the walls and threw on the opposite side of the medical room. Somepony was searching for something. Not only that, they took every drug in here.

No Med-X for me, then.

I sighed, ready to give up, until I saw the narrow locker behind a bookshelf. Immediately, my mood improved ever so slightly. One more place to check before I go.

My wings flapped as I hovered over the clutter on the floor. I raised a hoof to look at the remains of a lock on the handle. The mechanism fell apart as if it, too, had given up. I was aware of the increased strength this armor gave us, but I had no idea it was that impressive! I dropped the lock on the floor and opened up the closet to peek inside.

THUD!

I yelped as a corpse landed at my shaking hooves with a meaty thud. I froze for a few moments before I pulled the lead out of my tail and inspected the body, closer. A pegasus stallion. His coat was silver and his mane was buzz cut and off white. He also had a scar on his ear. From the looks of the white jumpsuit, he was the ship's medic. Looking behind him, I saw nothing but a lab coat and some books. Still no Med-X.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I popped off my helmet, forgetting about the toxic air. I just wanted to get a better look at this poor soul. It was horrible! Our race was so peaceful before the war. I placed a hoof on his shoulder and bowed my head.

“Celestia and Luna be with you, my friend. May you, along with the other souls, find peace and happiness beyond this hell.” I prayed.

A long moment passed and I opened my eyes. I stared at him for a few seconds before I spotted a small rectangular object in his pocket under his feathers. I surveyed it before picking it up, slowly. A recorder. All medics carried one to create memos and document new findings. A red light on the front flashed off and on. Curious, I pressed play. Static. Maybe I had to rewind it? Trying to back up the recording, it stopped the moment I pressed it. I tapped the device, then softly banged it on the floor.
I jumped at the recorded voice.

“Is it playing?” A stallion. The doctor? “Okay, erm, this is Doctor Coats in Medical on the raptor, Typhoon.” He sounded terrified. I swallowed my own fear and continued listening. “I’m recording this to let the rescue team know what happened to us.” Suddenly, I heard pones yelling in the background. “After a difficulty in one of our engines, we thought it best to land for a couple of hours while the technicians evaluated the damage. We thought wrong. The council instructed a highly trained team of scientists and soldiers to research the plant mutations in the wasteland. They thought we could use the mutations to gain better vaccinations for the pegasi. What is happening right now is beyond a wild animal attack.” The sound of shuffling and clinking could be heard as he went on. My chest began to tighten even more. “We… We thought it was just a couple of savages here to rob us. They had this… thing. It looked like a giant clump of spark grenades. Those monsters catapulted it into the ship and the increased power of the spark disabled the entire ship and most of the power armor. Contact with S.P.P was lost. The fried controls caused the front entrance open. Dozens of those… I don’t even know if you would call them ponies! They had wild, yellow eyes! What’s worse, they showed no mercy or-“ Gunfire interrupted him along with… maniacal laughter? “Fuck. Celestia, help us. Luna, help us! Whoever finds this, run. Do not return to the surface. Abort any business you have here! I have an empty syringe here. The air in my bloodstream will kill me before those… fiends do. They won’t have the satisfaction of doing so.” He hissed in pain as he said those last words. “T-Tell my wife… Tell her I’m sorry and that… I’ll see her… I love you, Juniper.”

The recording ended with a loud clang and then it clicked off. I sat on my haunches, motionless, as I thought of Doctor Coats. He had a wife! Possibly foals! My tears fell to the floor like a faucet dripping. I wanted to go home. I wanted to spend every second with my beloved grandparents! I wanted Violet to come back! I wanted-

BOOM!!

My breathing stopped and I jerked my head towards the explosion. I could hear gunfire similar to the recording. Scrambling for my helmet, I darted out of the room and down the stairwell. Stopping at the entrance, I saw them. Ponies. Earth and unicorn ponies with yellow, crazed eyes and pinprick pupils. The same ones the Doctor described.
They were attacking Wick and Chaser!

“Wick! Contact 27, now!” Chaser bellowed.

“There’s too many! I can’t stop firing long enough! Where is Sia?!”

The zaps of the energy rifles were like fireworks. I couldn’t do anything but stare at the battle. One unicorn held a huge hammer in her magic. Just as she swung it at Chaser, he sliced her side with his wing blades. Another pony grabbed his leg before he could fly away and slammed him back to the ground. Chaser punched his nose, making the earth pony fall back.

Wick was no better off. She was being swamped by ponies shooting at her with beat up shotguns. Good thing she had the armor, but the more she zapped into piles of ash, the more kept coming at her.

My chest thundered and my breathing became shallow. Panic attack.

“Sia! Contact 27!” Wick screamed.

I stumbled at the sound of my name. It took a while before I could summon the strength to aim my own rifles toward the crowd around Wick.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

They fell, one by one. I raced towards my friend and followed her to a spot behind some boulders. I chanced a look over and saw a new wave of the ghastly ponies.

“Wick! Th-There are more coming!” My voice cracked through my scream.

“Sia, get down!” Wick yelled to me as she tapped the button on the side of her helmet to activate the communicator. “Chaser, you need to take cover! There are more coming! Sienna is with me!”

An axe flew past, barely missing my ear. I cried and fired my rifles again.

“Where did they come from, Wick?!” I yelled over the firefight.

“I don’t know, but we need to contact 27 if we’re gonna get out of here! You do that, and I will keep firing!” She ordered. I nodded quickly and raised a hoof to my helmet.

Chaser screamed.

“Chaser!” Wick jumped out from behind our hiding spot and flew to help him off the ground. The metal protection on his wing was smashed in by the giant hammer. A stronger pony must have pick it up!

I snatched my hoof away from my helmet as I reached out to them. “No!”

“Sia! Call 27, now!” Chaser grunted.

“Get ole’ Sparky! These birdies are gonna get cooked!” A stallion screamed through mad giggling.

I quickly did as Chaser said and tapped the communicator. “Raptor 27, this is Lieutenant Sienna. Do you copy?” I tried my best to scream through my sobbing and panting.

“Lieutenant, this is 27. What is your position? Over.” The sweet sounding voice of 27’s control room replied.

“W-We need to abort! We’re being attacked and can’t take to the air! Send-“

ZAAAPPP!!!

A huge ball of electricity fell from the sky. The shockwaves enveloped my armor, making it spark and sting my hide a little. I gasped and snatched my eyes to my comrades. They were jolting and twitching about as their armor also failed.

Suddenly, I felt as if I were carrying a ton of weight. My vision darkened and I couldn’t move. The suit immobilized me!

“Wick! Chaser!” I screamed their names until my throat became raw. My voice was so muffled I wondered if she heard me.

“-enna! –hit us- spark –nade! –ut down the-” I couldn’t hear her! I starting sobbing even harder.

My lungs felt like they were being squeezed between the severe panic and the suit being disabled, smothering me.

“Hey, Blood! C’mere and check out the chicken suits!” I heard a stallion giggling madly as he and another unicorn stallion trotted into my dim field of vision. The former tapped on my visor.

“Hellooo? Are you a bitch or a dude so I know whether to rape you or eat you first?” They laughed as I sobbed loudly.

“Sounds like a little filly, Smokey!” The unicorn clopped his hooves in delight. They were monsters! All of them! Those ugly bastards! I wanted to kill them and make them suffer!

“Please! Don’t do this! Let us go!” I pleaded.

“Let me think… No. I need to have some fun and afterwards, I’ll be starving. Blood! Help me get this stupid metal off!” He yelled through a sick grin.

Both stallions went to work on my armor. They tugged, hit, and even tried to bite the heavy suit off. Fortunately, they weren’t able to get through to me. Eventually, the brownish- yellow unicorn impatiently grabbed a poorly cared for shotgun and aimed it at my chest plate. I whimpered as they grinned again.

“This ought to do it.” He grumbled.

As soon as he pulled the trigger, the shot ricocheted off the hard metal and blasted most of his face off. The one called Smokey laughed at him as his body fell to the dirt. I screamed and cried, struggling to move.

“Sorry about that. Hard to find good help.” These ponies were mad!

“Fuck it, Smokey. Let’s just kill them. The others aren’t coming out of this shit, either. The other mare is already dead.” She laughed. “The shock must have been too much for the bitch.”

My eyes went wide. “W-Wick…” I screamed as loud as I could, swearing and trying with all my strength to attack these sickos.

“Ugh. Fine. Wish we had a can opener.” Smokey said as he grabbed another huge hammer with nails protruding from it. He stood up on his hind legs and gripped the handle with both hooves and slung it over his head.

“Nighty night, bitch!” He smiled in delight as he swung as hard as he could. The impact knocked me over and took away my breath for a split second. The armor that covered my side was dented inwards, crushing my side. But he wasn’t finished.

He pounded the hammer against every part of my body, denting it enough to make it squeeze my ribs. He pulled my wing out and began pulverizing it. I’m sure it was shattered. He continued doing so until I couldn’t scream anymore.

“I think this one’s mincemeat. Next!” He yelled.

No…

I was going to die. I was going to die alone and scared, beaten and bruised. They had already killed Wick. They were going after Chaser. I dared not scream, or they would come back, but I was in a world of pain. My lungs struggled to take in air. The last thing I remember was the sound of bone crunching under a hammer. Then, everything went black.

I opened my eyes to a blinding light above me. It felt like I was on my back. When my eyes adjusted, I realized I was in a room.

Wait, I knew this place! This was the medical room on Raptor 27! They must have come for us! I giggled and smiled, hugging myself. I felt no pain and I had no bruises or scratches, which was odd. Those animals beat me up pretty bad. How did I not have any bandages or scars?

No matter. I was going to be okay!

I rolled over onto my belly and glanced around. Where were the medics? I hopped down and stretched, looking over my wings. Healthy. I frowned. Something wasn’t right. Spotting the exit, I trotted over and inspected the control panel. It looked safe. I tapped the open switch.
It didn’t open.

I tapped it harder.

Still nothing.

I banged the panel with my hoof. The door remained closed. Frustrated, I turned around and bucked it as hard as I could.
“Ouch.”

It was like bucking a brick wall! I knew something wasn’t right. I began to panic, again. Laying on my side, I softly cried. “What’s happening? Why am I here?”

“Sienna…” A whisper echoed through my head.

I shot up. “Wh-who’s there?”

No reply.

I knew I heard something! My eyes darted back and forth. There was nopony here. Was this place haunted? I shivered at the thought. Maybe it was just my imagination. Yes! That’s it! That hammer must have knocked me senseless!

“The hammer.” I repeated my thoughts. “Those monsters! My friends!” I covered my face and cried. How could I get to them? Were they truly gone?

“Oh, Wick… Chaser. I’m so sorry…”

“Sienna.”

That whisper again. Louder this time. I perked my ears to listen closer. Was that…

“It’s okay. You can turn around.”

I couldn’t. I was too scared to move.

“Please.” The voice was saddened.

Cautious, I turned my head. I gasped when I saw my friends. My friends were there, but something seemed… off. Like me, they didn’t have any armor. Just casually standing there, smiling warmly. They had no scratches or injuries.

“W-Wick? Chaser?” I asked in a close whisper. Tears filled my eyes and I took a step towards them. “What is this place? What happened to those bastards? How did-“

“Sia, it’s okay.” Bolt Chaser stepped forward. “This is the place between life and death. Like Purgatory, so to speak. Without the agony, of course. Our bodies are where those raiders left us.”

“Raiders? What are you…” I trailed off as it hit me. “You mean… w-we’re dead?” I stumbled back. “No! I’m so sorry! I-I could have done more! I’m so stupid! I failed you!” I hit myself as I screamed the last statement.

A warm hoof gently held onto me.

“You are none of those, nor is it your fault. Things happen, hon. We can’t help that. Chaser and I are no more. We can’t go back, but you can. You will return very soon.” Wick nuzzled my forehead. Chaser wrapped a wing around me and smiled, sympathetically.

I fell into him. “I- I don’t want to go back without you, guys. I’ll be killed for sure! Why can’t I just stay here and avoid the suffering?”

“But you will be alive. We love you. It’s time to go, Sia.” She sadly backed away as Chaser gently pushed me away. “Just close your eyes."

“No! I won’t leave you! Please! You’re all I have!” I tried to fight it, but my eyes seemed to close on their own.

“Wick!” I screamed as I fell into a gray abyss. The room and my friends became a blur, but I heard my friend’s sweet voice one last time before everything went still.

“Be brave, Sia.”

Level Up!
New Perks: Energy Weapons- Your accuracy and skill with energy rifles and pistols increases by %20.

Survivor- You are able to take %10 more damage.
Armor: -1
Senses: +1
Combat: +1

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Kkat for the wonderful world of Fallout: Equestria!
Okay, so I didn't know that chapter 2 had already been proofread. And here it is! I've also managed to fix the coverart issue. Turns out it was a resizing issue.
Thanks for reading, everypony! Constructive criticism is always welcome!
-AP