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Chapter 1: Out of Time

"When I came down here, I realized for the second time that our technology could truly save what was left Equestria. I chose to help them, even if it meant putting pegasus lives at risk. Some of you would call me a hero. My family called me a traitor."

Begin Audio Log: Stable Entry 01. Oh my gosh… I… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I- Devolves into intelligible sobbing. Okay… Its okay honey, I’m okay. I said I’m okay. Just… Go get ready, please. Focus Chosen, you’ve done this before. Silence for approximately twelve seconds. I remember the warning. We had… four hours, I think. Its all a bit of a blur, but I think that’s mostly stress. I was picking up Owl and Mineral from school when it came. It wasn’t until we were packed that I told them, I don’t think they understood until the door was closed. Quick had everything ready to go almost before we got home. There… wasn’t much. Her toolkit, a few of my books, the kids’ toys, some clothes, and our remaining savings. She still doesn’t know that I brought the special medkit, I don’t know how to get her to understand. She’s a doctor, she should know how it works. I’m sorry, I’m getting off track, its just all too much to take in. The other staff members were arriving when we got to the Stable, and we were suited up and ready for the refugees. We’ve both been so busy trying to take care of the massive outbreak of depression that we’ve barely been able to spend any time with our kids. Thankfully Stabletec knew what they were doing; we’ve got an incredible stockpile of medication and cultural artifacts, enough to keep everypony calm and recovering for a good long while. Not to say that everything is sunshine and rainbows, we’ve already found Mrs. Marmalade’s body, and a couple other ponies have gone missing. I’m… not quite sure what to think about that, honestly. We’re the lucky ones, but realizing that you’ve just survived the apocalypse is hard to swallow. I can’t fully blame them, I guess. I’m… coping, surviving His reign has made this… easier, as much as the idea terrifies me. The recorder is set down I’m going to go spend some time with Owl and Mineral. The Overmare wants to see us in a few hours, and Mr. Psych has taken over my shift. I’m worried about them. I’m worried about us all. End Log.

Begin Audio Log: Pre-Scouting. I hate Stabletec. I can’t believe Ms. Belle was the sister of a Ministry Mare. Was. The Overmare just told us what happened, how they tricked us. In her office was a Megaspell, the same thing my Ministry invented! Somepony got ahold of His curse, the Stasis Spell, and shoved it in one of our frameworks. Two days after the doors closed, she set it off. Overmare Clip has… resigned. I feel horrible for not stopping Officer Grump, but… part of me blames her for this. I’m certain somepony will let her out of the cells soon. According to her though, our Stable was frozen outside of time for a little over two hundred years. Everypony’s dead… But I already knew that, didn’t I? A deep sigh The new Overmare, Overmare Haystack, has ordered us to investigate the outside world. She says that the instruments say it should be relatively safe to leave, and we’ve started picking up radio signals. Ponies are alive out there, and she wants us to go say hello. I’m going as… Well, I’m expendable, I suppose. My psychology degree is useful, but Quick Fix is far more valuable to the Stable. And really… I volunteered, as the field medic and “face” of the scouting party. I’m to report to the security station in an hour to pick up my supplies, armored barding, and… They’re going to arm me. I know I swore to never touch a gun again, but I’ll be surrounded by security officers, and Sergeant Timber’s going to be with us. I knew him before t-the Fall, he’ll keep us safe. We’re going to go see if we can make contact with the radio broadcaster, and figure out just what the world out there looks like. Heart connect us, civilization will be rebuild. We can only pray… I’m going to go give my family a hug. End Log.

Wasteland Expedition Team Audio Log 01: Sparkplug, begin recording. Deep, weary sigh Its been... I don't know how many days since we stepped out of the Stable. The Pipbucks say its been two days, but it feels like longer. There's no day out here, the cloud cover is just like it was before we went into the Stable. No stars, no sun, just pitch black and thick overcast. An unintelligible voice speaks Right, its not as green anymore. The air's a lot... Heavier now, harder to breath. I've had everypony wear their gas masks as much as possible since Timewise collapsed from a coughing fit. The Geiger counters are quiet but I don't want to know what the dust would do to us if we kept breathing it. It took some doing, but they stopped complaining about the discomfort when one of those things exploded... Heart, I think they used to be parasprites. Sergeant Timber stopped using his rifle on them after that. Turns out he was right to be worried about ammunition. Sparkplug, you can go lay down, it'll be easier if you don't hear this next part. The recorder is turned off. Holotape resumes. In the Stable we couldn't make out the radio signal. It was too far away for our instruments, according to Sparkplug. The Pipbucks started picking it up the moment we stepped out of the cave loud and clear, so either they're stronger somehow or we were buried deeper than I thought. Turns out it was asking for help, a stallion was under attack from what he called The Thresher Gang. Nopony argued when Sergeant Timber suggested we hurry to try and help him. In hindsight... Silence for approximately one minute We found the source of the signal in what used to be a small town outside Stableside. Cinch City, an old boomtown that sprung up between the city and Cloudsdale one year. When the pegasi moved on the town stayed, kept going by a couple vineyards closer to it than Saddleside proper. Now its barely a ruin. Only one building was still intact, an inn, the rest succumbing to time by Sparkplug’s account. Inside we found what was… left of the townsfolk. Bones, thank our lucky stars, but some of the others had to… Had to step outside. The rest of us found the broadcaster hooked up to a holotape, and… And… Oh Heart… We found the stallion. Somepony had mutilated him. I won’t detail it any further, in case one of the others listens to this. They’ve got enough on their minds as is. Sergeant Timber was the first to recover, he turned the broadcaster off. I heard the screams before the door outside was bucked in. Sergeant Timber took charge, we owe him our lives. He kept everypony from panicking, and took Officer Grump with him to investigate. I… I couldn’t let everypony stay there, not when the gunfire started. They taught us what to do in the army. Make sure everypony stayed low, and move away from the sounds of gunfire. I… I didn’t know. I couldn’t have known that they were waiting for us. Two of them, a stallion and mare. They were armed, of course they were. The others… they hadn’t ever been under a gun, under the threat of death. Sparkplug… The poor dear, she fired first. The mare’s armor, some kind of welded metal mess, took most of the bullets from her pistol. I… I think one ricocheted, bounced off her shoulder plate and hit her in the neck. It was just like in the war, just like Private Partisan. The bullet ripped through her cephalic artery, the ricochet leaving a relatively small wound. It didn’t matter, she was dead before she realized she’d been shot. The stallion started shooting back, firing some kind of small automatic gun. I… lost track of what was going on around then. All I remember is a bunch of bit sized bites on my chest and a horrible roaring noise. Then it was quiet. The gunfire had left a high pitched whine in my ears, but I was too busy trying to fix… Fix the hole in Ms. Merry’s head. The others didn’t fare much better, he’d tried walking his gun across us all before… somepony killed him. Our barding saved most of us, Stabletec built their armor like they built everything else. But Ms. Merry and Screw… didn’t make it. I had enough supplies to patch up everypony else, but they need proper treatment back in the Stable before they’ll be alright. Nopony’s gotten out of it intact though, they weren’t ready for something like this. None of us were. The sounds of a campfire fill the recording for approximately two minutes

We found Officer Grump after that. He’s still in critical condition, we’ve been carrying him on a stretcher since we left town. I fed him six healing potions, but he’s got a piece of rib embedded in his lung. Somepony hit him with a sledgehammer from the look of things, his barding didn’t do much to stop whatever it was. We still haven’t found Sergeant Timber though. I grabbed his rifle from the inn’s lobby on our way out. The room was half barricaded with the bodies of ponies, and there was some pink ash mixed in. I… told everypony he must have had a magical energy pistol, and that he had probably chased everypony off. They’re still waiting for him to catch up to us. Broadcasters weren’t as popular in Stableside as they were in Canterlot, but we still have one to get a signal out. I pray that they’ll forgive me for lying to them. A slow clinking starts underneath her voice And I pray I don’t have to use this. Not again. But until we get back, they’re counting on me. Maybe, if we’re fast enough, the Thresher Gang won’t be able to catch up with us. If not, and you find this… Quick Fix, my love… Take care of everypony for me. And don’t. Ever. Let Mineral or Owl come out here. Its worse than the war Honey, we just traded one hell for another. I love you, and if I never see you again, I never forgot our time in Pelopony. End Log.