Stable 609, home sweet metal cage home. Where surviving ponies, those who have no idea what the world has become outside, too afraid to march out and find out themselves. With a pony like me who was born out there, you'd think I'd be grateful for having this opportunity to have a life not in the wasteland. To not having to scrounge for food, warmth, bed, a lover to spend time in it…
Don't get me wrong, living in the Stable was fine...it's these stupid regulations and restrictions I was forced to endure in order to live within the stable that drives me bonkers.
I can't fly down the halls, have to be in bed at a certain time, keep wearing these pipbucks on my wrist, can't tell anyone what I am or it would cause panic. Deny the ability to be myself without having the rule book thrown at my face. Maverick, my twin brother, has no problem following those rules, especially since he has a sweet dig, being the Stable Tech and getting married soon.
As for me? well...I do have a problem with it. And that tends to get me into some trouble.
And there lies me, sitting outside the Over Stallion's office like a trouble filly waiting outside of the principal's office.
I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out a silver canister, I twisted the cap off and tilt the can to the side and shook it with my other hand underneath it. I shook and shook until these crimson red pills - two at least - slid onto my hand. I replaced the can with a bottle of water, unscrew that cap off, placed the pills into the water and closed the bottle up and shook it.
The water quickly changed into this red blood substitute concoction. Sighing, I took the bottle and quickly drank it whole. The substance itself tasted as if it was made in the lab, I could taste each chemical they used to make these pills. It tasted bile, stale and way too much iron that it made me gag to the point that I want to puke it back up.
But it should do the job to keep the hunger down.
The downside to that - except not tasting unusually sweet and not real "crimson nectar" my father from a long time ago would call it occasional. It made me….non vampire. My red eyes were reduced to a bright violet and my mane was pink instead of silver.
As I threw the bottle into the nearby trash can, the office door opened and a young colt around 5 walked out.
"Now Bargain Chip, if I get another complaint about your slide whistle toy, I will have no choice but to confiscate it indefinitely." The southern stallion walked out with him. Wearing similar grey and blue uniforms that every pony here wore, fitting his slim figure. His mane - once slick black - has several grey streaks in it.
"Yes sir." the young boy said, understanding.
Iron Wrought then gave him a charming smirk before tossing the whistle toy back to him. "Now get out of here son."
The colt grinned before running off down the hall.
The Over Stallion chuckled at the young boy before turning to me. He scowled at me before jerking his head toward his office for me to follow him.
Rolling my eyes, I prided myself off of the bench and followed him inside of the office. He closed the door behind me before walking over to his chair behind his desk and grunted. His dull peach color coat flustered in frustration.
"Sit down." He commanded me.
I sat down, propping my boots on his desk and dug into my nails, getting ready for the lashing.
"Moonshine...what the hell am I going to do with you?" Iron Wrought sighed weary, shaking his head at me. "Four complaints this week. Stealing sweets from the kitchen, being rude to the security, dismantling and destroying your pipbuck - your pipbuck for Celestia's sakes! This is your fifth pipbuck you've deliberately destroyed." He points to the one he wore on his wrist. "These are important to our survival, not some toy!"
"How many times do i have to tell you that they itch, chafe and give me a rash? And not to mention each of them glitched on me with that crappy wake up song in the middle of the night." I grunted. I told him this time and time again but no prevail.
"And this…" He went to his desk drawer, pulled it out and shoved his hand inside of it before pulling out a small ziplock snack baggie and tossed it on the desk.
It was halfway full of marijuana.
"Do I even need to guess what it is in this bag?" Iron was getting angrier and angrier by the second.
Okay, to be honest, that wasn't even my shit. But I do know who it belonged to. Which reminds me that I'll have to kick his ass when I find him 'cause he so fucking owes me.
I looked at the bag and then at Iron Wrought before shrugging. "If you want a joint, all you have to is ask. It's good shit too."
"This is serious!" he barked, scolding me. "I don't know how are you getting this crap in here but this ends."
"Just give me my punishment and lets get it over with. I got a test to do." A very important test at that. The one that could get me to become a member of the Scavengers - they were the ones who go out into the wasteland and try and salvage parts and find things that may help our Stable thrive. You can't just sign up to become a Scavenger, you'll have to try out, through a series of trials, marksmanship, wasteland smarts.
Since I knew a lot of wasteland shit from actually living it myself, I passed almost all of the tests. This last one - the combat test - will be the one that will either make me a Scavenger or not.
Plus a chance to go outside and had the freedom to stretch my wings, even for a limited time, I'll take it.
"Yes…" Iron grunted as he sat down, shoving my feet off his desk. "I have half of the right mind to not let you take it. To ban you from even becoming a Scavenger."
My eyes widened at that. "Huh?!" i sat up. "I worked so hard for this!"
"If you keep acting like a child, I will treat you as such." Iron sighed. "Why can't you be like Maverick?"
That saying hurts. It was something our father would say to me when we were young. And it shows on my face.
The Overstallion leaned back into his seat and rubbed his face. "Sorry… Moonshine, you are eighteen. Being a Scavenger, you cannot be a child, especially outside of the Stables. You know this more than anypony."
In all reality, my precious and lovable memories were from outside, but I wasn't going to say anything to that.
"I don't want to treat you like a foal."
"Then don't." I came close to baring my fangs but I shut my lip about it.
Iron Wrought then leaned into his desk, grabbing a pen and slips of paper and scribbled down on it. "After the tests, before your first run, I am sentencing you to deep cleaning duties for a month." he ripped the page out and handed it me. "And I'm also issuing a more suitable pipbuck for you so it's not so easy to take off."
I took the slip of paper and shoved it into my pocket before standing up, taking the silver canister out and placed it on his desk. "While you at it, can I get a refill?"
His eye bulge out of his skull before taking the canister and holding it. "This is the tenth refill! Have you been gorging yourself?" He looked at me.
"I've been getting more hungry by the day. The pills aren't satisfying me anymore." I said. That was the truth.
"Hmm…" he thought carefully about that. "Your birthday was six weeks ago, have you been…" He felt uncomfortable trying to say what he needs to say.
I rolled my eyes. "If you say if I had my first breeding cycle, yes I had. Why did you think I locked myself into my room for the past three weeks after my birthday?"
When vampire mares are in heat, it's fucking bad, stronger than the typical mare, it will attract so many unwanted attention, don't even get me started with the urges and itches that obtained from the heat cycle.
"Anything else? I do know that young..vampires gain their powers around this time."
I placed a hand under my bangs and pushed them up, showing him off my dark grey diamond marking on my forehead. "If I gain any sort of magic I'll make sure to come to you."
I didn't know if that was a lie or not cause I haven't gained any magical abilities yet. I doubt Maverick gained his as well. Comes with the territory being a blood-sucking pony.
He sighed. "Go see your brother first. Your new pipbuck should finished by now." Iron said before sending me on my way.
Finally.
I walked out of the office and down the halls. So he doesn't be on my ass again, first step was to go and visit my brother...then find one slippery unicorn who's ass I need to kick.
Walking towards the Stable Tech room, I was really not looking forward to getting a new pipbuck. I never liked the bulky hardware latching onto my wrist, but to make sure the Over Stallion don't go all dad mode and ban me from becoming a Scavenger, I'll play nice and not mess with the ugly piece of helper.
The Stable Tech master Keen Hawk was enjoying himself a mid day nap while his apprentice and my older brother, Maverick, took over on working on the the large mountain of pipbucks and repairing such.
If we were the same gender, Mav and I would be considered identical twins, same body build - though his shoulders were more broader than mine - same height - 5'11 the both of us - same colored mane, fur, everything about us were the same. But the similarities stop there.
As I like to keep my mane messy and free flowing, Mav ties his up in a strange bun; he's neat and tighty, I like a controlled chaos level of messiness. He's uptight, I'm considered a wild child and bitchy to those in this stable that don't like me.
Which was a lot of ponies that don't like my fucking guts.
I can hear your heavy steps walking through these halls, Maverick mind-spoke to me without turning to greet me.
It's a twin thing, Maverick and I were able to communicate to each other through thought. We can also tell how we're feeling and almost have the same thoughts…
Almost.
"I walk heavy." I reply with a smirk. I grabbed a rolly chair and rolled up to him. He used his wings to fold it to where the talon of his wing was up to his lips and shushing me as his hands worked.
Hawk is asleep sis.
Sorry, I replied. I swiveled on the chair as I watched him worked. I'm here to pick up my new pipbuck.
You don't have to remind me, I'm working on it right now. Judging by the tone, he wasn't too happy with me either. You are lucky that I talked to Iron to not punish you too hard. Drugs? Seriously! How stupid could you-
Dude! You're giving me a fucking headache with your screaming in my head! I groaned, rubbing my head. I wasn't kidding, he was giving me a migraine from screaming in my head.
I wouldn't be screaming if you haven't been so foolish.
I stuck my tongue out at him before looking at his work bench and saw what he was working on. It was a pipbuck alright, I could see the little pixel pony on the lit up green screen, but it was smaller than everypony else's pipbuck. The size of a rolex watch.
It's a new design I created, so you trying to lock pick it and fuck it up is not gonna happen any more. It's lighter, gonna be more comfortable. If you don't mess it up, I can get a head start and making more of these guys and give them out. It's going to be more reliable. Waterproof too. I'm calling it the Watchbuck.
I yawned when he started to talk shop. I may know how to tinker, I don't know the major words and sell and shit.
Maverick sat up and picked up the Watchbuck, he motioned me to lift my hand up so he could put it on.
I reluctantly raised my left hand up and he latched the thing on me. It was light, that's for sure. I took my hand back and moved it around too to make sure it wouldn't slide off, or itch.
So far so good.
I looked at the band of the watch and grunted, there wasn't a keyhole where I could pick at it.
"It'll only unlock when it hears the password I installed it." Maverick said, sitting back. "You can't possibly get out of that." he stuck his tongue out at me.
Thinking of any words he may use for the password, only one stuck out. "Merry Sunshine." I grinned, saying into the watch.
It beeped three times before coming off my wrist. I caught it before it could hit the floor.
His jaw literally dropped, his bat wings shot up out of shock. I just spoke his fiancee's name.
"So predictable, big bro." I cackled. He reached out, snatching the watch out of my hand and worked on it just a bit more. He worked on it before putting it back on my wrist.
"Now you don't know what the password is. Impossible for you to even-"
"Mavey and Moonie." I spoke.
The watch slipped out of my hand yet again.
Maverick was getting flustered by how I knew every password he could think of. I wasn't psychic or reading his mind - though we could communicate through thought - he's just that predictable. He ended up resetting the watch five different times before he ended up programming one password I ended up not figuring out.
"I'll end up figuring it out eventually." i giggled.
"I hope it isn't for a while." He huffed. "It's programmed to have all of your favorite songs, books, schedules. Since you're in trouble, you're browsing time is cut to thirty minutes a day until either Iron or I say so."
"Okay, ma." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Now if you excuse me, I got a pony I need to meet."
"But you have your test today." Maverick said as he watched me walking out.
"I got five hours till showtime. It'll be easy." I waved at him as I headed out.
Fifteen to thirty minutes later, I came across the Scavenger's Quarters. A living space separated from everypony else in the Stables. They lay near the Stable doors so if they need to go out, they won't have to do the long walk towards the doors.
Right now, the den lay bare.
"Jazz!" I called out for him. "Where are you ya dumb sonofabitch!" I growled, looking around, looking under the tables, beds, anywhere where he could be hiding.
That unicorn was in for an asskicking for leaving the weed in my room.
When I got to the ugly orange couch which was a fucking eyesore, somepony snuck up from behind. Wrapping one arm around my neck and pressing what felt like a barrel of a gun to my temple.
I felt their breathing down my neck, breathing heavily.
"What the fuck are you doing in here...Vampire!?"