Fallout Equestria: The Kingdom

"I...can I be honest with you Miri?" Charcoal asked softly.

Mirabelle nodded.

"I...I'm not really sure if...if I want to be with Clock," Charcoal said quietly. "I...I kind of wish I hadn't proposed. It...it was just something to use as a cover to free you all from the slavers but she...I...it just happened," he said softly.

"You aren't happy with her... not at all?" Mira asked with a confused look. "You two seemed happy together. Why would you agree to marry her otherwise?"

"I am...it's just that...I was in a relationship not too long ago Miri...and...it didn't end well. Clock and I...we get along but we...we've had some fights recently and...I don't really know if I...if I love her." he said, struggling with the words the whole time.

"I... I'm sorry Char," Mira replied and leaned on him gently. "Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"No...I've...I've just been too scared to. I...I don't want to hurt her, she's my friend" Chacroal said, clearly conflicted.

"I'm sorry, Char," she said quietly. "I don't know... I can't really help." She shook her head. "I think you need to talk to her, but if it will just hurt her... I don't know."

"I...I have to talk to her. It will just hurt her more if I don't," Charcoal said. "I just...nevermind."

"I'm sorry, Char. I hope it goes well," she told him quietly and stood up. "I think I'm going to go get Dinner Bell. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. I'll see come find you later," he said, climbing out of the Jacuzzi and drying off. He then picked up his things and put his armor back on, slinging his rifle over his back. Charcoal then exited the Spa and trotted over to the Clinic and knocked on the door.

The slat in the door slid open and quickly closed when the eyes fell on Charcoal. The door itself opened, and the same stallion stood in the doorway. "Come on in."

Charcoal trotted inside and sat down. "Thanks. What was it you wanted to talk about," he asked the doctor.

"Your friend, she's got a few issues you should know about," the stallion started. "Of course she's malnourished and it looks like she's beaten up pretty bad, I expected that after being in contact with raiders like you said. Her head should heal as well, that won't be a problem." He paused and pulled out a clipboard and started reading off it. "The problem is that she's got an infection, a bad one."

"I was afraid you would say that. What kind of infection?" Charcoal asked solemnly.

"One that's killing her," he stated bluntly. "The combination of her being malnourished and likely kept in filthy conditions have led to a pretty bad infection in her lungs. Normally I wouldn't be worried, it's caused by a bacteria that usually just gives a bad cough, but now it seems to be tearing her lungs apart slowly. Has she had any contact with heavy radiation or inhaled anything toxic recently that may have caused it?"

"Insecticide," Charcoal said sadly. "Is...is there any way to help? Please Doc, she means everything to me," Charcoal begged.

"I don't know. Short of using the Auto-Doc, I can't think of anything that would help her. Maybe someone else knows better, but this is new to me," he explained. "I'll leave it up to you, but the Auto-Doc isn't cheap."

"I have three thousand caps and a couple very nice rifles. Just please Doc, I can't lose her again. Even if it costs me everything I own."

"For this procedure, it'll be 3500. If you've got that, we can do it whenever you two are ready."

Charcoal pulled out the Griffin Sniper Rifle and his bag of caps. "Will this cover it?" he asked hopefully.

"I can't say how much the rifle is worth, but I'll ask a guard. It looks like more than enough though, so I'll do the procedure whenever you're ready. Just bring her back here, preferably of her own will, and we'll do it."

[Charisma 6 (9+1)]"Thank you," he said, then Charcoal bolted out the door, runing as fast as his hooves would carry him upstairs to the nursery. He rushed inside. "Miri! I need you to come with me, now," Charcoal said, tears welling up in his eyes. "Please."

"Oh, okay, I'm just waiting for the pony to bring Dinner Bell back and we can go," Mira replied with a grin until she turned around and saw Charcoal's face. Her grin faded. "Is... something wrong?"

"Come on in," the guard welcomed Clockwork. "I think I may have found something, but I can't say for sure."

The guard leaned under the desk and pulled out a small ragged jacket that looked like it would fit a young colt. "Any idea if this would be something from his caravan?"

After a minute or two more, the mare trotted back out with Dinner Bell and smiled. "She was a little angel, feel free to bring her back any time."

"I will, thank you so much," Mira told her and gently put the filly back in her bag before turning to Charcoal. "Okay, let's go."

Clock finds a small part with a poorly written 'Charcoal' carved into the collar with a knife or something.


"What's going on?" Mira asked as she was ushered into the room.

"Ma'am, I just need you to come with me. You can leave the baby with your friend here," the stallion told her plainly.

"Why, what's wrong?" she asked again, holding Dinner Bell close and sitting down. "I want to know what's happening."

The stallion sighed. "You've got a bad infection, and we're going to cure it," he explained simply. "So I need you to leave the baby here, and come with me to the Auto-Doc."

"I-infection? I'm sick and that requires a machine? Why can't you just-"

"Ma'am, I can explain more afterwards, but for now please just do it."

Mira whined and nodded before taking out Dinner Bell and holding her out to Charcoal. "Take care of her, please?"

"Nothing, it sounds like we owed him a bit, so you're fine," the guard replied and went back to the work on his desk.


"Thank you," Mira said before standing and following the stallion to the Auto-Doc. She turned and waved to Charcoal just before the unicorn pulled the curtain shut around the machine.

"This could take a while, you don't have to wait if you don't want to," he told Charcoal.

"Okay, I'll let you know when we're finished," the unicorn told him before trotting behind the curtain and starting up the machine.

((3 hours later))

The unicorn trotted back out to Charcoal. "Well, we're finished, but she'll be knocked out for a little while. The procedure was rough. I don't think she'll be up for another 8 hours or so."