Fallout Equestria: Crescent Rising

Chapters

Like a Match
The Cart
How Long is 'A While'?
A Link to the Past

Like a Match

There is something to be said about war.

No matter the reason, be it just or asinine, thousands would gladly kill a pony they never met and die for his or her country over a piece of rock. War is about property in the midst of rotting flesh and skeletal remains on the battlefield.

Like a match on fire, all it takes to put out the flames is one small blow or pinch. But, that didn't happen.

Instead, in the conclusion of the Great War, unable to find peace between the Equestrians and Zebras, the two let the flames burn away the match from top to bottom. There was nothing left but Scorched Earth by the end.

Centuries later, having witnessed the destruction and suffering inflicted by their descendants, Equines have yet to learn from them.

With Light emerging from the heroic acts by a young pony, the story takes place in the Southwestern regions of Equestria, containing deserts, jungles, and blizzard-ridden mountains. A new faction calling themselves, the New Republic of Equestria seeks to 'reclaim' lost territory by annexing lands and settlements while a reemerging faction from the Pre-War days, called the Empire of Neighpon also seeks to reclaim 'their' lost territory over the vast fertile lands.Fighting has already began, and the question every pony should be asking is: "Will somepony put out the flames before it's too late?"

This story begins approximately 10 years before Little Pip walked into the Equestrian Wastelands, the Bringer family os traveling across the Marevada desert, escaping the Equestrian Heartland from the North. Their two children, one 14 and the other 7 years old, is along with them and like many, the family will soon find themselves in the middle of war.

The events that will transpire will push one pony to look for answers and truths. She will see how poisoned truth really is in Equestria.

Because truth is the first casualty of war and War... War Never Changes

The Cart

"How're you two doing back there?"

"Fine dad, we're just enjoying the scenery." Her sister answered back in a reassuring way. If her little sister could see, she thought.

The thin blanket protected the two from the sun rays. Even so, it was painful for the two to walk from one area to another in the cart because of the ground being seared by the heat. She saw her little sister laying her head on the side of the cart, staring into the desert. She noticed a pair of specs on the ground that belonged to her little sister.

"Come on, Ellie" she picked up a pair of spectacles with her mouth off the ground of the cart, "You can't see nothin' without your glasses."

"There's nothing to see anyway but barren wastelands." Ellie replied, still focused at... nothing. This whole trip to find a new home has been nothin' but trouble.

My sister then smiled, "Oh, then I guess you won't care if I read your diary seeing how you won't be able to see me do such a heinous crime."

My eyes widened and instantly turned myself at her, "You wouldn't dare, Selene", Ellie warned her, also stamping my front left leg.

"You liked that foal we met along the way?" she smirked, on some random page she opened

Ellie quickly rammed myself into her, causing her to the diary. That'll teach my sis for reading my boo- Whoa!

"Y'know, Unicorns are known for their magic, not their pegasi attitude?" she lectured, as Ellie found myself above the ground being levitated.

"You won't get those glasses on me," she nudged the glasses away from my face with my magic.

My eyes widened again when she suddenly saw Selene grin sinisterly, "No pleas-"

"Eli, you sure you know the way?" his wife asked.

"I can't say I've been there but all the ponies been saying this road's the safest in all of the Marevada, Maya. Most ponies take this route."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said worryingly.

He tried to reassure here "Look, I know I'm not the fighting type but I will do everything to protect the fillies. I wouldn't have made this journey if it weren't for the future of them."

The two heard laughter from behind. Eli then felt a peck on his cheek, "Oh, Eli" Maya said as she rested her head on his neck, cheerful about the two laughing.

"Haahahah- St- Stop- hahahaa- Ok, okay- I'll wear them" she pleaded, still laughing uncontrollably because of her tickling her.

The tickling stopped and she felt something resting on my nose.

"There you go. You don't want to lose sight of me or papa and mum, would you?"

"Nnnnope," she said grinning. Both of them laid their backs onto the cart, ignoring the sizzling heat the wood had soaked in.

They then looked into each others eyes. "Hey, sis. What do you want to do the most when we get there" she asked

Selene quickly answered back, "Anywhere we go, Ellie, I want to be there with and for you."

"So would I, sis."

THUMP

"What was-"

"Shhh, stay here, Ellie" Selene said quietly. She then to take a peak.

I stood still as I watched her slightly lifted the blanket, but I was able to see a small glimpse of what was outside.

I saw a mare in uniform.

How Long is 'A While'?

Suddenly, Selene was grabbed by two other ponies and pulled out of the cart.

"Get your hands off my daughter, bastards" Eli shouted, running towards the ponies subduing Selene. A soldier got in front of him, kneeling his front legs, causing Eli to slam into the soldier's lower body, tripping and flipping midair before landing on the ground. The soldiers started laughing but stopped when the soldier who tripped Eli was thrown back a couple meters from where he was.

They all holstered their rifles at Maya whose horn was illuminating with magic. The soldiers' hooves on the trigger, Maya was ready to unleash a area ranged attack that would send at least 5 soldiers who were the closest flying a dozen meters in the air, but that got rid of the 5 out of probably 20 more soldiers around her. Anything to protect Eli and her children came first though, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Don't shoot her, you washouts," somepony said in a lazy and uncaring tone.

Eli got off the ground and both saw a pony walk around the cart towards them. The pony walked in an orderly fashion, wearing sunglasses and having a straw in his mouth. He also was wearing a cap unlike the soldiers who wore helmets, definitely an officer, they all thought.

"Unholster your guns. Gonzola, your rifle's on safety" the officer pony sighed, then turning to Eli and Maya, "Sorry for the way my men's been treating y'all. Discipline's been hard to come by with these locals, or as I like to call them," he paused, throwing out the straw from his mouth before looking up to their Eli and Maya at eye level, "... locos. Damn locos got no discipline in this here army"

"Thank you very much sir for stopping the fight, but what army are you talking about?" Eli asked.

"Why, it's the army of the New Republic of Equestria"

The Bringers all examined the clothing the soldiers wore. Not only did they carry a rifle but also a sack on opposite sides of their body probably for food and other things. Their helmets also had a thin circular crown and a wide brim on the edges. The soldiers were mainly Earth ponies with a couple Pegasi. All of which were dirty, covered in dust. My dad always told me to wash off the dust at least once a week or else radiation will eat away at your health. Who knows how long they've been in a desert and not even knowing anything about cleaning one self up, she thought to herself

Surprised and shocked by this sudden revelation, Eli and Maya became even more worried by the fact that a new power has risen over which has now caught up with them.

"Listen, we happen to be camping by this road and coincidentally, we're moving out right now to where you're going." the officer said, "You three look like you'd be of use to us along with the rest of the other camp followers."

"Camp followers?" Eli asked, shocked but returned to the matter on hand, "I appreciate the offer, sir but we don't want any part in your war you're waging with whoever"

"That wasn't an offer and I'm afraid I can't let you go on your way, sir and madame. Men, find these ponies something of use for these locals to do.

Ellie watched as her father was knocked out from rifle butt from behind, her mother was taken behind and she saw the soldiers drag them away. Her sister on the other hand, who just on my left disappeared while Ellie was focused on her parents in front. Anxious, she began to panic, Alright, stay calm, just... stay... cal-

Light instantly blinded her, with somepony looking under the blanket but the pony suddenly disappeared. What just happened? All I saw was a dark figure for a second or two.

The blanket then was torn off after a few seconds later. I felt somepony grab me from behind me, lifting me off the cart with his mouth. Still dangling off the ground, while feeling the teeth clenching onto the backside of my neck. Right in front of me was the officer, looking right into my eyes. The fact he was wearing sunglasses made him more threatening. I was speechless.

The officer began gloating "Well, look what we have here. A little short for a camp follower bu-" ffffffffffffFFFWWWTTTT!

I fell onto the ground, not knowing why he dropped m- Oh my gosh, there's blood on me. I looked on the backsides of my hooves being covered in blood. A few seconds later, a big thump sound fell behind her. Turning back, she saw the soldier who previously was carrying me, was now suffocating and coughing out his own blood. She uncontrollably crawled backwards away from the blood pool gushing out of his neck. He was hit in the neck and he needed help immediately.

But no pony moved to help him, no pony. Instead, everyone ran towards cover, leaving him to die. Her eyes were deadlocked on the dying soldier. "Isn't any pony going to help him!?!" she yelled out in desperation and fear, "ANYPONY?!?"

"Quiet, filly." the officer's hoof was pressed against her mouth. The officer turned to somepony, calling out, "Hellcat, get your flank over here". The pony came and he wore a black jacket, one side being long sleeved and the other side being short, and also a cowboy hat.

"Jeez, calm down. It'll be another 5-10 minutes after the warning shot is fired before the raiders attack in force."

It was a 'she'? Huh... I never would've gussed it but I think it made her even cooler since her voice also was calm and certain, which complimented her physical appearance.

"I want you to take her out of here. Far away. This is no place for a filly to be in. Be back here when this is all over."

Amusingly, the pony in black, yawned and then replied, "Alriiigght. See you in a while"

She took her by the neck and tossed Ellie over to her back to ride on.

She started walking off to the opposite direction, away from the inevitable fight. A few meters on her way, she asked the officer, "Say, why're you so uncertain about keeping the filly here when you know you're going to come out victorious. I mean, you might as well leave her at the camp where the raiders won't enter without getting past you guys?"

The officer snickered, "The last thing you ever want for any filly is to poison their soul."

The pony in black said nothing back but nodded and she began cantering away from the camp... and my family.

"But what about my dad, mom, and sister?" Ellie asked concernedly, "They'll be alright, right?"

...

No answer. She felt a tear falling off my cheeks before she saw a vague glimpse of my some pony, coming out of hiding behind a rock a dozen meters away from the pace the soldiers stopped her family. That's my sister! She must've used a teleportation spell to get away.

I watched as she smiled and was waving towards me.

If this was the last time I saw her, then I was glad to have see her off this way. And I probably will see them in a day or two. I just can't wait, I optimistically thought.

A Link to the Past

10 Years Later

"You sure it's here?" a pony asked, looking into the farm houses set in front of the horizon.

"Yyyup" the other pony answered back. "Weather's nice this mighty fine day, huh?" the cool breeze took him back a bit, reminded of his youth back on his farm, "I hope the same goes for her"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you'll see."

"Nash, you let out the bunnies into the carrot fields, again?"

"Imma mighty sorry, ma'am. I was really plumb tuckered out this morning. I didn't expect-"

"It don't matter a thing, Nash," she chuckled, "Just help me round up them bunnies, without traumatizing them this time" she suggested cheerfully

The two smiled at each other, especially Nash who was relieved. He thought to himself how thankful he should be for having her employ him when most pony would throw him out for flopping up on more than one occasion in a week.

Catching the majority of the bunnies relied on timing and speed. For most, both had to scurry the bunnies back to their quarters. Other bunnies however, have adapted and often outsmarted the ponies. The only way other than traumatizing them by snatching them with their mouths was to lure them with food. Technically, this was easier, but with food being scarce, this was often the last resort and unfortunately, this happened today.

It was already hard to feed themselves when they also had to make their quotas, with the money being invested into better capital for farming.

Regardless, the sun was setting and Nash went to return the equipment back to the shed, while she went to the farmhouse to jot down the quota she made today. She took off her tailored cowgirl hat and rested herself onto a chair, getting her glasses back on for the paperwork.

"Excuse me, ma'am"

She lifted her eyes up and saw a pony right in front of her.

"You don't happen to be, Ellie Bringer, now aren't you?"

"No, sorry, sir. I'm her sister, Selene Bringer. I don't know where Ellie Bringer went after the massacre. Probably somewhere better than this dump," she chuckled to herself

The mysterious pony seemed like he was halfway to hoofing up daisies. Tired, troubled, and somewhat lost.

"Bu- but..."

She got up and apologized, "I'm mighty sorry about this mix up. Especially since you probably traveled across several acres of land to get here. Let me at least give you a day's worth of food for the trip back, it's the least I can do for you"

"But the glasses"

"What glasses? I'm not wearing any"

"They're on your desk, the glasses you wore a decade ago"

She looked back at her desk, she must've taken off her glasses with magic without knowing.

"Well, I... uhh..."

"Will you give it a rest, already."a pony called out from the sidelines. It was a familiar voice to her. "He knows you're Ellie Bringer. Just listen to what he's about to say"

She decided to drop the charades and let the pony speak, but only after she told him, "Look, I know it's going to be about my family. Been 10 years after what happened, of me going to the Bureau of Information every month for any news about a single family member has been a wild goose chase. And how do you know me?"

"Why, I was the one who found you. I was there 10 years ago when the NRE stopped you at our camp. I too was a involuntary camp follower. I was the one was suppose to look for any goods of use in the cart and I found you."

Ellie flashed back to the moment when a dark figure opened the blanket before closing it but still being found seconds later by the soldiers.

"But don't take this the wrong way. I didn't tell nopony about you," he reassured, "Though of course, no pony believed me"

"Thank you, Mister...?

"Pockets. But what you should know is that your family is alive."

Her eyes widened at the prospect of them being alive, but then she became suspicious, "Wait, how did you survive to tell me about this? Everypony knows that the raiders actually massacred the ponies there. Even if there were remains, the sandstorms often cover the skeletal remains before anypony else would ever reclaim them."

"Being a unicorn, I thought you'd know better" the pony on the sideline said

"Teleportation" she thought

"Exactly, only a handful of us camp followers were teleported, but since the magic was probably so strong, all of us found ourselves in different places. Took me a couple days to get to a settlement. Wanting to thank your family, I'd tried looking for them, which has lead me to you"

"I don't know what to say, sir. Thank you but there's not much I can do. you so much

"Huh, never thought of you doing farm work. Always assumed Nash did all the work, him being a Earth pony and all"

She stopped writing, "And what does that mean?" she asked as she glared at him. Both knowing it was rhetorical, she returned to writing.

"Why'd you lie to him"

"I like to feel like she's here"

"Well, I better not