Fallout Equestria: Duty

Fallout Equestria: Duty

Chapter 29

Death

“Did you... fail?”

~O~Frostmane~O~

I groaned. No matter how I looked at it, there was no way I could have been where I found myself. The living room of my apartment in Manehatten lay before me, the giant flat screen TV on the far wall displaying only static. I sighed as I trotted around my white plush sofa, already expecting who I was about to meet once again. The mare did not disappoint me. Looking up at me with her green eyes, Luna smiled at me gently. I couldn't help but notice however, that her smile looked more than just a little sad.

“Luna... What can I do for you this time? I haven't found the Sirens yet, if that's why you're here.” I said, sitting down in front of the Alicorn who was occupying all of my sofa.

“I... I am very, very sorry Frostmane. I'm here because you are in great danger, and there is not much time for you to do something about it. These Ponies... the ones who have captured you...” she began, but I interrupted her by raising a hoof.

“Captured? Who the buck captured me? What happened to Storm and Golden Sunshine?” I asked frantically, panic rising in my throat.

“You... You're friends are in a bad state. The wannabe Alicorn... she is hurting, but safe for now. Your Pegasus marefriend however...” she said, and my blood ran cold. I forgot everything, jumping up and grabbing the Princess by the shoulders.

“What happened to Firestorm? Tell me!” I shouted. The midnight blue Alicorn didn't try to escape from my grasp, as I shook her. All she did was look at me sadly as her horn shimmered to life. The TV screen behind me crackled to life, and my friend and Princess pointed at it with one of her hooves.

The picture it showed me was from a perspective close to the ground. Whatever camera was transmitting these images, couldn't be bigger than a few inches.

“My soul fragment has separated some of the Starmetal your armor is made of from the whole, and is currently scouting out the area in which you are being held prisoner. Please forgive me, but you wanted to know this...” Luna said, as I saw the debris of a wooden door that littered the floor of a fancy looking corridor. The little fragment slithered through it, so it could look into the room itself. My heart skipped a beat as I saw my white friend standing in the middle of the room, her golden Alicorn shield surrounding her on all sides. Ten stallions stood around her, with heavy assault rifles on their battle saddles.

Just as I was wondering why Golden Sunshine didn't just blast them to bits and come to our rescue, I saw that her legs had been partially fused with the floor. Sweat beaded her brow, and I couldn't begin to fathom how much pain my Alicorn friend must have been in. Still, she did her best to keep her shield up.

“The little horn agent. They have used a small amount of it on your friend to bind her to that spot, so she wouldn't be able to resist. This place, is a brothel. A brothel in which the bodies of captured mares are sold to willing customers.” Luna explained, as the image on the screen changed.

“But not only that. Even if they die from the treatment they receive here, their bodies are not allowed to rest in peace.” my friend added, and I could only stare. The image was now showing something that looked like a gift shop. Instead of the usual merchandise of shirts, sweaters or cups, there were the stuffed bodies of several mares of all ages. A sign at the far wall read:

Fully conserved mares for your enjoyment. Buy two, get one for free!

I gagged. I knew that this was some sort of dream, but it felt real enough to make me sick. Just how sick were these Ponies? But... if Luna was showing me this... then what had happened to Firestorm?

Hesitantly, I asked the question. The Princess shook her head.

“No. Your marefriend is alive, but she is by no means well. I won't show you what they are doing to her, but let me just say that she has been used every day for the last week, by multiple “customers”.” Luna explained, and I could feel how my rear legs gave out from under me.

“I have to wake up. I'll rip them apart. No survivors. No mercy.” I said tonelessly, tears flowing down my face, as a midnight blue hoof reached out and raised my chin.

“You won't be able to help them. Golden Sunshine has a lot more magic than you, and even she won't be able to hold out much longer. This place has a magic disruption generator in place. It is located under the floor panels of the main lobby. This piece of arcano tech was developed for prisons, to cut down on the cost for magical dampening rings. You can't punch through it's effect. You are simply not strong enough to do that. Your friend only managed to do so, because she is exceptionally strong, but the generator is draining her magic pretty fast.”

“What... What can I do?” I asked, looking directly into my friends eyes. Luna averted her gaze before she spoke again. The screen had changed once again, showing three Earthponies in ragged looking barding laying unconscious in a dirty hallway. A rose colored Earthpony mare stood over them, a pair of Hoof-Claws on her forelegs. If her Cutiemark hadn't been a dead giveaway, the Delta military issue Pipbuck on her left foreleg would have been. Cherry Cream. Another one of my former commanders had obviously escaped from the Luna Dream.

“How long?” she called over her shoulder and, slithering between the mares legs, the fragment was able to show me a mustard colored Pegasus working on the lock of a cage. His green mane and tail made me recognize him as Sergeant Lemon Butter.

“A few minutes. Didn't expect them to have such sophisticated locks in their slave pens.” the stallion called back to the mare. As he shifted slightly to do so, I saw my on unconscious body laying inside the cage.

“There... There is a way for you to help all of them. But it requires you to die, my friend.” the Alicorn in front of me said, still refusing to meet my gaze. Strength returned to my spectral body, and I batted away her hoof from under my chin.

“Then what are you waiting for? If I need to die to save them, then so be it!” I spat as I stood up, glaring at Luna. My magic took a hold of her head to force her to look into my eyes.

“But... it... it will hurt you greatly... It will only last for seconds but...” she began, but I interrupted her once more.

“I don't care! I would have done the same for you back then Luna. I don't know what you intend to do, but whatever it is, get on with it!” I shouted. For a moment, Luna looked as if she wanted to argue with me, but then she nodded.

“I'm very sorry.” she whispered, a tear running down her face as her horn came to life. My body began to heat up, and soon I felt as if I had swallowed a heat talisman. As I fell to the floor, rolling around as if I was on fire, I saw that the screen was no back to showing nothing but static. A scream forced it's way out of my throat as my flesh began to char away.

For a moment, I wished I hadn't insisted on this, but then I remembered Firestorms smiling face. The expression she wore on her face when I had sung that song. A moment later, it was all over and I fell into blackness...

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I found myself standing on a pathway that looked as if it was made out of sparkling stars, floating in the middle of a slightly glowing blue void. An urge to walk the path suddenly overcame me, and disappeared just as quickly. A midnight blue hoof was put onto my shoulder, and I turned around. I didn't know how I knew, but I was aware that this wasn't the real Luna anymore. It was her soul fragment.

“So... it has come to this. I didn't think she meant it when she said my time was over, but it seems I was wrong once again.” the fragment said sadly, her formerly flippant and slightly insulting attitude completely gone.

“Wha...?” I asked, not getting her meaning.

“You really are a dense one. This here is the pathway that leads to the afterlife. Everypony that comes here will feel an urge to walk down it, and see all of their sins and exploits. Everything a Pony has ever done in their life. At the end, a verdict will be passed over that Pony, and you will either end up in Elysium, or Tartarus. Only the presence of an eternal one, or Alicorn as you call us, can cancel out the urge to follow this trail.” the fragment explained, looking down at me.

“But... why is you time over? I'm dead, aren't I? Luna can use the life she took from me to save my friends, can't she?” I inquired. I thought that my friend intended to use my life force to give her a temporary body. It was dark magic for sure, but I knew that it was possible. The fragment however just shook her head.

“You will ascent. Right now, there are no real Alicorns in the wasteland. You will be the first since Lunas was made.”

“What? Me? An Alicorn? You gotta be kidding!”

“Yep. For a few hours after the transformation, you will look like Luna, and I will still be with you to help you get accustomed to your new body. After that time, your coloration, and even your Cutimark might change, and I will return here. Once my task with you is complete, I will have to wait here, until the rest of Lunas soul is released and joins me here. An incomplete specter like me can't join the afterlife after all.”

My mind was spinning. Luna was intending for me to become an Alicorn? A real one at that? Not one like Golden Sunshine? Why me? What did I do to deserve this honor?

All those questions were buzzing around in my mind, as the fragment of Lunas soul jabbed a hoof into my side.

“Hey! Pull yourself together, will you? We shouldn't waste any more time so let's get it over with.” the fragment said, lifting me into the air with her magic. I could feel something shift in my very being. I was just about to call out, as a bright flash of silver light consumed the world around me.

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

As the world came back into focus again I lay on the ground, the stench of burnt flesh assaulting my nostrils. I looked around and spotted the cage I had seen Lemon Butter work on only a few moments before. The stallion was bowing in front of me, his muzzle on the floor and his eyes shut tight. There were tears flowing down his face however. My gaze drifted over to the cage once more, and I spotted my Pipbuck and armor talismans. The gems in them were broken, and they were dripping blood.

“My blood...” I thought as I floated them towards me. My Pipbuck found it's home on my left foreleg once more, the magic in the device fusing it to my new flesh. Everything around me seemed so... vibrant. I could hear the beating of Lemons heart, and even the subdued screams from further in the building. The Pegasus in front of me almost seemed to glow as I looked at him. Was this how Luna had always seen the world?

“Y...Your highness. It is an honor to be in your presence.” Lemon Butter said, not raising his head. I chuckled despite of myself. It took me a moment to be able to stand up. I wasn't used to legs this long, and my newly acquired wings were an even stranger aspect to this whole thing. Only my magic was... familiar. It worked much like it always had, but I could also sense subtle differences.

“Rise, Sergeant Lemon Butter. Besides, since when do you address me as “Your highness”?” I asked, and the stallion looked up at me with a bewildered expression on his face.

“But... you are Princess Luna, aren't you?” I heard a mares voice from the door. Turning, I saw Cherry Cream staring at me.

“I may look like her for now, but you know me very well. I am Frostmane, and I intend to wreck this place.” I replied, noticing that my EFS was flickering in and out of existence. It looked like I wouldn't be able to use my Pipbuck until I had taken out the device generating this field.

“Frostmane? As in... Vice-General Frostmane? Oh you got to be shitting me!” the rose mare exclaimed. I shook my head. Lemon Butter also expressed his disbelief.

“Believe me, my friends, it is me. Explanations can wait for later. Right now, I have a friend to rescue. You two should get out of here as fast as you can, because I can't exactly control this power yet. Once everything is said and done meet me...” I said thoughtfully, trying to come up with a location. Then I remembered the small shop I had once worked in. If it still stood, it would make for a good meeting place. “Meet me in Sugarcoats Fancy bakery, located at Trot Avenue 26. If you don't show up, I won't hold it against you. You are free to do whatever you see fit.” I added, trotting past my two former subordinates. Both of them stared at me in disbelief, clearly unable to understand what was going on.

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It wasn't exactly hard to reach the main lobby and take out the generator under the floor. Nopony opposed me as I trotted along and stopped in the middle of the lobby. They just stared at me. Even the guards who were supposedly protecting this place didn't lift a hoof to stop me as my horn began to glow in a brilliant blue light. Only when I released the magic, creating a mid-sized crater in the middle of the lobby did they start firing at me. It was so easy to take them out, that I seriously wondered how we could have ever lost the war. If this was what a real Alicorn was capable of, then all the Princesses would have needed to do, was join the fighting themselves.

Several bullets pinged off my Alicorn shield, falling to the ground harmlessly. A grin found it's way onto my muzzle as I grabbed every single one of the bullets in my telekinesis and sent them back towards my attackers. The guards were screaming, and not all of them died instantly. Some where ripped to shreds by the wall of deformed bullets, while others were only severely injured.

Cherry Cream and Lemon Butter had darted out of the building before the shooting had started, and I guessed that this was the last I ever saw of them. They were scared and confused by what they had witnessed, and I couldn't even blame them.

“You'll pay for that, bitch!” a stallion called out, and I turned around to face him. He had a neck beard and a black hat on his head. The barrels of twin missile launchers graced his battle saddle, and they were pointed towards me. It didn't take me long to grab both projectiles in my magic before they left their barrels, and trigger the detonation mechanism. For a moment, it looked as if the blue stallion was actually surprised at this, before he was ripped into two by the twin explosions.

“I don't quite think so.” I mused, as I stepped over the remains of his desecrated body.

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

My advance through the facility was much more bloody after the fight in the main lobby. Guards and customers alike threw themselves at me, and even tried to use the slave mares as shields against my attacks. These mares were not glowing as brightly as the guards and customers in my vision. Their auras looked... muted and gray. Broken shells of Ponies. I pitied them, and tried my best not to hurt any of them. I was slaughtering my way towards a marker on my EFS, where Firestorm was supposed to be according to my Pipbuck, but there was no rage in my system yet. Most of it was simply disgust at what these Ponies had done, and how they treated their fellow Ponies. No. These weren't Ponies I was killing here. These were monsters. Monsters that had to be put down, one way or another.

On my way I came across the “gift shop”. The stuffed bodies of adult mares and foals alike looked back at me from glass eyes. This was the first time since my transformation that I felt a wave of anger rush through me. A flick of my horn later, and the entire shop was set ablaze by silver fire.

I watched the stuffed bodies of the mares and foals burn for about a minute, before I moved on. The stink of the preservatives that had been used to preserve their bodies was overwhelming as they burnt,  but I decided that it was better than leaving them there. They had suffered enough during their lives, and now they deserved to rest in peace.

Just as I wanted to round a corner, the form of a spectral Pegaus filly appeared in front of me. I recognized her as the one I had saved from Chain Whip. So she didn't survive after all... A tear rolled down my face, as she smiled at me. I couldn't her a word she said, but I understood her nonetheless as she mouthed the words.

“Thank you.”

A scream and the sound of breaking wood brought me back to reality as the spectral filly faded out of existence. I galloped towards the sound and when I rounded the last corner, I could see Firestorm standing over a stallion. She looked like hell, and her armor was only partially formed. Chains on her legs prevented it from forming fully. The links were broken however. She looked like hell. My marefriends mane was rusted with a substance I knew only too well, and the smell of semen assaulted my nostrils as I stepped closer to her.

Firestorms Hoof-Claws  were extended, digging into the chest of a pink Unicorn stallion, pinning him to the ground. He was screaming in pain as my marefriend leaned in closer, a mad glint in her one eye.

“You wanted to really fuck me up. Now let me return the favor.” she hissed through grit teeth. I could only watch, shocked, as the scorpion tail of her armor came around and plunged itself into the stallions plot. He began to struggle even harder, trying to get away from her, but Firestorm wouldn't let him.

“Now... how do YOU like that? Huh? Tell me you raping piece of shit!” she shouted, as her scorpion tail disappeared deeper into the stallions plot. Soon, he was spitting out blood and went still. Firestorm didn't stop, until the tip of her armored tail emerged from the stallions muzzle. Only then did she step of off him, raising his dead body on her tail.

“That should teach you not to FUCK with me.” she snarled, before pulling her tail out of the stallions body with one swift pull. The corpse crumpled to the ground, blood staining the floor from his muzzle and plot. She spun around, obviously spotting my blip on her EFS, and froze. I could see that she wanted to attack me, but she didn't. Her tail, still dripping shit, intestines and blood was raised threateningly behind her back.

“Storm... It's enough. Calm down.” I said in a sad tone as I approached her. For some reason, she didn't mistake me for Luna. Instead she lunged at me. At first, I thought she was about to attack me, but I couldn't have been more wrong. A pair of black wings and forelegs wrapped themselves around my neck, as Firestorm began to cry uncontrollably. Raising one of my own forelegs, I returned her embrace, and we stayed like this for a long moment.

“I... F... Frostmane... it's you, isn't it? It's really you!” she sputtered between her sobs and I nodded.

“It's me. I hate to ask this of you, but do you think you can go on for just a little longer? We still have to get Golden Sunshine out of here.” I said softly, stroking my marefriends stained mane. She nodded before extracting herself from our embrace. I saw that she was was hurting inside, and that her body was in an even worse state, but she just had to go on at least a little longer. At least until we had gotten Golden Sunshine and were on our way out of here.

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

On our way to where Golden Sunshine was being held captive, we ran into little resistance. Most of the Ponies seemed to have gotten the message that they couldn't beat us by simply swarming in on us, and had run for their lives. Only a few guards tried to play the hero, and were ripped apart by my magic and Firestorms Hoof-Claws for their trouble.

My marefriend went through the motions almost automatically. Until a red Unicorn mare with a blue mane crossed our way that was. By that point, I had used my magic to remove the remainders of her chains, so Firestorms armor was completely formed as she suddenly flared her wings out and charged at the mare. At first, it looked like my marefriends attack was completely absorbed by the magical talismans I could see embedded in the mares body, but them her Novasurge rifles discharged, and the shield the talismans generated dissipated.

The two mares began to struggle with one another, but Firestorms military training soon gave her the upper hoof. I wanted to interfere and help my love, but the look she gave me when I stepped closer told me, that this mare was hers, and hers alone.

“Let me go, bitch!” the mare shouted, getting a hoof to the face for her insult.

“I told you that you would rue the day you were born if you didn't let us go, and I am a mare who keeps her word.” Firestorm growled, before dragging the mare off into one of the rooms that lined the corridor. “I am sorry Frostmane, but this is personal. You go and get Golden.” she added, before closing the door on me. It didn't take long, until I could hear screaming from the other side.

I sighed, before deciding that this was something my marefriend had to do in order to get over what she had been through. It didn't meant that I liked it, but I was willing to step aside and let her have her way.

~O~Firestorm~O~

I turned around towards the mare who had caused me so much pain. She had her baton floating next to her in her magic already. Now that the magic suppression field was gone, she was using her horn quite readily. My helmet closed as I advanced at the mare. Her baton hit me straight in the face, but it didn't do much damage.

“Everything that happens from here on out, you brought upon yourself.” I said coldly, as a shot from my rifles turned her baton into lavender dust on the floor. The “Mistress” was now backing away from me, throwing weak blasts of telekinesis my way while she did so. They dissipated against my armor, without harming me in the slightest.

“Get away from me, bitch! How dare you?” she shouted, as she threw a cupboard at me with her magic. My tail lashed out, cutting the wooden piece of furniture into two long before it reached me.

“I am Major Firestorms, Moon Skull Platoon, first armored Luna division. Service number MS-00002, and you are charged with assault on an equestrian military officer. According to martial law, I have the right to execute you.” I stated as I reached the shuddering mare. She was cowering in a corner of the room, her eyes wide with fear.

“Stay back! You're my property! You can't do this to me!” she shouted shakily, but I just shook my head.

“What is your name? Don't die a nameless peasant in this conflict.” I said, raising my armored tail into the air.

“B...Broken Dream...” the mare stammered as she saw the tail of my armor. The blood and intestines of quite a few of her customers and guards were still dripping off of it. A second later, it rushed forward, hitting home in the mares left shoulder. She screamed and kicked at me as I pressed her against the wall with the armored appendage. One of her hooves connected, but she was too weak to do any damage to my armor. How had she ever been able to drag me around? She was so weak that it was pathetic.

Pinning the mare down against the wall with my tail, I raised one of my forelegs and extended a single Hoof-Claw. Broken Dreams pupils shrank to pinpricks as she saw the razor sharp blade that was slowly approaching her face. The mare screamed in pain, when the claw punctured first her left and then her right eye. I did it slowly, taking care. I wanted her to experience the full horror of what she was going through.

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, just let me go!” she cried, as her eyeballs flowed down her face.

“No chance. None of your “boys” listened when I was pleading for them to stop, nor did you intervene. I know you were watching. You didn't show me any mercy, so why should I show any to you?” I asked, as my Claw began to cut her skin vertically across her face. At first, she only whimpered, but when I started to pull her skin off of her flesh, the screams started once more. Broken Dream continued to scream, curse and cry at me, but all I could think about was this last week. She had ordered her Ponies to do these things to me, and had watched me suffer.

Her subordinates had made me cry and plead, and now it was time for a little payback. I took my time with her face, trying to injure as small an amount of blood vessels as possible. I only wanted it to hurt for now after all...

OooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Frostmane was tending to Golden Sunshine in another room, while I finished my business with Broken Dream. By now, I had skinned her face completely, had cut her legs off and stuffed one of them into her. The mare was still alive, but I knew that she was broken. All she was saying now, was that she was sorry over and over again. It was time. Time to end this.

“If you are ever reborn, I hope you choose a more honorable career. If not, I might come for you again.” I said coldly, before my tail rushed forward once more, ending the mares life.

Footnotes:

Frostmane:

Race change:

Alicorn: You have shed your mortal flesh and become an Alicorn. The scientists at Hippocratic research would certainly be pleased by this, had you not killed all of the ones experimenting on you. Your magic and Pipbuck (which is powered by your inherent magic) can no longer be jammed. Your magical output is increased by 65%.

Spell Upgrade:

Pitcher (Rank 4): You can now use your magic to throw objects at the speed of a bullet. Damage varies from object to object.

New Spell:

Dreamwalking (Rank 1): The realm of the dead lays beyond the realm of dreams. Having traveled to the former and come back alive, you now posses the ability to enter a Ponies dreams at will.

New Skill:

Flying (Rank 1): Due to your transformation into an Alicorn, you now have the gift of flight. You are, however, not very good at it and will need serious flying lessons in the future.

New Trait:

Alicorn Senses (Rank 2): You can sense / hear other lifeforms from over a hundred feet away. You can not see if they are hostile or not however. Your Perception is permanently increased to 10.

Maximum Level

Firestorm

New Trait:

Former Sex Slave: You have been forced to let others use your body for their pleasure, and you have survived the experience without breaking. Your resistance against torture and / or mental attacks has increased by 25%.

Maximum Level

Golden Sunshine

Spell Upgrade:

Alicorn Shield (Rank 5): You can now hold your shield for several days if you have to. It can also be deployed with a charge of magical energy, without having to be sustained by a constant flow of magical energy.

Level Up