Fallout Equestria: Chumming Waters

Fallout Equestria: Chumming Waters

Chapter 6 - Tower Raid

To celebrate another year of faith, I dedicate this sermon to our prophet, Lady Thorn Roseland of the Leviathan. May Celestia and Luna look down on us and smile.

We are all born with a darkness within us, we are born dirty. But it was through Celestia and Luna that we became clean, free from evils grasp. But evil is like dirt, unless we live a life dedicated to the goddesses, it will find a way back to us, back into our hearts. So we must be vigilant, we must keep ourselves clean of evil, and most of all we must never be tricked by false prophets.

Before death of Equestria, and before Thorn, there were such false prophets who had lead us astray. The six whores of the Ministry's were the false prophets, and it was they who slew our goddesses. Each one divided our holy kingdom, and made with the peaces their own kingdom. Each one drew the worship away from the goddesses and to themselves. They spread lies, fomented faithlessness, and created abominations. And in the end, they rewarded Equestria with fire and death. But don't think it's over, don't think their followers perished along with Equestria. For out there in our vast world our enemy's gather, for out there they work to have our goddesses die a second death.

So we must remember the words of our prophet Lady Thorn Roseland. We must be strong, we must be willing to fight. We must never lose faith. And most of all, we must bring the heathens to their end, because if we don't, they will end us.

-Red Ink Scripture of the Followers of Thorn. Year Hundred of the New Era.

The guards position had been over run, and we were prone to take on the tower. After the second bomb, the rest of the Corps Brigade rushed the guards position before they could recover, which explained why only one guard had come after me. By the time I had rejoined the group, all the bodies had been scavenged for anything they had, so other than the one guard I had killed, I had missed out on getting some more good stuff. Lucky Puppet Strings scavenged the stuff from the medic guard I had... killed, and gave me his medical supply's. I now had two healing potions, a med-X, and something called booster which I guessed was what the guard used on me.

Puppet String stood in front of us all, there was at least over twenty of us here, many with bullet holes in their uniforms. "Remember what our strength is, and why we be winnin'. We do not have the superior gear, nor do we have t' numbers, and forget bein' t' best trained. In turn we hit hard, we hit smartly, and we don't let them hit back! Our strength came from us bein' underestimated, and unpredictable. But we lose that strength once we push for t' towers, but they have also lost t' strength thar numbers. So when we go in thar, don't hold back, rush them, shoot them, and fill them with terror!""

Carving Doll and two other pegasi had strapped themselves with pipe bombs and rust guns. The two pegasi had even a copped Carving Doll by attaching blades to the end of their hooves. The rest of the group had a mixed assortment of weapons, and had repaired their armor with parts from the guards they had scavenged. Spikes seemed to have become the trend for armor modification, but the green over red stayed as the color of our group. It gave a chaotic order feel to us.

At Puppet Strings command, Smoke and flash bombs were thrown out, and after a few seconds we rushed at the tower with the guards above unable to pinpoint us. Bullets rained down on us as we sprinted, I felt at least one bullet come close, with luck I didn't get hit. But I did hit the wall on the other side with a thud. Using that wall as my guide, I was able to find the tunnel to the apple orchard, rejoining with the rest of the group as we moved onto our target.

Looking back as the smoke cleared, five of us didn't make it, there mangled corpses pooled blood around them. One of them was still alive, something that didn't last long as a bullet popped the pony's skull. The rest of us were mostly unscratched, and the ones who were hurt, they will be fine.

Fresh apples were the best, juicy and sweet, with a hint of salt to it. We didn't stop to eat them, but I did grab one as it fell, eating it on the go. Most of the Corps Brigade had the same idea.

Once more we split up into two groups, taking two different entrances in hoping to keep the guards from just boxing us in. I went with Puppet Strings, the mare leading a smaller and more well armed group. My role with Puppet Strings was to assist the flank of the group, and to pick up anything useful for the group.

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The guards had not in time set up a defensive barricade for the third tower, so when we rushed in a few of them died when bullets passed through their cover, and into them. The rest fell back to defend the stairwell. This meant we had taken the first floor in one move, but also that we had to fight an enemy who would always have the highground.

As the other fought the guards up to the next floor, I helped two other Brigaders set up traps. It was mostly explosives, but the two were really good at making traps out of random junk.

Spring Box had tools for turning the most random stuff into something that can kill you, and had a sense of humor about it. She had opened a plush pony doll, put a small board with nails sticking out, and set the doll on a spring launcher. Placing the trap on a couch surrounded by pillows, she placed an empty magazine on the dolls lap, and left a note the said. “Don’t Hug Me!”

“I wish I could see t' look on their faces when that takes an eye out.” Spring Box bosted.

“That’s good an all, but were tryin' t' kill em here. Missin' an ain't goin' t' stop em from shootin' at us.” Trip Boom had just finished setting up his fifth gun trap. He had been given the extra guns we had picked up, and had turned them into traps for the guards. “What about you Star Charter, got a nasty surprise for t' loyalists?”

I pulled out a lunch box I had found. inside was another pipe bomb I was given, and some random scrap metal. “Is this good?”

Spring Box smiled. “Not bad, but it’s missin' t' best part. Pass it here.” I hoofed the lunch box over, and she pulled out a talisman she had on her. “Been savin' this for somethin' fun, sensor talismans be hard t' sneak out of, but this be worth it.” Attaching the talisman to the triggering mechanism and tweaking a few parts, she hoofed the lunch box back over to me. “Now it will go off if any pony gets close t' it. Cool don’t you think?”

I nodded my head. “You have any more sensor talismans?”

“Kid if I didn’t, then I would not waste them on you.” she pulled out a few more with a smile. “Just find me more lunch boxes, and ill install them for you.”

Trip Boom chucked. “And how many times did you fuck t' foreman t' get your hooves on all o' those?”

She shook her flank at Trip Boom. “Don’t act jealous now, you did pay t' fuck me a month ago. T' forman just so happens t' be one o' me more loyal clients, and pays in parts” She wrapped her hooves around me. “You want t' be me apprentice Star? I can show you how t' make a real explosion in more ways than one.” she winked at Trip Boom.

Trip Boom rolled his eyebrows. “Don’t buy into her venom kid, she just like em young. What do you think she’s been doin' with that Black Spot colt.”

Spring Box gave a little gasp. “I would never, well I mean other then that one time, but never. But you should be t' one t' talk, I see how your eyin' little Star Charter.” She held onto me tighter. “Now remember Star, he’s a bad bad stallion, so don’t ever be in a room alone with him, you got that.” Trip Boom face hoofed.

I looked up at her, and then over at Trip Boom. “I think we eat ponies, so were all bad... right?”

They both looked at each other and laughed.

The sound of an alarm followed by a pop ended the friendly banter, as it meant the guards were coming in to flank us. Running off to rejoin with the rest of the group, I armed my bomb, and dropped along the way.

After having blown up a bunch of things, Spring Box’es offer did sound fun, though I rather stick to just explosives.

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Turns out that there is other ways into the main tower other than the way we came in, making our run to regroup more exciting than we thought it was going to be. A quick throw of a grenade gave us the time to get back to the group, but not before we had to dance around a few bullets from the guards.

A satisfying Ka-Boom came from downstairs, If my mine didn’t kill any of the guards, it had to have scared the shit out of them. Sadly I hadn’t seen any more lunch boxes, but I was hopeful that I’d soon find another thing to turn into a trap mine.

When we did rejoin the group, the fighting was still in full swing. We had lost one of our own, but we were still gaining ground, pushing the guards up another floor. Spring Box and Trip Boom had quickly began setting up new traps to help cover our flank, so I took point in defending them. Puppet String’s didn’t say much at the matter, simply throwing us some more explosives to use.

Klack-Klack-Klack-Klack-Klack

One guard that had rushed in, jumped for cover as one of my bullets dug into his armor. The longer I fired the rust gun the harder it was to aim it, and though the battle saddle did help keep it straight, it still managed to bounce around when being fired. If I remembered correctly about what the others told me about using the rust gun, I should just burst fire it, around three shots each to keep control. I was also talk that the rust gun overheated a lot, so not firing full auto should help avoid the gun jamming, or leaving a burn on my side.

Klack-Klack-Klack... Klack-Klack-Klack... Klack-Klack-Klack

I shot at the guard every time they tried to poke their head out, keeping the asshole pinned down. It was something I could do only as long as no other guards came in, so it was an easy enough thing to do for now.

Klack-Klack-Klack... Klack-Klack-Klack

Puppet Strings gave us the sight to move on, so we rushed off before the one guard could counterattack. What did happen was the sound of a gunshot, and the guard screaming. I may not have gotten the guard, but I did by enough time for Trip Boom’s trap to get the fucker. So that made me feel good about myself.

“Every pony keep sharp, we should be gettin' close t' where Victoria is, and where t' captain keeps her best ponies.” We could hear gunfire from another part of the building, the other group sounded like they were being hit harder than we were. Puppet Strings gave us a confirming nod and motion for us to keep moving. “They can handle themselves, so don’t slow down.”

As we moved on, the guards were just falling back without as much fighting as we expected. The reason why quickly became apparent as we came across the corps of one of the ponies that were with Victoria. The pony had been ripped to shreds with bullets, but no other bodies could be seen.

Levitating her gun out, Puppet Strings took a defensive position. “It’s an ambush!” we all followed Puppet’s action just in time.

Guards bust from the rooms, guns drawn, and firing. We fired back at the same time, spraying bullets all over. My rust gun fired seven more shots before the magazine was empty, after that I just put my hooves over my face and waited for the firing to end.

No pony got out of this without a bullet hole. My legs on my right side were all mangled up, the pain bring me back to the barricade, so I quickly injected myself with the Med-X, and guzzled down the healing potions…

Shit I felt good, better than good, I could probably kill a pony with my hooves… I’m going to find a pony to kill, Like right now!

I found myself going nowhere as I walked off. I was being held in place by my tail, Puppet Strings holding it firmly with her magic. “You use all t' med-X you had dammit!” Her dress was wet with blood, turning it from black and white, to black and red. “That was enough for a full grown stallion!”

“Really.” I don’t know why, but I felt sad now. So I turned around and hugged her. “Did I do bad? I did bad didn’t I!”

“Great, now t' filly be trippin' out.” She sighed, hugging me back. “Just stick with me, were headin' t' Victoria now.” She put me on her back, it felt nice. Like when I was with Prism Pant, but smelling more of blood. “T' rest o' you, stay here, heal up, and hold off any Loyalist that come this way.”

About half of us got up and took defensive positions, the others, they just went to sleep. Lazy fuckers. But fuck them, I get to see Victoria again, their loss for being lazy. The guards on the other hoof all stayed down, as they should. Stupid guards doing nothing but being assholes.

Puppet Strings pulled out the empty magazine from my rust gun, and placed another one in. If I needed to, I now could shoot the world, the stupid, stupid world.

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The fighting hadn’t stopped, but with the other holding up there flank… hehe flank. ahh, well you know, the mean guards weren’t coming at our flanks anymore… is it bad that I think Puppet Strings has a nice flank.

“Pup.. Puppet, you have a nice flank! Why do you hide it under that dress?”

She sighed. Using her magic to lift the dress, so I had to back up to give it room. Was she coming onto me? “Most ponies find it… Uncomfortable, t' be around a pony who’s cutie-mark be o' a live pony with strin's sewn into them. They start t' think I will be doin' that t' them.”

The cutie-mark had a pony who was suspended by strings, connected to a handle, the image of the pony looked like it was in pain. “So do you do that.”

“I did plunge a needle into your eye with absolute precision... so aye, on a good day.” She put her dress back down, it making a slight wet sound from being drenched in blood.

“Cool.”

A slight creek caught our attention as a door to our right slowly opened up, and a barrel of a rifle slowly poked out. “Let me show you my special talent.” Her horn lit up with a faint pale green glow, and her dress rustled. Out they flew, sharp shards of metal, all fling into the crack of the door, and the only sound we could here was the gurgling of a pony in pain.

With her magic, she opened the door, and dragged the pony out. It was a stallion, still alive, and with the look of terror on his face. The pony opened his mouth to speak, but Puppet Strings quickly grabbed hold of it with her magic, and sliced out his tongue before forcing his mouth closed. Levitating out a needle and thread, she began sowing the pony’s mouth shut, the pony himself moaning in terror as he struggled, but any resistance was cut away with a metal shards to the back of the neck. Next was his eye, not only were they sewn shut, but crude makeshift buttons were sewn over his eyes. She then propped the pony sitting in front of his door, blood oozing from the closed mouth.

“It’s never quite right when I rushed it.” the stallion twitched and fell over. “I’m not from Blackwater you see. me family were fishers, and me father had t' bright idea o' takin' his family deep out into t' water. I remember I was happy about it, mister smarty pants wanted t' see t' real big fish. but found t' fleet, and me smarty pants was curly cast into t' water. I spent years after that as a slave, spent most o' t' time in t' sailors bed. In that dark place be where I met Carvin' Doll, and were Victoria found us..” Puppet Strings glanced at me, blood oozing from her eyes, and a smile on her face. “I still missed me smarty pants, so Victoria suggested I just make a new one. So I did. But not just one o' them, I made a hole big family o' them. They danced, they had tea, they even took a dive into t' water… never could get them back on t' ship.”

A thumping came down from the hall, and from around the corner was a heavily armored pony. It was nothing like the power armored pony from before, this one was simply warped in metal and cloth and nothing more. The only thing visible were the pony's eyes that peered out through a horizontal slit. Aiming my gun, Puppet Strings stopped me, and pushed me into the room that sewn up stallion had come from. Puppet Strings just barely managed to into the room before the wave of gunfire came from the armored pony's minigun. Though safe for now, it wouldn't take long for that pony to get to the room.

The room itself was nice, bigger, more nice junk, and a window overlooking the city. Sadly there was nothing here that could help us kill the armored pony. but there was food!

Taking a bite from an apple, I watched as Puppet Strings had closed the door we came from, and trotted over to the window, opening it. Pulling out some cloth, she attached it to the open window, and threw it outside. "GET UNDER COVER!"

I was already in the kitchen, so I duck behind the metal counter, along with some dried seaweed. Puppet Strings found a nice metal desk that she flipped over for cover. I rolled an apple over to her, she smiled and ate it.

With a creek I could hear the door open...

PSH-BOOM, PSH-BOOM, PSH-BOOM.

The sound was deafening, and I could here the presser from each explosion. The asshole armored pony had a grenade launcher, lucky bastard. Though my ears were ringing loudly, I could still hear the distinct sound of a mini-gun motor revving up. "No bodies... If I was ever so lucky that they would kill themselves. Come out little ponies, I will make your death quick and painless."

Puppet Strings monition for me to stay down. "Cute, but darlin' I prefer it slow and painful, so you can sit on your gun and spin." The room filled with the deafening sound of the mini-gun. Rolling her eyes, Puppet held her ground, the desk not even budging from the relentless gunfire. I motioned at her if I sould help, but she shook her head and motioned that I should wait, and keep my eyes open.

The gunfire stopped. "Still alive?" Puppet did respond, she simply looked at the window, and bobbed her head as though she was singing a song to herself. "Better not take the chance." Looking from just behind the kitchen, I saw the armored pony positioning his grenade launcher to hit Puppet Strings. I could also hear the sound of another motor running, two actually, and they were coming from the window.

It was Carving Doll, with rippers attached to her front hooves. Quickly she flew inside, and kicked off the floor, jumping at the armored pony at high speed. Before the armored pony had time to react, Carving Doll had jammed a ripper into the eye slit. The only sound I could here was the sound of metal ripping through flesh as a stream of blood shot out of the ripper. The body of the armored pony when limp, but Carving Doll held the ripper in the pony's face until the blood stopped.

Turning off the rippers, Carving Doll pushed them back up her hooves, allowing her to stand normally. "Victoria's on t' next floor. Shes got t' captain boxed in, but t' scurvey dog be not givin' up." I passed Carving Doll the last apple in the room, and she quickly ate it. "I've sent me other fliers down t' let t' others know what they need t' do. But she wasn't you with her for this last push." She looked over to me. "You two, but for more poetic reasons."

I silently prayed, thanking Celestia and Luna for giving us the strength to get this far, and asking them to give us the strength to finish this fight. Nodding, I followed Carving Doll out of the room, and to the stares. Our next Stop, Victoria.

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