Fallout: Equestria - No Mercy

We escaped the prison, outrunning the last of nothing because all we did was take the underground tunnels. The warden was so sure of his indoctrination techniques that he never guarded it with live security. Instead, he'd settled on automated turrets. Sunflower Seed only needed a single molotov cocktail to get rid of two clustered units. Didn't know why the warden clustered them, though. Made them easier to target all at once.

The real escape was running from our simple life in captivity. We didn't know what to do out there, did we. We were just children putting on adult costumes. I realized that right away when we found a shoddy, unmarked settlement far south of Canterlot.

We stayed together, alone in the musty rainfall crashing down on us. The clouds broke apart in tiny white seams and ripped open with celestial quakes. I watched him lead me down the hill, patient like someone I needed in my life, someone to ground me and take care of me. I watched his eyes scan the flat horizon before he declared 'let's raid that town over there.'

I froze, clenching his forehoof with my own.

"What if there are children there... Won't we hurt them?"

"We don't have to kill any of them. Just the adults. You know what they're like, Hope. They're nothing but trouble." He said, glancing back at me, his eyes brilliant with cyan light.

I felt familiar comfort in his gaze. Those empty eyes made me sleepy. Warm. I was compelled to follow his wishes and become his trusted commandant. Thunder struck the earth and I saw a glimpse of him in the lightning, soiled with rain and mud over his perfect features.

"I don't understand. You never said that- you never said you hated adults. You told me you killed raiders."

"I do, Hope. I just don't trust them. Look at what they did to you. You know very well they're going to abuse those kids. Or sell them. That's the world these days."

I believed him. Uncle Tesla sold me to the Hunters. He knew I'd be getting used by people I didn't even know, didn't he. He already knew what they did to mutants and people associated with them. I felt that memory hollow out my chest and pull me toward him. We made our way to the village without another word, side-by-side. My blade was between my teeth, and his weapon, a bite-activated .44 revolver, served as our shield. Nothing in Equestria could convince us that the adults were worth saving.

We stormed the settlement and found mercenaries holding children in pens. The pens were chainlink fences filled with training equipment and wooden weapon models. Most of them were asleep, but the ones we found had no reaction other than to arm themselves. Sunflower Seed trotted up to the holding pens and whispered over to them.

"Hey, fellas. Are these adults keeping you hostage?"

Three of the eight shrugged, some nodding and others, probably unsure of their sanity. I watched the first trio creep closer, armed with wooden rifle props. I realized the lot of them were scarred with time and grime, one even missing half an ear. The shape of his remaining flesh said: teeth marks. I felt phantom pain in my gut seeing their miserable conditions.

"Sure. You two need some extra muscle. We don't need caps. Just some food and ammo. We can sleep on the floor if you want."

That night, I learned how to set explosives and blow out locks. Simple ones, like padlocks, didn't take much. But sometimes the shockwave didn't suffice and breaching was done by blowing out the surrounding area. He shot a mine near the chainlink gate and freed them. Sunflower Seed gathered his new mercenaries and took care of the adults inside. I watched over the remaining eight.

A select few woke kicking and screaming, but I did my best to soothe them. Some were barely older than foals. Others were fillies barely out of potty-training. Whatever they wanted, I did.

"Wh-where's my mommy."

The voice came from behind me. I turned to see her, that filly all torn up by whip scars and bruises. The stench of her neglect desensitized me to the tears in her eyes. I knew how tears looked. Not even a rainstorm could hide them. I knew her puffy, beaten eyelids. Violent maroons and azures marked the times she lost faith in the world. And the curious question, whimpered away in the storm, was my own.

"I... I don't know. But I'll help you find her. I promise."

Her eyes went from dim, to bright, to bittersweet. And the pain scrunching her face became radiant. I watched myself cry, barely older than a filly by name, but too young to say her own.

I held her close and told her I'd take her home... that we'd run till we couldn't remember what we were missing.