Fallout: Equestria - Old Grudges

After a couple hours of walking, I knew only one thing. If there was something this goddess damned wasteland didn’t need more of, it was sun. The heat beat down on the old world ruins through the cloud layer above. Even though those Pegasus assholes up above had sealed themselves off forever ago, they still couldn’t keep the sun out. And for that, I absolutely hated them. At least the air up with them was cooler than down here.

Stopping yet again to get my bearings, I wiped the sweat beading on my brow before I looked around. I was in what looked to be the tenth ruined commercial block I’d been through so far, and I was fairly sure I should be reaching the edge of the old nightlife portion of the city. Lifting and flicking across to the map section of my dinged up old pipbuck, it confirmed that I was only another couple blocks out. From there, it’d only be another half hour to reach the beach, and then a quick jog south to get to Boardwalk.

My eyes fuzzed as I tried to stare down at the map, and a drop of sweat dripped down along the frame of my old glasses. With a sigh, I sat down and used my magic to flip open my saddle bag. Fumbling around in it with my magic, I grabbed something vaguely bottle shaped and pulled it out.

“Ugh.” I mumbled, bringing the dirty plastic bottle up to my eyes. “Just water?” Figuring that in this heat it was better than nothing, I twisted off the cap and took a quick drink of it. An echo of shifting rubble came through the ruins around me. I perked my ears and looked around. The old black and blasted brick buildings around me sat quiet as always. Subtly, they shifted under the mid-day heat, shimmering as they baked the same as they have for nearly two centuries.

Satisfied that it was simply more rubble succumbing to the elements, I capped off my drink again and got to my hooves. With my break over, I turned to where my Pipbuck’s compass pointed me, and started walking. Trying to keep my mind of the incredibly boring walk, I closed my eyes as I headed down the street. In my mind, I imagined a character from one of my first stories. An unlikely hero, given a task they were always destined for. I remembered the trials I put them through, and how each one would chip away at the resolve of the hero.

With a resounding thud, I ran smack dab into the back of an old, burnt out skybus.

“Note to self.” I winced and rubbed at my horn as I took a step back. “Don’t close eyes when walking.” As I finished that, a soft giggle emanated from the dark interior of an old clothing store across the street. “Hello?” I called out, looking over there, squinting to try to make anything out. Only silence met my ears. I took a step around the skywagon, stopping as a very sharp sound chirped along the street.

beep… beep… beep...

Looking down at the ground, laying a couple feet up along the old hulk, was the dim yellow light of a land mine. It had been partially hidden in the wheel well, and had I not smacked into the back of this thing, I probably would have triggered it. Taking a step back, the mine ceased it’s chirping.

“Awwww, he saw it.” The young and all too disappointed voice of a colt spoke up from the darkness.

“Shhh!” An even younger voice responded. “He’ll hear us!”

“It’s not nice to leave mines lying about.” I spoke up, looking into the old shop where the voices were coming from. “Somepony could get hurt.”

“Ya!” The youngest voice responded. “That’s the point, ya idiot!” Wow, this kid was the biggest moron I think I’d ever met outside of the few raider’s I’ve even ever dealt with. “How are we supposed to be full on raiders if we ain’t kill ya first?”

See, now that makes sense.

“Shut up, doofus!” The older voice snapped from the darkness. Then from inside, there sounded like the most annoying little slap fight that there possibly could be going on.

Well, as entertaining as this was, I didn’t need these little brats leading their parents to come after me. Using my magic, I folded back the side of my trenchcoat and drew the old .44 from it’s holster. I levitated it beside myself and turned toward the old shop. As I did, the scuffle inside came to an abrupt halt.

“I’m going to make this easy on you.” I called out, cocking the hammer back on my gun. “Since I doubt you’re armed, I’m going to give you to the count of ten to get the fuck outta my sight.” Leveling the gun at the dark shop, I smirked. I couldn’t shoot a colt, not unless they had a gun on me. But they sound too young to be smart enough to call my bluff. I just hoped that their mother beats the shit out of them enough to fear somepony my age. “One.”

Before I could say another word, two small ponies dashed out into the street. The second they were on the sidewalk, they turned and galloped straight down the way the pipbuck was telling me to go.

“Goddesses fuck my life.” I groaned as I watched them skid and turn into an alleyway. Just what I needed, a raider camp ahead. Of all the directions it could have been! Well, honestly it’s an old city block, there’s only four directions to go anyway, but… still! If I ever met some ghoul who used to plan out the cities like this, I was going to punch them for being so goddess damned efficient.

Trotting around the other side of the old skybus wreck from the mine, I pushed myself into a gallop. As soon as I reached the end of the block, I looked down the direction where the alley would’ve come out at. Unfortunately, it was hidden behind the makeshift rubble wall of a neat little raider compound. One of the ugly bastards froze as he saw me run into the middle of the street. He was a mangy yellow coated unicorn with a spiked charcoal mane. From his lithe figure and emaciated ribs sticking out against his hide, I couldn’t help but think he probably didn’t heft anything heavy.

With a deranged smile, He hoisted up a shotgun in his levitation and got a shot off just as I cleared the edge of the old brick department store to the next block. While the shot only impacted the old brick, it was so jarring that it almost tripped me up. The hoots and hollers of more raiders met my ears as I pushed myself to keep running.

Looking around, I needed to find a way to break line of sight from them. The next block and a half were all old department stores. If I remember anything from my time learning to adjust to the wastes, was that most of these old department stores were like mazes inside. Designed to keep shoppers inside for as long as possible, they worked great against retarded raiders. Well, so long as I didn’t get lost inside.

“He’s over here!” The growling call of one of the raider mares came up the street behind me. The piercing quick shots of another gun sent kicks of dirt and road up ahead of me. Okay, not going to lose them when they’re this hot on my fetlocks. One of the shots struck and shattered the window to an old pre-war diner at the end of the next block. Pushing myself harder, I focused my magic on holding my glasses on my muzzle as I ran.

At the very least, the air around me felt cooler when running for my life!

Another pair of shots were fired off, but again, none of them found purchase in me. Rapidly approaching the diner, my heart sank as I looked to the door. A fairly thick chain was wrapped around it, effectively barring it shut. Shifting myself up onto the sidewalk, I focused my magic and pulled my coat tightly around myself. With a jump and a yell, I threw myself through the shattered window frame.

I whined as a few jagged shards of glass cut their way across me before I flopped across one of the old booth tables and down onto the floor with a heavy whump. There was little time to recover before I could hear the raider’s heavy hoofbeats approaching. Pushing myself back onto my hooves, I made my way around the edge of the long counter as quietly as I could. I stopped myself next to the rusted door that lead back into the kitchen, and pressed my back against the counter. I just needed to keep as much cover between me and them as I could.

The heavy shotgun blast from before returned with a vengeance as one of the raiders all but shredded the bit register sitting at the end of the counter. The frightening slam it made as it fell onto the ground was a close second to the sound my heart was making as it slammed against my chest. Levitating my gun up next to me, I hammered my eyes shut and listened for a good moment to strike.

“Geeze you dipshit!” The mare who called out while I ran shouted. “Don’t waste yer fuckin ammo while I’m still reloading here!”

Scrambling up to my hooves, I dropped into the altered time spell that was S.A.T.S. and watched as an outline scrawled it’s way across my vision. The angry mare shouting was a unicorn with a rusty pistol next to her, still mid reload. The lithe shotgun stallion had his attentions turned to her, and his gun limp in his magic. Cueing up two shots at each, one head and one chest, I estimated that I had maybe one more shot before the spell was out of energy.

Checking the corner of my vision, I found that the smiling face of an earth pony mare was just coming into view around the corner of the diner window. In her muzzle, she held a very unsafe looking rusted machete, and the pinprick yellowed eyes of her didn’t give me any hope that she wasn’t using an abhorrent amount of drugs right now either.

Queueing the last shot at her head, I prayed to Celestia that this would work. The spell kicked time forward again as it guided my aim towards the pistol mare. With a crisp click, it dropped the hammer down for the first shot, and sent the round zipping through the air. With a warped perception of time, I watched as the shot blew through her eye and punched out the other side of her skull.

Re-adjusting, the spell changed targets to the shotgun stallion. The hammer came back, and with another crisp click, dropped and fired the next shot. The round zipped out again, this time punching through one of the greased up spikes on the stallion’s mane. Adjusting again, the spell dropped my aim slightly for his chest. Unfortunately, he’d flinched when his friend’s face exploded all over his, and he’d tossed his shotgun out of his magic. As S.A.T.S. fired, the shotgun flipped in the way of his chest and deflected the round down. It struck his hoof. Far from a fatal blow, but I’d hoped that between his dead friend and that, he’d choose to run instead.

The spell turned my aim toward the earth pony mare, pointing the gun down and at one of the old seating booths. The bitch must have ducked and was keeping her head down until I had to reload. Just before the gun fired, another mare poked her head through the window where the last one had been. This time, a tan earth pony mare with a sledge hammer in her teeth grinned at me.

My last queued shot fired harmlessly into the booth as S.A.T.S. tried to hit the first mare with an impossible shot. Seriously, Stable-Tec should have just let the spell fucking cancel if it couldn’t find the target!

Time jerked forward as the spell ended, and the mare with the sledgehammer screamed as she jumped up into the busted windowsill. My legs wobbled and dropped me onto the floor as the mare leapt at me from where she stood. The whole fucking serving bar shook as the mare landed on it. The insane giggling she gave from around the handle of her hammer echoed into the kitchen.

I have to get in there.

Flipping my gun in my levitation, I pointed it roughly to where I thought she might be and pulled the trigger. The gun blasted off the last round in the cylinder as I pushed off with my hooves. I threw my shoulder into the old swinging door that lead into the kitchen, slamming it open. With an enormous clatter, old pots, pans, and baking implements scattered across the floor from the shelves by the door, along with my gun as I lost focus for only a moment.

I only nearly had enough time to turn around before hammer mare jumped in after me. I kicked at her with my forehooves in an attempt to knock her away, but that was a bad idea. I should’ve remembered that earth ponies don’t tend to move when they don’t want to! Instead, I was sent sprawling back against the old flat top grill they had. The mare torqued her head to swing her hammer, only to have it catch on one of the old ingredient racks.

Catching a small break, I got back to my hooves and used my magic to grab whatever I could use as a weapon that felt heavy. With a grunt, I levitated both an old skillet and a very large frypan over to me.

With seemingly little effort, hammer mare tore the ingredient racks from the wall, sending them to the floor in a twisted heap. When she did, I yelled and swung the old skillet at her as hard as I could. With a simple twist of her head, she batted it away using the hammer. We both watched as it flipped and bounced down to the floor, skidding to the doorway. Though, the thing I wondered, was why she took her eyes off me at all.

With my magic no longer divided between two objects, I swung the frypan down with my full force and clocked her square on the forehead. She stood there for a moment, seeming unfazed but confused. It gave me enough time to quickly bring the pan up again, and give her another good whack with it. This time, she flopped to the floor. I didn’t know if she was dead or not from my hits, but so long as she’s not moving, I’m counting that as a win. Panting heavily, I finally had a moment to catch my breath.

“Come here, you little fucker.” The angry voice of another mare came through the doorway. The mare with the machete paused as she entered to find her friend lying on the floor. She giggled before turning her eyes on me. “Go ahead.” She spoke well for somepony with a weapon in their muzzle. “Think you can kill me before I kill you?”

“Uhm… no?” I spoke, not sure what I was supposed to say. Taking a step along the grill, I tried to get a few more feet of distance between me and her. Blunt weapons were slow and you had to swing them, but knives I didn’t trust. “How about you just let me walk on out of here and neither of us try to kill each other?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t ya.” She snorted as she stepped around the other side of the kitchen. Between us sat a large, flat metal table like the ones the Casino kitchen used to prep food on. The rusty ventilation hood above it might keep her from jumping up, but I couldn’t trust it. Another step back, and a silver glint under the table caught my eye. In an instant, I grabbed it with my magic and pulled it to me. The raider mare shuttered with the sudden movement, but her smile only grew wider as I pointed my reclaimed revolver at her.

“Did you kill him, Ma?” The young voice of the colt coming through the diner made the mare’s eyes go wide. “I wanna see!”

Spinning around, I bucked out as hard as I could against the old prep table. The old metal sheared from the floor and slammed into the raider mare. She cried out for a moment as I turned and dashed over hammer mare’s body and out into the lobby. I nearly ran over the kid as I barreled out the door, but his panicked scream stopped me just short. Quickly, I enveloped him in my magic and pulled him off the ground. Turning around, I pressed my gun to his head just as his filthy mother came out of the kitchen after me.

“Drop the blade!” I screamed, pressing the gun harder against the kid’s head. I knew I was out of ammo, but I bet these raiders couldn’t count anything besides caps and how many minutes it’s been since they had their last hit. It was about then, the kid started crying and screaming his eyes out.

With the most sensibility I’d ever seen from a raider, the mare’s expression turned to one of fear and she let the machete slip from her muzzle. It was a strain, and caused a sharp pain to run up my head, but I managed to catch it before it hit the floor. Floating it over to me, the raider mare got down on all fours and begged.

“Please… please don’t hurt him!” She whined, starting to bawl her own eyes out. She may have been a good for nothing lowlife raider, but she was still a mother. I guess even the worst of those who survived out here could still care for something other than themselves. Maybe not all raiders were lost. They just needed to be reminded what their priorities should be.

“I won’t, not if you just… stay where you are, and let me go!” I growled, backing out into the lobby. As I took a step backward, the crying mare crawled forward at the same pace. “I said stay where you are!” I shouted, using my magic to throw the machete through one of the intact windows behind me. The shattering glass made the mare whine louder, and the colt amazingly shut his muzzle. With her only weapon outside behind me, I didn’t need him as leverage any more.

“Consider yourselves lucky.” I said as I carefully lowered him down and floated him towards his mother. Even though it was the biggest bluff I could have made with them, I still had to attempt to change things for the better. “Quit raiding and settle in somewhere else. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill your colt first and make you watch.” In one quick action, I let him go, and spun myself. With another whine, I pushed myself up onto the both table, and jumped through the shattered window. As soon as my hooves were on the dirt, I was galloping as fast as I could, and I didn’t want to look back.

You know, other than the sun, the thing I’ve always hated about the wasteland is that there’s far too much time to think. After the adrenalin wore off and I’d gotten far enough away from that mother and her colt, I broke down. Drinking as much as I normally do, I both hate myself and throw up all the time. But normally that’s a consequence I accept willingly. This time, it was for a whole nother reason.

Between the nausea and self loathing for the admittedly horrid act back there, I could remember better than ever, what had happened back then. The way mom stood over me, how hard she tried to protect me when they came for us all. Their faces, their races, everything about the day that Stable 13 fell is blurry, except for her. I can still remember what my mother looked like when the light of life left her forever. All she’d wanted was to keep me safe, and here I was, her son all grown up and threatening foals all on his own.

But now is a different time. I’m past the horrors of the day I left the stable, past the nightmare that was becoming a slave. Past the loss of my friends, family, and the only life I’d known. Things now… well, they aren’t better, but I had to admit that they could be a whole lot fucking worse.

The half hour I took to get ahold of myself had done a lot to rejuvenate me, and to remind me that I need to move faster. The assorted cuts and bruises from the fight could be dealt with once I got to Boardwalk. If I kept at a good pace, I might be able to show up before the heat peaked to it’s highest for today. Knowing my luck though… yeah, not counting on it.

Dragging myself the last few hoofsteps, I gave out a whine as I’d finally reached the steel gate to Boardwalk. I’d all but melted in the heat on the way here, and even the guard standing at the gate looked like he was having a hell of a time trying to stay cool. The small awning he hid himself under barely shaded half of him, but it seemed to keep him cool enough that he gave me a good once-over glare as I pushed open the gate.

Stepping in, not even the salty sea air on this side of the fence did much to help mitigate the sun. Even the folks who normally lined the piers with their fishing lines and such seemed strangely absent. The only thing that still looked about normal for this place, was the monolithic old ferris wheel that stood locked in place. The several armored cages that hung on it sat swinging in the wind, the marksponies inside must be feeling like they were in an oven today.

Looking around for a way to get out of this damned heat, my gaze fell across the set of old concession stands that served as a sort of rest stop for most traveling ponies and merchants. The bazar inside looked to be absolutely packed with visiting and business ponies right now, and I hesitated to head over. While it was out of the heat, the bartender I was looking for wouldn’t be in there. Turning my gaze all the way down to the end of the pier, the old sunset bar and grill sat perched on the edge of the boardwalk. Annoyingly, a thousand feet of baking wooden pier sat between me and there.

However, the reward was not only the information I came for, but a chance for a stiff drink as well.

Figuring the reward was worth the small amount of continued suffering, I picked up my hooves and began my thousand foot slog. The sweat beading down the inside of my trenchcoat dripped onto the baked boards below me, evaporating instantly with a hiss, and making me think that I was actually cooking alive out here on a giant skillet.

The memory of me basicly braining that raider in that diner came back up, followed by the colt and his mother. I grit my teeth and pushed myself into a slow trot. Never again would I let that come to that. I’m not like the monsters who took us from the stable, I can’t ever let myself fall to the level of forcing a mother to do that again. I’m smarter than running into raiders. Next time, I just need to remember to turn tail and run before even finding myself in a situation like that again.

The hushed murmurs of the many inhabitants of Boardwalk came through the boards underneath me. I’m certain that on days like today, they thanked the goddesses for the fact that they lived in the shade under the pier. I’d have paid far more caps than it was worth if I could just have used their walkways down there to get across this place in the shade, but outsiders were not allowed below. Mercifully, the trot had kept my time going across the entirety of boardwalk to a minimum.

With a panting gasp, I hoofed at the swinging door to the old restaurant and pushed my way in. Quite a few patrons turned from their seats, fanning themselves with old newspapers and hats. They simply watched in silence as I entered and dragged myself up to a stool on the bar. With what felt like as much effort as it took to get myself here, I groaned and pulled myself onto the old padded seat. I gave a whine of pleasure as I could finally rest my sore legs a bit, softly resting my head down on the bar. I did it. I was finally here.

“Can I get you anything there, son?” The gravely voice of a ghoul was unmistakable as she walked over from behind the bar top. “You look absolutely parched. How about something to cool you off?” I looked up to find the horribly dehydrated teal colored earth pony mare who worked here wiping down a few wet glasses she had set up along the back wall. Her skin looked to have been parched so harshly by the salt air that it looked almost leathery, and split in long stringy strips across her exposed muscles.

“Hey!” The raspy voice of an elderly stallion down the bar called out. “Need a refill! Basically dying of thirst down here, Hammer!”

“Shut your muzzle, I’ll get you in a second, you old coot.” She grumbled hoffing back what was left of her jet black mane. “Seriously though. Can I get you anything, or did you come in with no caps with just the intent to get out of the heat?” Sighing, she propped herself up against the bar and looked at me. Sighing myself, I remembered that the caps I did have were technically supposed to pay back Cold Draft.

Well, even though I have literally zero idea if this is the right bartender, maybe I’d finally get lucky today. “Actually, I came in here looking for somepony I was told you could find.” Looking up, I found the apple green eyes of the mare study me silently. “I’m looking for Banshee.”

“Get out.” She muttered, sharply pointing her rotten hoof to the door.

“Eighth Note sent me.” I muttered. “He needs her help.” Looking her over again. The way she stood, the casual relaxed form around a ‘new’ customer, the fact that she kept as low a profile in this place as she could. It all made sense to me now. She was definitely the barkeep I was looking for.

“What’s that prick want with her?” She grunted, hoofing up a bottle of the most glowingly golden whiskey I’d ever seen in my life. As she talked, she quickly poured out a pair of shots before capping the bottle again. “Banshee has better things to do than do that bastard’s dirty work you know.”

“I’m just the messenger, you know what they say.” I grumbled back, whining internally as she quickly slid the two shot glasses all the way down the bar with a swift tap of her hoof. Not a single drop was spilled as they slowed to as top in front of the toothless old stallion who’d spoken up before. “Look, I’m just here so that I can find her and ask her for help, that’s all. She’s perfectly free to turn it down.” That was a bit of a lie however. I don’t know what Eighth would do if I couldn’t get her on board. With the importance of whatever this package is, I’d hate to think the levels he’d stoop down to just to get her to agree. Because no matter what, Eighth always gets his way in the end.

“You know what?” The ghoul mare rolled her eyes and placed her forehooves firmly on the bartop in front of my muzzle. Slowly, she shifted on her hooves, sending a series of soft pops along her joints as she leaned in. “I’ll tell you where to find her, but if I find out that you were lying to me…”

“Yeah, yeah.” Wow, this mare really did act like a stereotypical mare with something to hide. Intimidation should always be your last resort, never your first play. Makes for too quick a story. “Just tell me where she is and I’ll be out of your mane.”

“The old Neighpon Theatre, along Applewood boulevard.” The ghoul growled at me before pushing herself back from the bar. “Now get out of here, and we never had this conversation.”

Goddesses, what did I do to deserve this misfortune on myself? The Neighpon Theatre was all the way in the northern half of the city! It was going to take me hours to walk that far! Hell, it would have taken me less time to get there straight from Starwalk City, than it did having to fucking come all the way out here!

“Alright, if you say so.” I muttered under my breath, trying to hide my growing frustration for this job. Not to mention she was being just a bit of a melodramatic ghoul for having it easy in here. Well, at the very least, I’ve got something solid to go on now.

Spinning around on my stool, my limbs begged me for just a few minutes more rest. However, getting that short of a rest would have to be enough. Walking back across the floor, I levitated out my water bottle from my saddlebag and unscrewed the cap. Bringing it to my muzzle, I tilted it up and waited.

Only a few drops hit my tongue. Twisting the bottle, I easily found the problem. There was a bullet hole that cut clear through the side of it for some reason. Looking back at my saddlebags and coat real quick, I found that a pair of holes cut through both the coat and bags that weren’t there when I left Starwalk city. Thinking back, maybe a few of those pistol shots from the raider mare were a bit closer than I’d realized at first.

With a sigh, I discarded the useless bottle in the stuffed full trash bin by the door, and braced myself to head out into the heat again. Well, on the bright side, by the time I reach the Theatre, I’ll either have died from heat stroke, or it’ll finally be cool outside.

--Chapter End--

“Its no surprise to me i am my own worst enemy, ‘cause every now and then I kick the living shit outta me.”

Quests Finished: none

Quests Started: none

Levels Earned: 1->2

Perks Earned: Student of the Followers -

+5 [Magic, Academics & Lore] per rank. Mastery: 5 extra points in each of these Skills.