Fallout Equestria: On Rust Red Shores

The door closed behind us with an annoyingly loud creek. Though the enclave had no guards nearby, it still worried us that it may give away that we were not actually locked up. Dropping our saddle bag on the ground lightly, we had picked up a few other confiscated items from the room our bag was being held. Nothing all that useful, just pieces of armor, some cloths, and a combat knife.

“That’s all you found?” Star Charter said disappointedly.

We shook our head, and brought out the holotape recorder. “We believe this might be useful.” Star Cocked her head, looking unsure. So instead of explaining it, we simply pressed play as the others gathered around.

Everyone remained silent as they listened to the recording. After hearing it, all in the room seemed deep in thought. Mhambi was the first to respond, nodding her head before speaking. “We can use this, but we will need to be quick about it.”

“Bahh, just stab the fucker and run.” Rust Bucket blurted out before Tetanus slapped him on the side of the head. “What? It’s worked for me in the past.”

“They can fly, ya moron.” Tetanus chastise. “So unless you can breathe under water, or burro through the ground, we go no place to run too.”

“Agreed” Doctor Winter Frost spoke up. “And if what the ghouls have told me is true, outside these walls are a few crazed alicorns whom are up to no good. And that’s only if the raiders waiting outside don’t get to us first.”

Rust Bucket chuckled. “Oh ya, some of ya mentioned they’re still out there. Which means we two got a place to run too.”

Mhambi cleared her throat loudly, getting their attention. “Now I don’t care if you run back to your raider friends, but I doubt you would make it with a team of angry laser welding Pegasus after you.” Rust Buckets ears drooped. “So then, we need a proper plan, and thanks to Prism, we have all we need to make it work.”

Micro Fusion trotted over with an ammo crate in his mouth. Dropping it, the crate flopped open, revealing the ammo needed for the rust gun. “Right. So I’m no expert, but I’m guessing this involves miss Prism going all super invisible ninja for us.”

Shaking her head, Mhambi took the recording. “Actually were doing the exact opposite. Miss Prism here will be attending her execution.”

“What!?” We blurted out. “We do not like the idea of being turned to ash.”

“No, no.” Mhambi said in a friendly tone. “You will be there, but we will not let you be executed.” She passed the recording over to Winter Frost. “We will get the pegasus themselves to turn on the good captain. But it will need to come from some pony they trust, like the only doctor here, or they will doubt its authenticity. Trust me on this, I’ve seen a few ponies trot to their death, all because the warning they got came from a stranger.”

Winter Frost nodded. “So do I just play this message to every pony I see?”

She shook her head. “Sounds like he will be doing a public execution, so take it to the ponies that would be there, but not the ones who will side with Air Burst.”

“I know.” We spoke up. “Air Burst mentioned that some of the enclave troops were the kind that the enclave wanted to get rid of, and half of them had gotten sick with the pox. So there has to be others right?”

The doctor chuckled to himself. “Yes, I think I know who you’re talking about. One of them got caught trying to steal some Med-X from our supply’s. The pony was sent to guard the lower deck of this ship, basically to be kept out of the way. A few others were sent down there, or volunteered for the work just to stay away from the sick. Last I heard, they were cooking a Mire-lurk down there and playing a game of poker.”

“I like them already.” Star Chimed in.

We sighed, and Mhambi spoke up. “Then get the recording to them, the sooner, the better. Even if we can arm ourselves, Air Burst still has us outgunned. So having some of the enclave solders fighting on our side will be a must.”

“Simple enough.” Winter Frost nodded. “Well, probably not. But I can at least try.”

“You go with him,” We looked down at Star Charter, who had just finished loading her rust gun and the spare magazines. “make sure he is safe.” She scowled at us, but we cut her off before she could back talk. “Just do as we say, we will have the rest covered.”

She huffed, and crossed her hooves. “Fine, but if you get yourself killed, I’ll be really crossed.”

We chuckled, and shooed her away. The door opened, and the Winter and Star quickly left, along with another foal, who we guessed was their guide.

Turning back to the other, we sighed. “So, how do we attend the execution without being executed.”

Mhambi smiled. “Let’s just say that you are going to make Air Burst sweat a few bullets thanks to you being such a big pony.” She pulled Stares Cutlass from her bag, and propped it up next to our wing. “This might work; you will just need to be vary patent”

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Time passed, an hour and a half from what Micro fusion told us. It was lucky that his pipbuck was still accurately able to tell the time, even with his mutation. Regardless, that’s when Air Burst came for us. The others were left alone, as the soldiers showing no interest in anything other than taking the one of us. We were the one who witnessed the murder, and from what Mhambi suggested, we would make the best execution subject, while the rest can be killed quietly and out of the way.

The hallway had grown more quiet. Though still had sick ponies coughing and moaning, but the sounds of ponies rushing around to help them had stopped. It felt like they had been abandoned, left to slowly die on their own. We could only shake our head at the thought, so many Pegasus with no place to go, and lacking the strength to help themselves.

Despite the threats from the soldiers to disintegrate us if we did anything strange, we arrived at the top of the deck with no problems. It was sunset, the sun now hanging low and red in the sky. It actually gave everything quite a foreboding feeling. A crowed of pegasi had formed in a neat bunch, in front of what looked like a stage. Many of them had brightly colored coat that contrasted with their dark muddy stains. It was like a rainbow that somepony had splashed mud onto. Most of them looked confused, and a few angry. But of course, they all went hushed when they saw us. All we could do was keep our head held high. Though mother had died, we were still representative of her, which meant we still had her pride.

The walk through the crowd felt slowed. Their eyes were on us with every step, like they were waiting for us to run away.The stage was a raised platform made of wood, and supported by bricks. Our hooves stepped onto it, and it felt strong enough to support us, but still bowed a little under our weight. Turning around, we could see all the ponies in the crowd looking back up at us.

“This is the face of the wasteland. a mockery of what was once a rich and good land, but now a fake and cruel mockery.” Air Burst descended, landing on a wooden box next to us, putting him at equal height with us, if a bit taller. A few more soldiers joined the ones who escorted us, their energy guns ready to kill at a moment’s notice. Air Burst for a moment glared daggers at us, before returning his attention to the crowed, and I knew what was coming next. “My Dear Citizens. It is with great sorrow that I announce to you the death of a great stallion. Mayor Cloud Bouncer did his best to help every pony he could, but his life was tragically cut short by this drifter, this... abomination.” He slammed his hoof down onto the box to emphasizes the last word.

A hushed whispering fell over the crowd. They looked worried and shocked, and one pony even fainted from the news.

“It happened all too fast.” Air Burst continued, catching the crowd's undivided attention. This witch papered from thin air, killing the mayor after failing to seduce him into selling us out to the savages below. He had come to warn us of this betrayal, and died soon after.” The good captain ground his hateful hooves into the box, faking anger. “It happen all too fast, and all my soldiers could do was capture her. It was too late for the mayor. I was forced to watch the life drain from his eyes as I held him in my hooves.” An image of a blue mare formed in our head, giving the captain a five out of ten for his performance. But despite how much of an amateur actor the captain was, the crowed was easily swayed, and their glares seemingly burned into our soul.

We opened our mouth to speak, but the barrel of an energy rifle jabbed into our leg. The message was clear. Speak up, and die.

Air Burst got off of the box, and as he looked away from the crowed, I could see a wicked grin form on the side of his face. “I wanted to kill her then and there, sate my feelings of vengeance. But no, justice must be served. So she is here for you to share in that justice with me.” Opening the box, he pulled out a smooth round rock. Four of his soldiers trotted over and picked up a few of the rocks, and began disrupting them among the crowed. “Justice can only be done through the will of the citizens. So I ask you this: Will you pass judgment upon this assassin, whom took an important pony from us, who threatened to sell us into slavery? Let your heart speak true.”

We stood there as the crowd fell silent, and each of them was given a rock. A few murmurs could be heard as some of them talked silently between each other, but others looked us in the eyes, as we could see hatred form on their face.

*Clunk* One rock fell next to us, hitting the wood. The guards that were keeping a close eye on us backed off.

“KILL THE ABOMINATION!” Another rock flew through the air, hitting us on the side. The pain jolted through our wing, and up to our side. We had to clench our teeth just so to keep ourselves from defending ourselves.

“JUSTICE!” another stone flew, this time at our head. We flinched, and moved our head to avoided the worst of it. The rock hit our cheek, and I knew I heard something crack. The pain itself was like a kick to the face, starting as a sharp stab, and ending like somepony had burned us.

More rocks began to fly. “Murderer!” Most of the stones hit out center body, it hurt, but it was not as bad as our face. “Savage!” Some of the rocks missed us, falling around our legs. “Monster!” Some ponies attempted to hit our face, but none made direct contact, only grazing our face.

The cowed suddenly fell silent once more. *Cluck* a stone fell to our left, much too far away to have been thrown at us. Looking, we saw that Air Burst had fallen over, his face now bloody, and a stone rolled away from him slowly. “Ten points, Fuck YA!” it had come from the crowd, a voice of a young mare. Scanning we saw who it was, Star Charter, standing on the head of a larger stallion.

“Fucking savage.” Air burst got back up on all fours, spitting out a tooth. “Kill her, kill the goddess damned savage.” He bellowed as he pointed a hoof at Star.

Star Laughed. “Come get me ye goddess-less heathen.” She jumped off the stallion, and into the crowd.

The Enclave soldiers flew up, and began to circle the crowd, their energy rifles aimed down at the confused ponies. The crowed itself didn’t know what to do, and the murmuring became much louder. Two of the soldiers dove in and began to push the crowd aside, looking for the devious filly.

Air Burst trotted over to us, with a look of hate on his face. “That damned runt. Should have thrown her in the boiler along with all the other savage foals.” Spitting some more blood on the floor, he gave a wide, toothy grin. “But I will be satisfied with you seeing her broken body on the floor, dead as can be.”

*Clank* from our wing dropped the cutlass, no longer able to hold ourself back from dealing with him.

The old captain looked down at the sword, and then back up at us. His look of smug hatred turned to shock in an instant. He pulled out his energy pistol in a second, but not fast enough for us to knock it out of his hooves with the Blackwater cutlass. With him now unarmed, we put the point of the sword under his chin and took a step towards him. Shifting the blade, we moved him so that we were holding him between our wing and the sword. We now had him hostage, and it was time to turn the tides on his soldiers.

“Every Pony STOP!” The amplified voice of Mhambi echoed loudly. The old ship’s PA system was now on, and somehow Mhambi had gained access to it. Her voice caused everyone to pause, with many of the pegasus quieting down at the request, and refocusing on Air Burst and us. “I know most of you are confused and angry. Losing one’s home is tough, but it’s the tragic reality of the wasteland. However, you must not let yourself be fooled by those who seek to use you, or be led astray by ponies with ill intentions. The one thing that matters most in the wasteland, is the truth. Without it, justice is nothing more than a hollow idea that can be twisted by those who would seek to abuse it.”

Now the soldiers were aiming their guns back onto us, so we held the sword closer to Air Burst neck, to show that we were serous. From the way that they stood, it felt to us that they’d gotten the message loud and clear.

Mhambi continued “I know you are scared, hurting, and want a solution to this more than anything, but that’s not going to happen. To be honest, your good times in the world above? They're gone, scattered along with the clouds you once called home. But I can offer you something that most wasteland ponies never have. Truth and direction. A way to not be swallowed up by the wasteland, and become just another group of survivors destined to become raiders. So please listen, and give yourselves a chance to understand what’s truly going on. The mare who stands before you? She means to help you all. But the stallion, Air Burst, is nothing more than a lying murderer.”

White noise filled the air as a soft clicking started over the PA System. We stood there with a smile across our muzzle as the recording of Air Burst began to play for all to hear.

“My dear citizens. It is with great sorrow that I announce the death of a great stallion. Cloud Bouncer did his best to help every pony he could, and his life was cut short by some abomination of a drifter. Maybe drifting abomination… this is why I hate giving speeches, If I could I’d just have a chip put in their heads, just give them all orders, and they do it… Fucking idiot, he had to go talk with the savages. He should have just stayed here and done as I said. Then he would not have had to die. Whoever let him into politics should be shot too. This is why only those in the enclave military are meant to be in charge. As soon as some populist idiot gets in power, we have to assassinate them. Now I have to clean up his mess. Maybe I should just take the supplies, and head north, let the fools starve.”

“With great sorrow, yada, yada. This mare here, this abomination, this assassin. The one known as Prism Paint will face her execution. Justice will be served by firing squad. Quick, efficient, and with no last words. That should get the citizens on my side.”

Another hush fell over the crowd as their eyes seemed to go from us, the now less than honorable captain.

“Hello.” The recording from the PA system continued. “This is Doctor Winter Frost, Son of Doctor Spring Showers. Early today I was detained by Air Burst soldiers over the crime of offering my assistance to a few new ponies that were in need of help. It was a short imprisonment, but it gave me all I needed to know about the good captain’s intentions. I had also learned that the Mayor had gone down to see the ponies below to retrieve medication for the pox, but only learned that our own people had arranged to be sold into slavery by Air Burst himself. Personally, I’m not one to simply believe the words of an outsider, but then again, they’re not the ones who threw me in a cell with two raiders and locked the door. So do I believe that he is up to no good? Yes, yes I do.”

The crowd became much louder now, there voices angry and confused. Star Charter popped out from under them, and climbed onto the stage. “Oy! Ya still not cut off the bloke’s head yet!” She said with a smile. She now had her Rust gun on and pointed right at Air Burst. “Funny thing is, I actually respect ya. Taking control of a group of ninnies, killing off your competition, and using the outsider ponies as a scapegoat? Now if you could just find the goddesses in your heart, you make a right good pirate.”

Captain Air Burst spat blood in the filly’s face. “This is not over, not by a long shot.” We felt something collide with us, it was one of his soldiers, and our hold onto Air Burst loosened. The old stallion slid from us, and immediately jumped into the air. Joined by his soldiers, he glared back at us. “This is fine, not like the group of fools can fight back.” Pointing a hoof at us he smirked. “Kill them, and round up the civilians! That fool Elderberry is going to owe us big for this.”

A line of pink nearly missed Airburst, only singing her ear. It was the stallion that Star had used as a platform to throw the rock from before. Clad in a messy enclave uniform, he was aiming his energy rifle directly at Air Bust. Two other dirty enclave soldiers popped out of hiding and fired at Air Burst soldiers. As the fight started, the flying soldiers fired back. It was a panic as the cowd burst in every direction across the deck, looking for a place to hid. In the confusion, we cast our the invisibility spell, and scooped up Star under our wing as we jumped for cover. As we did, a pink beam nearly hit us, landing at where we had just been standing.

Under cover, we had to cancel out spell to conserve our energy. This was followed by a short gasp, as our hiding spot was also being used by a few Pegasus. “D…don’t kill us, p-please?” Asked a mare.

We shook our head. “We will not. If you can just stay low for a short while, we will help you to safety. Can you do that?” We asked, as the mare seemed unsure of what to make of our offer. The mare hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. “Good, We don’t have much energy left, but we will do our best.”

Things had become worse then Mhambi said they would, but we trusted her judgment on this. We needed to focused on helping ponies, and leave the fighting to others. The hard part was going to keep Star Charter from joining the fight. Even without looking, we knew that the blood lust in her eyes was getting harder to ignore. Something about her seemed to crave the violence, and here we were in the middle of a fire fight.

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Footnote:

Faction Status Change:

- Enclave Remnants –Accepted < Mischievous Outsider