Fallout Equestria: On Rust Red Shores

The pressure, foreign yet familiar. Like the hoof of a pony stronger than us, pushing their weight down on us, chest and head, with malice and cruelty. Under Razors hold I could feel myself slipping, my hatful memories forcing their way back. The all too familiar feeling digging up what we wish forgotten.

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“Rainbows? How pathetic is that!?” Road Spike spat at me as she pushed herself down onto of me. Her hooves were dirty and chipped, like every pony who’s living in our town of Squalor. “You know rainbows only exist in those lying books!” The unicorns sneered as she push me deeper into the mud.

A deep bellowing chuckle came from Dumbbells, Road Spike’s loyal and dumb muscle. “Only the dumb chase what’s not real.” He laughed again, but choked on his own saliva.

“Shut it Dum-Dum,” Road Spike chastised the overgrown earth pony. Taking her hoof off my head and chest, she let me sit up from the mud. “Now Prism, I know you like your… hobbies, but how is that going to earn the caps you need to pay me? Protection cost a lot lately, and without it, I don’t think I can keep the raiders from simply carting you away.”

I gulped. “But RP, you wouldn’t! We’ve known each other since we were foals!”

“So true,” She slowly trotted over to me, placing her hooves on our cheeks like she was the friend I remembered her once being. “you know me, and I know you. You like your… colors. And I have my business.” She took her hooves off my cheeks and her looks soured. “You need me, but sadly, I don’t need you. Not with the paultry caps you make.”

“But, Squalor is so brown! I’m sure there are many ponies who would like a fresh coat of paint to make things a little livelier.” I sat myself up, brushing off the mud, or at least what I could. “Not everything needs to look run down.”

Road Spike just smirked. “And what business have you gotten?” We couldn't look her in the eye and answer her. “That’s right, none.” She places a hoof under my chin. “Luckily I have a solution, a little side business for you to do. You can even keep your painting business open, see if it goes anywhere. Not that it will.” We looked away, but she wrenched out head to look her eye to eye. “So you will do it, and pay me what I’m owed. Got it?” We nodded. “Good, I’ll send the first client to you tonight. Make sure to do everything they say, and I mean everything.”

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The pull of Razor’s magic threw us like we were nothing but a ragdoll, helpless to her power. Everything about her dwarfed us. Her size was bigger, her magic was far more oppressive. She emulated every little thing that made us fear mother, and none that made us feel loved. Befor

she was a real monster, one we could do nothing to resist.

Our limp body was lifted off the ground, like we were some trophy for Razor Storm to show off. “Amazing is it not? Were before you could barely resist, now all you can do is remain limp until I’m fished with you. If you were a stallion I was bedding, it be disappointing.” We were thrust a little higher into the air, and our legs simply swayed limply in the wind.

“Listen to me, you pathetic prey!” Razors voice boomed. “I have taken you little trump card from you, and will now show you what awaits all who keeps resisting.” We were slammed onto the ground, the pain shooting through our bones, and penetrating the rest of our body. “Now I had to put some thought into this, but I quickly came to the perfect conclusion. The pegasus here need to know true fear. And what do you feathery bastards fear the most?”

A few shots cracked down on Razor, but only bounced off her purple barrier. Looking up, we could see the militia, guns at the ready. We could see Razor’s smile, ear to ear, as she bent down to whisper at us. “Watch as none of them even have the spine to help you.”

A magical grip wrapped around us, and forced out wings to spread open. Razors voice boomed once more. “Behold the fate of all those who resist. Maybe when this is all over, I’ll have enough to make myself quite the dandy cloak.” The sound of a motor made us flinch, a familiar and terrifying sound.

She had pulled out a ripper.

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Messy, forceful, and lacking in any tack. Dumbbell released me from his kiss, though it was more like he was trying to eat my face then to be romantic. From his brutish and aggressive display, I was sure he was also trying to learn how to dislocate his jaw just so he can skip chewing and ram food down his throat.

Gasping for air, we did our best to not show our distress over his ‘kiss’. Over the years, Dumbbell and Road Spike had only gotten crueler to me. They acted more like the slavers they did business with than the ‘friends’ they supposedly were.

“You’re getting sloppier Prism. That’s why you’re not making as many caps as you were before.” Dumbbell spoke with a slosh, his drool seeping out of his mouth whenever it opend. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check your performance, so put on a nice dress, and lose some damned weight. Celestia, you’re getting fat.” The slobbering asshole left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Trying to get up, our week legs buckled under my swollen belly. We had the strength to move around, but my legs just hurt too much. With a sigh, I reached out with my magic and pulled out a bottle of water from one of my little hiding spots. It was warm, but at least it was enough to get the slobber out of my mouth. Rubbing my stomach, I was at least smarter than dumbbell, and knew that I had not in fact gotten fat. I was instead, pregnant. How far along was I, I didn’t know, but the poor foal had to be due any day now. All I could do for the little one was make a hiding spot for it, as it was all I had to give.

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The pain was unbearable, and it didn’t stop once the wing came off. Our shredded flesh stung in the cold salty air, as our warm blood oozed from the wound. We wanted to scream, but our mouth was held tightly shut by Razors magical grasp, she only letting us talk when she wanted us too. We wanted to thrash, kick, run free, but Razors oppressive magic was too strong to resist against. So we returned to being limp, accepting this fate.

“Oh how I wish she had more wings.” Razors voice boomed. “Because I could do this all day!” Her magic tightly wrapped around us, and applied pressure to the other wing. “Well I’m sure there's plenty of you feather brains out there who will resist, so I’ll just enjoy this one for now.” The ripper revved up again, blaring into our ears as we clench our teeth and waited for what came next.

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“What do you mean you’re increasing the rent!? I own this place!” Road Spike voice boomed, announcing her anger. “We had a deal, and you better fucking keep it!”

We looked over to the window, doing our best not to wake out son. Road Spike had become quite thin over the last few years, and her mane havd had lost the vibrant colors it once held. The Raider next to her was as dull looking as he could be, including the generic skull cutiemark like so many of them had.

“That was with the old boss. The new boss says that our protection costs more.” The raider smirked. “We’re part of a more important group now, so we cost more.”

“Brahmin Shit.” Road stomped her hooves. “You're still the dumbass group I hired to take over this place, you can’t demand mo…”

*Bang*

Road Spike’s body slumped over into the dird. She… was dead, just like that. The raider pushed her body to the side, looking a little annoyed. “Hay!” he called out. “have you taken care of that tub of lard?”

“Yeah, yeah. The fuckers dead.” Another raider stepped out of the shadows, above the first raider from some railings, and looking less then happy. “I was hoping for a fight, but the idiot ate everything in front of him. I don’t think he knew that he drank a whole jug of bleach until it was in his stomach. Hate to be the one to clean up all his bloody guts, because he puked them up everywhere.”

The male raider sighed. “Right. Well this place is ours, not their much left of it. Let’s gather the whores, as they’ll need to know their new boss. Not like it changes anything.”

The female raider chuckled. “Well at least they’ll know who will beat the shit out of them if they don’t pay up.”

The male raider just shrugged. “Don’t know why the boss wants to keep this place open. We should just take the mares for ourselves. I know I’d like to have a little slave-wife waiting for me back at camp.”

The female raider just shook her head. “And that’s how you go soft. If you want a mare to stick with you, she needs to be strong. Not some common weak whore like these bitches.”

“How about I take you then?” The male raider probed.

“Only if you can force yourself on me.” The female responded. “But be warned, I bite.”

“I know, I’ve seen your brothers face.” The male raider sighed. “Still don’t know why he wants to fuck you again so badly.”

She shrugged. “Not like I’m excited over the idea. I guess after the first time we went at it, all other mares didn’t stand up. But enough about my bro’s small dick, lets get this job done.”

“Right.” The male raider responded. “After this is over, lets meet up at the ring.” The female Raider smiled at his offer, and moved onto knocking on the doors.

I pulled back from the curtain, and looked at my little colt. He a bit too tired to know what was going on. “I’m sorry, honey, I need to put you back in your hiding space.

“But Mom...” He whined softly.

I placed my hoof on his mouth. “No buts. Dangerous ponies are on their way here, and I need you to be quiet until their leave.” I hugged him tightly, no way I was going to let anypony take him from me. “Can you do that for me?”

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We heard our other wing hit the ground with a sickening plop. The pain, like with the other wing, was all that existed in our mind. We wanted it to stop, but Razor held us down firmly. We wanted to faint, but somehow the mutated alicorn willed us to stay awake. Her magic, we could truly feel it now, pressing under our skin, snaking it’s way to our very mind.

She forced us to stand, her oppressive magic moving us like some puppet.

“See here? This is the fate that awaits you. Bloodied, weak, and broken.” Our head was lifted up, throat exposed. “Some of you may live, defiant as you are. But unless you submit, you will be nothing more than food for the mirelurks.” Her ripper was pressed up on our neck, slowly and softly moved back and forth by her magic. “So how much is your life worth?” She asked me. “Submit to me, and so will many others. You would be saving many lives if you do.”

We looked her in the eye. Her madness, her bloodlust, the evil. We knew the look, and we hated it to our core.

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“Whore! Next time do everything I say or I’ll make you hurt more.” The raider slammed the door behind him, not paying me anything.

Picking up a nearby rag, I cleaned the blood from my face. The raiders were a mixed bag. Some were violent and drug addled, but some others simply wanted to be pampered, or surprisingly wanted to have a lap to cry into. But the violent ones? They were in charge, and they were the ones to frequent the brothel most often.

Spitting some blood into the rag, I found part of a tooth among the blood. Shaking my head, I knew this was going to only make my health worse. Pulling a nearby box, I took out some med-X, quickly using it to dull the pain. The drug worked as fast as ever, but it wasn’t as effective as it was when I started using the stuff. Reaching out for another med-x, I disappointingly found the box empty.

“Shit, I can’t have used them all up so soon.” I muttered through my bloody muzzle.

“Mama!” My little colt came out of his hidey hole. I had made a hidden door for him so that he could hid in between the walls. “Are you okay?”

Sighing, I nodded my head. “I’m fine, just a little low on my medicine.”

“No you’re not fine, mama.” He frowned. “We should leave this place, and go away from the bad ponies!” He looked at me with starry eyes. “I heard there’s safe places east. We should just go!”

“Soon. But first mama just needs to raise a few more caps. Then we can pay someone to take us east.” It was easier said than done, unfortunately. Between food and water, I also needed the chems to help keep my head on straight and the pain down. With the way things were going, these raiders were leaving few caps to save up with. Placing the rag away, I found my leg shaking. I tried to hold it down, but it wouldn’t stop. Worse, the shaking started to spread until my whole body was shaking.

“Mama!” my little colt held onto me tightly. Looking down at him, I could see that he was crying. All I could do was do my best to hug him tightly until the shaking stopped. All I could do was hope that things would turn out for the better. All I could do, was hope...

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“I won’t submit, not to you!” We laughed. With as much strength I could muster, I spoke up as loudly as I could. “So kill me, skin me, do whatever you want to my corpse. No matter what you threaten, we will not submit to you!”

Razor glared at me. “A shame. Here I was hoping to parade you around town before sticking a ripper up your ass. I guess I’ll just have to be satisfied with using your head as a decoration.” She giggled to herself. “Maybe I should do what Nightseer ended up doing with our fair princess Luna.” Razor then laughed loudly. “Yes, that is perfect. Your bones will decorate my armor, along with the skulls of all those who follow you.”

The ripper came to life right under our neck, and there was no way out. We were to weak to fight Razor, So we just closed our eyes and accepted this death. Soon I’ll get to see my son again.

“DON’T YOU HURT PRISM ANY MORE!”

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The raider scoffed. “So the whore has a little shitling. I would be impressed if it was not all too typical.” The large raider waved his hoof dismissively. “Why don’t you go run off and get eaten by a gecko like a good little foal?”

“I’m not gunna run away!” My colt stood there, holding a rusty knife in his magic. “Now stop hurting mama and get out of here!”

The raider laughed. “And what, what will you…” The rusty knife was jabbed into the raiders eye, making the brut howl in pain. “You fucking piece of shit, I’ll kill you!”

“Not if I kill you first!” He opened a box, and pulled out a few more knives. With his magic, he threw the knives. Each and every one of them stuck firmly into the raider. I knew my son was strong with magic, but this was as surprising to me as the raider.

A few of the knives had stuck firmly in the raider’s leg that he’d used to protect his face. “If you were mine, I’d be proud of ya. Such an intent to kill, and some power to back it up.” He grabbed one of the knives in his leg with his mouth, spitting the rusty blade onto the ground. “But you’re not, and we used our last healing potion yesterday, meaning I’m now blinded in one eye thanks to you.” He smiled with yellow rotten teeth. “Eye for an eye, but I’m greedy, so I’ll take it all.”

My colt threw a few more knives, but the raider didn’t flinch, tackling him, sending both of them threw the wall. With one motion the raider had my son pinned, his large hoof almost covering my sons body.

“Stop!” I called out. “He’s too young to understand what he was doing. If you’re going to hurt anypony, hurt me!”

The raider grinned. “You should have thought about that first before letting your runt run wild. Maye your next one will be kept on a short leash.” The raider lifted his hoof, and slammed it down on my son, and repeated this until my son stopped moving, and then did it one more time. Kicking my colt’s body over to me, I could see that he was dead, and beyond all help. Looking at him, I couldn’t bring myself to cry, scream, or feel anything. “If you want, I could father your next one.” He dropped a few canisters of Dash, his payment for fucking me.

Numbness was all I felt…

No, I could feel, and it burned. Clutching my son, I glared at the raider “You.”

“Ya, I’ll even raise the whelp. You know, to help make them strong.” He laughed at his own sick joke.

“Die!”

The Raider didn’t even have time to react as I kicked the knife still stuck in his head deeper in his eyesocket. All the way, making it poke out the back of his skull. The raider fell to the floor, dead, without even a scream or whimper.

Looking at him, my anger subsided, only too late realizing that if I could do that, I could have saved my son. I should have protected him. We should have left when he’d suggested it. Looking around, the rest of the brothel had come out to see the commotion. They all wore a mix of shock and horror. I didn’t want to be here, or anywhere anymore. I just wanted my son back.

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“You little insect!” Star skimmed across the floor, having been kicked by Razo. “You think you can stand up to me, a mere foal!” Razor now sported a deep cut along her side. The blackwater cutlass sitting next to her, covered in rainbow blood.

“I did cut you, so that’s a start.” Star Charter said contently as she got back up on all fours. “Here, I’ll give you an option, leave here, and I won’t kill you.”

Razor growled. “I will not be mocked by a mere foal” she stomped onto the ground, and with her magic grabbed every piece of junk around us. “Now die!” the junk then accelerated at Star. She rolled to the side, taking cover behind a broken barrier. The junk flew and destroyed the barrier, but Star was not there anymore, already having scampered away. Razor franticly looked around levitating more junk ready to be thrown. “Come out little filly, let me crush you to death!”

We had to help Star, but we were in too much pain to move properly. Pulling our saddle back up with our magic, our one hope was there. The bag, it was soaked with rainbow fluid, and reeked of tainted cider, making our heart sink for a moment. But fortune shined on us, and one last bottle inside was still unbroken. Popping the cork, we drank as much of it as we could, pouring it down into my stomach. Its effects were not instant, but we could feel the concentrated magic flowing from the liquid, and into us.

*BOOM*

An explosion went off next to razor, making her flinch. “You fucking rat, if you keep playing this game, then I’ll just have to smoke you out!” The floating junk then started to spin, and expand out. More and more junk joined the other pieces, spinning around Razor. She cackled madly. “Amazing, this power is amazing!”

With a squeal, Star was picked up by Razors magic. With the filly in her grasp, Razor dropped the rest of the junk, and pulled Star toward her. “I can’t say that I’m not impressed. So much fight for such a young filly. But I will be crushing you now.”

“Don’t you dare hurt my foal!” We cried out, getting to our hooves. Everything hurt. The rainbow liquid, while it did restore a bit of our strength, had not dulled our pain in the least. “She’s only a foal, let her go. It’s me you want.”

“True.” Razor smirked. “But she pissed me off, and you seem to care about her.” She laughed before looking at me. “Oh, that’s too perfect! That quiet acceptance was pissing me off, but now? Now I can see despair in your eyes.” She dangled Star in front of her, letting her swing by her neck. “I’m going to have you watch her die slowly. And then when you feel despair, true despair, then and only then will I kill you.”

Star began to struggle and Razors magic wrapped around her neck like sick tendrils. We were in pain, week from the fight, and struggled to stand. We didn’t want to see this again. We couldn’t see this happen again. What could we do? Was their anything at all we even could do? There had to be something...

‘Fate is cruel’ We looked to our side to see a unicorn mare stand next to us. She looked at us as if she were gazing into a mirror. ‘We had the power to protect the ones we loved, but were too scared to do anything.’ The mare had creamy gray fur, a freckled face, and a mane that was of red, yellow, and orange. Her cutie mark was of a stretched canvas with a rainbow painted on it. ‘Well I’m tired of being scared, aren’t you?’

Looking up at Star, it was like time had frozen. Nothing was moving at all.

‘Scared’ I looked back at the mare, with only my thoughts doing the talking. ‘But I don’t want to lose anymore.’

‘We are going to lose everything if we don’t do something.’ The mare said back at me, keeping her calm demeanor.

‘But... what do we do?’ What could we do against somepony like Razor? We stood no chance.

‘Get angry, get reckless.’ She smirked. ‘Do what we should have done so long ago.’

We felt confused, but somehow knew what she meant. ‘Do... what?’

‘Take a stand, get violent.’ Tilting her head slightly, she looked at me in the eyes. ‘Fight and kill to protect what you care about.’

‘Make them regret.’ I said in agreement.

The old Prim Paint nodded, the old ‘me’, vanished as though she was never there. It was madness to talk with yourself, but maybe that’s what needed to happen. The wasteland had always been a mad place, but I guess that was all I truly needed to keep from suffering the same fate twice, was a bit of true madness.

I lifted the empty bottle in my magic, and looked at Razor. “Drop her now, and I’ll make your death quick!”

“Oh, is that a threat?” Star choked as Razor’s tendrils squeezed her tighter.

My horn flared with magic as I sneered. “I said drop her NOW!” Before I could even blink, Razor was knocked over. Something had slammed into her legs from the side hard enough to send her to the ground. The hit broke her concentration, and forced her to let go of Star. The filly immediately dropped to the ground and began running over to me.

“Wh… What!?” Getting herself up, Razor looked round for what had hit her. In front of everyone’s eyes, my invisibility magic having wore off and revealed a long steel pipe appeared. Her head snapped over at me, her face contorted into an enraged sneer. “You. How?”

“This is your final warning” I was still in pain, more than I had ever known in my life. But it didn’t matter, because I had something to protect, and a bitch to kill. “Turn back now, or I will kill you. That, I can promise you.”

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Footnote:

Quest Progress: Line in the sand %75