Fallout Equestria: On Rust Red Shores

Razor laughed. It was internal at first, like she was trying to hold it in. But it quickly became a loud, mad cackle.

“Kill me? That’s too rich!” More laughter belted from her muzzle until she began losing her breath. She rose her forehoof to her chest, trying to force herself to stop just to breath. “One lucky hit does not a champion make.”

“I don’t care.” I responded flatly. “Even if it kills me in the end, I will kill you.”

She lowered her eyes to me, lowering her tone as well. “Broken bird, you really want a test of power?”

Something about her words amused me. “Broken?” She must be talking about my lost wings. “You think I care about that?” I didn’t originally have wings, and they were simply a gift from mother. But that’s not who I originally was. “Those wings never belonged to me in the first place.”

“Then I should take more of you then.” Razor said with a smile. “That horn of yours, for example. I’ll grind it to dust.”

“Come get it.” Her threats had long stop digging into me, and were more like a buzzard cawing at me from afar. Irritating, but pointless. Tilting my head up, I smiled back at her. “I’ll take yours in return.”

“FINE!” She shouted, her two rippers roared back to life, singing in the air around her. “I’ll carve you, bloody you, make you regret ever being born!”

“Doubtful.” I responded, readying myself to fight.

Razor Storm howled, lifting every piece of junk around her at once. It began to swirl around her body, moving about like a storm of razor sharp rusted metal. “You all will die!”

The pain in my body still engulfed me, but somehow I pushed it back. It didn’t matter to me because more important things were ahead of me. The most important of all, was protecting Star, who now clung tightly to my back. The next, was insuring the raiders didn’t win, by either sending them back to the wasteland, or their graves. That started with me beating Razor Storm.

The storm of junk both acted as her shield and her weapon. Attacking like I had tried to before would only end in everyone’s death, but if I could get past it and deal another blow on her horn, then the opportunity for victory would open. The question was how?

Teleportation? No, even if I could, Razor would know how to counter it. Using my own shield against her metal storm would end with me losing out. I’d be out classed instantly. I needed another strategy entirely.

‘Be reckless’

What if I just charged her? There’s no way she would expect that from me. But I need her focus elsewhere first.

‘Be cunning’

First, a blast of magic then. That would open up a small window for me.

‘Be vicious’

If she wants my horn, then I’ll give it to her. If I do this, I have to commit fully to it. No turning back.

“It’s your move.” Razor cackled again, twirling her rippers as she licked her lips. “Come on already!”

“Star, I’m going to need you to stay back,” I glanced back to the small filly on me. “you’ve done enough as it is.”

The filly frowned. “No dice, Prism.” She pulled her Rust gun from her back, loading a fresh magazine in. “We go together, or not at all.”

“I’m not playing around.” I snapped back at her. Really, this was not the time to ignore my wishes.

“Neither am I.” She grinned. “She’s too strong to fight alone.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” I tried to plead with her, but I had the feeling that I would not change her mind.

“It’s too late for that.” Star Charter shook her head. “I was hurt plenty on the Blackwater, long before you met me.” The whites of her cursed eye turned red, and a trickle of blood dripped from it, rolling down and off her cheek. “So it’s no use worrying about me, let’s just kill this bitch already.”

The storm of junk grew closer. “Fine, but stay behind me.” I answered her with a stern tone. Razor was growing impatient, leaving me with little time to think. “Only make yourself known when needed.”

She saluted. “Eye-eye, captain!”

My magic enveloped her and turned her invisible. We could only hope that was enough to protect the rambunctious little filly. It’ll be a miracle if we get out of this alive at all.

“RAZOR!” Taking a step forward, I raised my voice as loud as possible. “Prepare yourself.” Our very voice felt like it carried the weight mother once gave it, and it brought joy to Razor’s eyes.

“For victory,” She smirked as she spoke. “Most certainly, I will.”

All my pain, my uncertainty, my fear, and my self-loathing. It all felt like it melted away, as though at this moment it bowed before a greater me. I would not going to let this moment pass me by, not this time.

My horn burned with magic. One over-glow, two over-glow, and still I concentrated. My horn shined with raw magical power. It hurt, feeling like my whole horn wanted to pop out of my skull. But I would not let it yet. I needed more power, I needed a bigger burst. Three over-glow, four-overglow, still I pushed it. I knew I could do more. I could make it bigger, stronger! Five over-glow, six over-glow. I was not more a mere unicorn anymore, scared of the world and weak to others power over me. Seven over-glow, eight over-glow. Those I wish to protect, I will die before letting them be hurt by others. Nine over-glow, ten over-glow. Even if I must wipe away all that is in front of me, I’ll do it, to protect all those around me.

I let the magic loose. A clear sphere bust from my horn, and my body went numb. The sphere slowly traveled to Razor, entering her storm of junk. At first it did nothing, like the junk and the sphere were on different planes of existence entirely.

But then, it burst. Everything went white, and my ears only heard a sharp ringing.

‘Opportunity’

Using what strengthen had left in my body, I charged. Blind and deaf I charged straight at where I knew Razor was standing. I could feel nothing. My legs were still numb, my everything was numb. I only knew that I’d hit something when I could no longer move forward.

“You...” Razors less than pleased face came into focus as the shine from my magic faded. “Bitch!” My horn was firmly lodged into her neck. I smiled as she lifted a hoof, and pushed myself off of her, her rainbow blood spouting from her neck, and staining my face. “I’ll crush you!” The junk she controlled rose up into the air, forming intimidating sphere. “I’ve run out of patience, So die!”

Casting invisibility, I pushed myself to the side. The junk slammed into the ground where I had just been. It gave of a chorus of squeals as it dented the deck of the ship. The impact sent some of the junk flying all about, with a few pieces hitting me. The blows weren’t enough to hurt, but it broke my focus. My invisibility spell broke, revealing my position.

“You’ll be squashed like a radroach” Razor sneered, as she raised the junk from the ground again. “And just like a radroach, you just don’t know when to die!” The junk flew at me like a wall, but pulling back, I cast my invisibility again and found the supply crate to take shelter behind. More random bits of Razor’s scrap metal weapon lodged in deep to it. “Enough hiding! Show yourself and die already!”

“I’ve got this!” Star said as she Jumped off of me and scampered across the deck of the ship. Before we could react, she’d already pulled Razor’s attention. “Hay, Scurvy butt! Try and hit me!”

“I’ll do more than that, welp!” Bits and pieces of pipe, scrap metal, and rusted boxes began flying at Star Charter. Her small sized worked as an advantage, and her reflexes were too great for Razor’s assault. Star smirked as she dodged the flying metal, using bits of the ships broken defencive barricades to protect herself.

Watching this, I knew what to do. Wrapping the empty supply container in my magic, I made it invisible. With as much effort as I could, I used my magic and lifted it above my head. “Razor!” She looked in my direction, my own invisibility failing as I chose to focus my attention solely on the container. With all my strength, I propelled the container at her. I locked eyes with her as she stood blissfully unaware of my attack.

With a slam, the container lost its invisibility as it hit her. The sheer weight of it meant that both her and it were flung across the deck. The container and her didn’t stop until it hit one of the houses and collapsed it down ontop of her. Even for an overpowered alicorn, that was going to do some damage.

Star Charter quickly joined me, smiling. “Got her.”

*Poof*

Razor appeared right before me in a flash of magic. Her one eye open eye glared into my own with a hatred unmatched by all but mother. Her face was blooded, looking slightly crushed.

“I’d be impressed if I was not about to eviscerate you from smile to gut.” She growled. “I’ll decorate this deck with your intestines, use your stomach to make a water sack. Let me count the ways I can use your parts to better life for me.”

“Hay, Bitch flanks!” Star charter called out.

Razor smiled, “And the little one. I’ll boil her into a stew, and force the slaves to eat…” Razor paused, looking over at the little filly. Her pause became a hesitant step backwards. Razor’s quivering eye was fixated on Star as the oversized alicorn became completely paralyzed in fear.

“Razor?” We asked.

She didn’t respond, and we feared what was going on as we had seen this before. The dark magic implanted within Star had this effect on others. I had no time to think about the repercussions this would have for Star after this ordeal was over. She was buying me time, so I had to act. Lowering my head, I placed my horn under Razors eye, careful not to block her view of Star.

I thrust forwarded as hard as I could.

Razor gave a howling Scream. Her once good eye now crushed, oozing rainbow blood down onto my horn before she tore away from me. It was a brutal, opportunistic attack on her, but I had to do it.

“You fucking bitch!” Junk levitated off the ground and began to swirl around us once again. “I’ll Kill you all, I’ll rip you to shreds!” She slowly backed up, tendrils of magic lashing out as she propelled her junk through the air recklessly. “You miserable bugs, I’ll kill you!”

““No, we will not die.” Pulling Stars Rust gun from her back with my magic, I aimed it at Razor. “but you?” I smiled. “You can return to the ground and see what’s beyond death.”

*Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat*

The barrage of bullets slammed into Razor Storm’s chest. Each one finding their mark right into her heart, I made absolutely sure of it. Everything stopped abruptly. The flying Junk, the magical Tendrils, all of it. Her junk hit the ground, falling down onto the deck like a rain of metal. Razor stood there, still alive somehow. Wearily, she looked in my direction with her bloodied half of her face.

“Good hunting then.” With a weak smirk, she collapsed. Rainbow blood seeped out of her various wounds, dribbling and pooling out on the deck. Then there was only silence.

Slowly I trotted over to her, my body flaring in pain more and more with each step. Levitating the gun, I pointed it at her head.

“The hunt is over.” I muttered before I pulled the trigger.

*Tat* *Tat* *Tat*

The gun torqued in my magic, and the bullets sparked off the metal decking. The rust gun was shoved out of line by another’s magical grasp. Denying me this kill was the other green alicorn.

“The hunt is over.” She spoke, letting go of the rust gun. “We go now. You’ve won.” Lifting the large, mutated Razor onto her back, the green alicron trotted away.

I lifted the rust gun up at her, aiming down the sights. The gun shook in my magic. Kill her. Come on, do it!

I need to kill Razor to make sure this was over. Only one bullet is needed. Right to the head, quick and easy, to end it all. The rust gun shook harder in my magic as Razors head dangled just ahead of me. One shot, one bullet. Then I knew this would be over. One life, that’s all it needed to end this. What was one life to the many? The life of a murderous monster at that? I’ve done this before, Mother helped me. Crush, snap, kill. It’s. Just. One. Life.

*Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat* *Tat*

My magic swung the gun as I pulled the trigger. The rounds flew high into the air, skywards to parts unknown. I was done with death. It was all just too draining to me. This battle was over. The fights to come for this place was for others to fight. But for me, I just wanted to sleep.

My eyes, they were heavy, so very heavy. Everything about my body hurt so much that I couldn’t be sure what part of me still was alright. If I were to sleep and never to wake up, that would be fine with me, because I was too tired to keep this up.

“I won” With a numb crash, I hit the floor. “It’s alright, it’s all over now.” With heavy eyes, I let myself drift off, let everything fade away.

______________________________________

“Mama!” I opened my eyes, and a little colt stood before me. “I’m sorry mama.”

Getting up, my eyes welled and I hugged my little foal. “What Why would you say that? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes I did!” He said. “I didn’t listen to you. I didn’t hide, and... I made you hurt.”

“No!” Something burned within me. ““No, not at all.” Holding him tightly the tears came. “I’m at fault, I always was. I should never have stayed in that place. I should never have let that stallion hurt you.”

“Mama.” he began to cry. “I couldn’t stand to see the bad ponies hurt you.”

“I know.” Holding him tightly, I stroked his mane. “You were a good colt, Rainbow Pallet. The best thing to ever come into my life. The only good to have come from my time in that cruddy place.”

“Mama.” He squirmed from my hold. “I have to go now.”

“Yes, I’m coming with you.” I sniffled. I was ready to go.

She shook his head. “No mama, not yet.”

“What, why?” No… that couldn’t be.

“You still have things to do mama,” Rainbow began to fade as his body slowly turned translucent. “but I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Don’t go!” I reached out for him, but my hooves only passed through his body. “We only just reunited. I want to be with you!”

“I know mama.” He smiled, tears in his eyes. “And I know you have always thought of me, but it’s not your time yet.”

“I DON’T CARE!” I slammed my hooves down. “It’s not fair! Why did you have to die? Why do I have to be so weak? Why can’t we be together!?”

“I know mama, I know.” He faded until he was nothing but specks of light. “Goodbye mama. I’ll be waiting for you. So please, go and live. There are others who care about you, and you need to be alright with caring about them.”

“But, all I wanted was you...” Everything turned to white around me. “You are all I wanted to be with….” Then, as Rainbow had, even the light faded. Fading away until all around me was once again dark and silent.

______________________________________

Footnote:

Quest Complete: Line in the sand