Fallout Equestria: Blood and Sand

Prologue: Blood in your Eyes

“I’ve Sunshine enough to spread!
It’s just like the fellas said;
Tell me quick, ain’t it a buck iiiiiiin the heeeeeead!”

I've never been a good pony.

What possible reason could I have had to even ATTEMPT to be classified as a good pony? The wasteland has no room for... for, charity, or innocence... mercy, or compassion. Raiders are too fond of flaying the coats and skin from any given pony to ponder if what they're doing is "right"; slavers will grab anyone the raiders don't butcher, and sell them into a short (or long, if they're unfortunate enough) life as a pathetic peon, breaking their backs for the rest of their existence, unable to do anything but watch the world move on like they didn't exist as the pony who put them in that situation forgets their deed and moves on to the next poor fuck.

The ponies at Tenpony live in their little tower, throwing around caps for fancy bullshit; the ponies of the Enclave stay above the clouds, oblivious- or, perhaps, simply uncaring- to the
plight of the ponies below. Godesses know that the wild animals aren't exactly quick to leave people alone.

Who cares, has always been my motto. Certainly not me.

I'm no better than any pony out there- I've stolen from ponies just getting by. I've killed ponies for looking at me wrong, or speaking in a tone I'm not alright with. Tartarus alive, I've sold ponies into slavery, ignoring their pleas and just letting them be enslaved, taking my hard-earned caps and spending it on booze, or ass, or... booze.

I'm NOT a good pony. I never will be, and yknow what, I've always been fine with that.

Until now...

The broken pony underneath the raider I just shot gave me a look I've never seen before.
The raider, to his credit, didn't seem to MIND having a hoof-sized hole in his right foreleg, magic buzzing around a sharp spear poised to stab the helpless, broken-horned unicorn underneath him. The unicorn didn't seem grateful. Didn't seem
grateful, or hell, even relieved.

She just looked... angry.

The type of anger that i've never really had directed at me. Like I had just stolen
something from her, that meant everything to her.

Like I had done something wrong by giving the raider pause. For postponing her mortality. For depriving her of the peaceful oblivion of death.

The raider hadn't even been focusing on me- I just took aim at something I saw I didnt like, and pulled the trigger. I was watching out for myself. He foamed at the mouth even now, as if I had only made him a little ticked off. He was smiling, too, like I'd snapped him out of
his lethal reverie. Now, he didnt look like he
wanted to kill the unicorn.

He looked like he wanted to do much worse, and judging by the organ growing underneath him, I had a good idea what.

The powder-blue, green-maned little broken-horned unicorn looked at me with the most
fervent disgust I've ever seen, and I knew she would spend the next few hours, raped by this
random raider I didn’t care enough to describe, blaming the rust-maned ivory-coated earth pony that had just distracted her tormentor long enough to change his mind about a little more playtime with his food.

What... what was this burning feeling in my chest? Why did I care? I never had before; I knew ponies were raped by the damn raiders all the time, it was just one more thing I'd come to accept, and then, ignore. I really didn't care, but I really wasn't worried about her fate.

So... why were my eyes burning too? And why were my eyes narrowing? My teeth grinding against each other? Every muscle in my body tensing?

Why was I charging this raider, his spear gleaming in the cloud-filtered moonlight, his eyes looking to me, the same malice he felt for everything boring into me, his disgusting, disease-riddled... parts... dangling below him?

I exploded into action fueled by some rage I'd never experienced before, replacing the cold indifference I usually held. I had no horn; no melee weapons; hell, I wasn't even very good with my hooves. But oddly enough, I didn't seem to care, and I found that when I blinked I was suddenly in the raider's face, my blunt teeth tearing into his throat, his warm, coppery blood flooding my muzzle and my nostrils. He gurgled; the sound was nice to my sudden rage-fueled tantrum, and I flipped him on his back, sparing no moments to furiously grind my hoof into his member, blood and pus erupting as I pulverized probably the only part of himself he
actually cared about. I didn't stop stomping until my hoof hit blood-soaked dirt, and with more
strength than even I thought I had, I threw his corpse aside with my teeth and leaped as hard as I
could, landing with four hooves on his ribcage. The light had already left the raider's eyes, and he
was dead, but that didn't slow me down. I was determined not to just kill him- I was determined to erase him.

I only noticed I needed to stop when I heard a whimper behind me. The unicorn, when I
looked back at her, had gone from disgust to terror. I suppose she was taken aback by my
brutality- despite being at the hooves of a raider, she -as well as myself- was shocked by my sudden change of temperament. I looked down at my hooves; I'd never, ever had this much of some other pony's blood on me (I was too good of a sniper shot to have to worry about people getting close enough for blood splatter), and I suddenly felt an irresistible nausea come over me, as I hurled all of the meagre contents of my stomach onto the ground. I tasted blood, and almost nothing else, so much that the taste of bile didn't even register. I was shaking, not the shake of death or the shake of temper, but the violent shaking of my muscles pushed to the limit and adrenaline, the only thing that was keeping me going, leaving me. I collapsed under my own body's weight, knowing that in raider territory this would cause my death, but as unconsciousness took me I saw a pony approaching me- this was it, and I didn't even know why I had gotten in this situation in the first place.

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A corpse, bloody and broken, lay on the cobbled stone of a city he had never seen. His own hooves were blood-covered, and bits of bone clung to his coat. He looked to the corpse again, which began to laugh... and laugh.. and laugh... and..

I woke with a start, half due to the dream, and half due to the shock of actually waking up in the first place. I heard a fire crackling; felt heat against my coat. My muscles were aching, likely most of them pulled, though I didn't know wh...

A corpse, bloody and broken...

I picked my head up, looking around- it didn't look familiar, just sand and dust, and a flame inside a ring of stones. A couple sheets of cardboard- including one under me- and a few trees, black and charred, were all I could see in the pitch black night. I remembered all of the actions I'd performed in a blood-red haze, and the nausea from before came to me again out of shock at my own capabilities. It was true, I'd never been a good pony, but ... that was far beyond anything I'd ever done.

I wasn't surprised when I fell into a hard, painful dry retch as the thought of what I'd done to the raider, the parts of him I'd touched, flooded my consciousness. I heard a rustling, but the nausea was just too much, and as my body was wracked by the painful gagging, I felt a hoof touch my back. I waited for a pain that never came, and to my surprised felt a hoof stroke my mane.

"Shhhh, shhhh, calm down before you hurt yourself more." Cooed a soft feminine voice, rich like chocolate and gentle like the softest breeze. Despite the soothing qualities of the voice, I still retched, and it took me several minutes to stop heaving. The instant I did, I looked back to see a powder blue unicorn with fear and... something else in her eyes. "You probably got poisoning from that raider's blood getting in your... y...your..." She looked like she was trying not to retch too.

I tried my damndest to leap to my hooves, ready for an altercation, but as I tried my legs went weak and I fell back over again. The mare tried-and failed-to hide a chuckle. I simply laid there, smart enough to know she wasn't going to kill me...yet.

I looked at her, panting and narrowing my eyes cruelly at her, eliciting a soft squeak as she obviously thought I was going to rip her apart too.

"What. Are. You. Doing."

She blinked. Her eyes were the purest emerald color, which shone in the firelight.
"Wh...what do you..."

I growled at her, trying to scare her into submission as I had so many slavers and
mercenaries. "Why. Am. I. Here."

She looked afraid, and then the fear turned to anger. "EXCUSE ME? Why are you HERE? I saved your sorry ass and THIS is how you react?"

I felt the oddest pang, the burning in my chest starting anew as I looked away, grumbling. "Noone does anything without wanting something." I looked back at her, struggling to sit up a little. "What do you want. I already kept you from being raped by a goddesses-damned raider. What else could you possibly..."

Damn but she could hit hard. I reeled, my cheek burning where she'd punched me. "D-don't you dare talk to me like that, you bastard. I was just trying to repay your oh so 'kind' attempt to save me. Typical merc." She sounded more than a little hurt, underneath the fury.

And I thought *I* was scary.

"Alright, alright, I'm SORRY." What the hell? I was apologizing? Since when did I apologize? "I didn't mean to bring it up, sheesh.."

The mare sighed, falling back on her haunches and watching me for a solid five minutes, as if to make sure I didn’t jump her.

"Victory Charm." Now it was my turn to blink.

"What?"

"My name is Victory Charm. Friends call me Vic- not that you classify as that. And I just
dragged you from raider territory- despite being wounded, mind you- to keep you from ending up as wall decorations as payment for saving my hindquarters. And in return, I demand to know your name."

Demand? If any other pony had "demanded" something from me- or if I had been in better condition- I would have shot them where they stood for their disrespect. But I couldn't seem to work up the will to hit her. Not that I liked her tone.

"Hmmph. Fine. My name is Blood. Blood Drop."

She looked at me funny, and broke into a raucous laugh. "Bl.. BLOOD DROP? OH MY GODDESSES THAT'S SO EDGY!" she rolled onto her back, laughing

loudly as I simply scowled.

"Better than you, Winning Jewelry." I was oddly proud of that jab- until she stopped and shot me a look. "I mean.. Victory... Charm." I was... sorry again? The fuck?

A silence hung in the air for a few moments, the night not leaving anything visible but us and the fire.

"Sorry I called your name edgy."

"Sorry I made fun of yours, too." Another apology. The hell was wrong with me?

Another tense minute.

Victory Charm was the one who broke the tension. "Are you hungry?"

"What?"

She rolled those emerald eyes with a grunt. "Are. you. HUN. GRY. Goddesses you're dense."

I growled, and she growled back.

Sigh. "I... could... eat."

She dumped out saddlebags I hadn't seen before, and kicked a can of applesauce to me. I weakly pulled it close, and dug my teeth under the tab pulling it open. I tried to drink the applesauce, and found myself stopping and putting it down.

"Is the raider why your horn's gone?"

Her glare could have burnt a hole in a Sentrybot. "What the hell makes you think you can ask me something like that? No, it wasn't the raider, and it is NOT any of your business. Now eat your damn sauce before I make you go hungry."

I cringed- now I was cringing, too?- and felt my head drop. "I'm... sorry." A burning in my
chest, same as before, but without the fire in my head to accompany it. I wasn't angry. I felt... was this what guilt felt like?

She looked at me with a strange sense of pity and fury, "It's.. fine. Just don't ask again. Get some sleep- in the morning I'll help you walk. You probably have a great number of torn and pulled muscles, but you'll just have to suck it up- I'm out of Med-X." she paused. "And if you try to protest, I WILL buck you so hard in the face you'll sneeze teeth for a month." And with that... poorly thought-out threat, she tossed over and tried to make an attempt at falling asleep. I grumbled, downed the applesauce, and laid my head on my hooves. Despite my exhaustion, my mind was reeling.

What the hell is coming over me? I don't know this mare. I have no reason to care. I saved her ass, she saved mine. Even is even.

So why do I feel like I owe her?

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The morning was spent in silence. Complete, utter, silence. My muscles ached, but I could stand- pain was an old friend I was more than able to deal with. She hoofed me a piece of fried radigator (how the hell did she get that?) which I slowly picked clean, and helped me stand. I felt like I'd been smacked by a raider's sledgehammer, and was NOT enjoying the sensation, but again. Pain was temporary. She turned to the road to the right, and I stood there, waiting for her to leave so I could go on my own way.

Except...

"Victory Charm. Wait."

She didn’t get far before she turned, raising an eyebrow. "What."

I kicked the dust- it was NOT like me to be shy. "I want to travel with you. Yknow. Make sure you don't get yourself shot by another raider before you get to... wherever you're going."

She looked as confused as I felt. "Oh, um.. alright. Fine. But try anything funny, and I promise you'll shit your own jawbones for a week."

How colorful. I began trotting to her, unfortunately slow, making sure my rifle was loaded. I wasn't going to leave my guard down, not around her.

"I won't say anything stupid if you won't."

"Fine."

"Fine." I followed her slowly, and despite her coldness she didn’t seem willing to leave me alone, either- I figured she was too scared of thelocal raiders. I, for one, felt.. I wasn't sure what I felt. I didn't care, I told myself. I don't care. I'm just keeping her safe because.. she'd give me something. Or not. Why was I risking my ass for her? I didn't know her.

I was shaken from my thoughts after a couple miles by my head bumping her rump. I growled, and snapped "Dammit, what is it no-"

IIIIIII didn't need to finish that. The overpass, usually crumbly but perfectly stable, was... collapsed. Smoking, like it was new (how tired were we we didn't notice a boom?)

I pulled my rifle from its holster, peeking through the sight in a practiced motion I'd done
countless times before. I scanned the horizon, and to my surprise found noone in the... wait. What was that glint in the distance?

I felt a strange panic for the girl, and shouted "SNIPER!" just in time for her to dodge a massive bullet, missing us and digging into the deep desert sand. WE hid behind the rubble, and I cursed myself. Careless and in danger, because of a stupid mare.

Victory Charm looked at me with a muttered "thanks." and I responded with a soft nod, peeking over the stone, taking aim at the glint, and firing a shot. Another buried itself in the stone, and I waited.

Alright, adjust for wind... trajectory.. aim a little higher, and... I used my tongue to pull the trigger, and a little more or less than a second later, the glint disappeared with the audible sound of someone's head blowing to pieces.

A few seconds. Just listen...

Nothing.

I stepped from behind the stone and looked at the overpass, smoking and impossible to climb for anyone short of a pegasus. Which probably meant...

Victory Charm seemed to read my mind, despite the short time of our acquaintance, and she grunted. "Damn Enclave. Shutting down the roads.."

"Where were you headed?" I said, using a hoof to rack the bolt, sliding another round into place.

"I heard there's a pony at Tenpony..."

I nodded, and looked around. "Looks like that's going to be a loooooong trot- without the
overpass, that's a few weeks trot from as remote as this place is." I figured I knew what she wanted- a horn repair. And I felt the oddest sensation that I
would need to escort her. I grunted again.

"How much will you pay me if I escort you to Tenpony? You obviously don't know the area, and I do. 'Sides. I’m better with a gun than most." I found myself beaming with pride- why the hay was I showing off for some random mare? And for that matter why was I suddenly saying "Hay" instead of "Hell"?

She looked at me with careful consideration, and slowly said- "I don't have much with me. But I have no doubt we will face opposition. Tell you what- you escort me to Tenpony, and I will let you have the spoils of any encounter. I have my own resources, and you can have all the caps you find."

What an oddly... generous offer, but I wasn't in the habit of accepting anything less than upfront payment. I started to turn with a dismissive wave, but caught myself wanting to make sure was safe. Since when am I so goddamned philanthropic?

I sighed at myself, confused at my sudden change of heart, and said "Fine. I get first pick of any loot we find. And you-" I pointed at her as aggressively as I could. "-WILL do what I tell you to, if you want to stay alive. I don't need to be a genius to know you're far from being a local. I'll keep you alive, but ONLY if you do as I say."

She seemed to consider this, and nodded again slowly. "Fine. Consider it a deal. But if you go berserk again, you're on your own."

A pang of conscience (now I was having THOSE?) I began to lead the way. "This way, and remember-stick close. I'll be pissed off if I escort you and you die before I get enough loot to justify the effort." That was more like myself.

The road was going to be a long one, but I had nothing better to do, and, I mused as we set off, something else spurred me to protect her. I'm not a good pony, but for whatever reason...

...I wanted to keep her safe for more than just my wallet.

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New Perk: Ferocious Loyalty- You're not going to let anything happen to your charge. When allies are at -50% health, you gain +5 damage threshold and +2 Strength and Endurance.

Traits: Trigger Discipline: You’ve learned how to make every shot count. 20% slower but more accurate with all firearms and energy weapons

Hot-Blooded: What a Temper! When your health is below 50%, you gain a massive damage bonus, but also a -2 to Agility and Perception

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Stats-

Strength: 6

Perception:8

Endurance: 4

Charisma: 2

Intelligence: 7

Agility: 7

Luck: 3