Fallout Equestria: Dracony Chronicles

Lazuli still wasn’t sure what she should have called herself. A mercenary was the obvious choice, but mercenaries weren’t usually contracted to kill one pony. She wasn’t only an assassin either, though. Her metal wings and combat experience made her an ideal bodyguard and hired muscle, though her skills were somewhat undesirable in a future where firearms and explosives existed. While she was fairly proficient with small sidearms, she couldn’t do much in the way of ranged combat and she relied primarily on close quarters.

Given her lack of gunslinging ability, Lazuli was typically just an assassin or a mobile bullet-shield. Right now, she had been contracted to kill a bandit warlord – no one that was particularly well known. He was just a nuisance to the locals nearby. The village of Redhoof had suffered a great deal thanks to him, so one of their citizens had taken it upon themselves to contract an assassin to kill him.

These days, she normally opted for stealth, but today she was feeling less patient than usual. She wasn’t going to wait around for night to fall, and she figured her suit covered with dust would be enough. After essentially bathing in the dirt on the ground, she approached the raider encampment.

It was nothing special, but few raider camps ever were. There was no fence around its circumference, just a few spiked poles, bits of barbed wire run along the ground and hung from wooden beams, and guards standing at what she assumed to be the ‘main’ entrance.

It was a pretty sad sight, but it made it easier for Lazuli. She quickly tapped the pocket on her right side, feeling what seemed to be marbles rattling around within. Got those…she checked mentally, then felt at her left side. The holster of a .50 revolver sat at her hip, and the gun was firmly secured in it. And that. She checked, nodding slowly. Her tail was outfitted with a triangular blade that slipped over the spaded tip of her extra appendage, and her mane was slicked to the side to keep it out of her eyes. No time like the present. I just want this over with.

Lazuli stepped out from behind the rocks she had been sitting near, making sure to walk as softly as possible as she made her way towards the camp. Walking in the front was stupid – why do that when she could just go around? She approached from the back, fairly sure that the largest tent – for all of their buildings were tents, it seemed – was the one that would have the leader inside. The leader was technically her only target, but she had been offered bonuses for each raider she killed…plus, she knew killing the leader wouldn’t be enough to stop them from raiding towns, so she decided she’d take care of whatever ponies she ran into along the way. She liked to think it was just for the extra pay, but she also felt it was the right thing to do…in a morbid sort of way.

The barbed wire was hardly an issue. She briefly wondered why it was even there – probably just to prevent ponies from charging in, but it was easily walked over. She moved a bit slower to make sure she didn’t touch it, then hopped to the other side and made her way between two large tents, peeking her head out through the middle.

As soon as she poked her head out she heard a gasp. An earth pony mare was standing directly to her left, holding a rolled up paper with some kind of plant inside and smoking it. Her mouth dropped open, and she made what was about to become a scream…

But Lazuli moved quickly, her tail lashing out and wrapping around the mare’s neck. The sharpened blade sliced into the flesh of her throat, and in one swift motion, Lazuli both slit her throat open and dragged her in between the tents, holding her down until her convulsions stopped. For a moment, she felt a bit of sadness for the mare, but it wasn’t hard to dispel when she thought about what horrible things they must have done in the past.

Leaving the mare’s body tucked between the tents, she peeked back out again. Nopony was around now, just her. She crept out from her hiding place, keeping herself low and moving as slow as she could while still making decent progress. Her eyes darted from side to side, ensuring that no one was watching or in sight of her.

After a while, she began to realize she didn’t really need to be stealthy. She straightened up, her pace quickening a bit as she made her way down the rows of tents. The camp was not large by any means – maybe only fifty ponies in it, and that was the maximum. She rounded a corner to find herself staring at a solid building, one of the only ones in the area. It was a hut, and a run-down one at that, but it was clear that the leader must have resided in there given the two guards standing outside.

As soon as she turned the corner, both ponies stood straight up – but Lazuli froze up at the sight of them. One was standard raider fare – leather armour, big, bulky, somewhat scruffy and unkept. He was a unicorn, with a dark blue coat and an olive green mane. She couldn’t see his cutie mark, covered by the leather armour as it was.

It was the other pony that made her freeze. Standing on the other side of the doorway was a filly – surely, no older than 14. While her attitude showed hardiness, Lazuli could see fear in her eyes. A few bruises were present on her face, and her own magic – for she was a unicorn as well – was clutched around a baseball bat.

Lazuli’s eye twitched. She stepped forward, earning a growl from the stallion. “Ey!” He yelled, standing about fifteen feet away from Lazuli. “Who’re you? The boss ain’t seeing anyone right now.” His magic wrapped around a sledgehammer leaning against the wall, lifting it into the air and hefting it over his shoulder.

“Not your damn business who I am.” Lazuli replied, glancing at the filly every few seconds.

“Guess it isn’t, you’ll die anyway.” The stallion paused, his eyes moving up and down Lazuli’s body. “…huh. You look weird. Mutant?”

Lazuli didn’t respond. Her wings shot out to her sides, the metal appendages clicking and whirring with each movement. At the sight of the larger-than-average wings, the filly balked a bit.

“Ey.” The stallion growled, turning to look at the other ‘guard’. “Don’t be a bitch, remember? She’s a wannabe good-guy, just kill ‘er like that friend of yours.”

The filly was trembling, her baseball bat raising a little higher. The stallion chuckled and turned to Lazuli. “Bet you’re gonna say somethin’ about how gross this is, right? Havin’ a filly workin’ for us, ‘n all.”

Lazuli didn’t respond. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but it was getting under her skin.

“Ya know, I caught her myself. Her and a little colt walkin’ around searchin’ for supplies. I saved ‘em, ya know. Sure, the colt had to die, but…”

“H-his name was-“ The filly started to speak, earning an angry glare from the stallion.

“Shut it, kid. He ain’t got a name anymore, and neither do you.”

Lazuli cleared her throat, but it was ignored. The filly was still shaking, but tried to raise her voice. “Y-you- you made me- he- he had a name! H-he was my friend!”

“He ain’t anymore.” The stallion grunted. “So shut yer mouth ‘fore I fill it with something else.”

Lazuli’s ears jerked upwards, her pupils dilating and her jaw clenching tightly. Her tail raised above her head, blade glinting in the dim light filtering through the clouds. “What did you just say to her…?”

“Why’s it matter, huh? She’s an all-purpose filly, she is.” The stallion patted his hoof against the young mare’s mane, her body quivering under him.

The stallion didn’t get another chance to speak. Lazuli moved forward before he could, her hind legs tensing before pushing her off from the ground. She dashed towards him, wings outstretched.

“Big mistake, hon. Was gonna let you go, too.” The stallion hefted his hammer off of his shoulder and swung it through the air, aiming for Lazuli’s head as she neared him…but he only hit the ground with a loud THUD. Lazuli launched herself off of the ground with a kick, her hind legs spreading open before her thighs locked around the stallion’s neck. She swung herself backwards, her weight dragging the stallion back with her and slamming him into the ground, his neck still firmly locked between her legs.

Lazuli was breathing heavily, a snarl etched on her muzzle. “Got any more to say?” She growled, tightening her muscles and clenching harder around his throat. He tried to gasp, his magic picking up the sledgehammer again, but her tail pressed itself into the base of his horn and began to crack its surface. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand…” She panted, taking deep breaths. “It’s fucking slavers. And even worse than them…foal slavers.”

The stallion again tried to speak, but Lazuli didn’t allow him any time. Her legs locked tighter, her front hoof propping her up, before she twisted her whole body sideways. A rippling CRRRACK sounded out, his neck snapping under the pressure and his body falling limp in her grip.

Lazuli let herself fall limp too, but not until she was certain the stallion was dead. As she stood back up, her eyes fell on the filly…who had dropped her bat, and was cowering against the wall. “Uh…” Lazuli cleared her throat. “Hey.” Her voice was soft, both to calm the filly and so she wouldn’t alert anypony nearby – if she hadn’t already. She didn’t hear anyone coming though. “I’m not gonna hurt you. Are you okay?”

“I-I…I…” The filly stammered, fearfully holding her hooves up to her chest.

A deep sigh rumbled out of Lazuli. “Look, kid, I don’t uh…” She rubbed the back of her neck, looking around. “I have to do something here, but…um…” She nibbled on her lower lip. “Stay here, okay? Just…um…” Lazuli quickly gripped the stallion’s body, dragging it around the corner of the building and hiding it in the shadows. “Just act normal, can you do that? I know this is a shock, but…I’ll get you out of here. Kay?”

“M…m-m-mhm…” The filly nodded. Her bright amber eyes were making Lazuli’s chest ache, but she needed to stay focused. She put her hoof on the door to enter the building.

As she pushed it open, she glanced back at the filly, who shakily picked up her baseball bat and held it beside her. She was shaking, and Lazuli wasn’t even sure what she was going to do with her, but for now it seemed like she was safe.

Laz stepped into the building, her head entering through the door to look around before the rest of her. The hut was small, and only one room from what she could tell…and she could see a pony sitting with their back facing her. No one else was in the hut, so she could only assume it was the leader.

Her mind went back to the contract. Grey fur, black mane, earth pony. She couldn’t see his head, but the colours sure as Tartarus matched. Her tail slowly raised up above her head, poised to strike like a scorpion’s.

“Fuckin’ kids…” The stallion seated in front of her muttered. “Useless. Dunno why any of them bother buyin’ em…but whatever. More caps for us.” He mumbled, his voice gravelly and deep.

Lazuli tensed her muscles, her hind legs locking in place before she struck. Her tail sliced through the air, the razor-sharp blade headed right for the stallion’s neck. She knew this was the best way to kill a pony – if it didn’t end them in one strike, it would keep them silent and immobile for a second one. Her tail had no problem slicing right through flesh, snapping the stallion’s spine clean apart and stabbing all the way through to his throat. His hooves shot up to his neck, clutching at it as blood poured from the opening…then he slumped forward, head slamming against the desk and blood seeping into the papers sitting on it.

She waited until his twitching stopped, then pulled her tail out. She wiped the blade clean on his fur, shaking her head gently. “One of the only times I’m actually happy to kill somepony…” She muttered to herself, snatching a few papers off the desk and stuffing them into her pockets before stepping back out of the hut.

“Kid?” Lazuli glanced around, finding the filly standing in the same spot as before. “Oh, good…” She smiled, though she had no idea if it looked friendly or not. “You okay?”

Now that she could focus, she got a better look at the filly. She was small, about half Lazuli’s height, with light green fur and a sky blue mane. Her aforementioned amber eyes sparkled as she looked up at Lazuli, seemingly more in awe than fearful, now. “…is…is he…?”

“Yeah.” Laz nodded. “He’s not gonna bother you anymore.”

“…s-so I…I can…leave…?” She asked, tilting her head.

“I’m not letting you leave on your own, kid. It’s too dangerous. You’re coming with me, okay?”

“Wh-…” The filly started vibrating, in a way that was clearly not in terror. “R-really? I- y-you would…you would help me…?”

Lazuli got the feeling she might regret this, but she couldn’t easily say no to a filly who had clearly been through more than a pony her age ever should be. She nodded slowly, her smile returning to her lips. “Here.” She knelt down, bringing her chest to the floor. “Get on my back, I’ll fly us out of here, okay?”

“Y-you’re sure they won’t shoot us?” The filly asked, already climbing onto her back. Lazuli grunted a bit at the weight, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

“I’m sure.” She replied, straightening up. “By the way…what’s your name?”

The filly seemed to hesitate, then slowly leaned in and whispered into Lazuli’s ear. “I-it’s Pearl Blossom…” She murmured, and Lazuli couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I’m Lazuli. Lazuli Cutter.” She said back, slowly spreading her wings. She felt Pearl’s front hooves wrap around her chest, and wiggled her hips a bit before launching off the ground. Her body wasn’t used to the added weight, but she was able to handle it. “Hold on tight!” She called back to Pearl, flapping her metallic appendages to carry them into the air before the raiders could notice.

This is such a mistake…Laz thought to herself, looking over her shoulder at the filly, whose eyes were wide with wonder as she watched the ground shrink below them.

…but I’m good at making those.