Fallout Equestria: The Wake of Discord

The floor swayed beneath Rose Bed as she hefted the set of armor on her back. She wished she could wear it, it was heavy as fuck, but not only was it too big for her, but Red Mist had been pretty clear that she was not to wear it. She didn’t deserve it. Asshole.

The ferry ride was rough. The fact that someone had even gotten this thing running again was a miracle. Part of her wished she could have stomped their brains out through their eyes before they got the chance. Maybe then, the Cultists would have just moved on. Left them all alone. Not started this plan of taking over Prince Johns and the rest of the main island.

Red Mist walked back and forth, ignoring the swaying of the large ferry. “You better hope our Mistress believes your story Rose,” He said, finally stopping to look Rose Bed over harshly. “Last thing I need is for my favorite toy to be cut open and put on display,” He growled.

Rose Bed ignored him. She hated him. The giddy rush she got when he first talked her into running off and becoming bandits had worn off too long ago, but she liked living too much to try and do anything about it. Banditry had turned into raiding. Raiding had inevitably turned into this mess, and Red Mist’s drive for power had dropped him right into the mess of it all. There was no leaving at this point. He had ordered his troupe to hamstring her if she tried running.

She didn’t even want to do this anymore, but if she didn’t then she would be beaten. It was a no win situation. She kept her displeasure to herself as she felt the Ferry move to dock. She always kept her displeasure to herself. It took minutes of Red Mist whining for the boat to finally dock, the front cart ramp lowering and giving them a way off. Now for the worst part.

Bell Island was a small island off the coast of the main island Prince John’s was on, and Bell island was about 500 feet off the water, with a small harbour for boats on a low beach. It was inhabited before the war and during the war. In fact, it was an important aspect of the war, given the massive iron mine that was on the island.

Coal and Gems were what everyone thought fueled the war but Iron? Iron built the buildings, the vehicles, the armour, the weapons. Gems were a small fry compared to iron, and the Bell Island mines were the largest, most pure iron mine in equestria. Therefore it was well protected. That was what she could tell from the sea guns the littered the cliffs. She didn’t know if they worked, but she wouldn’t be surprised if someone could get them working with a bit of effort. That bothered her.

They walked off the boat, and Rose Bed was once again cursing the fact she had to carry that bitch’s armor. Walking up the hill was hard enough without a heavy load, but the armor had her sweating and panting. The sweat stung what was left of her eye, but she didn’t say anything. Mostly because she didn’t have the energy, the rest because it would either fall on deaf ears or worse.

The only benefit was that the island was beautiful. Prince Johns was never hit by the megaspells, and it showed once they got to the top of the island. The modest mountains of the cove could be seen all around and the air was clean. Wild flowers grew, there were even wild berries they could collect. She did when she was brought to the island, while Red Mist spoke to the Cultists.

“When I’m in control,” Red Mist said, irritation coating his voice as they passed a house with an elderly pony sitting outside. He waved, Red Mist paid them no mind, but Rose Bed waved as best she could.

Rose bed sighed as Red Mist continued. “Allowing these ponies to continue living their lives. Ponies who could be working the fields, or wielding spears instead of letting us die at the hands of these Follower Heretics. Instead, we let them continue their lives! It’s weakness!” He snapped. Rose wished he would keep his voice down. “Soon, this whole island will be a place of worship to Chaos, and it will all be used to bring Lord Discord back to Equestria so he may right this world. Just you wait Rose, I shall bring this order to new heights!” Red Mist grinned.

Rose Bed didn’t respond, watching a colt bolt by them. She could see the scars along his coat and her stomach started to turn into knots. The poor colt… She had often been adamant about leaving foals alone. This was exactly why. Let them have their childhood, and then suffer in adulthood like the rest of us. She wasn’t always listened to.

Still, seeing that colt run off towards the highschool made her blood run cold. Colts and Fillies running towards the highschool like that rarely meant anything good. They were heading that way, however, and that meant they would soon find out what all the concern. Or, well, Red Mist would find out. She would sit outside the highschool and wait.

They approached the building, and Rose couldn’t help but feel her skin grow cold as she looked at it. It wasn’t a highschool anymore. The Cultists had built walls, and she could tell someone in that highschool knew how to build walls because she couldn’t think of anyone who could breach them. From a distance, the walls looked a solid muddy red, but as they got closer she could see the lines in it as unicorns used magic to fuze the stone together to make them effectively solid.

They got closer to the highschool and Rose could start to see the tops of the walls. There were thick poles with glowing gems scattering the tops of the walls. Rose didn’t know what they did, but she assumed they were to help the guards with defending the structure. Rose Bed stood, several feet away from the door as it opened, waiting for Red Mist to take the armor from her and go in, but he was stopped by a guard.

The two stallions spoke for a moment, and all Rose Bed could hear was a loud “What?!” from Red Mist. Some more talk, and Red Mist looked to Rose. “You have been invited to meet our Mistress,” He said sourly. He always lorded being able to enter the Highschool over Rose Bed. She wasn’t worthy, and was merely a plaything. Now, she was worthy to participate in audience with the one who ran all this.

Rose was nervous. She had only ever witnessed the regular brand of Raiders, and was always threatened to be sent into the highschool. That they would do worse things to her. That what rose experinced with Red Mist was nothing compared to what born and bred Cultists would do to her. Maybe it was just an empty threat? Something he used to control her. Maybe he wasn’t lying?

She had no choice but to find out as she started walking towards the door. Red Mist walked in and Rose Bed followed, and what she saw was… Not right. Not right at all. The sound of the courtyard was awful, ponies screaming, moaning, begging, both in pain and in pleasure. There were stallions and mares alike fighting, many fucking, and a whole manner of other things. She was witnessing acts of the highest extremes from both ends.

She could see a stallion having his way with a mare who was weakly struggling to get away, and it made her heart sink. Then, the mare collapsed, and the Stallion quickly stopped to check on the mare. The mare was not enjoying herself from what Rose was able to see, and the Stallion didn’t seem to care… Until the mare stopped fighting? Then her ears were alerted to the sound of foals. Goddesses, Discord, whatever deity may exist she prayed too in the hopes that she was not about to witness the worst of equestria, but when she looked over all she saw were some colts and fillies participating in a rather violent version of soccer, with a couple older ponies “supervising” looking bored.

She felt a small amount of relief. This was still no place for a child, but from what she was witnessing as it stood, what they were doing could have been a lot worse. She let out the breath she wasn’t aware she was holding, and continued walking behind Red Mist, into the actual highschool. The walls were painted in symbols and depictions of whom she could only assume was Discord, holding two alicorns in his hands. Luna and Celestia. Discord was to kill them, but they were already dead.

As they walked, there was an old pony curled up against the wall. Both of his eyes were gone, gouged out of his head giving him a ghoulish look, but he laughed as they grew near. It was a broken, strained laugh of someone who had been through a significant amount of truama. “There she is,” He said gleefully, turning his head to look at Rose Bed. She froze, his accuracy uncanny. “The catalyst! The one who will bring Discord upon this world, and end the conflict,” He cackled, rolling over onto his side. “I shall be free! Free of these voices finally!” He continued, practically screaming, but Red Mist paid him no mind.

“Old fool,” He grumbled, grabbing Rose Bed by the mane with his magic and pulling her past. “Ignore him, he knows not what he speaks of for his worthless position,” He hissed, kicking the old stallion in the side as they walked past, but he only kept laughing. Rose Bed decided she never wanted to return to this place if she had too, and she had only seen a small part of the large… Compound.

They were only walking for a minute more, before Red Mist walked through a double wide door, into a poorly lit room. The Auditorium, she recognized it from the place she had once called home, only this one was far larger. Fire lit the room, but it was focused on the middle where two Stallions fought. On the far side of the room, Rose could make out a large, but thin pony laying down, the sillouette watching the fight curiously.

The two stallions were noisy, bucking, biting, and butting each other, the rage clear on their faces, crazed looks in their eyes. Rose remained silent. She didn’t want to watch, but she was scared to look away. Red Mist was not bothered by the fight, and they were quite firmly in the gaze of the pony on the other side of the auditorium. The fight lasted for several minutes, before one finally got the advantage and started pounding the stallion mercilessly.

The was a sharp crack, and Rose watched Red Mist wince. Out of everything that they had seen on their way in, that made him wince? Not the rape, or the children fighting? Not the old stallion he had kicked or the grotesque, bloody murals painted over what had once been painted over the once bright and cheerful walls? A stallion being killed in a pit fight made him wince?

“Oh dear…” A mares voice spoke. It was low, smooth, and sent ice down Rose’s spine as the stallion panted heavily. “That… Was a mistake.” The final word she spoke quickly brought the pony out of whatever state he was in previously, and he scrambled off the body.

“I’m sorry Mistress Reflections!” He pleaded, crawling towards the relaxing mare. “I-I-I-”

“Silence, Entropy…” The Mare ordered, her tone both bored and annoyed at the same time. “You know what the punishment for your error is…” She said, lowering her head and tossing something into the lit ring. A knife clattered across the stained lenolium floor, resting next to the earth pony. “Murder within our temple… Especially one of our own? If you take one life, you must take two…” She growled, rearing her head up. She looked regal, tall, and her mane was long. “See yourself to Discord little pony, allow him to decide your fate.”

The stallion nodded his head slowly, his shaking hoof reaching out to the knife as he stood up. “I beg our lords forgiveness… And yours, Mistress,” He said, his voice low and lifeless.

“You shall have it once you accept your punishment Entropy,” The mare responded, her tone final. Rose knew nothing more would be said, and that was proven as the stallion fell upon the knife. Rose wanted to run to the pony, to help him, but she also didn’t want to be the next one to die. She just wanted to leave. She wanted nothing more than to just go and pray her nightmares would not keep her up too long. To not watch as the pony slowly died.

Once he finally did, the hidden mare sighed, rolling her head on her neck as if this was an inconvenience. “I knew that argument would get out of hand…” She muttered, a glint in the darkness telling Rose she was being stared at. “A gift? For me?” She asked, standing up.

Rose was terrified. The giant mare kept within the shadows of the gym, but the clicking of her hooves was all Rose needed to know that the mare was coming towards them. “How sweet of you Red Mist. Aren’t your a little brown noser.” The tone was mocking, rather than complimentary. “Enter the light my little pony, do not fear the fate those two before you did. Murder, is a most heinous crime within these walls,” The voice commended.

The words were comforting, as was the tone, but somehow that just made the terror in Rose grow all the more. The conflicting messages making it hard for her to refuse the order as she stepped into the light. The armor on her back glittered in the firelight, and Rose could hear the mare gasp in surprise.

“Brown nosing indeed,” She whispered. “Put it down, that armor must be dreadfully heavy,” She said, and Rose was glad to follow orders now, carefully setting the armor down and turning back to face Red Mist. She could barely see him, the light making it hard to see into the darkness. Though, she could make out the mare standing next to him.

“The armor of a Follower of Discord…” The mare spoke, a touch of awe in her voice. “A beautiful set at that. One I have envied for near twenty years…” She sighed. “I will contain my astonishment, what happened in the airfield. I was informed of an attack on your outpost. I gave you fifty of our soldiers, and only seven remain,” She said, ice once again filling her voice.

“The followers attacked us,” Red Mist said curtly. “Griffons. They fell from the sky. Though I still have over seventy mares and stallions. Our foothold is not lost, Memorial City will be ours soon,” He said, not looking the mare in the eye. Keeping his gaze on Rose. “More, if the lead of my watch had done her job appropriately…” He added darkly. Rose’s gut could not possibly tie itself up any more than it already had.

“Is this them?” The mare asked.

“Yes Mistress Reflections…” Red Mist answered.

This Mistress Reflections sighed deeply. “Red Mist… If the head of my watch had failed, leading to the death of fourty-three ponies under my command, who’s fault do you think it would be?” She asked simply. Red Mist didn’t answer. “It would be mine, because I am the one who made them such, which means our Elders would blame only me for that failure. Keep that close in your mind next time you try to shift blame to someone else,” She said, looking back at Rose, or at least, Rose felt she was being watched.

Rose also knew she was going to hate her life for the next few months. Red Mist had tried to scape goat her, and now that he failed he was going to take it out on her. A small part of her hoped the mare would kill her, just so she wouldn’t have to live through that torture. She didn’t think she would be able to bear the fury of Red’s bruised ego.

“What of the follower who’s armor you brought to me?” Reflections asked. “I recognize it. I have a… Personal interest in the one who wore it.”

“Escaped…” Red Mist said darkly. “She was the object of the attack. She had been in captivity for a we-”

“AND YOU DID NOT BRING HER HERE!” Reflections roared, and Rose could see the sillouette of her torso inflate a little, a ruffling of something familiar filling her ears. Red Mist had lowered his head, and was breathing heavily. “You had a Priestess of the Followers, in your hooves, and you let her escape!” Reflections continued, shaking her head. “Idiot. You are an IDIOT! LEt me guess, your small raider brain decided you would rape and torture her, with the plans to bring me a broken, lifeless husk of the mare, and expected to be congradulated, didn’t you!”

“Mistress I-”

“DIDN’T YOU!” Reflections screamed. Rose once again didn’t want to be here. Red Mist could do whatever he wanted for the next year if it meant she didn’t have to be around this pony any longer. She was not nice, she was just very good at hiding her insanity.

“You are no longer in control of our outpost,” Reflections snapped. “You shall await your replacement when you return to the airport, and you will do exactly as he orders you to do, do you understand me?” She asked.

“Yes Mistress…” Red Mist grumbled, not lifting her head. From the corner of her eye, Rose could see movement. The colt from earlier. poking his head a little into the light.

“Also, Red Mist,” Reflections asked, her voice relaxed and uin control once again. “Could you remind me what the punishment is for conspiring against an elders orders?” She asked. Rose couldn’t tell if the question was rhetorical or not.

“Death…” Red Mist said, his voice confused. “Why do you a-”

FWAP THUMP

Rose stared, her mouth open in shock as Red Mist’s head dropped to the ground, his body still standing, waiting for signals from the head now gone. That wasn’t what shocked her though. It was the wing that had removed it. If this mare had a horn, she could almost mistaken her for one of the goddesses.

“You are correct…” Reflections said, curling up her wing. “I hate executions,” She added, shaking herself off a little. “But a necessary evil. I cannot have ponies like him ruining our plans before they even begin, and he would certainly turn the locale against us,” She said, tipping the body over with a light hoof tap.

“Tell me,” Reflections started, pulling Rose from her stupor. “Rose Bed, is it?” She asked, stepping into the light. Rose quickly scurried a few steps backwards before landing on her flanks. The maroon coat, black mane with the red streak. The piercing blue eyes. She was looking at the spitting image of the Follower they had captured. “What happened the night you let my sister escape?"

Perfect Reflections. That was this mares name, and suddenly the similarities became normal. She had heard stories of earth ponies and unicorns giving birth to pegasi, even giving birth to twins of different types, which Perfect Reflections had inevitably claimed as why she was not a unicorn like her sister. The two just sat and talked, and for the first time in a while, Rose Bed felt comfortable.

“I know all too well what you went through,” Perfect Reflections said, looking down at Rose. She had insisted Rose lay with her, and while at first Rose was hesitant, this had been the first time she had experinced anything close to affection in almost a decade. She was putty in the insane mares hooves at this point. No pain, no abuse, just… Calm conversation. “I was a small filly when the Followers attacked my village. My sister was always the type to run into a fight. Rightous… She would be where I am today, if not highwer had the Followers not stolen her away from us,” She explained. Rose felt a pang of sadness. Sure, this mare was insane, and her beliefs weren’t anything to brag about but… She was still a pony? She was more of a pony than most raiders she had met at least.

“It’s…” Rose said, looking up at Perfect Reflections. “It’s not your fault they took her…” She said. “You were just a filly… And they…” She said, remembering how two griffons had slaughtered people she knew like a scythe slicing through blades of grass. She didn’t like them, but still. “Those griffons are terrifying…” She whispered.

Perfect Reflections nodded her head. “You are right, and they show no mercy. from under the remains of our parents hut I watched as one griffon stepped from pony to pony, forcing them to relenquish our beliefs, before slaughtering them like common cattle,” She said, and Rose could hear a hitch in her voice. “As you can see, we do not force anyone into our beliefs… Into our villages, into our ways of life. Many of the ponies you witnessed outside had come here of their own accord, tired of the ridged structure of their days. Wanting nothing more than a release into chaos, to give up control because we are not creatures of order like those aweful princesses these lost ponies thinkare our goddesses,” Pefect growled, rage bristling through her body, giving Rose a bit of a start.

Perfect Reflections calmed down quickly enough, hanging her head with a defeated sigh. “If it weren’t for watching my sister as she faced that monster down, I may not be here today,” She said, looking at Rose Bed. “She looked that griffon in the eye, and spat in her face. She was not going to be intimidated. She fought, bit, kicked, used what magic she had. Everything she could to stop them from taking her, but she was gone, and I was alone…” Perfect Reflections said, looking into the darkness. “I was alone for a long time, but I started following the raiding parties of the Heretics, collecting other colts and fillies. We grew older, and we found the very boat you used to get over here. A… Friend of mine,” Perfect said, frowning. “He fixed the boat, he was good at fixing things. He died, killed by raiders, but I forgive them for that. They did not understand what it was they did, and he is now where he wanted to be, with Discord, waiting for us to succeed,” She smiled.

Rose looked at Perfect Reflections, surprised. This mare ordered ponies to commit suicide. Slaughtered Red Mist. Lead the insanity that happened outside, but Rose was having a hard time proving this mare herself was evil. “What would you have done… If we still had Twisted Visions?” She asked. “Or even another Follower?”

“Rehabilitate them,” Perfect Reflections said as if it were the obvious answer. “Return them to the natural chaos of the world so that we may all be happy,” She said, looking down at Rose Bed. “That, is where you come in my dear.”

Rose bed shook her head in a start. “Me?” She asked, surprised. Red Mist was never quiet about how much he had to convince and coerce to be anything significant, or to even get this very mare, Rose could only assume, to give him even the time of day. Now here she was being told she was important to this mission.

Perfect Reflections stood up, walking over Rose like she was nothing more than a filly. “I regret the thought, but I do not think Twisted will be capable of being converted. The Followers got her as a child when her mind was still malliable,” She explained, looking at Rose, lifting her hoof. “But that wound you recieved… Tells me you might be able to get into their city and get close to her… Through the Filly…” She said darkly.

Rose’s blood turned to ice at this, and she was frozen in place. How did she know? Perfect’s smile immediately told her otherwise. She had been baited.

“I had my suspicions,” Perfect continued, figiting in the darkness with something on a table. “Twisted was seen with a Filly when she was captured, and while those two ponies who were sent out to collect her were idiots that fell into her ploy, Red Mist could see everything, and did not see a Filly run away. When he sent me the message informing me of this, I knew the followers would be following not far behind, and the radio pony did not fail to inform me my expectations were correct. Your eye was not self inflicted, but you would be dead if it were a grown pony who inflicted that. Your look just now told me everything else I needed. You know that filly,” PErfect explained.

“She is… Was my daughter,” Rose said, defeated. She was an idiot, and any lie at this point would just get her killed. Yet another reminder as to why she never tried to get away. She was not a smart pony. “She stabbed me in the eye cause she was scared, I thought what harm could she do, so I lied to keep Red Mist from getting his hooves on her cause… I didn’t want that for any filly, let alone Lily Grove.”

“Indeed,” Perfect said softly, walking back over and laying back down. “That is why you are going to go to Prince Johns. Say you escaped. Get close to Twisted Visions and Lily Grove. When the time comes, at the precipice of the battle that is inevitable, you will kill Twisted and that will shake the city into submission,” She said, her voice now telling her how this was going to go, rather than asking. Once again, Rose Bed had no choice. One tyrant over her life was replaced with another, more dangerous tyrant. “In return, I will make sure you, your filly, and any family you might have left are spared. My cultists will gloss over them as if they did not even exist, and we will leave their conversion to time, rather than demonstration…”

Rose Bed perked up at this. “So… You would let me and my family go? All I need to do is Kill Twisted Visions?” She asked, not believing what she was hearing.

“My word is my bond,” Perfect smiled, lowering her muzzle and intimately nibbling one of Rose’s ears. Rose’s face went hot with embarrassment. “But rest for tonight… Let me help you relieve the stress of the wastelands,” Perfect whispered. Rose knew what was about to happen, but for once, she was actually okay with it.