Fallout Equestria: Scorched Earth

Chapter three

Sand to structure

f

Day 5 we've been walking a while I eventually got shine talking again and I found out we're the hell I’m at Abyssinia a country south of Equestria, Silver told me that and Shine subsequently told me that tabby town was a cat town primarily but we should find some ponies and other races there too I’ve started wearing my mask and goggles full time after shine told me attacks like those are pretty common and that I should hide my face while traveling or in combat at least and since Shines been around these parts longer, I decided to listen to her.

“So desert what’s the plan.” I, as usual, didn't really have a plan but I wasn't going to tell her that.

“You tell me your the one who told me we should head to tabby town.” ive advert'ed questioning

“Yeah, I guess your right I just need to sell this shine and tell irons sister … about.”

She started up on it but before she could get too far I cut her off.
“It wasn't your fault and the raiders who did that to him have paid for it”

“Yeah yeah I know but what am I supposed to tell them” Her question was heavy it made the air and thicker and the heat hotter until I spoke.

“The truth, that's it the truth and nothing more”

And at that we again started walking soon silver decided to chime in on it

“the truth aye I bet your now a lot about the truth.” sarcasm always wonderful

Silver’s statement tho perplexing and odd getting a glare out of me wasn't enough to stop me from trotting on.

Eventually, we came over a hill above Tabby Town it was a small town with prewar sand houses with flattened roofs but it had been rebuilt and reformed for the wasteland with a tarp over the main pathway

in the center most part of the city it truly was a town of structures built from the sand I put my cloak over Silver before entering the town as to not raise suspicion or draw eyes and followed Shine into town she said I could take the rags of my face in town but I didn’t.

Tabby town was about as much as you expect it to be but they tried to size the town up a bit there were archways hear and there some of which had fallen down blocking an alleyway between to buildings and despite knowing I could just climb over the ruble something told me that there was no way through there. Aside from that, the town was bustling well as bustling as a place can be after being hit by a mega spell and left to rot tabby town contrast to the name was full of all assortment of creatures of varying character but the mayor of the town, in fact, he believed it or not a cat mostly black with wight on his face and pawls he had a pretty nasty burn on his face and his ear had fallen off but that's not the worst of it his eye had turned pure black
You’re probably wondering how I know all this about him and I’ll tell you how he was standing right in front of me talking to somebody and oh shit he's coming towards me.

“hey, dear don't think I’ve seen your face around these parts before.”

His voice was nothing like I expected I thought it would be gruff and raspy but it was just the opposite it was smith and charming and I could tell I didn't want to barter with him caused by the end id have given him my soul for a grain o sand, which to my surprise was an actual thing someone was selling grains of sand in jars single grain jar 5 Klug multi-grain jar 20 to 50 Klug thousand-grain jar 5,00g klugs it baffles me someone was selling sand in jars
But where was I oh yeah the mayor.

“Well, technically you still ain't seen my face.”
That remark got a smile out of the old tabby

“I guess I haven't had I”

Shine piped up after that

“Howdy Tobias”

She sounded more cheerful again that's good I thought to myself before toning back to their conversation.

“Why Shine nice to see you hows it been business going well hows iron”

At that last bit, I could see tears about to form and she went to speak but chocked it back this made the smile fade from Tobias’s face and as I put my hoof on shine he looked to me before speaking.

“What happened”

He lost his joyful tone for a moment when he said that not wishing to make the air even heavier with silence I spoke.

“We need to talk”

At that the mayor simply nodded and motioned for me and shine who again had regained most of her composer by the time we got to the mayor's office a few buildings down at the end of town it was a small place big enough to work in but two or three people being inside it made the place pretty tried for space. he sat down in a leather office chair with his face painted on the back of it or at least his face before it got burned he was still missing the ear tho.

“So I don't want to sound uncaring or uh rude but I need to know what happened out there”

I didn't respond I only stood there with shine despite the fact that I should have said something.

“Seriously, guy's, I need to know cause whatever happened out their effects this town I need your shine it's the only thing that keeps this town afloat”

He said that last bit with increasing nervousness and tension and what I responded with would serve to only worsen it.

“There is no more shine this is the last of it.”

And at that, I pulled out the six bottles of shine that we're left.

He stared at me after that last statement and eventually stood up brushing his hair back and sighing as he held his head walking back in forth a bit before responding.

“What do you mean the last of it We're screwed you know that we’re fucking screwed without this stuff.”

His voice was cracking

then Shine spoke up through her tears.

“Irons dead”

That took Tobias aback

“We were shot at the still a group of raiders came and killed him they tried to take shine but I stopped them, unfortunately, the still was destroyed in the conflict.”

It was silent for a bit after that until Tobias spoke.

“I'm sorry for your loss shine I’m uh I’m truly sorry”

Again It was silent like someone had just pressed pause on the universe and left it for hours or at least what felt like hours but was more like a minute until Tobias spoke.

“You know you’re the only good thing I’ve seen in a while and I’m not even sure you a good thing”

I finally started to speak up before shine cut me off.

“What do ya mean”

He regarded her with tear-filled eyes.

“about what”

“The uh … why is this town so dependent on our shine”

“Oh is that all”
he said it with slight cheerfulness

“It's simple really it keeps us free”

Tobias provided from that point to till us just what the hell was going on and let me till your it's a long list most of the which wasn't that big a deal but there we're 3 pretty big ones that can't just be waved off as he put it water the town needed it every year the wells pull up less and less the town elders estimate they have another two years with optimal conditions which doesn't include storms heatwaves or raids the other issue that was going on was a group called the storm they were an organized unit as far as tobias could tell and they were slavers he didn't do much more than that and the fact that they were unlike anything he had ever seen and had tech that put my rile to shame much less this town he had been paying them off with moonshine but there was one other thing that ultimately scared me and Shine more thane anything the town was sick a virus had been spreading throughout the town and two cats ans a pony had died already with at least 5 more sick and they didn't have a cure.

“So now you know what has me so on edge and why we needed that moonshine”

It finally came to me that the town was in a complete shit hole style of the situation and with that realization I had to open my big dumb mouth.

“What can we do to help”

At that comment shine and Tobias, both looked at me and if I had a brain I would have looked at myself too but I didn't instead I just continued on.

“I want to help you sound like you have a lot on your pate and looking around you don't really seem to have the time or the manpower to really use on the tasks at hand”

Tobias looked at me with that comment and after looking me up and down while shine who was also looking at me piped up.

“Desert why are you so determined to be an idiot”

By the time we were done talking with Tobias, it had gotten dark outside and really cold Tobias said it was normal I didn't believe him but I didn't say that he also set us up with a room after our conversation and told us to meet back up with him when we were ready to help tomorrow I’m still not sure what made me say that id help maybe I’m just stupid.

I woke up the next day and buck was it better than laying on my couch it felt like I could lay there for days and never get up I about fell asleep but then someone decided it would be a good idea to wake up and open the door letting all of the light in.

“Groan shut the door”

She didn't instead she pulled the cover off me

“Now don't be like that we have a job to do and you’re going to do it”

As much as I hated those words and much rather prefer to stay laying we're I was I knew she was right did I mention that I hated that.

Pretty soon I got out of my bed and followed shine out the door she said she had some business to take care of before we meet up with Tobias.

“Alright, first on the list we gotta drop off my moonshine at a few places.”

She then proceeded to rattle off a few names I didn't pay attention tho I was too tired.

The first place we stopped at was this building on the edge of town well I call it a building but honestly it's more like someone saw a mostly destroyed gas station and decided to live there.

While shine went up and took care of business I decided to look over the structure the front wall was completely destroyed besides one bit on the end away from town where it had been patched up with random assortments of scrap the rest of the destroyed wall let me see inside it was like most gas stations there were a few shelves inside and the freezers in the back we're less than stellar in quality I soon followed suit with shine into the back room of the gas station where she was talking to a purple unicorn wearing a torn-up shirt not that it matters he also had light pink mane and tail.

“Your short shine”

His voice was sharp

“Yeah yeah I know but it's all I can give you and it's gonna be all for a while”

“Awhile how longs a while”

The unicorn was getting angrier as his voice raised and raised before shine spoke

“Irons dead”

I could till it pained her to say it but at least she didn't start weeping this time
But it got the stallion to shut up quick

“I'm sorry”

At that he got up and got out a bag of caps, in my opinion, it was a little small but shine didn't think so she held him two bottles of shine than it hit me shine makes moonshine that's why she's called shine I felt stupid after finally realizing that because in retrospect it was pretty damn obvious soon after we left there were a few other places in the town a few more houses and such but there was one fairly unique stop it was one of the biggest buildings in town almost there was one bigger one but I hadn’t the slightest clue what that building was but back to this second largest building it was 4 stories tall and had a hole in the top floor wall going inside it was a major cluster fuck there we're ponies, griffins, cats, turtles, robots, rats, Pegasus, foals, everything
They were running back and forth but above everything, in the middle of the room, there was a sign made of scrap and un-powered neon signs the shërim kzpont is what it said I soon found out but at the time I called it the Sherm Kozpint. Wading through the madness of the crown I got to what appeared to be a receptionist desk behind it there was a golden yellow cat wearing some headphones or at least I think he was yellow but he was so sandy I could be told differently and id probably believe it shine after also making it through the crowd went up to the desk and rang a bell.

“Butter!”

Butter that's a weird name
Soon after shine let out her holler a second cat came out from the stairs too my left he was caring a mug around with what I presume was coffee I at first thought he was a red cat but when he sat down the smell hit me he was covered in blood

“Hello shine”

He sounded tired like he hadn't slept in days

“Hey butter how you been”

“I've been I had to take care of a few patients with radscorpion poisoning this week as well as a broken limb and a foal who had their face smashed in with a baseball bat it was not pretty let me till ya but time to get to business where is the shine”

At that Shine pulled out the remaining two bottles of moonshine and set them on the counter

“Yeah I know I’m short you don't have to say anything”

“Oh I know word spreads fast I’m sorry for your loss and I’m sad to hear that he's gone are you gonna continue the business.”

“*sigh* I doubt it the still was destroyed in the attack and I’m not sure where id be able to find a new one I mean I could make my own but without Iron, I just don't know”

“Well you seem to have some sort of new company”

He waved his paw at me

I went to speak but Shine cut me off before I could get any words out

“Yeah she sure is a special one to”

“Sounds interesting”

After that, he took the shine back with him up the stairs and we left when we got outside I asked a burning question that was gnawing at me to shine.

“Shine why did we just give alcohol to a doctor.”

The question took her aback for a second before she answered the question

“I think he uses it to uh disinfect the wound or something I don't remember why but he told me once.”

He uses alcohol as a disinfectant I’ll have to remember that one

“Yes“

“I was wondering when you'd say something silver you've been awful quiet as is“

“Yes… I have”

“Is that silver talking”

Asked shine she sounded so ~~inquiringly~~ or ~~inquisitory~~ something like that but she sounded like she wanted to know that's better.

“Yeah he finally decided to speak”

Not that I didn't like the silence

“And whys that”

Oh yeah he can hear my thoughts or read my mind or something I’m gonna settle on here my thoughts it's less creepy.

“None of your business”

“What”

Gosh damn it now Shine wants to know

“She prefers it when we're not talking”

Bastard rewording my thoughts

“Oh Really”

She sounded heartbroken or at least close to it

“Now hang on a sec that's not what I said or thought or whatever that's not what I meant it's just that the silence is comforting.”

“Oh yeah and whys that”

Damn it silver why do you have to now so bad

“Yeah why”

Really you to shine

“Well in the silence we can till when something happens because it will make a sound and will… here it”

“I guess that fair what about you shine”

“Yeah I guess that's fine”

“Few they aren't mad I’ll have to watch what I think“

We had a little bit more stuff to do in town before meeting up with tobias but I won't bog your down with the details we went to the market I bought some ammo for my rifle and traded in my old 10 mill for this really shiny revolver with gold lining and a few bullets for it afterward I was left with about 10 caps because it evidently wasn't the only currency the creatures of these lands use I got a few actual coins made of various metals which seemed to be the only thing different about each of them they all had a mole with goggles and a black top hat on the front and on the back, there was a gear with the words The Klug on the top and bottom of the gear but besides that, there was one other thing at the market that caught my eye and when it did I was in love with it it wasn't a gun or anything no it was a piece of armor, yeah I know armor wo ho but this was unique it was a mask red lenses black base it looked like it was made of scales and it would fold and adjust to the wearers face it had a rim along the outside of it that was like polished silver I went over to it and immediately hollered to the salesmen.

“How much for the mask”

“500 Klug”

To put it simply I didn't get the mask

“Hey cheer up I’m sure there are more mask even better versions of that boring old mask”

Shine sounded so heartfelt but I knew she was lying to herself I just knew it

“No your wrong”

“Silver… you always have something to say don't your”

“No”

“Bullshit!”

At that, all the people in the market turned and looked at me. Rightfully so I mean I did just yell out in the middle of a town's market even shine was glaring I guess she hadn't heard silver speaking.

“That would be correct I can speak to you, to her or to both of you no one else not yet”

“Yet what does that mean”

“It means I can speak to others but only once conditions are met”

“Ok anything else you need to say”

Nothing the only thing I could hear was the bustling market around me and the sweetness of Shine’s voice.

“Hey desert you ok you kinda dosed of and uh yelled out bullshit”

She always sounded so caring

“Yeah I’m fine”

I was lying I don't think I’m anywhere near ok I mean for fuck sack I’m talking to a fucking skeleton and he talks back it's insane.

Soon we arrived back at the mayor’s shack it was around 1:00 in the evening as far as I could tell.

“Tobias, we’re hearing”

Shine yelled out as she barged in I followed her in more quietly.

“Oh uh hey welcome *yawning while saying welcome*”

He was in his bed at 1:00 I feel so much better about this town now knowing the mayor is asleep most of the day.

“I wasn't sure if your guys we're actually gonna show up or not if I’m being honest so mind the unprofessional welcome.”

“Oh, it's no trouble I sleep a lot of the time to.”

Liar your up earlier than me.

I didn't voice this opinion not that I would matter silver probably heard it and could tell Shine if he so wished but he doesn't peg me as someone who partakes in gossip

“Alright let's get down to business you said your willing to help deal with some of our problems and believe me we have a lot and I’m not sure exactly what I could have you do but I have some stuff you can pick through we need new material to stave off the slavers keep em from getting all grabby and trigger happy ya now”

“Yea I now”

Slavers why do they have to exist there just like the other vermin of these waste a pest to be squashed

“What kind of new material”

That was a good question exactly what does he want us to get

“Well you see I don't know just something ammo, tech oh wait I’ve got an idea”

He sounded so invigorated at that last bit like he had fingered out the cure to cancer or some shit.

“Theirs this old military base out to the west that you guys could go get supplies from, bring me that supplies to trade and I’ll pat your for what I deem is the worth of what you bring back that sound good”

I thought that it was a fair trade and so I said yes

I think shine was gonna say something but she didn't instead she just sit there idly

Tobias who was digging around in one of his many filing cabinets finally pulled out some files

“This is a map of the area it should help you find a few places if you get lost out there”

The map had an x and tabby town on it saying you here to the west was the E.M.B.4 I asked Tobias about what it stood for

“Oh the emb that would be the Equestrian Military Base theirs like 4 or 5 hear in Abyssinia or some shit”

Tobias seemed to know a fair bit about the shit I was heading into so I pressed him a bit more

“How do you know about it”

“Some scavenger a few years back said he read it on a terminal he also said he set off the robotic defenses when he did barely made it out with his life.”

Robots just great we have to fight robots we can't just go salvage in peace.
Than shine had to blurt out and jinx us

“Any other threats we have to fight up through there?”

“Let me think there may be a radscorpion nest a bit southwest of us in between here and there“

Yeay scorpions just what I wanted

The sarcasm in my voice was clear I chose to look at the map some more there was a town to the west past the E.M.B.Sun there was a town called Henry to the north in a place called the dunes and one to the south called Storm, finally to the east there was a drawing of a town with towering spires that looked like they were made of scrap and trash above it was its name Klug Town I suspected it was we're the aforementioned Klug coins we're from.

I repeat it again I fucking hate this desert which is ironic given my name is desert but I digress we had been walking for a few hours until eventually, we got to the base but in the meantime, we chatted among ourselves about various thing's but we mainly talked about the base and how we we’re gonna deal with the supposedly armed facility defenses we eventually came to the conclusion that Shine would run in and blast shit with her shotgun before finding cover while I used my rifle from as far as I could within reason. About an hour later we made it to the base it was a single building looked like the foundation was set up but everything else was rushed onto it as fast as possible so it was an all in all smaller building it was surrounded by a barbed fence but we could jump over it thanks in part to half of the eastern side being buried in sand we dug all the sand out from the doorway in it we found something tho

“Hey Desert look at this”

Footnote: level up
New perk added: blunt you sometimes say things before thinking them through all the way this might get your into some trouble
Skill note:barter:25