Fallout Equestria

Scorched Earth

T.A.I.N.T

I might have said it before but I didn't like walking and that's why we weren't before we had left Tabby Town Fire had the brilliant plan of renting a cart or something to ride in and so we did

“Yesery this butty it’s been in the family for generations,”said the old cart salese pony in a cheerful yet reminiscent tone before becoming more serious with his words“so id appreciate it if your brought er back unscaved“

Er? I think he meant her but I wasn't going to ask for fear of insulting him or his family

“Yes,” said our deadpan blunt companion “thank your kind sir if anything happens to your cart we will return all of its remaining pieces”

The cart pony grimaced in response to her

“Id sure hope so” he said it with a sarcastic joy

And at that we finished gathering all of our supplies Arcane and Like specifically had some stuff they needed to get but once they did we took the cart, it had an engine in the back that took a while to start but after Lik smacked it a few times a plum of black smoke kicked out followed by the sweet hum of the engine

“Zhere we go now wee leave” and at that my new found zebra companion snuggled up to Arcane as they sat in the back Arcand had engulfed the lever of the engine with her telekinesis the engine in question was basically a box with a lever sticking out the front but besides that it was nothing to special, after everypony else got on I sat down on one of the side benches with Shine opposite of me than Fire attempted to step into the cart and well he is more than twice the size of a normal power armored pony witch is already very heavy so when he put a hoof on it the entire cart shifted and their was a noticeable indentation when he rose it back off

“I will walk ahead and let your now if anything tries to kill us “ as usual he sounded semi monotone with a hint of a sense of humor, at his remark he turned and started walking with us trailing behind

A few hours passed I must've fallen asleep or something because when i woke up it was no longer mid day instead it was nearing towards night looking back west towards Tabby Town it wasn't their but the radiant glowing sunset was just as it curled around the horizon looking forward to the east there was something was that a deer sweet Celestia it was, there was a missile embedded into the sand and what was that it was a rainbow colored puddle around the base of the rocket and as I looked around their we're smaller ones as I looked back their we're more was I really so dense I hadn't noticed that yet

“Before your think about it, I wouldn't touch that stuff if I were you its taint there's a lot of it in equestria and it causes” Arcane paused her deadpanning voice to what id imaging was thinking before she spoke again “taint in short is bad it does a great many terrible things to your body such as alter you blood to be acidic and thus melt through your flesh, bone, and the ground beneath you”

That didn't sound pleasant

“Though I admit I've only ever seen this much taint in a place called the taint fields it's up in the Vanhoover area if I remember correctly but I may be mistaken” she was uneasy i could till this sight unnerved her

And comparing this to the taint fields seamed fair because when I actually looked around their was taint pretty much everywhere and Fire was walking in it so i assume it has to touch the skin to take effect or something

“You think it's from dhat missile over there“ the filly sized mare called out and admittedly I think Shine was right but something was off about it all of it

“Fire your pre war military any clue what this is “ I didn't have a clue and the only one I know would have a chance of understanding is Fire

“I haven’t the slightest clue but considering they didn't tell us they we're gonna hit this place I doubt anything they would've told me would be the truth“ i could till he was still sore over that despite 200 years having passed

“kwa nini ni lazima wote wewe ponies kuwa hivyo kuingiwa hamu na silaha yako ya hatari” i'm not sure what Lik said but she didn't sound happy

“Well Lik it's because their stupid” said our grand alicorn companion in her glorious holy tone see I can be sarcastic but I didn't say any of that aloud instead I chose to do an eye roll

Passing the fallen megaspell I decided to try and read the writing on it

*ministry of wartime technology symbol* Sand scorcher mk2 *ministry of arcane science symbol*

Sand scorcher just like Fires power armor interesting, leaning in closer over the edge of our cart I tried to get a better look at it and slip “oh shit”

I fell right into a good solid pool of taint and “Desert” Arcane quickly grabbed me in her magic and pulled me into the cart “are you ok”

Admittedly I was fine or at least I felt fine

“Come on open your eyes” she was panicking witch was making me want to panic but i stopped myself

Opening my eyes I hadn't even realized I had them shut I must've really been out of it but oh sweet Celestia that hurt then I was stiff it was like id been frozen but soon that like the pain before it faded and I felt normal again

“That was weird”

“Desert please don't take baths in the toxic rainbow water” their was a great level of sarcasm and genuine concern in Shine’s voice

“Yeah yeah I know let's just get going” taint I didn't like it but at least it tasted better than cactus crisp

“Are you sure your alright” oh why did Shine have to be so concerned about me

“Mrss deserat I belive Shine is corect and understandble for er concern” damn it Lik quit being correct

“I'm fine” this bit was already getting annoying I felt fine just stiff is all and that was probably just my nerves or something

We set up camp at the missile that night and evidently while I was asleep my viser thing had marked this place sand scorcher drop site 2 how my viser knew that I would never know I just added it to the list of weird magical shit right between Silvers disembodied voice and how it knew what was in my saddle bags

“I'll stand watch you should sleep especially after all that” why did no one believe I was ok honestly it was pissing me off

“No i've been asleep all day I need to be awake, get things done “ who am I kidding what was I gonna do I can't get out of the cart without risking death or worse and I couldn't really do much in the cart itself

“So Arcane what exactly are you packing in that case of your’s” when Arcane had got her stuff back in Tabby she brought a big rectangular case down it was longer than her body and almost as wide so given this free time I decided to enquirer about it

“Oh do your mean our acquired weapon well it is our main weapon of defense nothing else”
And at that she pulled it off the bench it was resting on making Shine who was resting on it fall and hit her head as Arcan pulled it to the floor and opened it, inside was a uh something it was a big gun of some sorts with a big back long skinny barrel and four curved bladed bits at the end of it

“This is my plasma caster i'm not to keen on fighting but when I do it comes in pretty hoofty“
A plasma caster just like my rifle but with a lot more stopping power in mind it was not in the best looking condition I mean your could tell id been through some use but for the most part if any big ugly fuckers came at us it could probably handle them especially with Fires machine guns included

“What about you Lik what kinda gun do your use” as usual Shine had the good questions while I just sat around and stared dumly at weapons

“I do not indlge mineself in ur tipes of weponry stead I chose to do zhe job with mine own hooves and not reli on a mashne” she sounded disgusted that shine even made a remark about her and gun in a sentence

She won't rely on a gun that's… odd but I can't tell her how to fight

“Interesting very interesting” oh great a bony disembodied voice come to haunt me

He continued on with his rasp “Ha ha yes indeed I am hear to haunt you,” i'm honestly not sure if he was serious about that or not “no I just find it interesting, the friends you've accumulated that is, a mysterious skeleton, ah moonshiner with a shotgun, some 200 year old ghoul with mini guns, an admittedly gorgeous alicorn and zebra both healers one with a plasma caster and another with nothing but their hooves”

Admittedly he was right it was interesting the hodge podge skills and that we all have and hang on did he just complement Arcane's looks or was I hearing things

“I guess weird and interesting ponies, griffins, zebras, creatures in general are just drawn to each other“ he paused for a brief moment as if he was deciding whether or not to say something

“a tiny horn chasing a bird, a mare and buck from a love stable number 99, a giant following task of a false rescue, a ghost wading on 52 chasing rain, one flying from shackles without wings, another in the ice of time emerged time and time again”

What in lunas sake was he talking about

“ many more have rose, killed, fought, and saved many have failed time and time again but what is this a new heroes arose crawled from a hole skeletons in their closet”

Weird and interesting well it was a good way of describing what he was describing I mean a horn chasing a bird it didn't seem all that heroic to me but who was I to judge

Coming out of my thoughts and my as usual confusing conversation with Silver I discovered that Arcane and Lik we're asleep curled up together in the back of the cart and shine had laid out a bed made of two sleeping bags in the base of the cart one of witch she was in meanwhile fire just sat there

Fires voice broke the silence “peaceful isn't it”

“Yeah” I responded quickly but normally “glad we could stop a bit but will have to leave early to keep ahead of the talons” damn that fucking zebra, he appears out of nowhere claims to be my destined foe or something then sends some luna damned mercenaries after us

“I'm not really one to restate what was already said but from what Arcane has said about this taint it sounds serious and I don't want to have the pony that save me only die a few days later”
There was a great level of seriousness in his voice followed by a tired comedy in his voice

“Sigh Yeah you're probably right I feel rigid I suspect you know how that feels” I needed a drink good thing I have some…

“ Indeed I know the feeli-” I cut him off

“Oh for fuck sake” Cactus Crisp, before we left Tabby Lik had said she had plenty for each of us to drink and she’d given us all three bottles wrapped in parchment and tied with string around the throat's of the bottles I didn't think to check what she had given me but I wish I had

“What is it” he asked all inquisitorial like

“Cactus Crisp” there was so much disdain in those two words

“Yeah you hate that shit too” he let out a similar shallow laugh to before letting me speak

“So i'm not the only one who wants to blast the head off of whichever bastard made this shit”

“Yes that's a good way of putting how I feel about this drink but now I don't need to drink” he was happy with his robotic exterior and voice just because he didn't have to drink that shit i couldn't agree with him more but

“Yeah but ya can't drink sparkle cola anymore either” I had a pretty shit grin on my face with that one

“Don't remind me” at that I un-quirked the disgusting soft drink and started drinking it

“Yep that's still terrible” i'm not really sure what I expected

“Terrible and disgusting i'm not sure how these creatures drink it”

Terrible and disgusting there was a great emphasis put on those words and as if there was something different between the two descriptive words let me till your real quick there wasn't but still it was both terrible and disgusting

A few hours passed and as time went on I drank the Crisp one sip two sip three *hack* coughf* *coghf*

“you ok“ despite sounding focused his speaker voice sounded concerned

“I'll live” that was the truth the taint despite my protesting had done something to me something bad but I didn't have even the slightest hint of a clue as to what was wrong I just felt stiff

“Yeah you better less i'll kill you and I presume Shine will do much worse to you”

“Yeah you think” we we're, tired both me and him he however had been tired for far longer

“Yeah she really likes you ya know” Shine liking me no that couldn't be right

“If she does I don't see how and she shouldn’t” id led her to a factory full of unknown threat’s where she almost got mauled by a ghoul and then fought an assault pony

“Well she likes you despite you reckless nature” reckless no I was just plain stupid that's all

“Reckless no i'm just an idiot” that was the truth

“Now you and I both know that's not true” was he trying to be sympathetic or something

“Yes I am I bet you can't even give an example of something smart i've done” all i've done since crawling out of that hole is fail to save Iron, lead Shine into a ghoul infested factory before charging ghouls in said factory with a filing cabinet, than I wasted half a day with a griffon before fucking up negotiations with slavers, hero i'm no fucking hero i'm just a joke

“I think I can name a few”

“Really give me one!” I was getting mad why did we have to go from a normal conversation to debating my stupidity it's fucking stupid

“you saved me and despite the fact of their scummy nature you hold that zebra on equal ground to a goddess, and you got those slavers's out of Tabby i mind your without conflict”

I saved him well I guess he was right about that but of course I hold that zebra equally and sure I solved the slaver situation peacefully but that was because of prior violence on my part so it didn't count

“Oh your all the same save somepony cry about the spilled milk save a pony cry save cry just get over it theirs been much worse fuck ups than your’s” Silver why did he have to do this all the time

“Because I now you better than any other pony ever will and it seems i'm gonna have to prove that to you”

Oh shit just at that moment everything in me was thrown backwards into a blackness on blackness but there was something there a wall it was made of water but I didn't go through it just splashed against it then i did the same to the floor it was the same as the wall regaining my composure I stood up to meet the gaze of the council

“Explain yourself Desert what the hell was that about you we're supposed to kill them but you didn't, why?!” what was this

“There our own I can't just open up plasma on our own”

“Yes you can and you will because it was a direct order! but today's your lucky day normal your,d be exiled to the ground!, but you'll be glad to know that that terrorist you let escape got ripped apart by some of those savages down there” with that last bit he went from unquenchable anger to sarcastic asshole tone and i was getting mad

“She was trying to teach some foals about equestria how is that terrorism”

“Silence you dare to question the Grand Pegasus Enclave I ought have you flogged just for that!”

“So what do you think“ his voice was so soft not like it's usual bony rasp looking over I noticed he was back to his prime color and age

“What is this” I knew what it was but I wouldn't admit it

“This is your past but you knew that” he was different tired but easy

An alarm started beeping in my head loud like gunshots it was so loud

“Well it appears will have to continue this excursion another time you need to return” he was sad I think

“What but what about all of “

“It can be saved for another time but right now you just got shot” wait what ow

The shot range out through the air punching the left side of my mask, it didn't make it through but another shot like that might if they hit there again and I didn't want to take any chances it was still dark and my viser said it was 5:34 am so it would be a while before we had any light to see by

“Sniper!” Fire had already started scanning the horizon from where the shot came from when
Bang a bullet slammed right into Fires helmet sending his head rearing back as the bullet scraped past not being able to get into the reinforced suit of armor it sent sparks flying

Then a bubble engulfed both of us as Arcane shielded us and pulled out her plasma caster i'm not sure where Lik had gone to but shine was crouched behind the cart

“Where’s it coming from?!” asked shine and after gaining his composer back, Fire let out a gasp and answered “northeast”

And at that one word another two shots came flying both of them hit the shield one bounced of no problem but the other one slammed into the shield sending vibrations through it with it's thundering hit

“We need to move” if we stayed hear those snipers would rip us to shreds and *bang* the shield shattered followed by the tang and crush of the sniper shells hitting the engine and oh fuck it's on fire “Desert what's the plan” I looked to shine and then I thought of my plan in about a half of a second

“Run”

It was a great plan don't judge, we ran east towards where klug town was supposed to be but it was dark and we couldn't see a thing so some pretty predictable and bad shit happened Shine was on top of fires back and at some point Arcane picked up Lik from wherever she had gone and I was left to run on my own unprotected from the elements of taint one puddle two puddle three puddle four oh shit I slipped on, my own hoof it was melting and now I was almost completely covered in taint

“Fuck fuck oh for fuck sake!” My voice, fear, and worry we're growing really really quickly as my body did a lot of fucking shit bad mostly

My hooves we're melting explains why I slipped then my uh I was on fire and it was ho no wait it wasn't hot and why was I not burning, the fire kept growing engulfing me as I looked to Arcane she was aghast at the sight she saw and I was angry and afraid and said emotions we're growing just as the flames grew and grew endlessly then

Bang another shot slammed into Arcane's side throwing her down into the taint and another heavy she'll smacked into Fires head yet again but this time he didn't stay standing but instead he sent the steel goliath into the ground throwing Shine back into a small area between the pools of taint damn near going into it

Rage, anger, my internal anger was manifesting into the fire around my body that much was clear and I tok of towards them with wings? I had fucking wings witch I would have been much more excited about had i not been full of anger

I was off the ground but I didn't care I didn't try to care I was too angry I pulled my taint covered rifle of my back it was just on fire as the rest of my everything hell the space we're my hooves we're meant to be was equally on fire, as I raised my hooves up dropping the gun I flapped my burning wings as fast as they possibly could be sending ashes into the air I here the shoots ringing out

Swoosh the large bullet passed right under me putting out the flames as it passed only for them to start up even quicker than they died out and was I really there already on top of those bastards I guess I was because my burning wing just got blasted off and my burning hoof had glocked the green stallion he was sent sprawling to the ground than holy shit I somehow had already burned the other pony to a crisp couldn't even tell what the hell gender they were

How the fuc- I cut the stallion off with another smack of my hooves then another and another pretty soon I couldn't tell what exactly he looked like not even in the slightest

Eventually I stopped and my flames died down along with my anger and I realized exactly what I had done and I turned back to where we had been shot and tried to take flight only to discover what sand and dirt tasted like

“Ow”

The first thing id said in whoever knows how long, I looked to the taint fields and I.... I was tired oh so tired that burst must have really taken it out of me because I was

Did ever mention how weird it was to start my week waking up to two ponies above me and now ending it in the same way

There was a voice maniacal, sarcastic, and annoying “Well well well Mrs fire fuck wakes up finally“

I was in a cage. No literally they had put me in a cage shaped like a bell and made of that familiar black crystal found in the hooves and claws of the storm

“*Sigh* wonderful” I was tired of this shit already and that was too many ponies no creature's too feasibly fight or count even

“Oh wonderful you say well that's a new one” the unicorn was confused good I tried to use my telekinesis and nothing he shield was reverberating silently and I couldn't get my telekinesis through the cage

It was making me mad and oh shit i'm on fire again it was starting with my horn as i threw fire at the cage but it too was repealed by this point several of the slavers and slaves around m were staring at me and I was tired my hooves fell out from under me and I collapsed

Ha dumb bitch this cage can re- it all melted into blurred nonsense before I passed out

“Hey hey get your ass up dumb bitch” this new voice was dumb and slurred beyond all shit

“Hu wha who is where am I” I was even more so slurred and Celestia sake was it loud there were buildings behind me soaring to the sky as well as in front of me by about four ponies length

“Where are you well little miss bitch welcome to klug town i'm your new owner now follow me”
At that the aggressor a fat pig grabbed hold of my tail and damn near effortlessly ripped me from the cage despite my best efforts and went into the building behind us

“Oh how i'm going to in joy breaking your mind” as he continued ripping my tail up the stairs he smacked open a door into a dingy cluttered room magazines socks and oh fuck that smell it was so rank and strong the musk came bellowing out the door the big ugly fuck breathed in deeply and he let out a strong exhale

“Oh yes you smell that that's going to be your and all you can smell pretty soon” No no no this was bad

“Let go of me fucking let go!” fear was over taking me and and there was another pony in the room she was curled up against the wall near the door crying no she didn't have any tears left to cry they we're all used up first session with this bastard

Get over here bitch your have a job to do as he said that he threw me onto his filthy bead it was covered in vile the mare near the door didn't immediately get up and that pissed off Mr ugly

“Did I stutter get you worthless mouth over here and suck my cock “ I was slowly limping of the bed trying to grab my uh my shit I didn't have my gun I didn't have anything so I changed my action to look at the bastard choking him with my telekinesis as he wiped out his uh i'm not gonna describe that

“Go run you fool!” the mare looked at me she just stood there and looked at me until I repeated myself

“Fucking! Run!” at that she did as told and ran out the door as I continued to choke the cunt with both my hooves and my telekinesis then he died I know he did because if he hadn't he would have been flailing still and he wasn't he was dead I let go and I left

Pretty soon I got down stairs and there was the mare on the floor at the end of the stairs the red pool growing from her cracked open head and her broken neck the neck she broke running down the stairs she had died because of me because of my stupid arrogant bullshit because of my bullshit fire and arcane we're shot because of me iron died

“Because of you we're all dead”

Footnote: level up new perk added quest touched by taint You have taken a splash in the Taint pool. And now you have two no three taint abilities here's to hoping your don't die because of this endeavor you've chosen to embark on

Taint ability: The Fires of Anger whenever your get angry the fire of rage engulfs your giving your what your lack in any occasion wings, claws, good looks no that last one was just a joke

Taint ability: your hooves melted good thing cybernetics exist

Skill note: hacking, sneak 30 barter, small guns 25 mealy 35 flight magic 20 Magical energy weapons (m.e.w) 50

There is no extra dialogue I've lost my friends

Author's Note

sorry for wait