Fallout Equestria: Desperados

Fallout Equestria: Desperados

Chem Raid, Part 2

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"Star Charter also knew about a chem known as a Zebra battle brew. Though she doesn't know the details of it, it seems that some of the zebras here in Equestria have a habit of mixing chems into booze, along with other unknown ingredients. It gives them a short boost to their combat abilities similar to a chem call rage that is used by raiders, but the brew does not turn them into a slavering mad mare." ~ Azure Dice

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“You look like shit, Star.” Puppet Strings told me as she passed over a pair of darkly tinted sunglasses.

Putting them on to hide my bloodshot eyes, I felt at ease being sound somepony who understood the problems of having the evil eye.

“I heard that you got into some trouble last night,” she went on as she eyed my weapons, lingering her eyes on my sword with a curious gaze. “That’s an interesting looking blade.”

I smile. “Ya. I found some rare materials some time back when helping out my friends. Almost got incinerated by some ants, but I got this cosmic Cutlass as my reward. I plan to put it to use soon by showing those raiders they made a huge mistake pissing me off.”

Puppet Strings gave a small smile and an approving nod. “Never suffer the weak, wicked, or the foolhardy.” She turned and began trotting off. “Then why don’t you come with me? Maybe your family can help you in this endeavor. It’s what family is for, after all.”

Trotting alongside Puppet Strings, we slowly made our way to the upper side of town.

“So ... Victoria is still in town, I’m guessing?” I asked.

She nodded. “We’ve received free room and boarding from the Mayor, so long as Lady Victoria makes several public appearances. The greedy heathen thinks to use Lady Victoria to increase the town's standing. A disgusting request.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yet you're doing it?”

“Lady Victoria has surmised that the more work she does, the less other parties will keep an eye on her,” Puppet quietly explained.

This left me a bit concerned. I knew Victoria was still working with the fleets. She made it clear as such, but I was sure being an idol had helped keep any heat off her. She was the most clever pony I had ever known.

“President Gawd of the NCR doesn't like Victoria,” Puppet said quietly and sternly, as though reading my mind. “They only met once, and it might be because they are both predators without equal, as Gawd’s first words to Victoria were; How did a killer like you become some flimsy singer?”

I had only heard about Gawd from ponies who had come from the NCR, or from the book of the Lightbringer. The elderly female griffon was a Talon commander and had co-lead a group of raiders before meeting the Lightbringer. They had become something like friends from what I read, and the two managed to found the NCR over a mountain of corpses. In the last eleven years as the President of the NCR, Gawd has managed to absorb or destroy most rivals to the NCR, establishing trade routes across east Equestria.

As much as the NCR likes to show how great and honorable they are, even I was not dumb enough to not see how much of a conquering empire they were growing to be. Gawd’s talons must be so soaked with blood. I'm sure she would have made a fine admiral in the great fleets.

“I’m not surprised. I’ve heard that great and deadly leaders can easily spot each other,” I said knowingly

Puppet’s eyes returned to look ahead of us. “Victoria said something similar. Still, since then, she has had to be extra careful when conducting business in NCR territory. With the rangers as their call, there is always one nearby keeping an eye on us. Luckily slip teleportation gives us a movement advantage, so as long as they just watch Victoria, they might as well be blind.”

“As expected of Victoria,” I commented.

We eventually arrived at one of the newer buildings in town, a three-story high apartment. Like all the new buildings, it was made from salvaged wood, stone, and scrap metal from the surrounding ruins. Along with a fresh coat of paint, it looked like one of the old world buildings I’d seen in the few old photographs that had survived, though that was only the outside.

Inside the building, like all the others, was a mosaic of mismatch wood. It had its charm, so I didn’t complain. Compared to about anything else downtown, this was the height of luxury for a building. It even had little bits of artwork decoration inside, both of which were ancient and recently made. Seeing that some of the art was Spot Welds abstract attempts to make something a pony could call art, it was also clear that the mayor was also trying to boost his fame, though adding price tags to each piece of junk that Spot made just seemed plain dumb to me.

There were some ponies staying here, relaxing in the lounge. The guests of the mayor were old ponies in clothing too clean to have been won outside. They even had a servant doing whatever they needed.

As we trotted up the stairs, the old wooden stairs creaked, betraying the flaws in the building's construction. I was not one who would be afraid of heights, but if I had been given the choice between living in one of these new buildings, or in one of the tall ruins, I say at least the ruins has a record of not falling over for the past two hundred years.

After a bit more trotting up, we arrived at the penthouse, the super special place that Espresso would try and invite mares to stay the night with him. Fortunately, the mayor was not here. Though, considering how stylish the penthouse was, I couldn't help but feel annoyed that my own house could fit in here and still have room to fit a second house.

“Oh good! You found her,” Victory said cheerfully as she lounged in the sizable parlor.

In front of Victoria were two mare performing a dance. The two mares were nearly in sync with each other as music faintly played on an old record player. One looked over at me and tripped over her own hoof, falling over, which caused the second mare to then fall over.

Victoria sighed as she got up and trotted over to me, giving me a hug. “My little Star Carter, don’t think I’m rushing you, but I do hope you have given our little chat some more thought.”

“Well, it’s hard not to have, though something has come up since then,” I replied.

She let me go and took a step back. “Yes, I have received word about the raiders. I gotta stay informed about the goings-on in town.”

Her eyes lowered, falling on my sword. A smile formed on her face. “Now that is interesting, and here I was expecting you might still have Blackpowder Blasts cutlass, but what is that beauty?”

“Unfortunately the fucking sheriff destroyed all my old gear from the Blackwater. My new gear I got from a precious friend of mine.” I explained.

With a quick motion, it happening faster than I could react, Victoria had pulled the sword out and now held it in her hooves. “Now this is a true work of art! What is this metal? It’s clearly not steel. It’s too radiant to be orichalcum and it’s too light to be adamantium… Must be mithril. No, a mithril based alloy.” Victoria corrected herself. “The pieces of eight that this could fetch could possibly buy a small ship, yet it is in your hooves.”

Victoria studied the cutlass that reflected the light while examining the edge.

“Say, Star, have you gotten to test this blade yet?” Victoria asked.

I shook my head. “Only just got it, and haven't found the raiders yet.”

She smiled, showing her slightly overgrown canine fangs. “May I get the first proper swing then?”

Thinking about it for a moment, I guessed she had a large chunk of radboar or radigator nearby and wanted to cut off a piece. I knew, all too well, of how the hunger can creep up on ponies like us, and having the food properly stocked was a must.

“You may,” I invited her.

Grinning, Victoria turned around and trotted over to one of the dancers. In this case, it was the dancer who initially fell over. She cowered back a little but was then trapped in Victoria's gaze, shaking, but not moving.

With one effortless swipe, the front hooves of the dancing mare were cleanly sliced off. Her blood slurred out as she simply stood there shaking.

Craning her neck and finally breaking eye contact, Victoria looked more pleased with herself. The other mare gave a guttural pain-filled moan as she fell down into her own blood, her own eyes had gone bloodshot as she glared at Victoria with terror and hate.

Trotting back to me, she hoofed back over my sword. It had not a drop of blood on it. “A fine blade. A damn fine blade. I’m looking forward to seeing you put it to use.”

She then turned to Puppet Strings. “Do put her back together. This should be a good lesson to what will happen if she continues to fuck up.”

“And the blood, Lady Victoria?” Puppet asked.

Victoria glared at Puppet. “Need I say more than I already have?”

Puppet shook her head. “No. It was a worthless question. Forgive my slip of the tongue.”

“Good. I will retire to my room. Star will follow.”

Putting my sword away, I watched as Victoria trotted off and around a corner. She flashed me a grin once more before trotting out of sight. My eyes shifted to Puppet Strings as the mare trotted over to the mutilated mare.

“Filthy vermin!” Puppet growled as she began kicking the injured mare. With each kick, the bleeding mare kept her mouth shut and moaned in pain, all while avoiding eye contact with Puppet.

The second dancer simply stood by, watching it all unfold while licking her lips.

Eventually Puppet stopped attacking the defenseless mare. She levitated her up with her magic, her horn taking on a green overflow. Forcing the hooves back onto the stumps, Puppet levitated a needle and thread, quickly sewing the mare back together before shoving a healing potion in her mouth, then tossing the mare to the side.

“Stay there,” Puppet demanded. “I still need to collect the blood.”

Again Puppet’s horn glowed with a green light, but this time the overflow came with a purple haze that raised the hairs along my back and made me feel uneasy. As the magic was cast, all the spilled blood began raising off the ground and out of the mare's fur, gathering into an orb.

Uneasy was an understatement. My heart pounded. My mouth ran dry, and one of my back legs shook. Whatever Puppet Strings was doing, it made me feel… afraid.

The blood condensed into a small deep-red crystal, of which Puppet Strings placed inside a purse she was keeping on her. She then turned around to look at me, giving me an annoyed glance.

“Please don’t keep Lady Victoria waiting,” she told me.

I had no words, no witty remark. I just left. I wanted to get away from Puppet Strings as fast as possible, not wanting to give her an excuse to perform that spell again.

Despite how hot everything was, I felt cold.

Away from Puppet Strings, I entered Victoria's room. It was nothing to really express how great she was. It was simply an overly decorated room of the average wastelander. It was mostly salvaged material that Mayor Espresso could afford to furnish it with. Still, far more impressive than what I could decorate my home with, but then again, if I had any of what was in here, I’d sell it just to give Bridget a pretty dress.

Victoria was washing off her hooves, making herself more dazzling.

“I assume you stayed and watched Puppet?” she asked.

I nodded.

She opened up a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. “You’d be surprised at the price it costs to get a harpy to share their secrets. Had to offer several of our brothers and sister up as a sacrifice for their captain to take dear Puppet as her apprentice. The price for power.”

Victoria took a long sip of her wine. “It was pure luck that she was compatible with such magical arts. Finding such ponies are rare, which is why it was such an utter misfortune that I let you go.”

There was a momentary pause before I responded. “How am I important?”

Placing her wineglass down onto a small coffee table, she then looked at me with a gleeful smile. Her eyes pulsed with power. The smell of blood and battle waved through me, reminding me of home once again.

“Oh, trust me, you have the spark of something special. Something I need.” She offered me a bottle of wine.

“Sorry, but I already had a bit to drink. I can't go home drunk,” I said, turning down the drink.

A momentary glare of annoyance flared in Victoria's eyes.

She sighed. “Just think of it as destiny, pre-written by the goddesses themselves, so who are we to judge?”

I didn’t quite understand, but then again, Victoria always knew more than I ever did. Still, I couldn't just follow her blindly. Not when I had Bridget and Prism to look out for.

“I can’t argue with a plan written by the goddesses, but what was that phrase the nun would say back on the blackwater?” I responded, probing.

Victoria nodded. “All th' faith in th' world can nah make seawater drinkable. I’m a tad amazed you still remember those sermons. Eleven years and still hold’en to the faith.”

I shrugged. “It’s just what I know.”

I haven't given much prayers to Celestia and Luna since leaving the fleet eleven years ago, but it’s not like I just forgot what I was taught. Truthfully I had found the faith to be… flawed. But, even if the faith seemed flawed, their strength was real. I felt it was better to be safe and remember the scripter in case they ever did leave the waters.

“I’m guessing you want to make a deal first, then. Some financial incentive,” Victoria said as she topped off the wine glass. “For the adorable daughter of yours and that thing.”

“Her name is Prism, and yes, if I go with you, I want to know that they will be fine without me,” I explained.

She took a long sip of the wine, savoring it.

Placing the glass back down, Victoria shifted her position, taking a more commanding pose with her back legs crossed in front of her and looking down at me, judging.

I took a deep breath, knowing that I needed to give something to get something. “If I prove myself worthy, then I want a guarantee that both my mother and daughter will be safe. I want a guarantee that they will get the caps needed to live a good life.”

“If caps are all that's needed, I can do that,” Victoria responded, her eyes seemingly looking through me.

There was a hunger in her vision.

“Alright. I can give that creature and your daughter the funding they need to live, but I need something in return,” she said softly.

I felt more at ease, as nothing was for free. I was finally feeling that I could follow her train of thought.

“I want you to do something for me.” Victoria grabbed the wine bottle itself and took a long swig of it, drinking half of it in one go. “I wants ye t' convince Harp Melody t' join us. A pony o' her quality cannot be ignored, 'n I be nah t' make th' same mistake I made wit' ye.”

She… wanted Harp Melody!?

I wasn't all too sure about Harp joining the fleet. Her skinny little legs revealed her to be anything but a fighter. She did seem smart and was a good talker, so maybe that’s what Victoria was interested in.

Still, something didn’t sit right with me about this deal.

Slowly, I nodded. “You want me to get Harp to join you? I guess I can talk with her about it.”

Placing the bottle down, Victoria clasped her hooves together. A smile grew on her face.

“Good good. I was told you two were hanging out. Could call you two friends. Now how about we do something fun and stretch our legs?” she invited cheerfully.

I was a bit confused.

“Do you mean like dancing?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. “No. I do enough dancing as it is, and I’ve heard you as well. I was thinking we should try something more blood pumping.”

Getting up, Victoria trotted over to the door and stuck her head out. “Puppet dear, could you get in contact with our hideout? I’m thinking of going hunting.”

“At such short notice, Lady Victoria? It will be hard to do.” Puppet answered back.

She pulled back and then craned her head back at me. “Say, I know you must have some pony you’d love to get rid of.”

It was all so sudden, but… I actually did have something in mind.

“I was planning to go to Old Appaloosa. I’m trying to find the midnight raiders,” I told her.

Puppet totted into view, looking mildly displeased. “That's the former slaver base. From what I heard, most of it has been picked clean by scavengers. I don’t see why you'd want to take Lady Victoria there.”

Victoria placed her hooves on Puppet’s face, squishing her cheeks. “Isn’t that the place taken over by those chem fiends? You must have one of our unicorns keeping watch over them.”

Puppet took a step back, freeing her face. “That you’re right, Lady Victoria. I have been keeping an eye on them. They are too unpredictable not to.”

A slight smile formed on my face. “Then that’s where the midnight raiders are hiding.”

“Some.” Puppet corrected me. “The raiders only set up there recently, and from the information I have been given, it’s only a small fraction of their numbers. It seems they are using that area to produce chem ingredients.”

It made some sense. The chems, I was told, was where the main ingredient for Cat’s eye can be found.

“Well, I should be able to find some clues to where the midnight raiders are hiding if I go there,” I commented openly.

A chuckle came from Victoria. “Then it’s settled. Let's make a quick stop at the hideout. Get armed, because we’re go’en hunting.”

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I stumbled over. Traveling by slip teleportation felt weird. It was like I was falling backwards and forwarders at the same time. Of course, Victoria and Puppet Strings managed to do it with grace while I fell over onto my face.

It was, as Puppet told me, a spell that was gifted to the Corps Brigade by their patron bishop. It required two unicorns to do, one sending a pony out, and the other receiving the pony teleporting. It was safer and easier than the unicorn just teleporting themselves, but first required a Unicorn to be in position for it to work.

“Well well, isn’t it Star Charter. Ye're lookin' beautiful.” An older mare trotted up to me. Her back left leg was missing. Peg legs had replaced them, and she had scars running up her flank. She was also missing her right ear, with her left ear decorated in gold rings.

She was familiar. She had a brown coat and tan mane along with a cutie mark of a knife on a spring coming out of a box.

“Well fuck me! You're still alive, Spring Box!” I said loudly as I gave the mare a hug. “Is Trip Boom still kicking?”

“That farrgin' stallion? Ya. Victoria has 'im lookin' aft our secondary hideout. Can’t keep th' crews two best trappers in one ship.” She got muzzle to muzzle with me, giving me the look the brothel mares give to the clients. “I heard a rumor that yer workin' adult mare jobs like yer big sis here. Maybe I can show ye a few tricks.”

“She’s not a whore like you, Captain Spring Box, now let her go so I can show her the hideout,” Victoria said loudly as she trotted by.

Spring Box gave me a kiss on the cheek before stepping back. “Offer still stands. Just come and find me for some fun.”

“Maybe I will,” I said pleasantly, giving Spring a wink before trotting off to follow Victoria.

The Hideout, as Victoria called it, was a large shack on top of an isolated highway bridge. From what I could see, it was in the middle of nowhere with nothing but dried wasteland as far as I could see and with no way in except by an elevator, teleportation, or flight.

It was a lot like the Enclave remnant compounds Cloudy had told me about, but here, cleanness was not a top priority. Instead, it focused more on fortifications and defenses. Half of the turrets along the side were automated, connected to a rusty terminal. The other turrets were simply mounted rust guns with extended barrels.

The shack on top of the broken highway bridge was much more impressive. Though crude compared to the building made in New Appaloosa, it reminded me a lot like the old wooden ships in the fleet, as though a boat had crashed landed here. Inside was like a wild saloon with the different banners of the fleets along the walls and skulls of beasts decorated around the banners. On the floor, ponies were playing cards and dice. Some were drinking and two were hoof wrestling.

“Commodore on deck!” Puppet yelled. Everypony stood at attention. Some were more clumsy than others.

Victoria scanned the crowd. Her eyes stern and sharp.

“I see our new recruits have been properly integrated. Now, don't be drinking all the grog celebrating. We may yet have more recruits joining us,” she told the pack of pirates.

“At ease, ya damn fools!” Puppet shouted. As a result, the pirates returned to their fun.

Trotting passed the crowd, I was amazed to see so many. There were more than two dozen of them right here alone and more outside of the building.

Following Victoria, we entered what had to be her room. Her real room.

It was a far cleaner and better built room with a large bed. Above the bed was the banner of our gang which was a green bloodshot eye on a black flag. On one wall was a collection of swords and guns, and the other had a desk covered in paper documents.

There was also a painting of Victoria, standing with her kids and husband, all in front of a massive cannon.

“Amazing! It’s almost like you have a ship on the land itself,” I commented, feeling impressed.

Victoria trotted to a dresser that sat in a corner of the room. “If only,” she said as she pulled out a bicorn hat and captain's jacket.

“I’ve been chasing rumors of airships for the last few years, but nothing quite yet. Right now we have to settle on sending small groups out to secure resources or take out threats,” she explained.

I trotted over to a window that overlooked the celebrating pirates.

“And them?” I asked.

She trotted over as well, looking like a regale captain. “Some of them are from the Blackwater, the rest are ponies I’ve picked up along the way. Despite how braindead the wild fleet sailors are, they are surprisingly loyal to their captains, so I’ve been recruiting from the locals. Raiders and such as expected. They make good shock troopers, but my guise as an idol has given me a stock of ponies who are not as obvious with their bloodlust.”

I had one more big question. “Isn’t this place a bit flashy for an undercover mission?”

A wide grin formed on Victoria's face. “You would think, but I have long learned that hiding in plain sight is the best way to hide. As far as President Gawd knows, this is simply a mercenary group made up of former raiders and wastlanders looking for adventure. Nothing she can complain about with how most of her rangers are former Red Eye Talons.”

She sighed. “There is the problem of the pirate banners, as the NCR knows of them well enough to have a bounty for any pony part of the wild fleet, but this hideout is so far from the waters, most ponies assume we just love the aesthetic as it does invoke strength.”

Pointing to the banners, she listed them off. “Of course there's the wild fleet.” It was a black flag with a red skeleton on it. “The Grand Fleet.” This flag was an hourglass above two crossed swords. “The Holy Fleet.'' It depicted the two goddesses, and in between them the prophets cutie mark, a green circle of thorns with a red teardrop in the middle. “And last, but not least, our symbol of the Corps Brigade.” Just as in Victoria’s room, there was a black flag depicting a green bloodshot eye.

“If the fleets were ever to make a move on the mainland, the Corps Brigade will have forwarded bases ready for them all over Equestria,” she explained.

“We currently have five hideouts setup,” Puppet spoke up as she placed several guns and swords onto Victoria’s bed. “Some less conspicuous than this.”

“Not putting all our apples in the same barrel, as the phrase goes,” Victoria said as she trotted over to her bed, looking at her weapons.

There was the boarding cleaver which was a wide, nasty serrated blade with a mouthguard. I knew that the blackwater made a shit ton of the blades. Supposably every sailor got one, if possible.

Then there was clearly a custom made Cutlass. It was engraved with Victoria's cutie mark. The sword was elegantly made with a brass guard and a red and green wrapped bit hold.

The third blade was a polished ripper, with Saint Roselands cutie mark engraved onto a brass back shell. I had seen weapons like this before, but none like this. It had both a mouth guard and a back shell, giving it a much stronger and elegant look. The teeth were not blades like the standard ripper but more like a standard chainsaw, but thicker. It was the weapon used by high ranking religious ponies, and was rumoured to be far louder than any of its kind and would drive fear into hearts of heathens.

As for the guns, she had the same kind of .45 auto as Slowtrot did, just with Roselands symbol on it.

Dwarfing all of the guns was a fully intact battle rifle. It long, well polished, and beautifully engraved with the scripture of Saint Roseland

Lastly, one big ass pistol!?

“The fuck is that thing?” I exclaimed as I pointed questioningly at the oversized sidearm.

Victoria picked it up and rubbed the gun on her cheek. “This fucking baby? It’s my O.I.A. 50 cal special. I use this when I want to fuck over the pony in front of me, and the pony on the other side of bulletproof glass.”

She pulled out the magazine and showed me the bullet inside. It was one of the biggest fucking pistol bullet I had ever seen. It was comparable in size to the .45-70 govt that Hardballer and Ashy used in their hunting revolvers.

Slamming the magazine back in, she gave the gun a smile. “Ya. I’ll be taking this with me. And the ripper as well. I want those poor souls to know we’re coming to save them.”

“Save who?” I asked.

She looked at me with wide-open wicked eyes. “The ponies we’re going to kill, of course. It is the duty of us, the chosen, to rescue souls from sin.”

I backed up a bit, having forgotten how devout everypony actually was.

Putting a holster around her waist and placing the 50 cal and ripper on it, Victoria trotted over to me, her muzzle next to my ear.

Whispering, she said. “You're going to need to put on the act of a devout warrior of the goddesses when you return with us. Our bishop is quite the bitch about such things.”

I nodded. She backed up. Victoria trotted over to a mirror to adjust her hat and check her makeup.

“Say, Puppet, where is our most holy and honorable bishop?” Victoria asked.

Puppet sighed. “Last I was informed, she flew off to spread the word of Saint Roseland to some raider camp further west. She was due to return yesterday.”

“If we're lucky, she got that damned spawn of hers killed this time,” Victoria grumbled.

Smacking her lips together after re-applying a deep red lipstick, she got up and trotted to the door. “If we're lucky, we can go play and get back before dealing with any nonsense.”

I looked over at Puppet with a raised eyebrow.

“Long story short, our beneficiary, the good Bishop Purity Spiral, is a fanatic of the highest degree. Please do mind your manners if you were ever to meet her. The lashings she gives are only entertaining for the first hour,” Puppet explained.

I got the message loud and clear.

Following Victoria, we headed back down, out, then under the shack where several Unicorns and Spring Box were waiting for us.

“We’ve managed to contact the scout, Commodore. Slip teleportation can begin at yer say.” Spring Box informed us.

Spring Box then winked at me. “Have fun with the hunt, Star.”

I double-checked my rust gun, loading the drum magazine in before putting it back in my saddlebag. “Alright, take me there.”

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-Reputation-

-Corps Brigade-

Welcome home, Star. Your family has been waiting for you.