Fallout Equestria: Desperados

Fallout Equestria: Desperados

Pandora's Box, Part 1

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“So what exactly did happen to you? This was a question I asked Slowtrot. His reply was filled with confusing answers.

From what I could put down simply, the stallion got caught up in two different plots from two different evil ponies. Both were after the megaspell lab at the deepest part of the R&D Stable, though they were after it for different reasons.

Thorn Rosland, the war hero and Admiral for Equestrias western fleet, wanted the ability to make her own megaspell warheads. To have the ultimate power which, in the end, had destroyed this world.

Then there Was Phobetor, an ancient nightmare that was long sealed by Celestia. She had bent the leader of the R&D Stable to turn the megaspell into a portal in which she could free herself and once more terrorize pony kind once again.” ~ Azure Dice

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“Alright, looks like nothing out of the ordinary is going on, so just see doctor Jali for a proper examination,” I told a wethered mere. Her hooves were cracked and her mane in desperate need of conditioner.

“Are you sure? I just haven't been feeling right for a while, Mister Slowtrot,” she noted as she rubbed her foreleg.

“Well it does say that you're a bit dehydrated. That could be the problem. Just let Jali know. She is the doctor here and will know what's up,” I explained.

The mare shifted her eyes over at Jali, looking unsure. “I don’t know. She is a ghoul after all. What if she wants to eat my brains?”

I sighed as I gave the mare a stern, flat stair as I explained, “Miss, that myth comes from an old movie called ‘The Night of the Living Un-pony.’ Though a fun horror-comedy, it has nothing to do with ghouls. Jali is simply a zebra kept alive by chaotic magic. That’s all.”

She still seemed usure, but eventually relented with a nod. “Alright, but if she starts talking about brains, I’m out.”

At first it was confusing with how ponies believe the craziest of things out here in the wasteland, but more and more I was coming to understand that they were simply left with bad information. Not just the past, but about each other too. As it turns out, most ponies could read, just not all that well. Unfortunately ponies of more privileged places just assume that the average wasteland was utterly illiterate and were suspicious of those who could.

It didn’t help that Redeye was actually prolific with setting up school wherever he could, causing an extra level of distrust to the more educated ponies. It was like Redeye wanted to make Equestria better, but then decided to do it in the worst way possible. At least everypony else is trying to make things better in a less asshole way… which is not saying all that much.

One group I couldn't fault was the Follower of the Apocalypse, who were actually trying to do things the right way. Unfortunately, the right way also happened to be a long slow path that will probably take generations to truly bear fruit.

Speaking of which, Prism Paint was assisting with the counseling of Live Axle. They had taken the counselling to the other side of the room so that others could not eavesdrop on them easily, but I still got some of what they were talking about before they picked a new spot to talk.

It was basically just Live talking about her upbringing and points in her life. It was clear that life was not easy for her, so I tried to not eavesdrop intentionally. Still, hearing about her watching her family publicly beating others can’t make the most stable pony. I could only guess it did help steel a pony to violence, so it was harder to break when around it.

Back during the war, I saw plenty of soldiers who had come back broken in one form or another. The ones who were able to at least mentaly stay unbroken were those who came from more troubled homes or were from military families. Something about growing up around violence makes it easier to just accept violence.

Looking at my pipbuck, I still didn’t understand why I hadn't cracked yet… Good ponies had died in front of me, and I had killed one as well. I’ve seen another murdered in cold blood. So much needless death.

Yet, I feel numb to it. I was angry, even a bit saddened still, but at the same time, I was indifferent. Something felt missing inside, and in its place was something… different in there.

Shaking it off, I waited for the next pony to come in for a scan. Whatever was off with me, it no longer mattered. I just needed to figure out what to do with myself, whatever that might be.

A tired-looking mare trotted up. I got my pipbuck ready. “How are you today?”

“Could use a smoke and some black coffee,” the green mare replied with a wispy and familiar voice.

“Well let's hope that’s all you need,” I said as I started scanning her.

But my pipbuck simply gave me an error, telling me nopony was there to scan.

Looking up, I took a closer look at the now familiar looking mare. She had on a lab coat and stable barding, along with a hole in her head.

My mouth moved, quietly saying the name. “Healing Herbs”

“Have you seen June? I need her report on that teleportation project she's been working on,” Helling said as though she was not some ghost.

“Didn’t you get the report that the project was a success?” I asked, unsure what to do with this ghost.

She looked off into the distance, realizing something. “Right, I… remember now. We just need to produce them and get the system set up in the stables.”

I nodded. “You all planned on fixing the main flaw with the stables by allowing ponies to teleport between them. It was such a brilliant idea.”

Healing Herbs nodded as she faded, leaving me with the guilt of not being able to save her.

“Slowtrot, are you alright?” Prism asked as she trotted up to me.

I tried to laugh it off, but somehow I knew I sounded a bit weird. “Oh I’m fine. Just lost in thought.”

She smiled back at me. “I know how that is. Just be careful to not get too lost. Sometimes it’s hard to bring yourself back.”

Looking at Prism, It was both amazing and terrifying to hear her story about Unity and how she had become one with so many others. I could only imagine how hard it had to be for her.

Prism looked over at the door. “I don’t know what my daughter is up to right now, but I have a feeling that she may not be back soon, so I’m going to pick up Bridget. If you see Star, let her know I’m taking care of the shopping as well, and to take Bridget home.”

I nodded and watched as she left.

The sound of a wispy chuckle caught my ear, and a cold chill ran down my spine. “Unity, such a waste of potential of a failed showpony.”

Turning around, I saw a long shadow on the wall. Two golden eyes looked back at me. “But then you ponies were never the smartest things in creation,” Phobetor said as she too, faded like a ghost.

I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes.

There was no way she was here. I was just seeing things. Healing Herbs was dead, and Phobetor was trapped in Tartarus. Why was I seeing them?

“Hey, Idiot!” the scratchy voice of a mare spoke up at me.

Looking over, I had the displeasure of seeing Quicktrot’s host looking back at me. She was now sporting several bandages and a heavy dose of perfume.

“So how's the soul rot?” I asked flatly.

“Could be better. For some reason it’s been a bit worse than normal. I was thinking that maybe being near some dumbass stallion is making it worse,” Quicktrot said with disdain in her voice.

It put a bit of a smile on my face to know that I was causing her a bit of discomfort, but I didn’t like the idea that she would need to take over another pony any sooner.

With a sigh, I asked the poignant question. “What do you want?”

She rolled her one eye and huffed. “What do you think? Why are you still in town? Is there some mare you fancy or something?”

Something didn’t feel right. There was no way she was here for just that. “No, and I am not leaving just because you told me to. Now is there anything else? You could have sent one of your lackeys to ask that. Why come here personally?”

Quicktrot glanced over at the door outside. “So you're not as dimwitted as I remember. Come with me. We can talk, privately.”

I looked over at Jali. The zebra ghoul already watched us. “I’m going to head out for a bit.”

Jali nodded, and I left with Quicktrot.

Fortunately the trot was not too far. She took me to some barn-shaped warehouse at the edge of the nice side of town. Two armed ponies stood guard, each bearing a blue rectangle on their jumpsuits with the word Blueskies on it. They didn’t look like the healthiest or strongest ponies, but the look in their eyes gave me the feeling of danger.

“So get new muscle?” I asked as we entered the warehouse.

“The Desperados are good for intimidation and can transport themselves, but relations have grown strained, among other issues they have. They have decided to not renew our contract,” Quicktrot grumbled

The inside of the warehouse was wall to wall boxes in different states of decay. Some looked clean and new while others were extremely weathered with rust stains coming off the nails. A few boxes had the apple symbol of the Ministry of Wartime Technology with the words “FOR DISPOSAL” on it.

The air in here also smelled stale with a hint of chemicals and magic. It reminded me of the waists holding rooms. Some of the factories had rooms that smelled like this for when the flux expired and became tainted. No pony liked to be on cleanup duty when having to take the barrels to those rooms and almost everypony paid for the F&F Brothers disposal company to haul that toxic shit away.

Still, I wonder where they dumbed all that taint...

“I thought all the taint was gotten rid of by the elements!” I said out loud.

“You should already know that answer,” Quicktrot told me as she trotted to the back.

I recalled the Stable-Tec factory. “Right. Some places were protected from the outside. Then why do you have it here? That shit is dangerous!”

Trotting over to her, she looked at some papers on a clipboard. She scrunched up her muzzle before putting the clipboard down. “More dangerous than you might think, but also good for making explosives, chems, and power cells for weapons. But that’s not why I had you come here.”

She passed me another clipboard, this one with Harp Melodies face on it. “I’m sure you two have talked by now, and she must have told you about herself.”

Looking at the file under the picture, it had all Harp’s information. From her size, her age, and even some of her interests. It also listed Cloudy Sunrise in a relationship with her. Moreover, the document has her listed as a Princess and related to an important figure of some group called Orthrus. Most strangely, it also listed her magical potential as “Very Magical”.

I gave the clipboard back, feeling a bit annoyed that she was spying on one of my friends. “Some,” I answered. “I’m not one to pressure ponies for information.”

“Well, I guess it’s natural to not tell a pony about certain problems,” Quicktrot agreed with a smug smile. “In short, Miss Harp Melody is a very desirable commodity, and will likely be drawing the eyes of many greedy hooves and claws. For her magical power, for what political power she has, and for her blood itself.”

I raised an eyebrow as I asked, “Blood?”

Quicktrot clapped her hooves together. “Oh yes. As you see, just like the Ministry Mares, the Equestria royal family loved to use their magical biometric seals to keep their secrets and treasure out of the hooves of other ponies and zebras.”

She tapped on her pipbuck, and my Eye Forward Sparkle hud flickered. As a result, her real form floated in my vision.

Looking at me devilishly, Quicktrot giggled. “Unlike the Ministries ever progressing to the future, the royals were more interested in the past. Over a thousand years of history is quite a thing preserved, so I doubt the few places the royals locked away have things like weapons or experimental tech. They would have artifacts of ancient Equestria. Some would be worth more caps than anypony could ever spend. Others could be used to rally the rebirth of a new empire under the banner of a true monarch.”

I glared at her, seeing where she was going with this. “And you want all that I bet.”

She shrugged. “Maybe a bit of it. It would do my company some good to discover a few lost artifacts. With the influx of money, I could dump some of the more risky endeavors and break into some of the more competitive markets.”

Quicktrot’s digital form leaned closer to me. “All you need to do is convince little Miss Harp to join me. Not free of charge, of course. I’ll give you a big reward if you do. I can make sure she is nice and safe, far from the conflicts of nations and the wars they will fight.”

“Wars?” I asked.

She got muzzle to muzzle with me. “Oh yes, there is much war coming. With much of the radiation and taint gone, but the land still very much contaminated by everything else, powers are beginning to move.”

Floating back and placing her forehooves behind her head like she was relaxing beside a pool, Quicktrot chuckled wickedly. “I’ve been spreading out my feelers since I returned to Equestria, getting what information I could, and damn are things starting to get spicy. You got the NCR rapidly expanding, some raider warlords gathering power in the south, some reminisce of the Ministry of Arcane Science stirring up trouble in the north. Then there is the west-”

The door creaked open. Stepping into the dimly lit room was Harp Melody. She looked less than pleased.

“Speak of the Tirek, and so he shows himself,” Quicktrot said to me bemused.

Her body moved. She looked over at Harp with a displeased frown. “I thought I told my guards that nopony was to come in.”

Harp trotted over to us, clearly not comfortable being inside this room. “Your guards are quite easy to wrap around the hoof of a pony as pretty as I,” she said as she fluttered her eyes at Quicktrot mockingly.

The floating form of Quicktrot laughed. “That, too, I want that in my company. Just imagine her as my poster mare!”

Quicktrot’s host huffed. “I’ll have to reprimand them later.” She looked back at Harp Melody as she asked her, “Is there a reason you're here?”

Harp flashed me a nervous smile before focusing her attention on Quicktrot. “Right. I need a few questions answered and I know you have the answers.”

Harp took a deep breath and straightened herself up.

“Quicktrot Fragment, are you involved with those midnight raiders?” she asked.

The possessed mare glared down at Harp and spat on the ground. “Raiders are bad for business. To even suggest something like that is bad for business, so no. Blueskies does not deal with raiders.”

A chuckle came from Quicktrot’s true form. She waved a hoof over Harp’s eyes.

Surprised by the digital form of Quicktrot, Harp stumbled back with a loud “EEP!” which only caused Quicktrot to laugh louder.

“Well, unless raiders are good for business. You wouldn’t believe how good the gun sales are when the locals think raiders are about. Unfortunately, they're terrible for making hosts out of. Some minds are too broken for even me to work with,” Quicktrot said cheerfully.

Harp growled at Quicktrot’s digital form. “So you are behind last night's attack!”

Quicktrot waved her hoof dismissively. “Say what you like, but trust me, I have far better pawns than some junked up raiders. They are good as sledgehammers, not scalpels.”

The digital ghost of a mare got up close to Harp. They pretended to squish her cheeks. “But why would I want to harm you in any way, my little Mirage Pony Princess?”

Floating back and looking down at the two of us, she had a wide grin on her face. “But why are you so worried about pathetic raiders when I can tell you about something you care more about? Like how to get to Cantercross.”

Harp’s eyes widened in shock. “How?”

Quicktrot rolled her eyes. “I didn’t. I just guessed correctly. You are a Mirage Pony, so it is natural that you keep your ear out for anything related to the Marewaii Islands.”

I sighed. “The chem, chill, right?”

My female doppelganger nodded. “I had a feeling that, after I told you about that, it might reach the dear princess. Chill can’t just be made by anypony after all.”

Harp sat down, sighing as though she was deflating like a balloon. “Why am I always on the back hoof here?” she grumbled.

Another chuckle came from Quicktrot as she floated over to her possessed host, sitting on the poor ponies back. “Because you're not as smart as you think you are. Or, to be more exact, you’re not smart in the right way. Now you can always join me. I’ll keep you safe and you use all your assets to help me ascend beyond this ethereal form.”

Looking Quicktrot in the eyes, Harp gritted her teeth. “Fuck you!”

Quicktrot sighed, then leaned down on her host, looking bored. “I’ll give you some information for free. Think of it as an investment. You don’t want to go towards Cantercross. That region has an… infestation”

She clapped her hooves. Once she did, music began playing on our pipbucks. It sounded a bit like the classic equestrian anthem, then the lyrics started.

~

“United forever in friendship and equality, our mighty collective will forever endure.

The Equlist Techno Collective will live through the ages. A dream for the ponies, their fortress secure.

Long live our glorious collective, built by the ponies mighty hooves. Long live our glorious collective, united in equality.

Strong is our friendship tried by fire. Long may our rose flag inspire, Shining in glory for all creatures to see.”

~

The strange anthem cut out, leaving us again in silence. It didn’t sound all that bad. Friendship was a cornerstone of Equestria after all.

Looking over at Harp, I saw a different story. Her eyes were wide. She was chewing on her hoof, and ever so slightly, she was trembling.

“Are… are you okay Harp?” I asked in concern as I reached out.

She almost jumped when I touched her shoulder. Her eyes darted around before taking a deep breath.

A yawn came from Quicktrot. She smugly smiled at us. “As it seems, some of the mirage ponies of the Marewaii Islands have freed themselves from their isolation. A troublesome lot, putting chips in ponie’s heads to make them nice and obediently equal.” Her smile became unnaturally wide. “Didn’t that friend of yours set out to destroy them? I guess she must have failed!”

Harp slammed her hoof down onto the ground and began shouting. “SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! You're wrong! I know you're wrong!”

Tears were rolling down her face as she shouted, her voice cracking. She also began to shimmer with magical power. Lots of magical power. “When I get home, Vibraphone and I will put an end to you. You hear me?”

Two blue hooves wrapped around her in a hug.

“There, there. Do you need me to beat the shit out of that pony?” Star Charter asked as she held Harp.

Harp took a deep breath, still staring daggers at Quicktrot who faded away as she waved at us.

“I’d advise that violence would be far from a good idea,” Quicktrot’s host said flatly.

Another mare trotted out from behind Star who was blue with a gold mane. “Oh too true, not when I need her to put on a show.”

I could feel my heartbeat pound in my chest, so hard that It was like it was trying to jump out my throat. Those unwanted memories rushed up along with the smell of blood and the cold sensation of the ocean water. There was no way, yet there she was.

Quicktrot’s form materialized in front of me. She crossed her hooves in a way to tell me to stop. “I know what your thinking, but no-”

I trotted through her, not caring what the doppelgänger bitch wanted to tell me.

Looking her in the eye, I asked, “Thorn Rosalind! How are you here, how are you still alive?”

Thorn tilted her head back as though looking at me with disgust. “What did you say?”

Star Charter reached out and lightly knocked me on the head. “Yo, calm down. That’s my good friend Victoria, and how do you know the name Thorn? Stable ponies aren't the most worldly kind ya know.”

Looking at Star, then back at Thorn, something did seem off. Real off. First off, Thorn wasn't that young. This mare, Victoria, looked closer to my age, than that of the navy veteran. But her eyes, and the feeling of her, it felt the same. I didn’t like it one bit.

Stepping between us, Quicktrot’s host pushed me back. “Are you two just going to keep being problems? This here is the celebrity Victoria Rosary, not this Thron you speak of.”

The ghostly body of Quicktrot tapped me on the head. “No tugging from her, unlike with you. Anyways, Thorn did not jump through a portal, so no way she is alive. Dead of old age, just like you should be.”

I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Sorry. She just looks like a pony I’ve met before. Forgot when I was for a moment, though that monster had returned. Again ... sorry.”

Looking over at Harp and Star, they both had a look of shock on their face. Harp was looking at this Victoria. She was seemingly scared as she hid behind Star. Star, on the other hoof, was slackjaw while looking at me.

Star slowly closed her mouth, looking at me inquisitive. “Wait, ya still serious about that time traveling shit? Are you saying you meant Saint Roseland?”

A twinge of wrongness snapped through me. “Saint… Roseland?” The words felt wrong and filthy, likely a horrible misunderstanding.

Shaking off that feeling, I chuckled. “No, no. The Roseland I meant was the war hero Admiral of the Luna ochan navy, not some tribal religious figure.”

I felt the ghostly breath of Quicktrot on my ear. “You really need to learn to shut the fuck up already.”

“Well ya.” Star Charter said, looking at me confused. “Saint Roseland was the hero of the Equestria navy before being gifted a vision from the goddesses. She united every creature under her banner so that we may prepare for the end times.”

Everything she said was wrong, and everything felt wrong. Why was Star praising that murder as some great hero and religious figure. No way. There was no way. Thorn should have rotted away at the end of the war, to disappear like all the villains from those old foal tales.

“You're saying it like she is some big religious figure,” I said nervously.

A hoof reached out. Victoria used it to turn my head to look at her. “She founded the Oceanic Illuminated Authority after the war, a religion that spans over every ocean and sea in the world.”

I felt my stomach churn at her words. She founded a world-spanning religion… she won. I may have stopped her from getting the secrets to a megaspell, but she still won in the end.

Victoria got muzzle to muzzle with me, forcing eye contact. “You seem to know something about her that most don’t. Tell me!”

Her eyes, something was wrong with them. It was like I could see a little green flame in them. It looked wrong, felt wrong.

“Shit! I don’t need this!” Quicktrot grumbled loudly. “Just relax. I’ll take control of your S.A.T.S. and I'll force your eyes closed. I really need to avoid getting her attention on me. This is fucking why I needed you gone. Fuck!”

“What?” I thought out. Finding that S.A.T.S. had activated cause my time to slow to a crawl and everything had a green tint.

Quicktrot sighed. “It’s your fault, you know. When I was still pulling myself together from getting ripped to shreds by some damn magical abomination, your peace of my soul took over. I fucking derped around the damn network, and eventually came across this crazy bitch during some magical call. So she may not know me, but that’s because I was you at the time.”

“Is that so?” the voice of Victoria revertibrated in my head, “So it was you, whatever you are, that interrupted that message. Then you may know what happened to my ship and my crew!”

“HOW!” Both Quicktrot and I shouted in our minds.

I felt light. My stomach lurched as though I was falling. Everything became dark, and darker still.

I reached out, yet I had no hoof.

I tried to scream, but no voice called.

All there was, was a deep black darkness.

And two golden eyes looking at me.

“A secret for a secret,” Phobetor's voice whispered into my ear like a cold and cruel breeze.

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Trait Recovered-

-Sympathetic Nightmares-

Slowtrot never had terrible Nightmares before. Now he has nightmares of crimes he didn't commit. Sleep now has a -%25 to rest, and -5 to all skills for a short time after sleeping, but he gains 5% to critical chance.