Fallout Equestria: The Tale of the Soldier

Chapter 5: Welcome to Tenpony Tower

“How does it feel, to be so close to your goal, but yet so far away?”

I sat in the Junction Town bar, waiting for the hour to be up, and recollecting my memories over shots of whiskey. As rich as I was, I was still miserable, I missed the days of the Wastelands in all honesty, the constant danger, the battles, the adrenaline, it makes my body shake with excitement just thinking about it. I quickly down another shot, looked at the time, payed the bartender, and headed out towards the tree I had been sitting at an hour ago.

Sitting down, I looked up to see the crowd gathering again, this time even larger than before, as if all of Junction Town wanted to hear my story. “Well I guess we should get started.” I said, “Let’s start with my arrival to Tenpony just a mere, what was it, 5-7 days after Littlepip. I don’t remember, all I know is that they were about to leave. Now then, let’s get started...”

<=======Ten Years Ago=======>

The arrival station was the only way in or out of Tenpony Tower from the ground, and it was also the most heavily guarded. I stood talking to the guard at the gate who was sitting behind glass that was no doubt armored. “Please, we just want a place to rest for the night, and Tenpony Tower is the safest place in the Manehatten Ruins.”

The guard looked at the four of us, “Uh huh, like the leader of the Commandos and three of his hooligans can’t keep themselves safe. Find somewhere else.”

“Please, we are running desperately low on supplies, and ammo.” I lied.

“Then deal with that yourselves. I ain’t about to let some mercenaries into Tenpony, no way, no how.” The guard replied.

I sighed, “I feared you would say that.” Then in the blink of an eye, my eyes turned into a blood red that trapped the guard in my gaze, breaking his mind open, and basically giving me free reign of his mind, but I wasn’t interested in information, only getting inside. According to a merchant we ran into on the way into the ruins at some half destroyed shack, Calamity had gone with ‘Littlepip the Stable Dweller’ and some beautiful mare named Velvet Remedy to go see DJ-Pon3, with some Steel Ranger, so that really helped narrow our search.

“On second thought, I best let you in. What harm are you four going to do without being able to use your weapons.” The guard said dutifully as I implanted the thought in his mind.

“Thank you.” I said with a nod as the guard let us through, not letting him go until we were at the next checkpoint were some unicorn passed her horn over us to take our ammo.

“So now what?” Snipes asked as we went into Tenpony itself.

“You three go find a place to sleep and gather up some supplies for the return trip. I’m going to find information on Calamity, don’t worry, I ain’t going to be facing him alone, I’ll bring you guys along when I track him down.” I replied.

“Oh course.” Snipes said.

“We’ll meet each other at the market in 2 hours time to update ourselves, got it?” I told them. They all nodded and spread out, and I began my search for information on Calamity.

*** *** *** ***

I stood before the double doors to DJ-Pon3’s area, ready to do whatever was nessacary to track down Calamity. I was so close to my goal I could smell it. All the information I gathered had led me here, mainly having to do with Littlepip, (There was that name again!) a ‘toaster repair pony’ who had gone to see DJ-Pon3. And I figured as Calamity was traveling with her, following that information would lead me to Calamity.

I stood in front of that door for quite awhile, it’s not often one gets to see DJ Pon3, or the one who was one of the reasons that you almost died. I found myself debating with myself if it was right to kill Calamity, after all he’s done for this ‘Littlepip’ character, but in the end my need for revenge won out and I knocked on the door.

I heard the scurrying of hooves running towards the door, and when the door opened, a grey mare was revealed, who though at first looked excited, but instantly became saddened to see it was me. “Expecting somepony?” I asked, Yes, joking makes the mind hacking easier, as it makes the mind unprepared. I thought.

“Well, yea, but it doesn’t matter. I’m Homage, DJ-Pon3’s assistant, how may I help you?” she asked.

“I want information, and a lot of it.” I said, eyes turning red one last time, easily breaking into her unprepared mind, and set to work. I forced her to step aside to let me in as I quietly looked through her recent memories, her face totally blank. “Hm, you have feelings for this Littlepip? This ‘toaster repairpony’?” I asked rhetorically as I came across those memories, which were quickly pushed aside as they did not help me, other than to not mess with Littlepip or Homage might just convince D....

“Wait, your DJ-Pon3!? HAH! Who woulda thought!” I exclaimed, “Hm, Calamity, Calamity...Ah, here we are.” I muttered mostly to myself as I went through all her information on Calamity before releasing her, right after wiping her memories of this incident, “Thank you for your assistance.” I chided to her unconscious body as I walked out of the room.

*** *** *** ***

Being the idiot I was, instead of finding Bloody 2, Snipes, and Heavy Stomp as back-up, I decided I could take on possibly 4 ponies at once, one a Steel Ranger, with nothing but Head Hunter. I stood outside the door to the room described in the memories of Homage, preparing myself.

This is it, I will finally kill Calamity today, after four long years, today he will die. I thought to myself, pulling out Head Hunter. I looked up and down the hallway to make sure nopony was around then I burst through the door, Head Hunter at ready.

*** *** *** ***

“Ah, Ah finally have time all to mahself.” Calamity said to himself, sinking into a couch. All his other companions were off doing errands, Littlepip and Velvet getting one last trip to the spa and Homage in before they left, and SteelHooves was doing.... whatever SteelHooves did when everypony else wasn’t around him. “Hm, should Ah clean mahself up before we leave?” he asked himself as he lay on the couch. That’s when a familiar pony burst through the door, waving a very dangerous knife/dagger/sword thing at him, “FUCK!” he yelled, flipping over the couch, trying to put something inbetween him and the mad pony.

*** *** *** ***

I jumped over the flipped over couch Calamity had been laying on when I burst in, tackling Calamity to the ground. “I’m going to kill you, you son of a bitch!” I yelled at him, bringing Head Hunter up for the kill when I heard a gasp from the entrance to the room and looked over to see Littlepip standing there, “I guess I’ll need to take care of you first.” I growled, bringing the butt of Head Hunter down on Calamity’s head, rendering him unconscious. Littlepip barely had enough time to scream before the trance hit her, then, a wild flashback hit me as I broke into Littlepip’s mind, a very particular memory.

<======= Stable 2, Many Years Ago=======>

“Stop what you’re doing right this instant young filly!” the Overmare’s voice boomed to a filly Littlepip, who stepped quietly away from a safe, dropping her screwdriver and bobby pin. “I have half a mind to hand you over to the Loyalty Inspectors, in fact, I think I will!”

“No, you won’t, and you know that.” a smaller voice said from the shadows, and a colt Julion stepped from the shadows.

“What makes you think you can tell me what to do, therapist.” the Overmare said extremely angerily and annoyed.

“Because of these.” the colt Julion said, pointing to his eyes, which were now red, which even then was a very powerful trance inducer. The Overmare’s face fell blank as the little Littlepip watched silently from her spot. “You know that doing anything to this little filly is wrong, doing the wrong thing is bad.” the colt Julion said in the same tone he used in his practice therapy sessions.

The Overmare nodded slowly, “Yes, of course, what was I thinking.” she said slowly and monotonously. Littlepip took a step back from this obviously powerful little colt, making double sure not to make eye contact.

“Good, now turn around and forget this ever happened.” Julion said to the Overmare, who dutifully turned around and left the room. Julion walked up to Littlepip, eyes returning to their usual color, “Sorry you had to see that, but I can’t bear to see anything bad happen to somepony as young as you, and in your...current position.” he said with a nod to Littlepip’s blank flank.

“You know, me and you, we aren’t so different. I didn’t have my cutie mark when I was your age, shoot, I didn’t even get mine till a few months ago.” Julion said, putting a comforting hoof on Littlepip’s shoulder, “Just remember, I won’t always be there for you, and there won’t always be somepony there as well. So take these words and live by them, no matter what you are told, no matter what happens to you, remember that you are what makes you. You choose for yourself, you decide how your life turns out. So what’s your name?”

“I’m, littl...” she started.

“What was that?”

“I said I’m Littlepip.” she said, obviously expecting some kind of insult.

Julion nodded, “Littlepip, that’s a good name. Well, I’ve got to go. So remember what I told you and stay out of trouble and you’ll be just fine.” Julion then got up and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Littlepip alone in the room. Just a few days later, that very colt would be on the outside of Stable 2’s door.

<=======Tenpony Tower=======>

I snapped out of the flashback, wozzy and dizzy, I took one look at Littlepip, and bolted, leaving two unconscious ponies alone in a room for who knows how long, as it turned out, not very long.

End of Chapter 5