Fallout Equestria: Mothership Eta

I was jolted out of sleep by the most soul-curdling screeching I had ever heard in my life! I sprang into action, diving out of bed and frantically searching for my barding. There was clearly an electronic abomination mere seconds away from devouring us, and I wouldn’t let us go down without a fight!

Three things happened at once. Dew’s magic enveloped a small object sitting on the table between our beds. The abhorrent shriek cut out. And Dew’s disheveled head peeked over the side of her own bed.

“Morning, Rusty. Um… you all right?"

I stared back at her. My left forehoof was stuck inside a noodle cup, my right forehoof extended from my barding's neck hole, and my rear hooves were tangled in the bedsheets I had pulled with me onto the floor in my mad scramble. I must have looked ridiculous.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thought we were being attacked, sounded like the Analysts were after us." I lifted my hooves, trying to step out of my restraints.

"Here, let me help." An orange glow surrounded the sheet as Dew's magic started to untangle it. "Sorry about the rude awakening. Didn't expect the alarm clock to be that loud!"

Alarm clock… "Wait, that's what those things sound like?" I had scavenged my fair share of those things during my career, but had never come across a functional one. "Why would anypony choose to wake up like that?"

Dew chuckled, as her magic shifted from the sheet to my barding. "I've often wondered that myself! It's normally not that bad, humans must really like waking up half-deaf! But the idea of having a machine scream you awake? City ponies have a few screws loose if they think starting the morning like that is a good idea!”

“Which of course begs the question of why you felt we needed an alarm.” With three out of four hooves freed, I now shifted my attention to the unyielding noodle cup.

“I guess you must have missed that part of our talk yesterday. Hang on...” Dew jumped down from the bed and grabbed the bottom end of the cup with her teeth. “Dish'll work better’n magic. Pull on free… won, too, FREE!”

Dew went one way, I went the other, and the cup split the difference, spiraling straight up into the air and ejecting its contents everywhere! “So much for breakfast,” I remarked, as I offered Dew a foreleg and got her back on her hooves.

Dew glanced over the mess we had made before turning her attention back to me. “Not necessarily. Thanks, Rusty,” she added as an aside. “While you were zoned out yesterday," she continued, "Will invited us to join him in the cafeteria this morning. Breakfast was implied.”

Sounded good. “I’ll take that over noodle crumbs any day.”

“I figured as much,” she said, looking me over. “And speaking of which, I doubt your new manestyle will catch on. Let’s get those crumbs off you.”

More than a few minutes later, with both of us freshly washed and my coat finally noodle-free, we entered the cafeteria. I felt a bit overwhelmed looking across the spacious room at all the activity taking place. There had to be over a hundred creatures in there, both human and non, dressed in what looked like work clothes and chatting cheerily amongst themselves. I guess Will was right, the ponies here were acting like fellow workers, not slaves! Still, considering the knowledge Will was keeping from them, the line between worker and slave was a lot narrower than I was comfortable with.

Breakfast was a rush. Will spotted us almost immediately after we left the chow line, and waved us over to the booth where he was seated. I had barely started on my waffles -- delicious, by the way -- when he introduced us to the first of a seemingly endless line of high-ranking Engineers and curious onlookers. Our arrival had apparently caused quite a stir.

Dew was content to handle the formal greetings, which was perfectly fine by me. It let me concentrate on my food and, just as importantly, listen in on background conversations. Will was talking Dew’s ears off about each of our visitors and the role they held within the faction, but I knew from experience that the best way to get a sense of a place was through gossip. I had plenty of practice eavesdropping in local bars to find scavenging leads. Now I had to do the same thing on a spaceship to find out just what was going on with the Engineers.

And there was plenty of gossip to go around. I learned that our friend Paul was universally despised for his rigid adherence to procedure and his refusal to speak Ponish to whoever he deemed inferior. And that Ruby was held in high regard as a sort of matriarch to the entire Engineering section. But most of the talk was concerning an unexpected meeting taking place the following day, attendance mandatory for all Engineers. There was a lot of speculation as to what it was: safety training, family fun day, the annual Hands and Hooves Hoedown five months earlier than scheduled. But none of the ideas came close to what the Sup really had planned. For once, I was ahead of the game, if only because I had heard it discussed before I completely tuned out the previous day. The meeting was a pretense, to prevent leaks and to gather his forces in preparation for Plan Sigma. I noted the irony of gathering a force that had no idea it was a force to begin with. I would have loved to be a bloatsprite on the wall when he dropped that little nugget of information on them.

Eventually, the line of Engineers came to an end and Dew was finally able to focus on her breakfast. I used the lull in conversation as an excuse to grab a few more treats from the counter. Fuck the Cloppers, let me stay here! I’d scrub toilets all day if it meant access to this kind of food! If only I could overlook the borderline slavery...

I returned to the table with as many treats as I could carry, only to find that Ruby had arrived in my absence. “Ah, our other operative returns! May I?” she asked, reaching for the teetering stack balanced on my head.

“Go for it,” I told her as I struggled to keep the weight centered. “I guess I went a bit crazy with the snacks, huh?”

“I honestly don’t blame you, dear. I used to do the same sort of thing before my poor stomach let me know enough was enough. But a single blueberry muffin won’t do too much damage, don’t you think?”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Dew said, as she levitated a caramel roll off my back. “Personally, I’m going for something sweeter.”

“If only,” Ruby sighed, inspecting her muffin. “I know some ponies have an obsession over these things, but I’ve never understood it myself. Ah well.” She took a hesitant bite, then looked at it disdainfully. “As always, never enough sugar!”

“I hear you,” I added. “Sugar’s such a rare thing in the wasteland, you can really only get it in those snack cakes that are more preservatives than anything else. I could probably make a fortune just selling these down there!”

“If we’re done obsessing over sweets...” Will interjected, looking annoyed. “Ruby, weren’t you going to show them your project?”

“Oh, of course! I knew I came over here for a reason!” Ruby beckoned to me and Dew, still holding the muffin with her other hand. “Come on, you two. One last gift before you head out.”

She and Dew started trotting towards the exit. I reluctantly deposited my hoard of treats in front of Will before following them. “Here,” I called back over my shoulder as I followed Ruby out. “Knock yourself out.”

Will remained stock-still for a few moments, dwarfed by the mountain of sticky goodness in front of him. Then, tentatively, he reached up and snatched a donut off the top. As I exited the cafeteria, I caught a final glimpse of him working on a second donut. Looks like we weren’t the only ones obsessing over sweets.

“I look ridiculous.”

“Normally, Rusty, I’d tell you to not be so critical. But in this case... Yeah. You look bucking stupid.”

I was standing before a full-length mirror, taking in the absolutely garish outfit Ruby had given me to try on. Calling it an outfit was generous; it was literally just a form-fitting piece of metallic fabric. It looked like I had fallen up to my neck into an oil-slicked pond, then taken the slick with me when I emerged. A faint rainbow sheen covered every inch of me apart from my eyes and muzzle. Dew stood behind me, one hoof shielding her eyes against the blinding reflections radiating from the suit’s mirror finish. I now understood why Ruby had insisted I put it on in a dark room.

“So?” Ruby called from the other side of the room’s divider. “What do you think?”

I stepped away from the vanity lights -- the source of Dew’s distress -- before responding. “I’ve never questioned a free gift before, but seriously. What the fuck is this.”

"It's a protective suit! Do you not like how it looks?" How it looks… Ruby couldn't be that blind. "I knew I should have added streamers…" Okay, now I knew she was making fun of me.

"Ruby, with respect, what in Equestria is it supposed to protect against?" Dew asked, taking a closer look at me now that the reflections had diminished. "It looks like it would be hard-pressed to stop a spitball!”

“True, but your opponents haven’t been shooting spitballs at you, have they?” As Ruby spoke, the divider between us retracted into the wall. She was standing next to a ponnequin that was displaying its own suit of the gaudy material. “In fact, I would wager they’ve been using something akin to this,” she added, pulling out a pistol identical to the ones we had previously seen carried by the Guros. “Standard-issue plasma emitter pistol. The only gun that’s been used on this ship for hundreds of years. That is, until you two found that stash of pre-Breakdown tech.”

“You’re rather well informed,” Dew noted.

“Comes from having a connection to the Analysts, dear. They were perfectly willing to share with you as long as they trusted you. A shame they’re gone, now I’ll have to do my spying the old-fashioned way. But speaking of people being vaporized, I assume you two would like to avoid the same fate?” We both nodded agreement. “Then watch.”

Ruby aimed her pistol at the ponnequin and fired. A bright blue bolt shot out from her pistol with a sharp crack, far less throaty than the sound our own pistols produced. The bolt crashed into the ponnequin at center mass and dissipated, similar to the Guros’ wayward shots we had seen earlier. But this time, the expected scorched residue never appeared at the impact site. Instead, bright rings of colors emerged from where the shot had hit, fading as they raced outwards along the suit’s surface. Ruby fired twice more, producing the same effect. And within a few seconds of each shot, the suit’s colors had stabilized to the point where I would be hard-pressed to identify a difference from its original state!

“Okay,” I admitted, “I don’t feel quite so ridiculous now.”

“And there’s an added bonus,” Ruby told me, smiling wryly. “Since it’s fur-tight, you’re perfectly able to wear whatever clothing you feel necessary over it. I realize jump drive core shielding isn’t the most attractive fashion choice, so you’re welcome to cover it up as you desire.”

“Protection from bullets and blasters? Now you’re talking!” I trotted over to the pile where I had dumped my barding and started untangling it.

“That’s one thing you won’t have to worry about here, dear,” Ruby noted. “Bullets on a spaceship are a recipe for disaster. Similar thing with explosives, you’d never use them unless you didn’t mind taking yourself out as well!”

Combat information. This was something I was fine learning more about! “Okay, explosives in small spaces I can understand, but why are bullets out? Ricochets aren’t that big of a risk, right?”

“It’s not the ricochet you have to worry about, Rusty, it’s the vacuum,” Dew explained. I looked at her blankly. “You do know what a vacuum is, right?” she asked. I shook my head no. “Okay, you know how the air gets thinner the higher up you go?”

“Can’t say I do.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed in me. “Well, it does. And eventually you get so high that there’s no air at all. That’s a vacuum. And if your bullet makes a hole in the spaceship, all the air that’s inside heads outside, and you won’t have anything to breathe. Among other problems. Understand now?”

“Holes are bad. Got it. So we only have to worry about energy weapons. I’m still going to wear my barding, I’ll at least look slightly less stupid.”

A few minutes later, I had arranged my barding over my shield suit, and Dew had done the same with her farm clothes. The suit was still visible around my head, but I felt no pressing need to tuck it into my barding. At this point, I was sure stealth wouldn't be necessary. After all, we were just a couple ponies going on a mission for the Engineers, right?

"And you're sure these passes will let us walk straight up to the Tragicians? We don't need to worry about acting like Engineers?" Dew voiced the concern I had felt ever since the plan of impersonating repairponies had been proposed. What the fuck did I know about toaster repair or whatever it was we were being asked to perform?

"Your supposed 'destination,' dear, is with the Guros. Outermost levels of the ship, and any faction with half a brain knows not to interfere with any work orders concerning them. As long as you remember to stop at the Tragicians’ level, you'll be safe. Or as safe as anypony can be once the war kicks off."

“Yeah, about that… I’m still not completely comfortable fighting in this war. Are you sure I need to be a part of it?” Dew asked nervously.

What? “What?” I interjected, honestly shocked. “Dew, just yesterday I saw you murder a Clopper in cold blood! And that’s not even mentioning the Guros we killed earlier! What changed?”

“Like you yourself said, Rusty, I was pissed off and desperate. I’ve got a clearer mind now, and I don’t want to hurt anyone. Especially someone who doesn’t deserve it!”

This mare… I thought we had gotten past this kind of brahminshit. “Dew, hon, listen. I may not know war, but I know combat. And in combat, you can’t be worried about foalish stuff like who deserves to die! If they’re on the other side, they need to die! End of story!”

“No, Rusty, it’s not ‘end of story!’ The only reason they’ll be on the other side is because of us! We’re the agitators! If we weren’t here, there wouldn’t be a war at all! I’m not okay killing someone just because of a decision I made!”

“Dew…” I paused. “Okay, you’ve got a point. I’ve never been in the habit of looking for an unnecessary fight. That’s not how scavvers operate.” Dew started to interject. “...And no,” I continued, cutting her off, “that one time I wanted to slaughter the entire ship doesn’t count.”

“May I cut in?” Ruby’s voice was a welcome respite from our mini-argument. “You said something about fighting Guros? I’m curious,” she asked, speaking directly to Dew, “why did you feel it was acceptable to fight them? This isn’t a challenge, dear, I simply want to hear your reasoning.”

“If you must know, Ruby, it was because I saw exactly what they were willing to do to ponies under their ‘care.’ Every human I saw there was fighting to keep that disgusting practice going. And even if some weren’t fighting, they knew what was going on and did nothing about it. They’re as complicit as the ones doing the torturing!”

“I thought as much.” Ruby looked oddly introspective. “I won’t try to convince you to do something you’re morally opposed to. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and open eyes while on your journey to the Tragicians. Your perspective may change, or it may not. But I believe your experiences will lead you to make the correct choice when the time comes.”

“We’ll see,” Dew shot back. “Rusty, you ready to head out?”

“You know it!” I was getting sick of all this philosophizing anyway. “Lead the way!”

We were fortunate that there were multiple paths up through the Analysts’ former turf, most of which passed far away from Pinkie’s physical location. We were unfortunate, though, that Pinkie had seemingly gained access to all the systems on those levels. We had to endure a near endless barrage of what she deemed “pranks” as we proceeded, ranging from lights flickering to staircases disappearing. While we were on them.

“Pinkie, this is getting really old,” Dew growled as we recovered from the third set of stairs in as many minutes vanishing beneath our hooves.

“Okay, you’re right… I promise, that’s the last prank I’ll pull on you.”

“You really expect us to believe that?” I snarled.

“Fine. I Pinkie Pie Promise that was the last prank.”

“Still not buying it.”

“What? Sussy, it’s a Pinkie Promise!”

“That means nothing to me. And for fuck’s sake, it’s Rusty! Rus-TY!”

“Means nothing to you? Rushy. It’s. A. Pinkie. Promise.” The floor rumbled, the ceiling shook, the lights dimmed. “NOPONY BREAKS A PINKIE PROMISE!”

“Okay, okay, I believe you!” Better appease the crazy pony in the computer before she gets even more pissed off!

“Aww, thanks, Plushy! And don’t worry, I haven’t gotten access to the upper floors yet, so if you run into any pranks up there, they won’t be from me!” Thank Celestia for small favors.

The staircase rose beneath us again, depositing us at our destination: the door leading to level 43. Another stairway lay through the door, enclosed this time. No sign of hidden platforms that Pinkie could use if she decided to “forget” her promise. We proceeded up the dimly lit stairs, Dew in the lead, as the door closed itself behind us. As soon as the hiss from the hydraulics cut out, Dew stopped in her tracks and spoke up: “Hey Rusty? We need to talk.”

I nearly crashed into her hindquarters before I could react. That certainly would have been awkward. “Sure, Dew, what’s up?” I did my best to sound casual, but her tone of voice indicated the topic would be something serious. I braced myself…

“What’s going to happen if the Engineers win?” She turned to face me as she spoke.

I blinked, surprised. Once again, I found myself blindsided by a question that was nothing like what I would have expected. She must have been taking lessons from Ruby.

“We’re going to be back home, right?” I responded after a moment.

“Us, sure, but what will happen on the ship? I’m worried.”

This must be some sort of hero-type thing. I vaguely remembered reading some old comic books that dealt with the hero being unsure of themselves. I just wished I remembered how they’d handled it…

"Worried about what, hon?” I did my best to sound nonchalant.

“You remember what Ruby said to us about why we wanted a civil war, right? About all the different obsessions being kept secret, so ponies wouldn’t be used as playthings?”

“Sounds about right. You think she was lying about that?” I was confused, hadn’t Pinkie confirmed everything they’d told us?

“No, I think she’s right. And that’s the problem,” she sighed, looking genuinely worried.

“What? How is that a problem? All the Guros, Cloppers and whatever other fucked-up factions there are will be gone!”

“Yes. And the ship will be in the same situation it was when it arrived here.”

My confusion was growing. “The ship’s disabled, Dew! What do you mean it’s in the same situation?”

She looked me straight in the eyes, exasperated. “Not the physical ship, the creatures on board!” Oh. You’d think she’d have a better way to say that than just calling it the ship. She kept going: “The Analysts showed both of us the same thing: before the mutiny, the ship was unified. But those same obsessions were there, just waiting for something to bring them to light! And now, if the Engineers win, the ship will be in the same situation! All it’ll take is a couple fanatics to stir the pot, and this place will be right back to where it is now! Maybe worse!”

“You’ve got a point, I guess, but what else can we do? Take this place over ourselves?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Rusty, neither of us are leaders!” Well, I sure wasn’t. Dew, though…

“Then what do you want to do? Just let the Guros keep their captives? I thought saving ponies was the whole point of being a hero!”

“I don’t know what I want to do! All I know is I don’t want to make things any worse!”

We both sat in silence for a bit. She had raised some solid points, and was clearly waiting for me to respond. I, on the other hoof, was stumped. I knew -- we both knew -- that we had to rescue the creatures the humans were keeping captive. But how could I justify an action to her that would just bring the ship back to where this whole mess started?

“I think,” I said after minutes of contemplation, “we can’t expect to control what happens after we leave. I only see two options. One: we stay on the Eta, keep the peace, and make sure divisions don’t spread. Now, I’m not looking forward to spending the rest of my life as an enforcer, and I doubt you are either.”

“Yeah…” she replied. “I’d like to get back home after all this is over…”

“Which brings us to option two,” I continued. “We just need to trust that the humans have learned from their mistakes and won’t jeopardize the ship again.” She scoffed at that. “I know, but hear me out. During breakfast this morning, what did you think of the Engineers around us?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” she acknowledged. “I was too busy dealing with all the introductions.”

“I figured as much. Dew, I did see what the atmosphere was like in that room, and honestly? It gives me hope. There was genuine friendship there. That’s something that’s been lacking on this ship -- in all Equestria, for that matter -- for a long time. And if any group can keep the crew from splintering, it’s the one I saw today. Leading by example. We just have to believe that the Engineers can show that harmony is the way forward.”

“Wow.” Dew was looking at me skeptically. “When did you become so idealistic?”

“I think it was when you put me on the spot. Jackass.”

She chuckled. “Fair enough. Do you really think the Engineers can hold it together?”

“Let me put it this way, Dew. They’re better suited than any other faction I’ve seen. And you know what? Even if the ship does end up the same way it is now, at least we’ll have given everypony their own taste of freedom, for however long it lasts. That’s all we can really do: show ponies the way, and hope they follow suit.”

And just like that, Dew was smiling again. “You’re so right, Rusty.” She stepped down a couple stairs and gave me a quick hug. “Thanks,” she said as she broke it off. “No matter what anypony else tells you, always remember: you’re a good pony.” She turned and continued her trek up the stairs.

A good pony... Never thought I’d hear anypony call me that. But with her declaration, I knew two things were true. Dew honestly believed what she told me, and I would do my damndest to live up to her belief.