Well. That was certainly a waste of my time.

I scrolled through the text to find the familiar map option, as I heard Dew quietly rise to her hooves behind me. This terminal was a lot slower than the others I had hacked. As the alien text crawled up the screen, I had a bit of time to think. Was that recording really a waste of time? It certainly gave me perspective.

The aliens had been here for a ridiculously long time. Long enough to see Celestia and Luna during their original rule together; 1200 years ago, if legend was to be believed. That was a frightening enough concept, that these aliens could have remained hidden despite our former princesses' supposed mastery over the sky. I had thought I might stand a chance against the aliens on my own, but the realization that they had outlasted the immortal princesses showed me exactly how ridiculous this idea was.

Then there was Midnight Shower herself. Taken from her home, just like I was, and almost certainly never returned. It sounded like she was a mare of some importance back in Equestria. She'd have known, more than anypony, the exact implications of ponynapping aliens, and had seen no other option than to resign herself to her fate. Even more, they had to have been powerful enough for this long-dead mare to forsake her own cutie mark in order to protect others she'd never see again!

...Others... I was preparing to release other ponies and lead them in a mass uprising, but they sure as shit wouldn’t want to follow me if Dew was the shining example of what happened to someone under my command. A raider boss would be able to pull it off, but not somepony like me. Fuck. I had to clear things up between us. Not for her sake, fuck no, but so I could have at least a small chance in Tartarus to ultimately end up in control of the ship.

I turned away from the terminal and did my best to appear remorseful. “Dew, listen. I’m sorry. I was just so excited to finally get home, and when I saw there wasn’t anything here… I just snapped. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m so sorry…”

“You really expect me to buy that?” she shot back.

“Dew?” This was a side of her personality I hadn't seen before.

“Buck no! I saw how you were acting even before we got here! Everything you were saying was ‘I need to get out of here, how is this going to affect me, I, I, I!’ The Enclave is right, surfacers are nothing but savages!”

“Dew, if you’d just listen...”

“Shut it!” Dammit. She had to pick now, of all times, to grow a spine. "You’ve made it perfectly clear you don’t give a bat’s ass about me." She took an aggressive step forward. "Well, let me tell you, the feeling is mutual. I’m willing to put up with you so I can get back home, but I'm not going to let you pretend we’re old pals." She narrowed her eyes and rose up to her full height, her previous timidity gone completely. "And if you ever hit me again, I actually will geld you this time. Understand?!"

“Sure, I got you.” I gave a disparaging chuckle and turned away from her glare, back towards the terminal. “I guess I can drop the pretense. You’re right. I don’t give a shit about you, or anypony but myself. That’s the fucking wasteland for you. The only reason to help somepony else out is if they give you a damn good reason to. And that's only if they're family, or if they're holding you at gunpoint.”

I craned my head back in her direction and continued: “But you just discovered another reason. ‘Cause you’d be completely fucked without me. We're not standing in the wasteland right now, but we’re playing by its rules. And I might be a savage, but I’m the only one here with any wasteland experience. And you are still going to help me out. Because your only alternative ends up with you back in a cell.”

“Ass.” The glow around her pistol faded as she slid it back into her clothing. Wait, how long had she been pointing it at me? This mare was learning the ways of the wasteland damn quick! “Yeah, I got your message. I’m stuck with you as long as we’re on this ship. Well? Lead on, featherbrain.”

This new, sarcastic Dewdrop was going to get old fast.

Back to the terminal, open up the map, search for prisoners. Looked like there was a large holding cell a few floors down and a pretty far walk horizontally. But I noticed an ideal route that would only bring us off our current abandoned level right before we reached our destination. As tempting as it was to start taking out aliens immediately, I knew avoiding conflict was still key until we had some cannon fodder that could take the brunt of the return fire. So, safe and boring it would have to be.

“Got our path figured out, Dew. Let’s go.”

We exited the ruined docking bay and passed through the hallways in silence. This was what I was used to, on the rare occasions I had a companion on my scavenging expeditions. No conversation, minimal directions, and constant low-level mistrust. It really was too bad, I had been warming to the idea of not having to watch my back around another pony. The last time I had actually felt safe in a partnership was when I was still scavenging with…

Nope. Not going down that radroach hole again. Oh look, blank walls! And doors too? What a great distraction!

"Pistol out, Dew. No telling what we'll run into on our way down." We had finally reached the stairwell and I had managed to return my unwelcome memories to their normal spot at the back of my mind.

She turned to me with an irritated look. "And we're not taking the tunnels down why?"

"Because I don't feel like backtracking around blocked areas again. I’m the only one who knows the route, so I get to lead. Got it?"

"Fine," she scoffed. "Just get moving. The sooner we get some more ponies on our side, the sooner I can find one that isn't a complete jackass."

I had to chuckle a bit at that. "Hon, if that asshole neighbor of mine wasn’t brahminshitting me, everypony else on this ship is from the wasteland. And believe it or not, I’m one of the nicer wastelanders.”

She gave a derisive snort. “Yeah, right. The Element of Kindness, that’s you!”

“I’m serious. Most wastelanders would be trying to kill you for the simple reason that you’re from above the clouds. I’m the rare exception in that I just don’t give a shit about you.”

“And you think I’m supposed to be grateful for that?”

"Damn straight," I nodded. "Trust me, once we get some more ponies following us, you won’t want to leave my side."

“I’ll believe that when I see it. Go ahead, fearless leader, stairs are right over there,” she gestured with her horn.

We made it down five flights without seeing any aliens. It wasn’t because these areas were as abandoned as the floor we came from; the hallways were clean and much better maintained. Our luck was holding surprisingly well. Either that, or there were too few aliens on too big a ship.

We only had a short way to go on our destination floor before we came to the room that promised to hold scores of prisoners. A couple of turns, sneaking the best we could, before I came to a complete halt. Around the last corner I spotted a pair of aliens. The first pair I had seen since escaping the cell, oddly enough. And the first to die in our takeover.

“Dew,” I whispered. “Two aliens, right side, about fifty feet down. They’re guarding the door we need. Are you able to take one out while I get the other?”

“You think I can’t do it?” She sounded pissed off.

“I don’t know if you can do it or not. This isn’t me being condescending, I legitimately need to know if you can kill one. If not, let me take both out. I don’t want to let them get a shot off at us.”

“I can handle it.”

“Fine. Take a quick peek, see where they are, and then kill the one on the left. I’ll follow your lead.” I drew my pistol as I waited for her to make the first move.

KRACKOW! KRACKOW! I jumped around the corner, pistol at the ready, only to see two columns of glowing dust collapsing to the floor. “Dew? Did you kill both of them?”

“Two direct hits! How’s that for handling it?”

Not bad, Dew. Not bad. There may be hope for you yet.

The door the aliens had been guarding was locked, but there was yet another convenient terminal next to it. I started hacking as Dew scanned the hallway behind us. The pistols were a lot quieter than anything the wasteland had to offer, but they were still loud enough that nearby aliens would notice. I had to work fast. Password, door controls, open. “Got it! Dew, get in!”

She jumped through the door after me. I landed and my eyes scanned over the room, taking in the array of tables before us. Each one held a pony. Perfect! There must be dozens in here! And they weren’t even in cells!

Then I took a closer look at the table nearest us.

I heard Dew retching and vomiting behind me. I had no choice but to follow suit. I had seen some fucked up shit in the wasteland, but what greeted us in this room put raiders to shame!

“I didn’t think ponies could vomit,” Dew whispered. “Rusty, what is this?”

I couldn’t answer. I could only stare in shock at what lay before us. It was a pony, or at least it used to be one. Its two visible legs were hanging limply, swinging from strained blood vessels that emerged from near its shattered tibia. The exposed flesh was seared black. Its barrel had multiple deep gouges cut into it. The wounds were reminiscent of a zebra’s stripes, except that each gouge had an internal organ pulled through it. What looked like kidneys, a liver, intestines; all were suspended from a rack above the table, yet still connected to the pony. As I watched, the pony’s eye swiveled around to meet my shocked stare. What the fuck? She was still alive?

“...Please... help me…”

I bumped into Dew as I involuntarily took a step backwards. My mind slowly began processing what I was seeing. The absolute depravity on display was unimaginable. Every pony, griffon, zebra in the room was alive, but how? The looks of agony and despair were beyond anything I had seen before. The next table over held a griffon with every appendage removed: legs, wings, tail, everything! Only raw, oozing stumps remained. Next to it I saw an earth pony that was burned completely black, skin crumbling off as she turned her head towards us. She could have even been a zebra; she was far too burned to tell! A unicorn with his body segmented along his spine, only bones and organs making up the spaces in between. A pony with her skin completely flayed off, hanging limply within her view, just out of her reach. A zebra with his legs mangled and woven through a suspended grate, his body swinging as tears flowed from his eyes. All of them chained to their respective tables, all that were still capable of making noise moaning in unimaginable pain.

“Rusty!” Dew’s voice snapped me out of my trance. “We have to help them!”

I spit out what I could of the vomit remaining in my mouth. “Dew, I don’t think we can!” Restoring these ponies was far beyond what even prewar Equestria was capable of! I never thought I’d be in a situation where putting somepony out of their misery would be the kindest option. “All we can do is end their suffering.” It was a cliche, but there was no alternative. “Aim for the head. At least make it quick.”

Dew nodded as she picked up her pistol from where it had clattered to the floor. She aimed it at the nearest pony’s head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. KRACKOW! I did my part as well, though my own tears were making it hard to aim. It was bad enough that ponies did this kind of shit to each other, and now aliens were not only copying us, but keeping us alive the entire time? Fuck the world. Fuck the fucking world.

We had made it through about a third of the tortured captives when I heard a voice from behind us. “Ili mortigas la kaptitoj! Ĉesu!”

“Shit! Take cover!” I shouted to Dew as I dove behind the nearest table. A series of muted cracks came from the aliens’ direction. I loosed a few shots back at them. Nothing connected, but it was at least enough to send them scurrying for their own protection.

I looked over to Dew. She was crouched behind a table, her pistol elevated above her head. She was blindly shooting towards the aliens as well, keeping their heads down and shots wild.

Nopony had any chance of hitting their opponent, but I knew that couldn't last. There had to be more coming, and our cover would be useless if we were flanked. We needed to get out of the open!

"Dew!" I yelled at her. "I'm heading to the far door, cover me!"

"Buck that! You think I trust you not to split?"

Fuck. "Fine, I'll cover you. Yell when you're at the door!"

"That's better!"

Bitch. I turned back to the aliens. They were still in cover, but they were taking advantage of their limbs to hold their weapons out without exposing their bodies. I could work with this. A few shots near their guns kept them pinned down. Should work long enough for Dew to reach the far wall.

Suddenly the door behind them slid open again. Reinforcements! I angled my pistol over and tongued a few shots towards the three aliens that were piling through. One of the newcomers crumbled to dust, but the distraction was enough for the aliens in cover to pop out and take aim! I barely had time to pull my head back before a barrage of bolts shrieked past me!

“Rusty! Fall back!”

Thank the goddesses! I sprinted towards her voice, doing my best to keep at least some sort of barrier between myself and the aliens. The volume of incoming fire was astonishing. I could taste the electricity in the air! Dew’s return shots looked pitiful in comparison. I zigged, and zagged, desperately trying to stay ahead of my pursuers, and finally dove through the doorframe Dew was guarding. Her hoof slammed the control switch and the door hissed shut behind me. But it wouldn’t stay closed for long unless we did something about it!

“Dew! Shoot the bottom! Melt it shut!”

It was risky. I had no clue if the guns would have any effect on the metal. But as we poured beam after beam into the door, it began to glow, then deform. Success! But this was only a temporary reprieve. We had to move before they found their way around!

“Let’s haul ass!” I hustled down the hallway, Dew right on my tail. “If you see any hatches, try to magic them open, but we can’t stop to unlock anything!”

“Right!” came the reply.

A few seconds later, a piercing wail filled the hallway. For whatever reason, our former captors must have decided now was the perfect time to sound an alarm. Dammit. Every alien on the ship would be on the lookout for us.

“Rusty! Is there a plan?” Dew’s voice called from behind me.

“Just run! I’ll figure something out!”

Whatever I figured out would have to be the greatest plan in history. We were rapidly running out of options. Hiding places were temporary at best, running was unsustainable, fighting was beyond perilous, escape was impossible. The only upside was that the sirens concealed the sounds of our gallop.

And just as that thought hit me, I collided with an alien.

We must have entered the intersection at the same time. I barely kept hold of my pistol as we collapsed in a heap. I tongued the trigger wildly and was fortunate enough that one of the beams incinerated my opponent. Damn, that was close!

“Rusty! More of them!”

Dew’s beams lit up the hallway as she poured fire towards a scattered group of aliens taking cover in the limited protection of the scattered alcoves. I clambered to my hooves and, as I did so, saw a second gang sprinting up yet another hallway.

“That way too! Run!” We scrambled away from our pursuers, down the only hallway that gave us any hope for reprieve. The aliens in cover must have realized we stood no chance of hitting them, as the incoming fire increased and white hot bolts missed us by less and less.

Wait… In front of us! A stairway! “Dew! Stairs! Head AUGH!” A searing pain tore through my rear leg, and I slid to a halt as it collapsed under my weight. “Fuck! I’m hit!”

Dew crouched beside me, turning as she did so to aim back at the pursuing aliens. They dove back into cover, but it was clear we were on our last legs!

“Rusty!” Dew yelled over the crack of her weapon. “Can you move?”

I tried flexing my leg. “Ow! Barely, I can’t put any weight on this leg!”

“Head downstairs, it’s our only hope! I’ll cover you!”

I did my best to crawl on three legs across the landing to the stairwell. Damn, why did these steps have to be so far apart? I could hear the aliens’ shouts becoming more distinct. Even as I heard one of the shouts cut out as one of Dew's shots found its mark, I could tell more and more aliens were pouring into the corridors, yelling as they approached. Fuck it. Now or never. I hurled myself forward with my forelegs, blindly hoping to get as far down the stairs as I could.

The next thing I saw was Dew standing next to me, pistol pointed towards the stairway. My leg was in absolute agony. My own pistol was out of reach. I must have passed out from the pain on my way down to this landing. I saw a swarm of aliens crowded behind an energy shield at the bottom of the stairwell. I could make out angry alien voices behind me, above the muted din of the siren. Surrounded.

“Dew, I think we’re fucked.”

“Um, Rusty? There’s something odd going on. I think they’re yelling at… each other?”

I took a closer look at the gaggle of aliens on the stairs. They certainly looked mad, but why was their gaze set above us? I looked behind me, and sure enough, the aliens there were glaring right back at their compatriots. They were behind a curved glass wall, but there was apparently a loudspeaker amplifying their voices. I could only pick out occasional words.

“...nia kvartalo!”

“...mortigis ok el ni!”

“...voku la tradukisto!”

Whatever the fuck was up with this situation, I knew Dew couldn’t cover both directions at once. I dragged myself over to my fallen pistol and pointed it at the glass wall aliens. I just hoped I'd be able to take out a few more before I was inevitably gunned down.

Minutes passed. The standoff continued. The indistinct yelling went back and forth. Until a new voice came through the speaker: “Ponies! You are safe now! Put down your weapons, we will not harm you!”

I spotted an alien through the glass, holding a… microphone, I think they’re called. It was waving its unoccupied forelimb over its head. And now that I was taking a closer look, only a couple of the aliens next to it appeared armed.

Dew’s voice broke through my concentration. “Rusty, do you believe it? Are we actually safe?”

I shook my head. So many things about this situation just didn’t make sense. “Fuck if I know. But our options are returning to the aliens that just shot me, staying here until we starve, or going with the first alien we’ve been able to communicate with. I choose the one where we at least have a chance of surviving.”

I turned to the microphone alien. “I don’t know what the fuck’s going on, but if it gets me away from those freaks behind us, I’ll play along.” I placed my pistol into my barding. “Dew, weapons down. This is our only chance.”

“Thank you, ponies. My name is Ema. What can I call you?”

“Rusty Rivet.”

“Dewdrop.”

Ema gave us a kindly smile, the first emotion I had seen from the aliens that wasn't outrage or fear. “Rusty Rivet, I see you are injured. I have summoned a team to bring you to our infirmary. Dewdrop, you may accompany your friend while he is treated.”

“No need.” Dew’s reply was terse. “He isn’t my friend, Ema. Just take me somewhere he’s not. Now that I’m safe, he can die screaming for all I care.”

Her words were disappointing, but not unexpected. I had no reason to doubt her earlier threat to abandon me. I had just assumed it would happen when we were on our way back home, not while still in the company of aliens. Still, if I was safe from those bastards that had been chasing us, why should I give a fuck about her? Shit, if Ema was being honest about them healing me, life here would be a huge step up from the wasteland!

“Very well, Dewdrop. I will call another translator to bring you to your accommodations and assist you with settling in. Rusty Rivet, the stretcher has arrived. I will accompany you while you are treated. The door is opening, please do not shoot any of us.”

A glass panel slid open and two aliens approached, pushing a hovering table in front of them. Ema beckoned Dew through the door as the aliens attending me lifted me onto the stretcher. The pain in my leg immediately subsided as a shimmering dome formed over me. Damn, I hoped all their technology was this awesome. I could get used to this!

I watched the enraged faces of my pursuers draw away from me as the attendants pushed the stretcher through the clear glass portal. I passed by Dew, locked in a conversation with Ema and another alien. I suppose she deserved some form of goodbye.

“So long, Dew,” I called to her.

“Go to Tartarus, Rusty.”

Hey. At least I tried. “All right, fuck you too.”

My attendants moved me swiftly away from the welcoming committee. I did nothing but lay back and watch the ceiling rush by above me. I was still a bit concerned about the aliens' motivations, but shit, if they were taking me to my doom, at least I’d be arriving in style.

A minute or so later, I heard a breathy voice. Ema’s. “Rusty Rivet, your companion is now under the care of Kenneth, another translator. I am sure you have many questions, and I will answer what I can before we arrive at the medical center.”

Sounded good to me. Not like I could do anything else while on this slab. “All right, Ema, let’s get the big one out of the way. Why the fuck did you save us from those assholes back there?”

“Those ‘assholes,’ as you call them, are a rival faction to ours. I suppose it might seem surprising that aboard a single spacecraft there exist factions of the same race. But exist they do. I do not know how these divisions came about, but they determine where we may live, our role aboard this ship, and what our guiding principles are. Those whose territory you escaped from are called the 'Guros.' They exist only to torture, mutilate, and kill. They are anathema to us.”

Sure fit what we had seen of that torture room. “Then who are you?”

“We are those who treasure the life native to Equestria. I, and many others, consider ponies to be the greatest of all creatures, though griffons, zebras, and others have their admirers as well. We are healers, and nurturers, and our purpose is to better the lives of ponies in any way we can. Our people are known as ‘Cloppers,’ after the sound of a pony’s hoof striking ground.”

Horseshit. There’s no way the wasteland would be in the condition it’s in if these Cloppers were doing everything Ema claimed. Still, the healing part sounded good, and calling Ema out on their shit before they fixed my leg would be all kinds of stupid. I’d just have to stay alert. There had to be something else hidden behind that fancy description.

I felt the cart slow as the attendants left me and a different group took their place. "Rusty Rivet," I heard Ema call, "we have arrived. I will let the medics do their work, and I will rejoin you after they finish."

I held up my hoof. “One last question, Ema. You’re Cloppers and they’re Guros, but there’s got to be a name for your entire race, right? It’s awkward thinking of you as aliens all the time.”

“We are called humans. Now rest and heal, Rusty Rivet, and we will speak later.”

My stretcher passed through a doorway into a brightly lit room, leaving Ema behind. Guros, Cloppers, and humans. What a wild place.

Author's Note

And the aliens are finally identified.

I want to be completely transparent here. This fic is going to involve a lot of the different brony subgroups. But by involve I don't mean criticize. What I'm looking to do is explore how ponies would react to the most extreme elements of each subgroup.

These are going to be subgroups viewed through the Fallout lens. They'll have no restraint, and the technology to do whatever they want. They're not supposed to represent bronies in real life, they're supposed to be twisted examples of what could happen after a millennium or more of isolation.

So please don't take the inclusion of different aspects of the fandom as an attack. It's ponies encountering the extremes of their own fandom, nothing more.