Fallout Equestria: New Horizons

The prologue: Charity’s presentation

By Numbername

Well Is He Ill? (yes)

Do he really fit the bill? (yes)

Spit to kill? (yes)

Keep things real? (yes)

Know the drill? (yes)

The ledge edge? (yes)

And still ...(yes)

And catch wreck at will? (yea)

Life takes weird paths sometimes. One minute your barely scratching by having to eat pasta for dinner every day, the next minute your head of the first major business in the Wasteland since the world ended. And I just happened to end up in one of those paths, though it wasn’t completely random. The puzzle pieces just fell into my lap and I put them together. Now I stood as CEO of the last functional industrial city in the whole wasteland, probably the world, and all of this achieved by a 14-year-old, ponies would kill to be where I am. And judging by the looks of the rough-looking ponies in front of me some did.

They were a bizarre gathering of ponies, a few griffins, and a zebra wearing a business suit that looked out of place here. People from all positions of power in the Wasteland; Traders, Carven masters, warlords, Gang leaders, Mercenary company captains, all stared at me with expressions ranging from disbelief to confusion. They expected some grown pony to be here addressing them not a filly barely in her preteens, but I loved that disbelief, it may for more suckers to make a cap off.

“Crusaders.INC is willing to open trade relations with all of you if you meet our requirements first.” I could see that was causing a bit of tension in the crowd. “These requirements are part of the contract and nonnegotiable. Any breaking from them will result in termination of deals and repurpose of assets.” They were throwing questions my way like a waterfall.

“No raiding?” “To follow these requirements would mean cutting off trade with our closest settlements.” “You are straggling us by doing this!”

I sighed, of course, I knew the rules I put forth wouldn’t fly over completely with some in the crowd. my requirements were simple enough, I will not do business with slavers, raiders, pirates, and 30% of their profits were mine. I made sure they all got the message. “If these terms are too much for you to meet.” I pointed to the large glass double doors that led out of the office I decided to hold the meeting in. “That’s the door.” There was no bartering here, either accept or get out.

A large stallion in worn combat armor raised his hoof in a questioning matter. “Ms. Charity these requirements are a little extreme for my company.” All that meant was his mercs couldn’t do business with raiders anymore. “We’d have to terminate all of our existing contracts just to get yours.”

What business mare would I be if I couldn’t barter a little bit. “I’m willing to move on the profit rates if it would negatively impact your businesses but the other more...moral requirements are not up for debate.”

That got more questions, more demand of why they should sign-on. “Ms. Charity.” Finally, that one weird Zebra off to the side spoke. She’d been dead silent through the whole meeting, just staring at me like she was trying to read me. “Your demands are fine but me and my associates want to know if your main services are worth it?” The main question I was waiting to get asked. “We’ve heard tales of these so-called Demon Mares, what we want to know are they worth the price their stories build them up to be?”

Another mare wearing a duster and cowpony hat weighed in. “Yeah 10,000 caps for bandit removal! I could hire an army of Talons for that price.” I saw some Griffins in the room perk up at that. “I don’t think any mercenary service is worth the cost of a small town, even your Demon Mares ain’t worth that.”

Finally, the main question I was waiting for, the selling point of my new business. The city was the major of my new business but my bread and butter were the three mares for which everything I now owned was built, The Demon Mares. I like a good business mare I knew I’d prepared a presentation for my future customers.

“I know to a lot of you my main service seems a bit pricey.” That raised eyebrows. “But let me assure you my mares are worth every cap.” I sighed to my friend that it was time for the presentation then moved to the side of the stage. A white screen descended from the ceiling as a projector followed suit. The screen lit up as the projector buzzed to life, images appeared in and out until stopping on one. A red striped white mare with a bright red mane done into a ponytail. Her eyes glowed pink as she smiled with sharpen teeth that looked devilish on a pony. There were two images of her: One where she was naked and the other with dense-looking armor that rival power armor, spikes ran across her back with equally sharp hoof claws.

“Rampage. The world’s strongest Zebra, the second deadliest Reaper in the Hoof, an immortal zony with the skills of a super commando. Defender of children and the first Crusader.” The screen changed from image to video, a scene of ponies pointing guns at steel double doors from behind crates, fear written on their faces. “This is from a recent mission, a gang had stolen 5,000 caps worth of drugs then held themselves up in a pre-war factory. Watch as Rampage does her work.”

A loud bashing roared as the metal doors bent inward, with each bash a huge dent became more and more pronounced until the doors finally caved in. Standing in the doorway was the strange red striped mare wearing her iconic armor. “Time to Chop Chop!” They fired on her but she was like a lightning bolt, moving like a red blur. The few shots that hit bounce off her armor harmlessly.

Her first victim was a mare pouring SMG fire at the charging striped mare, she received a kick that smashed in her eyes. The striped mare didn’t slow down, like a speeding bullet she was on her next punching bag. That stallion had his throat thrown out with one slash of her hoof claws, another stallion next to him got his forehooves cut off.

Finally, a unicorn mare got a lucky hit with her shotgun, blowing out the strange mare’s right foreleg. “Take that freak! I got her!” She shouted in mad joy.

Her joy quickly turned to shock as pink energy started emitting from the leg, first the bone grew back then the flesh, and finally the coat. The strange mare stared at the mare who was cowering away, shaking her head in a disapproving manner like a mother. “Honey child, you should have stayed home.”

The video stopped as she moved towards the mare. Charity took her place back at the center of the stage. “She’s our search and destroy operative. If you want a nasty group of troublemakers removed we send her.” An image of Rampage’s biology appeared with various diagrams showing her inner workings. “Rampage has the strength to lift 500 tons of weight, can run at 40 miles per hour, doesn’t require sleep, has the combat abilities of several different types of commandos, and most importantly can not be killed.”

Charity could see her presentation was having the desired effect, already the doubts in some of her future patrons were disappearing. All she needed to do was keep showing how it gets better. The screen changed to a unicorn who dwarfed most ponies, her horn looked tall as a spike, her coat was dark blue with a lighter mane. All of that held in comparison to the wings she sprouted, she was the beauty spitting image of one of the goddesses and my best employee.

“Lacunae. Angel of the goddess, Priestess of the elements, deadly assassin. When you have a difficult job Lacunae will resolve it professionally and efficiently.” The screen changed to a dark hallway where a single sky blue mare was smoking, she stood next to a trash can which she kindly threw a cigarette into.

She stood in front of a set of double doors with the label ‘fire escape’ written across its surface. “Why do I get the guard duty?” The mare gave an indignant huff before two holes found their way into her head.

She fell over gasping for life as a familiar alicorn approached from behind her. Lacunae looked at the dying mare over a second before her horn lit up, engulfing her in a blueish field until her body began to change. Lacunae became the spitting image of the dead mare.

“Transformation magic!” A ghoul in the front roll shouted looking positively in awe at what he was witnessing. “Only Changelings or really powerful unicorns can do that!”

These patrons would find my girls were full of surprises. “Lacunae has many talents you could find a use for. In this job in particular she was hired to remove a troublesome gang leader. Watch and see a master at work.”

And a master she was. She walked among the gang as one of their own, talking, fitting in, and learning their routines. Every once in a while she would kill a pony then take up their identity, hiding the body in closets or unused lockers. Like a parasite, she moved through the halls unknown to her victims until it was too late. When she stood in front of a door labeled ‘Main Office” her form was of a gold stallion wearing combat armor. Opening the doors she was greeted with an office that was transformed into a makeshift bedroom, a bed and cabin sitting behind a desk with a rough-looking pony behind it.

“Ah, stonewall come in. Have a seat, we have much to discuss.” Lacunae took up a chair in front of the desk as the blood-red stallion shifted through papers. “The White Herd have been catching wise to our raids locations. I need you to tell the foals downstairs I've drawn up new routes for them.”

“Actually boss I need to talk to you about a message we got.” The boss perked up at that. “We’ve received a message from an anonymous source that wishes to speak with you.”

The rugged stallion leaned back in his chair, his one good eye looking his subordinate over. “Well don’t keep me in the dark, what do they want?” He leaned forward.

Lacunae cleared her throat, and with the softest voice that only a mother putting her foal to sleep said. “The White Herd sends their regards.” With blinding speed she magically lifted a silencer from her hoster, putting four bullets into the shocked stallion’s head. He went limp, his body falling back into the chair.

His fake form died revealing the deadly alicorn it sheltered. With a soft smile, she stared back at the camera in the room, bowing her head like an actor's fine performance. “I hope my skills are up to the future partner's interests.”

The video ended there, I still don’t know how she knew she was being filmed but it made Lacunae even more of a force to be reckoned with. “Lacunae has the magical power of 50 unicorns.” An image of the alicorn lifting an entire old pre-war train caused some in the audience to gasp in disbelief. “She is quite possibly the most powerful alicorn to exist since the Princesses.” Images of Lacunae wielding several weapons in her magic were shown one after another, each displaying the Alicorn’s deadly marksmanship. “She can be a tank that rolls through your enemies or a knife that slits your foe's throats when they least expect it. You will not find another pony with her level of skill, take my word for it.”

The next image on the screen was a pony that was the star of the show, my main face of my growing business. “I present Blackjack, the Security mare, The hero of the Hoof, Slayer of Deus 'Ex Machina, the third rate Reaper, and the leader of the Demon Mares.” She stood on two legs like a Minotaur, her limbs were a smooth black metal with white cracks between the joints. She carried two pistols, one a 12.7mm and the other a 45 caliber revolver in talons that extended from her forehooves. Dark blue barding covered most of her body with the number 99 was printed on her with a little white filly symbol printed under it. All this was in stark contrast to her pure white coat that emphasized her facial features more, particularly her glowing red eyes.

“Some of you are already familiar with this mare, or rather heard many stories of her. Let me show you how gracious she actually is.” A video played next, one where a large group of typical wasteland raider ponies circled a makeshift outpost in various vehicles. The raiders took potshots at the old buses the outpost called walls, the defenders answering back from the cover of rusted wagons and boxcars.

“Raiders attacking a little settlement for the crime of not paying their protection money. Not unheard of in the wastes, the weak being exploited by the strong. However, we here at Crusader.INC seek to correct that.”

In the distance of the valley where the outpost sat, huge dust clouds followed in the form of a speeding shadow. Its form became that of a cyber pony riding a silver motorcycle with three symbols painted on it, a filly, a reaper pony, and the number 99.

Some of the raiders took notice of the approaching challenger and four of them drove out to meet her. A wagon turned into a tank followed by three motorcycles began opening fire on the cyber pony, a minigun atop the wagon spraying a storm of bullets.

With speed and grace, she dodged the incoming fire, meeting their greeting with one of her own. Unloading with the 12.7 pistol her shots hit with scary accuracy into their target’s necks, downing two of the motorcycles and sending the last crashing into the wagon. The wagon veered off course losing its minigun to the side but kept moving.

The wagon and the cyber pony sped towards each other with the intent to kill, neither slowing down as the distance between them closed in. Then just as they were about to collide the cyber pony lowered her whole body on the cycle then sled the motorcycle on its side. Sliding under the vehicle she attached a box-shaped device under its hall before scratching at its bows with her talons. As She came out the other side a trail of fluids followed the wagon. The vehicle swung around for another go but before it could make the turn a fireball consumed it in an explosion.

Wiping some of the fluids off her, the cyber pony turned her attention back to the rest of the Raiders. Hitting a button on the motorcycle’s panel, two compartments on the side open. In one was the disassembly of a very bucky rifle, and the other an assortment of barrels.

The cyber mare got to work assembling the weapon, within a minute she had a rifle that looked like what all rifles grew up to be.

“Some of you may have seen this model but for those unfamiliar, this is a Party Stopper assault rifle, a 50. call an automatic rifle with explosive bullets. Well, to call them bullets is an understatement. They’ve enhanced to seek a target for a short distance then explode once inside, making them more mini-missiles.”

That got their attention even more than what Blackjack was doing. “These were in the prototype stages before the world ended and only a few were produced. However, due to the production capabilities of this city, we can arm and outfit our mares with such tech.” They ate that part up like foals hearing about a candy store, these people were already signing the contract in their heads. “Of course such tech is also open to our business partners, contractors, and subsidiaries.”

Back on screen, Blackjack was showing what that ‘prototype’ could do. Driving to meet her new targets she held the rifle in one claw, letting the weapon of war roar to life. Every shot sounded like thunder and the impacts felt the same. Raiders were torn apart as their vehicles exploded or caught fire. Quickly taking their full attention away from the outpost the raiders decided to attack the cyber mare in force.

Twenty in all versus one mare, it was a fair fight. The jet black visor of the cyber mare’s helmet glowed, the dashboard lighting with the same hue. She pulled out the 12.7 mm pistol in her remaining talon, the sound of the pistol joining it’s rifle brother all while the cycle drove itself.

“What the fuck!” I looked over at the crowd to see some in complete awe.

“Remote-controlled motorcycle. Another restored technology brought by Crusaders.INC.”

And what a technology it was, Blackjack ran circles around them all while delivering death. One by one raiders fell, crushed, burning, or being torn apart Until finally, only one wagon stood. One on one, cyber mare against battlewagon, the tank of a vehicle race toward her ready to ram her. She met their determination with her own, like before neither broke off their coming crash.

A yard away from each other the motorcycle jolted forth, leaching the cyber pony into the air. Throwing aside her rifle and holstering her pistol, she pulled out a sword and dropped like a needle from the sky. Stabbing into the roof of the wagon like a knife into butter she grabbed a metal apple from around her waist, she pulled its pin then moved over to the driver’s side of the vehicle smashing the window in and tossing in a gift for the wagon occupants.

grabbing her sword, she leaped from the wagon as it exploded from the inside. Hitting the ground but doing a roll she flipped on her legs. Holstering her sword the cyber mare looked over the carnage around her before shrugging, walking off towards the outpost.

The ponies watching from the safety of the outpost’s walls didn’t know what to make of the mare. She had saved them but she was terrifying in her own right. A bullet found its way into the dirt in front of her, an old stallion in a duster.

“Not a step closer or we blast ya’.” The cocking of several guns backed up that point. “Now tell us who you are?”

“Calm down, calm down. I was hired by your boss to save you.” With both talons she grabbed the helmet that adored her head, lifting it to reveal the face of a young mare with glowing red eyes underneath. “My name’s Blackjack, and I'm here to save you.”

The projector finally shut off, I took my place at the center of the stage, the crowd in deep discussion with each other over my little presentation. I could hear their whisper ‘Those mares are like nothing I ever saw’ ‘did you see the tech they used?’ ‘I don’t think any merc will be worth half the price of those mares.’ All the things I wanted to hear, then the bidding started. Everybody in the room couldn’t wait anymore to have a piece of our pie.

“I tell you my services are nothing but high quality. Whether it be newly produced arms or the deadly strength of the Demon Mares, you can always expect professional effort in our business.”

And like on cue that idiot arrived through the door. “Hey Charity can I have like a few thousand caps, I kind of broke my motorcycle.”

All eyes in the room fell on Blackjack who was grinning like a fool, her mannerism that of a foal that got caught doing something wrong. “Whyyyy?” I did my best to keep my professional manner in front of the meeting. “Why is it broken?”

She looked side to side, blushing as she folded her thumbs. “Well, you see I was performing a maintenance run on it.” She was fucking around. “When I decide to take it for a test drive.” She wanted to do tricks. “When I hit a bump and was sent flying.” She tried to jump the ramp again didn’t she? “I’m okay Charity falling isn’t a problem for me, but eh, my motorcycle, like, smashed into a wall.”

My left eye began to twitch before I yelled. “BLACKJACK!”