Fallout Equestria: Ballad of a Rogue Ranger

Chapter thirty-two: A ponies’ bestfriend

“This is an Ex-Machina if there ever was one…” Still, I couldn’t believe it, and here I was watching the hound live up to her name.

The rain from before might have washed away a lot of the scents in the area, but there were plenty of smells to go off of Stocks’ old equipment. It took all morning to lock on to a particular smell that perked Riffs’ interest, after that, and a hastily explained plan to Alimite. We headed out the door, and onto the trail.

A trail our hound followed with her nose to the ground, all I needed was a leash and it’d feel like taking the pooch out on a walk. Wait, scratch that, I don’t think they made collars big enough for her. Plus, she’d probably strangle me with it if I even tried to joke.

Even after a few hours now of steadily following her wagging tail. Her nose was taking us west at least, so there was more promise to be had. The gunners might have had some of the best training, and gear in the wastes. Although we had a good old fashion blood hound on our side seeking em out.

The town was long behind us, as we encroached on just a small suburb. My map opened up, and this place didn’t have a name to go along with it. Either that meant it was totally abandoned, or there were still things the PB didn’t know.

Oh, what's this? Riffs’ ears perked up facing a smaller house, more importantly the garage. As her nose trailed the outside of it, both Deacon and Tumble stood on either side waiting for whatever could be inside. Nothing was showing up on my E.F.S. but it’d let me down before… rarely, but still.

I didn’t have the time to ready a gun before her claw ripped half the door off, and while I expected a shot or two from the inside. The only thing I got in return was the scurrying of a few Radroaches now on my visor.

With a crunch and a grin, Deacon squashed the first one under his talon, “Your nose still good their Riff?”

With a humph she brushed off his remark, at least I knew she wouldn’t smite him for asking such a thing, “Dog nose fine…” she pushed into the structure, with me close behind.

A flick of my helmet bathed the area in its light while we took a look around. Just your run of the mill workshop, someplace I was all too familiar with. Granted, most of the peg board was missing tools and what not. Though a workshop none the less.

After a small tap to my shoulder, I stopped admiring the scenery long enough to give our hound some attention. There at the end of her paw was some cloth on the ground, and somehow, I already knew the red staining it wasn’t paint. Somepony was injured, they’d just stopped in here to try and patch themselves up before continuing on.

“Told you, Turkey,” Riff tapped her nose, and passed him a wink.

Riff one, Deacon Zero then… the gryphon didn’t seem to mind, and if they had passed through here taking shelter. That meant one thing, “here ya go,” I hiked the cloth over to our canine friend, “something a little fresher.”

And, something out of the rain.

A few good whiffs put her ears back along her skull, and it almost looked like she was reading her prey. Whelp, if any of us went missing, I know who I was turning to for help. Riffs’ pupils dilated a bit more before dropping both the cloth, and herself back to all fours against the ground. While the pair outside stayed there to cover our backs, me and her made our way in.

Riff had to have sniffed along every couch, chair, and blanket this place had before we found ourselves trekking back out the front door. If I had to guess, the gunners that passed through licked their wounds, and left from there. This whole place just didn’t give off the vibe of Gunner Fortress, it had to be just a stepping stone.

A few more of the long-dilapidated homes we went through, and just like the first, they all played out the same way. Scattered remnants of the would-be soldiers scavenging, and then moving onwards. Remains of old food containers that still smelled fresh, more bloody rags here and there from those that took a beating, and even the occasional spent casing that didn’t match the common .38 littering the ground. I had to say they were pretty consistent, damn near a straight line through town.

We’d probably have to go through the whole town before we even got anywhere closer to- “Ahh… guys,” Tumble called out behind us, and drew all our eyes her way, “If you were a group of gunners trying to make it back home, would you waste all your time going house to house… or go there first?”

Following her outstretched hoof, I had to admit… she had a point. The police building looked about as rundown as the rest of town, but if this was a stepping stone for them. I’d still choose to have a more protected stone, besides, if the trail was anything to go off of. That straight line was leading us right to it.

I didn’t have Riffs’ nose, but something didn’t smell right with me. “Tumble, can you spot anything from the building?”

Out she broke Mercy, and hunkered down between a few fences of the yards as we all joined her. A straight line to one building reeked of ambush, and even if they were on the retreat. I wouldn’t put it past the gunners to try something.

“I’ve got…” come on, sniper? Missile launcher pony? Slingshot? “… nothing.”

Well… that was unexpected, or they were waiting inside to corner us. “Deacon? Can you get a birds eye view?” with half a salute from his wing, the gryphon took to the sky. Tumble was already watching, that left one option, “care to take a stroll, Riff?”

Her own launcher unslung from her shoulder, and the hound gave me that signature grin of hers while we tiptoed for a closer look. There weren’t many windows in the station, at least ones still intact, to hide behind. I just waited for a barrel or something to poke through, and greet us. Between even just us two, our returning gift would be more than enough to welcome them.

Though it was quite still, and between the backyards we bound through for cover. I didn’t see anything too out of the ordinary for this Equestria. Alrighty, one more yard, and a street to go. My back anchored against a playground set, and with as little of the visor exposed, I tried to get a good look of the building.

Silence… that’s what worried me.

Next to me I heard more sniffing, and to the air the hounds muzzle went. “Pony was here…” that’s all the confirmation I needed to take that final leap over.

With Riff on my tail, and both of us out in the open. I waited to be tagged with the first round of the day, the shield was ready, my guns were armed, and my heart was racing… at a healthier level. My shoulder collided with the outer doors frame, just as Riff did the same the opposite side. It may not have been a door bell, but that would suffice as one. With one hoof I pushed the door open, and held my inventory over that shield activation.

Yet, my hoof came out clean… “well, this is uneventful,” I poked my head in, and looked over the empty halls.

The ground floor of the building was in disarray like I’d come to expect, though the open office area of the station did give quite a clear view of the level. Behind any desk there could be one waiting for us to score a lucky hit, and-

Thump.

One 40mm went off, and I got to see one of those desks obliterated from the shot. Riff looked all too proud to see me on edge, having expected that shot to come from the opposite direction. The only thing she offered in return was a shrug, “pony was here… not no more.”

I’d take a little warning next time thank you… My BPBs might have spiked, but she was right. If something was going to get the bullets flying, it would have been that. A gust of air signaled Deacon joining our ranks, and with a wave he gave his own call out to the mare to join as well. All four of us stood in the doorway taking a look, before my hoof finally crossed the threshold.

The thought of stepping on a mine still lived in lived somewhere in my head, but the more steps I took, the less it spoke out. Visor clear, armor still in one piece, and all of us still standing. Promising sign, though I still inched my way around every cubical… call me cautious.

Last time we’d expected to find a fight, it turned out to be a slaughter after all…

Between the four of us, the ground floor didn’t give much to offer. Most of the office was picked clean of any goods, that could have been from the gunners, or from just years of scavengers. My hooves were the first to reach the staircase, and as I inched up, I kept my eyes peeled for anything on the E.F.S.

Alas, not even another roach popped out, even when I went to the second-floor breakroom. It looked clean, at least cleaner than I’d expected. Sure, everything was still dusty, but there were wrappers of old food lying about that haven’t turned to powder from time.

As I exited, Tumble was the next to find her way up to this level, and she moved around the other desks. The side rooms to this floor could hold one or two in waiting, but enough to really put up a fight? I doubted it, but that didn’t stop me from keeping my barrels trained on the glass ahead. Interrogation rooms, storerooms, hell even the janitor closet found itself under my scrutiny.

We managed to catch on to their trail this fast, and if they didn’t get here but yesterday. How far could they have really gone? Better question, “What would have made them leave so fast?” I wondered more to myself as the other two joined us.

“Dog smell… food,” Riffs’ nose went back to the air, and I saw the small bits of saliva running down her lips.

Through the desks she pounced, until reaching one to the far corner none of us had gotten to. There at its base, were the remains of old food tins, much like me and her had found in the stable. I didn’t even question if they were expired or not while she shoveled what little remained down her gullet, the fact that there was anything to eat still in them said they were opened recently.

“And Tumble find something too,” … why did you just speak in third person? The mare didn’t give an answer to that, all she did was hold up more blood-soaked rags, as well as a few spent healing potion vials.

A whistle broke through the air, and from the blue bar on my screen I traced it to Deacon standing in another side room… nope, not just another room. This looked like where the cops would have given briefs in the past, and if I had to guess from the map across the table in the center. It held much the same role now as it did then, the upturned ammo boxes only told more of the tail for this place.

The homes surrounding us were the stepping stones, this was a staging ground. You wouldn’t drag this many supplies here just to hold up for the night, if I had to guess the gunners probably picked the area clean and brought it all here to store. It’s what I would have done at least, though something caught my eye besides the map.

Past the room was another, and through its pane glass I could make out the green glow beyond. Chief… okay, the rest was broken off in the glass, but this obviously was where the head of the department kicked his hooves up. Inside I went, almost wanting something to jump out at me. This close, without chems, if there was a gunner waiting we’d be able to take them alive. Yet as much as I wanted a fight, all I got in return was the ambient glow of the terminal.

With a click the screen of the terminal brought me home, and… ‘Password’… damn, “Hey Tumble,” I called out to her, and heard the hoof steps getting closer, “want to try breaking into something?”

I tapped the top of the terminal, and the mare started to smile with glee. You’d think hacking would have been in my skillset, and you’d be wrong. Though I figured if she could break into locks with ease, maybe she could manage a computer. While she went to work, I went back to the briefing room with Deacon.

The map of the area didn’t look all that changed from when it was first printed, only a few marks were made from the gunners in the years since. One of which, was where we called home. That put a pit in my stomach, they knew where it was, and the clock really was ticking on the next time they came to visit.

Besides that little footnote, everything else seemed just so… normal. No markings for strongholds, no stationing of their ranks, and certainly not a flag saying Fort Lock like I was hoping for. Just a regular map of western Equestria, everything from here to the ocean. Kinda put things in perspective of how far I’ve traveled, and made me wonder just what the rest of the country was up to.

You still had places like Baltimare and Filly Delphia to the east, and although I didn’t have time to watch the news during the final day of the country. Something told me they hadn’t fared much better than the west coast. You could see the flashes of Canterlot from all the way here… I remembered the words of a long dead stallion who got to see more of it than myself.

Part of me was glad I went on ice when I did.

I heard the crunching of a can as Riff joined in with us, and she started to look over the map herself. Likely with a different set of eyes than my own, I’d only traveled to some before they were flattened. Though there was a sense of wonder in her pupils over the vast land even just the west had to offer. To go from tunnels, to nearly an entire continent at your disposal… quite the jump.

“You mean you couldn’t have guessed that password?” Tumble called out, and half a second later the three of us crowded around the door. Myself wondering what she was talking about, “… seriously, chief of police… and he uses the word Justice?”

There were probably worse passwords used during the war… “I’ll work on my hacking skills later,” if I found the time, “anything in there of use?”

Steadily the mare scrolled through the computer screen with her hoof. They were state of the art during their creation, and certainly sturdy enough to withstand the Armageddon. What were the chances the gunners managed to use the computer systems in the wasteland to their advantage?

“Ahh… here ya go,” she started to smile.

Apparently, pretty good.

“To all remaining gunner forces,

Regroup at the After Party Correctional Facility, this is a direct order. Bring any and all supplies, and munitions available to you. This is not a drill, any disobedience or delay will be corrected by my own hoof with extreme prejudice.

Additionally, the individual known as the Rogue Ranger, is to be left alone until we are ready.

He’s mine.

Brigadier, Lock.”

No wonder they got out of here so quickly, their leader called upon them, and they weren’t about to leave her waiting… something I didn’t want to do either. Now I had a place to look for, and it didn’t take long for my eyes to trail over the initials on the parchment.

“APCF…” seriously, what was going through the Ministry mares’ mind naming these places? Though falling back to a heavily fortified position? “Called it.”

“Sounds like somepony’s gearing up for a fight,” Tumble came back to the room, as all four of us looked at that one marker on the map.

“Something we better be getting ready for as well,” I had a target, now all I needed was a plan, “let’s get back with the good news… well probably be needing that as well.”

Riff plucked the map off the table with her paws, and started looking it over even more. I was about to be doing the same thing here soon. I didn’t know the layout of the prison, nor the area itself… what do you want from me, I kept my nose clean. Though maybe someone in town did, only one way to find out.

***

“You know they’ll have the home field advantage on this one, right?” Deacon reminded me of that, for about the third time, I’d been hearing similar comments all the way back to town. There were a few thousand things that could go wrong with the plan in the back of my head, but for now I just needed a hoof full to go right and get this show on the road, “and if that call went out to all in their ranks, then they’ll have the numbers as well.”

And that one Tumble had pointed out about four different occasions. I was glad the town was coming back into view; we even had some light on the horizon to spare. “Yes… I know it’s a long shot,” understatement, “but Lock couldn’t imagine we’d go on the offensive and meet them on their doorstep.”

Or she could, and I’d be walking into a trap… Deacon already expressed his concerns, Tumble as well, I was just waiting on Riff to do the same. Though as I looked over, her muzzle was still in the map like it had been on our way back here. There wasn’t all that much to see on it, what could she be looking at?

“So what? You want us to walk up and knock on the front door?” Tumble groaned behind us, with her tail clenched in the dogs’ paw to help guide her as we walked, “Eating a bullet might be easier…”

We’ll we’d taken on a whole port of Rangers and walked- no wait, still had support there from Deacons’ pals. We took on a nest of hellhou- scratch that, Rangers showed up and inadvertently gave us some back up. Ahh… raided a mine controlled by slavers?

‘Yes, low armed, malnourished, and ill trained slavers…’ I needed a wall to smack my head against, luckily, we passed by the perimeter of the town already so one should be nearby.

One hoof locked into the dirt, and immediately I started looking around. Walls might be in abundance for my noggin to recalibrate a bit, but besides the one or two ponies on guard I saw along the towns edge. Where were the rest of them? I didn’t see much being repaired, and if I knew Alimite she wouldn’t let that go unfinished without reason.

The trio seemed to share my logic, and slowed their own pacing to a crawl as we looked around further. Market was clear, and most of the place where they set up homes was silent… or at least nearly silent. Every so often as we made our way through town, I’d see one or two town goers head out of their home with some sort of weapon and in the same direction.

Was Lock ready this soon to hit us again? My pace picked up a bit as we all headed to the town center, and from our approach I could see more of the settlers there rummaging about. No, not rummaging, some were cleaning out old rifles. Others looked like they had gotten some decent gear off the gunners we’d killed earlier. Even Luster ran about with satchels and packs full to the brim with meds.

Just what the hell was going on?

“Open up the storerooms, we should still have ammunition stashed away someplace in there,” that was a voice I recognized, and one that might be able to give some answers. Alimite stood nearly in the middle of the group, with Walker and a few of his guards around her, giving out orders. That was the face of a mare who had a mission on their mind, and one that still managed to soften for a second when she laid eyes on us, “Ahh good, your back.”

Back, and confused, “Did we miss something?” I asked the obvious, still taking it in, “are the gunners on their way back here already?”

“No, not that I know of, but we have our own plans for them,” she answered, and ushered us all to join in her group. “Many of us might not be fighters…” What I saw the other night might argue with that one, “but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna sit back and let you four bare all the burden.”

You… can’t be serious?! This place just came out of an attack, and here they were about to throw themselves at the gunners. Then again, wasn’t that what I was about to do? That’s not the point! We were better armed, and… and… and? That was about it… Steadily from the center my eyes looked to all of those gearing up, loading rounds into magazines, and getting some grub in them while they could. I’d seen pictures like this from back in the war, of soldiers readying for battle… and that’s just what they were about to do.

Though this didn’t fall on them…

“I… can’t ask ya’ll to do this,” I mean how could I? I’m the one who started killing them along my journey here, I’m the one that finished off the first sibling provoking the other two, I’m the one they were after. Lock made that perfectly clear in her little message, “It might be difficult, but this whole town needs you, I can’t ask you all to come with us and face them… it’s our fight.”

More so, my fight. I started it, but you can be damn sure I was gonna finish it. Some of those guards Walker had with them probably hadn’t fired a gun before the gunners were here. Yet, between all of them, they shared the same expression of the mare. Pure and simple determination, something I was getting in the way-

Clank!

I don’t think I was ever going to get used to feeling a wrench knock into this thing, “Let me spell it out for ya, Wiley,” Alimite squinted to me like I was an inch tall. Oh, that stung! “It may have been your fight before, but they made it ours now, and I’ll be damned if we’re going to sit on the sidelines while the four of you risk your necks for us…” Now I knew how Bleak Burrow felt talking with Tungsten when we first met, I could feel my hooves starting to shake a bit inside the suit, “one way or another we’re coming with you to where ever they might be held up, and there’s not a thing you can do to stop that.”

Those guards around her all started to nod in unison, and as much as I hated to admit it while putting their lives on the line for a half-baked scheme. We could use the extra numbers, if only to give us an edge.

By now it wasn’t just this group that had noticed the exchange, all those around in earshot turned their attention to us. Each one of the settlers were wearing the same face. They were infuriated at what had happened, and they weren’t about to have their chance at payback taken away. From Mabel sporting a hunting rifle, to even Spade. The combat helmet over her might have been a few sizes too large, but the 10mm pistol was just right in her muzzle.

I might lose this argument, but maybe with it I could win the next fight, “You’ll shoot me if I try to talk you out of it, won’t you?”

“No, I can’t do that,” Alimite grinned back at me with a wink, “my shotguns at home.”

Probably the only thing that saved me now, so before she could run and get it, my attention went to those that caught our little exchange. “I’m sorry, to bring all this trouble to your town,” I bowed my head to those that listened. They weren’t throwing me out for it, so there were still some wrongs I could right, “but thank you, for helping me see it through.” With only a nod from a few of them. Most of the others went back to their prep work.

That left one colt with the next obvious question, “Of course getting them all hyped up and ready is pointless, unless you have a place to go?” Walker mused.

Okay, now the planning part of the plan had to go into effect. I didn’t need the whole town for this part, only those that had a large sway of things. That meant my group, Alimite, Walker, and even Luster cooped up in the living room of the shop looking over the map. I’d already given them the brief about what Lock had said, where they were cooped up, and her wanting my head on a platter.

Somehow, they didn’t seem all that surprised by that last part. Though when the correctional facility came up all I got in return was blank stares. With as close as this town was with one another, I would have thought at least one of them had gone around that area and explored it a bit. You know, before the Gunners called it home.

“Sorry about that chief,” Walker ran his hoof along the edge of his stash, “At least to my knowledge, no pony goes near most prisons… usually they’re a death sentence packed with ghouls.”

“After Party’s no exception,” Alimite added on, “I know there were raiders kicking their hooves up before, but it looks like they got evicted.”

And gave the gunners a prime place to defend. If it was like any other prison then I’d imagine large walls, individual cell blocks to control inmates, and probably a tower to watch over them all. Plus, if it could keep ponies in, then it shouldn’t have an issue keeping them out.

“We have enough potions, and other meds to last for a fight,” I could see Luster running the numbers in the back of her head, “but not for an all-out siege.”

So, waiting them out wasn’t an option, and barging through the front door to start with wasn’t either, “Deacon, think you can call in another favor?” over the walls was a possibility then. Get in, open the doors, and go from-

“You might want to reconsider that…” Deacon rubbed the ends of his eyes at even the thought, “I’d never been to a post-war prison, but some of the gang have, and they aren’t known for their hospitality,” Thankfully I didn’t have to stare at him long before he elaborated, “Most had some sort of anti-air security to keep Pegasy on the ground, and that goes for gryphons too.”

Well, that idea crashed and burned at a record pace. We didn’t have enough info to know if the place had the ability to power those guns, but it was a chance that I doubted his old gang would take. A Balefire Egg bomb would have been enough to open the door at least. Though like Mabel said, those were few and very far between to come by.

“Go under wall…” Riff pushed closer to the table, and started running her claw over the mark on the map, “Dog not know area, but know ground. Pony make tunnels that go below,” so, a subway maybe? “Pony might think no prisoner want to go in tunnel with train,” with as smooth as some of those tunnels could be, there wasn’t much room to hide from one coming your way, “If only pony know creature good at digging, could make hole for them inside.”

It was times like this I really loved seeing that grin on her face, no wonder she was checking that map out so much. “If we could get the door open, think then we’d stand a chance?” I looked to the three ‘heads’ of the town, and while they each might have shared some concern. I wasn’t hearing a flat out no to the plan, “Then we’ll have to make teams… and I gotta get started on something that goes boom.”

And fast too, before Lock came knocking on her own.