Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale

Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale, Chapter Thirty Eight

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Wiretap bounced around in her rather cute looking camping gear, it was of course bear themed, even had the ears on the hood. Somehow Plasma had gotten roped up in this as well, which was supring due to her having admitted to being afraid of open places. But she seemed determined to go.

"You sure?" I again asked the mare.

With all the dirt and grime gone, and properly groomed, she was actually a rather cute looking mare, beautiful even. Her coat was a creamy tan covered in freckles spots, and her very curly mane was a rust red. Though most of her was understandably hidden under her olive green jumpsuit and a bit too big military helmet she had on.

"Yes I am." Plasma Cutter confirmed. "Actually, being around so many ponies has been a bit more nerve racking than open empty places. I keep feeling like somepony is watching me, that the nightmare I had last night might come true."

She then leaned in to whisper. "I also want to get away from any stallions… to help clear my head."

I nodded knowingly. As yesterday went on, the effect of my aphrodisiac cursed scar became harder to ignore, and if anything touched it, even the wind, felt annoyingly good. In the end both Plasma and I had to take some numbing agent that Doctor Helga provided to ignore it. But I had to even drag Plasma to my room as she started nervously flirting with Cold Trails.

"What about, Silver Bristle Brush?" I asked.

"She is spending more time with Coriander and the griffin doctor, they want to see if she can help with her amnesia, and study the Venus root problem." She explained.

"That's good to know. Well then, just stay near me and help keep an eye on Wiretap." I told her.

Wiretap huffed out, "I don't need looking after!"

"We all need to watch each other's backs out there, unless you think you can fight a Yougui on your own?" I told Wiretap.

She patted the revolver on her chest and smiled. "Maybe I can!"

"And maybe you can stay in your room." Grizzly said sternly as she trotted over to her filly.

As the mother and daughter began to argue, Plasma leaned in and again whispered to me. "Will you be fine… you seem to have quite the nightmare last night. I do too, but yours sounds really bad."

"I always have really bad nightmares." I said with a sigh. "But ya, I'll be fine. I just need to be away from any…. Excitement."

I then looked at her saddlebags, seeing the junky crossbow sticking out of it. "Been meaning to ask, but don't you steel rangers like… bigger guns?"

She let out a quiet laugh. "Ya, but I fight smarter, not with bigger bullets. There was an old schematic I always wanted to make, low tech, yet high-tech. This crossbow is just the framework."

Well it was better than going unarmed, I guess. "Do you at least have a gun?"

Plasma nodded. "Got a 10mm in my bag, just in case."

A groan then came from Grizzly as she trotted over to us. "I swear, that filly just likes to aggravate me. Anyways, thanks for agreeing to take her away for the day. Hopefully this will help her to calm down."

"On that, am I just taking her out to the middle of nowhere?" I asked.

Grizzly shook her head. "Not quite. There's a place reasonably safe and secluded you can take her. Though you will need transportation there and bring along a guide. The transportation is the easy part, with new pegusi arriving by the day, air transportation has become quite cheap. As for the guide, Sorry that I didn't say who it was."

"And so the prophecy came true!" Rattlebones spoke up, causing both Plasma and I to jump.

Wiretap then squealed and rushed to the old stallion, yelling "grand uncle."

"Ya, sorry about that." Grizzly apologized. "He was the one to suggest the camping trip, and knows most of the good spots."

I took a moment to catch my breath before responding. "It's fine, though we would rather not have a stallion around."

Grizzly nodded. "Doctor Helga told me some of it. But you can trust the old bastard. Despite the weirdness, he is a gental stallion. Also he can answer a few questions you might have."

"I also have a few tribal remedies that might help both you mares once we're up there. I was shocked, but not surprised when Helga told me about the Venus root problem." Rattle Bones said with a smile as he trotted over. He looked surprisingly normal now, looking more like an old stallion than a creep shaman .

"Who is he?" Plasma asked.

"He is a tribal shaman, and Grizzly's uncle." I told her. "He was the one who supplied me with the chems to get around and move the feral ghouls."

Plasma then rolled her eyes. "Right… a shaman."

Rattle Bones then chuckled. "Oh, not a believer, that's fine. We are not all meant to trot the same path, but merely cross each other's." He then tossed me a bag, which clanked with metal. "Also, I felt you might like these Miss Lottery."

Opening it, inside were three smaller bear traps. Which looked brand new!

"You have an affinity for being a trapper, so I had my ponies get them for you. As a prize for a job well done." Rattlebones then smirked. "Anyways, I'm going to want to hear about what you saw when you trotted among the ancestors."

"Maybe, give me some time to think about it." I told him as I attached the three traps to my saddlebag.

He nodded. "Yes, in due time. But we should head out before too long, or little Wiretap might run off without us."

Plasma then spoke up with a question. "Say, where exactly are we going?"

"The mountain rang to the west of here, a long journey by hoof, so it's good fortune we will be flying there. Once there I'll take you girls to an ancestral camping ground." The old stallion told us.

A bit of me wanted to back out now, but I didn't want to disappoint Wiretap even more. Anyways, Rattlebones might be able to explain to me more about the things I have been seeing. Maybe about Strife.

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For an old stallion, Rattlebones was surprisingly quick on his hooves and full of energy. Even Wiretap eventually lost her energy a few hours into going up the mountain, and Plasm simply struggled to keep up from the start. I was used to trotting long distances, but going up a mountain was far different from trotting over a hill, and my legs were not happy with me the further we went.

Just when I was sure Plasma was about to pass out and I needed to stop for a rest, we came to the end of the trail, and found some ancient campsite. There was a gravel circle with a firepit at the center, and several stone benches around the circle's edges. Off to the side and away from the cliff was flat land covered in green grass, looking very soft.

Looking over the cliff, I could see everything. Which happened to be Ursa's Rest and a whole lot of nothing. So much browns and grays, it was rather depressing to see.

With a thud, Rattlebones dropped his bag, and let out a satisfied sigh. "A long hike is good for the body, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, my Pa and I would trot out far now and then, but never up any mountain."

Both Wiretap and Plasma had finally dragged themselves over, both painting with exhaustion.

"Good news, you two can take a rest." The old stallion told them.

"Yay…." Wiretap said weakly.

Both then tossed their bags down and just flopped onto the dirt.

Taking a moment to sit down and catch my breath, finding the air here to be pleasant. Surrounding us were more trees than I had ever seen, though nothing as dense as what I had seen in old magazines, they were living trees. I could even hear all sorts of critters around us making a lot 9f pleasant noise.

"So, Rattlebones, why is this place special?" I asked.

He pulled up a tarp that was hidden under some dirt, revealing a stockpile of logs, then tossed some of them into the fire pit. "History for one thing. When the bombs dropped and the old world burned. Several families safely lived here for years, watching the ponies below turn to violence and cannibalism to survive while they lived off the land. Their descendants would become the rulers of Ursa's Rest, bringing order to a place gone mad."

I cocked an eyebrow "You mean, Grizzly's ancestors?"

Rattlebones nodded. "And a few others who helped re-establish order in other parts of this wasteland. One would think the stables would be the source of much of the civilization rebuilding, but that promise proved more false than true in the end. It was small places like this where the seeds of new civilizations would germinate."

I trotted over and sat on one of the stone benches, with Wiretap and Plasm joining me. When Rattlebones looked satisfied with the logs he collected, he trotted to the firepit and dumped some paper in it. He then pulled out flint and steel together, banging them together, making sparks as he talked. "Here they would live, not just survive. Watching the madness below, there was no denial to what needed to be done if they ever left, they would need to be ruthless to survive. Nopony dragging their hooves, or making excuses. They all had to work together, or they would all suffer the same fate as the ponies below."

A spark finally turned into a flame, and soon a fire was going. Rattlebones then finally sat back and smiled, relaxing as he continued his story. "Here they learned many lessons, both the easy and the hard. None were allowed to be ignorant to the world they now lived in. Though they were hiding from the world, the world was not hidden from them. So when it became time to descend the mountain, they had everything they needed to survive and dominate the wasteland."

"I can relate." Plasma spoke up as she warmed her hooves by the fire. "Not the dominant part, but not being ignorant to the world. The Steel Ranger dedicated themselves to protecting the technology of the old world, and keeping it out of the hooves of those who would repeat the same mistake as our ancestors."

Rattlebones nodded in agreement. "Though I have my misgivings about the Steel Rangers, they are often right in the end. Though they are quite heavy hoofed about it. But when your foal thinks playing with a baelfire egg with a hammer is smart, you don't feel bad about beating them black and blue. But still, just being right most of the time doesn't mean they are free from mistakes and atrocities. And I have seen plenty of times where inflexibility has been a ponies downfall."

Plasma looked longingly into the fire and sighed. "I… can't disagree. They didn't even try to talk. By the time anypony really knew what was going on, there was shooting. And you were either for the codex or for the mission." A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away.

I gave her a hug, it was all I could do for her. Wiretap looked at us with a confused look, but then also gave Plasma a hug.

After a moment, the fire cracked and our attention returned to the old stallion. He had his bag open, and was setting up a grill, where he placed a pot and pan onto, pouring water into the pot. "Let's get cooking and relax, we'll be here for a few days, so it's best if we get our energy back with a meal and tea."

He then got up and trotted to a strangely organized patch of stubbs, and pulled a few out. He now had a collection of strange roots and leaves that he placed in a stone bowl and began grinding them down with some stone tool.. "But first, you two mares might want something to calm your nerves."

"I should be avoiding chems." I told him, having a feel of what he was making.

Rattlebones then chucked. "Nothing of the sort… well maybe a little. What I'm making is a classic potion, the ingredients cultivated here for those seeking peace and a clear mind." He then pulled out a strange green weed like plant that had a strong pungent, grimy smell. "And something for fun. Don't worry, nothing I'm adding is strong or harmful to your body. It's also safe for both Wiretap and the unborn foal." He then looked at Plasma and smiled. "I'm glad to hear you have the strength to accept it, unfair as it is and all, the one inside you is an innocent."

Plasma meekly nodded, "I… know. Though I do wish it never happened, and sometimes there's nightmares. But I'm just glad I'm free, that I can finally start a new life. And if I'm lucky, Doctor Helga might be able to not just suppress the diseases the raiders gave me, but cure me."

Quacksalver had told me about that, saying that Plasm had seven different STD's, along with some more normally spread illnesses. Fortunately Ursa's Rest had a stockpile of both old world and wasteland medicine, and so long as Plasm regularly seeks treatment, she'll be cleaned up. The only problem was that it's expensive, so I'm flipping the bill. Strangely Silver was completely clean, which might mean she had been inoculated before her capture.

As for the foal, it was too early to tell, so all Doctor Helga advised was for Plasma to stay away from chems. As I thought about the unborn foal, I instinctively held my own stomach, hoping I would never suffer the same fate of bearing a raiders foal. Though the dread still crept in the back of my mind. I was sure I was safe, had to be.

"You okay, Lottery?" Tripwire asked.

I snapped out of it, and looked at the filly. Her father was a monster, but she was a good filly, if a bit rambunctious. I couldn't break down on her like this. "Ya, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind."

"Well, if you're ever troubled, I'll shoot it like Six Gun Red!" Wiretap said with a smirk.

"I'm sure she will." Rattlebones said as he poured the mixture into the now boiling pot. "Now just drink this and relax your mind. There are forces that wish you to remain confused and stressed. For, to overcome their plots, one must be clear of mind, but not empty headed."

He then pulled out a tin cup and poured the strange tea into it, letting it cool off before passing it to me. "The wasteland is a cruel thing, like a wicked goddess that favors suffering and conflict. But so long as you don't let it break you, you can be forged stronger."

"Sure. Though I'd rather have it leave me alone." I sipped the tea, finding it tasting like...medicine.

"Sadly, like all evils in this world, the wasteland cannot just leave things alone. It desires to see suffering, even if it harms itself. Evil is as evil does after all." As Rattlebones talked, I began to feel… relaxed. Like I was lighter, in both body and mind.

"Are you sure this is safe?" I asked.

He then hoofed over a cup to both Wiretap and Plasma. "Like I said, none of this is anything strong or harmful. At worst, you will just get hungry. Back home we use this along with other medicinal herbs to help with the recovery process, or as an aid for acolytes in meditation. Up here it's mainly used to counteract altitude sickness." He then drank some of the tea himself. "Not the best flavor though, better with some pear brandy added."

I took a second sip, finding it easier to drink now. Wiretap on the other hoof was having a hard time even tasting it. The filly then huffed, and complained, "will we be drinking this the whole time we're here?"

"Only if you want to." Her grand uncle told Wiretap.

Plasma on the other hoof had finished hers off. "It's okay, but not as good as coffee."

Feeling more relaxed, and curious, I then asked him. "You seem to know a lot about this place, are you also a descendant of ponies from here?"

"Me, noo… well maybe." He said with a smile, then further explained. "Hard to keep track of those times, but I do know that many members of the families here did later join up with my ancestors and form the Pear Valley tribes. If the old tales are true, they were relatives and family friends who eventually made their way to an agreed meeting spot. Though some clearly stayed here to clean up Ursa's Rest."

"What's it like with the tribes… wherever they are?" I then asked.

Rattlebones sighed. "Could be better, could be a lot worse. Most years we are able to support ourselves, and live in relative peace. Not much excitement goes on in our lands like it dose here, but that's to be expected when everypony can see each other as family. Then some years the crops die, or the radiation storms come, and we must choose to either suffer, or take from our neighbors. You might have heard that we're sometimes called raiders, and it's true in the literal sense, not in the chem addicted thugs sense. And certainly not like the damned Bailfire Fiends from down south."

I then realized what Grizzly meant by answering a few questions. "So you know them… what kind of raiders are they?"

"Their… a result of twisted ideals and bad intentions." Rattlebones began to explain. "And they existed before the war even came to a close, though by another name. The Foal Welfare Agency, as it was called."

"Wait, I think I know of them!" Plasma spoke up. "There are the ones who wrote much of the textbooks for early learning, and other educational programs. The Steel rangers still use those for our own education even today. Your saying they became raiders? With all the education they'd have at their hooves?"

"It's not just education they were in charge of." He said in a somber tone. "But also assessing if a family was stable enough to even raise their foals. From the tales of my ancestors, the Welfare agency would take foals from homes of families who protested the war, who didn't support the war, or were just seen as undesirables. It didn't matter if they were good parents or not, but that they were good little ponies who supported Equestria and the war. Then hide away those foals to be educated solely by them, so that they too would believe in their ideals."

Something seemed off about this that I need to be clarified. "From what I know about them, the Bailfire Fiends are hyper mare… supremacist I think the word is. You know how come?"

Rattlebones nodded. "They always were, if the old stories are true. Something about how mares are more caring, more attentive, and better at raising foals. Words that likely were used to convince the mares of the Ministry of Peace and Image to give them the power they wanted. There is logic to their argument, but it's a deeply flawed logic, as a foal doesn't need a mare to raise them, but a mother to neuter them, with a father to protect them. From the old stories, they actually fought a lot with my ancestors, as they were against the war and not a fan of the Ministries. Something to do with an old rivalry with apple farmers if the stories are to be believed."

He then began putting food on the grill and pan, which let out a satisfying sizzle. "When the war came to an end and everything burned, some of my ancestors went out for revenge. As was a common thing at the time. Only a few returned, and with as many foals they could save, but the story they told was a true nightmare. A School turned into a fortress laboratory that mentality tormented the foals. Unending propaganda, and food that was nothing more than chem laced pink slime. Many foals there had become mini tyrants themselves, molded into the ideal pony by the hags that had sunk their fangs into them. A generations later we would hear of the Baelfire Fiends, and how they would steal foals from anypony they attacked. We knew it was them, that madness, it couldn't be anypony else"

I felt Wiretap hold onto me tightly, looking a bit scared, so I patted herself on the head. "Don't worry, we'll protect you."

"But she must still remain vigilant… or repeat her mothers mistake." Rattlebones said, his voice resonating with a slight quiver of sorrow, getting my full attention. "Grizzly told me what she told you, then began tossing her empty bottles around. It's an old wound now, but it still runs deep into her heart."

"What happened?" I asked, a sense of dread welling up within me.

The old stallion began flipping the cooking food in the pan, getting it cooked evenly as he remained quiet for several long seconds before telling us. "She… accepted their help. Grizzly is prideful and greedy, traits well suited for a leader of Ursa's Rest, but also open doors for others to get in and blind her. Ye see, she was not originally chosen to take over the Ursa's Den, and sadly she never received that honor, she was simply the only one left."

I slowly held onto Wiretap tighter as I came to realize what he meant. "You don't mean?"

Rattle Bones nodded. "Yes, they killed her entire family, except for Sparkling Delight and Wiretap. They were fortunately somewhere safe at the time. How it happened, you see, was that she wanted to prove herself worthy of being in charge, needed to show that she could accomplish so much more. The Bailfire Friends offered her that chance. As it turns out, you can accomplish far more than a pony that is dead. My brother, his wife, their sons… all in the Elysian fields now. And Grizzly's lives with knows she was the one who let them in."

He then poured the food into the pot of the still simmering tea. "They nearly destroyed Ursa's Rest, but thanks to a vision I had received, our tribe arrived in time to save at least the family I still had left. They knew we would come, hoped we would, as old hatreds don't die easily. But we arrived sooner than they expected, and with a fierce determination they had not predicted. It was… a tragic day for all. But in the end they were driven back to the hole they crawled out of."

"And it's ponies like them why the Steel Ranger exists." Plasma said solemnly. "But… the longer I suffered in the wasteland, the more I have come to think that Steel Hooves was right. Maybe if we start trying to help ponies, trying to make things better, maybe tragedies like that wouldn't have happened."

"I can't argue with that. And it was sad to hear about Steel Hooves death, an asshole he might have been, but I owned him my life." Rattlebones said as he stirred the pot. "But his vision it would have required more than just the Steel Rangers, but everypony in the wasteland to join forces. One pony tried this years ago, but faced hardship and scorn. So much so it drove him mad."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean Redeye, don't you?"

"Yes Redeye, though He went by a different name then, but none remembers now." Tapping on the pot, he filled the now stew into his cup, then offered it to us. As he filled our cups, he continued, "He actually came to visit the Pear Valley to seek wisdom, but sadly we had none he saw to value. Though we have survived, and have found a connection with Equestria itself, we were as separated from others as his tribe was, most seeing ourselves as the superior ponies, just like his had. Just like the Steel Ranger, and so many others."

Lightly blowing on his food, Rattlebones sipped it a little and smiled. "But the winds have changed, or should I say, have finally begun to move again. This stagnant air we all breathe has seemingly lifted with the parting of the clouds, and so many who kept to themselves now mingle in celebration. Old hatreds still linger like scars, but I believe that with the return of the sun, Equestria can finally start to heal."

I sipped on the stew, finding that the medical taste had mellowed, and something sweet and flavorful filled my mouth. "This… I've never had something this good before!"

Even Plasma and Wiretap looked absolutely enthralled by the stew.

Rattlebones laughed, it filled with a bellowing joy. "I know right. It's an old family recipe that took me ages to remake. I'm thinking of having my tribe offer this as charity to those in need. It will take time convincing them to go out without spears at the ready, but somepony must be the first to take an honest step forward."

I finished off the stew and pressed my cup forward for more. "Ya, that sounds like a wonderful idea."

We then quickly finished off the stew, enjoying it in silence, and letting it warm our bodies. Soon after, with our heads clear and energy to burn, we began setting up our camps. The cool mountain air mixed with honest work felt good and right. As though I was no longer in the wasteland, but someplace better, someplace… clean.

The sun quickly dipped low, and soon the only light came from the moon, the stars, and our campfire. Both Wiretap and Plasma retired to their tent, the day having drained them dry. But Rattlebones was still up, sitting at the mountain ledge that overlooked the region.

Trotting over, the dark land was dotted with lights, just like the stars in the sky, and like the moon, Ursa's Rest was the biggest of them all. "H… how many are there?"

"Hundreds at least." Rattle Bones told me as we looked down at the many lights dotting the wasteland.

I sat down next to him, looking at the scene before me. "It's strangely beautiful

"E'yep. It used to be much darker, so many ponies hiding from the slavers and raiders that they dared not shine a light in the darkness. No sun, no moon, no stars, nor fire to light their way. But now they fearlessly bathed in the light, it is truly a beautiful sight to behold."

Looking down at the region, I tried to see anyplace I could recognize. I was sure I could see the Duchy, and possibly Dead Pony Pass from here. The large bear of the Ursa's Den was still recognizable, even from here. I was even sure I could see a few caravans on the move, their light bobbing and flickering.

I then sighed. "You wanted to know what I saw, right?"

"When you're comfortable about it. Most acolytes rest for several days before they are ready." He told me.

"What did you see?" I then asked him, feeling curious.

He fell silent for a long moment, staring out into the distance.

"I saw a business pony desperately trying to make a sale, it was so stressful that he had to retreat to the bathrooms to puke up his food. Then he secretly snorted mentats to clear his head before heading back out. Sirens started soon after and he began running." Rattle Bones told.

That story caught me off guard, "Really?"

"Yes really," he confirmed.

I sighed and then explained. "Well I saw a mare cheating on her Stallion with one delivering… milk I think. When the sirens started, the milk pony ran out without her as she had to grab her foal."

Rattle Bones nodded. "Sounds about right. We peer into the past, see a vulnerable moment in the lives of the ancestors before their world ended. It dispels much of the myths that surround them, and reminds us that they were once normal ponies, flaws and filled with fear." The old stallion then cracked his neck and stretched his legs. "After that we see a future, or some places in the present. Something we have no control over, something that will come to pass. I didn't know it then, but I saw the rise of Redeye, as did other of my fellow acolytes. So much death in the name of the greater good. Innocent ponies rendered skin and bones to feed an engine made from twisted virtues. Then she came."

"She?" I asked.

"It's all I know, as nopony seems to see the same thing, but in most cases it's a she. Some see a black mare with golden eyes, others a skeleton in a dark cloak. A few swear they were visited by Pinky Pie herself. But all are then shown the truth, that the wasteland is more than a place, more than a time, its-"

"Strife." I said, cutting him off. "A thing that lives, and has desires. Like as though it is a-"

"A god itself." Rattlebones finished my open thought. "Yes, we are shown that the wasteland is a living thing, and that it is evil. That we ponies gave birth to it through our hatred and now it rules over us as our god. Strife is its name, and so long as she lives, so will the wasteland, and with it monsters like raiders will be born."

The memory of a dream came back to me, of Strife emerging from a mound of corpses and offering me power. "She… she came to me herself… wants me… desires me. I want to fight her, but she wants me to fight her. She wants to see war, death, and suffering."

I then felt a gentle hoof on my shoulder, Rattlebones still looking off into the distance. "Evil is as evil does. It can't help but indulge in causing suffering, even when it forges the tools which will bring about its end. Because if you don't break, or accept life as misery and keep your head down, you become desirable to her. The more you fight and struggle, the more Strife will seek to throw you into the fire. It will not end until you either shatter or be forged into steel. It's enough that knowing this can cause a pony to seek the peace of death then to live under Strife."

His words twisted inside my mind, as though like a snake ready to devour me from the inside out. "And what are raiders?"

"Ponies who shattered under her loving embrace, then reborn as something less than a pony. Not all, as you have seen with Miss Molotov, she is like steel, strong and flexible. Keep her close, as steel sharpens steel. But for others, once shattered, they can never come back. Their only true escape from their pitiful existence is to see others shatter, to make more ponies like themselves."

"Yet why does she want me to kill them?" I asked, feeling confused by all this.

Rattlebones then finally looked at me, his own eyes filled with a sympathetic worry. "I cannot say but to suggest that she is a mad god. That there is no end goal in her mind, only the continued existence of the wasteland and the suffering it brings. For as long as she exists, as long as there is Strife, there will always be more ponies like the raiders."

He and I then looked out into the wasteland, again seeing the sea of stars, and of the life below.

"No one pony can defeat her can they?" I asked both Rattlebones and myself.

"No, no they cannot… but maybe one day, if we can all finally work together." He said with a tone of hope in his voice.

I couldn't help but agree. Though that day seemed so far off, and the path ahead filled with horrors. Even now, it felt like I could shatter at any moment, all while Strife watches, waits.

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