Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale

Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale, Chapter Four

_______________________________________________________

When I had woken up I found myself worried if I had been robbed and abandoned once again, but my fears were quickly aleaved. Tripwire was tending to the fire, using it to boil some water in a pot.

"You sleep too soundly for a pony that lives out here," he said after seeing me get up.

I stretched out, making a few popping sounds in my back. I seriously missed having a bed, even if I had to share it with my brothers. "My Ma and Pa kept a few layers of walls between us and the wasteland, so I never became a light sleeper like they were."

Tripwire nodded. "Makes sense, but that will get you in trouble one day." He then lifted the pot off the fire and poured it into two mugs. "Drink up, I'd rather get to civilization before sundown."

My ears perked up at the word civilization, "you mean were that close to a city?"

He shook his head and explained. "Naw, just a distant settlement, more of a fort actually, but there's a road that goes directly to the local hubtown from there.

Though diminished, I was still interested in seeing this settlement. Then I remembered how dirty I was.

"Say, if possible, I'm going to need a wash along the way." I told him.

Tripwire sighed. "Ya, you and me both. Fortunately the settlement has a clean well we can pay to use, and a bed to rent."

Taking a sip from the mug, inside was just hot water, but the warmth was what I needed to fully wake up.

_______________________________________________________

Traveling with another pony was actually fun, though we didn't say too much for most of it. Through Tripwire I learned about playing some new card games and a few of the dangers of the wasteland I didn't know. Mostly about some of the mutants out there like giant ants.

I also learned a bit more about raiders. From what Tripwire told me, the stories I was told as a foal were just about what he called late stage raiders. That most raiders start out as desperate ponies surviving by preying on others, after a lot of chem abuse they go crazy and become the raiders I had been told about.

He even confirmed some of the stories about them. That they do become cannibals, and enjoy tormenting their captives. Truly despicable ponies.

The day went on and only a little bit of trouble got in our way. I had managed to avoid the worst of it, such as mole rat and radscorpion nests, along with the odd sinkhole. Some of which Tripwire said he had to fight through when he first passed through here.

When the sun was starting to get low and what looked like a wall of a settlement could be seen, and a thought crossed my mind. I could have gotten here in half the time, maybe. Tripwire was slower and needed to stop more than me, making me a bit disappointed. But I didn't complain, he was good looking after all, so I let his slower pace slide.

As we reached the settlement, I could see that the walls were made up of rusty motor wagons stacked on top of each other, lots of motor wagons. They extended along the sides of an old building and out from where the front was by a good distance. At each corner was a tower higher up, armored with lots of slits on the side and the floor that stuck out. Over the main gate hung a black and white checkered flag with a wheel at the center.

Overall, the place was a fortress, reminding me of the castles Ma would tell me about in her bedtime stories. Except this one was made of crushed motor wagons. Which was a bit disappointing, yet impressive.

Poking out from over the wall was a unicorn stallion with a helmet that I recognized as a motorbike helmet. I had seen it a few times in the old fashion magazines, though this one was a lot less stylish looking with its dents and crude repairs.

"Hay hay, who's this? Where the fuck did you two come from?" The stallion asked suspiciously.

Tripwire trotted up, "We just came out from the abandoned wastes, we seek shelter and." He stopped to sniff himself and gagged, "and a desperate need of a wash."

"Annnd how can we trust that you not here to fuck us over?" The pony again asked.

A sigh came from Tripwire. "I was just here a week ago, sharing drinks with your Duke."

The guard pony squinted at us, doubtful. "I doubt that, why would Duke Pharynx the fifth ever share drinks with an outsider?"

"Why indeed?" Tripwire asked back, sounding annoyed.

Another pony poked their head up, looking at us carefully before glaring at the guard and slapping them on the side of his head. "Open the gate you nitwit!"

As the gates opened a unicorn mare in a checkered dress waited on the other side to greet us. "Welcome back to the Dukedom of Chrysalis Motters, I Lady Harth am glad to see your safe return sir Tripwire. Though your companion seems to have changed."

Tripwire tipped his head at the mare. "Good to see you again, lady Harth. And yes, my last companion met with an unfortunate incident. Lady Lottery here is my current companion."

Harth nodded as she moved out of the way to let us in. "Well our doors are open to you, and if you have the caps, then our facilities are open as well."

This settlement was amazing, being much like my home, but just a lot bigger, and full of ponies. There was a farm on one side, growing several different fruits from little stout trees. Next to that were several buildings made of scrap two levels high. On the other side of the settlement was what looked like a workshop, where ponies seemed to be tinkering with scrap.

What was really catching my eyes were the ponies, they were all different shapes and colors. There were also foals in groups, chasing each other around. The black and white checkered clothes were common, with a bunch of them wearing armored biker helmets and jackets on top. The other ponies wore a mix of rags or thick looking cloths, with almost all of these ponies looking dirty.

So at least I don't stand out much.

Among them all, I ended up paying attention to several stallions working in the farm area, doing some sort of labor. All of them were bigger than the average pony, with noticeable muscles. As they dug into the dirt, sweat bedded off them, and I had an overwhelming sense to go over there and help wipe that sweat off for them.

"Miss Lottery." Tripwire spoke up and pointed over at the corner of the settlement. There I saw a water pump, with a few ponies standing next to it. "You can wash up over there, I'll go pay the admission fee."

"Oh... right… ya I'll get right to that." I said, feeling a bit embarrassed about where my mind was wandering off to.

Trotting over to a well, there were two sickly looking ponies scrubbing themselves off. A mare and a stallion. Their colors looked even plainer than my own, and their bodies looked like they worked most of their lives, yet were skinny as rails. My eyes then drifted to several scars on their bodies, finding them not too dissimilar to that of my parents.

"Oh, hello miss, what brings you this far from anything." The mare asked with a voice that sounded far younger than she looked.

The stallion eyed me with suspension as he asked. "Who are you?"

"Names Lottery, I'm actually from much further out there, further from anything like this place. May I ask, who are you?" I asked the two.

The mare looked at the stallion as though waiting for permission, of which he slowly nodded, still eyeing me.

"I'm Twenty, and he's my husband, Forty." She answered with a smile.

Forty then sighed. "Dear, your name is not twenty, it never was, you're Lilly, and I'm Brush."

Lilly looked confused for a moment, then she looked a little scared. "Right, I'm Lilly, not twenty. Oh I hope the master will not be upset by that."

Again Brush sighed. "The master is dead Lilly, we're free, please remember."

He then looked back at me, and I could see the years of a harsh life in his eyes. "Please be patient with Lilly, she's having trouble adjusting."

A wave or realization washed over me. "Oh, sorry, were… were you-"

"Slaves, yes." Bush answered. "Lilly and I were taken as foals, life was already harsh before, but then." He grimaced as though something vile was in his mouth. "They took a liking to Lilly, and she just stopped growing, mentally that is. But we're free of them, we have our lives back, so I'm hoping that by getting away from ponies like the masters, it will help her recover."

I nodded in understanding. "Well it's hard living out here, but if you keep at it, you'll be able to make your own paradise. My Ma and Pa did that, and made a right nice green farm too."

A slightly ever so hopeful look formed on Bush's face. "Truly, it would be wonderful if we could do that too. I know a lot about surviving, and got some tato seeds. We just need to find a place. You're from out there, any advice you could give us?"

I scratched my chin for a moment as I thought. "Well first off, and I just found the place, but there's this green place right west of here, a day's walk if you're slow. But don't drink or eat anything there, all radioactive, and is home to a crazy ghoul with armored feral ghoul pets. But there is a campsite near it you can rest at, and a gecko nest not far from it if you need meat."

Bush lessened to me intently as I spoke, so I kept on talking as I began scrubbing. I told them about the basics my Ma and Pa drilled into me, and a few other little things I learned over the years. Things such as making warning traps, and how to reuse rotten food as fertilizer.

By the time I had scrubbed myself clean, my throat felt dry from all the talking. Bush on the other hoof looked a bit refreshed. "You okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes… well, I mean we will be, thanks to your advice. I think you just saved us from making some terrible mistakes, thank you so much."

I scratched the back of my head feeling a bit embarrassed. "Oh well shucks, just being neighborly, that's all."

Not long after, the two went their own way, having rented a place for the night, and needed rest before they headed out into the unknown. Tripwire had then joined me, his suit now missing, giving me a better look at the stallion.

He had several scars, some were what I could only guess were from being shot. His body itself was thin, but not like the ex-slaves, more smooth and healthy thin, and lacking the muscles of a pony used to hard work like myself. Tripwire was no buff pony, but he certainly was not bad looking at all, having the type of body that was common in the old magazines.

"Keep on staring, I might think you're coming onto me." Tripwire said with a wink.

I looked away in embarrassment.

"S… sorry, I'm just not used to being around s… so many ponies." I stammered out.

He laughed as he scrubbed himself down. "Well best get used to it fast, the trade hub is far bigger and has far more ponies passing through it. I also got some… friends waiting for me there."

Tripwire seemed to take longer than he should have to say "friends" as though it was not the right word.

He then pointed over at the two story scrap built building along the wall. "I rented out space on a bed over there, one of the better ones they have. We will head out at sunrise, sooner the better if we are to avoid raiders."

"A bed?" I asked, feeling a bit worried. "You don't mean we're sharing one?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Too expensive to rent more than one out here… ohh, you're worried about being close to a stallion, aren't you?"

I felt my face flush, memories of Daral flashing in my mind. "Well… I mean… it's just that-"

Tripwire stopped me by shoving a hoof over my muzzle. "Let me correct you. Those beds are for sleeping only, and where renting room on the beads, meaning other ponies will be in there. But if you can't keep your pussy in check, this place does have a brothel. Just use the caps I gave you to buy a stallion, and any other things you need." He pointed over to where the workshop was, now seeing that there was a store there. "They stay open late, so check them out, then meet me in front of the main building when you're done. Have an important pony to talk to, and they don't like my su… my employees to be wandering around without me."

I thought about it for a moment, not about the brothel, no way I'd go near that! But I did need a new barrel for the rifle I picked up.

Giving Tripwire a nod, I trotted off to the market.

Though the sun had dipped over the horizon, it hadn't quite gotten dark, so the artificial lights competed with the natural. It was kind of impressive how things were set up here, with some of the lights made to point at what they were selling, some of which being the brothel. Actually, most of the lights looked like it was trying to sell me sex.

But focusing on the normal shop; it sells mostly scrap and other junk, which was fine by me. The unicorn mare behind the desk was a dark ashy gray with a bright green mohawk mane and had red horned glasses on. She looked at me with broad looking eyes.

"Welcome to Chrysalis Motters gift shop, everything is for sale, even the employees." She said with mild enthusiasm.

"What! Even you?" I asked in surprise.

She nodded. "Ya, we take what we can get, and at least it be something to do." She lazily eyed me up and down. "Though I'd rather get rammed with a sausage than rub clams."

I felt a bit flustered and a little disgusted by her suggestion. "I… well… I mean I don't find the idea appealing either." I said honestly.

The mare smiled. "good, now what can I get you, do you want a big strong stallion, or some pony on the softer side?"

"N… no! I'm not here for that!" I protested.

She sighed. "Seriously, come here giving off emotions like that and not wanting to indulge, what a downer. I was hoping for a bit of a show... Well what else can I get you?"

I quickly got out the broken pipe rifle, showing her the bent barrel. "Do you have a .22 barrel by any chance?"

Again she sighed. "Yes, we have two rifles chambered for that caliber." She then rummaged behind her desk for a moment, pulling out two rather poor looking rifle's. Both had straight barrels, so that was all I cared about. Though the other parts might be useful.

Exchanging the two guns for my caps, I then spent the rest of my money on a heal potion, a canteen for water, some preserved foods, and a few tools. I had also got my hooves on what Pa would call Celestial blessing on pony kind, that being a strong fabric tape, and a spray that acts as lubricant and rust preventive. Both were must haves if I was going to fix up that rifle.

When I was done, the mare gave me a wink, "If you ever change your mind, and have the caps, come back any time. Trust me there is no better lay out in the wasteland."

"I'll… think about it." I told her before trotting over to the main building, where Tripwire was waiting for me. He was now back in his suit, it now cleaner than before.

He eyed me with an amused grin. "So did you order a stallion?"

Now irradiated, I shook my head. "No, I do have standards."

Again he laughed. "Those are some high standards then, the ponies here are known for being high quality, and a relatively cheap fuck. It's half the reason why traders come this far out. But I can understand that paying to have a partner just lacks the romance."

Finally, sompony who gets it. "Ya, if there's no romance, why bother."

He rolled his eyes. "I may say it lacks romance, but that's something very rare out here. Just don't get your hopes up trying to find something not there, and going crazy because of it."

Tripwire then motioned for me to follow. "This way." He said as he trotted into the building.

Following, the place was outstanding. Far cleaner than my home, and decorated with images of motor wagons of all kinds. The place had cracks everywhere in the walls and floors, but no trash or dust. There were even a few fully intact motor wagons, shining in the artificial light.

"Over here Tripwire!" A stallion called over from inside a rather stunning looking motter wagon. It was a shining deep dark green, with a boxy green frame that had fin-like sides at the front and back. The top was uncovered, where the inside of the motter wagon was like a super fancy couch, in which the stallion sat, waiting for us.

"Tripwire, my friend! Good to see that you're alive, and able to pay, which means good things." The stallion said joyfully as he patted at the seat for us to join him. He was a dark green, almost black in color, with a dark rust red mane he kept in a spiky mohawk. The stallion wore a black leather jacket that looked as though studded with gemstones, and had several golden chains around his neck.

Tripwire sat down across from him, laying back conforably. "Duke Pharynx the Fifth, you're as energetic as ever. Nothing ever seems to keep you down."

As I went to sit down, Pharynx pulled me over next to him. Unsure what to do, I just let him. Getting pulled in close with a hoof around my shoulder was uncomfortable, yet not enough for me to push him away.

A bellowing laugh came from Pharynx. "Too true. All thanks to my ancestors Pharynx the First. So long as we follow his rules, we will not just survive, but stay on top. Not even that upstart Redeye dared to mess with us."

"A statement I could share. Too bad your father thought differently. " Tripwire said as he pulled out one of his pieces of paper, sending it over to Duke Pharynx. "As promised, here's your reward for staying out of that mess."

A wide smile formed on Pharynx's face. "Pharynx the fourth was a fool, and it was sheer luck he had his… accident, before Redeye took power. And just as fortunate as the deal you brought to me so long ago. Though I could have taken that property whenever I like, having its ownership hoofed over like this is so much more satisfying. And all I had to do was do nothing at all. But that said, how can I be sure that you're not pulling a fast one on me?"

"Pharynx, would I ever be so stupid as to double cross you. That is a magical contract, already set for change in ownership, all you need to do is sign it. The mithril mine will be your, and your neutrality will continue. With hopes of a partnership in the future."

"Mithril?" I said inquisitively.

Pharynx laughed again as he held onto me. "Yes, mithril! A key component for any arcano tech worth its salt. Spark batteries and the like. Tripwire's family had been hoarding all the good mines for generations after the war. But now, well it is good to see that a Neighsay finally has the brain cells to rub together, and do something with those mines."

Tripwire Neighsay gives an exasperated sigh. "Father was always more concerned with holding onto the property than doing much with it. In the end it did save them from being found by Redeye, though imagine what we could have done with magicly active weapons."

"Imagine what that bastard could have done." Pharynx said sternly. "Redeye's cybernetics research was only hindered by the lack of resources. It's why most cybernetically enhanced ponies look like they came from the scrap yard, and can barely be called enhanced at that. Any good shit either came straight from a stable, or was scavenged from some wartime bunker."

"So with that mithril, you can use it to help ponies, and make the wasteland a better place." I said, injecting myself into the conversation.

Both Pharynx and Tripwire laughed.

"I like her." Pharynx said as he held onto me a bit too closely. It was starting to get a bit weird, as Pharynx was a really handsome stallion, and being this close was starting to give me mixed feelings.

"Found her out in the middle of nowhere, a real lifesaver." Tripwire said before dropping his smile. "And no, I'm already paying her to help me, so you can't recruit her."

Pharynx shrugged. "That's too bad, a cute mare like her would have fun as part of my harem. I know my sister would love to snatch her up for her brothel, teach her some tricks." He then held me closer and winked at me. "How about it, be mine for just this night?"

As he looked at me with a mischievous grin on his face, I quickly understood what he was suggesting. But I was too sober to be seduced this easily. Though now that I think about it, just one night wouldn't be such a bad idea.

No! No it would be bad, I'm not some mare who sleeps with any handsome stallion that looks my way!

With a sigh I gently pushed Pharynx away. "Sorry, but I'm not that interested."

Pharynx let me go, lifting his hooves up in a defeated motion. "That's a shame, but if you ever find yourself more interested, I'll be here. Just ask for me, and I promise that you will not be left... unsatisfied."

To be honest, I was that interested, and wondered what he could do to me. But I also wanted to have some standards. So maybe on my way back home I could stop by for a night… maybe.

He then turned to Tripwire, still grinning. "Well I'll tell you this, this mare is a lot better than the last one you came through with. You should treat her nicely, hard to find ones like her."

"Good to know." Tripwire said as he got out of the motor wagon. "Lets go Lottery, we have an early start tomorrow."

I climbed out myself, then felt a hard slap on my flank, followed by a loud whistle. "Sorry, had to at least get a touch, most mares out here are too thin in the flank."

The slap both made me disgusted, and a little excited, which confused me a bit. Not sure what to do, I turned to glare at him, but ended up with a smirk on my face. Again trying to look tough, I motions my hoof from my eyes to his, and back again. "Next time you do that, I'll… crush your balls!"

He laughed. "Is that a promise, because I'll be looking forward to it?"

A wave of disgust washed over me, which Pharynx seemed to enjoy seeing. Turning and making my exit, once I was far enough away from Pharynx, I whispered out loud to Tripwire. "What was that about?"

"Pharynx is good at reading ponies, and can tell if a pony is genuine or not." He answered.

"And that other stuff, wanting to… well… sleep with me… I think?" I asked, now feeling embarrassed by it. "And that slap, and him wanting me to… why?"

Tripwire sighed before answering me. "Best to just take it as a compliment, the ponies here are oddly hyper sexual, and on the masochistic side. So that behavior is normal for them. But he doesn't fuck anypony that comes through, just the ones of some worth in his eyes."

I just didn't know how to feel about that, but I knew one thing. "Can we just stop talking about sex, it starting to get… frustrating. Don't ponies out here have anything better to do?"

Another chuckle came from Tripwire. "Fair enough. But to answer your question with a question; from where you came from, what did you do with your free time?"

Memories of literally banging rocks together out of boredom rushed to the surface of my mind. "Oh, right."

Tripwire nodded. "For most ponies out here, if they're not working, there's not much happening. The bigger places have some entertainment, and chems are never hard to find, but most times there's just a lot of nothing. "

"But why sex?" I asked, trying to hide my growing understanding of why within myself.

He wiggled his eyebrows. "It's cheap and easy to do. Also, if you have a mildly interested friend, then it's free… so long as you're careful. Lots of foals out there are born because two ponies were just bored."

"Or because of getting drunk." I mumbled.

Tripwire then looked over at the gift shop. "Anyways, just be sure you're ready to go before turning in for the night. We are heading out as soon as the daylight starts."

"Already restocked on what I need for any journey." I told him.

"Good, I'll turn in, the room is on the second floor on the right. Go do whatever, just don't take too long. And wash yourself if you do decide to relieve that frustration." Tripwire said before trotting off.

Taking out one of my pipe guns, I knew exactly what I was going to do. I also needed to get my head more clear, and fixing up the rifle was going to help.

There was a workbench next to the gift shop, so I trotted over and got to work. Dismantling the three guns was easy enough, but I was not sure what was best for what, though I did know what parts had gone bad, putting anything covered in rust aside.

The parts were all over the place in design, and I was sure I must have made a mistake buying the two rifles. The feeding mechanism was different for all three, and I was sure one had to have been a shotgun once, if my memory of what shotguns were supposed to look like was correct.

When I was done slapping it together, I had a bolt action, tube fed rifle, with a wooden stock and grip made from all three guns, which went all the way up the barrel. Needing to reinforce the barrel at the end, I ended up adding the binding for my axe around the wood, along with the rest of my fabric tape to be sure it all stays where I want it. While I was at it, and feeling it would be a waste to not have the axe be usable, I attached the blade to the end of the rifle, which insdental helped even out the clamps. Even the butt stock had several metal plates and tape to reinforce it. All and all it looked like a piece of junk, but it was an intimidating looking piece of junk that should hold up.

I wanted to test it out, but felt that it would be a bad idea to do here, and at night. So I loaded it from the tube, finding that it held sixteen bullets, which was nice, as it was a pain to load. Then I made sure it and the axe blade was securely wrapped up in cloth. The rifle was a bit front heavy, but axes were meant to be that way, so I was okay with what I had.

Finally with my own rifle, it was time to go to bed. With the light of day now completely gone, the artificial lights from the gift shop were at full display. They almost looked like they were dancing around, luring my eyes all over. I didn't need to be able to read to know what most said, the images of pony flanks and arrows at them spoke loudly enough. There were also several lights in the shape of dicks, which seemed too on the nose to me.

My ear then twitched at the sound of a… moan?

Feeling curious, I trotted to the gift shop, and peeked into the back room. There I saw the clerk, along with two other stallions. The mare was choking down a cock as the other stallion violently thrusted into her backside. All of them grunting and moaning as the smell of musk drifted through the air.

I quivered as I watched, transfixed. As the clerk pulled back from sucking the stallion off, white stuff erupting from his dick and falling on her face. She spotted me watching and winked as she motioned for me to come over. I was all too much, and the trance I was in broke. Noticing that I had been rubbing myself this whole time sent a wave of embarrassment washing over me.

Quickly retreating, I galloped to where the rooms were, stopping to wipe myself off with a rag I had. My attempt to clear my head was ruined, and what that mare had been doing was now running rampant in my mind. Never had I ever once thought that I could take two stallions!

Yet why was I so… transfixed on watching? It made no sense that I would do that.

Doing my best to calm down, I entered the room, finding that the bed was just a bunch of mattresses shoved together on the floor. Several ponies, including Tripwire, had found their own spot and curled up. Seeing them all there made the idea of sleeping next to a stallion a lot less embarrassing, and reminded me of home and how my brothers and I shared a bead.

Flopping down, the memory of home helped calm the chaos in my mind, and let me enjoy the better than hard dirt, mattress.

_______________________________________________________

Sleep had come quickly, and with it a vague and hazy dream. In it, from what I could remember, I was in a fancy dress, where two dashing stallions fought for my attention through dance. I think. The fight had become pushing and pulling on me, but I was in the same position as the gift shop clerk.

When I woke up, Tripwire looked at me with amusement before trotting off, leaving me confused.

Following, we double checked our gear, where I made sure that my new rifle was ready for action. Both sharpening the axe blade, and then giving it a test fire once we were out of the settlement.

"What is that duct tape covered monstrosity?" Tripwire asked with an eyebrow raised high.

I smiled as I presented my weapon. "This, it's my rifle." I then looked at the tape that helped hold it together, "so it's called duck tape."

He now looked doubtful as he asked. "And why is there a crude axe blade on the front end?"

"Because I used parts from my axe to jury rig this rifle together. Anyways-" I then gave the gun-axe a swing, the leverage helping of the longer rifle helping get some umph in the swing. "It's actually easier to use like us."

"Well it's got to be better than that flare gun." Tripwire said as he shrugged and then began to trot to the gate out.

"My single shot is a great gun!" I said with a huff as I followed him down the road.

_______________________________________________________