Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale

Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale, Chapter Forty Five

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Not leaving the two sisters behind, I carried the dead mare on my back as I pushed her older sister out of the town hall. The raiders knew something had happened, but fortunately they had not yet figured out what just yet. But it was only a matter of time before the alarms were rung and they all will be out for blood.

And blood I will give them.

Stopping to lay a bear trap outside the door of the town hall, I then quickly moved along.

Things felt like they were going smoothly, but several gunshots ahead quickly dashed that idea. Spell and Cold were trading shots with several raiders, staying under cover as they protected the captives. Things were only getting worse as more raiders came out to take a look.

One raider spied us, a smile filled with jagged teeth forming on his face, then his head exploded. The mare I was with had used the raiders long rifle on the bastard, something I had not tried to stop her from taking or doing. It was not my place to keep her from fighting back, and having the extra gun helped. It was also clear she was an experienced fighter, and despite how damaged her body looked, she was no less dangerous because of it.

As even more raiders appeared, I drew my revolver, not wanting to drop the body just to fight, and fired. The raiders ducked for cover, giving us the opportunity to join my friends. The mare quickly took a position and let a few bullets fly, hitting a raider, but failing to kill him.

"Fucking armored bastards!" She huffed and fired again.

I turned to my friends and holstered my revolver. "Why are you stopped?"

Cold Trails then pulled me down right before a bullet whizzed overhead. "Snipers, and their good shots." He looked over at one of the captives, bloody bandages wrapped around a leg and chest. "Almost lost them. And if we try to run, the raider will just pick us off one by one."

"Fuck, I really wish these raider snipers would stop appearing and be bad shots like on the radio." I mumbled.

"Hey, I can help!" The mare called out as she kept her head down. "I know this place like the back of my hoof, so you will need me to hunt down that sniper."

I was not going to argue, and hoofed over my binoculars to her. "Names Lottery."

"Moonlight Rose." She said, taking the revolver. "Alright, we need some covering fire, and I'll lead the way."

I gently put Night Lily down as Cold and Spell then popped out and fired their IF-64 rifles, spraying the area.

Moonlight burst out and I followed her, the two of us slipping through a narrow alley. Behind the building was a crude ladder leading to a balcony, of which we clinked. She then stopped and peered through my binoculars.

"Looks like the raiders are preparing to rush our friends." She said as she aimed her rifle.

I did too, seeing two armored raiders getting closer to Cold and Spell. We then fired, blasting the armor, and knocking back the raiders. A few more shots and they were dead.

Moonlight lowered her rifle, and scowled at it. "Fucking damnit, this accursed gun is better then my old rifle." She then climbed up to the roof and took aim and fired another shot, sending a new raider back into hiding.

Climbing up myself, I had to ask as I aimed my rifle as well, looking for raiders, and the sniper. "Accursed gun?"

She pulled up my binoculars to look around, a scowl on her face. "It's a Stern Longshot, made in Fillydelphia for the talons there. Slave labor made this fucking rifle." She then quickly lowered the binoculars and dashed back, pulling me down.

The whiz of a rifle round passed over our heads, and Moonlight smirked. "Alright, I know where the fucker is now, follow me."

Dropping from the balcony, we then rushed through another alleyway. Bursting into a side pathway, we charged down it at breakneck speed, then whipped into another ally. There we ran up some stairs and again climbed up onto the roof. Loudly clattering on the metal roof, we made our way to a taller house, of which had a barrel sticking out from a window.

"The walls are weak, just slam into it!" Moonlight yelled as she then rushed forward, and I matched her pace.

We both managed to hit the wall at the same time, our full force causing it to crumble under us. With a slam, dust flew everywhere, and a raider mare in a gas mask whipped her rifle at us. But Moonlight did not even stumble as she rushed the raider and knocked the barrel away right as it fired.

Another raider rushed into the room, armed with what looked like a double barreled pipe shotgun, and quickly aimed it. Instinctively I jumped in the way to sealed Moonlight, protecting my face and neck with my armored hoof. The two barrels fired and I could feel several small hot bits of shot hit me, some hitting soft spots, and others denting my armor. But it felt far less than it should have been. The raider himself was engulfed in a cloud of smoke from the shotgun barrels.

Before he could reload, I rushed in and tackled the raider, not giving a damn about the pain I was in or his spikes as I violently kicked him until he let go of his shotgun. Then as the smoke cleared, I pulled out Rime Frost and began striking the axe head down on the raider until he stopped struggling.

I had a bloody mess at my hooves, and I felt nothing.

Looking back, Moonlight Rose had managed to kill the sniper, the butt of her rifle covered in blood and gore. She then aimed her rifle out the window and fired a shot, stopping to reload.

Rushing over, I dropped my shotgun and pulled out Last Dance. Through the sites I could see that the raiders had charged in, and Cold was doing his best to fight them off. His armor protected him from the raiders melee strikes, but I could see blood seeping from him, and a crack on his goggles.

Aiming at the closed raider to Cold, I fired, killing the bastard.

*Ping* my rifle went as the clip was ejected from it. Quickly reloading, both Moonlight and I then began thinning out the raiders around our friends. As the raiders then quickly fell back, except for one in heavy armor, that charged in. but a bright light then stopped him, and As he fell, I saw Margret floating there, who then aimed her micro flamer down and set the raider on fire.

Aloe and Mint then appeared, firing their single shots as they motioned for the others to follow them.

With us providing sniper cover, the others quickly retreated, rushing out from the breach, and out of sight.

With our job done, I quickly collected the two guns and the ammo on the raiders, and made our way out.

"Follow, we're taking a detour, the raiders must be coming for us." Moonlight said, and I let her take the lead.

Again we jumped onto the roof and then behind the building, sticking to the shadows of a back alley.

The more I watched her the more I was impressed by her. "You're really good at this."

"Not good enough." She huffed as we dashed out from the alleyway and to another one. "I was the second in command of the security for Elysium, but I failed in the end. The raiders got in, overwhelmed us before we could rout them… and the dream of Elysium is now dead."

I gritted my teeth, feeling partly responsible. If it was not for me, Tripwire would never have gotten this far, he would not have gotten that Bailfire egg launcher. Her sister would be alive if I was not so stupid and blind back then.

We then crept around another building, a few raiders in the way, but they quickly ran off through the breach, chasing our friends.

"Maybe it can be rebuilt. We're here to clear out the raiders and rescue the others that were captive." I told her, hoping to lift her spirit.

Moonlight shook her head. "No, not going to happen. The raiders got in, raped and murdered their way through everypony who resisted. But worse, they proved that our walls meant nothing in the end. Nopony will want to return after they defiled our home, it would be too painful after we did so much to keep this place safe."

She grinded her teeth as she held in a scream. "We were so proud of ourselves, and in the end it took less than a day to knock us down. I was so sure we would hold out that I voted for everypony to stay. They wanted to go, said that something was wrong this time. But we were so sure we could easily stop a band of raiders… If I had at least let them leave, Midnight Lily would be alive."

She looked at me, eyes filled with painful regret. "Elysium is dead, and it's all because we were too damn arrogant. My pride killed my sister."

There was no way to convince her that she was wrong, that this was beyond her ability to stop. Nor did I have the right to try. I needed to focus on what I can do, and that's to exterminate the raiders from here.

"My mother always said that pride comes before a fall." A deep bellowing voice spoke up, sending a chill of fear up my spine.

Before we could even defend ourselves, the meaty leg of Spine Breaker swung out and knocked us out into the open.

He laughed as he trotted out into the dim light. Clad in thick spiky armor, his helmet having a skull of some large monster over the face. "So mother always beat me whenever I outshined my sisters. Best day ever when she forgot all about me and left me with the Murder Ballers." I could see a smile form from under the skeleton mask. "Probably why I love to fuck strong mares like you. It teaches you your real place as breeders.

Getting up, I wiped some blood off from my nose, and glaring at that big monster of a unicorn. "How the fuck did you sneak up on us?"

Again he laughed. "Always had to be light on my hooves as a colt, let me get away with things I'd get beaten for even trying."

Trotting out into the open, his horn began to glow from under his helmet, illuminating his eyes in a red ominous light. Large overly designed hammer was brought out, on both hammer ends it had spikes welded to it, stained a dull red and smelled of rust.

Moonlight quickly drew her rifle and fired at the raider boss, screaming, "this time I'll do more then kick your balls you fucking scum!"

Spine Breaker was surprisingly nimble as he dashed to the side, both of us firing our rifles, but they only deflected off his heavy armor. He then leaped forward and brought his hammer down. We saw it coming, and jumped back, but I had not expected a shockwave, sending the two of us flying into and through a house wall.

"Naw, I don't think you will." Spine Breaker said with an amused tone. "But I'll let you suck them."

Getting up, I jumped forward and aimed Last Dance, but only to see the shadow of Spine Breaker above me. With a smile he brought his hammer down, giving me only a second to get out of the way, my rifle caught in the strike.

Again tossed back by the strike, but I somehow managed to catch myself, the Grizzly Gauntlets digging into the floor, letting me slide to a stop.

"And you, I'll have fun publicly fucking you raw again. Show all why I'm the fucking boss." He said as he tossed my bent rifle over at me.

My mind began to wonder again, imagining it. The thought disgusted me, yet I could feel a yearning.

Spine Breaker licked his lips and smiled. "I see that Bandsaw got that curse down right this time. Said you would crawl back to me in time for more. Once I'm done filling up again, get that belly bloated you won't be able to live without me."

*Bange*

A shot hit Spine Brakers head and Moonlight fired her rifle, but the shot only bounced off his thick helmet.

"Die, Die, DIE!" She screamed as she fired again.

The raider boss ducked and then tossed his hammer at her. I watched in horror as the hammer slammed into Moonlight's back legs, and she let out a blood curdling scream. The hammer did not stop, and embedded itself into the floor, and then through it, taking the legs with it. Moonlight's back legs were gone, leaving nothing but flattened and bloody stumps.

"Oh well." Spine Breaker said in amusement. "Not like you're going to need those soon."

Rage built up in me, enough that once again my mind was clear, but not clear enough to think. Just to attack.

Charging in at Spine Breaker, he again swung his hoof, but this time missing as I ducked down, then jumped as soon as his hoof passed over me. The claws of the Grizzly Gauntlets found gaps in his armor and let me hold on and climb onto his back. He immediately bucked, trying to get me off, but I held firm.

"This ain't going to be like last time!" I growled out, and then drew my revolver, firing all six shots into his back.

"I agree, this time I'm not just going to let you leave." He then reared back for a body slam, forcing me to jump off to avoid getting crushed.

Landing on my hooves, I turned in time to see Spine Breaker flip himself over and then ram at me with his head. I managed to avoid the spikes, but was again knocked back, leaving me breathless as I rolled along the ground and into the clearing.

I got up, now noticing that many more raiders had joined, maybe twenty or more, all watching this. It was like the arena all over again, surrounded by vile eyes, wanting to see blood.

The raider boss cracked his neck as he stood tall. "This time I'll turn you into a fuck toy, bound, gagged, and only feeding you my cum until you can't live without it."

As he got closer, I drew the double barreled pipe shotgun, and quietly whispered. “Willow Whips, stay on that bastard.” I then saw the little blue flam spark to life on Spine Breakers shoulder, and I fired.

The black powder rounds immediately engulfed the area around me, the kick of the gun almost shoving me back, likely due to the rounds being overloaded with powder. Even through the smoke I could see Willow Wisp, and with it, Spine Breaker charging at me. Jumping to the side right before the big raider could collide with me, I drew Rime Frost, and slashed him before firing everything in her at the raider.

The smoke quickly dissipated and saw a bloodied Spine Breaker, part of his bone mask had been shattered, and several parts of his armor penetrated by the shot. But he didn’t look any less betten, not even tired. Just hungry.

I ready Mire Frost for a melee fight, knowing this was going to hurt, but I was not going to make it easy for him. Not this time.

Again I could see the light from his horn glow from under his helmet, but before I knew what he was going to do, a cloud of dust and dirt was thrown at my face. Instinctively I covered my face, and then the wind was knocked out of me.

The raiders around me cheered and as I tried to get up again, a heavy hoof pressed down on me. Spine Breaker chuckled with his deep voice. “It’s been a long time since a mare has put up such a fight, longer since one has come back for round two. I will have fun breaking you, making you bear healthy foals to continue my lineage.”

“I… rather die!” I spat out.

“You say that now, but I’ve seen what venues root does to a bitches mind. I bet your cunt is all wet right now, wanting me to fuck you.” He mocked me as I was held in place. “Now why don't you take that stupid suit off, be an obedient bitch, and I’ll be gentle… at first.”

I was too angry to give up like that, too filled with rage to just open my legs. So with a snarl I said, “Just rape me and get it over with.”

He smiled, and I felt my jumpsuit tear as his magic pulled up off me. Spine Breaker then let out a bellowing laugh, and then grabbed my leg with his magic. Lifting me up for all to see.

“Look, fishnets and lace panties. Bitch dresses like a whore under all this shit!” he announced to the laughter of all the other raiders.

“Better than being a raider!” I heard Cold shout, and we looked up to then see the Pegusus dive bomb Spine Braker, knocking him over and then bouncing back to catch me.

“And it was about to get to the good part.” I darkly joke.

Through his cracked goggles I could see his eyes role. “Let's just say that is not my fetish.”

Spine Breaker then groaned as he got up, his helmet having been knocked off. One of his eyes were bloodshot, and several gashes crisscrossed over his face. “Okay, I fuck the pegusus to death first, then publicly breed the mare.” he snarled.

A bright blinding flash of light then engulfed everypony, it loudly popping. What followed was a torrent of gunfire, mixed with confused shouting and some explosions. As my eyes adjusted, I saw Molo, Cauterize, and Spell Circuit rush in, all firing at the raiders that had gathered.

The ex-raider Cauterize fearlessly slammed into a spiked covered raider, and fired his redeye rifle at two more raiders, the heavy rounds smashing through the heavy armor.

Spell Circuit Teleported to high ground, and fired down at several more raiders that were behind cover, killing them before they could understand what was happening.

Molo just rushed into the biggest group, letting loose her larger caliber SMG’s, ripping through the raiders all while manically laughing.

One raider managed to get above us, holding some large gun, but then exploded after getting hit with a bolt. The shooter was Plasma, whom hid begins some rubble with her crossbow

Even as the raiders fought back, the attack was too fast and too vicious for them to counter, causing some to panic and weather charge in or run away. But they were all taken down in the end, and without mercy.

Soon all that was left was a stunned Spine Breaker, who was now surrounded himself.

He smiled, his mouth filled with bloody teeth. “Oh hello Cauterize, how's the bitches.”

“Pregnant and twice as bitchy. How's the mommy issues.” asked back mockingly.

Spine Breaker snarled at him, taking a step forward. “I’ll crush you like the fucking faggot cunt you are. Make you a damn mare, and beg for more dicking!”

Getting out of Cold's hold, I grabbed Mire Frost and with as much strength I could muster, tossed her at the Raider boss head. The axe shotgun spun in the air, and hit him on the side of the head, slicing off an ear before falling to the ground.

The raider stumbled and then glared at me. But then he smiled. “Kill me, but I already know that in you more of me grows. I can feel it, and see it in your eyes.”

I wanted to puke right there. Stab my gut to get the things out. But instead something else came out of my mouth. “Even though, if they're born, they're never going to be raiders. Dead or alive.”

I could feel the eyes of my friends on me, as I stared down the raider who did this to me.

Spine Breaker let out a wicked laugh, low at first, but then grew louder and more manic. “We all become raiders in the end, don’t you deny it. You all feel it, the rush of a kill, the high of chems, and the satisfaction of a good fucking. Soon it will call for you all. When you find out that there's nothing that matters in this shithole world, nothing but what you can take with your own hooves. Everypony else just pretends like they're not raiders, but they all take and take, and take until there is nothing left from you the6 can to take. After that, you will understand, and take it all for yourself. And as you take back your power, and take more and more… you will know it’s joy.”

His eyes narrowed at me, and I could feel something dark and cold within him, like all, the warmth inside him had been long snuffed out, leaving but a husk. "Even if you resist, try to live as a weakling, you will teach those foals, make them into me as you show them violence. Just like my mamma showed me the joy of violence."

A firebomb then smashed into the side of Spine Breaker's head, setting him on fire. Molo then tossed another, breathing heavily with absolute rage and tears in her eyes. “And that joy is hollow, only demanding it be filled, but nothing can fill it, nothing ever can! It only burns everything!”

Again she tossed a third fire bomb, but Spine Braker didn’t move, didn’t scream or even flinch. He just stood there as he burned, staring at me. In the black smoke that bellowed off of him, I knew I could see it, see her looking back at me. Strife was pleased, and it sickened me.

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We all sat at the edge of the cliff, both my friends and the survivors of Elysium. Moonlight managed to survive her wounds, but her back legs could not be saved, yet she didn’t care about that. She had lost something far more important than her back legs, something she would give all her legs to get back.

Looking down at the settlement it burned, engulfed in flames, along with all the bodies. We had thrown the raiders in a pile, collecting what guns and ammo we could use off them. As for the dead townsfolk, they were respectfully taken down from where the raiders put them, and placed on a pile of scrap wood made from the walls, Midnight Lily among them. They would at least have dignity in death, and become ashes. And so Elysium burned, it’s may be dead, but not forgotten.

A large stone had been placed on the cliff, and names carved on it, a memorial to those who died, with space to add more . There we left the survivors to mourn and chisel in more names as we plotted our next cores. They would come with us, but right now they needed space and time. We would give them that.

“You… okay, Lottery?” Plasma reached out to me, a hoof on my shoulder. I knew what she was actually asking, and the answer was clear.

With a deep breath, I just said, “No.”

She nodded. “I… understand. It must be difficult.”

“I’m getting rid of them.” I huffed out. “There's something I can take to rid myself of them.”

“Oh…” Plasma said as she retracted her hoof.

I then felt a squishy hug from behind, Aloe now holding me tightly. “Did you know, why didn’t you tell us!”

Sighing, I then told her, “Wasn’t your business to know.”

“Actually it kindove is.” Mint then said, and then sighed herself. “And before this gets any more awkward, I already knew, I just hoped you would talk to us first before something like that happened.”

I turned to glare at the ghoul, and saw that she had removed her mask, looking at me with her hairless skin and milky white eyes. It caused me to freeze in confusion, unable to think of anything to say.

Mint then continued. “I am practically your personal nurse right now, so I need to know these things. Including needed to drink a poison to induce an abortion. Of which I’d advise against such a barbaric practice.”

“And what, just accept this!” I finally respond.

She shook her head. “I’m not saying that, not at all. Just that… well I wish there were better options. It would be safer for you to just give birth, then decide what to do with the foals after. As abortion has never been safe, even with our advanced tech at the time, it just never… worked right.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“It’s complicated.” Mint huffed, then explained. “First off, Equestria never really saw abortion as a thing, ponies just never got one… well until everypony started going crazy because of the war. Then things started to happen and more and more mares found themselves with unwanted pregnancies, and wanted a way out. That's when we found out that… well… magickly ponies resist such things. And it often damages the mare trying to do so.”

I felt even more confused. “So, what… we magically resist abortions?”

Mint shrugged. “Simply put, yes. Not that it’s all that far fetched. I mean our mains resist magic too, it’s why you can’t just magically grow your mane. But for foals, it’s like that magic is a hundred times stronger.”

"It also didn't help that such things were severely looked down upon." Aloe added. "The Ministry of Peace didn't support it, and the Ministry of Image would keep it out of the public eye. Also, from what I had heard, it was next to impossible to get any funding to research a safe way to do it."

"And what Ursa's Rest offers, it's more folk medicine than anything. Very deadly folk medicine." Mint added.

As though feeling the tension within me, Mint then put her mask back on, and said to me. "Just talk with us later about it. What we think you should or should not do doesn't matter, what matters is that you decide on your own with a clear mind about it."

"Alright… I'll do that." I told them, and the two ghouls then trotted off. I then looked over and saw a fidgety Plasma. She was scratching her leg while trying not to look over at our male friends. So with a sigh, it was my turn to pry into someone's business. "Fantasizing as well."

She almost jumped in place, then became smaller as she curled up into herself. "What… ahh… no…" I raised an eyebrow at her and she caved. "Yes, but I can't control it."

This time I gave the hug. Partly to help distract myself and partly because it's what friends do. "It's alright, has started happening to me too."

She then relaxed. "If I don't keep myself busy…" she then mumbled the rest, her face burrowing into my chest. Then… sniffing? Plasma then pushed herself away from me, eyes looking at the ground. "S...sorry."

Great, now I was turning her on. Though she had been through more than me, so it was understandable. "It's okay, I don't swing that way, so no worry."

"I, ahhh… don't as well." Plasma began scratching her leg again. "C...can I have some sp...space."

I didn't want to push things, so I did just that. "Alright then, goodnight."

There was another pony I needed to talk to before I also turned in for the night, she lowered down the cliff, watching things burn up close. Seeing Molo there in front of the flames, it was a sight to behold. And when she looked back and saw me, there was something there that wasn't my strong and enduring friend. She seemed smaller, more fragile.

"Hay Lottery, here to feel the fire. Nice and warm." She then reached out her hooves, as though warming them at a campfire.

Trotting over, I did the same, though the heat was a bit more than I would like. "A bit too warm I say."

She shrugged. "Maybe, I think my ability to feel heat has… degraded. Life as a raider will do that. You know. Make you numb to everything."

"But you're not a raider anymore." I told her.

Molo paused for a long moment, clearly thinking of something. "Ya, but I was. And that life, it stays with you. Always. And I fear they will know, and they will hate me for it. Just like..."

"It will be fine, you're a good pony, and I say, my best friend." I told her.

But Molo then shook her head. "No I'm not. I chased that high, and tried to fill the emptiness in my heart. But it only hurts everypony around me. I'm scared, I'm scared of being alone again, being thrown out."

She then placed her head on my shoulder, and sighed. "All I know how to do is drag other ponies along with me."

I patted her on the back, "And it saved me, will save your daughters. I know it."

Again she paused, something about her seemed tense. "You don't understand, you were a fluke, a happy and wonderful accident. And the closer I get to them, the more I feel like my luck will run out, and the raider will return."

There was a loud crack from Elysium, and we then watched as a building collapsed.

"I beat him." Molo said with a pained voice and tears in her eyes. "I beat my colt, I made him fear me. I'd get high, and once that high came down, he'd be cowering in the corner, covered in bruises. His father had to beat me to keep me from killing him. His mani mare was more of a mother to my colt then I was, and I beat her for it."

She then covered her eyes, hiding her tears. "Spine Breaker is wrong about you, but… all that is true about me. Because I am a monster, a raider, and I feel it calling me. If I don't find them, if I can't be a mother, a real mother… I know I'll go and never come back."

I didn't know what to say, or what to do. What Molo just told me left me conflicted. She is my friend, a pony who saved me. But she was also a raider, the same kind of ponies we just fought and killed.

All I could do was hold her as a blazing fire burned everything before us to ash.

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