Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale

Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale, Chapter Seventy Five

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Prickly had wasted little time cleaning up the remaining raiders. Without their defense system, and with most of the raiders outside of the base, there was no stopping the Pear Valley tribe's berserkers from wreaking havoc. What defense the center still had was cut down without mercy.

Not long after the hostages were brought out, along with many other prisoners. It was no small amount of ponies that had been held here, so many that I was left shocked. How could they have held so many ponies, how did they feed them all.

But then I remembered the kitchen and I puked.

"Monsters, they deserved a far worse death than what we gave them." Prickly huffed out as she observed the march of mutilated ponies.

Far too many of them had been blinded and amputated, needing to be carried out. "By Celestia… what will become of them?" I asked

"Likely, they will be euthanized." Grizzly said as she also watched the nightmarish sight. "Nopony would want to live blind dumb and legless. Though I doubt they even understand what is happening to them anymore."

"Death is a mercy they deserve. May their next life be a peaceful one." Prickly added.

I couldn't argue with them, and seeing those mares being turned into nothing more than breeding mares, unable to feel the world other than pain. They must have long gone insane. Even I would have rather been killed then become like that… and likely, that's what was going to happen to me if I had not gotten free.

Shaking off the thought, and wanting to change the topic, I asked. "So, this should be the end of the fiends, right?"

Grizzly shook her head. "Not yet, no. But without their fortress shelter, their days are numbered. They are now like any other raider out there, and we will hunt them down to the last."

That at least made me feel less sick, knowing that the tragedies that happened here have ended. I held no fantasy that this was the end to all raiderdom, or that things were truly better, but at least at this time and this place, Equestria had been improved. I just wish I understood all that before I trotted out into the wasteland, maybe then I would have not fallen for Tripwire's charms.

"Maybe, if we're lucky, we could eradicate all raider activities in this region for the foreseeable future." Plasma said as she trotted over, both her sandbags filled with tech she managed to scavenge.

I gave her a bitter smile. "If only. But so long as there is a wasteland, there will be more raiders. Still, it's a nice goal to work for."

"And not impossible." Prickly said with pride. "In Pear Valley tribal lands, we don't have raider problems. Bandits occasionally, but they rarely overstep or overstay their welcome, and don't like raiders in their general territory. So keeping raiders out just takes vigilantes, a strong community, and sometimes paying off your local bandits."

"And brutally slaughtering those who even dare to threaten your community." Grizzly added.

Prickly nodded. "Of course, we don't have the luxury of being able to hug out our problems. If there is a threat, it must be destroyed or risk being destroyed by it. And if anything threatens my children, they will be destroyed without remorse."

We watched as a few more ponies were escorted out of a building, but this group was… strange. Malformed, they resembled ponies, but not quite. The more I looked at them the more a deep sense of dread sunk into the pit of my stomach. Their bloated pregnant bellies, unnaturally large and leaking breasts, one whose tongue hung lower than a pony shouted. But they also had small fleshy wings, two little horns, and twisted cloven hooves. But worst of all was that I could see the cursed tattoo having wrapped around their waist and moved up their bodied

"Was that what I was becoming?" I had to ask.

"Maybe." Prickly said. "They could just be failed attempts at the cures, and allowed to run their cores. Where they got the venus root, or the knowledge on how to make the curse we do not know. But my father suspects their whole experiment in this may be a more recent trend."

"Then who started that… Tripwire!" I said accusingly.

But Prickly shook her head. "Not his style. Likely some other malicious force gave them the root and curse. There are other evils out there Lottery, never forget that."

"And I pray we never cross paths then." I said, glad I couldn't even imagine why anypony would do such a thing. Giving raiders such a cruel thing, and for what? Was it for some grand plan, or just for shits and giggles?

Two tribals trotted over, carrying a cloth wrapped body in a stretcher. Flies buzzed around it, and the smell of rot was rather pungent. But none of that mattered, as I knew who this was.

"C… can I look at her?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'd advise not to. There wasn't much left of her before the raiders took her. " Grizzly warned.

I didn't heed the warning, and trotted over to Molo's body, and took a look. I expected to wretch, to faint in shock, or burst into tears. But no, I just felt numb and empty as I looked at her mutilated face. "There was just enough of her left that I was positive that it was Molo. Tuffs of her mane and fur, some of her jewelry, and a few of her chipped teeth. But her eyes were gone, much of her flesh burnt, and a leg was missing.

"Thank you, thank you so much Molo. If you never pulled me out of that dark place and pushed me forward, I may have never gotten myself free of it. You say that you're not a good pony, but to me you were the best of us, and that's all I care about." I covered her face, letting her have her dignity. "I'm going to miss you, and if I have a daughter, I'll name her after you. Sparkling Passion, ya, that's a good name. Though, I much rather have you with me, see you finally be the mother you wanted to be."

The tears finally came, and I couldn't hold them back. "You idiot, you fool… you beautiful moron. Why did you do it! Why couldn't you find another way? All of what I suffered, I'd suffer again if it meant you were back with me." It hurt, more than anything. All that I had been through pales in comparison to this loss, and there was nothing I could do to make this pain stop.

I felt Grizzly place her hoof on my shoulder. "It's okay, let it all out." She told me, and I grabbed her and began to wail uncontrollably.

There was no fixing dead. Everything else could be corrected, but the dead, they will never return.

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Outside Ursa's Rest was a graveyard, simple, yet in the last few weeks had been expanded and well cared for. Rocks were placed on top of where bodies lay, and crude wooden grave markers placed in front of them with the deceased's name carved on.

Molo's grave had been made days ago, only needing the body, and so as soon as we returned, her cloth wrapped body had been taken to it, and layed inside. I stood guard over her as ponies and griffins slowly trickled in to pay their respects, dropping a bit of dirt over her each.

There were faces I recognized, and those I didn't, some looking hard from life, and some soft as could be. Many were part of the militia, and a fair few were Showroom mares. But all of them were quiet, keeping whatever they said to Molo between them and the grave before moving on.

Looking around, there were so many fresh graves, some still being dug, and others just starting their burial with their own mourners present. So much death, yet, so many ponies who cared, who are hurt by the loss. They were loved, and that love became an emptiness from their passing. And why, all because a few ponies believed they knew better then others, and they should be in control of everything. For it, good ponies had to die to stop them.

Knowing that I had a part to play in this tragedy made me feel more tainted than anything that had been done to me. In some way, I had been the one that killed them all.

Even Molo's death was in part my fault.

"Lottery." Spell Circuit said softly as he trotted up to me. He was the last one here to pay his respects, and with him was Crown and Flashed. "Thank you for recovering her body. She at least deserved a proper send-off."

"Don't thank me. She deserves to be alive, not… like this." I did my best to keep myself from choking up, but even now it was still hard.

Spell looked solom, at the edge of falling apart, yet still held together. "I… I know. By Celestia I know."

He then trotted past me, scooping up a bit of dirt and looking into the grave. Though he was quiet, I could still hear his last words to Molo. "I'm so sorry Sparking, so so sorry. If only I was not such a fool, if only I paid attention. None of this would have happened. You deserved a better life, a chance at raising your daughters, to be… happy. But because I ran away, because I was so ignorant about everything, you were left behind. I didn't mean to cause you suffering, but because of my actions you suffered so much… I promise you, I'll raise our girls right. Give them the life you wanted for them."

The dirt fell, and dragging his hooves, Spell trotted back to his daughters. He and I both shared a similar guilt, it hanging heavy on our shoulders, crushing us. But I could see it in his eye, that he hadn't given up, and though the dead can't be brought back, there were other things we could do to fix things. We both had the determination to end what we both helped start.

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I had stuck around until the grave digger finished burying Molo, and helped him place the rocks over her grave. I wanted to see it until its end, hoping that maybe it would just turn out to be a bad dream, and Molo would show up all smiles and scuffed up. But once the last bit of dirt had been moved, and the last rock had been placed, so had that last hope faded. All that was left for me was to remember her and move on.

Despite the warm air, the trot back to the penthouse felt cold and heavy, but I just put one hoof in front of the other until I made my way through the doors. Even though the room was filled with ponies, it was quiet, further reminding me of the bitter sweet victory we had accomplished.

"It never gets easier, trust this old mare on that." Lucky Shot told me as she passed a cup to me.

It smelled fruity, with the barest hint of alcohol. Sipping it, it tastes nice and made me feel warmer. "Thanks… I know what I need to do, but I can't help but feel… lost."

"You did truly care for her, didn't you." Lucky Shot said as she pulled me into a hug. "Then I have some advice. You see, if there is a place we go after death, and those who we love wait for us there, then you should focus on making them proud. So when your time comes and you move onto the unknown, you will have stories to tell them, and ponies you'll want them to meet. It makes getting old bearable at least."

A smile crept on my face, though it didn't last long. "I'll do that."

Letting me go, I trotted over to the one pony who knew Molo better than me, finding Cauterize at the penthouse bar. He now had a crud pegleg, and was still bandaged up, but still very much alive. Looking at me, he huffed out, "didn't think that was her plan."

"What?" I said, a bit confused.

"The bomb vest." He said, and slammed back his drink. "She had always been a mad bomber, but didn't think she do that. Sorry, I should have seen it coming, but I missed the signs. The jitters, mood swings, and later that calm. Generally psychos go through that, but she didn't look like she was going psycho."

"You mean she was, what, going crazy?" I asked.

Cauterize shook his head. "She was already crazy. Being a raider for years will do that to you. But there is a breaking point even past going raider, where they become a danger to everypony around them. We normally pump them full of chems and send them out on suicided runs. And looking back on it, Molo was likely on the edge of it for a long time now." He let out a long sigh as he looked into his cup with a genuine sadness in his eyes. "When I lost my mare and son, after I got my revenge, I actually stumbled into her crew and thought that I might as well go out the same way as my loved ones. But she instead sat down and talked with me. I think she was high off her flank at the time too, but it was what I needed to start moving on."

"She has a way to do that." I said, getting a smile from the big stallion. "Oh, by the way, were you told about a filly we picked up."

"Spur, ya. The little shit stain is with my mares. Figure they would do a better job straitening her up them my fucked up sister." He said, bitterly chuckling to himself. "Ya I know, why not abandon Spur, no sweat off my balls… but when Spur was born, I was the one who cared for her whenever my sister was in a foul mood. For a time she was rather sweet. That was before she started acting like her mother." Cauterize then tipped his glass at me. "Thanks for sparing her, most ponies don't pay raiders a second thought, even the foals."

"She's with Dust and Smoke, maybe it would have been a mercy to leave her at the center." I said, half joking.

He shrugged. "I doubt Spur will learn anything unless beaten into her. It's that, or she'll get shot by some wastelander she tried to rob."

"Fair enough, I got beat by my Pa a few times for putting myself in danger… can't imagine the level of beating I have coming for me now." I said, half joking.

Cauterize nodded. "Now that I know he ran with Lucky Shot, even I would fear that kind of beating."

Sharing a laugh, I moved on, finding Sparkling Delight at the couch, combing Wiretap's mane. Next to them was Cable, who was wearing her mothers eyepatch like a bracelet. On the coffee table in front of them was the rifle Desert Rose, with Plasma putting it back together.

"Are you all… well doing okay?" I asked, knowing the answer was no.

"Just keeping my mind busy until Doctor Helga is ready with our cure." Plasma said.

"I miss her." Wiretap huffed.

"Same here." I told her. Then I turned my attention to Sparkling. "About… Shrimp, did I miss his send off?"

Sparkling nodded. "Yes, but we changelings don't do it the same as you ponies do. And they like to be private about it. But thanks for thinking about him."

"He was a good stallion." I said as I looked around, not seeing Spell or his daughters.

"There in the bedroom. It's been understandably complicated for them." Sparkling told me.

"Thanks." I told her with a nod, and trotted down to the bedroom.

Inside was just as quiet as the rest of the penthouse, though the closeness could not be found here as Spell and his daughters sat on opposite sides of the room. Crowned was still being stand-offish, with Flashed clinging onto her. Spell on the other hoof just looked lost.

Also, in the room was the gun case I had taken, and then remembered what was inside. "Damnit Molo, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you." I said under my breath as I trotted to the gun case.

"Crown, Flashed. Your mother left you something, it's not much, but I'm sure she wanted you to have them." I said as I opened up the case.

"We don't want it!" Crown protested.

"Be that way, but it still doesn't change the fact that this is yours." I pulled out one of the well crafted pipe SMG's.

Crown rolled her eyes. "A gun, typical." But then Flashed jumped out from behind her sister, looking at the SMG. "Sis, get back here!"

But Flashed trotted over, getting a closer look at the gun. "That's a 10mm Burp gun the griffins make. But it looks different."

"You can tell?" I asked in surprise. She had to be around ten years old, but knew that this gun had been modified.

She nodded. "My friend Javelina always had blueprints of them, her father is one of the head gunsmiths of the factories." Letting her take the gun, her eyes went wide. "Oh, this has high end steel parts replacing the cheaper scrap parts, and a longer heavy barrel for more control!"

Before she could do more with it, Spell lifted the SMG out his daughters hooves, removing the magazine and pulling back on the charging handle, ejecting a bullet. "Thought as much." He said with a sigh. With a blur of magic, the other five SMG's were removed from the gun case, all unloaded and double checked. "Okay, continue."

Both Flashed and I looked at the awkward fool for a moment, and then started laughing.

"W… what?" He asked in confusion.

"Just that, well… you just did a dad thing." I told him.

Spell looked rather embedded, and clearly a loss for words. It was clear he was still new to all this, but at least he was trying.

I looked over at Crown, who seemed more annoyed. "What?" She asked in an irritated tone.

"I'm not going to force you to get along with us, but can't you at least try to look less upset about being here?" I asked the filly.

"Why should I, you all were friends of that raider! From what I've seen, you and those other ponies are no different." She told me.

At this point, Crown was quickly becoming the most irritating filly I had ever met, though that likely had to do with her being roughly Wiretap's age. It made it worse that I wanted to argue with her, but I knew she would not care.

A tugging on my sleeve drew my attention to Flashed, the younger filly looking up at me with wide eyes. "Umm… miss… who was my mother? Did she really fight the bad ponies, or was Miss Catalyst right and she was a bad pony? There were so many who came to see her… I don't think a bad pony would have so many ponies come to say goodby."

I took a deep breath as I collected my thoughts. "It's…hard to tell. But from what I saw, and what she told me, she was a pony caught up in a bad situation. Molotov… no, your mother, Sparking Passion, did what she could to survive, and that's what led her to becoming a raider. But as soon as she could get you two back, she threw it all away just to find you." I patted the young filly on the head, ruffling her mane. "But to me, she was a good pony deep down, and truly cared for others deeply. And the wasteland hurts ponys who care, and she was the most hurt pony I had ever met, yet that never stopped her. Without her, none of this would be possible… without her, I wouldn't be standing here today, and the bad ponies would be hurting so many others."

Kneeling down to get eye to eye with Flashed. "Your mother did her best to make things better, all so that you and your sister would have a safer Equestria to live in. I know in my heart that she was a truly good pony. One that loved you more than anything, and that love for you is what helped her drag herself out of a dark place. A place most ponies never get out of."

Tears began to form in Flashed's eyes, a lip quivering. "I… I… always wanted to meet my mother." As she began to cry, I held her, letting her wail into my chest.

I caught a glance of Crown as she looked away, hiding a tear. Had I finally gotten through to her? Maybe, but I doubt she would admit to it. I just wish Molo had been here, had finally gotten to embrace her daughters as the mother she wanted to be

It all made me hate Catalyst so much more now. That the damage she did prevented my best friend from this, and led her to do what she did. Catalyst from the very start had fucked over Molo, and lead her on this chase, only to poision the well out of spite.

Looking over at Spell Circuit, it was clear he had been hurt just as much. That his whole family never told him, never thought he deserved to know. That in all likelihood, his father knew about Crown, and all these years said nothing. That right up to the end, Tripwire was the favorite son, and he wasn't even spared a second thought.

Reaching out to him, I told Spell, "I think she needs her father."

Hesitant, Spell lifted his cybernetic hoof and stopped, examining the cold mettle, then his eye, red and soulless. But he himself had life, and through him the cold metal seemed less cold. Trotting over, he embraced Flashed, and she, letting go of me, latched onto him.

I stepped back, watching the two, and seeing Crown peeking. It was a family moment, so I decided that it was time to give them some privacy.

"Lottery…" Spell spoke up. "Thank you, thank you for saving me."

I shook my head. "No, you're the one who saved me, remember."

"But if you had not gotten to the manor, had not stood up to my brother. I don't think I would have woken up. I might have just kept running away and never done anything." He then patted his daughter on the head. "I would never have met Sparking Passion again, and through her, found out about them. I have a family worth caring about, and that's because of you."

Saying nothing as I backed out, I saw Crown creeping to her father nervously, and with a smile I closed the door.

Trotting down the hall, everything was still quiet, with everypony keeping to a whisper

Finding a place to sit, Plasma then joined me. "So, how did that go?"

"I hate Tripwire and Catalyst even more." I replied.

Plasma nodded. "I get that, scum, the both of them."

"Say Plasma, are you sure you're not into Spell?" I then asked.

She let out a long sigh. "I'm sure. Anyways, he deserves a mare who's more… clean. You know."

I wanted to say I didn't know, but I did, I fully understood.

Plasma then gave me a little hug. "I'm sure he will be fine, so stop worrying about others love life for once, okay."

I nodded back. "Ya, I'm sure they're going to be fine."

Finally letting myself relax, my eyes became heavy, and slowly, I let myself sleep.

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