Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale

Fallout Equestria: A Wastelander Tale, Chapter Seventy Eight

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"Now tell me Lottery, think back to those bad times, when the curse had you enthralled, do they feel the same?" Mint asked me in the privacy of the doctor's back room. She had rushed over after we had been de-cursed, and wanted to check our heads before letting us go. I didn't argue, as I wanted to get all this over as soon as possible

Thinking back, something did feel differently about my memories. "I don't know, it's hazy, like a dream. Sometimes it's crystal clear, but more like I'm watching somepony else. I still hate it, and it makes me feel dirty to remember it, but not as much as I think it should."

Mint nodded, "sorry to push you through this, but any memories from that time that pop out stronger?"

It was a bit confusing why she was doing this, but the mare had over two hundred years on me. "Hmm… I think there are a few. Like the time with the dog, or when they used hooks. But it still feels distant. It makes me feel angry, absolutely pissed off that it happened."

"Yet not as much as it did before, right?" Mint asked me.

I nodded, "Is this a good or bad thing, Mint?"

My ghoul friend sighed. "Hard to tell really. Curses are difficult to understand, and removing them have… unpredictable effects. Some memory loss is common, along with a hangover-like state. Here it seems that anything involving the venus root curse is left in a haze in your memory. Possibly getting repressed."

I smiled. "So I'm going to be good then."

"I can't say for sure." She said, looking conflicted. "At best, what trauma you suffered is going to be softened. At worst, the memories will come back bit by bit, still fresh and vivid."

That second part… sounded concerning. "What do you suggest then?"

She thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head. "I have my notes, practically a dictation of what you told me. So I can do more of that for you, and make sure everything is well documented. It may seem cruel, but forgetting what causes your trauma will only prevent us from treating it. Unfortunately there is no quick fix to mental health, otherwise raiders wouldn't be such a problem."

I didn't like the idea, having her write down what was done to me. It sounded like forcing myself to stay in those moments, never leaving them. "You sure that's a good thing, Mint, can't I just move on, and not dwell on that?"

She smiled as best as she could with her leathery skin. "Oh Lottery, It's not the only thing we will do. By Celestia that would be too cruel. No. Actually I've been writing down a plan for everypony who has come to see me. Group therapy is necessary, helps ponies know they're not alone, but I think they need something to aspire to, a goal to achieve. It's actually something I would do with other ghouls when they showed signs of going feral. And it might be what ponies need to help them get stronger."

I cocked an eyebrow, "you sure."

"Well that's the thing, I don't know, but if we do nothing, ponies will only continue to fall into despair." Mint rubbed her arm with her hoof, her insecurity clear to me. "But that's why I'm going to ask for help. As you know, Doctor Coriander, I, and the others have been isolated for a long time. We had done leaps and bounds in our own research and practice, but without any peer-to-peer-review of any of it, it could just be our wishful thinking. So I'm planning on seeking out the Followers of the Apocalypse."

"You mean the group started by the hero Velvet Remedy!" I said in surprise.

Mint nodded. "Actually several of their members had shown up to offer their aid. As it turns out, they are attempting to rebuild what is effectively the Ministry of Peace, but without the Ministry part to get in the way of peace. It's possible that other ponies like myself are out there, and would come to join in hopes of sharing their knowledge. I know I want to."

"Then why not go now?" I asked.

She then chuckled, though it sounded more like she was gurgling rocks. "And leave you, Plasma and the others to go wild, no way in Tartarus. Once we're sure you're all in good hooves, then we will set off, but not before. Aloe and Basil are already writing down medical aid manuals for the few who want to learn the craft. Along with Doctor Coriander, who is helping Chain Lightning learn more advanced medic knowledge as they save lives."

"You four have really been Celestia sent, you know." I told her.

Mint shook her head. "No, far from it. If only we had not hidden ourselves away, then we may have saved so many others. Yes we may have died out there, but that's the risk we should have taken. But you, you guided us out and back into Equestria. All the ponies we saved from that day on, and will save, it's because of you, Lottery."

Her words didn't make me feel any less guilty, but it was good to know that the ponies I had helped, went on to help others. It was a small thing to help fix the damage my ignorance had caused.

"Say Mint, I heard you got a bit too close to the venus root salve?" I said with a mischievous grin as I playfully jabbed her.

Mint's face somehow turned red in embarrassment. "H… hay now, that stuff is potent you know. Love poisons do crazy stuff to ponies, like real crazy."

I began to laugh, then so did she, and the more I laughed the better I felt. I had a feeling that so long as Mint and the others were around to help, things were going to be okay.

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Once Mint had given the three of us the all clear, Plasma, Silver, and I returned to the penthouse for some much needed rest. Fortunately it seemed that the other two had the same symptoms as I did, and their memories were hazy. Though unfortunately much of their abuse happened before they were cursed, so things haven't changed much in that regard.

Even I could still clearly remember when Grinder first had his way with me, and the pain Spine Breaker thrusted into me. But everything after that was more like a hazy nightmare.

"So, you all want to go to the Showroom to celebrate?" Plasma asks as soon as my flank hit the couch.

"Why!?" I asked in annoyance. "Haven't you alredy fucked a lifetime of stallions?"

Plasma flopped down on the other couch and cuddled a pillow. "Fine! We can do it another day. But I mean, what's the worst that could happen, I get double pregnant?"

Silver found a spot next to Plasma, looking a bit lost. "I think Lottery's right. We should take a break from that. I know that I no longer desire to do any of that now that the curse's influence is gone."

"Really?" I asked.

Silver remained silent for several seconds, nervously messing with her hooves. "It's hard to say actually. My actual memories are still… incomplete. But I remember doing such things before the raiders found me. It was always by the request of others or the guidance of mother… I mean the Goddess. Never doing any of it as my own decision."

Sitting up, Plasma gave Silver a hug. "Right, it still feels odd that you're one of those mutants. At least it explains your tongue, strange as it is."

The mutant alicorn stuck her nearly black tongue at Plasma. "Actually that comes from my Waste pony heritage. Mint told me as such."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Right, the ponies who live in the radiation areas, the ones who the Goddess avoids taking. How does Mint know about them?"

Silver scratched her chin, clearly struggling to remember. "She told me about them days ago, so it's a bit hazy… but I think she told me that what other ponies call waste ponies are actually ghouls… I think."

Now Plasma raised an eyebrow. "She's probably shitting with you."

But Silver shook her head. "No, she actually introduced me to a Waste pony family not long after I recovered from being drained by the changelings. They were a bit weathered and a little ghoulish looking, well the older ones, their foals looked more like normal ponies. They even confirmed that their parents were ghouls, as strange as it sounds. Oh and they all had black tongues like me."

I then remembered Mint mentioning them. "Right, they were with the group of ghouls we saved when I first found Mint. Never get around checking them out due to… well you know."

Plasma then face hoofed. "Right, some ponies theorized this."

"What?" Silver and I asked.

"In the Steel Rangers archives, several elder scribes theorized the possible evolution of wastelanders." Plasma stopped to think for a moment, looking a bit serious as he did. "It is actually related to why Steel Rangers have taken such a hardline separation to wastelanders. As a lot of them believed that the common wastelander will evolve into living ghouls, with some examples. They suspect that it will also cause intelligence among them to drop… but if what you say about waste ponies is correct. They may have just picked up a few waste ponies and thought those were what ponies in the wasteland are becoming. Do you know what this could mean?"

Silver and I looked at Plasma, then at each other, then back at Plasma.

"You do know were not eggheads, right?" I asked Plasma.

Our overly smart friend then sighed. "Sorry, this is something I should bring up with the other scribe's. Thankfully their Applejack Rangers, so they should be more open to ideas that conflict with their preconceptions."

I then smirked, feeling like teasing my friend. "So, you don't consider yourself a Steel Ranger, since you so open to new ideas."

Plasma shot me an annoyed glare, but quickly relaxed. "You… might be right." She said.

That caught me off guard "Wait, I was joking!"

But Plasma shook her head. "No, no I am not. After what I've been through, I realized that I was never much a Steel Ranger. Always avoiding others through work, my head in a terminal, or doing some mechanical work. The regimented lifestyle was just… too restrictive for me. But out here I think I'm finally more myself."

"Your talking about sex aren't you?" Silver then asked.

Plasma gave an embarrassed smile. "Maybe. Give me some time to sort my head out. But I'm also taking about making my own tech. My crossbow, Colds power armor, and the two IF-64's I welded together. Such things are seen as a grave offense in the Rangers. But out here, nopony cares."

She then tapped her hooves together. "Well and maybe I'd like to stay close to the brothel, for you know, some fun." I watched as Plasma then wiped some drool from her lips, and I knew that this girl was probably a lost cause.

So I turned my attention to Silver. "So now that your no longer cursed, any plans?" I asked.

"M… maybe." She said nervously. "I though I may go with the alicorns… but even though I'm technically one of them, I'm not. But I may have family out in the nopony zone, and the waste pony family is planning on returning to those areas in such of others like them. Normal ponies make them feel… uneasy. And I understand that feeling."

Plasma reached out and held Silver's hooves. "So you plan to look for your family?"

Silver nodded. "Yes, and my teleportation ability will help the waste ponies get around the more dangerous areas. I don't hold out hope of actually finding my family, but it would be good for me to leave this place behind. Far behind."

It was sad to know that she would be leaving just as we finally got to know each other. But it was good that she would find a place where she belonged. "Well I for one hope you find your family. Or at least fined a new family to care for."

She smiled at me. "Thanks, Lottery. But what about you?"

"I'm not sure." I said as I thought about it. "I do know I should go back home and let my Ma and Pa know I'm fine. But after that… I might come back. I know it's not my fault for what Tripwire is doing and has done, but I still feel responsible for it. So I want to give back, do something to improve the lives of the ponies here. Hunting down the last of the raiders and slavers is one thing, but there is so much more."

"You could take Pecan up on her offer, and help her get her family farm backup and working." Plasma suggested.

That I was not all that sure of. "Sorry if I'm not going to trust the offer of a professional prostitute and self admitted gambling addict."

Plasma shrugged. "Hey, there's worse ponies to trust. But if you do decide to stick around, I'm sticking with you. I'm sure whatever you go off and do, your going to need my help."

"Thanks, but don't take offense to this, but if I go home I rather you stay as far from my family as possible." I told her.

She laughed. "Oh come on, I ain't gonna hit on your pa or nothing."

I squinted at her. "No seriously, I don't trust you to not try and flirt with my Pa. Anyways, I want to keep as much about what I did at the Red Light Showroom as secret as possible."

"Okay, okay. I get it. No telling your parents about you fucking around." Plasma said, sounding more amused then serous. The she let out a sigh. "Actually, I should ask Elder Honeycrisp if she could locate my parents, see if they went Applejack Ranger and if they could come here. Last I heard, their Contingent was based in route 52, but information from there is a bit chaotic at the moment."

"Well I hope their fine, though I'm sure their not going to want to know about your hobbies here." I told her.

"Ya, though I'm not sure they would care all that much. All about the mission and such. I just like to know if they're doing alright." She said, then flopped back down.

As we settled down, the door opened, and a rather frazzled looking High Pressure trotted in with Pecan by her side. Where the once straight laced pegasus now looked like a train wrecked brothel mare, the zony was back in her dirty overalls, looking more like a farm pony then a prostitute.

I waved at the two, and High hid her face.

"It cant have been that bad can it?" I asked.

Pecan pushed Hight to the bar, saying, "she's fine, just suffering from the after effects of a chem rush… and realizing who she fucked."

High Pressure kicked Pecan in the shin, causing the zony mare to jump back. "Sorry, sorry."

The pegasus trotted over to the bar, grabbing a pitcher of water and began to chug the whole thing. She let out a desperate sigh once she finished all the water off. "Fuck all of you, fuck you all to Tartarus!"

I lifted my hooves up in a defensive manner. "Hay, I had no part of whatever you were involved in." Then I looked over at Pecan, glaring at her, "and what are you doing here?"

Pecan rolled her eyes at me. "Hey now, can a mare visit a former coworker? And who was it that got you that good client early on."

"Please don't remind me, he was, ehhh." I said remembering a rather embarrassing night.

"Oh the one that had you trot them around like a pet." Low Pressure said as he trotted on, dressed in the same outfit as his sister. Cold Trails followed behind, looking less than happy.

"You know I'm not above knocking a tooth out of you, Low." I told my narcissistic friend.

Low shrugged. "Fine fine, that's all in the past anyways. Speaking of which, how did the cure go? Feeling less horny and shit?"

"For the most part, normal. But only time will tell." I said, then pointed at Silver, "She's finally stopped trying to fuck everyone, but" my hoof then moved to Plasma, "she still wants to go back to the Showroom."

"It was a suggestion, Lottery." Plasma said, defending herself.

Turning my gaze back to Low, a bit of morbid curiosity washed over me. "And you, isn't fucking your sister a bit much, even for you?"

Cold tripped over his hooves as Plasma fell off her couch.

A loud groan came from High Pressure. "Celestia fucking damnit!"

But Low remained unfazed. "Well that was… more due to a chem haze then anything I actually wanted to do. I never make the best decision when high, ya know."

Cold then gave Low a shove, "you, go get washed, now. Grizzly wants you and your sister ready to work soon." Low trotted off, giving Cold a wink as he entered the washroom.

"How bad was it, getting them here?" I asked Cold, eyeing some lipstick on his neck. "And what did you have to do?"

He traced my eyes and rubbed his neck. Sighing when he saw the remains of the lipstick. "Ya, it was rather ugly, unless you like the scene of an orgy. Fortunately by the time I got there to get them, the other ponies were bussy fucking each other then piling onto them."

Pecan then trotted over and lent on Cold. "Hay, don't forget that I was the one who pulled them out and hosed them down. And I didn't charge him much to do it for him."

I narrowed my eyes onto Zony. "Realy, what deal did you get him to agree to?"

She let out a little laugh. "Just a date, that's all."

"Sorry, Lottery. No pony else was willing to get them for me, and I didn't think you'd want to get in that mess." Cold apologized.

I took a moment to take a deep breath, collecting myself. "It's… fine. Truthfully, I already got so much shit going on right now that I don't have the right to pin you down."

Out of the blue, Pecan then hugged me. "Damnit Lottery, stop tearing yourself down like that!" After an awkward moment, she then let me go. "You already missed your opportunity with Horus, don't just let a good stallion get away again for crying out loud!"

I was confused, really confused. "B… but aren't you trying to get him for yourself?"

"Well ya!" She said confidently. "But it's not like a stallion can't have several mares. My own Pa had three wives, and the first two he had at the same time, bless his heart. My ma was his third after the other two got gotten fighting raiders. My eldest bro has two wives right now, so it ain't no thing if my stallion got another mare."

Plasma let out a groan. "Why do you sound so weird when off work Pecan?"

The zony let out another laugh. "Honey, that there is called ta working accent. Tis for making caps." She then trotted past me, giving me a bump. "Oh, and I do swing both ways, so I do enjoy a threesome, best of both side under ta sheets."

A wave of disgust ran along my spine. No, not no way was I doing any of that with another mare… well not again I mean.

Pecan then helped Plasma back up, and found a seat between her and Silver, holding them close.

I returned my attention back to Cold and let out a sigh, but before I could say anything, he spoke first.

"I know you're going to need time, a lot of time. Truthfully, I need time to figure out what I'll be doing with myself as well." He wiggled his one good wing. "So how about instead of settling on what the two of us are, we just restart from the beginning."

I nodded. "Ya… that might be for the best. I really fucked up this relationship thing before I even knew it was a thing. Maybe once Tripwire is dealt with, we can try that date again."

He smiled. "Ya, that sounds nice. Really nice. Anyways, you should get some rest, I have to go get Spell and Majestic, Grizzly needs to talk with them."

"Let me guess, it's about Tripwire and going to Naysayer Manor." I said.

Cold Trails nodded. "Yes, among other things. But you shouldn't worry about that yet, and let yourself relax. You deserve some peace and quiet. "

I looked around, eyeing my less than quiet friends.

"You know what I mean, Lottery. Anyways, Grizzly is going over the technical stuff, that's why she wants to see the Pressure siblings as well. Lots of reading and math. The strategy meeting is tomorrow, that she wants you in on."

"Alright, I'll relax. No getting into trouble, or partying." I said with a smile. "Actually, having a boring rest of the day sounds nice."

"I'll drop by once we're done helping Grizzly." He told me.

"Do you need my help?" Plasma asked.

Cold shook his head. "Grizzly told me that if she wanted you in her office today, it will be to fuck you, not for you to ramble on about the specs of a MK2 Ranger power armor."

"Soo… half past midnight then?" Plasma further asked.

He face hoofed. "Actually, ya. And she said to come in that outfit you wore yesterday."

"Nice!" Plasma said as she hoof pumped.

Cold then looked back to me, now seemingly drained of energy. "Well, see you later, maybe we can go see one of those movies you like."

"I'd like that." I said back.

I watched as Cold trotted out of the penthouse, and then I returned to my spot, my eyes falling onto the three mares across from me.

Pecan then let the other two go, and stretched back, popping a few joints. "Ya know, I was not joking about the offer I gave, about the farm."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ya, about that, if your family are farmers, why do they need you?"

"Long story short, it was more a plantation than a farm. You know, with forced labor." She explained. "My uncle was rather in good with Redeye, being a slaver and such, so most of my family did the same. Oh and before you say anything, he got himself killed years ago, fucked with a local hero and her granddaughter. If you ever heard about Six Gun Red, ya, he was the one she killed."

"Ya, Wiretap is a huge fan of the gun mare." I confirmed. "So, you want my help because… none of you can actually farm or nothing?"

Pecan chuckled. "No… well yes. I'm the exception. My Ma was all about self sufficiency, so where my siblings from my Pa's other wives only managed ponies, I was raised working with my own hooves. Anyways, since they surrendered to Gwadina, she has offered them amnesty in exchange for signing exclusive buying rights to their crops. So they signed it to save their flanks. But with the anti-slavery movement in full swing, my family is up shit creek, and most of their… workers… have understandably up and left for better work."

"And they want you to… work for them?" I asked.

"Well, not quite all of them." She said, sounding unsure. "The kids from my fathers first wife still want nothing to do with me. And fuck them, they kicked me off my own land the day after my Ma and Pa died. But the kids from my Pa's second wife are less bitter, and split from the first wife's side of the family. They even offered to give me control over the family business if I can save their flanks."

Okay, now things are making more sense.

She then continued. "That's why I want you and Cold to join me. Truthfully, I don't care if I get to fuck Cold or not, so long as I get his farming experience on my side. You too, Lottery. This is an opportunity I ain't gonna let get by me, and I need all the help I can get. Not just for farming, but also for killing shit."

I raised an eyebrow at that last part. "Normally you don't kill shit when farming… other than the odd critter."

"Honey, ya think the other side of my family is not going to pull some shit." Pecan said matter-of-factly. "Us Harvesters didn't get our land by playing nice, and not even Gwadina will change that. Actually, that's probably why she got them to sign that contract with her, she knows they will do a lot of the dirty work without her needing to ask. I sure know my big sis, Golden Wheat, is a right savage bitch, and won't hesitate to cut anypony down that gets in her way. Poor, Lean Year, her son you see, is likely going to end up just like her."

"Right, so what you're saying is that you'll need farm hooves who can and will shoot at your own family if they come to take your land." I said, trying to follow.

Pecan nodded.

"And the whole trying to fuck Cold is just you trying to get him to help you?" I asked, still not sure about that part.

"Oh no, he is totally my type, big, tall, got battle scars, and isn't insane. If you ever let him free, I will eat him up, Honey." She shamelessly admitted. "But that aside, I'm willing to sell a portion of my land if it means that I'll not have to worry about losing what is mine again. It's a win-win kind of deal, with potential to rank in the profits."

"Profits, how are you making caps from crops? The sharecropper farm here barely even gets by." I pointed out.

"Land rights, Lottery, land rights!" Pecan said excitedly. "If Gwadina can ensure that the raider problem is dealt with for us, then we can expand the territory far more than anypony could before. Of course workers will need to be hired, and they will need homes. If they are living there, then they will need stores and entertainment. Think about it, our own Ursa's Rest, built from the ground up."

Something was still not sitting right with me. "But… won't that cost a lot of money? I mean I'm not all that sharp and all when it comes to those things. Fuck, I can't even read. But even I know something like that will cost a lot, and crops are not that profitable when you need to eat them as well."

Her eyes drifted away, something my brothers would do when trying to hide something, but didn't want to lie about it..

"Tell me or it's a no!" I demanded.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell ya the catch." Pecan then sighed. "I don't have any caps… at all."

I cocked my eyebrow at her. "But you said you're paying off your debt?"

"About that, my brother is paying it off, not me." She said with a chuckle. "I'd have paid that debt off years ago, but kind of lost it at roulette… every month." I began to get up to trot away, but Pecan rushed over to stop me. "That's why I'll trust the finances to my brother, he is good at keeping track of money. I only need you to invest in me, help get us started, and then you will get all your caps back, plus interest. It's a good deal, like better than good."

I sat back down. "Alright, and anything else you can do to guarantee that I'm not just getting used?"

Pecan relaxed. "Actually there is. I already talked to Grizzly about this, and she's interested in setting up a smaller Ursa's Den on the land my family owns. Franchising she called it. It would help ensure that the new town will start off strong. But she'll only do it if I can get some other investors. But nopony is willing to make such a deal with a prostitute, even if I'm the Showrooms most popular mare. But if I have you as a partner in this, then it's a guarantee that others will join in. I mean, you're practically the hero of Ursa's Rest, and everypony around here knows you're like death on four hooves. Wherever you go, raiders die in droves."

I felt myself blush a little at that, "Really? That can't be true?"

Plasma let out a chuckle. "Lottery, you annihilated almost every raider clan in this region, fought your way out of Tripwire's army's base by blowing half of it up, and ended the Bailfire Fiends which have terorsed this region for two hundred year. I think everypony in this region owes you a debt of gratitude."

"And," Silver then spoke up. "DJ Pon3 had given you a shout out. Ponies know your name, Lottery."

I shot out of my seat in shock. "What! When, where, oh please tell me somepony recorded it!"

The three looked at each other, and then Plasma said. "I think Wiretap has a recording, so you can ask her about it later."

This was big news, DJ Pon3 mentioning me, just like the Lightbringer. Oh Celestia that's…. That's so Awesome!!!

"I'll consider your deal, but first I need to find Wiretap, this is too Awesome to let wait for even a minute." I said excitedly, my legs moving up and down, unable to stop.

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