Author's Note

It is highly required and crucial to read Fallout Equestria: Lineage to understand most events.

Memoirs of a Farmer

Memoirs of a Farmer

The Fiends ran rampant. Crops were burning. Blood being splattered here and there. No prisoners on either side. No... this was more than a raid. It was a massacre. The fields and property were filled with distant and close by gunfire and explosions as well as shouting and screaming. Already, part of the mansion was destroyed. Down the mansion a few yards ahead were Little Pip trying to stop an angry Brick from continuing further.

"Brick, stop! Just calm down and listen!" Little Pip rasped as she struggled to push the stallion back. It was no use. Her hooves were scrapping the ground as the stallion walked forward with ease. Brick snorted furiously before looking down at her.

"Little Pip..." he rasped. Little Pip balked and looked up, backing away a bit. Brick eyed her, his eyes full of red and rage. Little Pip shivered a bit, but she stood her ground. This wasn't the first time she dealt with somepony in this state. As she was about to speak, the snow around them exploded softly as bullets grazed them. The two didn't hesitate and dove into the crops. Thankfully, the rows they were taking cover in weren't on fire yet. The two galloped quickly, diving down and crawling a bit before stopping. Little Pip and Brick breathed heavily. Little Pip then looked to Brick, giving him a frustrated look.

"Brick, I know you are unhinged at the moment over this, but you have to remain calm! You can't find your friend if you're dead!" she heard a whip of a bullet graze her mane and buried her face into the dirt before looking back up. "Please, Brick! Keep your head straight!" Brick eyed her and his furious look went to a stark realization. He then closed his eyes and sighed. Taking deep breaths for a moment, he then opened his eyes and his familiar stoic look came back. Little Pip sighed in relief before withdrawing a 10mm Pistol. Brick arched a brow. From the stories he heard about Little Pip, she would usually have her iconic scoped hunting revolver. Figuring that she must be saving its' durability for something bigger, he reached back and pulled out a silver metal apple. Little Pip eyed the area before looking back at him. "What's your plan?" she asked.

Brick held up the apple. "Tha' usual decoy. What about yers'?" Little Pip rubbed her chin in thought, casually avoiding a stray bullet.

"I was thinking we'd rush out and use as much distractions as possible. We'll have to take the raiders by surprise." Brick nodded and stood up. He kept low a little bit as he took out the pill he had loaded previously and replaced it with another pill. This one was colored blue. Pumping the launcher, he then nodded to Little Pip.

"Ready." Little Pip nodded and upon hearing a loud thump, she dove out of the crops they were hiding between and at some convenient fate, three Fiends were standing over a downed RCE troop and was about to execute the trooper when they turned to see the mare. And not a moment too soon either. She closed her eyes and the blue pill popped over their heads. The Fiends screamed in panic from the blinding light and Little Pip took aim immediately. With amazing quick reflex and display of skill, Little Pip pelted all three in the head. The three crumpled to the ground and Little Pip took aim at three more advancing Fiends. Their carbines were in such poor condition that Little Pip only felt nicks and pelts. There was another thump and the sound of an explosion. Body parts along with dirt and snow exploded from the ground and Brick emerged from the crops. Little Pip quickly chugged a health potion, unaware of a Fiend with a bent rusty golf club sneaking up behind her.

However, Brick rushed and tackled the Fiend to the ground. The earth pony's strength overpowered the Fiend's and they went rolling down the road a bit. The Fiend, however, was much nimbler and managed to pin Brick on the ground. He rose his bent golf club over his head before the raider's eyes widened and the life left his eyes. The Fiend crumpled over Brick, who grit his teeth and pushed the dead raider off of him. He looked over to see the downed RCE aiming a 9mm in his direction. The barrel smoking. The trooper winced and Little Pip helped the trooper up. The pony's helm was broken on one side, and they could see a fierce and in pain looking blue eye and a brown colored bang of a mane. Blood was trickling down their head and over their eye. Brick trotted over to them and took over in helping the pony steady while Little Pip looted the corpses.

"Tch... Dammit all... I don't know how they managed..." the RCE pony began. Brick narrowed his eyes. "They came in during the blizzard. They were able to get past our E.F.S... And these are state of the art high grade issued visors..." The pony looked at Brick intently. "And I thought raiders were stupid... but I didn't think they'd have the balls to pull of an organized raid like this..." Little Pip perked up and cocked her head as she stuffed a metal apple in her saddle bag.

"Organized?" she asked quizzically. Brick nodded.

"From my experience in dealin' with tha' Fiends, they are pretty organized. As doped up on chems n' other drugs, that don' mean they are entirely stupid." he said. Little Pip found it baffling those savages could be so organized. It's one thing using numbers and rushing to take over a settlement. It's another when they take advantage of the blizzard currently and somehow bypass their E.F.S. Little Pip furrowed her brows and stood up, reloading her pistol before looking at the two ponies.

"Well then, I guess we'll fight fire with fire. Can you get into contact with any of your squad?" she asked the RCE troop. The pony put a hoof to the side of their helmet and Brick could hear the garbled static. The pony shook their head and sighed before pushing off of Brick and able to stand up right. Little Pip got curious as to how the pony was able to regain their stature despite having been downed so badly. "What just happened?" The RCE troop pat their ballistic covered chest.

"Auto Stim built into the suite. Quite handy with dealing in small injuries. If anything, it fixed a sprain or two. Broken bones and flesh it cannot repair." The conversation was disrupted with distant shouting and gunfire. It sounded like the fighting was growing distant but further behind the property. The three looked back at the destruction the Fiends left in their wake. The lucky few that managed to survive the attack were tending to each other and a couple of RCE troops were scattered about trying to aid the wounded and grieving their own. Brick felt the nip of his anger come back, but he quickly quelled it. Brick then started to piece things together.

"Tha' Fiends aren't pushovers. Me an' my friends have dealt with them plenty o' times. They may be organized an' not as stupid. But they still are stupid ta' fall for simple tricks." Brick smirked. He couldn't help but nicker quietly. Something that he had always found amusing to observe about raiders. He furrowed his brows when his memory was being fuzzed up with a shade standing next to him. The mysterious figure still an enigma to him. Brick turned to face the sounds of fighting. "Listen... there is a pony 'am searching for. She might be apart o' this raid. 'Am going to look fer' her. An' maybe help out in tha' effort of reclamin' Berry Acres." He looked over his shoulder, looking stoic as he eyed the RCE troop. "Yer' free to do whatever ya' want. But tha' moment I see ma' friend. 'Am going to try an' talk to 'em." The RCE troop may not have shown it, but their one eye was able to show the frown at the idea.

"You'll be dead and stupid to try and reason with savages. And if your friend is dealing with The Fiends, she may be held liable to a death sentence under RCE law. There is no peace for the wicked." Brick eyed the RCE troop challengingly and the troop returned the look back. Little Pip looked between the two and then clapped her hooves together.

"Well, now that we got that out of the way! If you two are done having an ego trip, we have a Valley to save?" The troop looked at her, as did Brick. The troop sighed and rubbed the back of their broken helmeted head.

"Your right. Besides, there is a low chance she'll be running with this raid." The pony kicked up a service rifle up from the snow, catching it and dusting it off before clipping it to their battle saddle. Little Pip smiled and looked to Brick.

"What's that saying that most farmer's say? 'Let's ride'!" Brick looked at Little Pip stoically, making her give him a sheepish smile and clearing her throat. "R-right, to the uhh... fighting and stuff!" Little Pip began to trot ahead in an exaggerated motion.

"Is that mare stupid or just plain ballsy?" the RCE troop asked, walking up next to Brick. The two began following after her as Brick spoke.

"That's the Lightbringer for ya'. Always willin' ta' help when she can."

The three ponies snuck between the greenhouses. The Fiends were helping to themselves by vandalizing and breaking windows and plants. They sounded like they were having the time of their lives. One of the Fiends chuckled to herself and plopped herself down on a corpse of a Mr. Helper. She took the saw arm of the robot and ripped it off. She swiped the air with the arm, as if testing it to see how well it would be against the flesh of a pony. Finding herself unimpressed with it, she tossed it behind her. She pulled out a chem, a hydra, and jabbed the needle into her neck. She gave an ecstasy grunt, her tongue lolled out as the drug began coursing through her. She pulled the needle out and tossed it behind her. However, she didn't notice that it was caught in magic and it hovered back in front of her. The mare must have been too drugged up to really be surprised by it. She just gave a chuckle and tapped the floating needle.

"Helloooo, tooth fairy! Has I beeeeeen a gooooooood baaaaaa-" no more words were said as the needle was forcefully jabbed hard into the head of the pony. She gave a gurgle hiccup before falling back off the Mr. Helper corpse. Little Pip gave a slightly disgusted look before moving over the body. Zipping past the mare is the RCE trooper. The pony deftly treaded the snow quickly, catching up behind a passing patrol of four Fiends. There was a soft shink of metal being unsheathed. And as quickly as the knife was drawn from the trooper and plunged into the neck of the Fiend, the trooper was already onto the next, snapping the neck and rushing forward taking the two front Fiends and clocking their heads together. The Fiends grunted and crumpled to the snow before the trooper whipped a 10 mm out and executed the two Fiends. Unfortunately, the pony's weapon wasn't silenced, and it quickly drew the ire and awareness of nearby Fiends.

"Kill them! Take off their flesh and loot!" a rabid sounding Fiend shouted as she hopped out of stacked pile of dirty manure. The Fiends began surround the trooper and Little Pip. There was an audible thump and the two planted themselves firmly down on the ground, covering their heads. There was the sound of sparking electricity and the many shouts of the raiders around them. The bodies then crumpled to the ground and the two ponies stood up and dusted themselves off of snow. Brick emerged from the side of the greenhouse and studied the raiders. He had been studying each one like a hawk. Trying to see if he could make out any of them being his friend. There was one thing that he accepted when going out and searching for her.

He wouldn't be satisfied with his search unless he can see his friend alive or dead. And if the worst-case scenario he feared would be the amount of trauma the mare would suffer if alive, suffering nothing but being a broken and hollow husk of the bright and cheerful fiery mare she was. And if found dead, he would erect a proper burial for her on his farm. He will pray and hope for her poor soul to be at peace and go on into the afterlife in the one place she loved the most. As the stallion studied the knocked-out raiders, he snorted, finding that none of them resembled or even had a hint of his friend. The RCE troop took that as a sign to go ahead and execute each and every one of them. Little Pip grimaced as the trooper showed no sympathy or emotion when they did.

RCE troops showed no sign of any remorse. No wonder they are a big deciding faction in the Empire. Granted, no pony should ever show much emotion to savages. But they used to be ponies. Just given the wrong side of life and luck. Little Pip looted the corpses and spread whatever she could between them. The RCE troop held up a hoof after stuffing rounds for his 9mm and gave a "shush" to them. They then pointed to a barn where a couple of mutilated chickens and brahmin lay. The three had remained quiet as they made their way towards the distant gun fire. The Fiends had made quite an advancement in the valley. And with the soft blizzard going on, there was no telling if there were Fiends or RCE troops scuffling about. The ones they killed were celebrating too early. The RCE troop motioned over to the worn-down barn. The big double doors were showing that they had been blasted open.

Little Pip and Brick took one side of the door and the RCE troop skirted around the side. Little Pip and Brick peeked in and saw a horrifying sight.

There was an RCE mare tied to an X shape wooden beam that looked hastily built. A fire was burning underneath the trooper. The burning smell of fur and flesh reached their snouts. Upon closer inspection, the RCE trooper mare was alive. They could tell, based on the pained groans coming from her. The mare was being cooked inside of her barding. Tears flowing down her cheeks as she tried to keep a brave face. They could see the Fiend poking the fire with the tip of their carbine. In front of them were two dead RCE troops on the ground. A sickening sound as two Fiends helped themselves to the entrails of one while the other poked and prodded the side of the other untouched corpse. The mare let out a pained whimper as she grits her teeth.

"Y-you bastards!! Nggg... I-I'll fucking kill you all!!!" she shouted. She was then hit across the head, letting out a pained grunt as a ferocious sounding voice spouted.

"Shut up, bitch!" the raider ordered aggressively, placing the smoking red hot barrel against the cheek of the mare. The mare let out a pained scream as the barrel seared her flesh. Brick gave a grim look, but Little Pip was starting to feel sick to her stomach. Taking a moment to gather herself, she was about to rush in when she spied a shadow dive through the window and the raider found himself yanked back, the mare letting out pained surprised gasp. There was a guttural gurgle as a sharp knife was sliced through flesh. The three Fiends that were in the barn heard the attack and one managed to get a couple of pops off their carbine before a glint of light flew through the air and impaled into the eye of the raider. The raider screamed and stumbled back, only to be shoved aside as a maniacal looking raider dove at the trooper. Little Pip entered S.A.T.S. and took aim at the head of the pony. The pistol rang out and the mare landed at the foot of the trooper with a loud thud and a soft skid in the ground. The trooper hopped over and rushed at the other that stood up and laughed, brandishing the dismembered leg of the dead RCE troop they were feasting on like a bat.

The trooper was quick to react, blocking the attack and locking a hoof around the leg, yanking the raider forward and then ducking low, spinning and locking their hooves around the raider's extended leg and bucked them over their shoulder. The raider went crashing into the side of the wall and before the Fiend hit the ground, the trooper whipped out the 9mm and fired three times into the pony. The raider slipped down the wall in a ragdoll fashion, lifeless. The trooper then turned to the downed raider, but a voice bellowed.

"Hold fire!" The trooper looked to see Brick trotting forward with Pip following behind him. She looked over to the RCE mare trooper and went to her, offering a health potion. The mare looked exhausted, her barding charred. Little Pip sighed in relief, seeing that the pony was still breathing and alive. She carefully helped the trooper down and forced her to chug the health potion.

"I am glad we made it time. Though I wished we got here sooner..." Little Pip said, looking to the mutilated half eaten corpses. Yet, she was ignored as the trooper and Brick stared each other down. It didn't last long as the raider got up and roared ferociously. The trooper reacted, but Brick was surprisingly quicker. The stallion tackled the raider through a window, shattering the glass. Brick pinned the raider down and looked down at the pony with such poison in his eyes.

"'Ah want answers..." he began. The raider spat into the snow, unable to direct it to Brick as he had their face down into the snow and mud.

"Fuck off, flesh bag! I don't have to tell you shit!" the raider growled. Brick glanced over his shoulder to the trooper, who hadn't moved from their position, eyeing the pony.

"Mind if 'ah have a lil' chat with this one?" he asked. The trooper snorted and scrapped their hoof on the ground before turning to aid the traumatized RCE troop with the help of Little Pip. Brick returned his focus to the raider. The raider chuckled manically.

"You think you are so tough! You flesh bags are beneath us! Do your worst! I won't talk!" they shouted. Brick applied pressure on the raider's head and forcefully pressed his hoof to make the raider eat mud.

"Shit eatin' is probably yer' best delicacy. But 'ah ain't here fer' bullshitin'. Yer' gonna' talk. Who is runnin' this raid?" Brick lifted the raider up a little, seeing the fury and aggression in the raider's eyes. Seeing as he wasn't getting an answer so quickly, he thought of an idea to make the raider talk. Replacing a hoof with a hind knee, he reached back into his saddle bag and pulled out a metal apple. The Fiend eyed the frag before their eyes widened at the sudden realization that the apple was going somewhere where the sun wasn't shining.

"What are you!? W-wait!" the raider let out a pained cry as overwhelming pain shot through their body. Brick growled.

"Start talkin'! Whose leadin' this raid?" Brick asked again. The raider growled and tried to struggle, but Brick's strength was greater. "'Ah wouldn't move around too much." there was the sound of a click and Brick held up the stem. "Relax, this ain't worse than what yer' friends do on a normal day. 'An frankly, 'ah should a let tha' RCE kill ya' where you stand." Brick snorted angrily but remained stoic. "But maybe yer' an exception. You can answer some simple questions an' I'll give ya' a good head start before the RCE come find ya'. If not, well 'ah hope your sphincter is tighter than a bee's stinger." The raider gave a fearful look now.

"Okay! Okay! I'll talk! J-just take it easy, guy! Wh... what do you want to know?" the raider pleaded. Brick clicked his tongue before responding.

"'Ah was askin' who is leadin' this raid." Brick said, eerily calm. The raider was quick to respond.

"I-I-I don't know who is really leading this raid! We were planning this two months ago! I-I swear!" The raider yelped as the feeling of something behind them shifted. Panic struck the raider as they were quick to follow up. "I-I swear! I don't know! B-but I do know somepony who is big in our party! Y-you can ask them!" Brick tsked the pony.

"Tsk, tsk. If you ain't inclined to spill tha' beans. What makes you think a raider boss would be willin' to answer? 'Ah reckon yer' just tryin' to send us ta' our deaths." Brick spoke, shifting the metal apple. The raider was quick to respond again.

"J-just hold on, now! I-I can give you a name!" the raider pleaded. Brick arched a brow.

"A name is not gonna' help." he said. The raider shook their head.

"I-It does with The Fiends! H-Having name over our group makes us weak!" Brick arched a brow. He glanced up to see Little Pip coming out of the barn window and walking over to them. She gave a bit of a disgusted look before taking note of the raider.

"Does it now? I didn't think having a name over somepony really mattered that much in combat." she said. The raider shifted, but Brick tapped the apple to remind them. The raider gulped and spoke.

"W-we believe that having a name over one of us is a power unlike any other! When you know the name of a Fiend, you can do anything with them! I-It's what our late overboss, Motor Head, put into our heads!" Little Pip cocked her head curiously.

"That sounds very close to superstition." she commented to Brick. Brick nodded.

"'Ah understand a little. Demons don't like ta' have their name thrown about willy nilly like. At least, tha' lesser ones. But know a lesser demon's name an' you have all tha' power over them. It seems tha' Fiends live up to this idea." The raider nodded quickly.

"Y-yes! Motor Head believed he was visited by a demon one day when he was shooting up a needle. Claimed that the demon told him a prophecy of greatness as long as his following didn't mention names amongst themselves! Said the demon would curse us all if we did!" Little Pip nickered.

"Sounds like he had a little too much chems. So. What's the name of the raider boss leading the raid?" The raider didn't hesitate.

"Th-they call her Mash Pit! B-but her real name is Fizzle Crunch!" Little Pip slumped and shook her head. A little too innocent sounding for somepony that relishes in anarchy. The raider spoke again. "I-I told you everything I know! P-Please, pull it out and let me go!" Brick nodded. But he didn't pull out the apple. Instead, he walked past the raider and straight ahead. "W-wait! Where are you going!? Don't leave me here!!" the raider cried. Brick sighed and looked back at the raider.

"One last question. Do you know where yer' boss is?" he asked calmly. The raider shifted but thought better about the idea.

"U-up to that smelting factory! Th-they plan to take it over and use it as their main HQ! P-Please, take it out!" the raider cried again. Brick looked ahead.

"You can relax. It's just a smoke apple." Brick began walking forward. The raider sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank Celest-" Little Pip covered her face as the apple exploded. Bits and pieces of the raider flew everywhere. Little Pip looked in utter shock and disgust when a bloodied intestine plopped sickeningly at her hooves.

"Sweet Celestia's cake hole!" Little Pip turned to Brick and galloped after him. She wanted to see nothing more of what just happened. She looked at Brick worriedly. "I-I thought you were going to spare them! What was that!?" Brick didn't look at her. He kept walking ahead, eyes on the distant factory chimneys poking over the hill.

"Lil' Pip. From where you come from, the land was no different before you brought back the light of Equestria." The stallion continued as he loaded a pill into his launcher. "But up here in tha' Frozen North. Yer' influence falls short. It's nothin' personal about it. I just believe that the Empire had its' own fair share of trouble in tha' past and cut off all ties with events that lead to tha' megaspells droppin'. Our land didn't escape tha' war unscathed from it, however. It had its' own tyrant and war goin' on. An' the Ministry Mares influence rarely touch tha' Empire." Little Pip furrowed her brows worriedly. The stallion continued. "But tha' Old World is alive and hauntin' this land even before tha' shade has been sighted. I dunno what is happenin' ta' us, Lil' Pip. But our home. Equestria is stirrin'. And we are bein' reminded of it. You gave hope to Equestria. But tha' Empire needs more than just hope. It needs love." Brick motioned back at the now fading scene as the blizzard was covering any remains of destruction. "An' after twelve an' a half years of yer' supposed sacrifice. Love is in scarce supply." Little Pip frowned before shaking her head.

"You were there at the Family wedding, weren't you? You felt that feeling, didn't you? It was powerful. Love is still here in the Empire, Brick. There is no need to keep going down this dark path. Yes, the Fiends are awful and deserve what they get, but the land is still large and unexplored. We have to be better ponies." Little Pip faltered a bit.

We have to be better ponies.

The whispering voice echoed in the back of her head. She shivered as she could feel a distant reminding of the broadcast that spawned out of the blue six months ago. 'Who had said that before? And why did they make it apparent for us to remember the Old World and how we can fix it?' Any conclusion of the thought failed to satisfy her question. She eventually sighed and walked with Brick up the hill and through the towering snow dunes. The factory came into full display.

The steel-blue painted building towered at five stories high. The smoking chimneys spanned several yards separated from each other. The building then split into a smaller building at two stories high. A water tower installed at the top of the third story roof. Beneath the expanse of the building was a decrepit lot where ponies would probably use to park their carriages and such back in the old days. Brick eyed the tower, taking in the intimidating sight of the factory. That such a place could exist just a bit of ways away from a valley of frozen country. Over the factory's entrance was an engraved metal sigh that read:

Smeltington Smelting Co. Smelting for your future by the tons!

Surprisingly, the one thing both ponies noticed about the factory was that it looked untouched. As if the raiders had just gotten in and had not been given a chance to decorate the place with vulgar graffiti or body parts. But it appears that the case was different. For when the two took one hoof step into the lot, they immediately took cover behind a charred and worn down wagon as the wall turrets sprang to life and began pelting the ground where they once stood. With the soft beeping and the whirring of the turrets, Little Pip and Brick peeked through a crack in the wagon, studying the positions of the turrets. Brick then frowned and closed his eyes in thought, trying to picture any proper scenario to get through it.

"There has ta' either be a back way in or we go in, guns blazin'." Brick stated. He then opened his eyes and looked to Little Pip. "Yer' call, Lil' Pip." Little Pip studied the building before pondering her decisions. As many decisions she has made, she then had a thought.

"Well, I'd say we try and sneak in the back way. I can pick whatever door is locked and we can sneak in, avoiding a head on assault." she looked to him. "If your friend happens to be one of the raiders guarding the front, we can pick them out from the shadows. And if she isn't there, we head to the Overboss and gather any info there. Once you can confirm if your friend is among the Fiends here or not, we will set up an ambush." Brick nodded before looking ahead.

"Heroes first." Brick said with a small smirk. Little Pip gave a playful roll of her eyes before the two crouched and keeping themselves out of range of the turret sensors, crept their way to the side of the factory. The back looked just as protected with security. Little Pip and Brick looked around before Little Pip looked up and saw a staircase above them with a ladder hinged up. Little Pip smiled and pulled out her 10mm. She then pulled out a worn long cylinder. Brick watched the mare work as she took aim and with a soft sound thwap from the gun, she hit the lock, breaking it and the ladder clattered down. It stopped, not reaching the ground and was suspended enough for a pony to jump and reach it. Brick walked over and bent down, motioning Little Pip to use him as a step to climb up the ladder. When she did so, making her way up the stairs, Brick followed after her, pulling himself up onto the ladder.

The two made their way up to the third-floor roof. They immediately took cover behind a rusty worn-down ventilation shaft. Three Fiends were warming themselves up around a fire. A cooking spit roast over the fire. They were frying chickens and using stolen barding as fuel for the fire. The three were so preoccupied that they didn't notice two ponies move a little closer to them. Brick reached into his saddle bag and withdrew a red apple. He pulled the stem and cooked the grenade for a bit before tossing it over the vent and one raider took notice of the apple that bounced once.

"What in the-?" There was a loud pop and all three started to scream. Their fur and barding catching fire and quickly spreading over them. One rushed past their hiding spot and jumped off the building. Little Pip furrowed her brows before motioning to Brick. As the other two Fiends writhed and screamed from being set on fire, Little Pip pulled a bobby pin and screwdriver, going to work on the door. It took her a couple of tries, but with a soft click, she opened the door carefully, peeking her head in and looking left and right. To her left, a staircase that led to the next floor. The right, led down to the bottom floor. A sign on the wall telling them that left was the upper offices and right was the observation catwalk/assistant manager office. Little Pip kept low, Brick following after her. She looked both left and right, biting her lip a little in a curious struggling thought. Brick put a hoof on her shoulder, making her look at her.

"'Ah'll take tha' lower floor. You take tha' higher ground. We'll cover more area that way." Little Pip furrowed her brows once more.

"Are you going to be okay? She could be on any floors here." she asked. Brick gave her a reassuring smile.

"There's still a chance she ain't 'ere." he replied. Little Pip still looked worried but nodded. Little Pip went off to the upper levels while Brick turned his attention down. He went down the steps and down a hall, being careful and an ear open. When he turned onto a catwalk, he felt a wave of heated air blast him. He looked and saw a large, open industrial area. Conveyer belts with scrap metal and other bits of metal laid still on them. Overhead were two big cast iron pots, holding molten melted metal inside of them. He crept low and carefully on the catwalk. He could count six molten vats that would aim down into furnaces. The more he crept down the catwalk, the more he began to sweat. He studied the ground like a hawk. Signs showed that the Fiends have indeed been through here and also there were signs of other ponies. Workers most likely as tools and tipped over metal scraps littered the floor off of the conveyer belts. Straight ahead was a dead end, so he turned left down another conjoining catwalk. Upon reaching a metal door and opening it, he balked as he suddenly found himself having guns of all kinds aimed at him. Below, above, ahead. The Fiends had gathered into the next room and were chanting something that Brick couldn't quite make out. Up above were protruding walkways that he would assume were the offices. He remained stoic as he stepped fully out of the door, holstering his launcher.

The Fiends leered at him with such hungry expressions. Their eyes violating every part of Brick. The stallion made his way down to the center of the catwalk, the molten vats below them boiling with extreme heat. Two Fiends approached Brick and prodded his head with their carbines, leading him a little further ahead as a broken off catwalk rested above them on the fourth floor over the offices. Ontop of it was a brahmin skull wearing mare in tribal barding. She grinned and spat to the side as she shifted her heavy fire hydrant hammer over her shoulder. Next to her was another pony that was sitting down on a chair. A hastily made throne behind her. Brick saw two cyberdogs resting at her side, panting from what he could imagine was the heat from the smelting factory. The pony was a lavender colored mare with a blonde mane. Her violet eyes staring down and judging the stallion. Painted tribal marks rest on her cheeks with a horseshoe marking completely over her face. She wore a tattered and ragged cape over a metal spiked armored barding. She held a metal bent staff with a pony's skull on it. She grinned suddenly and looked over to her left.

Brick balked as he saw Little Pip being held at gun point along with the stout stallion that was Mr. Berry. The pony looked rather beaten and bruised, but no worse for wear. He looked rather panicked and afraid while Little Pip looked rather annoyed about her sneaking being a failure. She looked down and met Brick's eyes, giving a knowing look before hissing a bit as a Fiend prodded her head with the tip of their rifle. The pony stood up from her hastily made throne and walked forward, the Fiend's chanting getting louder and vocal. She then raised a hoof and the chanting quieted. She smiled wickedly and stared down at the stallion.

"You're either very brave or very stupid to just walk in here without a plan." she shouted down to him. Brick narrowed his eyes. The pony continued, pacing softly back and forth as she spoke. "We Fiends are gathered here today not as a normal bountiful raid. But an homage to our late Overboss, Motor Head!" The Fiends cheered. Brick remained stoic, letting the Fiends speak their part. "Yes, it was unfortunate news to hear that he had passed. He had taught us the ways of the Frozen North! He had tamed the New Neighvarro desert! He is the one that walks the land! A demon among Fiends!" The Fiends cheered again. The pony throw her hoof out in a display of exaggerated gestures. "The Fiends are the demons of the wastes! Our influence is powerful! Ponies cower before us! We show them the true hells of the wastes! For those that fight the land's influence, rather than nurturing it to fruition, shall be fed to the land! And in return, the land feeds us! Teaches us that we are the true light of the wastes!" Little Pip snorted.

"Sounds like a load of hog wash to me." The brahmin skull wearing pony didn't like that and turned to her. Little Pip tried her best to not feel smaller than she usually is to the bulky height the brute. She had to play this smart. Taking to heart the words of Brick, she looked the supposed new Overboss of The Fiends. "If Motor Head taught you the ways of the land, then you should know that eating ponies, raping and pillaging is not something the land desires." The pony grinned.

"But that's where you are wrong, my little Lightbringer." she cooed at her. "The dead return to the earth. They fertilize the land. Make it bloom even better than before! The howling cries of the Empire bid to our will, as we treat them with the departed and the bounties of the land." She turned her attention to the celebrating Fiends underneath the catwalk below Brick. Brick could see that several workers were being held at gunpoint. But not enough to run a factory. Which means the rest must be somewhere else in the building. He kept his focus on the Fiend leader. The pony pat her chest with a hoof. "We demons of the wastes shall not falter in our conquest! Everyone in the Empire to the San Palamino wastes will know our cause! They will join it! Or else be offered to the land's ever thriving beauty!" Brick shook his head.

"But from what 'ahm hearin' as of late, The Fiends are startin' to run thin. You don't have the numbers like ya' used too. The RCE took care of that." The pony closed her eyes and nodded.

"Aye. Indeed, the ones that roam the white fields have been a constant conflict to our conquest. But we will have our returning triumph. You cannot kill a demon! Only temporarily dispel it! And when the demon comes back, they'll be stronger. And their names will empower them to continue the cause!" Little Pip was about to speak, remembering a vital piece of info from an unfortunate raider. But Brick beat her to it.

"But from what 'ah read. Demons hate ta' have their names said. It's a challenge ta' them. Makin' them weak. Ain't that right, Fizzle Crunch?" He was expecting the pony to react in a manner almost similarly like the brahmin wearing pony... oh. 'Well, buck me.' The brute looking pony roared loudly, startling Little Pip and Mr. Berry as well as the leader and several of the other Fiends. She hoisted her hydrant hammer over her shoulder and leaped from the perch. She landed on the catwalk with a loud metallic clang. Brick was impressed that the catwalk was able to stay strong from the heavyweight. But her impact was enough to cause it to rattle and wobble. The Fiends that were keeping Brick company bolted away and off the catwalk as Brick took a couple of steps as the pony snorted, red in her eyes. She was livid. Her glowing red eyes glinting under the skull.

"You... dare... call me that name!!?" she roared. She stamped her left hind hoof heavily on the catwalk, making it rattle and wobble. This time, Brick had to retract his impression. He could hear the metal creaking and groaning. "You dare... mock the name of Mash Pit!!? I... am the right hoof of The Fiends!!! I'll mash you into bits!!! Feed you to the others, once I've had my fill!! You'll die this day, worm!!" Brick wasn't sure how to react, but he knew one thing. He deftly bolted aside, realizing that the brute was quick. Too quick for that matter. Where he stood seconds ago was the loud metallic crash of the hydrant impacting the catwalk. The catwalk wobbled, making Brick hold onto the railings to keep his footing. The molten vats of metal below them now being the next threat of this endeavor. Mash Pit roared and swung horizontally with the hydrant hammer. Brick ducked and felt the wind of the weapon whip past him. The railing, however, wasn't so lucky. With a loud metallic shatter, the pieces of the railing flew and scattered below them. Brick bolted back and rounded the corner of the catwalk as Mash Pit brought the hydrant hammer down again. She snarled and barked.

"Quite runnin', worm!!! And let me mash you!!!" Brick galloped down the catwalk and made his way to the middle of the splitting corners. He had to think of something. He deftly loaded his launcher with a metal apple, but hesitated. He can't use live explosive around the place. Mash Pit was making the catwalk creak and groan with the weight of her and her weapon of choice. That and it could explode prematurely due to the heat. He pocketed the apple back and pulled out the red colored metal apples. Perhaps incendiary will do? Brick took aim as Mash Pit rounded the corner. With a loud thump, the red apple pop upon impact hitting her skull. The fire began to spread around the Fiend. But to Brick's surprise, that only enraged the pony. She snorted and holstered her hammer onto her back, scraping her hoof on the metal. Her fiery brahmin skull burned menacingly. With the red glint of her eyes under the skull focused on the pony, Brick couldn't react in time. The brute showed surprising quickness as she bull-charged him. Brick had no room to dodge or enough distance to round a corner. He planted his hooves down on the metal and locked his forelegs around the horns. The fire singed him as he gritted his teeth.

He must have surprised a lot of ponies, even Mash Pit herself. Brick struggled, but he was able to keep himself planted on the ground and was only being pushed by the mare. Mash Pit roared and shifted her weight, catching Brick off guard and scooping him up. She then flipped him over her back before delivering a good buck kick to Brick's side. Brick groaned in pain as he spiraled down the catwalk. Thankfully, his momentum carried him away from the vats. Bad news was, he could have sworn he heard his ribs crack. He rolled to a stop and grimaced as pain shot through him. Through one eye he saw the mare turn back around, the fire having been quelled on her hide. She unholstered her hammer and shifted it over her shoulder, stomping towards the downed farmer. Brick gasped in pain as he tried to crawl away, feeling his body scream at him to stop. But he couldn't.

Memories of his farm burning and the Fiends celebrating as they dragged his friend away came back to him. Up above, Little Pip watched in horror at the scene. She had to do something. She looked over her shoulder to see the two raiders preoccupying themselves with dumb grins as they watched the beating below. She smirked. Brick was right. They were organized, but they were still stupid. She whipped out her silenced 10mm and entered S.A.T.S. Taking aim, the two fiends found themselves crumpling to the ground, dead. Mr. Berry looked surprised, but then eyed Little Pip as she held up a hoof to shush him. She then reached into her saddle bag and withdrew a blue colored apple. It was a Zap-Apple. A Fiend she looted previously had it on them. She pulled the stem and heaved it with her magic over to the ponies. The Overboss noticed it too late as the metal apple bounced off the head of Mash Pit and it popped with electricity. With the metal that was on the mare, she roared in pain, stumbling back as the electricity caused her to kneel down. Brick took this opportunity to take a couple of health potions. He could feel his bones and flesh mending properly and with newfound vigor, he stood up, shaking away the dizziness that was still there.

He loaded his launcher with a blue apple and pumped his launcher before positioning himself at the split offs of the catwalk. Mash Pit recovered from the temporary shock and snarled again. Holstering her hammer, she scraped the ground again.

"I'll gore you this time, worm!! Here I come!!" Her nostrils snorted with anger and her red eyes from the skull glinted. She bull-charged him again. Brick was ready this time. He pulled the trigger and with a loud thump, the blue apple flew and popped in a direct hit on the mare. He had closed his eyes too as the flash bang did its' work. Mash Pit halted her charge and roared as she then took her hammer and flailed it around wildly. Little Pip up above, keeping out of sight with Mr. Berry from the Fiend leader, who was too invested into the fight, darted her eyes around. She activated her S.A.T.S. and took aim at a hanging cast iron cauldron. Aiming for the bolt and nut, she used all of her charges to whittle away the bolt. When the bolt came undone, the cauldron tipped and molten splashes of heated metal pelted Mash Pit. She hissed and flailed wildly again, disoriented and angry.

"Bastard!! Where are you!!? I'll kill you!!!" she roared. Buck gritted his teeth. He had to end this now. This pony wasn't his friend in the slightest, so it was only right to do this. He galloped, ducking under a stray swing and spun around, delivering a good buck kick under the chin of the pony. The brahmin skull cracked and shattered from the earth pony's impact and the face of the mare was exposed. Indeed, it wasn't his friend. The scarred face looked shocked and with the kick he gave, she stumbled back and the railing gave way to her weight. She yelled for a brief moment before being cut off as she splashed and vanished into the molten vat below. Everything went quiet. Quiet enough that Brick's ear flicked when he heard the cauldron above creaked and groaned. He galloped quickly away from the middle of the catwalk as the cauldron finally came undone and bent the part of the catwalk that Mash Pit had stood moments ago. It bounced and fell into the vat that Mash Pit fell into, sinking in. The fire rose from the vat. Brick panted as he looked down into the molten vat. He spat blood into it and rubbed his muzzle.

"An ironic fate for a spawn of hell." he stated. He then glared in the direction of the stunned and disbelieved Fiends. Seeing the farmer eye them with such venom, they dropped their weapons and hightailed it out of the factory. He then looked up to see Little Pip giving a sigh of relief and Mr. Berry looking ecstatic. However, it was short lived as Mr. Berry gasped and hid behind Little Pip. Little Pip eyed the cyberdogs drooling and eyeing her back. The Overboss grinned wickedly at them. Brick clicked his tongue as he saw the ponies being led out into the next room. There was the sound of cheering. This time, it was from the worker ponies below.

"Kick ass, guy! You showed that savage what for!" one shouted.

"Screw them tribal raiders!! They deserve to be thrown in like that bitch!!"

"I-I hope this job has workplace raiding insurance..."

Brick took off without a word as he bolted into the next room of the building, galloping his way up to the roof. He still had questions that needed answers. He didn't care for praise or a hero's welcome. He wasn't any of that. He had no makings of a hero. He lacked the compassion and values that heroes like Little Pip had. He was just a farmer. A plain, ordinary farmer. He reached the final story and a door that led to the roof. He took a moment to catch his breath. The fight had taken a bit out of him and taking a swig of a health potion, he felt his energy returning. This was it, the point of no return. There's no going back from this decision. She was the last Fiend to continue on. The faction was no more. She would either fight for her cause to the last or give up and turn herself in where she will be executed like the savage she is. Brick closed his eyes. The memories of his farm coming back to him. It would take a lot of work to get his farm back together. But he didn't mind it. Whether he'd do it alone or miraculously have help with his dear friend, it would go back to the way it was. This was his last bastion of hope.

He opened his eyes and stepped through the door.

Brick hurried to the top of the roof where the other ponies and the Fiend were. The Overboss was staring down at the expansive valley of Berry Acres below her. The light snowfall making it seem peaceful despite the fact that moments ago, an awful raid had happened. Brick saw Little Pip and Mr. Berry being watched by one of the cyber dogs, while the other whined, sitting next to the mare. The Fiend pet the dogs head before sighing.

"The Fiends could have made this land prosper. Bloomed out of the snow. The land gives to us and we return it in kind." the mare began. Brick had his stoic look, standing a few feet away from the mare.

"Raiders don't make tha' land prosper. They take from families. Destroy everything ta' satisfy their needs. You don't save tha' land. Only causing it ta' wilt an' die." Brick clicked his tongue. "An' let me guess. You think that today's raid, if it had gone the way you wanted, would have saved tha' land? That yer' kin would nurture tha' land back ta' health?" The mare said nothing but nodded. She then looked ahead out into the valley, studying it before turning around to face the stallion.

"You spit on tha' name of every settler that works honest livin' to provide for their families. An' you are justifying raidin' as tha' cause to save it? Them chems are bad fer' yer' health, miss." She rasped a chuckle and grinned.

"Perhaps so. But the chems help us see the land for what it truly is. It combines nature in harmony. The earth whispers to us. To our souls. And we have only need to listen. Motor Head showed us the way. He became a necessary evil to save this land. And we planned to show the ponies that it is a cause we are willing to see through." Little Pip retorted.

"Bullshit! Raiders are nothing but rapists, slavers and downright vile individuals to ever exist. You destroy lives and everything that ponies hold in value and morals. Your kind is the reason why this land, specifically the Empire, has no love in the first place!" The tribal raider eyed the mare.

"And what makes you think you would help the lost return to the light, Lightbringer?" she asked. "We do not judge who joins our cause. Only that they devote themselves to live off the land as they please." Little Pip slumped and cocked her head with annoyance.

"I'm sorry, it's a little hard to follow, got a little bit of bloat-sprites buzzing in my ear." she retorted. Little Pip has spent so many years dealing with pony's problems throughout her travels that having to chat with a tribal would be the last thing she thought she would be having a discussion with. The zebra tribes were different. But unlike The Fiends, they showed reason and, in the end, provided effort to aid Equestria in its' need. To a point.

We need to be better ponies.

The voice whispered in her head. That damned broadcast was really getting on her nerves. She would have to recollect her thoughts later. She looked at the raider and eyed her coldly. The Fiend frowned.

"To put it in your terms, Lightbringer, you brought sunshine and rainbows to Equestria. But here in the Empire, your influence falls short. We have heard of your heroics, but they do not reflect here. There is no love and there is no hope. Or so you say." She motioned toward the valley. "The land may look dead. But it is far from it. If you show the land enough love and respect, life will be given." she then pointed at Little Pip. "You, who have traveled the wastes. Saw the land dying. Fought battles to save it. You even sacrificed yourself to save it. And yet, here you are, breathing and alive. In fact, you are what inspired The Fiends in the first place." Little Pip bristled a bit, but remained quiet. Where was the raider going with this? "We became demons, because the land needed the necessary evil to ensure its' growth. You were just a normal pony, but you ascended and brought light and hope to the wastes. And while you basked in the warmth and praise of your heroics, Motor Head felt the inspiration from you and decided to spread the word." Brick arched a brow.

"Yer' actin' like Motor Head was a normal pony before. You sure he wasn't brainwashed into being a tribal raider?" The mare scoffed.

"You who walk among the rows should know better. You follow the same cause. To bring life back to the land. Motor Head used to be a head scribe of the ones who bear metal. But he felt his talents lacking and thus left the place to spread the word of the Lightbringer. He did well for a while. But in the Frozen North, nothing is well. He saw the land dying. He wanted to save it. To bring life into it. But no pony would listen. He buckled under his despiration to save the land, only to be called insane and just a would be hero. And when a courier delivered a special package to his doorstep, the Eden's Apple, he found himself being visited by the demon." She started to pace back and forth slowly. "The demon came to him in a dream. Told him to begin a following. A cause worth fighting for. Even if he had to be the one who sleeps in the earth in the eyes of everypony else. He would need to become a demon in order to save the land. With the price of this info, he had to give up his name and take on a new one. And taking the demon's words to heart, he set off, building The Fiends up one by one. Gathering ponies who were desperate and needed that small bit of light of recognition."

Little Pip and Brick couldn't believe what they were hearing. A raider justifying themself? No way in the world did a raider just state something that sounded conflicting. This just means, for Little Pip, that these raiders of the Frozen North aren't all savage. And she hated to admit, but it does bring up a certain attention to a problem she noticed. The Empire indeed was dying. And not because of the war that scarred it. But because the land was so damned cold. So dead. The crops most settlers tried to raise were either dead or able to survive with scarce hope. The same could be said about The Strip. Brick spoke.

"If 'ah recall, a passing courier slaughtered Motor Head an' his general in a Stable. Even freed some trapped caravanners and Stable ponies." The mare scowled.

"And yet, the name of the courier eludes us. They challenged our rise in power. Tossed everything we've worked for into the ground. Stomped on it like a little foal." Brick narrowed his eyes. He remembers indeed hearing about a courier passing by and defeating the leaders of The Fiends. But... again, he couldn't quite remember the details of what happened after. He was out with a couple of his friends and when they returned to the Roulette Hotel, there was a bloodied and tattered figure of a pony resting on the couch. He remembers Goldenlee freaking out. And when she went to turn the pony over, the pony's face was fuzzy. Completely blank. The mare hissed in pain, causing the ponies to eye her.

"Every damn time, that image of that pony comes back and haunts me. I remember, it was the same courier. We had caught them. Turned them over for our entertainment. And they fought another..." she shook her head, scowling. "I can only say it's the land calling out to us. To save it. The Lightbringer's sacrifice inspired us to fight for our cause. To save this dying land." She pet the cyberdog's head again. "You may call us demons. Monsters. No morals whatsoever. But we are the necessary evil to save this land. And I'll be damned if I let a farmer and the slayer of tribes to end it." She whistled and the dogs turned towards Brick and Little Pip. They growled, licking their metallic choppers. "My pets are capable enough to stop you. And when I'm rid of you, I'll retreat back into the land and rebuild the Fiends again. We planned for months on this raid. And I plan to complete it." Brick stepped back a bit as the cyberdog crouched low and growled hungrily. Little Pip looked rather worried as the one guarding them turned and snarled. Mr. Berry cowered behind her.

Then, something happened that caused the Fiend leader to balk and jaw drop. Brick pulled out a red ball from his saddle bag. He held it up and waved it to the cyberdog. The cyberdog growled and snarled, eyeing the pony and the ball. Brick placed the ball down and backed away. Brick studied the cyberdog as it approached the ball hesitantly. It sniffed the ball curiously. The other cyberdog turned around and cocked their head at the other. The Fiend leader looked between the two, baffled and speechless.

"Wh-what...?" she began. The cyberdog sniffing the ball spent a good bit focused on the ball. It then sat down and looked up Brick. Brick saw the red eyes vanish from the dog and replaced with a pleasant hazel color. Brick pulled out a blue ball next and held it up for the other cyberdog. The one that was sniffing the red ball began to lay down and start chewing on it. The other dog left the two ponies it was guarding before walking over, hesitantly, sniffing the air. Brick put the blue ball down a little bit away from the other dog. It hesitantly sniffed the air, sniffing towards the ball. IT spent a little bit longer than the other before it picked it up in its' mouth and walked over to the Fiend leader, laying down and chewing on the ball. The mare slowly looked to meet Brick's eyes. He remained stoic. But he then nodded to the dogs.

"Mr. Olive Garden an' Ms. Waterlog were raided after mah' farm was raided by yer' kin. They lost everythin'. Including their pets. As old as they were, they heard about my ordeal and that if 'ah happen ta' come across their missin' dogs, that 'ah would show 'em their favorite toys." HE then walked over to the one chewing the red ball. The dog growled, but Brick held out his hoof and the cyberdog sniffed it. As if recognizing the scent of the pony, the dog began to wag its' tail. Little Pip observed the confrontation with stark interest. Brick then began petting the cyberdog. It whimpered and allowed it to be petted. The Fiend leader wasn't happy. She bristled and looked down at the one at her hooves.

"Dumb mutts! What the hell do you think you are doing!? Kill them!!" The dog ignored the pony, chewing happily on the toy. Brick spoke before the mare was able to do something she would regret.

"Listen. 'Ah don't know if you were a part of the raid on mah' farm. But 'ah just want to ask. Do ya' happen to know where Lavender Violet is?" The mare balked, looking back at him with shock. What is this feeling? The mare stared at the stallion. She suddenly grimaced and held a hoof to her head, a searing headache coursing through her as memories began to flood back to her.