Fallout: Equestria - The Storm

Fallout: Equestria - The Storm

Chapter 5: Be Kind

***** ***** *****

Velvet continued to apologize to Slash as she corralled the foals and fledglings back towards the schoolhouse. Slash assured her it was no trouble. My eyes stayed locked on the jeweled, gold-plated PipBuck on Velvet’s left hoof. One of the Elements of Harmony, among the most powerful magical artifacts in the world.

For the entirety of the Scout Battalion, and all officers at the rank of Captain and above, the Book of Littlepip became required reading material shortly after copies made their way to our territory. As a source of intel on major political developments within the Equestrian wasteland during that period of time, it was invaluable.

“Hey, Velv, you’re still here?” Gritt asked with surprising familiarity. “Thought you’d have wrapped up and headed back to Junction Town by now.”

“The Hub still needs a lot of help. It will take more than a schoolhouse to make this a sustainable community.” Velvet watched with a smile as the last of the fledglings made it inside. “But it’s a start.”

Gritt took another puff of his cigarette. “I assume Calamity’s gonna be your escort home?” He grinned mischievously. “How’s that sexy stallion been, anyway?”

The unicorn rolled her eyes. “My husband has been just fine, Gritt. And, yes, he’ll be here in a couple of days with Ditzy.”

Three of the Elements were going to be here!? We needed to wrap things up and move on. I couldn’t risk getting found out.

Looking around, I noticed that Slash had wandered off to talk to some Hot Rods, who seemed just as impressed with her as Peepers. This was as good a chance as any to slip away.

*****

“Who’re your friends?” Hearing Velvet’s voice in my direction stopped my attempt to slink off.

“The dragon, Slash, is my current client. I’m bodyguarding and guiding while she looks for something. Red here is just a tag-along making his way to Manehattan.” He leaned close to Velvet and loudly whispered, “I think he’s one of those rad worshiping weirdos. He’s been wearing radioactive armor this whole time.”

A medical pony to her core, Velvet gasped and looked me over, checking for signs of radiation sickness. To her pleasant surprise, she didn’t find any. She did, however, notice how nervous I was. “Are you alright? I didn’t mean to offend or make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine. Just… starstruck, I suppose.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. “I’m a big fan of your singing.” That wasn’t a lie at all. Velvet Remedy’s music was quite popular in Hippogriffia.

Velvet smiled and did her best to modestly hoof-wave her fame. Slash made her way back to us with a grin on her face.

“I got a couple Hot Rods to help us search through the MAS hub.” She seemed proud of her negotiation skills. “They need to get to some water valves in its basement, and I can burn through the security doors.” The dragon demonstrated by whistling a narrow, white-hot streak of fire like a welding torch. She then looked down and patted her cuirass. “They also want to ‘spiff up my plates’?” Slash sounded a bit apprehensive about modifying her armor.

“I welcome the extra firepower. Never know what kind of security robots or turrets might still be lurking in these hubs.” Gritt extinguished his stick of nicotine and tobacco. He was about to flick the remains into the grass before Velvet’s side-eye made him take it to a trash can instead.

Glancing around at the other hubs, I wondered if Skystar would have hidden a Pearl shard in them. Not likely, since she’d have to get through security lockdowns. It also didn’t fit the pattern. The first one was in an ancient temple, and although that was just one point of data I felt she’d stick to that theme.

I tapped my claws and looked towards Velvet and Gritt. “Odd question, but does Baltimare have any major, pre-war landmarks? Something from before the Ministries?”

“That’s definitely an odd question,” Gritt remarked with renewed suspicion.

“Well,” Velvet began, “there's the Horseshoe Lighthouse. It’s been standing for centuries. Why?”

“I just want to take a look around. See the sights. This is my first time in the northeast.” Not my best excuse to take a detour through hostile territory. “I can go alone.”

Gritt wasn’t falling for it. His eye narrowed with some hostility. “You tag along with a pair of strangers because you don't want to travel to Manehattan by yourself, but you’re willing to trek through slaver territory alone?”

My wings fluttered as I started to realize how that sounded, given the context. I showed up out of nowhere in Dodge just after the town had an influx of ex-slaves, and insisted on traveling with the griffon responsible for taking out their master. Gritt must think I’m trying to sneak off and report to my slaver superiors. Being disguised as a griffon exacerbated the problem, due to their general reputation for taking amoral contracts. Even Slash, who had been immediately trusting of me, raised a brow.

“There’s a lot about you that isn’t adding up,” the experienced mercenary pried.

Struggling to come up with a believable explanation, my train of thought was ruined by a nearby radio.

*****

“Good afternoon, Equestrian Wasteland! This is DJ Pon3, bringing you a bit of news! Have y’all ever heard of a little town deep in the southern Badlands called Novac? Well, for the past few weeks they’ve been preyed on by a crazed alicorn who delighted in attacking brahmin. Their lone sheriff, a gal named Ginger, was hard pressed to put an end to it.

Until, that is, she got help from a very unexpected source. A hippogriff! Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘A hippo-what? You’re just making up words, you old DJ!’ I get it, you’ve never heard of them. Heck, I’ve met more stable-dweller-saviors-of-the-wasteland than I’ve met hippogriffs, and I’ve been around the block a few times.

Hippogriffs are just people like you and me. They look like half-ponies, half-griffons and are damn near the size of an alicorn when they’re full grown, but they’re just people.

This one, a fella named Rosegold, seems to be a particularly good one. Sheriff Ginger says he helped her track down the ‘Teleporting Bi-’ Oh, shouldn’t say that on the air, should I? Well, they took it down, and Ginger says she couldn’t have gotten through it alive if it weren’t for the backup. So, Rosegold, from Novac to you, thank you. They also say to look out for Sunny Side Caravan for some free grub!

This has been DJ Pon3, bringing you the news!”

*****

Slash stared at the radio, blinking as her face turned from surprise, to confusion, to worry. “Oh, shit, is he after me? How did they find out?”

Velvet looked at the dragon with concern. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“Hippogriffia is at war with the Dragon Lands,” Slash began to explain, sighing. “I guess the Enclave trying to kill us wasn’t enough… I came here looking for the Dragon Staff, to rally our people and push out the invaders. I bet this ‘Rosegold’ was sent to stop me.”

This was bad. The truth was going to come out soon, and I needed it to be on my terms. As Velvet tried to calm Slash down and offer other possible explanations, I reached under my wing. Gritt snapped his revolver to my face, ending the conversation. After a moment spent frozen, I slowly drew my weapon, set it on the ground, and backed away. I closed my eyes, focused, and changed to my true form.

*****

The wind was knocked out of me as I was tackled into the grass. Slash was on me, one claw around my neck, and the other raised to strike. “That’s why you’re wearing ultracite! Fuck, how did I not figure that out!?” She was trembling, but her grip on my throat was still more than tight enough to make breathing difficult. “Damn it, I slept right next to an assassin!”

I struggled to speak as I choked. “I’m… not… assassin…” My vision was starting to fade, but magic enveloped Slash’s claws and gently pried them open. Coughing and wheezing, I sat up as much as the dragon would let me. Rubbing my neck, I started to explain. “I’m part of the Aqua Pura caravans, not the war on your people. I was… going to Tenpony to set up more business. When I saw you in Dodge, I was actually afraid you were there to kill me. So I disguised myself and went with you to keep an eye on you, to make sure you weren’t a threat.”

Slash took in my words carefully, and slowly got off of me. “How exactly did you ‘disguise yourself’ as a griffon? I didn’t think hippogriffs had magic like that.”

Gritt still had his pistol drawn on me as I reached into my armor and pulled out the Pearl shard. “This is an old, rare artifact of my people. A bunch were scattered across Equestria a long time ago. I figured I’d look for some while I was up here. That’s why I want to check out the lighthouse. There might be one there.”

After a few tense moments, Slash let out a sigh. “So, we’re both here for our own reasons. Okay, that’s… fine. For now.”

“Gritt.” Velvet put a hoof on the griffon’s shoulder, and he finally holstered his weapon, then kicked mine to me. I stowed it carefully. The townsfolk and Hot Rods watching murmured to each other a bit, then continued their business.

*****

Our spelunking of the Ministry of Arcane Science hub was going awkwardly quiet. The two Hot Rods with us tried to break the tension with humor a few times, but eventually gave up. As happy as I was to finally be in my own feathers again, I remained fearful for my life from the dragon and griffon who refused to let me out of their sight. Once we made it to Tenpony, we agreed we were going to go our separate ways.

The silence was only ever broken by the occasional robot or turret, which were easily dispatched by our squad of five. We eventually made it down to the security doors which led to utilities. Slash got to work melting the locks, and I sat down for a breather. Being transformed so long apparently drained a lot of energy, and I was starting to feel the magical withdrawal. A few preserved snack cakes and a sip of Sparkle Cola gave me a boost. It was much better than RadAway, and I was glad I didn’t have to drink that horrible poison anymore.

Molten metal splashing beside me made me jump up with a squawk. Slash had casually tossed what was once the door’s lock in my direction, snickering. Gritt and the others laughed along with her. Grumbling, I followed her, with Gritt behind me. The two earth pony Hot Rods, a mare named Snowmelt and a stallion named Muffler, were on point. The basement would be pitch black if not for their flashlights. Pipes and wires snaked in every direction, and the two discussed which to follow to get to the water mains.

The chosen path took us down another level, into a partially flooded area. Foul-smelling water was up to my knees, and the sound of water rushing from a burst pipe filled the complex. Gritt, Slash, and I kept sniffing at the air in concern. There was more than sewage to this scent. Something was rotting. Flesh was rotting.

*****

Sharp pain shot through me from my hind leg, a screech of terror and agony escaping my beak as a set of diseased teeth clamped into my flesh. My wings instinctively tried to carry me away from the danger as my companions turned towards the churning, bloody water around me, weapons raised. I only raised a couple feet, barely out of the water, before I was at the ceiling, and looked down in horror at the feral zombie gnawing on my left leg. What was left of its hide had no fur, its remaining eye was milky white, and rotted holes in its flesh exposed its innards and bones.

Gritt, having risen into the air beside me, took action. A .357 magnum round blew apart the monster’s head and loosened its grip, allowing me to shake it off. A sizeable wound in my ankle was bleeding profusely, but I had no time to bandage it or drink a potion. Dozens more of the ghouls burst from the water and attacked us all. Snowmelt and Muffler didn’t dare use their heavy weapons in the tight space, resorting to stomping the horrific creatures to death with their hydraulically amplified armored hooves. Slash, unable to breath fire without roasting us all, put her claws to work. The sharp appendages that she threatened me with an hour ago shredded the zombies to putrid ribbons. The griffon was the only one able to use his firearm, blasting apart skulls that were barely clinging together to begin with.

All the while, I was going into septic shock. A major artery had been severed, and I was bleeding out. My PipBuck’s Eyes-Forward-Sparkle told me that I needed immediate medical attention. Had the hostile detection system worked… The ghouls took the ponies in power armor by surprise as well, so perhaps EFS can’t detect a motionless, submerged threat. Not that it mattered now. I was dying. My vision darkened and I couldn’t keep myself in the air any longer. I fell into the soup of gore and cold sewage, and everything went black.

*****

My first instinct when I woke up was to vomit. Barely turning over to the side of the gurney I was laying on in time, I retched into a bucket that I apparently already used at least once. Rubbing my head as I laid back, I could tell I had a severe fever. Looking down, I inspected myself. My left ankle was thoroughly wrapped in magically enhanced bandages. As were many other wounds I didn’t remember getting. Had more ghouls gotten to me while I was unconscious? If any of them had gone for my neck… Considering the damage, I should be hurting more. I’m probably under the effects of many painkillers. My armor was nowhere to be seen, and my underlayer had been removed as well. Most concerning, my PipBuck and Pearl shard were gone. Being this exposed made me feel uncomfortable. Unable to get up, I waited. Whoever was tending to me was bound to check on me eventually.

Pleasant humming alerted me to Velvet Remedy entering through the clinic’s door. “Oh, good, you’re awake!” She began checking me over, reading my vitals, and replacing dirty bandages. “You still have a nasty fever, but I believe the worst of the infection is over.”

“How long was I out?” Without my wrist computer, there was no telling.

“Almost forty hours, with some occasional bouts of delirium and throwing up.” She telekinetically opened a locker and retrieved my PipBuck, and helped me clasp it onto my wrist. “With the number of ghoul bites you sustained, the infected water those wounds were exposed to, and your immune system’s lack of familiarity with local disease, you’re extremely lucky to be alive. You have Slash to thank for carrying you to me as fast as she could.”

The dragon saved me? I’d have expected Snowmelt or Muffler to rescue me out of principle, but Slash had plenty of reasons to simply let me die. Velvet went on to comment that Gritt tried to leave me behind, and she gave him a stern talking to about it when she found out. She also informed me that I’d need another day of rest before I was healthy enough to travel.

“Are Slash and Gritt still here?” They certainly had time to finish their business and move on without me.

“They are. Slash insisted on waiting for you. She’s been helping with odd jobs around town in the meantime. That, and getting into a scuffle with Washout.”

“Washout?” Was that some bandit or slaver?

“She’s the leader of the Hot Rods, and de facto mayor of the Hub. Considering how your dragon friend reacted to a hippogriff, I guess it wasn’t surprising she attacked a pegasus in Enclave armor on sight.”

“The Enclave have a presence here?” I started, a bit panicked, then sighed. “Sorry, that’s a stupid question. She’s ex-Enclave, I take it?”

Velvet nodded. “If you’re really interested I’m sure she’ll tell you her life’s story. She’s gotten used to explaining herself to newcomers and dealing with hostility.”

The unicorn welcomed me to get some fresh air once the painkillers wore off, but advised me to take it slow. She got no arguments from me. It still baffled me how unconditionally helpful she was being. I guess she was the Element of Kindness for a reason.

*****

After getting dressed, which was a bit of a painful struggle, I hobbled out into the sunlight. I also refastened my magical shard around my neck. Glancing back, I realized the clinic I was staying in was actually the hub building for the Ministry of Peace.

Ponies and griffons, settlers and local militia alike, went about their days. Not all the Hot Rods wore Steel Ranger power armor, as it was designed exclusively for earth ponies by the Ministry of Wartime Technology. Unicorns and griffons wore reinforced combat armor, which was just as elaborately painted, though the griffs used more earthy, neutral color schemes. Vibrant colors weren’t common among their kind.

My eyes were drawn towards the two most unique members of the crowd, Slash and Washout. The dragon was standing in a wide pose while the pegasus worked on painting her armor. Washout used the many scars in the ancient plates as starting points, illustrating purple and blue flames erupting from them. It accented quite well with the armor’s original gold and black finish.

Washout herself wore heavily modified Enclave hellfire armor. It was already more reinforced than the standard model, and had additional plating welded to it. The helmet, which was slung on her flank, was fully enclosed without the design flaw of having a raisable visor. Its jet black finish was heavily contrasted with neon green flames, which matched the white mare’s frazzled mane and wild eyes. Under her half-armored wings were a pair of rotary plasma cannons mounted on a battle saddle. With armor and weapons this heavy, she must have been a very strong flier.

*****

“For the last time, I’m not interested in mares. Let alone a pegasus.” Slash bellowed indignantly as Washout put finishing touches on her thigh armor while making flirtatious remarks. How she so expertly wielded paint brushes with her wings was a mystery to me.

“I’m just saying, I dig a strong babe who can hold me down like that.” Washout was relentless with her sexual teasing, much to the dragon’s chagrin. Gritt was sitting nearby, enjoying the show. His expression soured when he noticed me approaching.

“You look like shit,” the griffon muttered.

“Of course I do,” I groaned as I laid down in the soft grass. “You should have just gone on without me. I’d make it to Manehattan eventually.”

“No arguments here. But Slash just had to make sure she didn’t get you killed after sparing you.” The habitual smoker lit yet another cigarette, inhaled, and blew smoke in my direction out of spite. A smirk appeared on his beak as I coughed.

“There’s no way you’d make it by yourself,” Slash chimed in. “If one ghoul bite puts you out like that, you need someone looking out for you.”

I raised a brow at her. “Not to look a gift dragon in the teeth, but why do you care? Our people are enemies.”

She sighed. “Because if you and I can travel across Equestria together without killing each other, maybe there’s hope for peace.”

“If that’s how you feel, maybe you should talk your people into surrendering. The Storm King would then gladly help you send the Enclave on their way.” It was the most honest thing I’ve said to her so far. I truly didn’t understand why they didn’t take that option.

Slashed puffed her chest. “No dragon would choose between extermination or slavery. We’ll fight to stay alive and independent. Maybe your King should help us beat the Enclave and go home.”

And end up empty handed? That’s insane. “We need your fertile land to grow food. Hippogriffia is almost completely reliant on foreign trade to feed its people, and that’s not sustainable.”

Washout paused her artistry to give us both an annoyed look. “Can you stow the political talk? You’re throwing off my vibes here.” Slash and I agreed to disagree, and I skulked off to find something else to do.

*****

Meandering down the road, an industrial complex caught my attention. The factory was directly beside the hub for the MWT. What was odd was that, unlike every other building connected to the Hub, this one had all of its doors and windows boarded up.

Muffler trotted up to me as I approached the entrance. “Woah, Daddy-O, you don’t want to go in there.”

“Why not? More ghouls?” My bandages itched, and I took a step back.

“Worse. Assault-Mares.” Muffler spoke as if I knew what those were. My expression enlightened him of my ignorance. “Crazy advanced combat robots. Tough, fast, and deadly. They move like a zebra assassin on Stampede, can turn invisible, and have an overcharged laser cannon for a face.”

I looked back at the barricades. “And you think some boards and scrap metal will keep them from overrunning the Hub?”

“Well, they were all deactivated when we last checked. That’s mostly to keep peeps from wandering in and turning them on by accident.”

“How come I’ve never heard of them? Why didn’t Equestria use them in the war?”

“Production had barely gotten off the ground when the bombs fell. They’re super rare. Rich businesses bought hoof-fulls of them for security, so you might run into them in other ruins.” He tapped a faded Steel Rangers logo on the wall. “The Chapter that was here a decade ago tried to get them reprogrammed to bolster their numbers, but never succeeded. Washout made a brief attempt herself, and was seemingly successful, but… One of the damn things went haywire and killed a zebra foal and its mother before we could slag it. We got the others shut down and locked up, but no other stripes have tried to live here since. Said the Hub was cursed.”

I huffed. “Well, of course it attacked zebras. That’s what they were designed for. You should have known.”

Muffler gave me a shove. “Yeah, jerk, we should have. No need to rub it in.” He saw me struggling back onto my feet and apologized, helping me up. “Just… watch your beak, alright? It’s a touchy subject. Washout really liked those stripes.”

With a pained nod, I continued my trot around town. There was little else of interest. The hubs for the Ministry of Image, Ministry of Morale, and Ministry of Awesome were basic office buildings converted into housing. Each was plastered with propaganda for Equestria’s war effort, a lot of which was painted over courtesy of the Hot Rods.

The MOA building was the smallest, and a sign indicated that it was meant for travelers to stay in. To my surprise, the attendant told me a triple bedroom was already paid for. “Second floor, fourth room on the right.”

Following her directions, I made it inside, eager for rest. Two of the beds looked slept in, so I claimed the last one and fell into it. I didn’t bother removing any of my gear, since the ultracite should help me heal. It took some time, but my exhaustion eventually overcame my fever and allowed me to sleep.

***** ***** *****

Footnote:
All you did was almost die. No level up for you.