Fallout Equestria: Desperados V3 (Bonds of Platinum)

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V3: Bonds of Platinum

Ch 1: The Warband Camp, Part 1.

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My body ached, having decided that sleeping in an actual bed was a bad thing, yet I felt far too comfortable to even try and get up. It was the paradox of getting more than enough sleep, which I felt better than I had in a long time, yet I felt like shit.

Worse was that my time of the month had come, and my abdomen was feeling cramped and bloated at the same time. It wasn't intolerable, but it wasn't ignorable either. It was just going to be one of those days where I'll feel like shit all day long if I didn't get some medicine. The silver lining was that I knew I wasn’t pregnant, which I had been irrationally worried about since my time with Pyrope.

It wasn't like I was ignorant about where foals come from, or how to use protection, but using an over two-hundred-year-old contraceptive was a dubious idea. I had almost not even taken it too, if not for Star teasing me. Why? I still don't know. Maybe it was an excuse to stop, to give up. If I was with a child, then it would be irresponsible for me to continue this journey.

But even that would get somepony killed. Like with everything I do, I end up getting somepony killed. Just like with my family, my friends, and so many innocent ponies back on the island. I almost got Star killed, though she lived, but my poor planning had put her in that position. I wasn't even sure it was her when she returned to me, with how her magic felt so different now.

She even acted like it was nothing. She had been shot and drowned, and it was my fault.

So I just wanted to stay in bed and ride out this pain. I deserved it after all.

Unfortunately, other ponies had plans for me, of which sleeping in wasn't part of it. "Wakey, wakey sugar!" A now slightly visibly pregnant Cherry Knot said as she pulled up one of the tent's blinds, letting the sun in onto my face.

Was it her fault I even thought to just let myself get pregnant, as most of the mares in our little Desperados herd were with foals now? Again, why was that prison mixed-gender in the first place? And Star already had a daughter. Maybe I just let myself get influenced by all that.

"I'll fucking gut you, ya whore!" Star grumbled as she woke up as well, Cavall hopping off her and giving Star a lick on her face with his forked dog tongue.

"Try me, and I'll make you regret it," Cherry said back with a sneer.

Pushing myself up, several of my bones making cracking sounds as I stretched, drawing attention to myself. "Both of you, it's too early for that!" Looking around, not only were our Desperados mares from the NCRCF packed in here, but so were the majority of the ghost nightstalkers. The snake dogs had found their favorite ponies and were using them for warmth.

Unsurprisingly, Henbane was practically buried in the nightstalkers. I don't know why, but they seemed to like her the most, so she had been designated as their caretaker and trainer. It worked out well, as she had experience with raising barn dogs, of which these nightstalkers were half that. The other half was some ornery rattlesnake that can turn invisible.

I was still surprised any of these mares here even passed the Desperado's initiation, with most of them all having been wasteland whores before ending up in the prison. Truthfully, I had expected them to just take the deal of moving into Desperado territory and pay tribute, yet here they were, and I was left as their "leader."

"Right boss, sorry about that. Old habits and all." Cherry said as she trotted over to where we kept our clothes. All of it was set aside to be washed, even my underwear, as the wasteland caked in dirt and dust over everything, all not helped by our sweat. I hadn't even realized that I smelled so badly until Cherry pointed it out last night. The Union Bandits hadn't complained about our smell, but then again, they could eat pure toxic waste. "Speaking of which, I'm washing all of your clothes, for both of you, So I prepared a few things for you to wear in the meantime."

Slowly, I trotted over, my body still waking up from my long sleep. But the closer I got, the more I hated what I saw. The first item was nothing more than frilly ribbons, reminding me of something my brother would get one of the maids to put on for him. The next wasn't much better, more underwear with a light covering, which looked a lot like what a high class whores would wear. I hated myself, but not enough to try either of those two.

"No… I'd rather go out nude." I protested, fully knowing that most ponies in the wasteland barely wore anything as it was. "So please tell me you got something that covers more, lots more."

Cherry chuckled and pulled out my hostess dress from the Ruffled Feathers. I gave Cherry a less than pleased glare and the mare winked back at me. "Sorry sugar, but all of the cloth went to making bandages or repairing the tents. This is all you got right now."

"Maybe I should just throw on my usual clothes," I suggested

"Fucking no way that'll happen." She pantomimed herself gagging. "I mean, the amount of dirt we washed out of you all was Celestia damned too much. And those clothes are so drenched in dirt and sweat that it would be a miracle if they were not permanently stained. That's a damn shame too, a dress like that is a rarity out here ya know."

With a sigh, I trotted over to the outfit to at least have something on. "Fine, just be careful with that dress, it's made from ballistic weave, so it's probably one of a kind."

"You can always try my leotard again?" Star suggested as she trotted over, her long messy mane untangling itself before my very eyes. I was still getting used to her being a kelpie now, and not just a normal earth pony that we thought she was, and the fact that she could control her mane like this made me rather jealous.

"I'll pass. I still don't know how you even like having that on?" I told her. The leotard felt tight, even on me, and I was smaller than my friend. And how it pressed up onto my body only made me feel more exposed. It also reminded me of my years of ballerina practice, making the tips of my hooves hurt just remember it all.

Star shrugged. "To each their own. Well, I'm going to go find Slowtrot, and get some pain meds for us."

"Us?" I asked.

"You are having cramps aren't you?" She asked and I hesitantly nodded. "Good, I was a bit worried those pills might be faulty, but since we started syncing up, I at least had to ask."

A chuckle came from Cherry, but I shot her a glare to shut her up. "Well, if those pills were faulty, you'd have been first to know."

"That's for sure," Star said with a laugh. "And hay, having zony foals sounds adorable, I mean, you look cute yourself."

"Star, I'm-"

"Not a zony, I know," Star said, cutting me off with a cocky grin. "Anywho, once I get those painkillers for us, I'm going to go find Thunder Crack and the other moms, for you know, mom stuff."

It was good to see that Star wasn't so angry anymore, but it was clear that being separated from her daughter was still affecting her. It was too dangerous to bring Bridget with us and she knew it more than anypony. Safer to leave the filly with her gun-obsessed aunts and uncles in the Gunrunner compound, than with us out in the wasteland.

"I'll be heading straight to Arras once I'm ready, I'm sure he'll love the guns we brought with us. Also, I need to greet the leader of this camp, since I'm technically a Desperado leader myself." I told Star.

She chuckled. "Don't you mean elder?"

I shot my friend a dirty glare at the comment. "I'm far too young to be called an elder!"

Star backed up, still smiling. "Alright, I get it. It's not that I don't understand, and all, you are the boss of this little herd. Well, if they try and get you to do something you don't want to, just let me know and I'll break a leg or two.

Watching Star trot out, her form shifting a little to hide her Kelpie aspects.

Cherry sighed as she began brushing my mane. "That mare is a doll. She would have fit right in with my gang. Fuck, if she can shapeshift like that, she'd make a shit ton of caps with her mane alone."

It was a bit annoying that I could properly imagine what Cherry was suggesting, and not feel that disturbed by it. Still gross, but it did make sense in its way. It made me feel even more grateful for Stars mother, as I was sure that without Prism Paints influence, Star would have either become a cutthroat monster, or just another whore. Probably both, now that I think about it. "Couldn't you and the others have done anything else other than whoring at that time?"

Letting out a huff as she gently untangled a knot from my mane. "It was that or going raider. Things might have improved in the wasteland after the clouds cleared up, but for mares like me and the girls, it wasn't that much better. Sure we could have tried to farm, or scavenge, among other things, but prostitution was less risky and paid well. Or at least that's how it started for all of us. It was all fun and easy, but then you realize you are months into a pregnancy, turning tricks for only a tenth of what you made at the start, all while getting beaten by a pimp because you're not making enough caps for his chem addiction."

Cherry then let out a long sigh. "I actually started as just a barmaid and hostess, honest work you see, much like the other girls. It started small, but each one of us was slowly drawn into prostitution, a cuddle here, a kiss there. By the time I realized what was going on, I was jacking off one stalling while getting fucked by another. Hard to turn back once your that far in, or thats what I had been tricked into thinking."

"Right, Star warned me about that with the boss of the Ruffled Feathers. He wasn't persistent, but he wanted Star and I to join the brothel." I even remembered the ultimatum he gave me when I almost shot the deputy. Don't regret it, but it was entirely a bad move on my part. "Say, didn't you start killing clients? You never did tell me why."

"Oh, right, now that's a funny story… well not ha ha funny, more an oh he's dead, funny," Cherry said, and I could tell she was cringing as she tried to explain. "You see, our pimp had a heart attack and died, probably because of all the chens he’d taken. Well, that left the boss in charge, the one before you. We didn't know how to keep clients from running out on us you see, so we were getting fucked both figuratively, and literally. I guess the boss had a chip on her shoulder, as she was a real stallion hater that one, but she did well to hide it at first. So when we were trying to figure out how to stop the stallions from cheating us, she took it into her hooves and just shot any that tried to fuck and run. Eventually, bodies piled up, and the NCR came and cracked down on us."

Bodies piled up? I could imagine that rather easily. Not like my family had clean hooves after all. I did have to deal with the aftermath of a purge, all those bodies in the water, eyes just looking at me…

"You alright, Harp?" Cherry then asked.

My thoughts derailed as I refocused on Cherry. "I'm fine, just remembering something. You know, let's not talk about such things, it's… depressing. I want to know what you and the others have been up to?" I asked, changing the subject.

Cherry wound up my mane so it became a tight bun on the sides, placing a few sticks inside to keep them in place. "Not much. Our tailoring skills are being put to use in repairing the armor, and the stallions are getting some combat training. But mostly were making our place as the Nightstalker tamers. Turns out ponies are far more well behaved with you when ya got an invisible snake hound as your guardian. So it's been rather nice compared to life before, though there is that ever-present cloud of war over our heads."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, war is more than just ponies killing each other. Even then, I doubt the Desperados would want a pony like you on the front lines." I reassured her.

"Even so, I can't help but worry. But if it isn't one thing that's a problem, it's another." She said as she started on my tail. "Oh, did you hear about-"

Cherry then went on about the gossip in camp as she helped me get dressed, nothing major, just the little things going on. Henbane was sleeping with Crankshaft regularly now, the local Desperados took a major shine to our nightstalkers, and how the leader here was Arras descendant by over ten generations. Fortunately, it also seemed that Cherry and the others were reframing from old habits, or at least as much as possible, as STDs had only popped up a few times among the locals, and they were taking their medication regularly. However, we may need Slowtrot to check everypony just in case.

Dressed, I threw on my Desperados vest just so that I don't stick out too much and removed the sticks from my mane and tail, letting them bounce into a more natural swirl. Trotting out of our tent, I found a small crowd of Desperados, all watching as Azure and Live Axle were hauling a few of the gun cylinders we got from the Union Bandits, Live sporting the GAR rifle on her back for all to see.

Seeing me, Azure chittered his outer mandibles and trotted over. "Ah, good timing Miss Harp, we were just about to deliver these to the elders." He looked around, his ( + ) shaped pupils scanning the crowd before glancing at Live, with one side of his outer mandibles then cocking sideways like a smirk. "As you can see, word has already gotten out that we procured some mint-conditioned artifacts. Unprofessional, but nothing anyone can do once the cat's out of the bag, as the saying goes."

Letting out a frustrated huff, Live Axle trotted over as well. "Ya, ya, it's my fault! I didn't even tell Transmission and Suspension all that much about it. Didn't think they'd have the time to even tell everypony. I guess Mom was right, the only thing faster than light is gossip."

Though having a crowd gawking at us and our prize was annoying, I still trusted the Desperados to keep their hooves to themselves. They were mostly a bunch of thugs, but they weren't thieves, and they certainly didn't screw with ponies that they considered kin. Still, that was Arra’s herd, who knows how the local Desperados would even act?

"Any issues from the local Desperados?" I asked. "Cherry informed me the basic gossip, but she's just as much of an outsider as I am."

"You mean Swift Firemane's warband, their chill, though a bit more hard-headed than our lugnuts, oh and a lot more hot-blooded." Live explained. "I wouldn't worry too much about them sticking their muzzles where they don't belong. If they're not out patrolling the outer city or the roads, Swift has them sparring. Though that's what my friends told me, and they're, ya know."

Transmission and Suspension were not all that smart mares and had terrible taste in stallions.

That was good to know, though I was still a bit worried that something might happen. "What's your opinion, Azure?"

His fin antennas twitched as his large fin tail swayed a little, reminding me how alien he was. Thankfully the sun was out or he'd also be a big green lamp with how he glowed. "Can't say much yet, but it's clear that the Warband are far more militant than Elder Big Papa's herd. So long as we don't try and start a fight, or give in to any provocations, they shouldn't give us much trouble. But that's far easier for me to say since I have that perception-blocking magic going on."

"I doubt they'd want to fight ya even if they did see ya coming," Live said with a chuckle. "I mean, look at ya, you're a big glowing pony-shaped crab monster. Though the worst part is when ya talk fancy, and use those big words."

Azure shrugged. "Well, that's nothing new for me."

"Same," I said in solidarity.

Looking at the ponies here myself, there were a few Desperados I didn't recognize, meaning they were part of the warband. Their clothing wasn't much different, looking a bit thicker and with more metal studs over hard leather. The Desperados symbol was also a bit different, with the flaming skull wearing a horned helmet instead of the wide-brim stetson hat that Arras's group had. I also noticed they all had similar guns at their hips, that being sawed-off double barrel shotguns, and scrapyard SMGs, both painted in the Desperados colors. Though some had what looked like Grover battle rifles, the wood looked much lighter than the ones we have, and the metal was like a polished stainless steel than the darkened steel those rifles normally had. There was something even odder about the rifles, as they had brass parts, and a strange symbol on the buttstock, a skull with-

"Hay Harp!" Star called out as she trotted through the small crowd, hauling another one of the gun cylinders. "Here, take four, Slowtrot said only two, but no fucking way am I trusting a stallion to know our pain, and how much painkillers are enough." She said, tossing me a small bottle along with a Stable 27 canteen filled with water.

I did just that, taking four pills and guzzling them down with the water.

Live Axle looked at us in annoyance, so I offered her the bottle of pills. That got an eye roll from her. "Ya know I don't need 'em. Already missed my time of the month last week." She grumbled.

At this point, and from what I was hearing about Henbane, Star and I were probably the only mares not pregnant in our herd, which would make me the only mare of us, to not have gone through a pregnancy. Not that I wanted to be, but strangely I was feeling a bit left out.

"So where's Slowtrot?" I asked.

Star cringed a little. "Rack End caught him just as we left the stallion's tent, and she was looking rather… intense."

"Right, I should have warned you about that," Live said with a hint of guilt. "Dad is out contacting another herd, and Mom is in one of her moods. Dad normally calms her down, and if not him, my sister would."

Right, Dead Axle was currently near dead and petrified right now, leaving no one to calm that terrifying mare.

"But don't worry, Slowtrot will be fine… mostly?" Live said nervously "She just wants to help make him more of a stallion, you know, getting bulked up and being able to fight."

I looked at Star and my friends nodded back at me. "I'll talk to Thunder Crack about it, but I'm sure Slowtrot will be fine. A few hours of intensive training won't kill him."

She was right, but Slowtrot was still from the wartime era, not the wasteland. So I was a bit worried. "Are you okay with this, Slowtrot is you're… will be your husband after all?" I then asked Live.

The Desperado mare shrugged. "Ehh, I can see where mom's coming from, he is a bit on the scrawny side after all. And a bit of muscle never hurts a stallion."

I shrugged as well. It wasn't like Rack End was going to kill him… yet.

I looked back to Star, and the cylinder on her back. "I guess you're helping us take the guns to Arras then?"

Star nodded. "Since Slowtrot can't right now, I might as well."

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Trotting through the camp in the day, I got a better view of it that wasn't possible when we arrived last night. We were at the bottom of the northeast end of Platinum Hill, where the ground was a bit flatter and there was enough space for the Desperados to park their vehicles. The large round tents were made of the same thick canvas I had come to know, all decorated with integrity woven tapestries and painted animal skulls. Along the border of the camp were old telephone poles, which had large sheets of canvas were suspended between them to reinforce the border between Platinum Hill and Desperado’s camp.

It was clear that this camp was far more permanent for the Desperados but set up so that they could easily leave at any time. All the tents were set up in the same way as they had when they were camped near New Appaloosa, though with a lot more order. There were also a few rather well-built fire pits and small water towers. Such things can't simply be picked up and moved, but with enough time, they could be broken down for transportation.

I also took notice of a pumpwell, of which a large sign hung above, warning all to not drink the water due to it being tainted. Nearby was a crude-looking, yet sophisticated, water purification device. It looked more like a backwater booze distiller than something to make safer to drink.

"The water here can't be that bad, can it?" I asked Live.

"Trust me, all the groundwater here and along route 50 is poisonous. A foal hood friend of mine died from drinking it. Not sure why he did, but it might be because of a dare." Live told me. "How about where you're from, how bad is the water there?"

Thinking back, I was quite ignorant about the water situation on the Marewaii Islands. I knew ponies struggled to get fresh water, but it wasn't until I left my stable that I saw its first hoof. "It's not so much that the water is tainted on the islands, but that what fresh water there can't support the population on the islands. We're surrounded by water, but it's all salt water, so I guess we do the same thing as what you're doing here."

"Nothing new under the sun, I guess," Live said as we trotted on.

Reaching the elder's tents, it was an imposingly large spot, as they used several telephone poles to cover five larger tents with what looked to be one big half-moon-shaped tent, along with a large fire pit in front of it like a centerpiece. The fire crackled from the pit as the smoky smell of cooked fruit, veggies, and meat drifted from it.

To my delight, Arras was tending to the fire pit, cooking skewers on a grill at the pit's end. Seeing us, the ancient ghoul smiled and waved us over, his eyes lighting up in joyful surprise when he saw the GAR on Live's back.

"Well I'll be, I heard you brought us more guns, but you managed to get your hooves on a Royal Guard Automatic Rifle!" Arras said with glee as he waved us to come closer.

Taking the rifle from Live, he thoroughly inspected it, even removing parts to check it, and adding a bit of oil to the rifle.

Live Axle looked very proud of herself as though she was the one to have recovered the ancient rifle. "So you do know the rifle Elder Big Papa, I had a feeling you would if it had Celestia's cutie-mark stamp on it."

"Know it, I was issued one during the war," Arres said with a chuckle. "They were built and inspected by Gabby herself, and used for the protection of VIP. The zebras didn't know what hit them when I dragged one of these through the mud to take out a Gatling gun nest. Didn't even need to fire a shot, they knew they were dead as soon as they saw me above them and surrendered."

Putting the rifle back together, Arras let out a long sigh. "Back then we could still be civil with each other, even shared a spot of tea with those two gunners the day after. I think one was a father of three, and the other was in the middle of his apprenticeship as a gardener.” He paused for a moment, lost in the memory. “If we only knew how bad it was going to get."

He then eyed the cylinders and smirked. "Ahh, that makes sense now, old pre-Ministry indefinite gun storage drums. Celestia had those used during the ceasefire, as part of our disarmament in anticipation of the peace treaty."

"I'm guessing that the peace treaty never happened?" Azure asked.

Arras nodded. "Before it could happen and the war could be officially over, the Littlehorn Massacre occurred. I'm sure Slowtrot can better go into details about that time, as his memory of it is far fresher than mine. Sadly, a lot of it was a blur even back then for me, too much boozing at the time you see." Gently putting the rifle down, he then passed a skewer to Live and me. "But enough about ancient history, tell me about what you all were up to, and how you managed to get your hooves on such prizes."

As I sat down to explain the last few weeks, Star and Azure dropped off their cylinders and went on their way. I explained PC's farm, the raiders infested with cruel jokes, and later the discovery of the Zebra infiltration robots alongside the behemoth siege robot. Arras looked concerned as I described how Quicktrot took over the robots and planned to use them to keep the wasteland as it was.

He nodded a few times waiting for my story to end. "You can say we dogged the proverbial megaspell there. To think of the damage that Quicktrot mare could have done if she managed to get that sedge robot out of that mine. It also sickens me that ponies had sold out our nation to that extent, and allowed zebras to smuggle a death machine into Equestria. Yet I'm not surprised with how the Ministry's treated everypony."

"And that's why we're still here and they're not." Spoke a stallion from behind Arras. Trotting out From the elder's tent was a well-built and tall, tan unicorn stallion. He sported several scars, and plenty of warpaint, along with a red, orange, and yellow mohawk mane, along with a long braided tail. Like everypony here, sported the same black vest, but it was far more decorated with studs and had the warbands skull on the side. He had some of the same weapons as his herd, but I also noticed a very large pistol, made of the same materials as the odd battle rifles.

On each side of him was a mare, twins from the look of them, both with dark coats and deep red manes, along with looking too soft and clean to be Desperados, yet felt dangerous all the same. Both sported small black hats on their heads, which were decorated with gold and large brightly colored feathers, along with black veils over their faces. They also wore thick intricate black dresses decorated much the same as their hats, making them completely stuck out. They also had the same pistol as the stallion, but with it, they had what must be a sword, though the blade looked impractical, long and thin, with a hilt that resembled a decorative basket.

They both clung to the stallion's jealousy, glaring in a way that unnerved me. Though the magic coming off them was strange, it didn't feel odd or wrong, more that it was naturally dangerous.

"Swift, you're finally up," Arras said, lacking any enthusiasm as he offered the stallion a skewer. “And I see your wives are up as well, a rarity I've come to have known.”

The stallion, whom I was sure was Swift Firemane, took the skewer as he sat down on a rather large and dusty cushion, both mares joining him, sitting in a more dainty way. “When my darlings choose to be awake or asleep is none of your business.” Swift then took a bite out of the skewer, eating it all in one go. “And I do need my sleep too, ancestor.” He said before swallowing his meal. “As I am a hard-working stallion after all."

“Very hard working.” One of the twins said as she rubbed his arm.

The other looked in my direction for a moment, a smirk on her face. “We also keep an eye out for those who don't belong. Never know when an assassin may show up.”

The ghoul let out an annoyed huff. "When has fucking your little haram become hard work? Or do you think harassing the locals is hard work, maybe watching the demon grass grow leaves you exhausted?”

For a moment the two looked like a grandfather scolding their grandson over decorum and work ethic. And thinking about it, that wasn't far off from the truth.

Taking two more skewers and passing them to his wives, Swift tossed his used one into a nearby bucket. “Are you still upset over the other night, ya crotchety old corpse? Aren't you the one who wants me to start having children, well I'm working on it!”

“And ya doing it too damn loud!” Arras snapped.

The first twin, who was far clingier than her sister, let out a chuckle. “Oh, the ghoul is jealous. I bet he can't even get it up anymore, the poor thing.”

The other sister had pulled out a black cloth fan with red lace, using it to cover her muzzle. “Sister, do mind your manners. He may be a disgusting undead, but he is still the elder here. Anyways, the elder’s long-awaited guests are here” Her eyes fell firmly onto me, and had a predatory intent to them. “You must be Harp Melody, the leader of that band of whores and thieves? I'm Lair Darkheart, and this is my sister Hollow Darkheart.” She then rested her head on her husband's side. “And I assume you already know who this stallion is?”

“Swift Firemane.” I answered. “And though I want to argue with your assumption of my herd, you're not far off the mark. “Slowtrot and Star here are my seconds, and Live Axle is the one helping our integration into the Desperados.”

Swift let out a short laugh as his eyes focused on Live. “Ha, I should have known it was you, it's been too long Live. I see you're finally growing out of that stupid side buzz cut of yours. Though it's a shame it's only after you've already been taken. Also, my condolences about your sister. I had hoped your mother would finally accept my request and have you two join my harem like your father wanted."

Live Axle looked annoyed by that, letting out a huff as she shifted uncomfortably. "Pops only wants that because he ran with your pops when retaking Umberfoal from the tin cans. Anyways, ain't no way moms letting me or my sister move out of Elder Big Papa's herd and into a warband. But you're always welcome to fight her over it."

Lifting his hooves definitely, Swift let out a nervous laugh. "You got me there, even I'm not so brave as to fight that crazy bitch. Well, whoever the poor bastard that's joining your family, send him my condolences." His attention then fell onto me as I finished off a grilled bit of carrot, his tone filled with suspension. "I had wondered who Elder Arras's new favorite was. Didn't expect it to be some scrawny zony that looks as though they came out of a whore house."

"Watch your tongue, colt!" Arras warned the war chief.

But Swift just laughed him off with a chuckle. "Or what, I am the leader of this territory, and my herd isn't made up of foals and milking mares. You're the one coming to me to lead this so-called war over in the West, so I'll talk as I wish. And if you're putting so much trust in this little mare, I doubt whatever is stirring up trouble in the West is anything more than just a tributary with more confidence than sense. Actually, it's more likely that the other elders are finally losing their minds, and seeing dragons where there are just hills."

For the first time since I've come to know Arras, he glared with a wave of intense anger, all directed at Swift. “Colt, if your father was still with us-”

“Father died because you wouldn't listen to him!” Swift growled. “And now you're doing the same. Now stop calling me a colt, and address me by my rank!”

The two stared each other down for a moment, the tension between them thick.

Clearing my throat, I drew their attention to myself, deciding to add my perspective on all this. “As much as I am appreciative of Arras defending my honor, Swift isn't far off the mark about my attire. Sadly, it happened to be laundry day, and all that was available was this hostess dress. As for what awaits us in the west, I have it on good, if spiteful authority, that the enemy isn't just some stupid wastelanders or ambitious raiders.”

Tapping on my pipbuck, it began playing the tune Quicktrot had mocked me with. The song filling me with dread. “We're in all likelihood dealing with the Ponies Republic of Marewaii. Don't let the name fool you, they're just as much a dictatorship as the Enclave was, though from what I've dealt with, the PRM are far more advanced in their propaganda."

I got a skeptical look from Swift, so I further explained. "Essentially, they used the idea of equality to push their agenda of complete control. Nothing new, that is until you learn how they bring about this equality and control.” Turning off the tune, I then took a deep breath. “It's unknown how long they've been doing this, but they have been implementing cybernetic brain implants to control their population. A friend of mine saw it first hoof, even had the scar from where the cut opened her head to put a chip in it."

That got an eyebrow raised from Swift. "As in what, like an internal shock collar?"

I shook my head. "No, that would be something my family would do. What the Equalists are doing is to make a pony part of a network, a hive mind as you can say. In it, those fully devoted to their cause drown out any dissenting mind, force you to think as they do, and suppress any free will. Effectively, you become all the same, you all become equally brainwashed."

There was a long pause as Swift chewed on another skewer, giving what I just said some thought. Tossing his second finished skewer to the side, he then addressed Arras, "And you believe this?"

The ancient ghoul looked a bit miffed by the war chief's assertion, pointing a skewer at the young Stallion as he said. "It's not about belief, but trust. I trust that she wouldn't lie about this, and so I'm taking the proper precautions when sending ponies to investigate." His eyes then looked past Swift, gaining the same distance and dark look I had seen so many ponies have in the wasteland, but with Arras, it had the added two hundred years of experience. "And frankly… such an evil sounds like par for the course now. And it's not like both ponies and zebras weren't experimenting with cybernetics and fucking with the brain. As many of my brother and sister had joined me, just as many fell to the hoove of the Ministry and their mad machinations."

Swift rolled his eyes. "Which story is it now, because I've heard them all. Is it the robobrain, or the lobonomight? By Celestia, you've told me about the psych ward a hundred times before."

Arras finished off his skewer, tossing the thin metal stick at the bucket near Swift's hooves, it catering loudly. "And I'll tell those stories a hundred times more so that you don't make their mistakes. But it seems that you're letting your ego get too inflated."

"Pot and kettle, ancestors, pot and kettle," Swift said as he got back up, Hollow rising with him, her weapons clanging about as she trotted off with her husband.

Lair stayed for a moment, eyeing me before letting out a yawn. “Let's have this conversation another time, it seems that my husband and sister are a bit too riled up to continue. Maybe later tonight, over some drinks. My family makes some rather fine rum which we can share.”

Getting up, Lair joined the other two, her steps far more quiet than a mare in a dress should be, even her weapon didn't clang together. It overall made me feel rather nervous about that mare specifically. Her sister, Hollow, on the other hoof, felt as though she fit right in with the Desperados.

Strangely, as those two mares trotted off, their hoofprints didn't look quite right. They had boots on, so it was hard to tell what was wrong, but the imprints of the hooves were all deeper at the tip, and not spread out evenly like normal ponies hoof prints.

"My apologies Princess Harp, last I'd seen Swift, he was such a polite young Stallion," Arras said with regret in his voice. "Filled me with pride when I heard he became a war chief, and formed this warband under him. It's why we need him to join us in the northwest, not sitting on his flank here. As wise as I have become, my old bones will only hold the young back. But over the last few days, I've had to accept that the colt I'd told stories to all night long, has let his power go to his head. As an elder, we are expected to lead by example, not flippantly throw decorum to the side."

"It's fine Arras, he's not the first pony I've dealt with that's like that. Frankly, it's far more common than I like. But as a royal, even though I had no power or responsibility, my mother made sure I knew how to play the game." I told the elder before finishing my skewer.

Arras chuckled, "I'm sure she was keeping the possibility you might be the next queen in the back of her mind. As you said, it was an active fear of your siblings, right?"

I nodded. "Mirage ponies outnumbered the deep dwellers… the unmodified ponies I mean. And it was by over a thousand to one. Though I was sure mother just didn't want me to be more of a disappointment than my bastard existence was."

Taking the finished skewers from me, he tossed them into the bucket as he patted me on the shoulder. "Harp, trust me when I say this, but royals don't treat their disappointments like that. As a pony who's seen royal bastards, from what you told me, you've not been treated like one. It just… must have just been complicated for your mother."

That made me feel a little better. If anypony would know, the pony who served as a royal tailor and soldier, under Princess Majesty would know. Unfortunately, I will never get to know the truth. If my mother wasn't killed by the pirates, she would still be dying from blood cancer. Even then, her true emotions were always her closest guarded secret.

"Thanks," I said, forcing a smile. "Maybe you can share one of those stories with me?"

Arras took a moment to think, but Live Axle butted in. "Oh, tell the story about Brainless Bark."

The old ghoul nodded as he put more skewers on the grill, removed a few slightly overcooked ones and gave them to us. "Yes, that might be appropriate. We always called Tree Bark a brainless moron, but never did we think the Ministry would make it a reality."

We listened to his story as others began to join us, young and old alike. Arras continued to grill as he fead what were likely his many descendants, and the descendants of his friends.

In the back of my mind, I wondered how many of them were going to die. Their blood on my hooves, all because I couldn't just quietly kill myself like a normal pony.

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