Fallout Equestria: Desperado’s V4 (Molly Manticore Mega Mall.)

by Dice Warwick

Chapters

Ch 9, Third Floor.
Ch 1, Bad Luck, Good Luck.
Ch 2, Haven Valley.
Ch 3, An Indifferent Fate.
Ch 4, Winnyapolis.
Ch 5, Ghosts of the Past.
Ch 6, Nightmare Manifested.
Ch 7, Echoes.
Ch 8, Barnyard Bargains.
Ch 10, Lost and Forgotten.
Ch 11, Intertwined Fate, Part 1.
Ch 12, Intertwined Fate, Part 2.
Ch 13, Basecamp.

Ch 9, Third Floor.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 9, Third Floor.

__________________________________________________________________

“It's safe to go.” Glittering, let us know.

Opening the employee-only door, Azure and I peeked out, seeing no animatronics or securities. After our way through the noisy jungle of Barnyard Bargains, it felt too quiet here.

This part of the mall was also a far less chaotic mess of colors and mascots, with a more cool and calm feel. It was still clearly trying to sell us anything and everything, but I got the distinct feeling that they weren't selling to foals or parents here. A sign pointing to a bar settled it for me, and I was sure that the third floor was meant for adults, not foals.

"I could go for a drink," Azure commented.

"You and me both," I agreed.

Trotting out, Order buzzed over to us, a curious look in the robot's eyes. "Found something?” The drone asked.

Azure presented two tool cases, the third had its contents moved to his M.o.P. case and the fourth left behind, as it had cracked. The tools inside had been corroded beyond recovery. "Basic wrenches and screwdrivers; the Desperados might like some spares."

“Seeing how they love to tinker, I have no doubt they would." Harp spoke up through Order. "I'll have, Order to return with them and put it with the other stuff we've collected."

Order clamped onto the two cases using its little graspers and buzzed off.

“There's a restaurant near the center where you can get to the fourth floor. It's called Griffinstone Beer Gardens.” Glittering instructed.

That was a place I hadn't heard about in a long time. "Now I'm a bit worried about seeing the beer garden a wreck."

“Familiar with the place?” Azure asked.

"Ya, it was the most fancy place a pony could go on a budget. I used to go there with…" I stopped, remembering the good times and how they weren't as good as I had thought. "Let's just say that I used to go there."

Azure nodded. "Then let's not take long or linger still."

Slowly making our way to the mall's center, we avoided the main path to avoid exposure, as they were heavily patrolled by the animatronics and gave us little cover. Going through the inner parts of the mall at least had more places to hide, and the winding corridors blocked the line of sight enough that we could hear anything coming before we could see it.

The shops here were more of what I've come to expect: jewelry, makeup, and adult clothing in about every third store, and some general stores that foals wouldn't be interested in but had necessities that adults needed. Many of the shops were specialized or brand-named, likely because Barnyard Bargains covered all generic products that all the shops out here needed to fill a niche. It was no different back in Applewood, though here it was all concentrated in this one mall.

There was some activity, but fortunately, it was from a cleaning service dusting the floor. The face on its screen resembled a tired laborer's, with a hat obscuring their faces. The robot paid us no mind as we trotted by, and we didn't want to test our luck with them anyways.

“Are you sure that thing is safe?” Azure asked.

I shrugged. “Probably. Whatever is wrong with the animatronics doesn't seem to affect any other robots as far as I have seen,”

“Strange, what exactly makes animatronics different?” He pondered. “There are all robots basically, yet one type is actively trying to kill us?”

"If I were to guess, Molly's cursed, and all robots based on her are also cursed." That was my answer to that question.

Azure sighed. "Truthfully, I wouldn't be surprised if that's actually happening. This world and its magic is rather mind-boggling."

There was no arguing with his logic; Equestria was always referred to as The Magical Land of Equestria.

A loud thud causes us both to stop, a thud that gets closer the second time. "Glittering, we got something coming our way." Looking around, I see an odd shop with blacked-out windows, so it will hide us. "Can you open up the Midnight Masquerade?"

“Got it!” Glittering said, and the protective shutter rolled open.

Trotting in, the shop was dimly lit as the rest of the mall, though a bit darker. Taking a hiding position, several more cleaning bots passed by as the loud thumping grew closer. There was no doubt that Muller was near, and I didn't want to mess with him.

"Oh my," Azure said quietly. "I see why this shop has blacked-out windows."

Looking around myself, I also saw why. This was a costume shop likely meant for nightmare nights. The bombs had dropped on the morning of the holiday, or so the ghouls had said, but this was the first time I saw a reminder of it. But the costumes here were very adult-themed. Some were just lingerie with extra bits added, along with collars, leashes, and other suggestive accessories. All of them were in poor condition due to time and moths eating the fabric.

Azure chuckled and I looked around, seeing his distinctive glow behind the counter. Trotting over, I saw what he was amused about. In his hooves was a whip, which he put on the counter. "I'd never use such a flimsy thing, but I know how to crack a whip. And yes, I know this is a sex toy."

"Good, because I really don't want to explain anything behind this counter," I told him as I tried to not look at the other more explicit sex toys on display.

He rolled his eyes at them. "Ya, you ponies seem to have the same fetishes as humans. But that's not why I'm back here." After a moment, Azure pulled out a first aid box and opened it. Inside was a vibrant red healing potion. "Lucky us."

I gave a sigh of relief as Azure hoofed the potion to me. Unlike the other healing potions I had seen, this one looked like it hadn't degraded or was like the less pure potions made today. "Thanks," I said as I downed it, and I quickly started to feel better.

The pain in my shoulder and leg from where Molly nearly killed me twice now dulled, and I could feel the bruises fading. The pain in my flank almost completely disappeared as I felt the hole there heal.

It was good to feel good again.

I took a few other things in the first aid box. They were mostly just different bandages, as all the medicine had expired, and I doubted they would do more good than the harm they could cause. Even my pipbuck labeled them as expired and toxic.

I then heard a squeak as Azure opened another drawer under the counter. The Lurker took a step back as several abnormally large rats burst out. We both froze as they scurried about, with even more coming out of a hole in the base of the counter. Fortunately, they weren't hostile, but they were starting to climb over everything, squeaking loudly. One climbs up on the display rack of oversized sex toys.

We heard a creek, and the display detached from the wall, falling onto another glass display. The shattering crash made the rats panic, knocking more things over and making noise. But eventually, the rats calmed down and quite returned, the two of us holding our breath in hopes that nothing would happen.

A loud screeching sound sent a wave of dread through me. Azure and I slowly looked over at the blacked-out window, seeing a massive shadow looming from the other side.

"First off," Azure whispered. "Though I'm not at fault, I am sorry."

"Nopony ever expects R.O.U.S's, so don't sweat it," I told him.

“I happen to not have sweat glands, so easily done.” He said back nervously.

"Not the time for jokes," I replied.

He nodded. "How about we play rock paper scissors so one can run distraction?" He then looked at his hoof. "Right, I forgot. Then I'll lead the robots away, and you can head to the restaurant."

I wanted to argue, but the Lurker was the most likely to get away from any robot without help. "Okay, see you there."

Another louder scratching sound was quickly followed by a crack, and the two of us got low. The glass shattered, and the store was flooded with light, causing the rats to rush out.

Azure crawled out, reaching the door as Muller entered through the broken window.

*Thunk*

The odd sound caught my attention as I heard Azure yell. “Hay ya overgrown mole rat! Over here!”

Peeking, I saw Muller with a large black stallion's member stuck to its head. The sex toy flopped as the robot looked at Azure like some unmajestic and monstrous unicorn. Azure then dashed away, Muller struggling to get out as it got caught on all the clothing at the front of the store.

With a heavy stomp, Muller Maulwurf left, slowly chasing Azure. I waited, listening to the thumping fade out of earshot before getting up. Several servictrons had entered the store, doing what they could to clean up the mess left behind.

I didn't stick around, knowing that soon another animatronic would appear. So, taking a different direction from where Azure went, I quickly and quietly trotted off.

__________________________________________________________________

“Slowtrot, can you wait a moment? And where are you?” Glittering asked.

I looked around, seeing myself outside a jewelry shop. “Ya, I'm next to All that Glitters.”

The gate to the shop opened up. “Hide in there for a moment. More animatronics are heading your way, and Harp needs to lead them away."

I could only guess that Molly was getting more aggressive, and her forest friend was covering every avenue of movement. I didn't like the implications of that. Still, the fact that Quicktrot Fragment exists was all I needed to know to believe in intelligent psychotic robots. But why eat ponies?

I sighed as I trotted further into the shop. Unlike the other shops here, this place felt frozen, untouched by time or ponies. Even the servicetron here was intact; it was sitting in its charging station, waiting for the mall to open. Dust did cling to everything, and I could see cracks and rust here and there, but it was all fairly well preserved.

But not everything.

Near the back, as part of a display, was what should have been a pure white wedding gown and tuxedo. Both were covered in black mold, the manikins were damaged, and the suit was full of holes. A fake wedding cake was next to it, covered in cobwebs and mold.

Trotting up to the suit, it was a classic style from before the war, similar to one I had for my sister's wedding. The great war was still ongoing, but things were calming down, so everypony hoped it would soon end. Many soldiers were coming home then, so what better time for a wedding than to celebrate a return of peace. Poppy was my sister's maid of honor and was busy getting everything right. In contrast, I was just there as a family.

Back then, I was bored out of my mind, only there out of obligation and trying to avoid being a problem. Poppy knew this and hung out with me for a bit, though she was mostly just venting from the stress the wedding was causing. Actually, after the wedding, we started hanging out more. However, that was probably because my sister was now busy with her new life. That was also likely why Poppy joined the Relief core, as she always needed to be doing something.

"Would we even have been together if the war had ended?" I asked myself.

If it had, she'd likely never gotten hurt, and my sister wouldn't have asked me to help Poppy in her place. I know that she'd have been happier, with or without me there, that's for sure.

I shrugged to myself, “All in the past.”

"Um… sir? You okay?" I spoke to a mare, causing me to jump out of my skin nearly.

Everything was bright again, not just the room and light, but the display gowns practically glowed.

Turning to look at the mare, I had to bite my tongue hard to not say her name. It was Poppy, dressed in a bright yellow sundress, mane cut in a cute short bob. But she lacked the tired, sleepless eyes, the heavy perfume to hide the stench of alcohol, and she looked like she had been eating well.

“Sir?” She asked again.

“Oh, sorry, I'm fine. Just stuck in thought.” I said to Poppy, trying to keep my shit together. “So… how can I help you?”

Poppy rubbed her head nervously, as always, when unsure about something. It was a tick she had since we were foals. "Right, you see, I need somepony's opinion on a piece of jewelry. The robot's here are helpful, but… you know."

I definitely understood though I didn't know much about jewelry. "Is this for yourself?" I asked, hoping to get this over with soon.

She nodded. “For my wedding.”

I screamed inside. “Oh… then it's very important.”

My legs wobbled over to the counter, my strength failing me.

“Oh, sir, you don't seem well!” Poppy said with concern.

Straightening myself up, I looked over at what was on display. "I'm fine. I've just been having one of those days. And maybe ate something that didn't agree with me."

I really didn't want to talk about anything, or I might say something stupid. “So, what kind of jewelry are you looking for?:

“Earrings, just a simple pair of earrings. The robot keeps suggesting the current fashion, but I don't know.” Poppy said as she looked at them all.

She was never a fan of Rarity, and even now, it showed. Looking at them, I saw a mix of new and old styles, and I knew precisely which would suit her perfectly: a simple pair of rose quartz in the shape of a rose. "Call me biased, but the rose one. Back home, it was tradition for a mare to be covered in flowers on her wedding day. Nature's beauty and all."

Poppy smiled, "What a lovely tradition. Back home, we just tie wheat to the bride."

I nervously chuckled back. The flower was a lie, but I couldn't tell the mare the truth, so I dredged up an old romance film I knew well. Poppy never was a movie pony, so I knew she wouldn't catch on. "If you're getting that, you might make it a theme. And looks like they're discounted, so you're getting them for cheap."

She frowned, and I remembered that Poppy hated the word "cheap." However, her expression softened.

"Ya, that might do. And the design is quite lovely." A smile crept up on her face as she looked at me. "Thank you so much, I don't think I could have decided so easily without your help."

I nodded back at her. "Glad to help. But if you don't mind me, I need to get going. It's a busy day and all."

As I scurried away, she then called out to me. “Sir! Sorry if this is too forward, but can I have your name… You seem like… I should know you.”

"Lowmop, just Lowmop, mam. And good luck on the wedding." I told her before trotting off and rounding a corner.

My heart pounded, my breath was shallow, and I felt tears trying to break out of my eyes.

Why, why, why, why, why is Poppy here! Why!

“Oh, and here I thought you would rekindle the flame. How boring.” A mare said.

I saw a tall, thin pink mare in a long toga. A straw sunhat decorated with red roses and white ribbons covered her face, and I knew she was terrifyingly beautiful under it. “Who… are you?" I asked with a quivering voice.

She smiled, her teeth as white as the purest pearls, perfect in every way. “Oh, you already know who I am.”

"Ve…" I began to say, but she placed a golden hoof onto my muzzle, the touch numbing and invigorating.

"No, no. Not yet. Not when the play has only just started. Oh, this is just the opening act, after all." She then frowned with disappointment. "But why have you been so boring? Aren't you the stallion, yet you play second lute to the mares here. Worse, you keep falling, and I have to pick you up. So frustrating that I curse Redrum for dropping you on me."

“I don't understand?” I said.

She sighed. "Of core not, and shall you never will. It isn't your place to understand, only to entertain." The light grew brighter and brighter as though consuming the mare. "Now get moving before that disgusting thing comes and finds you."

I blinked and found myself sitting in a back alley of the mall, struggling to remember why I was even there. Wiping my face, I saw tears from my eyes, drool from my mouth, and blood coming from my nose. Something had happened, but my memory was blank.

After trotting out and looking around, I saw a sign pointing to a public restroom and quickly trotted off.

A stallion passed me on my way into the restroom, looking a bit disheveled and smelling of booze. It wasn't an uncommon sight for me, as alcoholism was just a thing, so I just ignored it. Seeing a perfectly clean bathroom was weirdly nostalgic… well, almost perfectly clean; there was puke in one sink, smelling of rancid bile. Unfortunately, I was about to add to it as I rushed to a clean sink.

Everything came out of me as I puked red glowing bile. Bits and pieces of food I had eaten were in there, along with a bullet. I stared at it, once again feeling like I had forgotten something. The deformed lead bullet has a bit of fur and flesh stuck to it, all coated in the red glow.

Looking up at myself, my jaw was dislocated, and my skin flopped out under it. Then I realized an eye was still looking at the bullet, dangling out of its socket.

“Oh dear, looks like it's starting.” a stallion said.

“Inevitable with everything that's going on.” Spoke a mare.

In the mirror behind me were two blue unicorns in tan suits—twins, the Lutece twins. Like myself, both had blood coming out of their noses.

"Hay!" I yelled as I turned around but found nobody. "Don't go crazy on me now," I muttered to myself, knowing it was too late for that.

Taking a deep breath and calming down, I turned around, scooting over to a sink without puking. Using the clean water to wash off my face and looking at myself in the mirror for the first time in… days, weeks, months? I didn't know when I saw my own face the last time. But the pony looking back at me wasn't me. It was, but it wasn't. I looked shabby, thin and desperately needed a good night's rest.

Using the soap from the dispenser, I began washing my hooves and face, dirty brown water dripping into the sink. Yet, it didn't feel like I was getting any of the dirt out, as if the wasteland had seeped deep into me, and I could never be rid of it.

A sigh from behind me caused me to freeze in place. “You can't go back; you do know that," Phobetor said, her face behind mine in the mirror.

Turning, she wasn't there; nobody was there. "There's blood on your hooves, just look," Quicktrot said.

I couldn't help but look down, the sink stained with a brownish red from the blood that wouldn't wash out.

“Don't try and pretend you're not a murder." Healing Herbs told me the hole I had put in her was still there.

"I'm not," I said back.

“Good, then you know what to do.” Ashy Oak told me as she put Checoves Promise into my hooves. "It's only justice.”

I looked down at the pistol, remembering the ponies it killed, the ponies I've killed. I had to; there was no way around it. But… murder was still murder.

“Murder is still murder." spoke an unfamiliar voice. Looking up into the mirror, it was pitch black, so dark I couldn't see myself in it, yet I knew the shadow mare was looking back at me. "So why not add one more life to it? Not saying it must be yours."

I stumbled back, and everything became dark.

Turning on the pipbuck's light, I was still in the bathroom, but it was all rusted and smelled of rot. "Slowtrot! Slowtrot, are you there?" My radio crackled with a glittering voice.

“Ya… I'm here.” I said.

The young mare let out a sigh. “Where are you? Why didn't you stay in the."

Glittering was cut off by Harp. “Did you time jump again?”

I took a deep breath before answering. "Ya, I'm in a nearby restroom. That aside, something else is happening; I keep seeing… things."

“Not surprised. Amazingly, there's so much stagnant magic here; we don't have true undead roaming about. Ghouls aside." Harp said.

"Well, it could be the stagnant magic that causes so many ghouls here," Rattlebones added.

“Let's not forget the cult of Venus under our hooves.” Pewter also added.

Harp let out a groan. “That aside, we can discuss it once the lockdown is lifted. What's important is Slowtrot getting to the roof before more animatronics come back around."

"On my way," I said before getting up. Looking in the mirror, I saw that they had all been shattered.

On the wall where the mirrors once were, written in brown rust, was, “No time for hope when all is STRIFE!”

__________________________________________________________________

Peeking out of the bathroom, the mall was as empty and lifeless as before. The fact that everything out here was clean, but anything inside was falling apart felt macobly poetic, like a corps that still looked alive, but the insides were all rotten.

Shaking the thought from my mind, I made my way to the restaurant, which was closed now. There were more stores here not meant for foals, such as an alcohol and tobacco shop, which, if I had to guess, had been long raided right after the bombs dropped. Unsurprisingly, there was a private pharmacy near it because there was almost always a private pharmacy near the alcohol store. It wasn't much of a secret, but most chem that addicts got came from such places, except for stuff like mint-als, which, as far as I knew, came from back alley Zebra dealers.

There was even an Ironshod Firearms here, though, like the last two shops, I don't think anything would be found inside. Nothing useful, at least.

Reaching the mall's center, I saw the Griffinstone Beer Gardens; unsurprisingly, the place was a wreck. Oh, it had been cleaned up at some point, but no amount of polish can buff out bullet holes. It was a grim thought, but Imagining that some ponies had a last stand here wasn't hard. Likely, they were drinking their sorrows away as the city burned; the beer gardens were always good for trying to forget. Then Molly and her friends started killing, eventually making their way here.

Broken booths and claw marks on the wood floor and furniture made me think of Griffins. But like Pegasus, the Griffins could fly, so I doubt Molly would even be able to touch them.

In one booth were the scorched remains of combat armor and a partly melted rifle. Nearby were the torn remains of a securitron, a large combat knife embedded in the screen. It was all I needed to know about what had happened, how there was no escape for those trapped here. There was no hope for them.

My ears twitched at the sound of clinking glass and a green glow. "Azure?"

The Lurker popped his head up, putting a few glasses on the bar. “Just seeing if there's anything useful here. And no, I haven't found anything. Still, these beer mugs are nice.”

Looking at the glass mugs, I noticed they weren't anything special; they were just your standard Griffinstone mugs with the restaurant's name on them. But then I remembered that glass like this probably couldn't be made today. "Are you planning on keeping them?"

Azure shook his head. "Tools are one thing, but novelty glassware is at the bottom of the list." He then put the mug under a tap and pulled the lever. To Nopony's surprise, a foul and thick substance came out. "Ya, I should have guessed as much."

Order came buzzing around, perching on the bar. “Can you at least mess around on the fourth floor? I don't think any robots are up there, but they're down here." Harp said through her drone.

“Please heed Lady Harp's warning.” Order told is.

Both Azure and I nodded at each other, and we moved. There were stairs at the back, overlooking the mall's center, and I could see everything down there in the sunlight. The mall's center was a massive open floor Molly Manticore Pizzeria, all surrounding a large round stage with massive screens above it. Terra Timberwolf's advertisements were everywhere, including cutouts and even some statues. Other than Molly's name, there was nothing down there with the manticore's face on it… no, there was one, which looked like just a gift shop.

Though not a forest like Barnyard Bargains, the Pizzeria was infested with roots and vines, climbing up the walls and through the ceiling. Strangely, the stage wasn’t infested, as though the roots had avoided damaging it.

"You ponies really celebrated this, Terra," Azure commented as he looked through a pair of binoculars. "I guess Molly was getting phased out?"

“Yep, Terra was going to be the new Molly. And frankly, it couldn't happen soon enough.” I said as I watched an animatronic walk around down below.

Putting his binoculars away, Azure gave me an inquisitive look. “I've been wondering about this since we first got her. But why are all of the animatronics bipedal?”

That I had no answer to. "Esthetics, I guess?"

“Efficiency, I believe," Harp said as Order buzzed over us. "We had a remodeled assaultron in back in Stable 50. Their body plans are based around diamond dogs and minotaurs, which makes up for their lack of magic by being able to use their upper limbs.”

"I can see that. Walking on all four is technically more stable, but isn't as energy efficient and is harder to hold things as you walk." Azure said. "By the way, how's things in the basement? Have you found the way down to the second basement floor yet?"

“Unfortunately, no," Harp said.

“The only way down is at the center, but roots are thicker the closer you get to it, blocking all the doors," Glittering told us. "We're still looking for an alternative entrance, but Grampa suggests we might need to use explosives."

“Personality, if those roots are Mystic, I don't want to hurt her.” Harp said, “But if it's the only way, then it's the only way.”

"If it is Mystic, then I think she kept a way open for us," I said, pointing at the stage. "I'm sure Terra and her band rise from under the stage. Or at least that's how the advertisements show her starting a show."

Order looked at the stage, and Harp let out a sigh. “You might be right… but why?”

“Maybe Mystic was keeping Molly out?” Glittering suggested.

“Or keeping the cult from getting out," Rattlebones said.

“What if she's trying to help us!” Fizzy blurted.

“That's even assuming that this Mystic is even self-aware; last I knew, ponies that become trees tend to be brain-dead." Pewter pointed out. “We'll call back my niece and the others and have them prepare to check the stage once the lockdown is lifted."

I knew the girls could hold their own, but I didn't like the idea of them coming up here while the robots were still a threat. The more of us out here, the more attention we would draw. Not to mention that we didn't just have Molly to deal with, but Muller, Oliver, Oscar, and all the other animatronics.

It just gave me a bad feeling, like the Mega Mall isn't going to just let us have our way.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 1, Bad Luck, Good Luck.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado's V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 1, Bad Luck, Good Luck.

__________________________________________________________________

"Hello?… Hello?... you there?"

I was concerned as I looked at the old cheap phone, some ten or more years old, from early in the war. I thought nopony used them anymore, other than the veterans who feel the Ministries are bugging everything. "Y… ya, I'm here. What's up?" I asked.

"Oh good, I was a bit worried there." The stallion on the other side chuckled nervously, which made me worried. "I'm from management and checking in on our night staff. Here at Molly Manticore Pizzeria, we take security seriously. So who am I talking to?"

"Slowtrot," I answered.

"Okay, Lowmop, we need to check a few things with you again; it seems your file got mixed up in our system." I wanted to correct him about my name, but I also wanted to get paid. "Right, first off, any spouse or dependents?"

I rubbed my fading black eye, glad I wouldn't need to discuss it again. "No, none."

The stallion on the other line mumbled a bit before speaking up. "Okay, and have you ever been accused of or suspected of sedition?"

"Never," I said with practiced certainty. It was a dumb question, as who would ever admit to that? But I suspected that many of these jobs did talk to each other, so they likely already knew the answer to that question.

"Right, right, no good and respectful pony would ever speak ill of our glorious Equestria," he said with the same practiced certainty I had. "Now, one more question. What does Molly Manticore Pizzeria mean to you?"

Oh, I was not too fond of these questions. Too optimistic, and they know you're full of it, but not enough positivity, and you're on the shortlist for unemployment. "To me…" thinking on the spot wasn't my best skill, and truthfully, I never liked Molly Manticore as a colt. The pizza was okay, and the animatronics gave me the creeps. There was also the incident that got it shut down.

Wait? Why did they ever bring this place back after that?

"Hello, hello?" The voice called out again.

"Sorry, I thought I heard something." I lied.

"Yeah, that happens; this particular store is quite old," they said. It was something I knew all too well, as this place was the original Pizzeria. "So, about our question?"

"Right, Molly Manticore Pizzeria is a place that makes foals happy, and that's all that matters," I told him.

There was a long moment of silence on the other end before he spoke up. "That will do. One more thing. Is everything up there, nice and calm, nothing unusual?"

"Other than Molly moving around alone, it's all quiet over here," I told him.

"Right, she does do that," he said, sounding worried. "Well, you know how those old robots can be, always glitchy and such. And it's good for her gears since they lock up if they don't move for too long. It keeps her ready for the day, you know. Don't mess with her; Molly has poor pony recognition in the dark and might… try to remove you from the property."

Easy enough, I had no desire to go near Molly, and if I didn't need the bits for a new apartment, I'd have never worked here.

The power flickered, and the line cut. Sighing, I put the phone down and tapped at the security terminal, checking on the pizzeria. I may not have liked Molly as a colt, but she did have her fans, with foal-made decorations lining the walls everywhere and several group photos of birthday parties and celebrity guests.

Unfortunately, this place had seen better days, with most of the wallpaper and other parts of the building architecture being pre-war, with add-ons from both early war and current. It gave the place a chopped-up feeling, as each era had a different feeling. The animatronics, too, were the same, With Molly being from before the war and looking seriously dated, like they tried making her look like a real Manticore and then threw on an apron. Then, her two best friends, Jackalope and Phoenix robots, whom I couldn't care to remember their names, looked far more whimsical and toy-like but far more creepy, too. Lastly was Terra the Timberwolf, a much more advanced robot that could sing and play instruments.

Unlike the others, Terra didn't give me the creeps and was popular even among the adults; some even suspected that Sweetie Belle had some involvement in her development due to similarities in how they sing. I even asked around why Terra was even at this old place when Molly Manticore had newer places and even that big ass mall they were building. As far as anypony knew, they were testing her out here, and she'd be moved in a month or two once all the bugs were removed.

Switching through the security feed, the two toy-like robots and Molly were on stage. Terra was in her room, recharging in her pod, making me wish the other robots would do the same. Actually, why didn't they need to recharge like Terra?

The arcade was a mess, looking like some foal had gotten sick at some point and left a stain. The kitchen was surprisingly clean, but a mister helper was running it. Each month, I heard more ponies complaining about robots taking their jobs, and I knew it had become a severe problem with the farms, but they were already having trouble finding ponies to work for them, with so many helping in the war effort.

The hallways were clear, and the maintenance room looked fine—except for me in there with a pistol in my mouth. The other hallway was… I turned back to the maintenance room and saw that it was empty.

"What is wrong with me?" I sighed. Ya, I was upset with what Poppy did, but not enough to be suicidal over it. Anyway, it wasn't like I didn't see this coming; my sister had told me the relationship was in the garbage a year ago, but I didn't listen. But how Poppy ended our relationship hurt a lot.

Switching back to the stage to get my mind off this, I realized Molly was missing.

"Fuuuu… dangit!" I cursed as I switched through the cameras, not finding the old robot. I then froze, hearing a tapping at the security window. Turning my attention to it, I flipped the light switch. There, a metal face pressed on the window was Molly. Her mouth was open just wide enough that I could see its endoskeleton robot inside.

"Hi," she said, tapping a few more times. "What's your name?"

I gulped, looking into her mechanical eyes. Something about it made me feel small and helpless. "M… Molly, please return to your stage."

She let out a laugh. "Slowtrot, that's a wonderful name!" she said before walking off.

"Fuck!" I breathed out in shock. Did she remember me from years ago? No Celestia way could she be the same robot, not after what happened to Wheatgrass?

I shook my head, trying to forget that disaster of a birthday party. And how close I was to having my head get cracked as he had… wait, why was I afraid of my head being…

I could hear a painful wailing in my head, like I was remembering something I didn't want to remember.

The phone rang again, causing me to jump and fall out of my chair. Pulling myself up, I clicked the speaker for the phone. But this time, it was a mare on the other side. "Oh good, you're still there! Lowmop, was it? We need you to do something." Strangely, a chirping sound was on the other side as she spoke. "It seems there was an issue with the power in your place, and you need to switch out a fuse. You do know where the circuit breaker is?"

I nodded, then realized she couldn't see me. "Y… yes, they showed me where it was yesterday and everything I might need to do."

"Good, then can you go check it? The sooner, the better," she said, sounding a bit panicked. “I'll stay on the line."

"I'm on it," I said with a sigh.

Deciding not to use the door Molly had just been next to, I went through the employee area, remembering that most of the maintenance was on this side. With lockers and arcade machines that are not in use, along with storage for other stuff. Also, I was told that Molly doesn't usually come back here, so I felt safer this way.

Turning on my company-issued Molly Manticore flashlight, I trotted through the back end of the old pizzeria. There was a table filled with old foal crafts, the kind they can't put up on the walls due to them showing Molly in a negative light. One had her killing Zebras, which I had found funny at first, but now that I was alone with her, not so much. There was also a collection of masks to be sold, most of Molly and her many "friends" who were other animatronics used at the other pizzerias. But there are no masks of Terra, as they all sold out this morning.

Peeking from the employee lounge, the coast was clear, thankfully. So, a quick trot to the janitor's room, and I was at the circuit breaker. I saw several switches on the wrong side and two burnt-out fuses there. I had no clue what had caused the power surge. After all, I wasn't an Arcano-tec technician, and nothing had gone out on my end.

"Right, I need an F-4 and a… F-10?" I told myself as I removed the burnt-out fuses and quickly found the F-4 fuses but none of the far bigger F-10s. Actually, what needs a fuse as big as my hoof anyway? "Where is the F-10 fuse?"

The Fuse was then passed to me. "Thanks!" I said as I installed it, then froze.

Turning, I saw Terra looming over me. In the dark, she was an imposing bipedal wolf made of fake wood.

I screamed, she screamed, we both screamed at each other.

Once I ran out of air and had to catch my breath, I realized I wasn't dead. "By Celestia, don't do that!" I huffed.

The robot looked at me for a moment, then scratched the back of her head as though nervous and embarrassed. "Sorry, just trying to help." Her mechanical voice was far less eerie than Molly's, putting me more at ease.

"Well, thanks again, but why are you up? Shouldn't you be in your charging pod?" I asked Terra as I flipped the circuit breaker's switches back.

Terra blinked a few times, the robot's eyes shining a bit of light on me. "Charging pod's power is out."

One of the fuses was likely for her pod. "Well, it should be back on now."

She blinked a few more times. "I see, thank you."

With a sigh, I stepped out of the janitor's closet. "Well, sweet dreams… wait, can you dream."

I was then grabbed by the collar of my jacket and lifted off the ground like I wasn't a fully grown stallion with some extra pounds around my stomach. Pulled face to face with Molly, I froze in terror as my nightmares came to life. She had me in her claws and slowly opened her mouth wider and wider, so wide I could see the endoskeleton head looking back at me. "Hello again, Slowtrot, let's have fun!" it spoke, sounding familiar and not like Molly but that of a colt. Not that it mattered; as soon I'll be dead.

"DO NOT!" Terra yelled as she grabbed onto Molly's jaw and ripped it off, causing Molly to let me go as she let out an unnaturally horrifying scream. Then, holding Molly by her metal mane, Terra shoved her into the closet and closed the heavy metal door. "Defective piece of junk," Terra growled before turning to me. "Civilian protection mode deactivated; please return to a safe location while company security is called."

Picking myself up, my legs quivered from the shock. "Th.. thanks again."

Terra nodded. "I'm just following my programming, " she said before turning and heading back to her room.

Looking down at Molly's jaw, it would be best if I did the same and quit this job. No amount of money is worth nearly getting eaten by a robot.

Trotting back to the security booth, I locked the doors tightly. "Hay, I flipped the switch and everything," I told the mare on the phone, but she didn't respond. Maybe she needed to check on something, as the phone was still connected. I did her some wet pounding sound, it getting closer with each pound. "You there?" I asked and heard one last loud pond that came with a wet slap and the sound of something snapping before the line went dead.

As the phone beeped, I hung it up, feeling confused and way too stressed to deal with company bullshit. Sitting back, I flipped through the cameras again, ensuring everything was okay. Molly was still stuck in the janitor's closet, thank Celestia. Terra had returned to her pod. But the other two animatronics were, though, where they should be, now looking at the camera. Flipping it again, now to the maintenance, I saw a mare standing there, looking at my corpse.

She was a pail pink mare with a pearl white mane that seemed to glow gold as rose red streaks danced through it. A golden straw sunhat decorated with roses hid her eyes, yet I could feel her looking at me, not just my corpse. Then she smiled, showing off perfectly pearl-white teeth, "A shame about the breakup, but you two didn't feel right. Trust me, it's for the best." Her voice beautifully spoke into my mind, filling me with absolute dread. Then she vanished, and I was looking at an empty room, struggling to remember why I was looking at it so intently.

"I... I think this job was a mistake." I told myself, reaching for the phone to call the home office. I needed to report about Molly and officially quit. This job is just not worth it.

A wet sensation dripped onto my outstretched leg, and I looked down to see blood staining my uniform. Touching my face, I found that my nose was bleeding profusely, as though broken. I could only muster a mild curiosity as my head began to feel light, and the world spun.

Then, darkness.

__________________________________________________________________

2XX years later

-Slowtrot-

Special

Strength: 6

Perception: 4

Endurance: 9

Charisma: 4

Intelligence: 4

Agility: 4

Luck: 9

Skills

Medicine- 75

Repair- 55

Survival- 50

Melee Weapons- 30

Small Gun- 36

-Trait: Good Natured - Slowtrot grew up when war and violence were still a foreign

concept. He held to those ideals, even if they failed in the end. He gains a boost to non-combat skills, but all combat skills are lowered.

-Odd Trait: Wild Wasteland - it might be that Slowtrot is out of place and time, but the world seems different to him. Odder and wilder. He might be crazy, or is Equestria going mad? All the same, something needs to be corrected.

-Unique Trait: Forgot how to Door - Slowtrot does not retain information like other ponies, but he tries his best, for better or worse. -1 to skill points when advancing in level, but for the first hour, gains +1 to luck whenever entering a new area, and has a % ten chance to succeed on skill check he is too low to complete.

Learned Skill: Scrap Craft—The workers of the wartime industry had many ways to make the most of what they had at hoof, and having lived among them, Slowtrot had learned how to make tools from old scrap.

-Learned Perk: Classic Education - Slowtrot gains two more skill points every time you advance in level.

-Learned Skill: Smash like Yak - An object can be easily broken into bits without applying much force by simply striking at the right point. Slowtrot now does an additional 5% critical chance and a 10% chance to cripple limbs when using melee weapons.

Perk - Healer - Slowtrot may not be a professionally trained doctor or nurse or all that gentle with his hooves, but he has been taught the proper way to administer first aid, which is more than most know how to do in the wasteland. Slowtrot has a higher success rate when performing medical-based skills and will heal for more.

Perk - Toughness- Slowtrot has been knocked around by the wasteland quite a bit. Shot, too. Be it thicker skin or simply learning to live with it, his ability to keep standing when the hits start coming has improved.

Perk - Wasteland Medic- It takes confidence to patch a broken pony together with nothing but random scraps around you and even more luck for them to survive. Healing is 10% more effective, with a 25% chance of doubling the healing effect.

-Gear-

Rockhoof Pattern Trench Shovel: A simple short-handle shovel used in the trenches by the Equestria army. Its handle is wrapped with a coarse canvas. The black paint covers the metal, and the blade is sharpened to a fine edge. It also gives off the faint scent of earth, gunpowder, and blood.

Boomstick: The trench gun was Equestria's counter to the Zebra close-range fighters. It allowed a pony to quickly slamfire five shells in a wide cone. The Zebras eventually phased out much of their close-quarters troops because of it. This gun has passed through many hooves in the Stormland. It never failed to fire even once and was always hoofed over to those who needed it, never retiring.

The Burnt Rifle: A service rifle made by the Gunrunners and taken into a Dragon Ants nest by Slowtrot. It somehow managed to survive being hit by one of the exploding ants, thus burning the rifle with its napalm-like fluids. Even after being cleaned and modified, the gun still gives off the smell of sulfur. More oddly, those hit by the weapon sometimes explode.

-Vehicle-

Smuggler: A custom-built light strike vehicle made for long-range transportation. It is equipped with the Aeternus, a light Gatling magical energy weapon. This makes the Smuggler a highly mobile weapons platform.

__________________________________________________________________

I slowed the Smuggler to a stop as I looked at the now ancient yet well-maintained billboard. It had seen better days, with a hole here and there and a lot of rust, but it looked rather good for something over two hundred years old.

"Molly Manticore Mega Mall, bring your family for mega fun." Star read out loud. "Are those… robots? Is it advertising?"

"It's the main attraction," I said as I looked at the massive billboard. On one side, it showed a newer version of Molly, well new for me, along with a random assortment of other animatronics behind her; the other side had Terra Timberwolf with two other robots playing in a band. The background had a crammed example of the different attractions, and in the corner was another sign advertising "Sparkle-Cola Adventure!" A theme park inside the mall.

"You okay, Slowtrot," Harp asked.

I let out a sigh. "Ya, just recalling some bad memories, that's all." Looking up at the friendly-looking Molly, all I could see was the old model trying to eat me like in my nightmares as a colt, and later as an adult; both times, I couldn't do anything to save myself. Frankly, from what I had been told about Molly Manticore out in the wasteland, I wasn't shocked that they were all death traps, and most pizzerias had been burnt down or megaspelled into dust.

"Right, you were around when they weren't insane nightmarish places of death. What was it like back during the war?" Star Charter asked from the gunner nest.

Looking at my companions through the rearview mirror, I was initially puzzled at why the Desperados added more mirrors, but now, without a single blindspot, it made some sense. "Can't say all that much. The two times I went, Molly was malfunctioning. The first time was terrible, and the original pizzeria shut down for years because of it, almost permanently, too. The second time… fortunately, nobody got hurt."

"Wow, bad luck, I guess," Star said before sitting back, Caval taking the opportunity to climb onto her lap, yipping happily.

Lair popped her head out from the passenger seat next to Harp, that knowing smirk on her face. "Or good luck, depending on what happened." I didn't know what to make of the Bicorn; she was Harp and Star's friend, but we hardly talked.

I shrugged. "Probably both, but that's how my life is." looking at my pipbuck reminded me how likely I would have died in Balefire if not for winning that defective and cursed Pipbuck. The damned thing had even followed me through time, now in possession of that crab pony.

Azure was in the cart hooked up behind us, along with Fizzy, Pewter, and the other two Ghost Nightstalkers, Fiel and Reina. Live Axle was following us on the Lone Wanderer, and further back was the rest of the Desperados. Our destination, Haven Valley, was the closest thing the Desperados had to a city, or so they told me.

"So, are you sure we must go to the mall? Can't we ignore it?" I asked Lair. Her uncle, Pewter, had requested that we help them stop something in the mega mall, and I felt going there wasn't just a bad idea but downright stupid.

Lair sighed. "If the gods say we must, then we must. There is no, just ignoring it." She said, spouting her religious beliefs at me. "And look on the bright side, if it's as untouched as the Desperados say it is, there's a whole lot of loot for the taking."

True, but that wasn't the only thing still there. "Sounds more like bait to me. If we can smuggle a megaspell in there and blow it up, I'll be happy with that."

Our radios cracked, and the voice of the old stallion Pewter chuckled through it. "I wholeheartedly agree. Such things are best just destroyed and forgotten. But things like this wasteland would have long ceased to exist if it were so simple to do. In my experience, you must cut out the heart of evil before burning the body, like with vampires, or risk them returning more dangerous and maddened than before."

I was still trying to understand that vampires did exist, and one was imprisoned under Platinum Hill. Along with necromancers, zombies, and gods were real too! Then again, I was manipulated by a nightmare, tossed into a dimensional bubble, and spat out over two hundred years into the future. Also, I could see ghosts and get flung around in time…

Life didn't make sense anymore.

At this point, my upcoming shotgun wedding to a biker mare was the most normal thing happening to me.

With a sigh, I focused my eyes on the surprisingly well-maintained road. The dry grassy fields in front of me made me almost forget that we were technically still in the wasteland, though a part that has quickly recovered since the radiation had been cleaned away.

A white speck then drifted in front of me, and with a cold breeze, several more appeared, landing on my nose and quickly melting. It was snow and the first time I'd ever seen it. Applewood was a warm place that never snowed, and since I never left it before, I had never had the chance to see snow naturally.

Live drove up next to me, her motorcycle's engine idling loudly. "Looks like winter has started, and right before the war, too."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "We can't fight in the mountains while it's cold as balls and hooves deep in snow. But if we're lucky, whoever is over there will freeze theirs off before the fighting begins."

I glanced at her, still unsure what our relationship even was. Her sister and I had a connection, but Dead Axle was petrified until we could reverse death itself. Their mother was now focused on me and Living getting married, whether we wanted to or not. Live was a cute mare under her biker persona, and she certainly could do better than me. Frankly, I couldn't help but feel like a burden to such a mare.

"Ya, we can only hope," I told her as I put the Smuggler back in to drive, ready to move on.

"Say Slowtrot?" Live Shouted over the revving of her engine. "If my mom wasn't forcing us together, would you still… you know, be okay with… us?"

It was a question that hit me in the heart. "I… don't know." That was all I could say.

She looked away from me, her face obscured by the sunlight. "At least you're not lying to me." Live then revved her engine and drove on ahead.

"It's okay, Slowtrot; you both just need more time," Harp told me.

Looking at Harp from the mirror and seeing her scared face and cyber eyes was just another symbol of how insane and cruel this world was. Yet, my biggest worry was if I should be getting married to a cute mare or not. The thought alone was pathetic when every pony I had ever known was dead, the world I knew was dead, and the friends I had made here were suffering, yet I was alive and well.

Pushing the thoughts down, I drove the Smuggler on. Things weren't going to get any better by staying still. By Celestia, we already learned that the hard way.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 2, Haven Valley.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 2, Haven Valley.

________________________________________________________________

Even in the Smuggler, reaching the Desperado's founded city of Haven Valley took nearly a day. As expected, the place was mostly just tents, though the largest tent city that I had ever seen. I was sure some of those were two-story tent-like structures, along with actual buildings built along one side of a river that ran through the valley the city was in. There were a lot of plants down there, all very green but with a blue hue that shone in the light.

But before we could enter, we had to stop at a checkpoint. It was a small but well-built defensive structure that guarded the gate into the valley, protected by the Local Desperados, whose symbol was the normal flaming skull with a stetson hat on but had a big old seven next to it. Harp had been told that the Sevens were a domestic chapter of the Desperados, mainly filled with noncombatants, such as the elderly and children. That said, some of the Desperado's more elite fighters did protect them, and a very big and mean stallion looking down at me was probably one of those elites.

"I don't recognize your herd!" He said with a snort.

"Do you mean that you don't know us or don't like us?" I asked.

He looked down at me disapprovingly, which would be fine, except he had a belt-fed machine gun next to him and probably enough ammo to melt the weapon if he tried to fire it all.

Harp sat up and cleared her throat. "I am Harp Melody, leader of the Redcaps, officially recognized by my ancestor, Elder Big Papa. Now, is there an issue? I know a message was sent about us, and we received a response from your Elder, Quilted Comfort."

The stallion clicked his tongue in annoyance at us. "And I am sure my Elder called Arras a blithering fool whose brain is rotting. No, Celestia, damn way, you are some princess or related to Arras."

"Tire Iron!" The voice of an older stallion yelled, causing the big stallion to flinch. Trotting out of the small fort was a middle-aged stallion, a bit portly but in no way weak-looking. He glanced at us, then up at who I guess was Tire Iron. "If it's them Redcaps, then let them through."

"But the Elder said-!" Tire Iron tried to say.

"Elder Quilted can go huff glue! The ancient bastard is still pissed off over losing that card game last year, and unless ya want to fight Crank Shaft over this, ya better open that fucking gate."

Tire Iron trotted off with a huff, and the gate blocking our path opened.

The older stallion trotted over and greeted Harp. "Can't say I much believe the story myself, but I believe ya earned your right among us. Names Exhaust, just Exhaust, the elders second, and descendant. Also, the leader of Safe Haven's protectors."

"Harp Melody, leader of the Redcaps." Harp repeated herself to him with a bow. "And I must say, this place looks amazing from up here."

Exhaust smiled wide at that. "Don't you know it! Without this valley, there might not have been any Desperados after the war. So we're protective of it, as it still keeps us together and safe. That all said, do take care not to stir up too much trouble. The last thing we want to do is string up one of our own, but we will if we must."

"That I understand all too well, and I'll make sure the rest of the Redcaps understand that fully," Harp told him.

Slapping the side of the Smuggler, Exhaust then waved me off to move. Driving forward, we began a long descent down the smooth and secure road, the city becoming bigger as we got closer.

It became apparent how self-sufficient this place was, with several not-all-that-small farms, water mills, buildings meant for storage, and plenty of space for ponies to live. Several plots of land already had large tents being set up, and the ponies below quickly and efficiently got things together. Next to each plot were a lot of vehicles of all shapes and sizes, some being early war transportation trucks, others just pony-powered carts.

Finally reaching the valley floor, and though it wasn't a forest of green, I was still impressed with how alive this place was and how clean the air smelled. Even in the better part of the grand prairie, there was this lingering smell of rot in the air, like something was still wrong, though distant. But here, things felt… right.

Live Axle came driving over, waving us down. "Hey, follow me, I got us a good spot." She then quickly turned around and drove off. Following her, we passed by a few other herds, each with a similar flag marking them. All had the flaming pony skull like us, but one had a winter cap with side flaps, another had a hard hat, and a third didn't have a hat, but the flames were styled in a mohawk.

"Just look at them all. Each herd must number between twenty to a hundred ponies, and there are hundreds of them here," Harp commented. "If I had to guess, there's going to be thousands of ponies gathering here, at least under ten thousand by the time they all get here."

Star let out a whistle. "Ya, no fucking wonder they control so much territory, empty or not."

We finally stopped at a relatively flat spot, though not that big. This was fine, as our herd wasn't all that big, just a few stallions and a bunch of mares. So we only needed two large tents for all of us.

Parking the Smuggler and hopping out, I trotted over to Live, who was already talking to another Desperados mare. She was a slightly chubby mare with a short and curly mane and tail, but unlike other Desperado mares, she was much more conservatively dressed, though she had a lot of jewelry on. Her vest depicted her as one of the Sevens.

The mare smirked at me as she peeked over Lives shoulder. "So is this poor sod your mother's dragging to the isle?"

Live rolled her eyes at her. "No… well ya… it's complicated. Piston, this is Slowtrot. Slowtrot, this is the herd organizer, Twin Piston. She's here to ensure everypony stays nice and calm for the winter."

Twin Piston chuckled at that. "Oh, you give me too much credit; I just make sure certain herds are as far away from each other as possible. Unfortunately, though we're all family, that doesn't mean we get along. But seeing that you're on good terms with the Warband and the Ones, it makes things much easier."

Harp joined us, with her robot drone Order floating above us and the Nightstalker Fiel and Reina flanking her. Along with her cybereyes, Harp had a far more intimidating presence now. Which was rather impressive since we were surrounded by biker ponies.

Star stayed in the gunner's nest, hoof on the automatic rifle turret as she watched the area just in case of trouble.

"We very much appreciate any assistance you can offer. I'm Harp Melody, head of the Redcaps, and the rest of us should be arriving shortly." Harp said in her most polite tone.

The color practically drained from Piston's face as she looked at Harp. "My poor dear, what happened to you."

My friend sighed, likely knowing that she would need to explain this to many ponies many times. "We got enemies, and one of them felt that I didn't need eyes anymore, not that I'll let that hold me back."

Letting out a breath she was holding, Piston smiled nervously at Harp. "That must be one nasty enemy to do that to such a cute little mare like yourself."

"Same bitch ran off with my leg too!" Lair said as she trotted over, one of her legs having been replaced by a chrome and brass cybernetic leg. "I'm Lair Darkheart, sister in law of Swift Firemane', and chaplain of this herd. My family will be helping supply weapons, food, and booze to the Desperados."

Piston nodded at that. "So I've heard. It's good to see ponies take over the abandoned farms. Though I'd rather have my own family do it, they aren't the farmer type and can be… flighty."

Lair let out an amused laugh. "Ya, I hear that. My kin is much the same, but we know how to get the right ponies to work for us and we take pride in owning land. Maybe too much pride, if I'm being honest."

"Her mother already took over a chunk of Platinum Hill's outer city," Harp commented.

"Oh, you must tell me about it later; it's been too long since I got to visit the Hill," Piston said in excitement, then turned to Live. "Sorry, I'd love to stick around and chat more, but I need to check on the other herds before they start fighting."

As Piston left, Fizzy hopped over, "Oh, like, she was totally cute!"

As friendly and well-meaning as Fizzy was, her thick valley-filly accent grated on me, making me think that some joke was being played on Equestria for that accent to survive the war. And though she is a gorgeous mare, I didn't feel any way about her like the other ponies did. She came off to me more like a little cousin or something.

Caval jumped out of the Smuggler and over to me, so I gave him a scratch behind the ears. "So what do we do now, take a break?"

Harp stretched out her legs. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Once the others get here, we can set up the tents." She then looked over at the old stallion who had come with us. He slowly hobbled off in some random direction. "Should we just let Pewter wander off like that?"

"My Uncle's fine. Time may have crippled his mind, but I've never seen him ever get lost. It's best to leave him be; who knows what sent he's caught." Lair said before sighing. "Then again, as his apprentice, I should be shadowing him."

We watched as Lair quickly trotted off to join her Uncle, leaving the rest of us.

After a moment of awkward silence, Fizzy spoke up. "How about I start cooking something for everypony. I'm sure they will be hungry."

We all nodded at that and found our space to relax.

Live trotted to me, looking a bit nervous. Since she started growing her mane out, I had to admit that she was becoming adorable, though I was careful to not say that. The last thing I needed was to upset the biker mare and see her shave her head. "Say, can we talk… privately."

Agreeing to follow her, we trotted out to one of the watermills. The thing was more complicated than just one wheel being pushed by water, and it was ancient. As the wooden wheel creaked, a grinding noise could be heard inside the mill.

"So, is it about… us?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Yes… maybe… I don't know. The closer we get to the wedding, the more I feel… unsure."

"Ya, it's not like we were given a choice in the matter," I said honestly.

"That and you liked my sister more," Live said flatly.

"I… don't know," I said truthfully. I did feel more comfortable with Dead Axle, but it wasn't like I disliked Live. "Live, your sister wasn't interested in getting married or starting a family."

"Exempt she let ya fuck her, and then happen to forget to get the medicine to prevent pregnancy." Live spoke with a bit of venom in her voice. "I know my sister better than anypony else. I know she pretended to be stupid and was always holding her tongue when it came to the Desperado's future. Where… I just don't understand anything. And now, when she's half dead and petrified into stone, I'm stealing her stallion from her."

Ya, an emotional mare was not my area of expertise. But I knew one thing was true. "Live, your sister chose this; you didn't steal anything. It was you or her, and she chose for you to live, everything else after that… I'm sure she understands."

Live glared at me, tears in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, putting on a stoic front. "I… know."

"You know her better than I ever will." I said in all seriousness, "Anyways, as long as you don't become an alcoholic, this will be the best relationship I've had, though awkward as it is, I guess."

"You had a mare friend before?" She asked.

I nodded. "Ya, I was going to propose too."

"Was?" Live said questionly.

"It… ended poorly. Wartime stress will do that to ponies." I instinctively rubbed my eye socket; the memory of that bottle flying at me wasn't a good one or one I was able to forget. "Sometimes you can't save a pony, not even from themselves. But we can still save Dead Axle; trust me on that. Your sister will return to you one day, and you'll need to be there for her."

Lives hoof was so close to my face, her eyes locked on mine. She did have beautiful eyes.

We then pulled back, averting our eyes. "S… sorry." She stammered.

"No, it's fine," I said nervously. "Maybe we should go back."

Live nodded. "Ya, we should."

__________________________________________________________________

As ponies trickled in and we set up the tents, I began to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Platinum Hill always had a bit of tension in the air, along with the lingering smell of the city. But here, everything felt more at ease.

Amralt was a big help in getting everything set up. The Yak was stronger and better at building things up, which was funny because he liked smashing things. However, it seemed he was all smashed out after leaving Platinum Hill, as the Darkhearts were more than happy to pay him to smash many of the crumbling buildings on their newly obtained land.

But as the day grew late and everypony settled down, there were still things to do.

"Are you sure you need me to join you?" I asked Harp. I'm sure Lair would be better."

Harp attempted to roll her eyes, but they just twitched around, which wasn't helped by their inability to blink. "You're one of the founding members of this herd, Slowtrot, and you're marrying into the Desperados, so yes, you need to come. Anyway, the elders will be talking about what's happening in the west, and you, Star, and I should hear what they know."

She was right, but it didn't make it any less intimidating to trot into a big tent filled with biker gang leaders. "Alright, just don't expect me to do any speeches."

"Celestia, heavens no. Between you and Fizzy, I don't know who's worse at talking." Harp said with a chuckle.

"Thanks for the confidence booster," I said flatly.

Harp patted me on the shoulder to comfort me. "Hay, If we need a good laugh, all we need to do is turn to you. But seriously, we're in this to the end, no matter where it takes us. So let's go."

Trotting out of our little spot, Star was busy getting our flag up. It had the same color scheme and base design as the others, with it being a flaming skull with a red hoofball cap on, but unlike the others, it was encased in a shield with a Ghost Nightstalker on either side of it, looking more like a coat of arms from Canterlot.

Hooking the flag in place, Star and Caval join us. "So, we're off to see the old folks?"

"Careful Star, old we may be, but we can still whip foals like you in place," Arras said, flanked by Rack End and her husband, Stud Axle. My soon-to-be father-in-law eyed me with a burning hatred that only a father could.

"I'd like to see that," Swift said as he joined us, flanked by his two subordinates, Slick and Reed.

"So, how many ponies will be coming?" Harp then asked.

Arras scratched his chin. "Well, most of the herds that will be fighting need to at least sit in with the old bastards like myself. Those not attending are ones with responsibility elsewhere, not staying here, or just not here yet."

We trotted towards the valley's center to a massive and beautiful tent, carefully decorated to depict Desperado's history along the sides. As we moved around it, I could easily understand certain events woven into the canvas, one showing the Desperados leading ponies to safety and another in a fight against the Steal Rangers. Most of the scenes were of the Desperados fighting some group or another.

"Wait! You guys fought Redeye?" Star asked as she pointed at one scene. It showed the Desperados clashing with another group, whose symbol was a big red eye. On their side, leading them, was a red and black stallion in a blue cape.

Arras nodded. "It wasn't a major war like the one with the Rangers; it was just several border skirmishes. Redeye wanted access to Route 50, and we have never been a fan of the slave trade. The bastard thought he could push us aside, and we saw him coming. After that, he left us alone, though we suspected he had plans to return one day; but we'll never know."

"Right, and isn't that why Redeye never moved onto Friendship City as well?" Star further asked.

This time, Arras shrugged. "Possibly. We didn't get along with Friendship City much either, but by keeping Route 50 mostly slaver-free, Redeye couldn't block the trade into Friendship City. So, they were able to hire their mercenaries and stay independent. But we also suspect that Friendship City had their connections with the slavers, too, but they were just not open about it like most places."

"Makes sense to me. Hard to believe such a place staying independent while being next to such a power as Redeye's army and not having deals under the table." Harp commented.

We then moved on, the history lesson over, and entered the huge tent. Inside was spectacular, with many lights overhead illuminating the inside and several large rings of decorative pillows on wooden planks, with each ring higher up the further it was from the center. In the center was a stage, and on it was a massive rug in the colors of the Desperados.

As we followed Arras, Swift's group and ours took seats behind Arras, and ponies were on either side of his position, holding black decorative frames.

"What's those two about?" I asked Harp.

"There the Desperados who took over the place of founding members. The ponies on the left are the Bayonets, whose founder went feral four years back, and on the right are the Long Calls, who used to watch over Platinum Hill before the second Desperados Ranger war. The few who survived, I mean. Both used to be numbers before their elders passed on."

Looking at the innermost ring, I see it is filled with either ghoul leaders or ponies holding frames of ponies who must have been former ghoul leaders. Sadly, it was mostly only those holding those frames, with only six ghouls here and two empty seats of what was thirty ponies.

Harp then explained. "The surviving founders are Arras here as the Ones." She then pointed at a ghoul mare in a hood, her herd having taken over the territory around Platinum Hill. "That's Morning Light of the Twos, a sniper from the great war and probably the one pony that all Steel Rangers fear." She then pointed at a fairly well-put-together ghoul wrapped up in blankets, with Piston and Exhaust beside him. "That's Quilted of the Sevens; they are the Desperados who maintain Haven Valley." Her hoof then moved to the only ghoul with two ghouls next to them, all dressed in military hazmat gear. "That's Shepherd of the Threes; he's the keeper of Whinnyapolis, somepony we're going to be well acquainted with soon." Then Harp pointed out a bandaged-up Pegasus and a well-dressed Desperados unicorn, "And then there's Skyline of the elevens and Searchlight of the thirteens, who help manage the east territories." Lastly, she pointed at the two empty spots, with less than happy-looking ponies next to them. "Railway of the Fives and Smoke Signal of the Sixes watch over the western territories and are currently missing. Arras is confident they're still alive, but if not, their herds will be taking new names soon."

"There were originally fifty of us in our original platoon. Twelve died in the war, four didn't join the gang, two were killed by the ministries, and the other four died of radiation poisoning after the war." Arras said bitterly. "Though, sadly, only eight of us live today, I take pride that we've lived this long to see the sun again and that when my day comes, the Desperados will be in good hooves."

The chattering of the ponies here slowly died as they finally stopped trickling in. A pony trotted onto the stage with a microphone and speakers to ensure she could be heard. She was a white earth pony mare with a long cherry pink mane, along with the black vest; she had a very clean powder blue dress on.

"Elders and leaders alike, we are overjoyed to have you all hear again, and now that the first snow of winter has arrived, we can finally get to the issues at hoof." The mare spoke as another pony moved a podium over to her. Looking at it, she began to read, "First off, we know that the Brass Hooves did the Gold Fangs dirty last year, but that doesn't give the Gold Fangs the right to stir up trouble."

A loud "Fuck Them!" Came from behind us, followed by a "Fuck You" from the other side of the tent.

Arres face-hoofed as the mare in the center spoke up and growled out, "If you want to fight so bad, you can stay in Whinnyapolis and sort your shit over there, ya understand."

The tent became very quiet for a moment before the mare continued. "Good! In other news, we have new ponies joining us, the Red Caps." Eyes quickly fell on us. "From what we have been told, their leader, Harp Melody, is directly related to Arras from a fling he had with some rich bitch during the great war. Everypony, clap for her."

The hostility was thick, but Harp didn't seem to let it affect her.

"Just give 'em time. We don't usually have outsiders join us like this, so they're just weary of ya," Arras told us.

The mare continues once the mocking clapping ends. "As for good news, we have extra booze this year." Cheers erupted, "Shut Up!" The mare yelled, quieting everypony. "We will still be issuing the same rationing as last year but opening that extra stock for heartwarming and winter wrap-up. If anypony is caught sneaking into that extra stock of booze, you will be tard and feathered; you got that!"

"Now, why are we gathered here today? War!" Everypony began mer mermering to each other, the ponies next to us speculating on who was causing the problem out west, and the ponies behind us glad that they could finally prove their strength in combat. Once they quieted back down, the mare further explained. "As you all know by now, the trade route out west has been blocked, and almost all communication from the Road Crew has ceased. It has taken us time to find out what has happened and why, and in that time, we lost contact with both Elder Railway and Smoke Signal, with both their herds being driven out of the mountains. Since then, the Fives and Sixes have been skirmishing with hostile forces, keeping them from pushing east into our territory. Yet, only recently do we finally know who we are fighting and why."

Another pony trotted onto the stage; this one didn't look like a Desperado, dressed in a patchwork and armored construction crew uniform. "Hello, I'm a Road Crew courier serving Queen Luster. Thank you for hearing me out during this trying time. As you might already know, a few months ago, we conflicted with the Spectrum Alliance, the normal shit over borders and roads. You know how those feather brains can be. As we settled and made peace talks, some other group snuck into our territory, causing havoc. They even attempted to assassinate Queen Luster. The chaos also riled up all the bandits, raiders, and Enclaves in our territory, causing further havoc and forcing our own to pull back. By the time we were able to reorganize and start a proper counter-offense, the assholes had used our machines to dig in and block us out."

"And who are they?" The mare asked.

"Well, that's the thing, we don't rightly know. They called themselves the Ponies Equalists Revolutionary Army and used weapons and vehicles we had never seen before. Worse is their numbers; we don't know how they snuck so many ponies in, but practically overnight they had an army taking our core outposts."

"Excuse me." Harp spoke up, causing everypony to start murmuring among each other, but stopped when Arras raised his hoof and motioned for Harp to continue. "Was this assassination attempt performed by a cyberpony?"

The Road Crew courier scratched his chin. "Well… maybe. Everypony says it was a robot pretending to be a pony, but it could have."

"And the vehicles they were using, were they hoverboats?" Harp further asked.

He shrugged. “You can call them that. They did hover; it's why we're having such a hard time pushing back into our territory; they can just float over the minefields they lay."

Everypony began muttering again, and then Arras stood up, speaking. "Courier, did they send any messages, a declaration of intent?"

He nodded. "They said that they're here to free ponies from tyranny, to join all voices and bring about true equality through joining the C.C.N., but frankly, we don't have the damnedest idea what that even means."

Arras looked back at Harp, and the two nodded.

Harp then spoke up again. "This C.C.N. is the Collective Consciousness Network. Essentially, it is a cybernetically induced hive mind from the Marewaii Islands. They seek to bring everypony into their thrall under some misguided… no, that's incorrect; they know what they are doing is wrong and don't care. It's a hivemind bent on domination, one that hides its intent under ideas of equality and fighting tyranny."

"And how can we be sure you are not making up stories? We don't even know who you are; you are not even one of us!" A pony yelled, only to get glared at by Arras.

Harp tapped on her pipbuck. "Is this song familiar to you?" she asked the Road Crew courier as the music began to play, the same music Quicktrot Fragment showed Harp to unnerve her.

"United forever in friendship and equality, our mighty collective will endure.

The Equlist Techno Collective will live through the ages. A dream for the ponies, their fortress secure.

Long live our glorious collective, built by the ponies' mighty hooves. Long live our glorious collective, united in equality.

Strong is our friendship tried by fire. Long may our rose flag inspire, Shining in glory for all creatures to see."

The Road Crew pony nodded. "It sounds familiar, yes. Since the invasion, such music has filled the airwaves and prevented communication into our territory."

"We've heard similar music out west, too, blocking all radio communications into the mountains." One of the Sixes spoke up.

This got the Desperados talking again and taking in this new information.

"Miss Harp." Morning Light spoke up, pulling back her hood. The poor mare was more skeleton than a pony, with moss growing on her bone. "Since this is a threat you have dealt with before, do you have any advice on combating it? And you said a cybernetic hive mind. Then are we to assume anypony captured by them is lost to us?"

Harp took a deep breath, thinking about it for a good moment. "For combating them, I can't say for sure. But if they are taking locals into the C.C.N., they will know all the tactics of those taken, including our own. Our biggest advantage is that we know what they are and can change our tactics to counter them. At this point, we should assume they have the missing elders and know everything they know or will know. As for if our own can be saved, maybe, but the Equalists apply more than technology to control ponies; they use all sorts of psychological brainwashing. Surrounding ponies with loyalists and propaganda, providing rewards for loyalty while taking away privileges for wrong thinking, altering history, and changing the language to control how a pony thinks. Even if you can unplug them from the C.C.N., they could still have been made a loyal drone for their cause, unable to think for themselves."

"Sounds like what the Ministry of Image and Moral were trying to do before the war's end," Shepherd commented.

"They're most likely connected," Harp said to them. "The Equalits came out of the Marewaii Republic, who were effectively a surviving piece of the old Equestria government. My family was the old Nobility, and a third group was Stable-Tec. The Republic had many Ministry buildings connected to their underground, so they inherited much of what the Ministries left behind. It was suspected that the Republic had preserved what the ministries had been doing and secretly tried to continue those objectives and experiments. Then, when the Equalits took over the island, they inherited all of it."

"So effectively, these Equalists are what, the corrupted reminisce of the Ministries?" Quilted asked.

"Makes sense to me; we've been waiting for the Ministries to rear their ugly heads for over two hundred years," Shepherd said, then sighed. "Of course, when we finally relax in the knowledge that they're truly gone, their bastard offspring pop up to try and fuck us in the ass."

"I agree," Arras said to them. "But there's more to this than the Equalists. Harp and I have already talked about this, and if it was them, then the timeline is off. They would have only left their island less than two years ago, not enough time to start a war this size."

"So you think they have help?" Skyline asked

Arras nodded. "We suspect the Buccaneers, the Pirates out west on the Luna Ocean. They were invading the Marewaii Islands roughly around the same time the Equalists had left, and both groups had been in contact with each other."

"Fucking Pirates, must they shove their damn hooves into everything!" Searchlight yelled. "We already have problems with the Privateers raiding merchant ships on the Celestia Ocean. Not that we can't do anything about it without warships of our own, but it would explain a lot for such a group to infiltrate so deep into Road Crew territory."

"Let's not forget that they're not the only problem we're dealing with." Morning Light said loudly. "These Equalists have also stirred up every asshole in the northwest mountains, ponies who are likely not going to want the order reasserted anytime soon. Raiders are always a problem, but minor; the biggest problem will be the Bandits and Enclave remnants. Without anypony keeping them in check, I have no doubt they will boobytrap the entire mountain range, using this war to expand their territory."

"Not to mention the upcoming winter might be extra troublesome," Arras added. "Since the clouds have cleared up, the weather has grown more extreme. I doubt anypony will be able to fight until spring, meaning our enemies will have time to fortify their position. Undoubtedly, when the fighting does start, we're in for a brutal slog not seen since the great war."

"And yet, we can't risk leaving the Equalists be." Harp spoke up. "They're not the kind of threat that just sits and waits or makes any grand moves you can simply clash against. Their weapons are subversion and subterfuge, in which if they are ignored, soon you will find your population singing their propaganda while finding all your weapons scrapped."

Everypony became very quiet. Slowly, the chatter started, and soon, they were discussing tactics and strategies or just blustering bravado.

"You all can go take a break," Arras told us. "You've done well to convince them of the danger; now it's up to us Elders, to unify the Desperados into a proper army."

With that, we trotted outside to take a breath, along with a few other groups. Some of which wanted to talk to Harp personally. Most of them were relatives of Arras, sizing Harp up as their distant relative, and a few wanted clarification on who the Equalists were. Star stayed close, just in case anypony wished to fight.

I, on the other hoof, spotted two ponies who had gone missing early today. Pewter and Lair were trotting with two other strangely dressed ponies who clearly weren't Desperados.

Lair then saw me and waved me over.

"Found new friends?" I asked as I trotted over.

One was a very old and shriveled stallion who held onto a staff that had a bear skull on top. The other was a very young mare with a deep red coat, raven black mane and tail that had a rainbow streak through them.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lair said, filling me with dread. "Turns out they're here for the same reason as we are. This is Shaman Rattlebones and his granddaughter, Glittering Matrix.

Rattlebones smiled at me, and though I couldn't see his teeth, I was sure he was missing most of them. "So we have finally met, the pony I have seen in my vision, the one who will lead our way."

I could only take a deep breath, now sure as sure I could be that soon we were heading to that damn mall.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 3, An Indifferent Fate.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 3, An Indifferent Fate.

__________________________________________________________________

When we were gone, Pewter had not only set up his tent but also made it fully furnished and had drawn all the mystical stuff all over and around it. We still needed to set up all of our own stuff!

Along with Harp, Star, and me, Fizzy and Live joined us in the tent, making nine of us, including Pewter, Lair, Rattlebones, and Glittering.

Rattlebones and his Granddaughter were from the Pear Valley tribes, a group far to the southeast, and descendants of the Pear family, who still protect their lands today. The Pear family was less well known than the Apples. Still, I remember hearing about them being vehemently anti-war, which the Ministries didn't like. Most ponies just guessed they were continuing some old feud between the Apple and Pear family, or at least that's what the tabloid would say about them.

"Let me get this straight: You saw a vision of Slowtrot helping you destroy the Mega Mall?" Harp asked the two dismissively.

"It was sent to me by the Goddess of life and death herself; though I was drunk and high on the sacred water long ago, I still remember it clearly."

Harp let out a long sigh. “Ya whatever, works for me.”

“That's it?” I asked. “You're believing this!? He already admitted he was drunk and high at the time!”

"I know, Slowtrot, but trust me when I say this, that's not the craziest thing I have seen or heard, which turned out to be true," Harp explained.

I hated to admit it, but she was right. "Alright, but why me? What makes me so important to be part of some prophecy?"

Rattlebones chuckled. "Oh, it's not about how important you are, but simply that you're the right or wrong pony in the right or wrong spot. I'm not saying it's a coincidence, but simply that when dealing with powers beyond ourselves, don't expect their reasoning to be esoteric or deep."

That was… cryptic. “Whatever. Then explain to us why you care? Why do you want to get to that mall so badly?”

Rattlebones took a long and deep breath and sighed. "Long ago, when I wasn't so damn old, I and several friends of mine took a crack at being heroes, which led us to the Mega Mall. The storm around it lifted for a time, and we arrived here just when it did. Destroying evil and finding treasures was our goal, but ultimately, we only got one less friend. Though we did save two ponies, is that right, miss Fizzy."

She tilted her head and then gasped. "You're one of the ponies who attacked the cult!"

The elderly stallion nodded. “If only we knew you two were from the mall at the time, we wouldn't have just left ya both in the wasteland. Maybe even prevented your father from forming that damned cult.”

“Wait… what!” Harp said loudly. “Fizzy's from the Mega Mall!”

"Yes, we should have suspected something was wrong when we saw the baby; there is no way a scavenger would take their foal to such a dangerous place," Rattlebones explained. "But it was only after I saw Miss Fizzy at Ursas Rest that it clicked in my head."

"Oh, I was surprised, too, that you're Miss Grizzly's Uncle," Fizzy said.

"Wait, what!" Live nearly shouted. "Grizzly, as in Grizzly Deal, the owner of Ursas Den casino and a major player in the NCR?"

Rattlebones nodded. "My foolish niece has many connections out east. But we should focus on the here and the now."

"As in, why the fuck are you back here, you conniving bastard," Arras growled, joined by a less-than-happy Swift. "You know what I'd say the next time I saw you."

Rattlebones chuckled, showing no fear of the ancient ghoul. "Oh, come now. That was ages ago, and I'm already at death's door as it is; speeding it up would only be a mercy." He then looked at Swift and smiled. Now look at you. You're the spitting image of your father."

"Go fuck yourself, gramps," Swift told the old pony.

Harp cleared her throat to get everypony’s attention. “I hate to ask, but what the fuck is going on now?”

Glittering, Matrix finally spoke up, the young mare having a voice that rivaled Harps in an eloquent tone. "First off, I must apologize for my grandfather's conduct. In his advanced age, he has become quite bold and fearless. As for an explanation, grandfather here was once a prolific explorer, adventuring all across Equestria and beyond along with sowing his wild oats, of which I, and my cousin here," she then pointed to Swift, "are examples of."

Several of us face-hoofed as Arras got face-to-face with Rattlebones. "And you left my darling girl all alone to raise a colt by herself, ya honorless shitstane!"

Rattlebones didn't flinch, only sighed reminiscently. “Iron Bloom was a strong and beautiful mare.”

Arras raised his hoof and brought it down at Rattlebones, only to be stopped by Liar's magic. “Hey now, you can cave in this bastard's skull after we destroy the mall, not before.”

Arras pulled back. "Fine, but I will kill him. Mark my words; once this is over, he belongs to me." He then stormed out, each step heavy and filled with rage.

Swift let out a huff at Glittering. “Never associate me with him ever again, bitch.” he then followed Arras out.

Harp released a frustrated sigh, the tension in the air finally lifting. "Seriously, is there anypony else that wants to join this clusterfuck?"

“May we join this clusterfuck?” A Ghoul spoke up from outside. In trotted Morning Light, her skeletal face barely visible from under her hood.

Following her was Shepherd, who now was close enough for her to see inside his gas mask. He, too, was more skeleton than pony. "So you wish to enter the Mega Mall?"

Both ghouls gave off an aura of impending dread as though death hung above them, waiting for the moment they dropped their guard.

"Right, we need your permission to enter Winnyapolis. Is that right, Shepherd?" Harp asked

The old ghoul nodded. "Yes, unless you want to be devoured by the feral ghouls kept there."

"We spent many long years luring the feral ghouls into Winnyapolis and trapping them there." Morning Light explained. "They make good guard dogs to keep scarves away from our stockpiles. Don't stop the waste ponies, but we have more than one trick up our sleeves to keep the unwanted out."

"That and you never know when one of those robots will show up," Sheppard added.

“You mean robots like Molly, right?” Star asked.

Sheppard again nodded. "We still don't know how they get through our barricades, but every year, some poor bastards are dragged away. It's why we don't let anypony live in the city, it's just too dangerous, something I wish we had started early on."

"Those fucking robots killed a lot of us early after the war and even more innocent ponies that were just struggling to survive." Morning bitterly told us. "Their thick metal shells made any small caliber bullet useless, so most ponies were practically defenseless when attacked."

"And the fate of those captured, I dread to see those bloated shells again," Rattlebones said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Fate, what do you mean?”

“He means that the ponies, dead or alive, are shoved into the body of those robots,” Sheppard said with a growl as he looked off into the distance.

Morning Light patted him on the shoulder until he snapped out of it. "You okay? Are you still with us?"

Sheppard slapped her hoof away. “Fuck off bitch! I haven't been okay since… since… fuck, my little Lamb.”

We were all silent as we waited for the ghoul to regain control over himself. I could tell he was crying, yet had long stopped being able to produce any tears.

He then let out a long sigh. "Sorry, I'm good now." Refocusing on us, his skeletal face somehow had a look of determination on it. "If you're here to destroy that fucking place, I'll offer you as much aid as I can. Fuck, I got a spare megaspell I've been keeping for this moment."

We all remained silent, all except for Rattlebones. "If only it was that simple, but having such a thing ready would be appreciated."

"Oh, it will be ready; trust me on that." Shepherd gleefully said. "When you're ready to head out, just let me know, and I'll take you to the fortress." He then quickly trotted out.

“W… will he be fine?” Fizzy asked Morning.

Morning Light shook her head. "He'll live, but it's hate and guilt that fuels his soul now. I'm sure you can guess, but the mall took a pony he cared for deeply, his daughter," she took a deep breath, the air passing through her. "Unlike Arras and I, Shepherd put the war behind him and started a new life and a family. He and his daughter were in the mall when the bombs dropped. From what he's told us, it was pure chaos, and that's before Molly and her forest started killing ponies. Shepherd was one of only a hoof full of survivors of thousands of ponies, and we had to drag him out kicking and screaming."

“Shit, no wonder he's so intense.” Live committed.

"Not to mention the level of spiritual disturbance that must infest that place," Pewter added. "I imagine there will be ghosts and much worse there, so be prepared to see unnatural things."

Morning shrugged. “I guess that makes sense. Can't say I haven't seen some weird shit myself, and if any place is haunted, that mall has to be.”

“Ghost aside, what's our main danger there?” Harp then asked.

Scratching her head, Morning took a long moment before answering. "Let's see, well, Molly Manticore, you know, big, fast, and might actually be smart. Her forest friends are just all the random animatronics that failed to click, so they just did random stuff in the mall before being rotated out. That is before they started killing folk. A shame, too; my son absolutely loved the big yellow bear there. Never seen a grown stallion cry so hard after he had to put that bear down for good. He said it killed his inner child that day."

The ghoul started to trail off, and Rattlebones then nudged her with his staff. "Hay now, granny, let's focus."

"Right, just got stuck in a memory there." She said with a sigh. "Well, from what I can remember, Other than Molly herself, there were only two major robots to watch out for. A security robot with two heads, and a sanitation robot. Oh, and maybe a rock band, But Shepherd never mentioned them roaming about."

"Oliver and Oscar Orthrus are the security, and Muller Maulwurf is a cleaning bot," I told everypony. They were mascots from companies that Molly Manticor bought the rights to."

Morning tilted her head. “Were they… Oh right! I remember now. Oliver and Oscar were some security company mascots, and Muller was from a mining company.”

“Any other dangers we need to worry about?” Harp further asked.

"Oh yes, other than the Orthrus bot, regular security bots follow it around or patrol the mall. Most should be already destroyed, yet there are enough security bots to be a problem. She scratched her skull again, "Right, there's probably feral ghouls there too. Though protected from the bombs, the mall wasn't so secure from radiation. I bet the ferals outside found a way in as well. But other than that, nothing else comes to mind."

"So we got ghosts, killer robots, security robots, and feral ghouls. Sounds like a fun trip." Lair said confidently.

"Sounds like a death trap to me." Live committed. "Say, Fizzy, how the fuck did you even get in there in the first place."

Fizzy looked rather embarrassed for a moment. "I, umm, like, asked very nicely."

“You charmed them, didn't you?” Harp accused the mare.

“Maybe…” Fizzy said guilty.

"I don't know what you're on about, but there is no way to get into the mall, as far as we know. Trust me, we blocked every known entrance we could find. Yet they still get out," Morning said in annoyance.

"Oh, I took the VIP entrance," Fizzy admitted.

“The… what?” Morning Light snarled.

Fizzy looked quite nervous, taking a deep breath before explaining. "It's like, in the metro, under the mall. Like a sprite bot saw me and opened a hidden door for me, it was cool, too. Lots of Sparkle-Cola was like there too, all like ice cold."

Morning Light face hoofed. "Of course! There must be several VIP entrances near the mall, and that must be how Molly must get out."

“Fizzy, do you remember where that entrance is?” Harp asked.

"Of course, I mean, it was, like, only a month ago." Fizzy then paused for a moment, squinting her face as she thought. "But that's, like, years for…"

"It's okay. I get that feeling too," I said, now and then, feeling wrong when I remembered it's been over two hundred years for every pony, but it's only been a few months for me.

“Well, we got our way in, and any support we need… Actually, this feels way too easy.” Harp said, sounding very unsure of herself.

Morning Light chuckled, which sounded highly unnatural coming from her. "Well, it's not like we're going to just run you through political hoops for a week and some spiritual nonsense. And truth be told, I'm sure the mall will be enough trouble on its own."

“Speaking of which, why me?” I then asked again. “I can't be that special.”

Pewter shrugged. “Rarely anypony is, but I find that fate enjoys things being poetic in some form or another.”

"Magic is much the same, being more powerful when there's a connection or is symbolic," Rattlebones added. "Either there's something about you that makes dealing with the mall easier, or you have a connection to it you might not know about."

A click came from Harps eyes as she looked at me. “You did say you worked at Molly Manticore once.”

“For a day, then I quit that place. Molly quite literally almost bit my head off. I'd be dead if not for Terra stopping her.” I told them.

"Terra… oh, you mean the singing Timberwolf robot." The Morning then chuckled to herself. "My older son actually had a crush on her. And she didn't give me the creeps like the other robots did. But she only performed at the mall, and ya don't sound like a native Whinnyapolis pony?"

"I worked at the original Molly Manticore in Applewood, but only for a day. Terra was shown there first while the mall was being rebuilt." I explained.

"For a pony who hates Molly Manticore, you sure know a lot about it. Are ya sure you don't secretly love it?" Star said teasingly.

I rolled my eyes. "The advertisements were everywhere; you couldn't go ten hoof steps without Molly Manticore or Stable-Tec shoved in your face. That or recruiters for the war. If I didn't need the work then, I'd never have gone near the cursed place."

“Cursed?” Live said curiously

"Right, the Applewood Molly Manticore had that incident, didn't it." Morning Light said, her seemingly empty eye sockets looking right through me. "But considering your age when the time stuff happened, you'd be what? Fifteen?"

"Eleven," I said as that damn music began playing in my head.

"So you were the targeted age at the time; that's some real bad luck, kid." Morning said as she suppressed a chuckle. "But ya, our platoon was on leave when that mess happened. Real nightmare shit."

“What happened?” Harp asked.

"Some foal got tangled up in the robot's mouth and died. Got Molly Manticore shut down too until the Ministry of Morral revived it." Morning explained. "If I remember right, the owners were using Molly for some robotic research, and those protect-a-ponies you see all over, their spell matrixes are based on Molly Manticore's. Still don't know why they revived that place, but the Ministries did a shit ton of nasty shit, so it fits."

"He wasn't tangled," I mumbled to myself.

I could hear the screaming as I hid in the ball pit, those older foals tormenting Wheatgrass while the adults were away. Then, a crunch, silence, and the most gut-wrenching scream I had ever heard. The sounds of hooves running all over like thunder caused me to peek. Molly and I locked eyes, Wheatgrass in her mouth, blood dripping. All I could do was sink back into the ball pit, holding my breath and staying quiet.

“Slowtrot, you okay?” Live asked.

I took a deep breath, pushing the memory back. “Ya, I'm fine. It was just not a fun time to be a kid back then. That's all.”

My mom didn't let me out on my own for months after that, and I saw a psychologist every week for a year after. At least it gave me an excuse for not joining the war, but why did I return there? Did I really need the bits?

"-and that's everything," Harp said, I had missed what she was saying. "So the first thing in the Morning, we're heading out. The sooner this is dealt with, the sooner we can focus on the Equalists."

"I know this is redundant, but why can't we ignore the mall?" I then asked. "It's not like it's going anywhere, and it sounds like it's well-contained for the most part."

Rattlebones let out a long sigh. "Sonny, it's not like I don't get it, and personally, I would love to just leave such a place forgotten. But if the gods are telling ya that this must be done and done soon, there's a damn good reason for it."

"From my experience, it's possible that the cult will soon reach its goal," Pewter added, his eyes looking over at Fizzy. "They may have a new vessel for Venus; if not stopped, they will break free with powers we've never seen before. And from what I know about the goddess Venus, it ain't going to look pretty. Technically, she will be gorgeous, but that's beside the point."

"She'd like to be able to charm ponies by just being near them," Fizzy said.

Morning let out a groan. "Ya, we can't have shit like that happening right before a war or during it. If it wasn't for the fleeing Road Crew joining the counterdefense, we'd likely have lost more territory than the mountains. And if another mind-control bastard appears again, it will be disastrous."

“Do ponies with mind control happen a lot?” Harp asked.

"Roughly every fifty years, some pony finds some tech or magic that gives them power over others." Morning Light explained. "They tend to cause a lot of damage before some other pony puts them down."

"Twelve years ago, it happened out east, right after the day of Sunshine and Rainbows," Rattlebones said. "Fortunately, it got snuffed out before the bastard fully fixed the tech, but for a moment, there was a chance he would have become a new and worse Redeye."

“Ya mean the Ursa war?” Star asked.

Rattlebones nodded. "My niece was the one who led that clusterfuck, practically bankrupt herself to do it too. If she didn't, the NCR might not exist today. But that's why anything involving charm magic, or any mind-controlling magic, must be taken seriously. And Venus herself is the source of all charm magic."

The old stallion then looked at me with aged and wise eyes. "So trust me, sonny. You may not want to go, but you will regret it if you don't. Fate may be cruel, but ignoring it can be much crueler."

I couldn't argue with that, and knowing my luck, that's exactly what would happen. Sometimes, it felt like I was always fated for disaster, and all I could do was wait for it to come to me or trot into it.

With everything that needed to be said, we all began to shuffle out. The sun had already set, and the night had taken over. Looking up at it, it was still surreal that no one controlled it anymore, that neither Celestia nor Luna ruled over the sky. I knew from my history class that unicorns moved the sky before the princess, or so the historians said. But now, everything was let loose to go wild, uncontrolled, and feral… yet it was hardly any different from when the Princesses controlled it.

"Ya deep in thought?" Live Axle asked me, her breath visible like a pony in a cold box.

"A bit," I admitted. "All this talk of gods and fate makes you wonder if the ski is still being controlled by something. That some pony just picked up where the Princesses left off."

Live shrugged. "Never gave it any thought, but now that ya mention it, that would make sense. But most ponies think Celestia is still out there, still holding up the sky, even from the afterlife."

Nodding to that, I found it a comfortable thought that Celestia still ruled Equestria, even if she wasn't still with us anymore. I sympathized with the Sisters of the Sun in Platinum Hill, who deeply pine for Celestia to return.

"Hay, ya want to see something neat?" Live then asked.

I didn't have all that much to do, so I nodded. “Shure, what is it?”

__________________________________________________________________

I followed Live along the river, going towards where it flowed from. The further up we went, the more blue and sparkly the grass seemed to be. Eventually, we reached a narrow passageway where stepping stones were placed for easy access. The deeper we went, the more the water seemed to shimmer and the bluer everything became. Not just the water and grass, but the rocks too, looking more like crystals than stone. At the end was an opening that widened out to reveal a deep, clear, and blue pool. To my amazement, steam rose up from it and filled the air. Growing along the edge were blue flowers that gave off their own light, and looking at one closer, they were made of actual crystals. The spring was like a maw of blue crystals, which went deep into the water and the darkness.

"This hot spring is the only reason we can survive the way we do during the winter. However, we still have to filter the water a bit first, or we might start going all crystally. Or so Elder Big Papa tells us." Live explained.

I touched the water, finding it quite warm. “This is… amazing? And how far does it go?”

"Elder Big Papa says that it's likely connected to an underground lake that extends under the crystal empire, which might be why the ponies there are all crystal-like," Live said as she trotted over to a nearby basket. "I don't believe it, but I ain't going to test if it's true. Still, it does make good for cooking." Pulling out four eggs from the basket, Live put them in a small cage on the edge of the spring.

I raised an eyebrow when I saw that crystals had formed on the same cage.

“Wait, you cook with this water?” I had to ask.

Live nodded. "Not for everything, but it helps us save on fuel during celebrations when we need to make a lot of food for everypony." She told me before lowering the cage into the water and letting it sink deep. "We also make a special whisky with this water and use this to drink it warm. Weirdly, it's really good and glows."

That couldn't be healthy, but it did sound interesting. "So, is it okay for us to be here? I mean, this place is clearly important."

"I got permission from Piston due to the upcoming wedding. You see, spring-boiled eggs are a traditional snack for a bride and groom." Live sounded a bit nervous, and I wasn't sure if she was forcing herself to be okay with this. Maybe she was just trying to convince herself to be okay with it. "It's said that if two lovers share them, it brings them good luck."

It was rather hard to imagine that a hardened biker gang like the Desperados would have such a cute custom, but then again, everything I had known in my life was just bent truths and lies. "I'm more used to just giving flowers and chocolates and going on dates."

“And did you do that often?” Live asked.

I shook my head. "Naw, I was terrible at it and gave up trying."

“Ya mean that other mare?” She asked nervously.

Letting out a long sigh, it was awkward to think about Poppy Fields. "I guess so. Our breakup was a rather fast and ugly event. But if you asked my sister, it was more of a very slow train wreck. I didn't put myself out there after that; I guess I didn't see the point."

I forced a smile and wiggled one of my legs. "And look at me, I'm not much of a wasteland pony or got the looks."

Live let out a laugh and lightly jabbed me on the shoulder. "Ya, you don't come off as the lady's stallion type; don't have the muscles either. But don't sell yourself short. When we got pinned by those raiders, ya gave back more than ya took. Then, when the camp got attacked, ya rushed in to help like any Desperados would."

“And got you and your sister nearly killed!” I snapped. “Sorry, but I should have held back like we were told to.”

"And let that machine gun nest continue to kill our kin." Live's voice was stern and sounded a bit disappointed. "Slowtrot, even I know that sometimes we just have to say fuck It and charge in. Ponies were already hurt or dying because of Blueskys, and we made it stop. I know my pops is still pissed at ya for what happened to us, but not once has he not considered you to be a Desperado. I bet that's what angers him most: that he can't deny your place here."

I let out a sigh, still unsure of any of that. "Maybe… I just never thought I'd ever be in this kind of position. Traveling, fighting, getting married. Before I won that pipbuck, I had considered myself too cowardly to do any of that and was just waiting for the world to end."

Thinking back to the first time I had bounced in time, returning me to the Sleepy Hooves Diner, made me chuckle. "Actually, I know exactly where I'd have been when the bombs dropped and what I'd have done."

Live cocked her eyebrow at me. "Running and screaming, I guess."

"Naw, like I said, I'd already given up. But maybe, who knows." I said, feeling like the shock of it all might have caused me to panic. "Likely, I'd be at my favorite diner, knocking back beers until I was too drunk to realize I was dead."

She frowned at me. “And not even try to live?”

I shrugged. "I lived in Applewood. The place would take a direct hit before I got anywhere. And without a Stable to run to, I would die instantly or die painfully slow."

"Still, it's always better to at least try to live. That's what Elder Big Papa always said." Live then pulled the eggs back up, and the shells now glowed blue.

Passing me one egg, she peeled the shell of another. I tried to, but my hooves also took chunks of the yoke. "Ya, I see that now, but back then, things were different."

Awkwardly, I passed her the mutilated egg as she passed me an expertly peeled one. She then popped the egg in her mouth and let out a little moan. I ate mine, too, and it was surprisingly good if odd-tasting.

Live passed me another egg as she peeled the fourth. "Well, are you the same pony as before?" She asked me.

My mind drifted to the dream I had the other night, working back at Molly Manticore. The image on that screen showed me with the gun in my mouth and that mare looking at me. It was familiar, yet I didn't know why.

I then noticed that the egg in my hooves had been peeled; this time, it had come out undamaged, causing me to smile a little. "Maybe, maybe not."

Passing each other the intact eggs, we both ate them at the same time. I was still unsure if I belonged here with these ponies. But it wasn't like I belonged anywhere, and they were at least accepting of me, so it was at least worth a shot. But still, Live deserved a pony better than me, that I knew for sure.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 4, Winnyapolis.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 4, Winnyapolis.

__________________________________________________________________

I was going over our gear for the third time before we headed out, partly to get my mind off the mission and fill-up time. Though I knew a little about the Smuggler, I was no mechanic, and all the gearhead talk the Desperados liked to do was a bit overwhelming to me, making it hard to fit in.

Aside from my gear, a Colt pistol, a service rifle, and the shotgun, we had two extra Griffinstone S.M.G.s as passenger guns, the G.A.R. as a turret, an extra Colt pistol for every seat, and three battle rifles in case we needed them. Most of the firearms we delivered to Arras had already been distributed amongst the Desperados, and the last barrel of battle rifles and pistols would be taken to Winnapolis. It amazes me that the guns were still in such good condition, making me wonder how long this long-term storage could last.

Lastly, there was food and water. The Smuggler had a water tank we could drink from, and we still had quite a few of the jarred food Percussion Cap gave us, so we were suitable for a few more days.

“Nervous,” Azure spoke, nearly causing me to jump out of my skin. “Sorry about that.”

I had to catch my breath, the wind having been scared out of me. “It's… fine.” Looking at the creature, I had forgotten he was even with us, something to do with his natural magic making him hard to perceive. The thought that there was more of him out there was rather creepy. Though, they were mutants and not aliens like him. “Anything you need?”

He presented his rifle, a .308 lever action rifle. "Just some ammo, I've been practicing my aim with Tire Fire, and I'm a bit short."

I nodded, opened the compartment with the battle rifles, and pulled out a carton of .308. "You seem to be fitting in well. How do you do it?"

Taking the carton and opening it up, Azure began loading the large bullets into their clips and placing them into a pouch. The rifle was almost no different from the battle rifle, only being lever action instead of gas operated. It was kind of dumb, but then that's probably why I had never seen a lever action .308 rifle before this one.

After loading the rifle, Azure finally looked back at me with his cross-shaped pupils. "Truthfully, I don't fit in, not even in my own body." He said as he wiggled his hoof. "I miss my claws and segmented tail, though I feel that at least my tail will return to normal eventually."

I raised an eyebrow.

"My kind tends to change every molt until we reach adulthood. This form… it still feels unfinished." Azure said as he moved his big sail-like tail. "That aside, I'm not trying to fit in but respecting their customs. Something you have to be able to do in my profession."

He was some sort of adventure, like Daring Do, but both crazier and boring.

"Anyways, It's more about trust and respect than anything." Azure continued, "If the Desperados cared about fitting in, they'd be less rough around the edge. I've seen my fair share of soldiers and warrior cultures; they almost all work on the same idea. Can you carry your share of the burden, and can they trust you to cover their back when shit goes down? If you can do both, you're generally in a good position. If they conflict with anyone, expect them to shittest you harder to ensure you're not an enemy."

That made a fair bit of sense to me, maybe too much.

The Lurker then patted me on the shoulder. "So don't worry about trying to fit in. From what I know, you're doing a good job of it, even if you're a bit awkward."

“Thanks?” I said, not sure if that was a compliment or not.

Azure then holstered the rifle into a hoof-made sleeve on his back. "Anyways, it is probably best to focus on what's to come. Truth be told, I am a bit excited and dreadful about this mega mall."

“Wouldn't think you would dread an adventure,” I said.

He shrugged. "I'm used to ancient but safe ruins. Not actual death traps. Anyway, the last time I went on some crazy expedition, I ended up in this world. So you can understand my trepidation about it."

Now that I fully understand. “Ya, it seems that every time I head out to some dangerous place, things just go weird, then maybe explode.”

"Well, I'll have your back this time since this is, in a way, my area of expertise," Azure told me before trotting away.

With a sigh, I rechecked the list, no less nervous about the whole thing.

“Hay!” Fizzy yelled, nearly giving me a heart attack. “S… sorry.”

“It's alright. Need ammo?” I asked the very purple mare.

Fizzy shook her head. "No, like, most ponies don't let me near guns." She then looked around nervously. Looking around myself, I saw several stallions starting from a distance. I glared back at them, and they seemed to get the message and trotted off. "Thanks. It happens sometimes, and it's hard to tell them to go away."

"No problem, but why not ask Harp or Star for help?" I then asked.

"Harps got leader stuff to do, like ya know. And Star is busy practicing her sword fighting." Fizzy then rubbed her leg nervously, strangely reminding me of my sister. "And before you like, ask, the other mares don't like me much."

I wanted to ask why, but I felt it had something to do with how Fizzy looked. Poppy would always complain about other mares and how they looked. Sometimes, she'd get jealous and think I was staring at them. Still, I had one question, "why me then?"

She shrugged. “You don't seem affected by me, and… you feel safe. Like… ya know.”

No, I didn't know.

"Well, if you're just going to sit around, that's fine with me. I'm just going over the checklist." I told her.

She nodded and smiled as she sat back and lay beside the Smuggler. It was strange, as I felt a bit more relaxed around her, but I couldn't put my hoof on why.

__________________________________________________________________

Our small convoy rolled down Route 50, the cold air nearly chilling me to the bone if not for a winter jacket I was given. Though I wanted to wait a few days before heading out, I now understood why it wasn't the best idea to wait. Already a thin blanket of white covered nearly everything, and the Desperados were admittedly sure that soon snow and ice would overtake the route, so going anywhere would take two to three times longer if we waited.

I didn't like the idea of camping in the snow.

“Fuck, I haven't been this cold since I was a foal!” Star yelled through the radio. “Why the fuck do you choose to live up here anyways?”

“Because almost nopony is dumb enough to trot a hundred miles in the snow to fuck with us, that's why.” Morning Light said with a chuckle.

Morning Light and Shepherd were traveling with us in their vehicles, forming a convoy of four. Morning Light was in some early military scout truck in the back, and another led the front. Both were armed with a 30mm cannon on the back. Shepherd was in a transport truck behind us, which I remembered the model being used throughout the entire war, though this one had extra armor welded on. Some of us traveled with Shepherd, but Live rode Gunner with Morning Light.

Compared to all the driving I had done before, Route 50 was the smoothest I had ever been on since I fell into the wasteland, allowing us to make good time.

“So some pony has tried before?” Star asked.

“During the first Desperados Ranger war.” Morning answered. "Turns out that power armor works well enough in the snow if you insulate it. But by then, we'd been living out here for generations. Those dumbass tin cans were respectable soldiers back then, but their leadership had their heads so far up their assess that they forgot that experience trumps fancy tech any day. If the damn tank ghouls had not intervened, we might have completely decimated those idiots for a generation or two."

"Right, I remember hearing about the Desperados having a conflict with the tank ghouls," I commented.

“It was all over a hidden Ministry of Wartime Technology production facility. We still don't know why, but its emergency beacon was activated, signaling to everypony with a radio. Amazingly, the Enclave didn't show up, too." Shepherd added. “Well, the place was set up to outfit a whole battalion, guns, armor, power armor, vehicle, and tanks. It could produce even more if given the materials and time.”

“Let me guess, you all destroyed it in the fighting?” Lair asked.

“Yes and no.” Morning answered. “When the tank ghouls showed up and laid down the heavy artillery, after a few days, both the Rangers and Us called for a ceasefire. As few in numbers as those tankers are, their machines are still apex predators of war, even today. After that, we all concluded that war would be inevitable if that facility remained. So the loot was divided to the Ranger's disappointment, and the place was leveled.”

“The fucking Rangers dragged their hooves so Celestia damn much that the tankers had to remind them that of all of us, they were considered the bratty younger sister of the Equestria military.” Shepherd laughed as he reminisced. “These vehicles came from there and are probably the most advanced and well-maintained of their types.”

Thinking about the things the Desperados could have done with a production facility. "Still a shame, losing such a place."

“I agree.” Morning said. “But in the end, the tankers were right. The Rangers and us were so far removed from each other that war was inevitable. Such a power imbalance would only hasten any conflict until one no longer existed. And as much as I boast about the Desperado's strength, if push did come to shove, the Rangers would see that both of us were wiped off Equestria before they let anypony else control such tech. Not to mention all the other groups out there who would turn on us, such as the Enclave who had yet to act."

“And only beat the Enclave because they spread themselves out so thinly," Shepherd added. “If they had focused their full force on one objective at a time, they'd have been in a whole lot better position than they are now. Thank Celestia for their corrupt government and blind military leadership.”

“Heads up, we should see the city just over this hill.” Morning Light called out.

As she said, we crested over the hill, and a rather bleak sight came into my vision. Winnyapolis was a massive ruin, a shell of what was once a grand Equestria city, with more skeletal remains of buildings than anything. A sickly, muddy red fog covered the city, making it look like it rose from Tartarus. Surrounding it was an unending wall and trench, reminding me of the NCRCF, a prison to keep what's inside.

“What's with the cloud?” Star asked.

“It's the storm, or at least what creates it,” Rattlebones said, telling us nothing.

“The Mega Mall has a protective magical barrier to stop the Bailfire bombs. Unfortunately, it became corrupted after a few years, producing that noxious radiation fog." Sheppard explained. “It's not as bad as it used to be, but if you're not a ghoul, I'd advise staying out. And don't worry, we have a safe zone we're driving into.”

Trusting the ancient ghouls, I kept on going. Whinnyapolis got bigger and bigger the closer we got. We passed through the reminisce of a suburb, the bare foundations being the only evidence of what used to be here. Yet ponies were living here in crude encampments made of scrap shacks held together by ropes and mud, the ponies there watching us with eyes that seemed to glow.

“Wasteponie,” Harp said

"That's right." Shepherd said, "We've always had a population around these parts, but since the gardens blew away the radiation, lots have been moving here to take refuge."

“Because of them, the Goddess of the Glow has become the second biggest religion here." said one of Shepherd's seconds, a ghoul mare named Greased Cain. "To keep the peace, we've been letting them into the city to scavenge, since the ferals don't attack them. But now we're sure they've up and built a temple inside."

“And whose fault is that?” Shepherd's other second spoke up in annoyance, a ghoul stallion by the name Oatmeal. “and all because you wanted some dick.”

Greased Chain let out a frustrated huff. “That was over a hundred years ago, jackass. I was young and just becoming a ghoul; even Gramps understood why I acted the way I did!"

“Settle down, you two; we can't have ya crashing my truck," Shepherd grumbled as we slowed near an old Red Rider fueling station, now an outpost for the Desperados. The place had a small tower on top of it, and a crude wall around it. “As dumb as Greased was back then, our deal with that cult did prove useful. Couldn't have built the wall without them.”

We slowed as we passed the outpost, a ghoul Desperado waving at us as they held a grenade launcher. They were clearly serious about securing this place, or at least the road.

Soon, we were at the city boundary, and a massive welcoming sign greeted us: "Welcome to Whinnyapolis, population DEAD." The last part was painted in red, and the Desperados symbol was also on the sign.

I then noticed that Route 50 went straight into the city, and nothing blocked our path. "Is it safe for us to keep going?" I asked over the radio.

“It's fine; the road is elevated through the whole city, high enough that the fog isn't a problem," Shepherd told me, though it didn't fill me with much confidence. “Oh, and I know what you're thinking. How is Route 50 still standing here? And ya, the Zebras fucked it up royally. But we had the time and resources to fix it. It took us a long time to do it, but fuck was it worth it. We even built up some extra on it because, fuck it, why not.”

As we drove, I quickly started to see what this "extra" was. Built right on top of Route 50, in the middle of the ruins of Whinnyapolis, was a fortress. Nothing excessively massive, but the thick concrete walls were more imposing the closer we got, reminding me more of an old-world castle than anything. It even had a tower on each corner.

"This is our home base; we call it Fort Danger Close. It's the only safe place for days around, " Shepherd said.

We had to slow as we got close, a ghoul waving at us and Shepherd poking his head out to wave back. Solid iron gates opened up, letting us drive inside.

The sight of refugees filled my vision, normal ponies huddling along the base of the walls inside, forming a small camp city right inside the fort.

“Here too,” Harp said with a hint of sorrow.

“Unfortunately.” Shepherd sounded just as sad as Harp, if also a bit angry. "We have been trying to get them to a safer place, but with winter now setting in, it might be best for them to stay here until spring. The wasteponies have helped to disperse them to lighten the burden, but the winter will be harsh this year, so we expect a lot of dead ponies. Still, they're mountain ponies, so it's nothing they've not dealt with before.”

“Likely, many of them will join us in the war come spring.” Morning added. “My own is already training the refugees back in Umberfoal, so we should have a fair axillary force by the time the real fighting starts.”

Looking at the refugees were thin but hardy-looking ponies who didn't look dejected but more annoyed than anything. One even looked me in the eyes and snorted at me.

“Well, they look ready to fight,” Star said.

I rolled into a fenced-off part of the fort, likely off Route 50 and hanging in the air. Which made me nervous. After seeing Platinum Hill, I didn't trust wasteland architecture.

Finally getting out of the Smuggler, I spent a moment stretching my legs, as well as feeling a bit nervous at a wobble from the ground

Shepherd laughed at me as he trotted over. “I get that, but trust that this place is safe. Built with plenty of reliable Equestria concrete and steel. We even doubled down on the supports. So even if another megaspell bomb drops on us, the fort will stand tall, though any non-ghouls will probably cease to exist or join our ranks.”

“I guess I can at least trust that. Seeing that the city is technically still here.” I said to him, remembering how much the Ministry of Wartime Technology advertised the strength of Equestria concrete and steel.

He nodded. "That's for sure. Even I was surprised to see even one building still stand after the fucking the Zebras gave this city. It did help that all the big bombs went after Canterlot, with Whinnyapolis getting a ton of the smaller ones. If it weren't for all the feral ghouls and the Mega Mall, we'd likely have torn this city completely down for the scrap."

“Scrap? What for?” I asked.

"For all sorts of shit," Shepherd said as he trotted off to a door in the wall. "It's the same reason Redeye was, and the N.C.R. is now dismantling Fillydelphia. You break down all that rubble and use it to build new buildings, make armor and weapons with the steel, or just sell it to fill your war chest."

"Let's not forget the radiation you can dig out of such cities. Even after the gardens were used, the old cities still glow, if only a little," Morning Light added. “Unfortunately, radiation engines are still the most powerful and reliable sources of power in the wasteland, and though the NCR freed up all that land by using the gardens, they also shot themselves in the hoof in terms of providing power to their citizens.”

“That power is used to recharge spark batteries, which are used to power everything,” Harp said solemnly. “Once the radiation starts to run out, I imagine there will be a war over what is left.”

Greased Chain let out a grunt of confirmation as she secured our vehicles. "That's why we have been trying to move away from spark batteries. The old ones just don't last long, and any new ones we make can't compare to the old-world batteries. Hopefully, that alchemic engine we're working on will do the trick."

Right, the Desperados were working on some kind of engine that used something like flamer fuel to work. It sounded stupid, but if they were right about the spark batteries, then any solution would be better than no solution.

Trotting through the cramped hallways of the fort, passing by room after room of Desperados ghouls and two churches. One was for the Sisters of the Sun and another for the Goddess of the Glow. We were eventually taken to a much more spacious room with a large map of Whinnyapolis in the center. The map had many simple toy figurines, with one ghoul moving the pieces around as another listening closely to a radio. Both ghouls stood up and solution as they saw Shepherd

“At ease,” Shepherd told them, and the two relaxed. “Report!”

The ghoul that had been moving the pieces then began to talk. "Sorry to say, but things are still somewhat out of sorts. With all the refugees passing through and Cult of the Glow being more active lately, we were a bit stretched thin trying to keep an eye on all of them. We also got more morons testing their luck in the city proper. It's got all the ferals riled up, and several hoards are getting very ornery. Despite being ghouls, I doubt we can even get in there right now without getting ripped from limb to limb. Then there's the mall; it's been… strange lately."

“Strange, how?” Shepherd asked.

The two ghouls looked at each other for a moment before explaining. "Well, the area around it has turned green. Like plants have been bursting out of the concrete, and creatures have appeared that we've never seen before. Fortunately, those creatures don't live long thanks to the fog, but the scouts think they're starting to adapt."

“These plants, are they like trees, white with black spots?” Harp asked.

The ghoul shook his head but then paused. “No, but maybe. Hard to tell in the fog, but I think one of the scouts mentioned such a plant growing out of the mall. But most of the plants have been chaotic mutations.”

Shepherd looked over at Harp, his empty eye sockets filled with worried curiosity. "You know what this is?"

She nodded. "It sounds like a tree of life. Or at least trees spawning from it. If it's popping up now, it might be because of Magnificence's death, possibly triggering Mystic's remains to sprout. I don't know much, but Magnificence said that Trees of life can sprout forests and other life, including animals."

“Right, that old witch did turn into a tree after she died.” Morning Light said bitterly. “It's too early to assume that's the cause, but it does make a lot of sense. But who's this Mystic?”

"Technically, she was Magnificence's sister. They were both body-doubled clones made from the cuttings of a tree of life. Were Magnificence was in Manhattan with Blackcharry when the bombs dropped, Mystic was-"

"-In the Mega Mall," Shepherd said with a huff. "I remember seeing her one of those days; Blackcharry Blackroot was on a stage with Terra Timberwolf in the Sparkle-Cola Adventure and even took a photo with my daughter. We got separated after that and scared me half to death, but Mr Frothy found my daughter and brought her to the lost and found." The ancient ghoul took a deep breath, centering himself. "Sorry, I need to focus."

Morning then cleared her throat, or what she had left of one. "So that adds another problem if the mall isn't dealt with. Will it or the ferals impede our ability to reach the mall?"

The first ghoul shook his head. "No, mam, or at least not yet. The subway system is still clear, but the scouts suspect it's only a matter of time until one of those creatures sprouts inside; then, we might have a major problem. As for the ferals, the walls are holding up, but all it takes is one moronic scavenger to make a hole, then we'll have thousands of ferals spilling out of the city. We already sent a message out to the Wasteponies, so they're helping keep an eye on things."

“How many fucking ferals are in this city?” Star nearly shouted.

"How many do ya think!" Morning grumbled. "Like we told ya, we trapped as many ferals as we could find in this city. Unfortunately, we didn't know that glowing ghouls could revive dead ghouls, and the concentrated radiation inside the city made more glowing ghouls. So it's damn near impossible to thin the ferals out. Also, so long as the mall exists, we need those ferals to keep ponies out and those robots contained. It's a shit situation, but we got it under control. Not that it stopped some idiots from trying the city."

Rattlebones chuckled. “Ho, come now, we were invited at the time, isn't that right, Shepherd?”

"If a fool wishes to scout the mall for us, I won't stop them," Shepherd said with a shrug.

"Let's focus on the here and now." Harp spoke up. "Fizzy, do you remember where you were when you found the entrance?"

Fizzy looked at the map, pulling her mane back and revealing her cola bottle glasses. "I… like… don't remember."

We all gave a collective sigh.

"She was taken to Clover station, south of the mall." The radio ghoul said, who was avoiding eye contact with any of us. "We… Well, I guided her there. And thank Celestia, you're okay, miss, but why do you want to go back?"

"She's related to the Blackroots." Harp told him, "And probably the only pony that can get us safely inside."

He nodded. "We'll keep the little miss safe. She's a good mare, though on the foolish side."

"Oh, got a crush." The map ghoul teased.

"Both of you shut it!" Shepherd sternly ordered, then turned his attention to the map. “The Clover station would be where the Blackroots would put a secret passage. And fortunately, we have an outpost there. I'll send Greased Chain ahead to get it ready for you."

“Anything else we need to watch out for down there?” Harp further asked.

"Just the usual," Shepherd answered. "Mutant bugs and rodents mostly. The fears and robots, like we mentioned, and possibly some other nasty thing hiding in the fog. But the fortress is directly connected to the metro, so you'll skip most of that. Our scouts do their best to keep the underground clear of pests and debris, so just do as they say, and you'll be fine."

“Wait, do you mean you have a working subway system?” Harp excitedly asked.

But Shepherd shook his head. "Nay. Unfortunately, by the time we started rebuilding Route 50, the subway system was unsalvageable. Too many winters flooded it with water and ice; now, it's more river than train system. The good news is that we have boats; just don't disturb the frost-lurks."

Morning Light face hoofed. "Right, those damn hoof bighters. Their mutant hermit crabs, not all that aggressive or big, but piss 'em off, and they will freeze the water and mob ya."

"We've been living with em for over a hundred years, and they've not been a problem, as long as you stay away from them." Shepherd reassured us.

"It's not the journey over there we're worried about. But what surprises might be in the mall?" Lair said.

Shepherd nodded. "I suppose you're right. But what we said stands, they're not all that aggressive, so if ya see a critter with a shell made of ice, just leave 'em be, and they will leave ya be."

"Now, how soon can they move out?" Morning asked the map ghoul.

“As soon as they are ready.” He answered.

Morning nodded at him and then turned to Harp. "I suggest you go before nightfall or wait till the morning, as predators come out at night. But this is where we part ways. I got to inspect the armories and then head back to Umberfoal. If all goes well, we'll see each other before my work here is done."

"I need to recover that megaspell, too," Shepherd said with a chuckle. "So we'll be meeting up later. The scouts will take you to Clover station and provide extra guns to watch your back."

“Wait, you weren't lying about the megaspell?” Harp said in mild shock.

"Oh yes! Not all the balefire bombs detonated when they fell onto the city, so we stored a few away just in case," Shepherd admitted.

"The bombs are nothing supermassive." Morning added. "But one detonated in the heart of the mall would wipe it out. We've tried to do it once before, but the mall's security made it not worth trying."

"Right, I almost forgot about that!" Shepherd spoke up. "While there, you'll need to disable the mall's security. Its response to threats is proportional to the level of danger, so you'll need to keep a low profile inside, or it will never stop harassing you with robots. Once you have the security down, just radio the fort, and a team will be sent in to set up the bomb."

"Yes, I remember that annoying problem," Rattlebones nodded. "We had to trot around without any weapons just so the protect-a-ponies wouldn't shoot us on sight. I never found the security office or learned how to lift the lockdown."

Shepherd nodded. "Same here. We believe the main control office is under the mall, which can't just be accessed from the surface. We also suspect it would need a key or a V.I.P. to get in there. Sadly, the Coven of Clovers was never willing to lend out any of Blackcharry's descendants to test that theory."

We all looked at Fizzy, who tilted her head briefly, then went wide eyes. "Oh, right, I'm a Blackroot too."

"Yes, this is our best shot at destroying that place." Shepherds didn't hide the blood lust in his voice, something I could understand why, with what he had lost to the mall. "I look forward to the good news."

Both ancient ghouls shuffled out, leaving us in the map room. The radio ghoul told us that the scouts would join us shortly, and we just needed to sit tight. Looking around, I found a balcony overlooking the city, the sight so much more dreadful from the center than outside. As far as my eyes could see were the skeletal remains of skyscrapers and factory buildings. I could easily imagine what they used to look like. The ministries were not that creative when it came to architecture, so a lot of cities looked the same. I could even imagine the busy streets below, with ponies trying to get somewhere in a hurry and the unending movement of trucks delivering something or other.

"Magnificent sight, in a depressing way," Azure said as he sketched out the skyline. "Had places like this back home, though they were far older than two hundred years. Much older."

"You should have seen it before it was destroyed," I said, imagining the airship in the sky and the patriotic music playing everywhere.

"Call me cynical, but when you see one steel and glass city, you've seen them all. Though I must admit, this place is far bigger than I've ever seen." His mandibles chittered a bit, but I couldn't tell if it meant he was happy or something else. "And who knows, I might see something even more grand than this."

Well, he was an alien, so who knows.

"Frankly, after living in Applewood and being in Platinum Hill, if I enter another big city, it will be too soon, " I said to him before putting a hoof over my nose. "Big cities have a really big stench to them."

Azure laughed. "Too true, too true. Even with waste management, cities tend to smell like sour milk." He then closed his sketchbook, placing it in his bag before pulling out a gas mask. "At least we got these."

“Don’t a mutant like you not need those?” Live asked the Lurker.

His antenna-like fins twitched at that. "Miss Live, I am not a mutant; I'm from another world, possibly a different dimension. I would rather not risk assuming that I'm immune to radiation and other contaminants. The last thing I need is to get cancer."

Live shrugged. "That's fair, I guess."

Azure trotted off, fiddling with his gas mask.

Joining me on the balcony, Live let out a sharp whistle. "It's so big. How many ponies even lived here?"

"Hundreds of thousands of them," I said as I looked back at the city. "And all of them… gone."

"Oh, come now, they would still be gone with or without the war," Live said. "Maybe think of something more positive. Like you must have been at such a sight before, when everything wasn't shit?"

"Looking at a skyline from up high? There was one time," I told her, looking out at the ruins and remembering the skyline of Applewood.

It was the same as all cities, but the iconic hill with the city's name on it gave it its own unique charm.

“It's all going to be destroyed," Poppy said as she drank her third glass of wine. “You know that, right?”

My marefriend of over five years looked stunning, but that was due to all the makeup she used. Her alcoholism had only gotten worse, and it was affecting her health. I had tried to help her, by Celestia I tried. Today was her three-month celebration of being sober, but as soon as my back was turned, she was drinking again.

"They say the stripes got the megaspell too now, and you know those monsters will use it. So what's the point, working all those jobs?" She ranted. Poppy always ranted when she drank, always about the war, which only made her drink more. I couldn't blame her; she had suffered because of that damn war. Two bullet holes scars in her chest and one to the head from an ambush. It was a miracle that she even survived fighting in the war and that they let her come back home.

“Hey, I'm talking!" She said, accidentally splashing me with some of her wine and getting it on my suit. Not that I cared about the suit anymore. "You would have understood if ya were there, but no, you don't have to fight with that psychological stuff the M.O.P. say you have. Well, I have it too, you know!"

Poppy always resented me for not being eligible for the military and never having tried to join. It wasn't like the Ministries cared if I was eligible to enter or not. Truthfully, it was just a stroke of luck that my incident with Molly put me on the ineligible list, as I haven't had that nightmare for years now. Looking back at the skyline, I just repeated the phrase I was all too used to saying now. "I know Poppy, and that's why I'm here, to help you through this." My words were once genuine, but now they felt all too hollow. All I could do was hold onto the ring in my pocket and hope I might get through to her next time.

“Thinking about Poppy?” Live asked.

I nearly slipped, remembering where I was and who I was with. “S… sorry, got stuck in a memory.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Do you miss her?”

Did Live sound… jealous? No, no way she'd give a damn about me like that. "Maybe I did once, but that was long ago. It's strange that the more I think about it, the more I haven't truly thought about her in some time, but the closer we get to the mall, the more she comes to mind. Maybe because Molly…"

Right, I wasn't the only one affected by that day.

"Because of Molly, what?" Live asked.

"Oh, sorry, I just remembered a foalhood friend of mine, Poppy's brother. He was a huge fan of Molly. Maybe that's why I'm being reminded of all that." I told her, leaving out the less-than-happy parts.

"Right, you saw all this when it was new. It must have been something," Live said as she looked over the ruins.

I shrugged. “Never actually left Applewood, so can't say I saw that much.”

Thinking back to the old me, the me from a few months ago, why didn't I ever leave the city? It wasn't like I needed to stay; I had no friends there anymore, and the rent was expensive. Truthfully, none of this would have happened if I had just left; just like with Appaloosa, I stuck around too long, and now look at where I am.

But no use complaining about that now, as powers beyond my control have dragged me here.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 5, Ghosts of the Past.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 5, Ghosts of the Past.

__________________________________________________________________

Traveling through a subway system by boat was already strange enough, but with so little light and strange sounds around us, it put me on edge. Worse, the gas mask didn't do much to block out the smell of rot that permeated everything.

We traveled by two boats, five of us on each, not counting the ghoul scouts taking us to Clover Station. With so little light, Azure's glow was unnerving, bathing many of us in his green light.

“That's got to be a real pain, glowing all magically like that.” Our boatman said to Azure.

"We make do, and it's not magic… Well, normally it's not magic. It's actually bioluminescent bacteria that symbolically live inside our bodies. I've not learned about the subject, but I remember hearing that they help fight off fungal infections, which my kind are susceptible to." Azure explained.

The ghoul let out a groan. “Ya, we get it, you're smart. Let's just pretend I didn't ask.”

Azure shrugged. “Fair enough, I guess.”

As we moved through the flooded subway, we passed by a few boarded-up places, moss thickly coating the rotten wood as a cold chill blew through them. I wasn't so curious to ask about it, figuring I didn't want to know anyway. We also didn't encounter any ruined trains, the Desperados having dismantled them over a hundred years back for raw resources.

We passed through a few stations used as checkpoints for the scouts, where a few ghouls were preparing for the assault on the mall. Each station had its own little fortification, ready to keep any surprise outside out. I was also sure there were small armories there, as the Desperados didn't seem like the kind to keep all their eggs in one basket.

“Heads up! We're at Clover Station.” The ghoul called out, and we could see the light of a lantern ahead.

Waiting for us was Greased Chain, the ghoul now armored up and armed with a combat shotgun on a battle saddle. “Took ya all long enough.”

"Well, Chain, it takes longer when all the motorized boats are taken," Our boat pony said as we docked. "You got the fort ready?"

Greased Chain nodded. "All I had to do was dust it all off, even got the cots ready."

Harp hopped out, her legs wobbly from the prolonged boat ride. "Why didn't you tell us you're Arras's great-granddaughter?"

"Didn't come up, and I'm not one for boating." The ghoul mare said in a boosting tone. "And before ya ask, no, I didn't become a ghoul by choice. Some raiders found an old bomb and detonated it when we were kicking their flank. Only a few of us survived, and the surviving raiders were given a fate worse than death."

As Chain laughed to herself, the other ghoul whispered to us. “She recounts that story to everypony, so avoid asking about it, or she will talk your ears off about that campaign.”

Nodding, Harp bowed to Chain. "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Harp Melody, a very distant relative of yours."

"Ya, Arras told me. Good thing great grandma never became a ghoul, or she'd have walloped the old bastard good." She motioned for us to follow as the others got off their boat. "Well, let's get to business. I'll be your radio operator and the pony watching your back at Clover station. The other two scouts will be here too, but I'm here because I can call the shots if Shepherd or Oatmeal can't."

"Right, you're the third in command here," Harp commented as we arrived at what must be the base, a small concrete fort built into the station. "But are you sure you should be here and not at your main base?"

Chain rolled her milky white eyes. "What do you think Oatmeal is doing, smooth coat? Most of us here know our jobs since we've been doing them long before your mother was born. Ranks and authority here are only symbolic, so I'm where I'm needed and not where I'm a pain in everypony's ass."

Trotting into the small fortification, we found a map of the subway system on the wall and a radio connected to several wires under it. A door that looked like it connected to what used to be a shop now turned into barracks, and next to it was the public restroom. "You all can rest here until morning. Though going into the mall at night sounds fun, I'd advise against it," Chain informed us.

Peeking in, the barracks left a lot to be desired, but there were enough beds for everypony.

"If you don't mind, we'll locate the entrance first?" Harp asked.

Chain shrugged. "Fine by me. Just don't go inside until everypony is ready. The last thing we need is you trapped in there without a way of getting ya out."

"Oh, you don't need to tell me twice about that," Harp said half-jokingly.

Harp, Fizzy, and I began trotting around the station as Fizzy tried to retrace her steps. Looking around, everything other than the tiny fort was what I expected the ruins of my world to look like. Cold, lifeless, and miserable.

Harp let out a sigh. “Is it bad that this place makes me a bit homesick?”

“Didn't you grow up in a luxury stable?” I asked.

She looked away, seemingly a bit embarrassed. It would have been cute if not for her eyes and eye sockets being cybernetic. Instead, it looked more freaky than anything. "Ya, stable 50 was a fairly well-built and clean place, but I mean, the feeling of being underground like this and that smell of rust permeates everything. It just reminds me of home."

I couldn't argue with that logic, and looking around, I could see my own world all around me, but it was all rotten. "Same here," I said as I pointed at one advertisement that was in reasonably good condition for its age. "Captain Chrome, the actor in that movie, was an up-and-coming star, and that was his first movie where he was the main star."

Harp looked at the movie ad with the stallion in a thin space suit levitating a chrome-plated plasma defender. "He does look familiar. Was the movie any good?"

"I don't know. All this happened before I got to see it, but the Ministries were pushing it really hard, so I bet there was a lot of propaganda in it."

There were other familiar ads here: Sparkle-Cola, Barnyard Bargains, Stable-Tec, and Red Racer. But what dominated everything was all the little ads for Molly Manticore, as her face was everywhere I looked. One image even opened her mouth wide, sending a cold shiver down my spine.

“Oh! Like, over here!” Fizzy called.

Trotting over, I noticed a big advertisement for Terra Timberwolf and her band on the wall. It was also strangely in good condition—not so much clean as rotted or covered in mold like the others.

“Welcome back, Lady Fizzy!" a robotic voice called out from the ventilation above us. Out popped a dark purple sprite-bot with hot pink highlights, similar to those of Fizzy's mane. "I had become worried when you stopped contacting me.”

Order buzzed between us in the robot. “Identify yourself!” the robot drone commanded.

The sprite-bot bobbed about almost happily. “I am Fruit Fly, the Blackroots personal shopper, programmed by Lady Blackcharry Blackroot herself. She set me up to help any of her descendants if they chose to return here. So far, only Lady Fizzy has come here to observe the Blackroots legacy."

“So that's why you're so helpful!” Fizzy said in amazement.

“Wait, why didn't you tell us about this?” Harp asked.

“Because Lady Fizzy never asked me.” Fruit Fly told us, and Harp and I faced hoofed.

Harp took a deep breath before asking, "That aside, will you be able to open the way to the mega mall?"

Fruit Fly bobbed about a bit before saying. “Only on the request of a Blackroot.”

"Thanks, then we'll return in the morning," Harp told the robot.

“But we could, like, go in now?” Fizzy suggested.

Harp rolled her eyes. " You already forgot that we agreed not to. Anyways, That's how things go bad in those old adventure books."

I nodded. "It's common in the Daring Do novels, where a pony goes ahead after being warned not to and falls into a trap."

Fizzy looked a bit dejected. "I guess you're right, " she said, then waved at the robot. "Like, see you tomorrow, Fruit Fly!"

“I look forward to it, Lady Fizzy.” Fruit Fly said before flying back up into the vent.

"Do you think that thing is more than it appears to be?" I asked, feeling that, at this point, nothing is as simple as it appears to be when magic or tech is involved.

“If Blackcharry was intellectually on par with Majesty, I have no doubt that Fruit Fly is more than just a sprite-bot.” Harp surmised.

Returning to the fortifications, everypony was already settling down, with the old stallions doing some weird stuff around the entrance. Pewter was placing coins here and there as Rattlebones drew on the floor in salt. Lair was watching Glittering as the young mare mumbled something before tossing a bit of salt.

“Ummm, what's all this?” I asked out loud.

"Cleansing this place of evil spirits and keeping them out," Lair answered. "The salt stuff is a bit primitive but seems effective here. Back home, salt is redundantly ineffective because salts everywhere out on the ocean."

Glittering huffed in the way only teenagers could. "It's because you're not using purified salt; spirits can't manipulate pure elements just like you can't boil pure water." We all raised an eyebrow at the red filly, so she huffed again. "Technically, you can boil pure water, but it won't bubble until you add other elements. Spirits are similar, where pure elements just don't move."

That still didn't make any sense to me.

“So it's not that a spirit can't interact with the pure element, it's that the pure element just doesn't do anything, thus… slows them down?” Harp tried to explain to herself.

Rattlebones chuckled as he trotted over. "Don't worry, we barely understand it ourselves. We all know that if you block an entrance with a pure element, like pure salt, spirits can't just get in or out. We use salt because it's easy to make, but other elements work, such as pure iron or silver."

Lair drew her rapier, "like how my sword can stab ghosts!"

"Pure mythril." Pewter said, "Not the most sturdy metal, but most of the weird things tend to avoid it when possible."

Rattlebones nodded at that. "Pure alcohol also makes an effective holy water and can be used to purify water too."

Greased Chain trotted in, looking somewhat baffled. "What in the tribal shit are you doing to my fort?"

We decided to let the old ponies defend themselves as we trotted into the barracks to avoid what was going to be some nasty chewing out.

Finding my bed at the top of a bunk near the back, I looked through my saddle bag, filled with primarily spare ammo and medical supplies. In there was also the .45 pistol, Checoves Promis. Each time I saw it, I was reminded of how Hardballer died, among the other lives taken by it. Though I kept it empty, I still got the feeling that if I pulled the trigger, a bullet would still be fired.

"That's a custom .45 Colt pony conversion Griffinstone pistol," Glittering said flatly as she was staring at the gun. "The steel looks like Stable-Tec grade steel."

That was… unnerving. “Ya… how'd you know?” She pointed at the Stable-Tec symbol on the gun. “Right, makes sense.”

"The gray of the metal is also different from other guns, not blued like most guns, and the metal has the same tone as found in a stable." She said.

“You… know what a stable looks like?” I asked.

She nodded. "My father was from a stable and had me born in it to ensure my health."

"Sounds like he was a good stallion," I told her.

“He was, once.” She said grimly.

That didn't sound hopeful. “And he isn't now?”

She shook her head. "He died, but Grandpa said that the wasteland killed him long before his body did. Yet he was too brilliant to simply go raider."

That sounded really bad, and I would regret asking, "And your mother?"

Glittering was silent for a long moment. "Mother… was killed by raiders. They were trying to get at my father, through me." It felt like there was more to it, but I dared not to ask.

So I put my gun away. “I guess that's why you're with your grandpa then, and he seems… fun.”

A slight smirk formed on her face. “Grandpa is more trouble than he's worth, but he's the best.” Her eyes then fell onto my pipbuck. “Say, what's with that? Never seen one like it before.”

I lifted my S&R pipbuck MK2. "This, it's… it's the last pipbuck Stable-Tec ever made. It's designed to help search and rescue, and can conduct medical scanning on others."

She tilted her head a little. "The last? How can you be so sure of that?"

I sighed, "Because I was there. I even helped out in a way. I'm not saying I'm some pipbuck technician; I'm just a fool in the wrong place at the wrong time." Her eyes went a bit wide. "You want me to tell you about it?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Glittering said.

We had time to burn, so it wasn't a big deal.

__________________________________________________________________

It was cold, so cold that even my bones shivered. Waking up, I rolled, only to fall off the top bunk. Pulling myself up, I saw a few ponies stir. A few even looked at me before going back to sleep. Not everypony was a heavy sleeper, but none would stay awake because I fell off the top bunk.

Feeling like it was a waste of time to go back to sleep at this point, I decided to go for a trot, maybe find a way to warm myself back up.

It wasn't pitch black down here, as some of the lights were still flickering even after two hundred years, with the emergency lights glowing over the submerged subway tracks. It reminded me of the old horror movies about the striped slasher or some monster living in a subway system.

It felt disconcerting that those could exist now or possibly did back then.

My ear twitched as I heard a train's rhythmic clunk and ponies' chattering. Everything then became bright again as I stood in an active subway station. However, every pony was translucent, and I could still see the flooded station. It was like a film projection, but for life, or what was life?

The lights flickered, and the red emergency lights flashed on; over the intercom, a pleasant tune played before the familiar voice of Ministry mare Pinkypie spoke up. "Hello everypony! This is a test of our emergency warning system. Please be advised that this is only a test of-" Pinkypie's voice was cut off by a bomb siren that started blaring through the station.

Everypony looked confused. Was it a test, or was it the real thing? I could feel their confusion, nobody knowing if they should stay or run. Then the tunnel shook, and the lights went out for a moment, and as they flickered back on, ponies further back, near the entrance, began screaming. Soon, panicked ponies flooded in, pushing the ponies already here closer to the tracks, so many of them that we couldn't hold our ground and lost our hoof hold.

I fell, landing on the tracks with so many others, ponies screaming to stop, but yet more ponies pushed in. Some tried to pull the others up off the tracks, only to fall in themselves. Mares, stallions, fillies, and colts, we all had fallen onto the tracks. Then we could hear the clack-clack of the train, its light getting brighter. All we could do was hold each other and scream as the train came barreling in as more ponies were pushed into its way.

"Slowtrot!" Star called out, catching me right before I fell into the pitch-black water of the subway system. "Are you sleepwalking?"

Regaining my senses, I took a few steps back. “I… maybe.” Looking at Star, I was startled by her eyes shining red in the dark.

She sighed. "Well, don't, ya scared the shit out of me. I mean, unless you can breathe underwater like I can?"

"Still be a bad idea," Pewter said, his eyes shining red, and next to him was likely Lair with the same eye shine. "Who knows what contaminants are in there?"

Star looked over at the water. “Ya, I guess your r… what the fuck!”

I looked over, too. It was too dark to make anything out, yet I could barely see the silhouettes of many ponies in the water.

"A lot of ponies must have died in terror here, their souls stuck, reliving that moment over and over," Pewter said as he trotted over. "Their strong emotions can draw others to them, often causing the living to share their fate, though it's not their intention. Think of it like crabs in a bucket, nothing malicious, but damaging all the same."

"And on the tracks too, damn, that must have sucked," Lair said callously.

Looking at them, and though they were shadows, I could make out a few details. "Is there any way we can help them?"

Pewter trotted over, pulling out a silver coin and tossing it into the water. "Oh, Queen and King of the underworld, these poor innocent souls have suffered and are in need of guidance. Please, if you could, show them mercy, show them the way, and make right this tragic wrong."

In the water, for just a brief moment, I could see the coin shine, and with it, a few of the shadows disappeared.

"That's all I can do for them right now," Pewter said, sounding drained of energy. "They have been here for too long to just simply leave. Maybe in time, they will move on, but only the destruction of this place would ensure that their souls are set free."

"Souls can bind themselves to places, things, and even ponies. Making it hard to get rid of them." Lair further explained. "Without the thing they're bound to, it's easier to get a lost soul to move onto the underworld."

Looking back at the water, I wondered how many more ghosts I would see before this day was over.

__________________________________________________________________

After Pewter and Lair set up a bit more spiritual protection and gave me some hard booze to help me get back to sleep, I woke to the lights flickering back on and ponies getting out of bed. This place had its own generator, which explained the power, though it couldn't always be on, explaining why it was off while we slept. But it didn't explain why the emergency lights had been on, though I didn't feel the need to have an answer to that haunting question.

“So the entrance is here?” Greased Chain asked in front of the Terra Timberwolf ad.

“Fruit Fly!” Fizzy called out.

After some clunking from the vent, the sprightly floated out. "Hello again, lady Fizzy!"

“Can you open the way?” Fizzy asked.

Fruit Fly bobbed excitedly. “Most certainly!” It flew back into the vent, and after a long moment, the ad rolled back, revealing a blast door that opened on its own. On the other side waiting for us was Fruit Fly, "Just this way, my lady.”

We all shuffled in one by one, entering a relatively well-preserved lounge, not that big, but just big enough for everypony to fit. There was a private bathroom, bedroom, and what looked like a private Railway with a coach.

Greased let out a whistle. "This is a bonafide shelter, and real snazzy at that." She looked about, seeing a lever near the entrance. "Good. It looks like I can operate the door from this end. Might even live here for a time with how nice it is."

“This was one of several VIP shelters used to hold certain guests of the Blackroots who could not get inside the Stable. Amongst the guests who used this particular shelter, Lady Blackcharry and Ministry Mare Rainbow Dash.” Fruit Fly explained.

“Wait, the Rainbow Dash was here!” I nearly yelled in shock.

The Sprite-bot bobbed. “Most certainly. She was escorting Lady Blackcharry, though they only stayed for a day and never returned.”

"Right, I remember hearing about that," Greased said. "It was when they pulled Shepherd out of the damn mall. Blackcharry and Rainbow Dash had to go in alone and deactivate the security system to let the rescue team in. But because of Molly and her damn friends, the resulting gunfire put the mall in full lockdown. And Arras counted his blessings to have saved the few they had."

“What happened to Rainbow Dash after?” Harp asked.

Greased shrugged. "Who the fuck knows. She left west with several M.o.A. agents, from what Arras told me. He offered her a place with us, but her loyalty was to Equestria and all its ponies, not to just us. You'll need to talk with Elder Smoke Signals; he was an M.o.A. undercover agent before the bombs dropped, something Arras never forgave him for. Even after two hundred years, great-grandpa refuses to hear anything about it. Smoke Signal has kept his lips shut in return."

I let out a long sigh. “That sounds just like the comics about the M.o.A.”

“You mean those Mare Do Well comics?” Greased asked.

“Ya, you know them?” I asked back.

She nodded. "My grandpa had the whole set and passed it down from father to son. You should ask the leader of the Afterburners; he currently owns them. And if you find preserved comics in that mall, he'll pay you good caps for 'em."

I made a mental note of that.

Harp let out a giggle. “Colts and their comics.”

The sound of glass clinking caught our attention as Fizzy pulled out red glowing Sparkle-Cola from a pristine Sparkle-Cola fridge. "Like, anypony want ice cold Sparkle-Cola before we go?"

I cringed. “Personally, I would rather not have my pee glow red.”

Harp, too, had cringed. "Ya, and that stuff is used for making explosives because of the flux in it."

"Wait, that shit has flux in it, fuck, that shit is dangerous," Greased commented, then looked at me. "And ya drank it before?"

I shrugged. "Won a free bottle at a job of mine. The stuff is a real kick in the face with the sugar and caffeine. Sparkle-Cola sold it to busy office workers with all their overnight work."

The sound of a bottle opening caught everypony off guard as Azure took a drink of the stuff. He visibly shivered as his green glow became a little brighter. “This certainly has a lot of sugar in it.”

Fizzy did the same; I swear her pink highlights and eyes glowed momentarily. "It certainly does, doesn't it! Anypony else want some?" We all shook our heads. "Oh well, more for us." She said as she packed several more bottles in her saddle bags.

__________________________________________________________________

Leaving Greased Chain in the shelter, we all packed into the transport coach, Fruit Fly activating it and taking us to the Mega Mall. The rhythmic clatter of the coach brought back memories of traveling the subway system back in Applewood. The ponies chattered, and a sense of impending dread was all too familiar as well, but it lacked the sense of hopelessness I had been accustomed to in the past.

"So, is this how ponies used to travel?" Live asked.

Mostly, ya. Trains were how anypony got around, though vehicles were becoming popular too." I said. "Never owned one myself because I lived in the city, but it wasn't completely out of my price range. Actually, I wonder if my bank account is still active."

Harp let out a short laugh. “After two hundred years of interest, it must be sizable!”

I shrugged. "Unfortunately, it's all in bank notes because the war needed gold. So I doubt any of it is worth anything." I then looked at Live and wondered. "But I could always check and see if the mall would let me buy anything. Anything you want me to look for?"

Live rolled her eyes. "Unless they got preserved dresses or guns, I doubt there anything I'd give a fuck about. Anyways, why buy anything if we can just take it?" She pointed out

Notted, find dresses and guns.

“What about a mister helper? I read that they were sold in places like that.” Glittering asked.

“Food stuff would help a lot. Wouldn't be surprised if there was enough preserved food to feed the Desperados for years.” Star added.

Lair laughed out loudly. “Might as well look for booze if we're at it. Can't go wrong with more booze.”

"That I agree," Rattlebones said with a chuckle. "But probably should keep an eye out for medical supplies. Tribal remedies are effective, but they can't hold a candle to the shit the M.o.P. made during the war."

"I, like, just want to visit Sparkle-Cola Adventure! Oh, I hope the rides are still working. Molly, totes found me before I could check it out." Fizzy was visibly shaking as she spoke

"If we can locate gold, silver, and any gemstones inside, it might make calming the spirits easier," Pewter added.

"And artifacts," Azure spoke up. "I know everything in there is basically artifacts, but I'm sure we might find something of cultural value and possibly of magical significance."

"That's true. There's probably a lot of perceived arcano-tec in that mall." Harp joined in. "Stuff that could help us in the upcoming war. But everypony, let's not get greedy; the most important thing we need to get out of here is with our lives, okay?"

We all became quiet at that, which reminded us of the danger we were entering. Like with a Daring Do book, with great loot came an even greater danger.

As though waiting for this very moment, a soft chime cut through the air, and the pleasant recording of a mare spoke. “Now arriving at Molly Manticore Mega Mall. Please wait for the coach to come to a full stop before exiting in an orderly fashion. We hope you enjoy your stay." Her friendliness felt more like mocary, the past almost gleefully expecting the nightmare to come. It was a stark reminder of the fake happiness forced on everypony back then, where no one was allowed to share their true feelings unless it was about their hatred over the Zebras.

“You okay, Slowtrot?” Live asked.

I nodded. “Just… not excited about possibly meeting Molly again.”

Live nodded, “Ya, I get that.”

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 6, Nightmare Manifested.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 6, Nightmare Manifested.

__________________________________________________________________

Though time had done its damage, this private station certainly was a V.I.P. area. It was clean and well polished, with decor that didn't border on the gaudy, a quality over quantity style. There were statues and busts, along with a few paintings, all in near pristine condition. And though the marble-looking floors and walls had cracks, none looked or felt unstable. We took a bit of time to just look around, but after Platinum Hill, this was only marginally impressive.

Harp looked the least impressed, letting out a sigh at a statue. “Let me guess, a copy of something you know?” I asked.

“Worse, an original to feed a certain ponies obsession.” She said, pointing at a plack.

"The goddess of beauty," I read, then looked up at the statue and noticed that it resembled Fizzy a bit.

“Magnificence told me a bit about this, that Blackcharry hated coming here because of her brother's obsession over her. Commissioning these in some twisted worship of her.” Harp explained.

Fizzy joined us, looking at the statue with unease. “Normally, I'm flattered having images of myself, but this makes me feel exposed, like ya know.”

"Because, unlike the porn you've made, their occult magic is attached to it," Lair said as she trotted over, even running her hoof over it. I then noticed that the statue had little bat like wings growing out of them and was very anatomically accurate, down to the slightly exaggerated privets. Way too precise for my tastes, as though I was peeping at a real pony. That's when Lair frowned. "I don't think we should stay here for long."

“What, why?” I asked.

“Gargoyles,” Rattlebones said. “Those aren't statues, they were ponies.”

Fizzy gasped. "You don't mean?"

Rattlebones nodded. "I've seen it before, where if a creature is petrified for long enough, they become Gargoyles. However, if they still have a sane mind, it's unlikely. Best if we do not find out."

"But we can un-petrify them, can't we?" I mentioned.

“Too risky to try now.” Pewter said. “and like Rattle said, they may not be sane.”

Live joined us, looking worried. “Is… this what will happen to my sister?”

Pewter shrugged. "Hard to tell. It takes a hundred years for a gargoyle to be born, and even then, other factors are involved, such as radiation and other dark magic."

Live let out a sigh of relief. “Then let's get moving, this place creeps me the fuck out.”

"Agreed, but I'll let Greased Chain know about them. Maybe some of these poor ponies can still be saved," Harp told us.

Pewter trotted up to one, placing a string with a silver coin attached to it around the petrified mare's neck. "I'll catch up to you and make sure they stay asleep."

In all agreement, we trotted out of the V.I.P. station and down a long hallway. I was a little paranoid about the statues following us while our eyes were off them, but in the end, nothing happened. Eventually, we came up to a blast door oddly different from what I had seen before. On it was an image of an alicorn, and it almost looked like Celestia, yet far more masculine.

Harp let out a very irradiated groan. “Fucking Solarus-Tec, of course, they had to be involved here.”

“Who?” Star asked.

I decided to answer. “A rival to Stable-Tec. They were never as big as Stable-Tec was, but they were well known enough.”

"And they were certifiably incompetent and insane," Harp told us. "Nothing Solarus-Tec did work as it should, yet they stumbled into making some of the most advanced techs you will ever find. That is if you like accidentally atomizing your house."

"Oh, right. There was that incident with the vacuum radio. Somehow, it acted as a sonic weapon at the right frequency," I said.

"Oh, that sounds cool. Did you see it in action?" live asked

I nodded. “Nearly got killed by it when I gifted one to my sister… well, they were all recalled, so I doubt any still exist.”

"Among other such blunders in arcano-tec science." Harp sneered as she opened the blast door. To our amazement and annoyance, several doors opened in a different way, reminding me of the spy movies when entering the spy's base.

After the sixth door opened, the way was clear, and a blast of air blew past us; it was humid and smelled of grass.

“Certainly doesn't smell like your typical ruin,” Lair commented.

“It certainly does not,” Rattlebones added. “Stay close to me, little pear.”

Glittering Matrix huffed. “I'm not a foal, gramps, don't call me that.”

The old stallion nodded. “Right, right. Still, stay close, okay.”

"I'll check on ahead," Azure said, then trotted into darkness.

After a bit, our radio crackled. “It's clear, but we have a minor problem.” the Lurker told us.

We trotted down the long hallway, our only light coming from the pipbucks, distorting our shadows. The further we trotted, the more cracks formed in the concrete, formed by roots of some plant weaving in and out.

Catching up to Azure, we were stopped by a checkpoint with a security booth and another blast door. The booth had a robot inside, whose head was a terminal screen. The thing was lurched over and lifeless.

Azure hit a button on the blast door, but nothing happened. “Looks like the power is off on this side.”

"Right, let me try something," Harp said, shimmering, trotting to the door. Power returned, turning on the lights and causing the sound of beeps and boops to come from all around.

“Amazing!” Rattlebones said in awe.

“Gauck all you like, but I can't do this forever!” Harp said. “Fizzy, open the door!”

"Right, like sorry!" Fizzy jumped and rushed over, pressing her hoof to a pad.

Lights flickered red, and nothing happened.

“Umm… what's happening?” Harp asked.

Fizzy scratched her chin for a second. "Last time, like, Mister Robot let me in. And it did a whole skanny thing before opening the next door after this."

The power went out, and Harp gave a frustrated sigh. "Why didn't I ask first?" She then turned her attention to the robot. It twitched as its power came back on. "Robot, let us in!"

The screen that was its face flickered, and the image of a police pony head appeared. “Hello! As per security-related procedures, all passing through must be vetted by security. We can't have any pesky Zebras sneaking through.”

“And how do we do that?” Harp asked.

“I’ll contact the secretary's office, and they will check the Ministry registration… oh my, it seems that the power is down, and security cannot be contacted. Only ponies in my local registry can be allowed through until contact with security is established.” The robot then scanned us all, a green lite on its head flickering. “Two known ponies on local registry confirmed. Miss Blackroot, and … ERROR… ERROR… Employee Slowtrot, paycheck still not collected, cannot be removed from registry… Welcome back… Slowtrot… you are… ERROR… days absent from work, please report to the security office promptly.”

All eyes fell onto me, and I face hoofed. “You gotta be kidding me,” I grumbled.

Harp stopped giving the robot power and trotted back to us. “I think I have a plan.”

“Let me guess, I will go in and open the doors for everypony,” I said.

"Yes, though not as simple," Harp said. "It seems that security is… overly through here, and we won't be able to get in unless we blast through or make it recognize us as V.I.P.'s. And no, we're not blasting through; otherwise, we risk either this place collapsing or security coming down on us hard."

“So how do we do this?” Lair asked as she eyed me. “I doubt Slowtrot here can hack a terminal. Then there's the power thing… What about hacking the robot?”

“Not going to work,” Glittering said as she pointed at the security booth. “Look, it's completely cut off, no way in or out.”

Order flew over to the window as Harp spoke. "A cable connected to the robot is likely connecting it to the security office. It's likely what also supplies the robot with power."

"That means we need Slowtrot to turn on the power," Rattlebones said, "But then there's the security issue."

"Easy enough," Harp said as Order flew over to her. Once the power is on, I can send, Order on my behalf. I'll be able to hack any terminal through it. After that, Slowtrot just needs to upload our data to it as V.I.P.'s." She then pointed at my pipbuck. Can you check if you have all our data in that?"

I had nearly every pony's medical information on my pipbuck. "Everypony but Rattlebones and Glittering," I told them.

“Good, then scan them, then we'll get you in,” Harp told me.

“I'll go too!” Fizzy announced.

“No, you won't!” Harp snapped, “We can't risk you getting hurt, and it sounds a bit callous, but Slowtrot…”

"I get it. I would rather not have anypony risk their lives on my behalf either," I told them. "Anyways, it sounds simple enough; turn the power back on and head to security. But how are you getting Order inside?"

"Simple, the same way Fruit Fly gets around. Isn't that right!" Harp shouted.

Several clunks came from the ventilation, and the sprite-bot was stuck in the opening. "Very much so, but the vents stay shut without power."

“I don't like that thing.” Order stated. “Or trust it, my Lady.”

“Neither do I, but it's the least of our worries right now,” Harp said as she trotted back to the checkpoint. “Slowtrot, you should still be able to contact us through the pipbuck radio, so let us know if you see anything odd.”

I trotted over and nodded at her. "Everything is odd to me right now, but I'll do that."

The door and robot powered back on, and a board police pony was now on the robot's screen. "State your business?”

“Checking into security to pick up my last paycheck,” I told it

“Very well, please enter.” It said, and the doors opened.

Trotting inside, there was a clear spot for me to stand, and doing so, the robot pressed a few buttons. “Scanning will commence; please stand still.” Several lights washed over me, and then everything was bathed in red. Contraband detected, weapons detected, employee out of uniform!” A clunking sound came from the door as it shut on me, and a slot opened in the wall.

“Ummmm…” I said out loud.

“It's okay; just dump everything. We'll get it back later,” Harp told me.

Sighing, I dumped my saddle bag, guns, and clothing. Strangely feeling naked without any of it… Oh, right, I was.

A green light flashed on, and the slot closed. Then another opened, and it filled with a few things. Pulling them out, I groaned as I saw a Molly Manticore security uniform and hat, a belt with a busted radio, a rusty baton, a large flashlight, and a… my gun!? Checoves Promis somehow got back to me, and though I dreaded that gun, it was at least a small comfort.

Getting dressed, the other door opened, and I trotted through. "I'm on the other side," I said over the radio, and the door slammed shut as the power went out.

“Good. Are you okay?” Harp asked.

I tossed the broken radio to the side and replied. “Ya, just had to change clothes, still got my pistol too, but no spare mags. Or any ammo in it.”

“Shit, that sucks, but why no ammo?” Star said.

“I keep that gun empty,” I admitted.

Star let out a groan. “Why not? Pistols are useless if you can't just pull it out and start firing!”

I rolled my eyes. “This gun goes off on its own, so no, I don't keep it loaded!”

“Enough chatter.” Harp cut in. “Slowtrot, do you see anything over there?”

Turning on my pipbuck lamp, I breathed a sigh of relief, as right next to me was a map. "Ya, I got a map of this level. I think there's a backup generator not far from here, and the security office is a bit further out."

“Good, get that power on, and please be careful,” Harp told me.

"I'll do my best," I told the others as I took a closer look at the map. I couldn't tell how big this place was without a reference to compare it to, but the number of hallways and rooms told me that this mall was massive. Fortunately, it didn't seem like every square hoof was used, but it was still mind-boggling. The important places were also labeled, so I could still read despite the mold and grime that grew on the map.

This particular tunnel connected to a bigger one, which circled under the mall, connecting to a few other tunnels of the same size, likely going outside. Nothing was in the center, which seemed odd, and elevators were all over the place, likely for moving products. Most of the smaller rooms down here just had a letter and numbers, which I guessed was for storage, and a few employee lounges were brightly listed.

A sense of dread washed over me, thinking about what I might find in such places.

Refocusing on the task at hoof, the generator room for this sector was just down the way and around a corner. The sooner I get the door open for everypony, the sooner I won't have to be here on my own.

My hooves echoed down the dark and empty hallway, my pipbuck light helping me see well enough not to trip over my hooves or the odd root. Properly attaching my new flashlight to my uniform so that the beam shot ahead, it flickered on, providing poor illumination, but one that extended further than my pipbuck.

I was then treated to seeing a long dark brown smear along the wall, which I hoped was just paint, yet I was sure it wasn't. "It's not safe here," I muttered to myself, checking Checoves Promise to make sure it was still there. Even without ammo, it at least made me feel safer.

After getting turned around once, I finally found the door to the generator, cracked open by a vine on the ground having wedged through. To no surprise, the door was stuck; the open button didn't respond. Seeing nothing to use around me, I pulled out the baton, a metal tube wrapped in a rugged and cracked rubber. Wedging it in the door, I pushed forward, hoping to open it. "Open ya, rusted bastard." I cursed, putting my back into it.

With a clunk, the door moved a little, then steam burst out, and the door opened, causing me to fall over. With the way clear, I got back up and dusted myself off, picking the baton off the floor. The thing was never meant to be a pry bar and was now bent with the rubber hanging off, but I awkwardly sheathed it anyway.

The generator room was just as dark as everything else, but the issue was clear. At some point, one of the animatronics got into the generator, likely causing a power surge, or I guessed. I saw a sizable robotic rodent in red pants, with its face on a thick cable, as though it attempted to chew through it.

Scanning the room, nothing else looked out of place except the occasional root growing through the walls. Trotting to the robot slowly, I lightly tapped it with the bent baton, just in case it was still active. After a long moment of it not moving, I breathed a sigh of relief and attempted to get it off the large cabal. It was too heavy to push or pull, so I had to roll the bastard off. So, taking a deep breath, I got a good hold and pulled upward, hoping to roll it.

Slowly and annoyingly, it moved. To my disgust, small insects scurried out of every opening and even onto me as I slowly moved it. With one last huff, I flipped the robot over and off the exposed wire, causing me to collapse onto it.

The burnt skull of a pony came muzzle to muzzle with me inside the robot's mouth, and for a long and dreadful moment, I couldn't move, only looked into its empty eye sockets. Only when a pale white spider crawled out of the skull and waved its legs at me did I push back, launching myself away as I quietly screamed?

I took a moment to catch my breath as I lay there, wondering if it was even worth it to stay here. Maybe just leaving and building bigger walls around the city was the better plan. I knew it wasn't. If left alone, whatever was down here would get out, and we all would regret not doing anything about it when we could. But I knew I would regret being here, yet there was no going back.

That was the story of my life, damned if I do, damned if I don't. I couldn't help but try to help Poppy, just as I couldn't help but try and help the R&D Stable. Both times, I got burned for it.

"I'll regret not doing something more than trying to at least help. It's best to see this to the end," I told myself as I got up.

If I was right, I noticed there should be a master circuit breaker here, along with the fuse box. To my luck, this place was built like most generator rooms. On a large metal box was a lever, and next to it was a pannal. Checking the pannal, I opened it to find a nearly burnt-out fuse box, the large industrial fuse shattered inside.

Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I looked about, moving boxes and opening drawers, but only finding junk I couldn't use. I did find a hammer, and it gave me an idea. Returning to the fuse box and pulling out the bent baton, it was just bent enough to fit if given a few love taps. An old trick I learned at the munitions plant was that anything metal could be a fuse if it didn't melt or catch fire. Scared the shit out of me to see a white-hot screw in the box, but if it worked, it worked.

Bashing it into place, I then flipped the master circuit breaker down and then back up, causing the generator to spark back on. Sparks of magical energy shot from the generator and the fuse box, but the power stayed on as the emergency light dimly illuminated the room.

“Powers on,” I said over the radio. “Oh, and one of those robots caused the outage.”

“---I-zzz--ear you. S---ding -zzz-der over.” Harp said.

Sitting tight, I looked around, noticing that there was graffiti all over the place. Nothing as bad as that raider-infested stable, but it was rather bleak. Mostly, it was ponies cursing the Ministries and the Zebras. Still, a lot of "Molly is coming" was repeated all over the place, as though the pony was being driven mad with fear. But disturbing me the most was one phrase written big and bold, “There can be no hope when all is Strife!”

Looking at the rat robot, I wonder if the poor pony inside it and the one trapped down here were the pony. The poor soul having been driven to madness before being found by the animatronic.

As the vent opened, a clunk caught my attention, and Order hovered down. "Hello Slowtrot!” It said in its robotic voice.

Harp then spoke through her drone. “Checking, checking, is there any interference, Slowtrot?"

“No, I hear you just fine,” I replied.

“Oh, thank Celestia. All the concrete and steel were messing with the signal. Order is far more advanced and made for an underground environment, so it's not as much of a problem as you can see." Order then few around, scanning the room but not getting too close to the generator, and stopping near the fried robot. "So this the culprit, and… oh fuck, is that a pony inside!”

I nodded. "Just like we were told. I hope the poor pony wasn't alive when they got stuffed inside."

Order bobbed in agreement. “Ya, but why?”

"Personality, I don't care. I hated those robots long before they became like… that. Let's just finish this mission and destroy all of them." I said.

“Right, I'll meet you in security, so watch yourself.” She said as Order flew back up into the vents.

“You don't need to tell me that twice,” I said out loud.

Remembering the direction, I trotted out of the room and…

"Crap, which way again?" I said with a sigh before remembering my pipbuck was made for this. Checking the map, I got myself pointed in the right direction. Only to be stopped by a mass of roots. Roots and two feral ghouls on the other side. The ghouls hadn't seen me quite yet, so I backed up and took a detour, and to my annoyance, it was through an employee lounge.

I was at least grateful for what lights were on for me and that I didn't need to pry the door open since the power was on, but trotting into the lounge confirmed one of my fears.

On a long rotted away coach were three skeletons holding each other; their uniform looked to be from a shipping company, likely getting stuck down here when the bombs dropped. Surrounding the bones were a ton of bottles, chem tins, and one revolver. Each skeleton had the back of its skull shattered, the wall painted brown, and three bullet holes.

I let a breath out I hadn't realized I was holding, a sense of sorrow washing over me as I imagined the hopeless scene. Who were they, and what were they thinking? We may never know, but at least they weren't alone, even in despair.

I stayed no longer in the lounge than I needed to and made my way to security. To my annoyance, another one of those terminal screen robots was in another sealed-off booth, with the face of a board policy mare on it and another checkpoint door. "State your business,” the robot asked.

"I'm here to see security for my last paycheck. Slowtrot's my name," I told the bot.

The robot's screen flickered, and the police looked annoyed as the door opened. "Step on in.” Just like before, the room scanned me, and like before, a red light flashed. “Where is your baton, your radio?”

“The radio was broken, and the baton was lost,” I said.

The red light turned off. “The company will be taken out of your paycheck.” the robot said before opening the door. “Pick up new gear inside before returning to work.”

I shrugged before entering.

Inside, I found Order buzzing about from one terminal to the next. "Oh, good. You're here. I almost have things ready; just give me a moment," Harp said.

Letting her work, I took a quick look around. The room was pretty large with several rows of terminals, each with a robot at them, the same kind inside the booths, but these weren't connected to the floor but had wheels for a lower half. Most were just scrap, but a few were still active and tapping away on broken terminals. Another room looked to house a bunch of giant robots, similar to the screen heads here but bulkier and meaner looking. I was sure they were some sort of security robot and glad none seemed active.

A green blinking light caught my eye at a door that said "Armory," next to it was another door that said, "Contraband."

Trotting over, I saw my gear in the Contraband room, locked tight behind the metal door. With a sigh, I checked the armory, hoping something good was still inside. Unsurprisingly, it looked like the armory had already been ransacked long ago. But not everything had been taken, thankfully. There were only a few spare batons and radios and what looked like a complete set of security armor. But no guns or ammo, not even a helmet.

Taking the radio and baton to satisfy the security, I then pulled out what armor there was. All of it was cloth armor with plates underneath, strong and rigid, reminding me of Stable-Tec security armor. It did not cover all that much, but it was better than nothing.

“That looks like Stable-Tec armor!” Harp said over my shoulder through Order.

“It probably is, but I don't think it will be useful,” I said.

“Still, better than nothing. Anyways, that armor was made to protect from cutting, stabbing, or blunt force trauma. And if I remember correctly, the royal guard back home put alloy strips in that armor to help better protect from guns.” She explained as Order had flown to a large terminal and plugged itself into it. "That aside, I need you to hook up your pipbuck to this. We should be able to register all of us as employees on the local registry.”

Doing just that, the large terminal fortunately had cables already on it, possibly from the last ponies to have been here. There was even a note left behind, so after hooking up my pipbuck, I read the note.

Yo! To whoever makes it this far into this shitshow, sorry we didn't leave much behind, there wasn't much left anyways, and we needed the gun for the obvious. I at least left behind a proper set of armor to make room for the guns. It's a spare set of ballistic weave that I thought somepony would use, so it should at least give you some protection.

Oh, and if you have the same luck as we did, you should put it on right away. Molly has direct access to this security room and probably knows you're here.

Sincerely, Rainbow Dash

I recognized that signature. When I was a foal, I had a signed Wonderbolt poster, and that certainly was Rainbow Dash's signature.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly put on the security armor, strapping it tightly over the uniform. "Are you done yet?" I asked.

“Almost, there's just so much junk data that the system matrix is overburdened, not to mention how old it is. Why, something wrong?” Harp said.

"Ya, Rainbow Dash left a letter here, and she said that Molly might be paying me a visit soon," I said just as a loud clunk caught our attention.

Order revved its wings as Harp spoke. “Shit! Just a moment, it's almost done!" The screen flickered as a lot of gibberish text flashed by, error after error, before the screen went black. "Oh, thank Celestia, it's done! Now get the fuck out of there!"

I didn't need to be told as I unplugged my pipbuck and looked for a way out.

The door opened, and I ducked low as Order flew up high and away from me. "Over here!" The Order called out, and I heard slow and heavy hoofsteps, which sounded much like power armor.

Peeking, I saw her—Molly Manticore. It was not the same robot I was used to; it was one of the newer models—well, newer back in my time. Despite the rust, she was brighter in color and shine, looking more like an oversized toy than an animatronic. But time had degraded the friendliness that Molly might have had, as her rounded graspers had rusted away to become jagged, rusty claws, which reached up for Order, causing some mechanical parts inside her to sputter.

Crawling away, there was only one other door out of here and my only salvation. Thanks to Order, Molly was too distracted to see me, giving me a clear way out. Pulling the lever, the door made the loudest screech in my life, forcing me to roll over under a desk to hide.

Molly, now likely looking my way, slowly stomped over, a distorted circus tune playing from her, the same music she always played. A growl came from outside, and two feral ghouls trotted in.

I then realized that my salvation was blocked by the same roots that forced me to go around.

Both feral ghouls then charged Molly, slamming into her hard metal shell, doing nothing. With one claw, she swiped a ghoul's face off, its congealed blood tossed across the room. Molly then grabbed the other as she opened her mouth. Like my nightmare made real, Molly's once blunted teeth had too rusted away, forming two rows of jagged fangs, top and bottom, looking sickly brown.

“Slowtrot!" Harp Called out. There's an emergency hatch to your right.” I looked over to see more walls. "Your other right!" she yelled, and I saw it—an emergency exit hatch that had been opened long ago and was covered in cobwebs.

A loud crunch stole my attention as I looked to see Molly rip the Ghoul in two with her mouth, guts, and tendons being stretched out till they snapped and spilled their rotting guts all over her.

Crawling, I almost went to the exit hatch when I froze. Nothing was inside the hatch, yet something looked back at me. Nothing was there, just darkness, yet something was. I was sure of it.

The darkness then moved. A shadowy form of a pony could barely be made out, and it glared at me. "There can be no hope." A voice spoke from nowhere, speaking to me. When all is," a glass bottle rolled from a desk and shattered on the ground near me. Strife!”

My blood ran cold as the shadow pony vanished, and I looked back. With a thud of a step, Molly was now looking at me, illuminated enough in the dim light to make out several burn marks on her shell, partly melted spots. Hanging from her mouth was a ripped piece of purple cloth and a fair bit of hair from a rainbow mane.

I scrambled as Molly charged at me, but several loose papers under me kept me from moving. Unable to think what to do next, or think much at all, I curled up and protected my head and neck as I was taught as a foul when attacked by an animal, letting the animatronic slam a claw into me. Everything went white with pain for a second as I went flying, slamming to a stop at the wall, when I got myself up and found myself next to the escape hatch. To my good fortune, Molly had fallen over, slipping on the same scattered paper as I had. But she wasn't down for long, and neither was I going to just stand in place and let her get a second shot at me.

Entering the hatch, only a ladder greeted me, and so I climbed, climbed like my life depended on it. Molly reached in soon after and up for me, pulling out a tuft of my tail, but I kept going, not looking back, not wanting to see that face again.

Reaching the top, I opened another hatch and came out in some smaller security watch room, the screens here all dead, long been smashed by some pony. Checking myself, thankfully, the armor on my shoulder had taken the hit, and its padding absorbed the worst of it. But the outer layer now had a gouge in it, and the metal plate ripped out, meaning if I was hit there again, it likely would be fatal. "Rainbow Dash, I owe you a beer," I said out loud as I trotted to the only door.

Carefully stepping out, I found myself in the mall, dimly illuminated by the sun that had just risen. To my astonishment, the mall was in near pristine condition. Aside from a crack here and there and some rust stains, it didn't look over two hundred years old. I could even see my reflection on the floor.

*Click*

The door closed behind me, and as I attempted to open it again, I found it magnetically locked. "Oh, that's not good," I said to myself as I was alone, trapped in the Mega Mall.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 7, Echoes.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 7, Echoes.

__________________________________________________________________

It almost felt like I had gone back in time, almost. The dim, empty mall was more like a soulless reconstruction of the past, neither like a museum piece nor was it waiting for ponies to return. It felt more like that… this was how it wanted to be and how it would stay.

Worse, I felt unwanted here. Not unwanted like I was a stranger intruding on someone's home, no. It was an all-too-familiar feeling, like I was a reminder of better times, making the darkness here feel even darker. I had become accustomed to this feeling for over a year, up until the day Poppy just left after our very last fight.

Instinctively, I placed a hoof to my eye, even though it was my shoulder that hurt. Then, I took a deep breath, reminding myself that it was all in the past and that I had to focus on the now.

"Right, I can't stay in the open," I said as I looked around. Most of the store's rusted shutters were closed, each painted in bright colors that had long faded and flanked. Yet, no flakes could be found on the floor.

As I quietly and carefully trotted down the mall, I noticed other things out of place. There were plants along the middle of the walkway, still alive in the divider they were planted in and even creeping out. The roots from underground could even be found here, creeping up to the roof on the support pillars and sprouting large leaves. I even saw several small animals that were weirdly twisted, like some pony that tried to recreate a squirrel from memory alone. Then there were the shadows, which seemed to move in the corner of my eye, but nothing was ever there when I looked.

My worry and paranoia only grew as I trotted, exposed to whatever was out there, so when I saw an open Caffey, I rushed inside and hid behind the counter. The smell of coffee was absolutely nostalgic, even if it was also moldy and sour.

Several broken robots were on the floor behind the counter, all the same kind with a terminal for a head. They were just like the ones in the security office, looking like they could move independently with a single wheel for a lower half.

Finally feeling safe, I clicked on my radio. “Harp, can you hear me?” I whispered. Static blasted back, forcing me to turn the volume down. I thought I had heard a voice in the static, but nothing I could understand. “I can't understand you?” I whispered again, getting more static in return.

Clearly, the interference was worse here, dashing my hopes for any help.

I remembered what I had been told: so long as I kept a low profile, the security wouldn't respond much to me. I then looked at my uniform and realized that maybe any security would see me as one of their own.

The sound mechanical thudding nearly caused me to jump out of my own skin, reminding me that Molly had tried to kill me. Even if security saw me as one of their own, the animatronics didn't. As the thumping got louder, it became clear that whatever it was, it was huge. Peeking, an animatronic Orthrus passed by, trotting on two legs like an oversized diamond dog. I recognized them immediately as Oliver and Oscar, two robots built into one body. Following it were four police protect-a-ponies, armed with their shock claws, and two of the bigger terminal robots; the image of an angry police pony was projected on their screen.

“Sweep the area," Oliver said

“All guests must be removed from the premises," Oscar said.

Oscar's face had similar damage to Molly's, scars from a fight long ago leaving the head blind on one side, which was to my good fortune to be on my side. But Oscar's mouth was similarly rusted as Molly's, giving the two-headed robot a downright bone-chilling silhouette.

As the security robots moved out, the animatronic walked away, loudly stomping out of sight. Which was good because I had instinctively held my breath and needed to breathe.

“Hello!” One of the big terminal robots said to me, nearly making me piss myself as I looked up at the carton image of a stern police mare. “Have you seen any trespassers? The mall is currently on lockdown.”

After an all-too-long moment of silence, I realized I wasn't in danger. I breathed a sigh of relief to see that the animatronic was gone. Since the robot saw me as an employee, maybe I could get help.

"Uhhh, no, I haven't seen anypony," I said to the robot. "Can I ask a few questions?"

The screen flickered, the face switching to a more friendly-looking police mare. "Certainly!”

After thinking for a moment, I came up with a few simple questions to start with: "Right, first off, what are you?"

“We are a mark one securitron designed in Lost Pegasus, with help from the Blackroots family. We provide superior law keeping compared to the standard protect-a-ponies in every way.” The robot said with preprogrammed pride

So they're called securitron, and the smaller ones must be simplified versions. "Now, I need to get back into the basement, but I lost my key to the security office. How do I get back down?"

“The mall is on full lockdown, and all access to the underground is locked off. Until upper management lifts the lockdown, none are allowed under the mall.” It answered.

That was bad news, meaning I was stuck up here. But then I had an idea: "How can I contact security under the mall?"

The securitron took a moment to respond, the screen flickering. "Have you turned on your radio?” Spoke the prerecorded voice of a mare, who strangely sounded like a very unamused Fizzy with a Canterlot accent.

Looking at the radio on my belt, I then turned the power knob on. Radio static slowly got louder as I tuned it, and then I pressed the talk button. "Hello, is anypony there?"

I stood there for a moment, with the security looming over me, and then I heard Fizzy's voice. "Hello? Oh, like hay, can I order some sparkle-cola and-"

“Slowtrot! Is that you, Slowtrot?!” Harp called out through the security radio, with a crashing sound that could be heard in the background.

Pressing talk, I spoke into the radio. "Ya, it's me. A little banged up from a close call, but I'm safe now."

“Thank Celestia. You had us worried. But why are you on the local radio… oh of course, why didn't we think they'd do that. This place is probably Zebra paranoid and has all but local radio signals jammed between the mall and basement.” Harp said, sounding relieved, but a banging in the background made me very nervous.

“What about all of you, is Molly's down there?” I asked.

“We're fine; Fruit Fly guided us to a V.I.P. safe room that Molly can't access. She keeps knocking, but she can't get in. It also looks like Blackcharry rerouted the mall's basic security network to here, so I should be able to help you." She explained.

I looked up at the securitron and nodded. “Thanks for the help.”

"And there you go, seriously, this is why you're all getting replaced by robots," the mare's voice said before a click sound ended the recording. Then, the securitron just rolled away.

“Was that Blackcharry?” Harp asked.

I shrugged. "Probably a recording Blackcharry left in the spell matrix for common issues. I can't say I'm surprised that forgetting to turn on the radio would be one of those issues."

“Let me guess, you're guilty of that," Star said mockingly.

“Maybe…” I said, remembering it happening at least twice. “But that aside, can you lift the lockdown? I can't get back down to you until it's lifted.”

“Right, let me check…” Harp said the sound of tapping could be heard through the radio. The lights flickered on for a moment before going back to emergency lighting. "Well, fuck. It seems that the mall is stuck in some sort of security loop. Something in the mall is triggering the lockdown, and unless it's fixed, there's not much I can do.”

"Let me guess, I'll have to fix this problem," I sighed.

“Yes, and unfortunately, it looks like whatever is causing the lockdown to stay on is on the fourth floor, " she explained to me.

That was perfect, and I bet I couldn't just take an elevator up. "Right, head up to the fourth floor. Is there any help you can get me? Fortunately, the normal robots see me as an employee, but I don't want to gamble with the animatronics."

“Yeah, I got a map of the mall here and access to the doors," Harp informed me. It looks like I can't access the stairs or elevators, which is extremely stupid of whoever programmed that, but I can open any store with second floor access. You can then go up that way. Can you tell me where you are?”

"Canterlot Coffee," I told her.

“Please tell me it's in good condition; I haven't had a latte in too long.” Harp blurted out. “I mean… sorry, let me check the map. It's on the first floor, in our area… seriously, there are four of them! Slowtrot, can you check and see what shop is across from you?."

Peeking over, I then sighed. “Another Canterlot Coffee.”

There was a long pause before Harp spoke up again. “Why were you wartime ponies like this?”

"Most of us were suffering wartime stress disorder and self-medicating. That's why we did stupid shit like putting a Canterlot Coffee across from another Canterlot Coffee." I explained.

This time, Harp sighed. "I guess that makes sense. Well, there should be a Sparkle-Cola shop west of you. It has stairs to the second floor you can take. Azure and Order will be meeting you up there."

"They're already out here?" I asked.

“Azure slipped away like he normally does and found Order in the mall," Harp told me.

“Hay Slowtrot!” Fizzy said. "Please grab me something from the Sparkle-Cola shop—anything would be nice!"

I wasn't surprised at all that she'd requested that.

“Me too!” Glittering Matrix requested.

"Alright, just don't expect anything fancy, okay," I told the two mares.

Carefully looking outside the cafe, I saw just one Protect-a-ponies still here, tangled in the overgrown vines. Leaving it be, I trotted west, ensuring my hoofsteps were as quiet as possible. But I was also a bit more confident, as I knew that the typical robots weren't dangerous to me… yet. I just needed to keep an eye and ear out for the animatronics.

Now, after spending time looking at the stores, I realize that the feeling of nostalgia really hit me hard. Foals Surplus, a shop that makes toy replications of gear used in the war. Red Racer, this one being the classic scooter shop, not the spark battery recharge station. To my surprise, there was even a Cheese Sandwich Funporium here, which I had thought they were all closed down by the Ministry of Morral.

Why were the Funporiums shut down? If I remember correctly, the Ministry Mare Pinkypie was in a relationship with Cheese Sandwich… until they weren't.

Refocusing on the now and wanting to avoid messing up and getting eaten by an animatronic, I spotted the Sparkle-Cola shop; it was hard to miss with the two-story-high bottle out on the corner of the shop. It was one of four shops at a cross-section with a curtained off-stage in the middle. The other shops were Hay Burgers, Candy Cove, and a Molly Manticore Pizzeria. I was thankful that Harp didn't open any of the other three, as a rancid rotting smell lingered in the air, and I was sure it came from them.

Looking up, this area gave me a better view of the upper floors, and I could better see that there were only three floors. So, the fourth floor must be on the roof. Seeing vines covering the glass over me didn't fill me with much joy, making me wonder what kind of mess was up there.

Something moving inside the Sparkle-Cola shop caught my eye; it was glowing painful red, an all too familiar red glow. A feral ghoul then trotted out, the thing covered in layers of Sparkle-Cola-themed clothing, and what skin was exposed was glowing a sickly Sparkle-Cola Rad red. The glowing ghoul wandered about, likely having been trapped in there since the bombs dropped, leaving filth and glowing hoofprints with each step. Soon, three more glowing ghouls joined it, all making a lot of noise as they bumbled about.

“Slowtrot, hide!” Harp said over the radio. “An animatronic is heading your way!”

Jumping into the overgrown shrubbery, I heard the loud stomping of a robot getting closer and closer. Muller Maulwurf stepped out from around a corner; the gigantic mole robot had massive teeth that would have scared the shit out of me if not for its even more nightmarishly large claws. The animatronic must have had thick foam covering the claws at one point and padding on the knuckles with which it walked with, but now both had been worn away to nothing, leaving sharp, rusted skeleton claws. I knew by looking at it that my armor would do nothing to protect me from those; even if they stopped me from getting slashed, the hit alone would crush me.

Several less intimidating securiton-like robots rolled in from behind Muller, holding brooms and mops, and another using an industrial vacuum. Muller itself put its tendrils nose to the ground, and a sucking noise could be heard as it began cleaning after the ghouls. I was gobsmacked, seeing such a robot used as an industrial vacuum.

The feral ghouls didn't like the robots interrupting their newfound freedom and attacked. One of the cleaning bots was easily smashed, crumbling like a folding chair with just one tackle. On the other hoof, Muller was unfazed, lifting one claw and swiping it through a ghoul, turning it into a bloody mess. Red glowing gore stained everything, Nerely making me vomit at the sight.

Another ghoul was tossed onto the stage, causing the already rotting curtains to collapse, revealing two more animatronics. Both were squirrels, male and female, and other than the rust around their mouths, they were in good condition. Unfortunately, that included their eyes, as one looked right at me.

“It's story time here at Molly's glade!” The male squirrel said as it took a step towards me.

“What story do you wish for us to tell” the female squirrel then said, joining the male

As they stepped off stage, the squirrels slipped on the ghoul's blood and fell to the grouped. Using it as an opportunity, I bolted for the Sparkle-Cola shop. My hoof lost traction as I slid on the slick floor, falling over to just be missed by Muller's claw as the massive robot clumsily stumbled forward. But my luck ended there as I slid past the entrance to the shop, the ghoul gore covering everything now.

My pipbuck then began to click, warning me of radiation, and I could only guess it was the ghoul's glowing blood that now stuck to me.

I pushed myself up and expected Muller to finish me off, but to my luck, the gigantic mole returned to cleaning and ignored me for now. The squirrels on the other hoof returned to the hunt, playing a distorted and out-of-tune recording of the Tortoise and the Hair. Though they didn't move fast, they were too close to the shop for me to bolt to it, and I dared not get too close to Muller.

“I am here to help!” Order, announced as the drone buzzed down. The drone fired a few bolts at the squirrels as it flew over them, causing one to chase it as the other continued to come at me.

*BANG!*

The loud shot of a rifle echoed loudly inside the mall as part of the female squirrel's ribbon exploded into pieces, and the robot itself then fell over.

“The way’s clear!” Azure yelled from the second floor.

Not wasting time, I dashed for the door, the squirrel on the floor reaching out for me with its metal claw, its head only dented. Inside the shop, the foul smell of rot was almost overpowering, my hoove sticking to the red glowing floor. Worse, the clicking of my pipbuck was going crazy, and I could feel the radiation's heat. Even if everything wasn't irradiated to shit, the store had been smashed and ruined, with red glowing mushrooms everywhere. So, there was no way I was taking anything from here for Fizzy, even if I wanted to.

Struggling to move, I went to the stairs, only to look back and see the squirrel following me, its big, heavy body unrestricted by the sticky floor.

Azure popped out again, firing his rifle at the animatronic, but this time, it did nothing to slow it down. "How thick is that skull?" He said before grabbing me and helping me up.

Aside from the mushroom-covered skeleton, the second floor was the same as the first. "Harp, close the shop!" I shouted through the radio as Azure, and I made our way out.

Just as the squirrel made its way up the stairs, the shutters closed and hopefully trapped it inside. That's when we heard the sound of police sirens in the distance, and soon we saw the flashing lights of the securitrons. The animatronic Orthrus also barreled through, nearly slamming into Muller, followed by its securitron escort. Fortunately, they were all on the first floor, but no way that would last long.

“You think we should split?” I said.

Azure nodded. “It's easy to get away if there is less chasing you.”

We both then ran in opposite directions, and the robots below struggled to pick which one of us to pursue.

__________________________________________________________________

After getting far enough away, the security bots finally lost track of me, giving me a moment to catch my breath. But I was finding it hard to breathe and felt a bit lightheaded. My pipbuck was still slowly clicking, which left me worried.

“You okay?” Harp asked through Order, somehow showing concern through the drone's eyes.

I checked my pipbuck, and seeing that I had major radiation poisoning, I was left in shock. “Seriously, I was barely in that shop for long. Harp, is there a Ministry of Peace station anywhere nearby?”

“Just a moment,” she told me. “Okay, keep going down your direction and take the first left; I'll go find Azure and send him to you."

"Thanks. Let's just hope no ghouls are in there, too," I said, half jokingly.

“Please don't jinx yourself.” She said before flying off.

Taking a step, I nearly stumbled over as my head spun for a few seconds, then I powered forward. A little radiation poisoning wasn't going to stop me. But as I trotted, something felt off, like I could hear ponies in the distance, yet not? It sounded like an active mall. I was sure of it. I could even hear the faint music playing in a mall and smell the fresh food.

Rounding the corner, I saw the M.o.P. station, its lights both off and… on?

Trotting in, bright fluorescent light illuminated everything clearly in a way I haven't seen in months, not since I found myself in the wasteland. “Hello, sir; how can the servicetron aid you today?" It was one of those smaller securitrons, this one pristine and clean, the cartoon face of a nurse on the screen. Everything here was clean, with no cracks, rust, or dust.

Looking back, I saw the brightly lit mall, filled with ponies trotting about like back in my time. Had I traveled through time again, and if so, how? Harp hadn't pushed her magic into me, so it shouldn't have happened. Yet here I was.

I then felt queasy, reminding me why I had come here.

"I'm not feeling well, radiation poisoning," I told the servicetron nurse.

The robot's screen switched to concern, then back to a friendly, smiling face. "A simple matter; let me get you all cleaned up.” It then picked up a spray canister and a needle, rolling out from behind the counter. “Please remove your garment and stand still while I decontaminate you and inject some rad-away; it should clear you up in no time."

A robot with a needle didn't make me feel like staying still, but this was proper wartime medicine, so I wasn't going to freak out. Taking off the armor and uniform, I braced myself for the treatment.

A slight twinge of pain went into the upper front leg, and I could feel the rad-away being injected into me. Then the robot sprayed me and my gear down with a light mist that smelled strongly of mint. I recognized it as decontamination fluid; a few jobs I had done required us to go through it before clocking in or out, but it never told us why. Slowly, the clicking of my pipbuck stopped, and the red glowing blood dimmed as it slushed off me and my stuff.

“You should be all good now, and please stay healthy. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" the servicetron cheerfully told me.

Getting dressed, I felt better again. Though my clothes were still stained with the remnants of those ghouls, at least they didn't glow anymore.

My ears then twitched as the sound of thumping caught my attention. Turning to look outside, to my horror, Molly stepped into view. The animatronic was in pristine condition, brightly colored, and had no rust. But it still had those damn teeth, blunted ya, but no less capable of crushing a ponies skull.

Unable to think, I waved at Molly.

The animatronic then waved back before walking off, a trail of foals following her.

After a long moment, I let out a breath I had been intentionally holding, the tension leaving me.

“Ahhh!” Azure nearly screamed. “On by the Abyssal Queen, is that what I've been doing to all of you?”

I was still in the M.o.P. station, but the lights were dim, everything was covered in dust, and the walls were cracked, with rust peeking from the seams of the metal sidings. "Sorry about that," I told Azure.

Order, then buzzed around me as Harp spoke through it. “Did you just jump through time? And you're looking a bit better too?”

"Yes, and yes." I told her, "I was able to get properly treated by the robot here." I informed my friend as I looked behind the counter, finding the medical servicetron's screen ripped from its crumpled body. Behind it, a stain of brown rust and fragments of bone.

"Oh my, that doesn't look like a happy scene," Azure commented.

“From the position, I think the robot was protecting somepony and failed," Harp added.

It certainly did, and the image of Molly passing by the station replayed in my mind. Looking around, I could see it, the faint sounds of more death. Splotches of rust all over, the floor worst of all, painting a picture of many victims here. How many ponies had gathered here for help, only to be caged in by Molly and her friends, then slaughtered.

"Let's just gather anything we might need and get out of here," I said as I felt like all eyes were on me, eyes of those calling for help who had long since become lost.

Azure and I began looking through the drawers as Order kept watch but we ultimately found nothing of use; the station had long been looted by the long-dead. But there was a locked back room with dents and gashes embedded into it. Azure attempted to open it but found the door locked.

There was a keypad, which surprisingly still worked despite being damaged and rusted. "Let's see," I said, and pressed 0, 0, 0, 0. With a beep, it opened up.

Azure rolled his eyes. “Of course, if it's not zeros, it's one, two, three, four.”

Inside was a familiar sight, similar to the employee lounge and the bunker of that village we raided with the Desperados. In one corner were two skeletons; surrounding them was syringe after syringe of med-x, enough to kill six ponies over. It was clear the ponies had locked themselves in here, maybe before Molly started killing every pony or maybe after. It didn't matter much, as every pony here was long dead.

"Good news and bad news," Azure said.

"Let me guess, not much is here," I said back to him.

Azure nodded. "If I had to bet, most of the supplies here were likely given out when those bombs dropped. What was left was used by those two in the corner."

That made a lot of sense. The medical supplies would have been quickly used up with all the ponies in the mall. "And the good news?"

The lurker pulled out one of a few large M.o.P. cases and opened it. Inside was a whole hazardous environment kit for doctors, perfectly preserved and smelling of sterilizing chemicals. "You lost your gas mask, right?"

"It's stuck in the contraband room, but that mask is made of scrap and dreams," I said as I pulled out the pristine M.o.P. gas mask. It wasn't anything military quality, but if what Arras said about military equipment, that was probably a good thing. The mask had a hard glass face, which didn't obstruct a pony's vision by much, and two air filters. Actually, it resembled Harp's gas mask but looked far more mass-produced.

The case had another useful thing inside a pack with basic medical supplies and tools. Nothing much compared to what I had on the Smuggler, but the tools were a lot better quality than what I already had. "All nice, but you think I'll need a gas mask?"

"Well, I had to take a detour to get here, and let's say our best bet to the next floor might be a problem without one of those," Azure told me.

“You sure?” I asked.

He nodded. "Turns out more of those bigger robots are coming up here and are blocking any way up or down. All except for one."

That made too much sense. Since Azure was firing off his rifles, it must have called all the security over here and gone into a heavier lockdown. "Okay, and where are we going that needs a gas mask?"

"I think the place is called Barnyard Bargains; the place was massive and overtaken by the plants and that fog." He explained.

I face hoofed. "Ya, of course, I'm returning to another old job I had."

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 8, Barnyard Bargains.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 8, Barnyard Bargains.

__________________________________________________________________

Azure filled me in with what he knew: Barnyard Bargains had a strange choking smell that made him gag, along with that fog lingering in the air, forcing him to dip out of there soon after hiding inside. While inside he said it resembled a jungle, completely overgrown with plants. Thankfully, he was inside the superstore long enough for the robots to lose sight of him. Overall, it sounded like a shitshow in there, but we couldn't just hide in here until the security died down.

Fortunately, Azure and I had the advantage of staying under the radar when it came to the usual robots.

“Is everything clear?” I asked over the radio.

“Harp says you're good.” Glittering, Matrix spoke through the radio. "A few animatronics are on patrol on the second floor, but they're far enough away for you to be safe. I'll lift the gate for you."

I was confused as to why the kid was doing this? "Why are you on the terminal?"

“Memorized the code and layout. Also, Harps has difficulty looking through Order and her eyes simultaneously.” The teenager explained.

“My granddaughter has a picture-perfect memory," Rattlebones then explained. "So you can trust her on this.”

I'd heard about ponies with such memories and that the Ministry of Arcane Science was extremely protective of them. But that was neither here nor there right now as Order buzzed in. "Sorry, but I'm going to need to pull, Order back for now; its power is getting low," Harp said.

"Right, then, can you bring this back with you?" I asked, pulling out the last M.o.P. case filled with extra medical supplies.

Order clamped onto it, lifting it off the ground. “Ya, this shouldn't be a problem. I'll have Order come find you once its power is recharged." wobbling, the drone lifted off and flew away.

Moving out ourselves, we kept a low profile as we made our way to the superstore. Azure did not need to lead the way, as advertisements for Barnyard Bargains were all over, pointing us to it. Fortunately, as I had guessed, the security paid me little attention. Still, Azure had to take extra care not to be seen, which was much easier with my help.

“No sight of anypony suspicious.” The securitron told me, now facing away from where Azure was, giving him a clear path through.

"Thanks for the report," I told the robot before catching up with the Lurker.

He had the advantage of robots not being able to see him right away, a perception filter, as Harp called it, but it only gave him a moment of invisibility, a moment made shorter with security actively looking for him.

"Thanks for the cover," Azure said as he stayed low.

"No problem, but it's weird how you go so easily unseen when you literally glow," I commented.

He shrugged. "Magic is as magic does, I guess."

That was an annoyingly fair point.

We both heard an ear-piercing squeaking get close and quickly found a hiding spot behind a cheap jewelry stand. This time, it was an animatronic sheep stopping by, or at least I guessed it was a sheep at some point. The wool that once covered it was a sickly black with mold, and its body so rusted that it moved with a visible jerk with hooves on chalkboard squeak. I didn't know a robot could smell so foul, yet the smell of rot from it was absolutely pungent.

But It passed by soon enough, and we moved out again once it had gotten far away. We saw other animatronics along the way. All are just as severely degraded. Rabbits, birds, and even lizards made up the parade of nightmares, and I even recognized one of them to my annoyance. It was a simple bear animatronic with a park ranger hat on, a mascot made by the M.o.P. for the animal sanctuaries and forest safety. As monstrous as Hazy the Bear had become, I liked him and would not be forced to put the robot down.

As we moved, I was also tempted to ask Glittering Matrix to open one shop, Moonlight Records. It was a common music shop in my day, and if I was correct, it had a treasure trove of what might be lost music in there. But I also didn't want to go inside and find it all destroyed or release more feral ghouls to call the animatronics to us. It was a shame, but the music here would likely stay lost forever.

My nose scrunched up as I smelled a humid rot stench with a hint of chemicals—cheap colonels and perfume. Looking at the entrance of Barnyard Bargains, I wondered how that horrible smell had only worsened after two hundred years.

“You alright?” Azure asked.

I put on the gas mask, protecting me from the stench of cheap products. "Ya, I have less fun memories of working at Barnyard Bargains."

“Standard unfun memories, or unusual unfun memories.” He further asked as he put his own gas mask on.

"Standard. Barnyard Bargains was never sketchy as a business; it was just mind-numbingly boring. Frankly, nothing was really lost when they replaced their workforce with robots. The protests about it were mostly just done by the usual anti-robot protesters, not the employees." I explained.

"So monotonous that the workforce didn't care if they had a job there," Azure said curiously.

I shrugged as I trotted forward. "Probably. When I was let go, I was more relieved than worried. Probably because I hated the cosmetic section and how strong it stank constantly."

“You mean that overpowering fragrance?” all four of Azure's fin-like antennas has folded up and curled close to his body. “Even I can smell it, and I don't even have a nose.”

Stopping, the entrance was covered by a tangle of vines, with an entrance too small for a securitron to follow. "Ya, I think it was the owner's wife that decided to have so much perfume in all Barnyard Bargains, and I wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't have a sense of smell. Still, it didn't stop ponies from shopping there, and my marefriend liked the smell, so I tolerated it."

"Marefriend? As in a girlfriend, right?" Azure probed as we squeezed in.

Then, a beeping sounded as we pushed through to the other side, but it quickly fizzled out.

My pipbuck slowly clicked, warning me of radiation, but nothing so severe that I had to be worried about it yet. "Yeah, we were together for years, but in the end, I was the only one trying to keep the relationship alive."

Pushing past the vines and entering the superstore was like entering another world. The place resembled a jungle, with cracked pipes spraying water through the red fog that hung overhead, making it look like rain, and light beaming down from the broken glass roof. Above and below us was all green, blotched with color here and there, all mutant plant life growing wild.

Azure then sighed. "Well, I hope this isn't a problem." Pointing at the escalator, it had collapsed in on itself, and more vines blocked even the option of climbing up.

"Typical," I said. We should look for the employee stairs. They're also used as an emergency fire exits, so they should be on the outer wall."

“Which is on the opposite side of where we are.” Azure pointed out.

Again, I said, "Typical."

Picking a direction and trotting, it felt like I had entered a Daring Do novel, pushing our way through the jungle to find a long-forgotten ruin and recover the artifact inside. But each time I saw some old, rusted product tangled in the vines, I was brought back to my even more insane reality.

Seeing how mangled everything was by the plant life, I didn't even dare hope to find anything useful as we made our way down the aisles. I didn't plan on grabbing anything, but Barnyard Bargains was known for selling everything for everyday living. An untouched superstore like this would have had enough supplies to keep the Desperados well-stocked for years. I wouldn't mind finding soap and toilet paper.

“Hey, you have a problem!” Glittering spoke over the radio. “You triggered the security, and they've converged at the store.”

"Seriously! But how?" I then remembered the beeping and face-hoofed. "Right, the metal detectors. The metal detectors would be on if security is on full alert."

“How bad is it?” Azure asked.

“Harps got an eye on the situation, and she says that the bots can't get in, but you'll not be able to get out.” Glittering informed us.

“Is there a side exit on the third floor?” I then asked.

“Yes, let me ask Harp to check it," Glittering said, and we waited for her to return. "Thank you, Celestia. It looks like the robots don't guard those doors. There's one in the tools section, on the third floor.”

I wasn't surprised that the tools were on the top floor, likely far away from the entrance, along with anything a stallion would be interested in. Foal's stuff was usually even further back, so a family would need to go through everything first, giving any mare the time to find an excuse to buy random crap.

"Right, we find the employee stairs, go up to the third floor, and exit the employee exit in the tools section," I said, mentality jotting down the plan.

Something, like a shadow, caught my eye, but darker, deeper, and familiar. It resembled a mare, if barely. I was sure it was the same dark spirit as before, and as we locked eyes, it smiled before vanishing.

“Ummm, you have a problem.” Glittering, then said.

"Let me guess, Animatronics," I said.

There was then a crash from behind us and a roar.

“Yep," Glittering said. "And it's Molly. She seems to be leading several other Animatronics right to you somehow. At least they took out a security robot first.”

Small blessings, I guess.

Azure and I booked it, pushing through the foliage the best we could. But we were running blind and not all that fast, thanks to the vines. Our only saving grace was that the Anamotroncs would be hindered, though I wasn't sure it would be enough.

Finding a break in the jungle, we found ourselves in what must be one of many clothing areas for mares. Here, the plant life was shorter and less dense, with bushes sprouting out of the round clothing racks, appearing like an orchard that grew dresses.

Order buzzed down to us from above, sending a sense of relief through me. Then I heard a sigh of disappointment come through Order's voicebox. “Look at all those ruined dresses. It makes me wish we didn't have to destroy this place," Harp said. “Focus now; lives are at stake."

"Maybe we can pick you up some shoes if the opportunity comes up," Azure suggested. "Just not here or right now, as I'm sure you can understand."

Harp let out an amused chuckle. "I know, I know. The ways up are blocked, so you two might need to climb.”

"Actually, we're heading to the emergency stairwell at the other end of the wall. Can you guide us to the best route through?" I asked Harp.

The drone looked relieved as Harp spoke through it. “That sounds solid. Go to lingerie while I look; you can hide in the dressing room there."

I face-hoofed again as Azure patted me on the back. “Ya, I don't quite get the obsession with undergarments, but I know it's considered ungentlemanly to hide in a woman's dressing room.”

"At least we got an excuse," I said as we made our way to a severely overgrown dressing room in the middle of the maresware. Behind us, we could hear another crash, followed by snapping.

It was rather creepy seeing rotting mannequins dressed in fancy underwear, none in good condition, but I could still make out the lace. Ponies normally didn't wear clothes, so this was considered exotic foreign fashion. Still, it was no less embarrassing to be around it.

Awkwardly, some ads here were for ponies more Fizzy's shape, advertising bras and other undergarments. Most mares had little under their legs unless they were nursing, so some were pregnant in the ads. A few others were clearly for mares with assets to entice stallions.

Stomping and snapping passed by, fading off just as quickly as it started. Azure and I held our breath to stay as silent as possible. Looking at my E.F.S., I counted three red dots, two on our floor and one below.

The sound of rustling caught our attention, and the two of us looked up to see a sickly two-headed raccoon with wings. The mutant saw us and quickly scurried away.

"Looks like there's a thriving ecosystem here," Azure commented.

"You sure?" I questioned. "Could just be a monster made by the plants here, as Harp suggested."

The Lurker shrugged. "At this point, it's all magical nonsense to me."

“Are you two okay?" Harp asked as Order buzzed in, and we nodded. “Good. Unfortunately, you won't be able to get to the emergency stairwell from this floor. The toy section collapsed over the exit, but the first and third floors are clear-ish."

“What's the issue?” Azure asked.

“Well, there is a garden center on the first floor, and the plants there are spitters.” I really didn't like the sound of that. “To clarify, seed spitter plants. We have them back on the islands, and they spread their seeds by shooting them into animals. Which includes ponies. Death by seed spitter is considered one of the most painful deaths if you're not killed outright."

That was not filling me with hope. “Any advice?”

“Don't get hit," Harp told us. “I'm sorry, but there are just too few options with our time. If you head to the hats section, there are some thick roots you can climb down, make your way through the perfume section, past foal's clothing, and you will get to the garden center. I'll have Order distract the animatronics the best it can."

Order buzzed off before shouting. “begone foul things!” Followed by the loud pipping of its bolt launchers and solid-sounding thunks.

Following Harp's instructions, we ran out to the hat area. We saw the vines she had mentioned, which extended all the way from the ceiling and down to the floor. Unfortunately, we couldn't climb them to the third floor, as the superstore's floor plan was bowl-shaped. I thought about going to the roof from here, but then again, I wasn't much of a climber in the first place.

Azure was the first to repel down, looking like he had done this hundreds of times before… which he might have had.

The broken sound of circus music sent a chill up my spine as I turned to see Molly rip a dress shrubbery out of her way. The nightmarish animatronic ripped apart the rotting cloth as she moved at me, mouth open wide, revealing the endoskeleton robot underneath.

Panicked, I jumped, missing the vine, and almost fell, a back hoof getting caught in Molly's grip. "Fuck!" I yelled.

Molly let out an off-tune laugh as she lifted me up so we could be face-to-face. The shadowy pony looked back at me from inside her mouth. "There can be no hope when all is, STRIFE!” It's words resonating in my mind as Molly lifted me up Higher.

A bolt logged into her head as Order flew over, but Molly didn't budge. “Let him go, you bitch!" she yelled.

With no other options, I drew my pistol and pulled the trigger. The gun let out a loud click, reminding me that it had no bullets in it.

*Bang!*

Checoves Promis let out a bullet it shouldn't have, striking the shadow pony inside and dispersing her. Molly recoiled from the shot, flinging me up, her plant matter-slicked claws losing their grip on my leg and sending me flying up and away.

Everything became a blur as I flipped flank overhead repeatedly until I crashed into something soft.

Thankfully, I was alive, but even though the gas mask stayed in place, wherever I landed, the perfume stench was so strong that it seeped through the filters. "Oh, Celestia, save me; I can taste it!"

"At least you aren't dead," Azure said before gagging. "But what is even that?"

Helping me off whatever broke my fall, I looked back to see a massive and ugly flower surrounded by a thick yellow haze that quickly spread out. The thing was the source of the overpowering perfume smell. With the faded posters all around, it was the centerpiece of the superstore.

“A Kieran corpse flower.” I read. “But why?” A cold shiver ran up my spine again, and I looked back to see Molly looking back down at us.

Another Animatronic joined her, some sort of pink rabbit with a broken ear and several of Order's bolts embedded into its face. The rabbit climbed over the railings and jumped, its big feet caught in the vines, causing it to fall face-first into the ground with a loud slam. Azure and I watched as it got back up, the fall having pushed two of the bolts through and causing sparks to erupt from the robot.

I then suggested, as I picked up Checoves Promis and holstered it. "We should go."

"Agree," Azure said just as Order flew over us.

“Run, you idiots!" Harp screamed just as we heard more loud thumping coming right at us.

Hazy the Bear appeared from the opposite directions, claws out, mouth open, and running way too fast.

Diving in the sides, Hazy just missed us and slammed right into the overgrown corpse flower, sending another thick yellow cloud out, now filled with what was clearly pollen.

Order flew over again. “This way, before the fucking rabbit explodes! Go, Go, GO! “

Following Harp's voice, we exited the pollen cloud just as it reached The damaged rabbit. Its face sparked again, and then everything became white as my ears rang and I was knocked off my hooves.

Azure helped me recover as my senses returned, only to find everything was now on fire. "What?"

"Powder explosion," Azure said as he got me moving. "Pollen is extremely flammable. If I had a copper coin for the times I had this happen to me, I'd have-"

A loud thud causes us to stop and look back. From the raging fire that was the corpse flower came stomping out Hazy the Bear, the robot now completely engulfed in fire as it did its iconic pose of pointing at us. Before, the pose was a warning of proper fire safety; now, it felt like a vengeful spirit coming to take away foals who played with matches.

*Bang*

Azure didn't hesitate to shoot the animatronic through the eye, causing it to stumble back into the burning corpse flower. “No, we aren't doing this right now!” He yelled before pushing me to run.

I felt something sickly wet as we ran through the foal's clothing area, and dark, slick water began raining down around us. It smelled rancid as it coated everything and made the floors slippery. But the fire started dying down, saving us from a dangerous situation.

Then we saw it, the garden center, and saw them. Strang bulb plants on long, thin stems wilted in our direction as the bulbs bloated up. Azure and I dived down, sliding along the muck-covered floor as seeds were shot over our heads. We didn't even dare to stop, jumping up and dashing as soon as possible.

Slamming into the wall, I saw the emergency stairwell and ran to it, the sound of seed hitting the wall following me. Reaching the door, I struggled to open it, only budging when Azure used his crowbar. A refreshing burst of stale air hit us as the door flung open, and we dove inside.

Slamming the door shut behind us, several pinging sounds came from the other side before the seed spitters stopped, and only then did we catch our breath.

"That… was unpleasant," Azure said as he removed a seed stuck in his shell.

I checked myself as well, finding that the armor mostly protected me. As my adrenaline faded, the pain in my flank became increasingly apparent.

Azure chuckled. “Looks like you got shot in the ass.”

"Ya can tell," I said, scowling at the oversized crab pony.

"Yeah, just let me use these medical tools, and I'll pull it out, " he offered.

Doing just that, Azure held a pair of tweezers in his face claws and got digging. I winced in pain as I felt not just the seed being pulled out but also the tiny roots. I then winced again as he applied the disinfectant and a bandaid.

"Fascinating," Azure said as he studied the seed; its roots were reaching for him.

"Terrifying, I say," I commented.

The radio crackled as Glittering spoke up. “Slowtrot, Azure, are you okay?”

"We're in the stairwell," I told her.

She sighed. “Good. Your way should be clear if you can get to the third floor. Molly's still around, but I don't think she can get up there from where she's at. Also, Order is pulling back again. So Harp suggests you take a breather before moving out.”

"Not going to argue with that," I said.

Sitting down, I winced again as pain shot up my spine. “Say, you got any healing potions?”

Azure shook his head. “Sorry, just bandages.”

That was just great; here I was without any quick relief. But at least I wasn't in any real danger for now. There was a pop and a fizz as Azure hoofed over a bottle of Sparkle-Cola Rad.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously?”

"Ya, I know, after that soda shop, maybe not the best thing to drink, but it's what I got." He said before pulling out a second.

With a sigh, I took it, the pipbuck giving a few clicks as I drank it. As I remembered, Rad was just an overpoweringly sweet drink that tasted more like a knockoff of Sparkle-Cola than something the company would have made before the owner went missing. "Ya, I still don't like it."

"Truthfully, it does have a distinctive artificial taste, like something an alchemist would make. But the sugar does help." Azure commented, then tapped on the glowing fin on his head. "My kind is rather gluten-dependent if we want to keep a healthy glow."

“That's… weird. Why?” I asked.

He finished off his drink first before answering. "I'm not an expert on the subject, but our glow comes from bioluminescent bacteria that help fight parasites and viruses. The bacteria happen to have quite the sweet tooth, and because of that, we rarely get fat from overconsuming sweets. Though we would end up glowing brighter and drooling out the excess bacteria, something we avoid doing outside tending to our young."

My brain froze momentarily, and I could not process the image.

“Sorry, that might have been more than a bit much.” He apologized. “How about we change the subject. You said you had a girlfriend, or marefriend as you ponies seem to call it. How come you didn't mention her before?”

I took a deep breath, not really comfortable with the subject now that it was being asked about. "I… just didn't feel like it was relevant. We'd been separated for a long while before all this happened, and it didn't end well. Truthfully, I had finally managed to get Poppy out of my mind before everything went crazy. Then I just forgot about her."

“Oh… a bad breakup. Did one of you cheat?” He then asked.

"Celestia, no!" I blurted out. "Neither Poppy nor I were like that. It's just that I wasn't the pony who could help her. I tried to help, but I think I only made things worse for her; that's all there was. It is not like it matters; she and Everpony are dead. Nothing more than background radiation to be forgotten."

Azure nodded, like he knew anything about that. "But there were good times too. Things you rather not forget?"

It felt like he was trying to open up a scar best left alone. But… I felt compelled to say something about that. "For me, there was, but not for Poppy, not for a long time. We had known each other since we were fowls, neighbors, we were friends and had fun. Things started to get serious as the war was dying, and then she joined to take part in the relief core."

“Join up, as in the military?” He asked.

“Ya. Celestia was transitioning the army to a peacetime stance as a show of good faith to the Zebras.” I told him.

"But peace never happened." He said, and I nodded.

"The Little Horn Massacre… I try not to hate, and my mom always tells me never to hate, but I hate the Zebras for what they did there. Not all of them, but sometimes it's hard to not hate. It's far easier to forget and pretend that nothing ever happened. That's what Poppy chose to do." I then finished off my cola, the sweetness attacking my teeth.

Just mentioning it brought me back there, to the Ministry of Morral building, the pinks not letting me in, and that callus doctor telling me it was best if I just went away. I never felt more useless, never more unwanted, that after all my efforts to help, it amounted to a "Do I know you?"

The radio crackled, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Are you both still in the stairwell?” Glittering asked.

"Ya, we're still here," I said

"Good. The Order is on its way, so make your way to the third floor, " she told us.

“Are you good to go?” Azure then asked me.

I took a deep breath, not feeling good at all. But I hadn't felt good in a very long time. “I feel normal, so I'll be fine.”

"I can understand that." The Lurker said before trotting up the stairs.

Following, we passed several boxes of stuff, all rusted and degraded. I saw a garden machete but wondered if it would even be helpful or if it could survive the first swing on anything. I was also glad we kept the gas masks on, as the thick dust made everything a dreary gray as we kicked it up.

“How's things outside?” I asked.

Harp’s voice came through the radio. “There's one Animatronic out there, but I managed to trick it into a tangle of vines. If you stay to the left, you'll be fine.”

“Also, I turned most of the fire suppression system off, but a pipe or two burst somewhere, so the floors might still be slippery," Glittering told us.

“Hay! Was there anything interesting there?” Fizzy then asked.

"There is Nothing worth taking. This place is an absolute wreck. You have better luck finding anything down where you're at," I said back to them.

“Lair thought the same. She, Star, and Live are checking the storage rooms here." Harp informed us. “And don't worry, those girls are more than capable of protecting themselves.”

"Unfortunately, it's slow going due to the lockdown.” Glittering added. “Can't even open the basement doors from here, so they must do it manually."

Well, at least they were doing something, and I trusted those three to be able to take down an animatronic if push came to shove. "Alright, we're heading out."

Azure and I had to push hard to open the door, as plant matter and rust had covered it. The thick, humid air rushed in with one good shove, and we had to squeeze out. The atmosphere had changed a bit, with the sound of water in the distance reminding me of a waterfall. There was also the sound of animals, primarily birds, making quite a racket.

"Well, look at that," Azure said as he trotted to the railing.

Following him, I saw where a pipe had burst, tons of water flowing out and pouring down like a waterfall, hitting the second floor just to do it over again. Down below, it looked like a pond of silky tainted water had formed, but clear water was taking over where the waterfall hit it.

Azure blew a long whistle, "If only I had the time to draw this out, or a camera."

I looked across from us, seeing a trapped beaver-like Animatronic. The thing glared at us with hate-filled eyes as it struggled to break free from the vines. "Ya, maybe we can find a working camera along the way. But let's get out of here before that beaver does us what it does to trees."

With a nod, Azure and I ran left to the tools section of the store, passing the stallion clothing section, all just as ruined as everything else. Fortunately, there wasn't that much obstructing our way that we couldn't just go around, and we found the door quite quickly. Like the last two times, it was pretty stuck.

"Hold these," Azure said as he hoofed over four intact but entirely moss-covered tool cases and pulled out his crowbar.

I looked at the things and then returned to Azure as he managed to pry the door open. Rushing in and forcing the door shut, I returned the tool case to him.

“You know it's going to be junk, right?” I said.

"Just wanted to check. You never know unless you take a look." Azure cracked the degraded case open using his crowbar, and the smell of machine oil wafted into the air. "Jackpot." He said as we looked at standard wrenches, screwdrivers, and other simple tools. "Well, if we need to get any nuts or bolts on or off, this will be able to do it. Though it will need a new case." He then tapped the M.o.P. case we both had on us. "And this might do."

I couldn't argue with his logic and wanted to kick myself for not thinking the same thing. But there were always other shops to check if we had the time. Until then, it was back to the Mega Mall, where Molly awaited me.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 10, Lost and Forgotten.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 10, Lost and Forgotten.

__________________________________________________________________

The cold wind practically cut through me as I stepped onto the fourth floor and let out a gasp as I found myself in the middle of a forest. Birch trees like the ones at the Coven of Clovers were all over the place, providing shade. They sprouted out of the concrete roof in defiance of how trees should grow, and with them were ferns and grasses. Unlike Barnyard Bargains, this place wasn't overgrown with vines and mold. It didn't smell of rot but was pleasant, almost relaxing.

“Well, there's no denying it now; this must be an extension of Mystic," Harp said solemnly. “If only we had time… or maybe… no, this isn't salvageable.”

“Agree. A true shame that we must destroy this." Rattlebones said in agreement over the radio. “But maybe we can take a cutting.”

"No, no. We need to focus on the mission at hoof. Anyways, we would need to find the tree of life, not these trees. These are just normal trees being supported by her magic. Sit tight, I'll scout ahead." Harp said as Order buzzed off.

Azure trotted over to one of the trees, knocking on it. “It does seem like a normal tree.”

"Nothing's normal about this," I said as I went to take a look around.

We were still in the beer garden, though it was now more garden than restaurant. Several tables were seemingly fused to the trees, and the few still standing had a thin layer of green moss, making it look like the table grew out of the cracked ground. I even went to look down at the mall's center from here, though nothing new could be seen. Over the glass was a net of roots, with a layer of dry leaves scattered about. Stepping out of the beer gardens, I noticed it was more of the same, with benches and lamp posts covered in moss or overtaken by the trees.

A sign indicated the places to be found here, including a rollerskating ring, a classical music theater, a dancing floor, and several viewing gardens. Clearly, the fourth floor was meant to be a more relaxing place, less about shopping and more about winding down. The fact that it was on the fourth floor didn't get past me, as just like Barnyard Bargains, the mall wanted ponies to trot by all the stores first.

A silver squirrel ran by my hooves and stopped to look at me inquisitively. It had what looked like a unicorn horn and very expressive eyes.

“Let me guess, that's not normal either?” Azure asked.

"Nope," I said as the uni-squirrel ran off. "Glittering, are you still in contact with Greased?"

The radio crackled a bit. “Ya, but it's spotty at best. And we have been reporting what you've been seeing. Well, what Harp has been seeing. She's also told us that Sheppard is on his way; once you get that lockdown lifted, the other Desperados will move in to set the bomb. Why, you ask?"

"Just wondering if there's a way to save any animals here. Mutants or not, they at least deserve a chance." I said, watching the uni-squirrel run into a hole in a tree.

“As much as I agree, I doubt the Desperados are good at animal conservation," Rattlebones said. "Best to just trust their instincts and hope they get lucky."

I couldn't argue with that. Just getting a raccoon out of my apartment took over a day, and it only happened because I managed to bribe the critter out. That little guy really loved snack cakes.

As I trotted further into the forest, I felt drawn to a meadow, the trees bending in a way that beckoned me, hanging over something protectively. There, under the trees, I found two moss-covered skeletons sitting on a bench. Both were embarrassing each other, likely having chosen to spend their last moment together. This tragedy was just like the others but felt so much more personal. Then a glint from the slightly smaller skeleton caught my eye, a necklace… dog tags?

Something in my gut told me not to read and leave it be. Whoever this pony was… let it stay a bittersweet memory.

"Poppy Fields." the dog tags read, and the world disappeared.

__________________________________________________________________

“Are you sure you're okay?” I asked Poppy.

She frowned at me. "Yes, so stop asking," Poppy said as she struggled to trot.

When we learned that she had been hurt in a Zebra ambush, and returned home, my sister and I rushed over to see her. Unfortunately, she had received severe head trauma, and even with the newly developed healing potion, she'd been in a coma for the last month. When Poppy finally woke up, her memory was spotty and she needed to relearn how to trot.

"Then let me get you something. Have you tried the new Sparkle-Cola? The staff is excellent." I offered.

Poppy let out a huff, clearly frustrated. “Fine, if you insist.”

"I'll be right back," I told her.

Trotting out, my sister, Backroads, was entering with her daughter. Seeing me, her concern was easy to read. "Everything's alright?"

I nodded. "Poppy's stubborn as ever, but that means she'll recover quickly."

Backroads smiled back at me. "I know, right, that mare never knows when to quit. And thanks for agreeing to come down here. With how things are, I can't be here every day for her. This Ministry of Image job is just taking up all my time, and what time I do have." She looked down at my niece. "You know."

"I know, and she's my friend, too. Anyway, it's not like I have much of a job anymore," I told her.

I was trained and certified to work for Colt Manufacturing as part of the company's transition from making guns to making toys and tools again. Unfortunately, with the war worse than ever, I was instead making ammunition for the battle rifle. It was still secure work until it wasn't. Ironshod Firearms had secured almost all the weapons contracts from our new government. So many ponies had to be let go when the factory was sold off to the Apple family.

"Hey now, Trot, there's more work out there. I'm sure your certification would be useful… eventually." Backroads tried to cheer me up, but we both knew that my training was, for now, a very crowded field, from which Nopony was going to step down. "Maybe the Ministry of Peace is worth a shot, I know a pony who knows a pony."

"It's fine, Backy, I'll be fine for a while. Let's just focus on Poppy right now." I told her. "I'm going to get her something to eat and drink."

Trotting off, the Majesty's Veterans Clinic was filled with injured ponies like Poppy. It was only recently constructed and was made to ease the burden of the injured veterans we already had. Now, it's being used for the recently injured and was already filled up. Its a miracle that Poppy even got a room here, and only thanks to Backroads talking to one of her friends in the ministry.

Finding the vending machines, half of the machine was of just Sparkle-Cola now, with most of the competition having gone back to providing support for the war. Fortunately for Sparkle-Cola, they had signed a production deal with Equestria in expectation for the end of the war, and all that soda ment for relief efforts now went back into Equestria at cheaper prices. The war flaring back up practically bankrupt all the other soda companies, so I wouldn't be surprised that the vending machines would sell only Sparkle-Cola in a year. However, Sunset Sarsaparilla did have its cult following around here, which has kept them afloat, if barely.

The other vending machine was a Barnyard Bargains Snack-o-Tron, filled with the latest junk foods Equestria had made over the years. Lots of bars and snack cakes, which, from what I remember, were originally part of the military rations. Actually, I think all the food here was just repackaged military rations. All but the good old nature bars.

As I got a Sparkle-Cola and a Nature bar, the music on a nearby radio died, and a reporter spoke up.

"Welcome back; this is Equestria News Radio, your first source on everything happening in this magical land. Later today, we have an interview with Twilight Sparkle, where she'll talk about what Princesses Celestia has been doing since the Littlehorn massacre, why she agreed to join Princesses Luna, and the goals of this Ministry of Arcane Science."

"In other news, the border city of Hoofington continues to face incursions from the Zebras as the locals attempt to rebuild their homes. With the installation of major anti-air fortifications, the city is now free from aerial bombardment. Ministry mare Applejack of the Ministry of Wartime Technology is personally focusing on fortifying the region's ports, as their strategic location is important for the continued naval battles to prevent the Zebras from making further landfall. Ministry mare Rainbow Dash of the Ministry of Awesome has been spotted in the area. Still, she has refused to comment on what she is even doing there, or anywhere for that matter."

"Negotiations with our allies north and south of Equestria are still ongoing, with Yak Yakistan threatening to close their borders once more and the Buffalo Nation calling for peace. Many assume that Zebra sympathizers have infiltrated both nations. Still, Ministry mare Pinky Pie of the Ministry of Morral insisted that both the Yaks and Buffalo continue Celestia's wish for the war to end and are not aiding the Zebras. Ministry mare, Rarity of the Ministry of Image also shares the same settlement. She has requested that such baseless rumors not be spread so easily, if at all."

"The rumors of a complete overhaul of the Equestria Medical Industry have been confirmed as Ministry mare Fluttershy of the Ministry of Peace has announced the plans to modernize and centralize all the hospitals and clinics. Many ponies criticize her over such a move, saying that Ministry mare Fluttershy is acting too rashly and isn't thinking about the long-term consequences of such a plan. She promised that once completed, more ponies would be able to receive treatment, both of higher quality and at a lower cost, but this still hasn't put ponies' worries at ease. But due to Princesse Luna's support, this overhaul is already being put in motion despite the protests."

I let out a sigh as I trotted away. So much was changing so fast that I didn't know what to think about it. Who was to blame, or what I should do about it, was just over my head. Most ponies my age have joined the military as their answer, and I did think about that, too. But seeing how Poppy returned, I wasn't thinking of doing that anymore.

Trotting back to Poppy's room, I stopped just outside the door as I heard Backroads and Poppy talking, and I didn't want to interrupt.

"I know, Poppy, but everypony is busy. I want to be here for you and will when I can. I'm sorry, but you just need to bear with it." Backroads said, sounding very apologetic, which was never good, as like with Dad, Backroads never like to apologize.

There was a long pause, and there was a lot of tension in it. "Are you sure? I know you like your pranks."

Backroads let out a frustrated huff. “I was never that bad, Poppy!”

“As foals, you made me think we eat spiders in our sleep.” Poppy pointed out.

"As foals, Poppy, I'm too old and too busy to pull something like this off, or even would want to." my sister said in an almost pleading tone. "Slowtrot is my brother, and you both were friends. You can trust him to help you out. I'm not using your memory loss to pull a prank on you. Fuck, why would you even think I'd do that to you!"

I held my tongue, the realization like a knife in my gut. We were never that close, but Poppy was st8ll my friend, and we've known each other for years. Yet if what I heard was true, her memories of me were gone.

"S… sorry Backroads, it's just… I trust you, but I can't help but feel weirded out about it. I don't want to have a stranger who is so friendly with me, knows me, and says my name when I don't know him. I mean… I know his name now, but…" Poppy trailed off, sounding scared.

"You're going to be fine, Poppy; the doctors say you… might get the rest of your memories back at some point. So please bear with him; he's the only pony I can trust that's free right now." Backroads told her.

There was another long pause before Poppy spoke up. "I… Okay. Maybe I'll remember in time. But I don't want him to know I don't; it makes me nervous to think someone knows something I don't."

Sitting down, I wanted to cry but I forced those feelings back down. Poppy had already gone through too much as it was, and I didn't want to stress her out more than she already was. She'll tell me when she's good and ready or when she finally remembers. Until then, I just needed to be there for her.

__________________________________________________________________

“Slowtrot?” Azure said, breaking me out of my memory. “Are you okay?”

I let Poppy's dog tags go. It wasn't like this was the Poppy I knew. She had died long ago and died again years after. Whoever this was, she lived here, found some pony, and they died in each other's hooves.

“Ya, I'm fine. Just lost in thought.” I told him.

Our heads turned as Order buzzed to us. "I found the issue!” Harp said. There's a broadcasting tower with a dead Animatronic causing a feedback loop on it.”

"Another one?" I said, remembering the rat Animatronic that short-circuited the basement.

Order bobbed up and down as Harp spoke through it. “Ya, and I don't think it's a coincidence. Though if it's the animatronics that are responsible or something else, I don't know.”

"Well, let's take care of it and get this over with," Azure said.

"Agreed, but can you give me a moment? I'll meet you at the tower in a bit." I told them.

Azure looked at the two moss-covered skeletons and then at me. "Alright, just don't take too long. Who knows what's up here with us or what might soon join us?" Both Azure and Order then left, giving me some space.

Turning to Poppy, I wanted to shout at her, scream at her. Those years we were together, waiting for her to remember or tell me that she had forgotten. "But that never happened, did it, Poppy? You forgot me, then chose to forget me again.” I looked at the other pony holding her and saw that he had dog tags too, but I didn't have it in me to read the name on it. Not that it would matter.

I could imagine that they were strangers when the bombs dropped, and they took comfort in the end together. Or that they were both veterans who chose to forget and found each other, both able to find understanding in not remembering.

And where was I, what was I even doing… "Right, I was waiting for you to return, to remember me. I was waiting for so long that I even forgot why I was waiting. I guess that's why I never left Applewood, never moved on. If you remembered and came looking for me, I wanted to be there for you to find me. I didn't want those years to go to waste. Yet… they did."

I looked down at their hooves and how they held each other. It didn't happen often, but Poppy and I would hold each other like that. Yet deep down, I think I knew she must have been forcing herself, that I was always that stranger who knew her name. In the end… I guess I couldn't let her go, and she had to run from me, forget me.

How would things have turned out if I had told her I knew, kept my distance, and let her go? "Once more, this world forces me to move on. I keep standing in place, but something keeps dragging me forward." My eyes watered up, as I couldn't hold it back anymore, and all my frustration finally came out—crying, laughing, gritting my teeth in pure anger.

Kicking the ground so hard that it hurt, I just wanted to feel something, anything but this feeling of uselessness. Yet the feeling remained.

"Poppy… I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I'm sorry that you had to hurt me just to get away. That… I couldn't see that I wasn't the pony you needed and was just a reminder of what you've forgotten." I took a deep breath, finally getting control of myself and… feeling a bit better. "I know I can't forget you like you forgot me, but I can finally let go. Not just you, but everything." I then laughed. "How absurd! Now that everything and everypony I knew is gone, I can finally let it all go. Backroads was right, I am a blithering idiot."

Taking a step back, I looked around and saw that we were in one of the viewing gardens. The flowers were long gone, but there was still a sign stating what had been planted here: "Memorial Garden, for those lost but not forgotten, the flowers Forget me Not planting in their honor."

The irony was not lost on me, as I had become lost and forgotten. But this garden wasn't for me but for ponies like Poppy and those who had never returned from the war. Then again, almost all of us didn't survive the war, and in the end, we all had become lost and forgotten.

Looking back at Poppy, I finally got to say the word I should have said so long ago. “Goodbye, Poppy.”

__________________________________________________________________

The broadcasting tower was like a grim thorn that shot out of the quaint forest, its rusted and jagged metal resisting the greenery that tried to reclaim it. Above us, tangled in the wires, was an animatronic crow, which sparked now and then.

“How did it even get up there?” Azure asked. “I doubt it flew.”

"How do we even get it down? That is what you should ask," I told him.

"Maybe I can shoot it," he suggested.

The Order buzzed in front of us, looking entirely crossed. "No, no, no. Don't you dare use your guns. This place will be swarming with animatronics and securitrons!"

“Then what's the plan?” I asked.

The radio crackled as Glittering spoke up. “You're going to need to dismantle the robot.”

I really didn't like the sound of that. “And how do we do that?”

“The tools Azure has and your pipbuck Slowtrot," Glittering told us. "If you open up the robot and unscrew a few safety bolts, the exoskeleton should detach from the endoskeleton. I’ll trot you through it, and once the endoskeleton is removed, your job is done.”

“Before you ask, yes, the endoskeleton is the problem. It's sending a signal through the tower that's causing the feedback loop." Harp said. “My guess is that it's the same signal that's making the rest of the Animatronics so batshit insane.”

Looking up at the robot again and seeing the sparks, I didn't need to ask why I had to do it. Because of the power rushing through it, A pony would be mad to touch it. Fortunately, my pipbuck had that levitation spell. "Alright, I'll get to it."

“Good, and Azure, we need you to go inside. Once the signal is gone, you need to reboot the broadcasting tower, and fast. I have a feeling that the system will go nuts once that signal is down," Harp said.

Azure nodded at Order. “If it's not a coincidence, then it's safe to assume as such.”

“Then we all agree that this is messed up, right?” I asked.

“Without a doubt," Star said through the radio.

“Hey, when you two get back down here, we have some stuff to show you!” Live said.

"Looking forward to it," Azure replied.

“Same here.” I agreed.

After giving me the tools, Azure went inside the broadcasting booth as I climbed the tower, the rusted metal creaking under my hooves, threatening to break away. But it was good old Equestria steel, so I trusted that it would hold up a bit longer.

One of the safety railings then fell away right when I put pressure onto it, adding to my anxiety.

“It's okay, Slowtrot. Looks like that was already damaged; the rest of the tower is in good shape." Harp said, helping to put my nerves at ease. “For an over two-hundred-year-old building that hasn't seen maintenance for just as long.”

"Thanks… now please don't mention that again while I'm up here," I told her.

Fortunately, it wasn't that high of a climb. That said, I did start from the rooftop of a mega mall, so when I looked around from where I was, it didn't fill me with much joy. The view was similar to that of the Desperados fort. Still, the ruined city was now all around me, the rust-red fog making it look as though I was above the clouds, and the Mega Mall an island. Other than Route 50 in the distance, there wasn't much here left that stood out, just the skeletal remains of a few skyscrapers and rubble poking out here and there.

The Mega Mall was all that remained of my world, and even then, it was just a nightmarish parody of it.

Reaching the robotic crow, I informed Glittering. "At the animatronic, are you sure you know what I must do?"

“Blackcharry left a few notes here, one of which was removing the exoskeleton. Most have a similar build plan since they all use the older endoskeleton." She informed me.

That made sense to me, likely saving bits by keeping the older robot for the random mascots. "Let me guess, Molly's different."

“Molly, Muller, Oliver, and Oscar are updated models. Probably why they're bigger and faster. Supposedly, they were developed by Blackcharry's brother, Blackcurrant, but she suspected that their stolen Zebra bots the Ministries hoofed over. Unlike Blackcharry, Blackcurrant had no talent for robotics, or so she wrote down.” Glittering said. “On the other hoof, Blackcharry developed Terra, which uses a completely different base spell matrix program developed for Assaultrons, and reworked by Blackcharry herself.”

"From my experience with Terra, I think Blackcharry was on the right track." I trotted as close as possible to the animatronic and hoped this robot was actually dead. "Right, so where do I start?"

“There's a panel on the back, and it should have a hole. Just jam a screwdriver in it," Glittering instructed. “Have you ever met Terra?”

Using my pipbucks levitation spell, I jammed the screwdriver in, and several sparks came out as the back panel flew off. I was sure it wasn't supposed to come off like that, but I also didn't care if it didn't hit me. "Done. And ya, once, when I worked for Molly Manticore for a night. The power went out, and I had to turn it back on. Terra's charging pod also went out, and she came out to see what was wrong."

“Next, there should be tension springs holding the exo and endo together. Use a wrench on the part holding onto the endo. It should be a nut painted red," she further instructed. “So, was she friendly?"

Ilevitated the wrench to the red nut holding the spring. "Actually, ya, helped me out too. Even stopped Molly from hurting me." The nut turned, and the spring violently came flying at me. I stumbled back as it slashed my cheek, and I narrowly avoided falling off by catching the rusted railing. "Fuck! Shit! Dammit!" I yelled as I pulled myself back,causing the railing buckling under me, and threatening to fall.

“What's wrong?” Glittering asked.

“The spring exploded on me!” I growled.

I heard paper being turned over the radio before Glittering spoke up. "Oh, sorry! There are so many warnings in this book that I must have missed them."

“How many warnings?” I asked.

There was a pause. “Well… let's say that these things look like they were made to be as dangerous as pony possible. Everything about them in the notebook has a danger warning.”

Patching up my cheek, I returned to the robot, looking at all the bits and bobs, the exposed wires and gears that looked ready to eat a hoof. "Ya, whoever made this is either stupid or evil. Probably both. Thankfully, I wasn't turning the wrench myself, or it could have sliced my throat." A spark bolted out from the wrench, still attached to the loose nut. "Anyways, I'm moving on to the second spring."

“Okay, be careful. And you said Terra protected you?” Glittering then asked.

Safely to the robot side, my pipbuck managed to loosen the second nut, and a loud clunk came as the endoskeleton slipped inside the shell. "Ya, I was working at the original Pizzeria, the one that uad the bite scandal. It even had the same damn Molly too! Anyways, what do I do next?"

"Right, the ghoul mentioned something happened. But how do you know it was the same Molly?" she asked. "Oh, you need to turn a screw at the pelvic area, it's holding another spring in place, it's painted red too. After that, you just need to remove two pins at the legs; just look for the holes."

I let out a sigh as I found the red screw and pulled out the screwdriver. "Because I was there as a foal when the scandal happened. A bunch of teenagers started screwing with us younger kids, just being jerks and the like. I had to jump into the ballpit to get away, but Weatgreass got nabbed." Turning the screw, the long spring began making a twangy sound as sparks jumped around inside it. "I think his crying just antagonized them, and I guess they thought shoving his head into Molly's mouth would shut him up." With one more twanging, the robot folded up, its legs jolting to its chest. "Then Molly's jaw snapped shut. Crushing his head."

The top half of the endoskeleton slid out, along with many small bones that fell, snapping and rattling on the ground far below.

“That's… horrible. And you saw it all?” Glittering then asked.

"No, but I did see Molly moving about with him in her mouth… the… my friend was still alive and crying the whole time." With the legs closer to me, the pins were easy to find. With one jab, a pin came out, falling to the ground. "By the time emergency services arrived, I had been in that ball pit for a while, unable to look away." moving the screwdriver to the second leg, I ready myself for the shitshow that was about to start. "I wanted to help him, but I was… too afraid of Molly to even move, and I… I hated myself for that."

“But you were just a foal; what could you have done?” Live then spoke through the radio. “I mean, that's the job for adults, right.”

I let out a sigh. "Right. And I spent several years of therapy being told that. That there's nothing I could do and that it's the adults who are responsible for acting. I couldn't stop those older kids, I couldn't stop Molly, just as I couldn't stop the war. I couldn't save Wheatgrass just as I couldn't save his sister Poppy. All I could do was sit around and wait for others to act; that's who I am."

With one last jam of the screwdriver, the pin came free, and the endoskeleton fell from the exoskeleton and smashed onto the ground down below.

Strangely, the air felt… less oppressive. It was like the white noise that had been playing since we got here had been silenced, and things were truly quiet again.

My pipbuck then crackled as Harp's voice, if a bit statically, came through. "Can you hear me? Slowtrot, can you hear me?”

I tapped on the pipbuck. “Ya, but why are you talking through this?”

The Order buzzed over to me. "I was tracking the signal coming from the tower, and when it finally cut out, I could track other signals like it," Harp said through Order, her voice now much clearer. “And the radios are also producing that same signal! It's possible, but Molly might be tracking you through it!"

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we be" I began to ask, only for a loud creaking sound to come from below. "Ahh, there it is," I said, suppressing my horror.

Below me was Molly and six, no seven other animatronics. As each climbed on, the tower strained. Order fired its bolt launchers at them, sending twelve slender steel bolts into the animatronic at the front, but it barely slowed it down.

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” Harp cursed. “You need to get out of here, Slowtrot!”

I looked around, but the only direction was up. “How soon can you send help?” I asked.

The mall radio crackled, sounding like angry wailing and painful screaming before a glittering voice came through. "We're rebooting right now, but… I don't know how long it will take, and I can't do anything until it's done.”

“And we're trapped in this room too," Harp added. "I'm… I'm sorry. I should never have sent you up here by yourself."

I looked up, seeing that the stairs lead to a ladder. "Hey now, I also agreed to do this. And I doubt they can climb ladders." Pointing up, I tried to hide my doubts and fear with a smile. "I'll just sit tight and wait. If the worst comes, just send Thunder Crack to come and help me down. I mean, I should be able to survive a few days up there."

“Damnit! Okay, get up there, and I'll figure something out." Harp said, clearly not liking this plan.

As one of the animatronics reached the level below me, I did think about jumping and running, but I was more than likely to break a leg. Molly was also waiting for me down there, likely just in case I did jump. Climbing up, the broadcasting tower only felt more unstable the higher I went. It was shaking in the wind, creaking with each step of the robots, and it really felt like the only thing keeping this tower steady was the vines far below.

Reaching the ladder, it looked far safer from below; the damn thing rusted completely and was ready to fall apart. But looking down and seeing a messed up-looking robotic raccoon approaching me, I gritted my teeth and climbed up. The ladder shook even more than the tower, but I didn't stop; I couldn't stop. I might die up there, but I will die if I stay down there. I now had friends who I know will not just forget me and leave.

I just had to hold onto hope.

“But why? You only suffer because of hope." A distant yet very close voice spoke to me. I ignored it as I climbed, not wanting to find out what would happen if I slowed down. "Your suffering will end; that's what will happen." My shadows spoke to me, tempting me to give up.

“Why do you care if I live or not? I'm just some nopony.” I said as I heard popping sounds from below.

The animatronic raccoon attempted to climb up after me, resulting in the ladder snapping off under me. Now, there was no direction to go but up.

“You may be a nopony, but why suffer because of it.” The shadows spoke with malicious glee.

"Oh, shut up!" I shouted as I reached the top.

The cold wind bit into me as it attempted to push me off, leaving me feeling like I was truly unwanted by this uncaring world.

“Just let go, embrace the end. Only then will your suffering end!” My own shadow snarled.

Annoyed, I shouted at it. “Who are you! What are you?”

A familiar chuckle caused my fur to stand up. “Talking to yourself now, Slowtrot?”

Floating in my vision was the digital form Quicktrot Fragment, still in that straitjacket-like lab coat and with her abnormally long main and tail that drifted off into shattered fragments. Her eyes were still filled with that madness only a monster could have, looking at me like the burden I was to the wraith.

“So it was you this whole time!” I accused her, half hoping I wasn't just seeing things.

She laughed with the voices of her many victims, sounding like a choir of madness. “Oh, how precious. Don't blame me for every little insanity you suffer. I mean, who knows what that pipbuck did to you. It did take little pieces of your memory and soul, didn't.” She then spat in annoyance. “If your damn useless soul wasn't one of my key pieces, I'd give it back to you just to get rid of you!” Her unfriendly smile then returned, showing off her jagged teeth. “But no, I only happened to find you here. This place, this mall, has always pushed me away, but now, likely thanks to you, I am free to explore its secrets. Oh, the treasure I can now plunder!”

The tower shook, forcing me to grab onto the rusted railings. Down below, the animatronics attacked the supports, trying to knock me off.

Again, Quicktrot laughed. "Oh, how beautiful! To think you're going to be killed by those soul-eating freaks! Just like they killed Wheatgrass." Her image flickered, and then she grasped her head as though suffering from a migraine. “Shit, why…" To my horror, Quicktrot started to cry. "What is this memory!”

Wheatgrass… Why did Quicktrot know his name? But I knew when Quicktrot looked at me with eyes filled with shock, anger, and horror. Why did I never think about what memories she inherited from me, what part of me was now part of her?

A shadow figure appeared across from us; Quicktrot looked at it in shock. "May Hope die, for I Strife needs it not!”

“Of fucking course, it's you!" Quicktrot grumbled as she floated behind me and blew a raspberry at her. “Go suck a dick Strife!”

The tower then buckled and began to teeter over. I didn't know why, but that shadow, Strife, wanted me dead, and soon I was going to be.

Order buzzed over to me, nearly slamming into my face. “Slowtrot! hang onto him! %aybe we c@n glid3 you d-$^$#@$%&&$$##%^&^###$$$#*" The drone let out a loud screeching sound before dropping. I managed to catch it, for whatever that was worth.

My stomach then lurched up. The last time I felt that was when I first came to the wasteland and entered the free clinic through the roof. The wind rushed past me as the ground quickly rose to meet me. I was falling right to the center of the mall, which only meant that if I survived this fall, there was only a second one waiting for me.

The Order then turned on. "Well, this is going to hurt!" Quicktrot spoke through the drone just as we hit the glass.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 11, Intertwined Fate, Part 1.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 11, Intertwined Fate, Part 1.

__________________________________________________________________

"Hay, do ya remember that dis… diss… something core!" Cabbage tried to ask.

"You mean Discord?" Wheatgrass asked.

"Ya, that mixed-up dragon thing they teach in history class. Pops said he could make all the clouds turn pink and rain chocolate!" Cabbage said mischievously, "What if he did that again, but for the crops?"

“Not fun for the crops.” Wheatgrass complained, “Ain't that right, Trot?”

I nodded. “Mom was really miffed when I tried to water her tomatoes with the sports drink. I tried to tell her that it has electrolytes, and everything craves electrolytes.”

Wheatgrass rolled his eyes at me. "Electrolytes have salt in them, dummy." He then looked at Cabbage. "And plants don't need milk! Anyways, wouldn't you have to go to Ponyville to find him?"

Cabbage and I shrugged as our pizza showed up. The young unicorn mare was dressed up as a Manticore, a forced smile on her face. "Here's your Mandy Manticore pizza! Now enjoy the Show!"

Wheatgrass had a huge smile on his face, and he should. It was his birthday, and he loved Mandy's Pizza and the Show. I didn't like it as much as he did, and it made me feel more embarrassed than anything, as this was for little foals, and we weren't little anymore.

"No song?" Wheatgrass asked the poor mare.

She sighed, and I couldn't help but empathize with her.

Molly then began playing her jingle, the animatronic, and doing a stiff dance as it played the birthday music. I hated it. Something about Molly felt just wrong, making me wish they still used ponies in costumes. They didn't even do shows with ponies here anymore since Molly was a one-robot act or something.

Still, Wheatgrass clapped along, enjoying everything.

Once it was over and we could eat, Cabbage started his thoughts again. "Just saying, what if Discord gets free again? Maybe it will be good for the crops. Not like anything else is working."

Wheatgrass choked on his pizza, and he had to wash it down with a Sunset Sarsaparilla. "Seriously, we got that whole war thing; Discord getting free will worsen everythings. Twilight put a cage around him since stone isn't enough. And you remember how bad things got, right?"

“Dude, we were babies back then.” Cabbage retorted.

"Mom said it's because of Discord that the crops don't grow so well anymore," I added.

Wheatgrass nodded as he took another bite of pizza. "That's why Applejack has been trying to help all the farms. Since the harvest all around has been lean and all. Pa said that's why we got to hold onto those foreign territories, or there might not be enough grain to go around, unless we fix the farms here."

That was right. We could only come to Molly Manticore Pizzeria because we were pooling our birthdays. I may not like Molly, but I owned Wheatgrass a solid, and I dis liked pizza, even if Molly didn't make the best pizzas.

“Hay, no pizza for us?” Said an older teen we didn't know. He was with a few others, all of them with masks on.

"Well, you weren't invited!" Cabbage snapped as he puffed up his chest, trying to look tougher but the older kids only found it funny.

"Just give us that pepper pizza, and we'll leave." Another older kid demanded.

Cabbage got red in the face. He never liked being told what to do and hated thieves. His family had been hit the hardest because of crop thieves. Everypony in my village had been having problems with thieves, and lately, there had been talk of some family moving away to those foreign territories to farm.

Then, when those big kids were pushed, Cabbage was shoved. It wasn't much of a fight, as Cabbage tossed a glass at one of them, and our parents came running. As we laughed, the big kids ran away with their tails between their legs.

Unfortunately, Cabbage got scolded, and some other foals got scared and left. Our parents also had to leave to talk to the employees and apologize, they taking Cabbage with them. But Wheatgrass wanted to stay since Molly was going to perform soon.

As usual, Molly greeted everypony before going to the stage. As she walked up to me, her movement was jerky and clumsy, and she knocked over a few things on a nearby table. "Hello, what's your name?”

“Wheatgrass, remember!” My friend said, hoping that one day Molly would remember his name.

“And yours?” Molly asked me.

"S… Slowtrot," I said, hoping Molly won't remember my name.

“Those are wonderful names!” Molly said in a monotone voice.

Something about Molly always gave me the creeps, like, why Manticore? Manticores were monsters that ate foals; my mom always said. That's why we were never allowed to wander far from home or at night, all because monsters like the Manticore might get us.

Yet this Pizzeria used a Manticore as its mascot?

“Hay! Where's the twerp!” one of the older kids yelled as they barged in.

“Hello, what's your name?” Molly asked the big kids.

They ignored Molly as they stomped up to us. We and the remaining foals here were clearly uncomfortable. Cabbage was the brave one. The rest of us weren't.

Everything was a blur… my memory was a fog. Was there a fight? What did I do? How did I end up in the ball pit…

Shaking my head; the pony dressed up as Mandy was chasing away the bigger foals with a broom, the poor mare clearly having done this before. I was holding Wheatgrass, who struggled to not cry after one of the bigger foals kicked him in the jaw. I think he had lost a tooth, too.

Soon after our parents returned and rushed us to the local clinic, our mothers clearly overreacted. Though the welt on Weatgrass’s jaw did look painful, Cabbage thought it was cool.

"Sorry's not going to cut it!" Wheatfield yelled; Wheatgrass's dad chastised another stallion. I think it was the owner of Mandy Manticore Pizza and Show, who was a big shot from Canterlot. He was an older unicorn in a fancy suit with a funny and well-groomed beard.

"Enough, Wheatfield!" my mother cut in. We all had too much excitement for today, and Mr. Blackroot came here to apologize. So let's tone it down and act like adults."

Mom was always the voice of reason, which is probably why she was the mayor back home.

As Wheatgrass, Cabbage, and I sat on the clinic's bench, a filly in a cute dress joined us. "Hi," she said with a meek voice. She was very dark in color, two tones of purple, but with very bright pink highlights under her mane. "I'm uhh… I'm Mystic… Mystic Blackroot."

"Cabbage Patch," Cabbage said excitedly.

"Wheatgrass," Wheatgrass said while still holding his jaw.

"Slowtrot," I told the police pony.

"Now, can you tell us exactly what you saw?" she asked me.

"Oh no, you don't!" My mother shrieked as she rushed over. "My colt has been through enough, and he doesn't need you traumatizing him again! Now get out of here! Git!"

The two police ponies looked at each other and shrugged before trotting out of the hospital hallway.

I looked over to the other side, seeing Mister Wheatfield sitting in a chair with a blank look on his face. "Is Wheatgrass going to be alright?" I asked my mother.

She looked away. “I… I hope so.” She told me.

"Excuse me?" an older stallion spoke. He looked frail and very troubled, with an old and wrinkled suit and a beard in serious need of a trim. "My name's Plum Blackroot. I heard there was a major incident at my establishment and rushed over."

My mother's expression went from shock to anger to sadness. "Yes, yes, there was. But we can't talk about it here."

Mr Blackroot glanced at me and nodded to my mother. “Of course, I'm sure he's been through enough.”

They trotted down the hall and over to Mr Wheatfield as I sat by myself, trying not to remember and hoping Wheatgrass would be fine.

__________________________________________________________________

I stirred, my body aching all over, but nothing that told me I was in any serious danger. Opening my eyes, the bright fluorescent lights assaulted my vision as a sterile chemical smell filled my nose.

“Careful, Mr. Slowtrot.” A robot spoke in the same voice as the medical servicetron. Getting up, my thoughts were confirmed as I saw the cartoon face of a nurse on the servicetron's screen. "Are you feeling alright?” it asked me.

I nodded. "Better than I should be," I told the robot.

My guess was that Harp managed to get to me in time and kept me safe in a working M.o.P. office, though everything was a bit too clean. Then again, some of these places could have been perfectly preserved… unless.

"So he's awake." I thought I heard Fizzy say from behind a curtain. Pulling back the curtain was a mare in shadow, yet she gave off a similar feeling to Fizzy's. And when she took a step closer, I could see it. She had Fizzy's face, but it was darker in color and lacked freckles, yet I could see a beauty mark in a similar spot near her lip. She was purple but two tones of dark purple, yet when she moved, I could see a peek of pink under her shorter and tamed mane. Though conservatively dressed in a suit skirt, I could tell her body was also similar to Fizzy's, being curvy and a bit on the tall side with her long legs. And on her muzzle was a pair of thin-framed glasses which framed her eyes… her deep purple eyes.

This wasn't Fizzy, clearly, yet the resemblance was uncanny.

The nurse servicetron rolled up to the mare. “Yes, Miss Blackcharry, employee Slowtrot has fully recovered, but he still has residual damages, which will take time to recover."

‘Such as?” Blackcharry asked.

"Very minor lead poisoning from the bullets pulled out of him. Numerous microfractures had not healed properly, likely from misuse of healing potions. Scars from several injuries, not including the bullets. And residual baelfire radiation and exotic radiation.” The robot listed off.

Blackcharry nodded. "Activate protocol Clover secret 110114 Cleverbot."

The servicetrons' screen went blank, and the voice said in a non-gendered monotone voice, "Memory erased.”

“Now, can you give us some privacy?” Blackcharry said, and the nurse's servicetron returned to normal and rolled away. The mare then turned to me, a concerned look on her face. “Now tell me, who are you, and where… no, when did you come from?”

That was getting to the point in record timing. "Well, I'm Slowtrot, and I'm from Applewood."

Blackcharry glared at me. “No, Slowtrot is currently in Applewood… or was up until recently.”

"After winning a pipbuck," I said.

She nodded. “I have it on good authority that you are currently on the Marewaii Islands, which is currently on lockdown by the navy, and there's no way you'd be here, and with… that.” She pointed at my pipbuck. “Or with that!” Her hoof then moved, pointing at Order. “Both are devices with advanced technology I haven't seen before, with even more advanced programming that just confuses me.”

I raised my hooves up in surrender. “Right, you got me. I’m from the future.” I admitted, unable to think of an excuse.

Blackcharry looked at me for a long moment, studying me, then sighed. "That was way too easy." She said, "Or you're smart enough to not lie."

Something about this felt odd. "How did you know I'm from the future?" I asked.

"I hacked your pipbuck. It's a simple thing for me, Blackcharry," she answered quickly.

I relaxed, glad I didn't have to explain this weird magic. "Say, isn't the information on my pipbuck… dangerous? Like, you know, in the Return from the Future movie?"

She paused to think about that, looking genuinely confused and concerned. "Wait, is that possible? No… she told me that's not how it works. But what if it is how it works?" Blackcharry mumbled as she shook her head, her stoic feeling now less so. "Well, it's not like I… umm, I'll just delete any data to be sure of it. So you can just go back, no worries about causing ponies to phase out of existence."

That… didn't sound right at all. Well, actually, it sounded like something I would say if in her position. But from what I knew from what Harp told me, Blackcharry was very well educated, a respected robotic researcher, and studied time magic alongside Majesty. Wait… she's a robot expert; my pipbuck and Order shouldn't confuse her…

Shifting to a more comfortable position, I looked at the now nervous mare in the eyes. "Ummm, can I ask you another question?"

"Okay… but no personal question. It's rude, ya know." She said, rubbing her leg just like Fizzy does.

“You're Mystic, aren't you?” I asked.

Her eyes shot wide open in shock. Mystic looked around, ensuring no one was around before closing the blinds. "How in the peach fuzz do you know I'm…" she then sat up straight, stoically. "I don't know who that is."

“It's okay, I'm not going to tell anypony. I actually met Magnificence, if only briefly.” I told her.

Mystic relaxed, her poster becoming much looser and resembling Fizzy even more. Truthfully, if she had that Vally Applewood accent, and was lighter in color, she'd be almost entirely identical to Fizzy. "If you met Mag, then I can trust you. But how and when?"

“Do you really want to know?” I asked.

She thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No, unlike me, Mag and the others
likes getting her hooves in troublesome situations. It's why I want you to return sooner rather than later."

I then remembered why I was even here. “Right, Blackcurrant and his cult.”

Hooves shoved their way into my mouth, keeping me from talking further. “Shhhhhh! If he knows that you know that I know that he knows that we know… you know?” I nodded, and she removed her hooves from my muzzle. “Without saying the C word, tell me what you know?”

I thought about what to say for a moment, trying to put the pieces together. "Me and my friends were sent to… end what's going on under the Mall. Both to keep whatever it is from getting out and to help Miss Fizzy."

“Fizzy!” she gasped before covering her mouth. “Umm… who's that?”

I nervously scratched the back of my head. “Well, you see… she's your decent.”

She let out a laugh. “Now that's a joke. Clones can't have foals.”

“Well, no. Magnificence confirmed that Miss Fizzy is your descendant.” I told her again.

She then grabbed onto me, panic on her face. "No, that's impossible!"

I shrugged. “It's what Magnificence said.”

"Well, she's lying. Because we're both serial, " she said, even more panicked. “And that would mean her father is…" Her eyes fell on me for a long moment before looking away.

"Hey, I know even less than you do. Frankly, I don't even know if this is real." I told her.

Mystic sat on the ground, letting out a long sigh, and looked ready to cry. “Blackcharry, why did you leave me here? I can barely keep up with our brother's weirdness.”

Getting up myself, I said, "It's okay; I'm just as." I then slipped and fell out of the bed onto the poor mare. Fortunately, I caught myself before hitting the floor and didn't crush her. "S… sorry, my back legs were still asleep."

Looking up at me, Mystic held her hooves up defensively. “It's… okay.” She then blushed. “But can you… well… not sit on me like that.”

I then realized we were in a somewhat compromising position. Finding strength in my legs, I pushed myself off Mystic and moved to the side. "I'm so sorry!"

Mystic got herself up as well, a few bobby pins falling out of her mane, which let several cowlicks free. "No, no, it's my fault; you're still recovering from your treatment. I know you don't have any ill intent, so I'll be fine." She tried to straighten out her mane using magic by resetting a few bobby pins, but they flew out soon after. There was something about Mystic as she quickly cleaned herself up, and how that suit seemed a bit too tight on her, which caught my eyes, making it hard to look away. "So, Blackcurrant is still a problem in the future? Like how far, twenty, thirty, or maybe fifty years?"

I cringed. "About over two hundred years."

She paused as a cowlick on top of her mane popped up, resembling the one Fizzy always has. “T… two… hundred?” I nodded. “Oh, this is more like Captain Chrome than Return from the Future.”

“Wait, you've seen it! It wasn't even out when all this happened to me.” I blurted out.

Mystic smiled. “I got to see an early screening of it. And we have the Holotape for it in the theater.”

That was… awesome! "I don't know how long I'll be here, but I would love to see even a bit of it!"

“Oh, I can actually do that.” She said before her eyes looked down and blushed a little. “But… you might need to calm down a little.”

Looking down, I saw that I was showing more than it was polite to, and quickly hid my privates. “Again, sorry.”

Nervously rubbing her leg and looking away, she had a slight smile. "No, it's fine. It's probably a side effect of your treatment. Chems do weird stuff, ya know. Anyways, it's not like… you know, maybe we should get moving. You can't just stay here, ya know."

Standing up, something felt off. “Are you sure? You do know I don't belong here.”

She let out a chuckle. “You and me both.” she then trotted out from the little space I was in, half out of the curtain as she looked around, her tail swishing about. “Okay, it's safe, and here's your stuff.”

The security uniform and medic case were levitated over; all complied clean, and even the armor had been fixed. "Thanks, but-"

Mystic pointed at me with her back leg. "No, just put it on! You'll be acting as my private security. That's the story."

Not wanting to argue, I put it on. The spotless clothes on my clean fur felt nice. Adjusting the hat before trotting out, I still couldn't help but feel out of place. "Okay, but why?"

She shrugged. "Why not? It will help you blend in, and you are considered an employee for some reason. It won't stop Blackcurrant from freaking out, but it will keep him from acting out rasly in public. I'm one of the Mall's chief managers, so Blackcurrant can't interfere with my job without upsetting the rest of the family. Still, he and his cult have been getting bolder lately.."

Now, that had me a bit worried. Without Pewter or Rattlebones, there was nobody to counter whatever cult magic they had… if they had any. "Wait, why would they get bolder?"

Mystic seemed rather unhappy with that question. "Because he's got the Ministries behind him. Though Blackcharry and I don't know the full extent behind their relationship, but we do know that the old Canterlot families have lost a lot of their influence over the years. That and if Fizzy is my… it makes this situation much worse."

I didn't need the implications to be spelled out for me, nor was I going to make the poor mare say it. But if I was here, then it could be prevented. No… from what Harp told me, we can't change the past; sometimes, something more significant than us won't let it. But there is a lot we don't know, such as what actually happened here. "Alright, if anything happens, I'll be here with you… as long as possible." I then looked over at Order and wondered. "Say, can you power the drone there? Not sure it will work, but it's worth a shot."

“How?” Mystic asked. “The tech in that thing makes no sense. The battery is too small, and there's no charge port.”

Right… Mirage pony tech. "I… think you can use a spark battery? Usually, Harp just uses her magic to charge it. Oh, Harp’s Majesty's decent, she's a Mirage pony… oh-"

"Stop! Please don't tell me too much." Mystic pleaded. "But you mean a pony charges it… directly?" I nodded, and Mystic sighed. "That's actually quite difficult for most unicorns, and I'm not all that good with magic… but It's something that I can actually do."

A spark came from Mystic's horn, and she began to shimmer. After a moment, the light in Order's eyes lit up.

“That… but how?” I said in shock.

"After Magnificence and I were… made, Majesty ran several tests with help from a few court mages. It is something about testing our genetics and whether it can be recreated, along with its applications in other research. I couldn't do much magic like Magnificence could, but we both could easily take in magic from our environment and give it out." She explained.

“You speak of project forest.” Order spoke in a feminine voice that I knew, though not that well. "It's been a while, Mystic; good to see that you're still healthy, but why are you here, and… who are you?" Order looked at me as I began to remember the voice. It was Healing Herbs; it had to be! "Wait… Slowtrot? That is your name. But shouldn't you be leaving the stable? What is June doing?”

My heart pinched with guilt as Healing Herbs looked at me, not knowing that she was dead. No, it wasn't her, only a shadow, a part of Quicktrot Fragment, but right now, it was Healing Herbs. “Please listen to me carefully, miss Healing Herbs, but you're not actually you, not completely.”

Mystic looked even more confused. “Slowtrot, why Mss Healing Herbs inside a robot?”

“Robot? I’m in… a robot?" Healing Herbs said in a mild panic but then calmed. "That would answer why I can't feel my legs. Slowtrot, do you know something about this?”

I nodded. "You were tricked, Healing Herbs; your mega spell wasn't meant to get around the problem of time travel but to break out a Nightmare from Tartarus. The pipbuck I had, and you… died with, it takes a piece of your soul into itself. You're only a Fragment of who you were."

Mystic gasped.

“Oh, calm down, you silly goose!" Healing said to Mystic. “How is it that your personality is the exact opposite of your originator? But if what Slowtrot says is true, then nothing can be done about it. Now that I try to remember, my mind is foggy, and some things don't feel right. I can only guess this state is temporary?"

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. There's a main personality who's likely asleep. From what Harp told me, the last time this happened, it thought it was me for a while. So who knows how long you will stay here." I explained

Healing Herbs then flew up, buzzing around a bit before stopping mid-air. "Well, let's make the most of it, shall we."

__________________________________________________________________

Awkwardly explaining our situation to Healing Herbs, we trotted out into the Mall, Healing hovering above as she talked through the earpieces we both had in. As we left an M.o.P. office, several ponies dressed in black tried to not look suspicious as they followed us, and they failed hard.

“Oh, my Celestia, not even the M.o.M. were that obvious, and their suits were pink.” Healing said through the earpiece.

"They're from Blackcurrant's social club, not well-trained agents," Mystic explained quietly. "It's how he got ponies to join his cult. And now they hang onto his every word."

“And it's safe to suspect he knows what you are?" Healing asked.

She nodded. "Unfortunately, one of your assistants was Constellation, and he helped Blackcurrant found the club after you joined Stable-Tec.”

“Right, he was Blackcurrant's friend when they went to Celestia's school for gifted Unicorns. It's hard to remember, but I think he was quite enamored with you.” Healing said. “But to think they both would become this much of a problem.”

"It's because Blackcurrant and Constellation have become heads of their families. Blackcharry stepped down as head, and Contellation's parents and older brother were killed in a Zebra bombing. The Ministries then made sure both were in their pocket, and through them, more of the old families have become pets of the Ministries.” Mystic explained, then sighed. “This is why Majesty never like Twilight, that mare is just too involved in herself to think about the damage she does.”

Mystic then took a deep breath, calming down. “This is why Blackcharry just doesn't have the power to get me out of here without it blowing up in her face. The royal family doesn't have the power it once had, so I can only be my sister's spy and hope for an opportunity out, even if it's a futile effort.”

“Well, from what we know about time magic, if Slowtrot and I are here, something must have happened to force this connection.” Healing pondered. “Maybe Majesty has done something to aid you?”

This time, I shook my head. "No, I think Majesty is in stable 50, preparing for the bombs. I believe this goes higher up, like Celestia or something higher. That's what the old ponies basically told me."

“I can confirm that Majesty is in Stable 50. Along with her husband, her children, and Blackcharry's children.” Mystic added. “So this has to be the work of something else.”

“I guess that's the best we can assume. Otherwise, why else would we be delivered here and to the one pony at the center of this problem." Healing guessed. “Mystic, I still don't understand most of this, but I suggest you try to work with Slowtrot on taking down Blackcurrant. If we're to assume that he can't be dealt with in your time, it's possible what you do now may affect things in his time."

"But messing with time doesn't work, right? It just rebounds or something." Mystic argued, and I nodded.

Somehow, Healing Herbs managed to sigh. "I know that. That's why I was attempting to get around that issue, or I thought I was. Oh, how frustrating this is. But that aside, you both should not think so linearly. If Slowtrot is right, then something is moving him here on purpose, and it's likely to set certain pieces into motion. Whoever, or whatever that may be, is unknown to us, but doing nothing now is just as bad as attempting to change the timeline. If that makes any sense."

"Ohhhh! That makes sense, maybe?" both Mystic and I said.

Healing herbs managed to squint at us with ordered eyelights. "How is it that you two imbeciles are on the same wavelength… Never mind, what's important is that you both find a way to help each other. From what Slowtrot has explained, he seems to be anchored here, so it's safe to assume that he will return here, meaning you can use this to your advantage."

We looked at each other and then at her. I understood most of that but wondered how that would work.

Healing Herbs let out a groan. “Slowtrot can take things with him through time. This means if there's something you need that isn't obtainable right now, he can get it for you in the future. Or you can give him something from this time to take back to the future!”

"Ohhhh! That makes sense." Both Mystic and I went again, and Healing looked absolutely frustrated.

“Is this what I deserve, for trying to break the natural laws and stepping on the domain I have no right to. This is how I'm punished." Healing Herbs lamented.

I then realized something important, something useful. "Say, wouldn't you know how to turn off the animatronics? Oh, and the securitrons, too! Both are the main reasons why the Desperados haven't dismantled the mall. Eliminating them should solve most of our problems."

Mystic nodded at that, "actually, it's the same for me. Blackcurrant uses the animatronics to spy on everypony, including me. What they see and hear is returned to the mega Mall's mainframe. I've tried to get in there, but you need a key tag to open the way in. The same applies to the robotics lab on B2. Only four key tags exist. My brother has one; the other three are with Molly, Muller, and Oliver and Oscar. If I had one of those, I'd be able to find out what exactly Blackcurrant is doing down there."

"I'm guessing Blackcurrant's key tag would be with him, so we must go after the three animatronics. Which might be a problem." I then pointed to the fixed cut on my armor, the line still visible where Molly almost got me the first time. "Molly almost got me twice, and they knocked over the radio tower to kill me, which resulted in me ending up here."

Mystic gasped. “That's horrible! You're okay, are you?”

I glanced at Healing Herbs, who ignored me, then looked back at Mystic. “Well, you did get me fixed up.”

"Right, I forgot about that, " she said with a goofy smile before looking serious. But ya, you'll need a key tag to get to the mainframe. From there, you should be able to deactivate all the robots. But who should you get the key tag from?"

“Is there one that can easily be isolated?” Herbs asked.

"Well, Molly is programmed to always have at least a few forest friends around her, and more nearby. So either Muller or Oliver and Oscar." Mystic pondered. "I'd avoid Muller, I've seen that robots just walk through barriers like they're nothing. It gives me a feeling that he wasn't originally a sanitation robot."

"Oscar is actually blind on one side." I then pointed it out, remembering the half-melted eye socket. "So they might be easier to deal with."

Mystic's eyes light up. "That's it! Oliver and Oscar are programmed to respond differently by the scale of a disturbance and whether a VIP is present." She then gave me a hug. "If you can make it a low-priority disturbance with a VIP in the area, the robot will have to respond so that the VIP can see it, but have a low show of force to not frighten the VIP."

“Use its own programming against itself. I guess there is some Blackcharry in you, after all." Healing Herbs commented.

"Blackcharry!" A stallion yelled, causing Mystic to let me go. In the distance was a finely dressed stallion, his short mane barely held together by the thick layering of gell. Following him were several of the black-suited stallions. "Whose this?" He asked as she closed in.

Mystic got nervous momentarily but quickly straightened up, putting on the stoic front. "My security, brother. What business do you have with me?"

Blackcurrant was a thin stallion, almost sickly, and had a similar coloring as Mystic's. His clothes were ancient in style, something I only saw in plays about Snowfall Frost, and to top it off, he had a pencil-thin mustache that curled up slightly. He looked just out of time and place as I actually was. "Dear sister, my dear sister, why can't your brother come to see you. Didn't we have a dinner date last night, yet you forgot to show. It has me worried so dearly. And now some fake security is following you around. It has me very worried."

One of the suited stallions then whispered to him. "What? He does work for us! But how? I had them all fired and replaced by the securitrons?" Blackcurrant then huffed in annoyance. "Whatever, you! stallion! You can go, now be off with you; you're let go from this company's employment!" He then moved his hooves like he was waving off some dirty animal.

Mystic then got between us. “He’s under MY employment, not yours. And I didn't forget to attend the dinner date; I had work to do! Something you have been neglecting to do yourself. Now stop pestering me wherever I go; unlike you, I take the management of this Mall very seriously!"

Blackcurrant then used his magic to grab hold of Mystic's face. I stepped in to stop it, but two of his followers drew pistols on me. "Listen here, my dear sister. Your brother knows what's best for you, and you will listen to me! You understand! We will have our dinner date, and this riff-raff will be seen out the door."

“As pathetic as always, Blackcurrant, I knew I had you pinned as a creep since your school days.” Healing Herbs said, getting everyone's attention. Sparks bolted out from Order, forcing Blackcurrant and his followers to back off as she looked at us with a steely glare. "You two, run!”

Helping Mystic up, we ran for the stairs, heading upwards. Blackcurrant then laughed, madness in his voice. "Oh, my brilliant Blackcharry, what another wonderful invention!"

We didn't slow down to hear what he would say next; we just went up and away.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 12, Intertwined Fate, Part 2.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 12, Intertwined Fate, Part 2.

__________________________________________________________________

Finding a reasonably out-of-the-way spot on the third floor, which had blacked-out windows, we caught our breath. It was some sort of clothing store, with plenty of hiding spots in case they checked here.

“Are you sure it’s safe here?” I asked

Mystic nodded. "Not many animatronics come around these parts of the mall, since it’s bad for their image if they did, so it's harder for Blackcurrant to track us here."

I looked around, and something about this place felt way too familiar.

“It was good that he didn't seem interested in following you," Healing Herbs said. “But was he always this bad? My memories are… not the best, but I don't think he was ever that crazy."

“You knew him?” Mystic asked her.

Healing looked annoyed as she answered. “Unfortunately, I did. I was a student teacher at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I did mainly assistant work for the professors but also had to run the detention hall. He… developed several bad habits, resulting in him having to spend extended stays in detention. I think it had to do with the death of his mother and how distant his father had become. A shame, really, Mr. Blackroot was such a dapper unicorn, but by Blackcurrent's last year, he had really let himself go. As for Blackcurrant himself, he wasn't that bad, but he had very few friends due to the Blackroost's darker reputation."

"The Blackroots study dark and forbidden magic and its history as part of their duty to the royal family. Blackcharry and Blackcurrant are well versed in it, but our father… their father wasn't. Mr Blackroot married into the family and was known for being a prolific clock and toy maker, not a spell crafter." Mystic explained. "He was also known for becoming hyper-focused on whatever he was focused on, and without his wife by his side, it's not hard to imagine him unknowingly neglecting his children or allowing Blackcurrant's access to the forbidden archives to be unsupervised."

A sigh came from Healing Herbs. “That's probably what happened. Only a select few ponies have access to forbidden arcives. If any pony else wanted to access it, they needed Celestia's approval, with a pony who had experience in dark magic to supervise. Those experienced ponies were the Blackroots." She then paused for a moment, making a whirring sound. “But Celestia should be keeping a close eye on the Blackroots if I remember correctly. No way she'd let them just go mad like this!” The lights on the drone then flickered. “Oh right, nobody has seen her in years, but then… Luna?”

"Are you okay, Healing Herbs?" Mystic desperately asked.

"I think she's losing power," I suggested.

Mystic nodded. "Alright, I'm on it.

Looking at the drone, something didn’t feel right, and a feeling at the back of my neck prickled, my tail twitched, and the feeling of a tugging… “Wait! Don’t give her power!”

Mystic looked shocked. “But why?”

“Well damn… I truly hate you; you know that.” Quicktrot said as the lights on the drone grew dimmer. “Free me, and you’ll never see me again. Let me be in this world where the technology hasn’t gone to shit yet.”

There was no way I was going to do that. "Quictrot, you'll stay in there, and we will send you permanently to Tartarus."

The lights on the drone finally went out. Mystic looked at me worriedly, but I shook my head.

"There's no guarantee it will be Healing Herbs again if we power her back on." When taking orders, I attach the bot to my back. "We got lucky that she woke up and not the others inside Quictrot."

Mystic nodded, a tear forming in her eye. “I think I know. But it was good to see Healing again, even if… it was like that.”

I reached over and wiped the tear from her cheek. "I may not have known her for long, but it was good seeing her, too." Looking around again, I realized exactly where we were. "And maybe we should try some other place?"

It was Midnight Miscarried before it had rotted away, and seeing everything in mint condition and lit up under blacklight, I could understand the allure.

Mystic looked around as well and then giggled. "Oh, this place is fine."

“You know it?” I asked.

"Well, their costumes are really good, and they make custom orders, too. I even own a few." I cocked an eyebrow at her. "What, unlike the real Blackcharry, I do like to look pretty."

“And the other products here?” I further asked, motioning at the product behind the counter.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Mares like to have fun too, ya'know. Anyways, you shouldn't talk so much since you got a chubby form just looking at me." With a little laugh, Mystic began looking through the costumes. "Here, why don't we play dress up? Blackcurrant isn't the most perceptive pony, so having a disguise isn't a bad idea."

That sounded reasonable, but knowing mares, she probably just wanted to dress up first and foremost. "Alright, but only because it makes sense. And it was the chems that got me like that, that's what you said."

Mystic wiggled her flank at me as she looked through a rack of costumes. “So you're saying that you don't find me attractive?”

"I'm not saying that, you're a beautiful mare. It's just…" I then took a deep breath and rubbed my head in frustration, wondering why most mares were like this. "Please, miss Mystic, we only met, so it may be inappropriate to flirt with a stranger. Anyways, I am in a relationship of… some sort."

She looked back at me in shock and some concern on her face. "Oh, sorry… I got carried away since I don't have to be Blackcharry around you. I'm not allowed to be myself, you see, and Blackcurrant is desperate for me to maintain the image of his sister he has in his mind."

“I'm guessing Blackcharry doesn't live up to it?” I asked.

Mystic nodded. "He still thinks of her as some pure untouched genius, his virgin sister, you can say. But Blackcharry is married with foals, so that image is hard to maintain. Now his obsession is falling onto me."

I could understand why Mystic was being this way. If her personality was nothing like her original, it must be hard to live like that. "Okay, I think I understand."

Pulling out an outfit, Mystic trotted to the dressing room. "Thanks. Oh, and you don't sound sure of this relationship of yours. Is it a one-sided romance, where you're pining, yet she's drawn to another?"

“Ehhh, nothing of the sort. It's more her mother forcing us into a relationship, like at gunpoint.” I explained to her. “Frankly, I don't know what we are. It's not that we don't like each other, but she can certainly do better than me.”

Poking her head out of the dressing room, she had a frown on her face. "Well, I think you're certainly a good catch, if I have anything to say about it."

I smiled at that. "Thanks, but you don't need to cheer me up. I'm just another stranger, after all."

Mystic looked away and spoke with a sad tone. "Y... ya, you're right. But I guess that makes us both strangers, then. Funny that." She blushed and looked rather uncomfortable. "Umm, can you come here and help me with something?"

I took another deep breath and trotted over. Stepping inside, I froze to see a considerably scandalous outfit hanging up, reminding me of Star Charters' hostess dress. Mystic herself was trying to put on fishnet pantihos, but seemed to have gotten stuck. "Ummm… you sure you need me for this?" I asked as I looked away.

Mystic sighed. "I unfortunately don't have much power behind my magic, and most dresses aren't set for a mare of my… proportions. It's why I need my clothes tailored, or they tend to be tight in the wrong places."

She wasn't wrong. Mystic's hips were relatively big, but not absurdly wide, just more than the average from what I knew. She was just like with Miss Fizzy, which made sense if they were related. "Still, you sure it's okay for me to"

"It's fine!" She huffed. "Seriously, why is everypony so hung up on decency when we don't normally wear clothes?" She then bumped me with her flank. "Anyways, I never get to show off my outfits or… you know." She then took a step away from me. "Oh, I did it again, s… sorry."

“It's fine, I'm just not used to this kind of attention.” I then used my pipbuck to try and get the pantihos over her flank, but they were getting caught on something. I pulled again, and Mystic let out a little yelp. “Umm, you okay?” I asked, really hoping I didn't do anything wrong.

"Y… ya, I'm fine. It's just that it's getting caught on… something." She was blushing profusely now. "Please don't freak out, but you must go under to deal with it. Sorry."

This was not how I thought my day would go. "Are you… sure?"

She nodded. "It's fine, I trust you. And this is more my fault than anything." Mystic told me as she spread her legs and lifted her tail. I looked away and began feeling around. There was something soft and pillow-like there, and then I found the garter belt and tugged. "H... hay now, you need to look before tugging." She said nervously.

“Are you really sure?” I asked again.

"Yes, dammit! It can get sensitive down there!" She huffed.

Ya, that was it, I couldn't hold back and opened my eyes. Mystic was fully exposed and probably looked better than the mares in a wing boner magazine. On top of that, she was well endowed too, not to what the others said Fizzy was, but as far as I knew, most mares didn't have much. Actually, seeing it all, a part of the fishnet had gotten tangled in her tit and needed to be pulled free. I could only guess this was what Mystic meant by most clothing not being made for her proportions and freed it; which Mystic gave a sighed of relief. With her free, I then helped get her buttoned up, which involved me getting uncomfortably close.

"Thanks," Mystic said as she relaxed under me, which only made me more nervous. “Blackcarry thinks it was a flaw in my creation, causing me to be... well endowed. I'm fine with it, but it has its own unique issues, as you saw."

Once it was done, I backed out. After a long and awkward moment, Mystic stepped out in a saloon mare outfit, which included a hat and black veil. She posed in her outfit, letting a bit of back leg show, revealing the fishnet and a bit of the garter belt. "Nice, right." I nodded as her eyes drifted down, causing me to cover myself. Mystic held her hooves toward me in apology. "Sorry about that."

"I'm a stallion, so it's natural. Still, sorry for getting like that while you." I told her as I looked away in embarrassment. "And seriously, you should be more guarded. I mean, what if I wasn't, I mean… you know, right?"

Mystic lifted her veil as she trotted to me, her face blushing. "What if I'm fine with that? It's not like I'm the real M…" she sighed again. "Let's just say that if I was to be with a pony, I'd rather be with someone nice like you than with Blackcurrant."

“Right… sorry.” I apologized.

She then smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "I'm sorry, too. It's unfair of me to push my problems onto you like that. But I do stand by what I said." Mystic then trotted off, returning with another outfit. “Now it's your turn!”

__________________________________________________________________

Mystic had me dressed up in a classic frontier pony outfit, mostly a poncho and a wide-brimmed hat. I recognized it as the outfit from the movie, A Hoof Full of Bits, so I didn't mind.

"Okay, so why all the outfits? I just want to ask. And are they all like that one you have on right now?" I had to ask as we trotted down the mall.

"Well, Nightmare Nights is around the corner. As for my personal outfits, most are just recreations from many of my favorite movies, like Invaders From Plants Z, Don't Bother Knocking, and The Pirates of Paradise. I absolutely love the outfit the mares had on them. So elegant, yet daring." She explained excitedly as she again posed in her saloon dress. "I even have a few variants of this type of dress, with one that shows a bit more. Well… had."

"They all show a lot more," I commented, remembering how much those movies got protests, as some ponies saw them as indecent. "And if you were in those movies, with your body, they'd be listed as X-rated."

"I'll take that as a compliment. And oh, a mare could dream of being on the silver screen like Lilac Lace," Mystic said wistfully. "But I know it will never happen." That was right. We both knew that soon, this world was going to end. No Applewood, no Canterlot, and barely an Equestria left.

I then felt a tug as Mystic dragged me to a booth.

“What are you-” she shoved a hoof in my face before pulling me inside.

"Just smile!" she said. As we did, several flashes went off. Once it was over, we stepped outside, and she grabbed two strips from a pocket in the booth, giving me one. "Here, at least something to remember me by."

Taking it, I saw several photos of us and looked awkward as Mystic posed differently in each. Looking at Mystic, she smiled softly at the photos before safely putting them away.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, knowing the end was coming and not being able to do anything about it. I doubted she could even run away. And her advances towards me, it wasn't like she even liked me. She didn't even know me. Truthfully, I didn't blame her, as she wanted a way out of this mess, and if sleeping with a stallion would do it, then any stallion would do. But at least I could let her be herself around me.

We both froze as we heard a family voice.

“What do you mean you still can't find her!” Blackcurrant shouted at another stallion. “The longer my innocent little sister is around that brute, the more he threatens to ruin her purity! And when you do find them, take that stallion to the scooping room.”

I… really didn't like the sound of that.

Mystic then nudged me, “we should hide until they move on,” she whispered.

We entered a relatively well-lit store, and before I looked adequately to see what it was, we were in a wedding dress shop. I cocked an eyebrow at Mystic as she mischievously smiled back at me. "Oh, come on, darling, at least let me browse."

One of the cult members was nearby, so I played along. "Alright, but it's bad manners for me to see the dress before the wedding day." I played along, and Mystic let out a giggle as she went deeper inside. The cult member got closer, his eyes on me, but fortunately, the poncho hid the drone, along with the rest of my stuff, as the hat obscured my face. "Is there a problem?" I asked, making sure he could see my gun.

He then pulled out a badge, “I'm Constellation, head of s… security, have you seen anypony impersonating a security pony around here?” he asked nervously, and I shook my head. “M..mind if I search you?”

I pulled back my poncho enough to reveal Checove’s Promise, looking Constellation in the eyes.

The cult member looked at the gun with amusement before looking me in the eyes as well. I didn't know why, but when we locked eyes, all amusement in his face drained, and he quickly left. With the threat gone, I turned and trotted in after Mystic.

"I know, right? The dress is absolutely beautiful." Mystic said to another mare.

"Ya, but are you sure it's appropriate? I don't think I should go with white." The other mare asked her, and I froze. Poppy Fields was here again and looking at wedding dresses. "It just doesn't feel right."

A cold chill ran up my spine as I felt eyes on me like I was being observed by sompony far beyond me, waiting to see what I did next.

"Oh, don't be like that, miss. From what I know, stallions don't care about what you dress up in; they only want to know you love them. Just find the prettiest gown you can. The fact that you love it will mean he will love it, too," Mystic told Poppy.

I saw it, saw her. In the back was a mare in a sunhat obscuring her face. She practically glowed with a golden light, her mane moving as though a gentle breeze was passing through. She was beautiful, monstrously, terrifyingly beautiful.

Poppy looked at the dress. "Ya, I guess you're right," she said, a smile forming on her muzzle—a smile I don't remember ever seeing her have on her before. She looked genuinely happy. "Thank you. I'll give it some real thought." Trotting off, she almost bumped into me. " Oh, sorry, sir," she said to me.

I quickly stepped out of the way while keeping an eye on the sunhat mare. "No, I should be paying attention," I said as I moved. A mannequin broke my line of sight with the mare in the back, and she was gone.

Poppy quickly left without recognizing me or even a confused pause.

“What are the odds?” Mystic said, and I raised an eyebrow. “Oh nothing, but… are you okay?” Mystic then asked. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

I nodded. "Ya, there's just this…" I couldn't remember what I was looking at; I was sure it was something… maybe Poppy? "I'll be okay." Ya, that must be what it had been. Seeing Poppy again was a real shock, then seeing where she died and then now… But I had already said what I wanted to say to her at her resting place, so I didn't want to ruin what happiness she had before her end. I could try to save her, but… That's not the Poppy I knew, and it would be selfish of me to make her suffer again for my own guilt.

Looking outside and seeing the cost was clear, I forced myself to smile. "Blackcurrant's goons have left, so we don't need to keep up the act."

"I know… but why not stick around here for a bit. You said you were getting married, right? So I thought it would be fun if we kept pretending to be together and get you a suit?" She suggested.

"Mystic, I don't know when I'll go back, so are you sure about this? Let's focus on stopping Blackcurrant. " I told her.

Mystic nodded, looking a bit disappointed. "The mainframe control room isn't far from here, under Sparkle-Cola Adventure, and the door is inside the big bottle," Mystic said quietly. "I don't know why, but Blackcurrent, Sparkle-Cola, and Solarus-tec were working together on it. They tried to keep it hidden, but Blackcharry caught on and had me look into it." she rubbed her leg nervously, "Now that you know, maybe we can do this, if only for a bit."

Right, not only Poppy had little time left, but it was the same for Mystic. Except her fate might be even worse. Almost everypony here didn't have much time to live, and they were going to die terrified and hopeless. The lucky ones will die quickly, the others die slowly to radiation, some will be killed by Molly, and even more will kill themselves. But thanks to me, Mystic knows it's coming soon and we can't do anything to stop it.

"Right, we might as well keep playing along," I told her, and the mare put a wide grin on her face. "Oh, and about what you said to that mare, I also think Canterlot My Love was a good movie."

Her muzzle scrunched up in mild embarrassment. "Well, I always wanted to say that wedding dress line. Where Lilac Lace helps the lost mare make up her mind about what gown to pick and practically covers her in flowers. If I were to get married, I'd have it be like that, though maybe not as pink as in the movie. Still, it's remarkable how Lilac Lace only played a minor role in it, but it helped jumpstart her career as an actress."

I rubbed my head in embarrassment. "Ya, same here with me." But back when I was with Poppy, it never happened. That and she never shared the same love for movies as I did. Sometimes, she'd get jealous if I mentioned Lilac Lace or other actors and actresses. Eventually, I stopped talking about films around her, since it was more trouble than it was worth. "Is it odd that I wanted to recreate some of those scenes? Anypony could fit Lilac Lace's role in it, but she really sold that scene."

"Ohhh, I know! And she was absolutely beautiful, too. Just pulled that mysterious beauty roll off perfectly" Mystic gushed as she did a little pose. “I even have several of her outfits recreated for me. Even if there's nobody to show them off to, I like to put them on. Though my mane is too wild to get the look just right, and I'd need a few more years to grow it out."

"Actually, I'd love to see that." The image in my head I was having was less than appropriate to share, so I kept my mouth shut about it. “If your mane is anything like Miss Fizzy's, I'm sure you'll look stunning.”

__________________________________________________________________

After getting my measurements and picking out a suit, I let Mystic try on a few dresses, too. She was gorgeous, though the whole thing was more somber than fun, knowing what we knew. Once she was satisfied, we moved on, making our way to Sparkle-Cola Adventure, a mini theme park inside the mall.

Even on the third floor, the place was a buzz with ponies of all ages and robots managing game stalls and offering other services. But something had me a bit worried as we trotted through the crowds. "Say, are the robots here the same as the animatronics?"

Mystic first shook her head, then scratched her chin. “Maybe…” She said, “I think Sparkle-World was using normal robots, but there was this deal to open something like the pizzeria there. They have this whole world of tomorrow thing, and I guess they wanted Molly Manticor to be part of it… maybe.”

"You mean the Steller Zone?" I asked, and she nodded. "Right, that makes sense since they also run it mostly by robots." Looking over at one of the bots here, It was a Protect-A-Pony that looked more like a trotting vending machine than a robot. I could only hope the madness that happened here wasn't happening over at Sparkle-World.

"Over here!" Mystic called, taking me to the railings overlooking the rest of the theme park. At the center, and dominating the scenery, was a massive Sparkle-Cola bottle that reached up to the glass ceiling, which was both an enormous fountain and part of a large rollercoaster ride. "The bottle there is where they control the rides and the bots in here, but under it is the main control room and mainframe. I don't know how the security will respond if you get down in there, but I know that Oliver and Oscar are much more restricted up here. Because it's technically Sparkle-Cola property, mall security can't be as aggressive, not at first at least. And if a VIP is present, then the robots act extra careful. But that's as far as I know. Sorry, but that's all I can do for you right now, without a Key Tag, I can't do much without Blackcurrant finding out. ”

"No, this is more than enough information. If we can turn off the animatronics, then stopping Blackcurrant will be easier." I told her.

“If only we could stop him now.” Mystic said as she leaned on the railing, “It would save everypony so much trouble.”

I nodded as I joined her. "Well, maybe we can. Remember what Healing Herbs said: doing nothing now is just as bad as trying to change the future."

Mystic let out a huff of annoyance. "You know this is exactly why time travel stories never make sense. The rules only apply when they want to."

That got a laugh out of me. "Ya, I'm in full agreement there. And I'm a bonafide time traveler, too."

She smiled. "You know what? You're actually right about that. Too bad I can't travel with you, too. It's a bit grim, but I am curious about this wasteland. Anyway, I can at least look up the Blackroots history. If anything, it might give some hints as to how this all started. I'm not sure if it will help or not, but I know exactly where to start.

“You do?” I asked.

Mystic took a deep breath and nodded again. “Actually, I think I know where everything started going wrong with the family. But I can't say right now, not until I have more information.” She then got closer to me. “Before you go, I just want to say that I'm sorry for being so… forward, but it was good seeing-”

“Halt!" The hairs along my spine rose as Mystic, and I turned to see Oliver and Oscar Orthrus looming over us, its shadow far darker than it should be. "Hello, Miss Blackcharry, your brother is looking for you,"Oliver said pleasantly. “You and your companion," Oscar said in a less friendly tone.

I didn't know what the scooping room was, but I would find out if I let myself be taken, and I really didn't want to.

As soon as I looked for a way to escape, the animatronic Orthrus spread its claws out, blocking our path to escape. Worse, several securitrons had rolled in, further cutting us off. "You will come with us. This isn't a request.” Oliver and Oscar said in unison.

The last time I was trapped like this, Harp got me out by tossing me through… “That's it! Mystic, send your magic into me, like with Healing, that might send me back.”

"You sure?" she asked, and I nodded. "Okay, I'll try it."

“Wait! What about you?” I then asked.

But she smiled. "I'll be fine; Blackcurrant won't hurt me."

Mystic then kissed me on the cheek, and I felt a tingling as Mystic's body was covered in an overflow of magic, then…

__________________________________________________________________

… everything was dark and cramped. "Hello?" I said as I tried to move. Pushing as hard as I could, I heard a creek and a pop.

Light filled my vision as I tumbled to the floor, the familiar stale smell filling my nose. Getting up, I saw that I had been inside a trash box. The outside looked clean and friendly, but the inside was so rusted and crowded that I esily broke out.

Looking around, I was still in Sparkle-Cola Adventure, but over two hundred years into the future. The theme park was an absolute ruin, with the roof having caved in long ago and below, the red glowing Sparkle-Cola rad formed massive pools. The balcony I stood on was only held up by the roots and branches that I knew came from Mystic.

I held my cheek where Mystic had kissed me, making me wonder why?

My ear then twitched as I heard rustling far below. Taking a closer look over the balcony, my eyes adjusting to all the red, to my horror I saw a horde of feral ghouls. They simply stood around doing nothing as large glowing shrimp scurried around them. It was a nightmarish sight I didn't want to stick around to see more of.

Trotting out, I turned my pipbuck radio on and whispered. “It’s me, Slowtrot, I’m back! How long have I been gone?”

There was a crackling for a long moment before some pony spoke. "Oh, thank Celestia, you're alive!" Harp nearly yelled, forcing me to turn the sound down even more. “Where in Tartarus are you?”

“OutsideSparkle-Cola Adventure, third floor," I told her.

“Alright, that's good enough, and don't move… no, wait, find a place to hide," Harp said in a mild panic.

I was getting a really bad feeling about this. “Harp, what went wrong?”

There was a pause, not long, but long enough that I knew I was about to really hate what she was about to tell me. "Slowtrot, You remember how we were told that the city was flooded with feral ghouls? We might have accidentally called them here, and they might have found a way in."

I sighed. "Not just from the outside, but there's a horde inside Sparkle-Cola Adventure. It's full-on Night of the Living Zombpony in there."

“Shit! Let's just hope it's not something we'll need to deal with.” She said, and I got nervous. "And it doesn't help that the animatronics haven't been slowed down by this; I don't know why, but the ferals and animatronics are ignoring each other," Harp explained. “I'm sending the girls out to get you, so… alright, blow you on the second floor is a Red Racer parts shop. Just hide in there, grab what you can when the girls show up, then return here."

"Alright, I'm on my way." Trotting to the stairs, finding them now conveniently open, I made my way quickly and quietly down. The open shops greeted me with their lights on and flickering displays, but all had something wrong with them. A roasted nuts shop had mushrooms where the nuts used to be, and a board game shop was infested with black mold. There was a Puppet Pals shop that looked clean on the other hoof, way too clean to be trusted. The Red Racer shop looked just dusty, which was fine with me.

The smell of rust and expired oil here was thick but not to the point of being unbearable. Still, I put on my gas mask to be sure. If my memory is correct, the founder of Red Racer was Scootaloo, one of the CEO's of Stable-Tec. Also, from what I remember from Thorn's memory, I saw that Scootaloo may have been dragged into some really bad ideas for Stable-Tec. But that wasn't here or there right now; what was important was that this was a Red Racer parts shop that sold more than scooters.

There were fully constructed bicycles, skateboards, and scooters on display here, though none were in any condition to touch. "How depressing! I would have freaked as a foal to be able to grab anything I wanted here, but it's all just junk now," I said to myself.

The sound of metal hitting the floor to the back nearly sent me jumping to the ceiling. I took a deep breath and though I knew it was a bad idea, I decided to investigate. It was mostly rust and mold here, but the closer to where the sound was, the cleaner this seemed to get. Then I realized I was in a Stable-Tec brand area.

I could only guess the stuff here was made with different materials or was just more rust-resistant, because the tools and parts here were all still in usable condition… though some were scattered about.

"H… hello?" I said, with the empty but not empty Checoves Promis at the ready. I found a blue tarp set up like a tent, and inside, a small something. It moved, and I could see a foal, a colt. Lowering my gun, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Hay kid, it's safe," I told him.

The colt turned, and I could see the blank milky white eyes of a feral ghoul, and though he still had his fur along with his mane and tail, he had long since chewed off his own lips and rubbed off the skin around his nose. With a snarl, the feral colt ghoul charged, and I entered S.A.T.S.

Time slowed to a crawl as the grim reminder of what had become of Equestria looked me in the face, mouth open and tongue missing. How hungry was he, how alone and scared he must have been. I had a good chance to hit on the head and took it, not wanting the colt to suffer more than he had. As time slowly returned to normal, I brought my gun down on the colt's head, cracking his skull.

I was unable to look away. The colt had died long ago, but it was no more brutal and dreadful of a thing I just did. And everything came welling up as I said, "Dear Celestia," then yelled, "FUCKING DAMNIT!"

“Slowtrot!” I heard Live yell!

Taking a deep breath, I called back, “Over here!”

Live, Star, and Lair were racing over, dressed up as security ponies, who stopped when they saw what I had done.

"Oh, the poor baby." Star gasped as she trotted to the colt and closed his eyes.

Lair placed a silver coin on his head. “If your lost soul still resides here, please look at the light of this coin and go to it.”

Live on the other hoof trotted up to me, eyebrow raised up. “Umm… What's with the getup?”

I struck a pose, forcing myself to be okay. "Just an outfit from a Hoof Full of Bits; it's a classic movie."

She just shrugged at me. "Okay, I guess it looks neat." She looked around, her eyes wide. "Ohh, jackpot. We need to take what we can from here."

Lair slapped a big tool kit with the Stable-Tec Logo on it. "Fuck ya, these are quality tools and parts. Any sailor worth their salt would kill to return these to the herd."

"Just do it, and be quick about it," Star said as she wrapped the foal in the tarp. Those animatronics are going to be on us soon."

"It's… good to see you're alright. You had me… We were worried," Live told me as she grabbed a large toolbox.

"Ya, it's good to be back," I said as I helped grab what we could.

__________________________________________________________________

Ch 13, Basecamp.

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 13, Basecamp.

__________________________________________________________________

We rushed into a service elevator as an animatronic kangaroo hopped at us, attempting to cut Star off as she lagged behind. The thing jumped, trying to slam down on Star, but she dashed forward, sword in her mouth, and swiped. She slid into the elevator as Lair hit the button to go down, and the kangaroo fell over as one of its feet came off in a clean cut.

The animatronic attempted to pull itself up and come after us, but the elevator door closed in its face.

Once we started moving down, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay, what was even that hopping monstrosity?” Star asked.

“You mean a kangaroo?” I asked.

“What? No, that’s a dumb name for that monster.” Live argued.

“No, he’s right, it’s called a kangaroo.” Lair corrected her.

Lair just shrugged as she inspected the tool case, giggling like a mad mare. "Whatever, at least we got the goods. Stable-tec quality mechanic tools. Dad is going to be so jelly when he sees these."

“Not to be a worry wart, but is this thing safe?” I asked as the elevator shuttered.

"Safe, no. But it's all we got if you don't want to go through the first floor and the clusterfuck going on there." Star said as she dusted herself off. "Thankfully, Glittering has control over this, so Molly can't access it anymore."

“They still have other ways down since the lockdown has been lifted," Glittering said over our radios. So don't take any detours on your way back again. It seems that Slowtrot's return has the animatronics agitated.”

Lair grinned, "I think something really doesn't like you."

“Ya, that's not all that uncommon for me lately. Say, your uncle has ways to trap evil spirits or something, right?” I then asked.

“Ya, he does. Depending on what kind of spirit, even I can do it.” Lair then gave me a serious look. “I'm guessing you brought something with you?”

"More than something came with me through time, and I made sure to bring it back here," I said as I showed off Order. Quicktrot is currently stuck inside, though I don't know for how long."

“That bitch is here!” Star grumbled as the elevator came to a stop. “Let's just destroy her!”

Lair lifted her cloven hoof. "Careful, I think Slowtrots is right about this, we need to trap it first or risk just setting it free."

The doors opened, and we were back in the basement. Star was first to leave, her head on a swivel. "Fine, but only because I don't get all the spiritual stuff or technobabble. And Quicktrot is literally both, as well as being an absolute bitch."

Following the mares, we made our way through the basement, and there were some signs of fighting here and there. Some were mutilated ghouls, others were parts of robots, and there were plenty of bullet markings on the walls.

“Say, why didn't you bring your guns with you? And why the uniforms?” I then asked.

"The securitrons are still a fucking bitch to deal with," Live said. "It has something to do with that two-headed robot, and even if we are now seen as employees, the Orthrus-bot can still make them attack us. And because gunfire gets their attention fast, it's a no go."

Great, Oliver and Oscar were still a significant problem. "What about the stage? Can we get to the basement's second floor from there?"

Star shook her head. "Thanks to the radio tower getting toppled over the mall's center, the stage is a disaster zone. Worse, Muller is now permanently camped there with the other cleaning bots attempting to clear it. If we want to remove that thing, we must take care of the ghouls and other bots first."

"Molly's also been MIA," Lair added. "We can only guess that she's waiting for us to make a move."

We then stopped at a checkpoint door, where Star banged on it. "Fruit Fly, open up!"

There was a clunk, and then the blast door screeched open, where the sprite-bot was waiting for us on the other side. "Welcome back!" it said before floating away.

Now, more than ever, I don't trust it. Was Blackcurrant controlling it, or is there another problem we must deal with?

I hoofed Order over to Lair as we entered, dropping off my large tool case and a scooter kit, because why not. Looking around, I saw it was like the lounge I had seen before, but a bit nicer and without the dead bodies. Glittering and Harp were at a massive terminal that reminded me of an overmares terminal in the R&D stable. Pewter and Rattlebones read through several books as Fizzy was in the kitchen with Azure.

Seeing everypony here, I breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to relax.

Harp trotted over to me, looking relieved. “I guess you had time to clean up while you were in the past?”

"Well, I woke up clean." That's when I realized that unless the robots did everything, Mystic might have also had a hoof in washing me. A thought I decided not to dwell on. "Let's just say a lot of stuff happened very quickly."

“Naturally.” Harp said, “But why is Lair putting my drone in a magic circle?”

“Cannot connect to the drone body!” Order said through her pipbuck.

"Long story short, Quicktrot got herself stuck in it," I explained. But that can wait for now. There's a lot I need to tell you, and the sooner, the better."

I then explained what had happened between Mystic and me, from Healing Herbs waking up, to Blackcurrant's madness and a way to shut the robots down. However, I left out all the more private stuff, as I didn't think everypony needed to know how flirtatious Mystic was.

“So we do look, like, alike?” Fizzy asked.

"It's ironic to say this, but you two are almost clones. Almost." I told Fizzy. Strangely, Fizzy didn't give me the same feeling as Mystic, even though they did look uncannily alike. Truthfully, Fizzy was more beautiful than Mystic, even if she tried to downplay her looks. Yet, I didn't feel much attraction from her at all. “For example, she doesn't have farmpony freckles like you do, and her color's are much darker.”

I then felt very aware of the mares here, and all of them were attractive in their own way. All of them were younger than me by several years, though Lair and Star were very mature and even more intimidating. Fizzy and Harp were cute, though they felt more like little sisters than anything. As for Live… I still didn't know how I felt about her; she was more immature, impulsive, and coltish than a mare, yet she was very much a mare, and I couldn't deny that.

"So they're called farmpony freckles?” Fizzy asked as she approached. She was so close I could see her heart-shaped pupils through her thick glasses. “I'd guess you'd know since you have them too.”

Gently pushing Fizzy back, I couldn't help but pat her on the head. "Well of course, I was from a farming village.” I said to her, "We mainly gew lettuce and tomatoes before the land got damaged by Discord.”

“Tomatoes? Is that a type of tato?” Fizzy asked.

I shook my head. “Hardly! It's this weird fruit that's not sweet, but tastes really good, and is used to make the best condiment in Equestria. Maybe you can come with me the next time I go to the past, and try one."

Fizzy then gasped. “That's totes, an awesome idea!”

"Wait, stop, no!" Harp protested. "Before we decide anything, we need to sort this information out first. Anyways, I'm not sure the poor mare will be excited to see the fruits of her fate."

Fizzy's ears flopped in recognition of what that meant. “Ya, I like, get that.”

“Ummm, what about the shimmering thing?” Star pointed out. “Isn't that a mirage pony power, yet Mystic could do it?”

"No, I'm not actually surprised that there's a connection," Harp said. "If Healing Herbs was involved in making Magnificence and Mystic, it's not far-fetched that the researcher from that trickled down to the R&D Stable. We already know that the evil eye is also from the same research that led to the Mirage Pony treatment." Harp then started to shimmer for a moment before letting it die down. "It would answer why it was so easy for me to pick up magical sights from Mag. Maybe the draining and giving of magic is a dominant ability of the Tree of Life, with Mirage Ponies just a pony manifestation of it. As magic goes, it's not that odd of an occurrence."

"Like with Ghouls and the Waste Ponies," Rattlebones added. "Ponies are susceptible to magic and can be easily molded by it."

"Crystal ponies, if the old text is true, are also a result of this," Pewter said. "I have seen the wellspring in Haven Valley and how it made the plant life into crystals."

I was no expert on that, but that did sound feasible. It would explain the ghouls.

Harp then trotted over to Glittering. “What did Blackcharry say about Sparkle-Cola Adventure?”

Glittering nodded and then spoke flatly as she read from the book. "Little is known about the mainframe and control room under Sparkle-Cola Adventure, as security was already on high alert before we could access the area. Worse, a flaw in the barrier protecting the mall has turned it into a radiation generator. Worse, the shelter below was also flawed, letting the radiation in and killing all the survivors inside. We suspect it has to do with Solarus-tec's notorious construction methods, and their tendency to cut corners. I can only hope the ponies below didn't suffer long. As for the control room, I know we need to take a key tag from one of the main bots to access it, but they are too heavily guarded to even try due to the full lockdown. Rainbow has already engaged Molly and the other bots twice now, and was forced to fall back due to the arrival of the securitrons. The situation is also growing more dangerous as time passes, as Molly is clearly learning and predicting our every move. At this point, I'm calling for this rescue mission to be abandoned. We have saved all we can and risk losing even more by staying."

Tapping at the large terminal, Glittering, then spun her chair around, the teen with a smile on her face. "As grim as that all sounds, Unlike Blackcharry, were in possession to do what she couldn't."

“Good, and how are we going to do that?” Harp asked.

Turning back to the terminal, Glittering started tapping away at the keyboard and brought up a map. "Well, first off, Molly and the other robots are not as young as they used to be. If you know anything about the robots in the wasteland, most of them have been running so long that their joints have rusted, and their programming is glitched out. Even if Molly can learn and predict us, it will have flaws. I also bet the old robot isn't expecting Fizzy, making her our best tool."

We looked at Fizzy before looking back at Glittering, and Harp shook her head. “No way is Fizzy getting anywhere near those monsters.”

The teenaged filly let out an annoyed huff. "Well, it's the only way we can do it and not trigger another full lockdown. And ya, I can lift it, but do you think we can avoid the securitrons until I do?" None of us said anything. "Thought so. But ya, I see why it's a problem. Maybe we can Isolate the orthros robot first. Get a localized lockdown around it before more securitrons can show up, and it's a place where there's room to move. One other thing, I'll need to be there too, as I'll have to hack the local systems."

Harp looked at the map on the terminal screen, but she didn't seem pleased. “Sparkle-Cola Adventure? Relay.”

Strangely, Glittering looked a bit nervous. "Come on, it's a good spot for an ambush. The radiation is mostly gone, and once we get the key tag, we can go straight to the control room. This is also our only opportunity. Once Molly catches on, she will likely try to block us from accessing that area.

“I think she just wants to visit the theme park.” Star joked.

"I, like, agree with the plan," Fizzy blurted out.

“We know!” Harp, Star, and I said in unison.

"I agree with this plan," Azure said as he trotted over. "Though I don't like the idea of Fizzy and Glittering going over there, the reasoning is sound. Take out the head of security and access the control room and mainframe simultaneously. The real issue is keeping the other animatronics from joining in and getting the feral ghouls out."

There was a long pause before Harp let out a sigh. “Fine, if you can do that, I'll agree. But you need your grandfather's permission first.”

"Granted," Rattlebones said.

“Seriously?” Harp questioned.

He tapped Harp on the head with his bear skull staff. "Princesses, I raised that filly for over ten years, and I know what she can and cannot do. My granddaughter has been prepared to survive the wasteland just like my children and their children have. She's not some dumb kid that will get in the way."

"Fine, I get it." Harp capitulated and then turned back to Glittering. Now, I'm guessing you have a way to distract the other robots while we draw the orthros-bot into a trap."

"If we give them false signals, maybe we should send someone to cause problems," Glittering said as she typed on the terminal.

"Darling, they also seem very interested in Slowtrot," Rattlebones added.

"Ya, but how interested?" Glittering, she asked herself.

"Wait, I have an idea," Harp said. Security responds to gunfire, but Molly responds to Slowtrot. I'm also sure that if the orthros-bot is hard coded for security, it will go to protect a VIP. What if we trick them into thinking Slowtrots somewhere else while triggering a situation in the theme park with a VIP present?"

"I could just be the distraction," I suggested.

But Harp shook her head. "Slowtrot, we just got you back. We can't just send you out on your own again. And not after you made a connection with Mystic. Truthfully, if we didn't need as many guns as we can muster for th8s, I'd have you stay here."

"Agreed," Lair said as she hoofed over my gear. "The three main animatronics are essentially like Sentry bots combined with assaultrons. They're not really the best of both worlds, but I still wouldn't want to fight one without an anti-material rifle. Not to mention the other bots that hover around them."

"We should count our lucky stars that the ponies here never gave Molly and the others any guns," Star added.

Still, there was one problem. "If the animatronics are after me, how will we distract those things?"

Harp dug through my bag, pulling out the damaged rabbit mask from Desponies. "The security system here isn't perfect, so having this on and your cutie-mark covered should be enough for it to not know it’s you." She then pulled out a spare pipbuck 2000. “Then we can program this to give off your signal, maybe play your voice.”

Taking the mask, I let out a sigh. "Alright, it's a better plan than I could have devised. But how exactly are we taking out Oliver and Oscar?"

"I have a few simple explosives," Star said. "If we can lure the bot to them, it should weaken it enough for simple gunfire to finish it off."

"We also have some anti-bot slugs for your shotgun," Live told me as she tossed me a canvas pouch. "Oatmeal gave it to me before heading out with Shepherd. Something to do with his unit often fighting Zebra robots and normal rounds doing jack shit on em."

I pulled one out. The brass shell was much heavier than the standard 00-shot shell. "Was there Anything Oatmeal said about these before he left?"

"The range wasn't the best for a slug, but they only used these when the robots got close. Oatmeal's unit were demolitionists, so I imagine they preferred blowing shit up."

Picking up Boomstick, I unloaded the 00 shot and loaded the slugs, then chambered one with a Click-Clack of the pump action. "I guess it's better than nothing."

"Still, I wish we had more firepower on the hoof." Harp Lamented.

"What about Shepherd? Shouldn't he be here?" I asked.

"They're waiting outside the mall," Harp told me. “You also just missed Greased Chain. She already took some of the loot we found back to Clover Station. But until we get the security system down permanently, we can't risk an armed force moving in. The robots may be older and rusted, but they will still push us out like they did with Blackcharry and Rainbow Dash if we come in full force."

"Not to mention the ghouls surrounding the mall," Star added. "A big fight will draw them in."

“Speaking of which, Rattlebones, you said you had a solution to this?” Harp then asked the old stallion.

"E'yep, I came prepared," Rattlebones said as he pulled out a flask wrapped in tape and sealed in wax. "Just pour this anywhere, and the feral ghouls will come on running."

"You fucker!" Live yelled as she trotted up to the old stallion and socked him in the jaw. "You fucking brought that shit here! We should kill ya right now for it!"

Lair and Star pulled Live back as Harp got between them. “What's the issue?”

"Ghoul bile wine." Live growled, "That shit sends ferals mad for miles around. It can wipe out whole communities from the feral stampede it causes. It is probably why the ghouls flooded this place as soon as the doors opened. They can smell it!"

Picking himself up, Rattlebone's jaw was already showing a bruise from the hit. "Aye, she's right. But ask me this, how many ferals do you think are at the theme park? Because I do, just as Slowtrot does."

I nodded.

“But if you use that, the mall will become absolutely infested with the ghouls!” Live protested.

“The mall's already infested girly, or haven't you noticed. Once we opened the mall, not only did ferals come in from outside, but it freed all the ferals trapped inside the shops.” Rattlebones told her.

“Alright, assuming you're right, how bad are thighs going to get if we use that?” Harp asked.

The elderly stallion scratched his long scraggly beard. "Depending on where you poor it, things could go poorly. I suggest one of the two superstores. They should have the room to hold the ghouls without blocking much of the mall."

“Why not the entrance?” Lair suggested.

But Rattlebones shook his head. "Bad idea. If you poor it where the ferals outside can easily detect it, then we will be fucked. A whole city's worth of ghouls concentrated right here. If kept deep inside the mall, it should contain the spread. That is, so long as there's no major openings."

“Barnyard Bargains is out. Big hole in the ceiling.” Azure said.

"So Olenia Imports then," I said as everypony looked over at me. "It's a home decor store from Olenia. It's cheap, but you have to assemble it yourself."

"Olenia… the kingdom of the deer if I am correct," Harp said before asking. "You think sending the ferals there is a good idea?"

I thought about it and nodded. "Ya, it should work. Those Dear built those stores like a maze, and I always got lost whenever I shopped there. There was also a rumor that one of their stores was cursed, and if you went in, you'd never come out."

“Just a rumor… right?” Azure asked nervously.

"Oh, I know the store," Rattlebones laughed. "But it's not this one."

"Hey! Don't tell me it's real?" I said in shock, but not that shocked..

"Maybe another time," Harp said. "We got a plan and a goal. Now, we just need to get ready. But before that, we got one last loose end to cut." She looked over at Order's drone body, surrounded by several rings of salt, with odd symbols drawn in salt between the rings. Several gold and silver coins surrounded the rings, along with a few fortune-telling cards. "Will this hold Quicktrot?"

Both elderly stallions shrugged.

Harp sighed. “Alright, if the worst comes, Order will at least still be with us.

“Correct, my Lady!” Order spoke from her pipbuck.

As Harp trotted to the drone, Fiel and Reina, the night stalkers, stuck close to her, taking a defensive stance.

"I'll give it just enough power to talk," Harp told us.

After a short moment, the drone powered on, its dim eyes giving off a feeling of disinterest. It scanned the room, and I felt… in danger. “What is this, and who are you all?”

Star growled as she bared her teeth. “Victoria!”

"No," I said as I trotted over to the drone. "I assume you don't know me, Thorn?"

Thorn Roasland looked up at me, still disinterested. “No… but I seem to know of you… of some of you. But I don't think it's my own memory… ahh, so I'm a Fragmented, a piece of something bigger, yet… ohh, so the 2600 did this, how… nifty.”

“How did you already figure this out?” Harp asked.

She chuckled. I wasn't sure if it was because it came from the drone, but it was a flat, monotone chuckle that mocked us. "Simple, really. The 2600 pipbuck was my pipbuck. I knew it inside and out, all its flaws, and how to make it useful to me.”

“And the part with it shaving off a piece of your soul?” I then asked.

"The cost of power, " she said without care before looking at Pewter. "Oh, a secret priest, I guess I failed to eventually get rid of you all. Then is it vengeance you’re after… or what I took from my mother's vault?"

"A Redrum through and through, the murder of your mother, Queen Redrum, is a well documented event among us." Pewter said before asking. "As well as your burning of her library. What is it you found, what is it you took? What did you do?"

Thorn laughed; malicious glee oozed from it. "Like I'd leave such knowledge here, where they can be pried out so easily.” Her eyes then peered at me. "But I'll give you a hint since I have some idea what it could be and no loyalty to my true self. You, the one who became my pawn, were given something that I didn't want, and it was no blessing, that I am sure. And I do hope she's having fun with you.”

Her eyes dimmed as the drone clicked inside, then a bright golden light appeared in its eyes. “A secret for a secret, a deal to be made.” Phobetor spoke through the drone, and the circle of salt began to vibrate and move. “you wish to know, and I'll trade. What say y-”

The drone's power went out as Harp shimmered. "No, we will not be dealing with her!"

"A wise move, princess," Pewter said as he placed a gold coin on top of the drone, which then became stuck. "Talking to a bloody Redrum is one thing. But only a fool trusts the first nightmare, even if it's a mere scrap of her soul."

“Is there a way to be rid of her?” Harp then asked.

Pewter nodded. “There are a few ways to… deal with a powerful wraith. But it will take time and… cannot be done here.”

"Destroying a soul is terrible, but I believe the goddess will forgive us in this matter," Rattlebones added.

Star then trotted up to the drone, Caval joining her. His ears were pinned low as the night stalkers growled at the drone. "I have something that could do it. Make this easy for us."

“Nothing is simply easy, young Alginate. Less so when dealing with those of the forgotten age. Best to keep whatever tricks you have up your sleeve for now.” Pewter advised.

"If you insist, then fine," Star said as she backed away.

"Right then, let's get ready!" Harp said as she clapped her hooves together. "Slowtrot, give Azure your radio, get back into your security uniform, then take a breather. Everypony else gets geared up. I'll be here at the terminal, doing what I can to help."

Trotting to a nearby couch, I got the poncho and hat off quickly enough but struggled to remove the boots.

"I have to say, that outfit does look good on you," Live said. “But didn't you end up in the mall?"

"Ya, but Mystic and I had to hide. So she had us dressed up as characters from a Hoof Full of Bits." I said, but Live just raised an eyebrow at me. "It's a famous movie from before the war, about the old frontier time during the last Equestria expansion." I tried to explain.

But Live shrugged. "So, a historical thing, okay."

I wanted to correct her, but I felt she wouldn't care. "In a way, a little." I had to remind myself that most ponies out here had never seen a movie and that most of the classics were likely lost. "I should watch out for a holotape store; maybe if we're lucky, a few movies might have survived."

"Oh, the Ursas Den totes pays a lot of caps for those. They even have a theater you can watch them in." Fizzy blurted as she grabbed onto me, getting far closer than I was comfortable with a mare doing. "Have you seen, like, Casablanca? It plays a lot over there."

"Ya, it's one of the great classics." I said, carefully peeling Fizzy off me. "But a theater still exists, that's good to know."

Live cleared her throat. “Fizzy, you're getting clingy again.”

Finally realizing, I was freed from the mare. "S… sorry, it's like, a force of habit." Fizzy then let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, I should dress up too if I'm the VIP."

Before we could respond, Fizzy had stripped out of her jumpsuit. I managed to look away but got a glance at what the other mares had described amongst each other as massive melons. And ya, they were bigger than Mystic or any mare I had ever seen.

“Hay hay hay! Don't go flashing your fat tits, Fizzy!” Live yelled.

Fizzy laughed, and I heard Live let out an "Eep!" Then a thud. Looking, Fizzy hugged Live, her assets open for all to see. She at least had her underwear on, which should have made things extra alluring, but I didn't feel much for it. Fizzy was very attractive, but something about her didn't interest me.

I then spotted Pewter and Rattlebones staring and trotted to block their view. "Fizzy, can you please get dressed, there are other stallions here." I told her.

“Fine!” Fizzy said, almost like a moody teenager, which she did act a lot like sometimes.

Live trotted over to me, her face beet red. "Fuck, any longer, and she was going to turn me into a fag." That got a laugh out of me. "Hay, don't laugh at me; she's all magical. You should be the most affected by her out of everypony, even without her magic."

I shrugged. "Ehh, Fizzy's not my type, I guess."

"So you're a fag then?" Lair asked as she trotted over, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Hardly.” I said. “and can't a stallion not show no interest in a mare without being called gay?”

"Ya!" Fizzy joined in, now in a lovely blue dress. "I don't feel much for Mister Slowtrot either, and I'm not into mares."

Lair let out a laugh, showing off her sharp fangs. "Hear that? The prettiest mare here has no interest in you!"

“And?” I said as I made sure my rifle was loaded.

Fizzy then grabbed hold of me again, her mane covering my face. "Stop being mean, Lair! He is getting married, so it's bad if he did show interest in a… a dirty mare like me."

Everypony became quiet momentarily, and I reached out and patted Fizzy on the head. Don't know why, but it felt like the right thing. "Hey now, you're not dirty in the least. So stop thinking that way and smile. Mares are the most beautiful when they smile."

She let me go and took a step back. "Thanks, Slowtrot." Fizzy then smiled. Her smile was genuine but also mixed with pain, loneliness, and a sense of hope. "But you don't have to lie."

Something about that last part absolutely annoyed me. "It isn't a lie!" I huffed. "You and everypony here are far from dirty. Compared to what I've seen, you're just a normal mare in a bad situation, doing what you can to survive."

Fizzy's smile grew. “Thanks for that.” She said before tossing me a bottle of Sparkle-Cola.

Harp then trotted over to Fizzy and gave her a hug. "You know you can just talk to us if you're feeling down, right?"

I opened the bottle with my pipbuck and took a sip, feeling that letting the mares deal with each other was best.

“A shame she comes from here. Being all connected to this damn cult shit.” Live said as she watched Fizzy.

I nodded. "But Fizzy's got friends to rely on now, and if it all goes well, that cult will be put out of our misery."

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