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

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 13, Basecamp.

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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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