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

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V4: Molly Manticore Mega Mall.

Ch 3, An Indifferent Fate.

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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?”

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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.

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