Fallout Equestria: Space Captain Andromeda

by Weavers of Dreams

Chapter Eighteen: Impartial

The Rainbow Facility was the remnants of Cloudsdale's legendary weather factory, thrown far from the megaspell that had extinguished the pride of the pegasi. And where had it landed? The old Wonderbolts training field. Needless to say, such a place was of significant importance to the NCR in rallying Equestria together and giving it a leg of hope to stand on. A place perfect to honor and bring in the pegasi scattered to the winds under the banner of civilization and prosperity.

It was not a good sign when an ex-Enclave airship rammed right into it.

* * *

Mercy roared out in rage as she suddenly lost her footing with the sudden collision. Her magic winked out and the metal shards she had been wielding fell to the floor with a clatter. She slammed headlong into a wall at the far end of the deck. Unfazed, but instead enraged at this disruption in her path, she shrieked unintelligible curses to the thin air, and the magical clouds billowed off of her in double force.

"I will not be stopped," she hissed, activating her DMCs and transforming them into rotary saws, which she used to begin cutting through the hull. She laughed a little as well. "Oh-ho, I wonder what's on the other side of this wall. Well, whatever it is, let's paint it a lovely red."

* * *

Missy, due to the hammock's natural swinging motion remained unharmed in the crash. Just a little ill from the hammocks twisting like a jump-rope several times. She peered over the lip of the hammock and stared at the door.

"Didn't there used to be a floor there," she mused with a sigh. Flipping her mane, she pouted with longing for her traffic cone helmet. she twitched her ears about for a minute, listening for some sort of sign of life on the ship. There klaxon seemed to be dead, and the loudspeakers were silent. "I guess no news is good news, she said with a shrug jumping off the hammock and onto the wall that now served as the floor.

It was then that the lights flickered and died with an ominous hum.

"It's Dusky Dale all over again," she growled between her teeth at the unpleasant memories as she lit up her horn and summoned a small candle-like flame beside her. It was blue, her favorite color.

A meaty thud off to her side made her jump with a shriek. She whipped around and bared her fangs while flaring up her wings. She relaxed with a groan when she noticed it was just the corpse of the mare Andromeda had killed.

"It can't be healthy that I am relieved at the sight of dead bodies," she said with a dismissive shake of her head. A second thud proclaimed the arrival of the corpse's head. An idea quickly formed in her head, and a smile spread across her face. "Well, just as I avoid Mercy, I should be able to weasel my past most of the dangers... of wherever she's landed us. Ugh... please don't a be a radioactive canyon full of ghouls and bloatsprites."

Changelings had a natural abilities, both magical and physical, made innate after ages of hiding in the shadows. One of them being able to undress a victim and put on their clothes in record time, making assuming their identities all the easier. The whorehouse had required her to undergo multiple lingerie and costume changes, since she was a child, to please clients and the owners vile tastes. This all ensured that she as well in practice.

Now dressed it the mare's bloodied uniform she quickly schemed up her story. She would tuck one wing under the uniform on the bloodiest side, as though it had been cut off, and her other wing would drape limply at the other. Using her limited changing magic, she twisted her left forehoof at an unnatural angle and made the left side of her face swell up.

It was a pity she was unable to change her colors to mimic... corporal Swirly Straw... Really? Oh well. Her parents had damned her to a half-assed transformative life, and she would have to live with it. Besides, who was going to take the time verify the identity of a screaming, mutilated young mare, begging for help? She could think of a few, but that was beside the point. She had a plan, and her only worries were being mistaken for NCR by Andromeda, and not being mistaken for NCR by the NCR.

It was a paradox of a situation to be sure.

She tucked the comic book in to a saddlebag attached to the uniforms belt for safe keeping, and removed from the bag a 10mm pistol, she twirled it in her magic for a bit and then stopped with a sudden realization. She had a horn as well as wings.

"Ugh, this was so perfect in my head," she groaned wearily. "Wait, didn't she have a hat?"

She looked about for a moment and then looked up at the poll of blood that was slowing crawling down the floor that now served as the wall. Sure enough, stuck to it was the mare's hat. She pulled it from the puddle and immediately shoved it down on her head, letting the blood roll down the side of her face to add to the illusion. Then she groaned and put the pistol's grip in her mouth like a good pegasus was supposed to. It tasted awful.

It perfectly okay for earth ponies, pegasi, and zebras to hold things in their mouths, but for a creature with telekinetic magic it was simply a displeasure. It tasted awful, like twelve days of unbrushed teeth and "friendly favors". In other words, unwelcomed nostalgia.

She would keep the little light until she reached the outside for comfort's sake.

She discharged a couple rounds for illusion's sake, and then dropped through the door in search of an exit.

* * *

Dr. Atmosphere stood smiling amongst the chaos that erupted around him as he gazed up at the nose of the airship that had broken through the roof of the Rainbow Facility. His eyes turned to the broken windows along the bridge he had shot out for his safe extraction before impact, and then he looked at the bodies of dead and severally injured earthbound ponies and some few pegasi that had been thrown to the ground after the impact.

A necessary sacrifice in his opinion.

If they were to capture the essence of this old-world marvel, what were the lives of a few ponies. Science was the clear and justified path, all who stood in it's way were plebeians and cowards. Those surplus fools who could never see the bigger picture. He knew the truth. After all, you couldn't truly understand what made a pony tick until you dissected him, could you? Of course not.

Without ponies like him, everypony else would still be banging two rocks together.

"Com'on out you my pretty," he muttered expectantly to himself. He wasn't scared in the least, he was surrounded by Enclave... ex-Enclave soldiers and scientists with the finest weapons and technology available, not to mention... the device. There was no reason to be scared. He had worked at the Rainbow Facility for a long time, and knew all its defenses, new and old and what "miracles they were capable of performing.

His patience soon paid off, as a circular portion of the ship's hull suddenly fell to the floor below, sounding like a gong from the Far East. Following shortly behind it was a pink cloud of mingled with dark magic energies headed by an angry mare plummeting to the ground. The Doctor chuckled as guns started going even before she hit the ground. It was useless. The only reason they had captured her in the first place, was because she gave herself up.

He watch in amusements as the bullets glanced of the suit and the energy bolts were merely absorbed and then expelled, reinforcing the dark energies that billowed behind the nightmare. Nightmare Andromeda, sounded good already, the Doctor thought to himself.

The clouds and magic seemed to take on a life of its own, curving around the mare until it was between her and the ground. When she impacted, there was a great sound and a shockwave that knocked away everpony who couldn't fly. The Doctor had been quick to take to the air.

"Where is that balless sack of meat?" Mercy roared as she stood up straight and defiant in the face of still oncoming fire. She quickly grabbed the piece of the hull she had removed in her DMCs and then flung it into the thickest group of attackers. There were no survivors.

"You're one to talk, as a mare," the Doctor shouted over the loud noise, taunting the rapid beast. He quickly dodged to the side to evade several lassos.

Andromeda silently cursed for throwing the hull piece earlier. There would have been no way for this athletic freak to dodge that. Oh well, if wishes were fishes there would be no room for the water. She just had to get creative.

All that it would take was some big and hard to evade.

All gunfire ceased when a tremendous crunching noise was heard overhead. The high pegasus-friendly roof of the Rainbow Facility was made of stern stuff, it was keeping an entire airship in place after all. That is, until the Nightmare, Captain Mercy Andromeda, pulled a trick of her own devising.

Ancient Equestrians had found much use in the versatile tool known as the sling. A simple length of cord widened and cupped in the middle, capable of sending stones great distances, tying things or ponies up, a whip, a strap, and much more. The power was only limited to the wielders strength, the length of the cord, and weight of the object.

Andromeda had the strength of three earth pony stallions, her DMCs could stretched quite a ways, and a dead, mostly intact suit of Steel Ranger power armor weighed a ton. She would look back on it and wonder... how in bucking Tartarus did she manage to nail the stabilization fins that were holding the ship back in one shot? Maybe she had some warriors back in her bloodline somewhere.

Even Dr. Atmosphere nearly lost control of his bowels when he saw the airship begin sliding down towards the floor that would ultimately bring down the entire facility down on everypony's heads. He also noticed the ruthless unicorn surround herself in a shield of impervious DMCs.

"Not as stupid as she look," he muttered with a sour expression on his face moments before the airship would have broken through the floor.

Would have. A purple aura suddenly surrounded the bow of the airship, slowing decent just enough so that it would break through the floor and into the mechanisms that made the facility tick below. Then the bow was forcibly dragged to the side to disperse the weight between the ceiling and the floor. All eyes turned to the facility's savior.

A purple alicorn mare strode forward and peered at the blue and pink unicorn in the spacesuit. She then gave the Doctor a peeved glance. "What is the meaning of this, Atmosphere? I know you had something to do with this."

Dr. Atmosphere groaned and rolled his eyes. He liked them better when they were constantly preaching about their goddess. "Just an overtly powerful mare in need of dissection."

Andromeda had shut down her DMCs and stared at the alicorn, her expression a mix between curiosity and terror. After all, Ministry mare Twilight had told her she was nowhere near the power level of an alicorn. Then that gave rise to some questions. She knew of no other alicorns than Celestia and Luna, was this some sort of descendant? But, from what Missy had told her, the princesses had died.

Unless that was a lie.

Maybe they just wanted everypony to think they were dead.

Maybe they let the zebras strike first.

But these were crazy thoughts. Those were the mares she had pledged loyalty to. Who her husband had pledged loyalty to. Who her daughter had pledged loyalty to. Who her son was going to pledge loyalty when he grew old enough. Her body became very cold as she carried her thoughts to darker places.

Had her son grown old enough to even be able to speak?

Had her daughter ever found love?

Had her husband managed to carry on without her?

But the princesses could never do such a thing. Celestia had ruled a thousand year golden age. She loved her ponies. Luna had been a repentant and exceedingly kind ruler. Surely these thoughts were only thoughts. Created from shock. Shock from seeing some unknown alicorn. Maybe she came to be naturally. Celestia and Luna had. Who was to say that there weren't more? Or... maybe Ministry Mare Twilight had finally managed to give a pony the full power of an alicorn. After all, they had come close with the technology they gave her.

There're all NCR, just kill them!

Andromeda, dark magic and confusion pouring off of her, didn't pay much attention to the voice that just seemed to appear in her head. But instead, just let out an even greater shriek than before and began charging the alicorn, grabbing sharp bits of rubble and preparing flesh-cutting lassos along the way.

The alicorn just gave her a bemused look and turned to Dr. Atmosphere, teleporting a rather large looking device into his hooves. "Be grateful the New Canterlot Republic needs your brain. Hurry up an contain her so that we can clean up this mess and write letters of apology."

The Doctor quickly complied. Turning a crank on the of the device, he aimed the funnel-like end at the cloud billowing around the rabid mare and pulled the hoof-sized trigger. The whole device lit up with the same purple aura as the alicorn, and his laugh echoed around the room as he watched it work like a charm.

Andromeda's pink cloud and dark energies seemed to rush ahead of her, heading straight for the Doctor. Only none of it hit him. The funnel on the end of his strange machine was sucking it up, ripping it from her.

It had devastating and immediate effects. The red light vanished from her eyes and the dark energies vanishes, leaving only the pink cloud surrounding her. And then, even that disappeared. She felt weak, but she kept moving forward, slowing considerably. Next to fail her were the DMCs, like a string of cubes they were ripped from her, the make shift, partially crystalized weapons falling to the ground with a clatter. Then her HUD blinked out and vanished. Even Peppy lost his purple glow and fizzed out.

By the time she reached Dr. Atmosphere, she was barely crawling while the device did the unimaginable. Tore her own magic from her. The very core of a unicorn's life. She didn't even have the energy to so much as light up her horn. It just gone. Stolen by the mysterious device held within that monster's hooves.

Dr. Atmosphere looked at the wheezing mare, as she began to lose consciousness. He wasn't smiling. He staring in foalish wonder at her. "You know, Canterlot Ghouls, are just mush on the inside right? Remove the Pink cloud that animates them and they just... become a sack of soup. You should be dead."

The alicorn quickly took the device from the Doctor and teleported it back to wherever it belonged. She looked at the mare with almost the same level of curiosity as Atmosphere. The mare was breathing. Not dead like a proper Canterlot Ghoul was supposed to be without the pink cloud. There was no chance of any remnants within her, as her suit wasn't even repairing itself anymore.

"Shouldn't the Spectra Extractor have killed her?" she asked, mostly to herself. Then she looked at the Doctor in a mixture of disgust and apprehension. "What did you bring here? The Rainbow Facility..."

"The Rainbow Facility has all the necessary equipment to properly figure that out," Dr. Atmosphere cut her off quickly. Now, why don't you teleport her to lab and so I can get to work getting us some answers."

The alicorn narrowed her eyes at him bitterly, but did as she was bid. "I'm still going to report this reckless incident to High Command."

"When I find what looking for, they'll award me for quick thinking in the field of duty," he returned with a smirk as he turned to head for the exit. His smile only broadened when he heard her huff angrily and then trot off in the opposite direction. Today, he thought, was a good day.

In the aftermath and cleanup, no pony noticed a rather bloody, purple-maned, yellow pegasus mare being born away on a stretcher to the infirmary. Nor did they think anything of the static image that run across every computer for a fraction of a second and then vanished. If they had, they would have paid attention, they would have recognized a very familiar image.

Comments

[ibeachu]

Ohhhh....

Intense.