Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel

Chapter 1.1 - A Old Killer

Chapter 1 – An Old Killer

The one big disadvantage to mercenary work was the constant guesswork about who exactly you would be pissing off, what exactly was going to go wrong, and just how much brahmin shit his employer was feeding him. Truthfully Dust Kicker had seen the simplest of jobs turn into epic fuckfests worthy of the Lightbringer herself, normally ending with having to insist at gunpoint that failing to mention the crazy foal sacrificing Alicorn priestess or the hoard of pissed off Hellhounds did not mean the employer didn’t have to pay for their disposal.

Dust Kicker personally considered having to spend time in New Canterlot as ‘special services’.

He was well aware that most would consider that statement ludicrous. Even seventeen years on from its official founding New Canterlot was still a city of constant progress and excitement, its burgeoning economy and status as the centre of the NCR’s government drawing ponies from all over the wasteland to seek their fortune in its markets and great stone halls. More than any other settlement its attempt to regain the glory of old Equestria was apparent in its classical towers and ramparts, ramshackle shanty towns slowly fading into artistic stone structures of whitewashed stone as the city expanded outwards.

Dust Kicker figured he had just been out in the wasteland too long to appreciate it all. Still to him it was like a propped up corpse, or a child’s smudged drawing of something that may have perhaps once been beautiful. The palace, still only half complete, looked cheap and artificial next to the noble spires of Celestia’s palace that had once risen over old Canterlot. And in turn, its own grandeur made the far more hastily constructed buildings in the city below seem all the tackier, with their poorly painted murals and clumsy architecture.

He could also complain that the city was just too crowded these days, but then he really would have to admit to being a grumpy old buck.

His hooves clicked on the asphalt streets as he made his way down Arbiters Way, his wide brimmed hat shielding his eyes from the morning sun as he carefully swerved to avoid the bigger or more stubborn pedestrians. As always there weren’t many, the inhabitants at this hour mostly scribes and politicians, both keen to avoid the heavily scarred and weather beaten Earth Pony as made his way through their ranks. Dust Kicker felt the familiar pleasure from the fear he inspired in the softhoofs, allowing himself this small bit of harmless fun at their expense as he gave one poor unicorn mare a dark look that sent her scurrying hilariously.

Gawd rose up in front of him, her stony features rising from the fountain at the centre of the square that bore her name. It wasn’t really a very good likeness, commissioned after her death by someone who had only seen pictures of the griffon. Dust Kicker had no doubt she would have hated it, hated the very idea of such a gaudy tribute to her. Still she was fooling herself if she thought some ambitious councillor wouldn’t eventually realise that commissioning some impressive looking tribute to their founder would win them a few votes at election time.

It made him feel even older. Sure the mighty Gawd had eventually been brought down by pneumonia of all things, rather than simple age. Still, although he had never been suicidal enough to ask he had always figured they were of similar ages. Nothing made you feel older than looking at the graves of your old crew, save perhaps seeing their children grown up with families of their own.

Regina was up there in the palace somewhere. She had kids, and considering her eldest likely a few grandkids already on their way. He figured he had some kids... somewhere. If his genes had any bearing he was likely a grandparent by now too.

His knees ached, his left eye was getting cloudy and everypony was either too damn young or cold in the ground. Life sure did sneak up on you if you’d let it.

~

Dust Kicker quickly hurried through the entrance hall of the Palace, as normal full of petitioners and lobbyists jostling for attention. A few light shoves and a quick weave through two shouting businessmen and he reached the door he was looking for, relieved to be out of the noise and bustle as he headed into the long, gently lit corridors of the Agrarian Wing.

Even he had to admit it was nice in here. The Agrarian wing had been the first to open officially, hosting the offices dealing with the ecology of Equestia, most importantly farming. Food production had been one of the biggest challenges in the days after the ‘Day of Sunshine and Rainbows’, and even after the Gardens of Equestria had been activated it hadn’t got that much easier. Much knowledge of agriculture had been lost, and ironically most wasteland crops either withered or grew much too quickly in the taint and radiation free soil. Much effort had been made to engineer and rediscover new crops suitable for planting, many of their results displayed here in the Agrarian wing where they had been created. Flowering vines and drooping cherry bushes decorated the whitewashed walls, a great mural of old Sweet Apple Acres prominently displayed amid the greenery. With many of the labs now moved into the still struggling outskirts other offices had moved in, mostly council offices for those whose territory contained significant farmland. One of these was for the Cloudsdale Graves, an unexpected success story after the Gardens was activated. Whether it was due to the fallen remains of the Pegasus capital or some other reason, within months the area was blooming with life, the small Steel Rangers outpost there quickly turning into a large farming community that had become one of the bread baskets of the New Canterlot Republic. Indeed their Councillor, a former Steel Ranger scribe called Silent Steel, was now one of the most powerful members of the Equestrian council, the author of the treaty that ended the Steel Ranger/Applejack Ranger conflict and a regular commentator on the Canterlot political broadcasts. It was he who had called Dust Kicker here, and he was not someone to disappoint.

Dust spotted Silent Steel’s name on one of the doors and entered into a sunlit reception area, prewar furniture lovingly restored to give it a charmingly rustic appearance. A pretty, middle aged mare in half moon glasses smiled as he entered, “Mr Dust Kicker I presume?”

He smiled at her, she was really rather cute. Maybe if this job dragged on a little bit he could get to know her a little better, it had been a while since Dust had a chance to take a nice looking mare out to dinner, “A pleasure marm.”

She smiled sweetly and motioned to the chairs set out, “Please have a seat sir, Councillor Silent will be ready for you in a moment.”

She went back to filing as Dust relaxed on the plush seating, relishing the satisfying ache in his joints as he shifted the weight off his hooves. For all he loved the wasteland it was good just to take a load off for a while, the feel of a nice plush cushion on his belly and warm sunshine on his back. He toggled the switch on his ear bloom as he relaxed, the familiar tones of DJ Pon3 buzzing into life.

“Helllloo wasteland! How’s everypony doing? Well I’m afraid time has come to ruin your good mood, ‘cause yep, it’s time for the news.
*sigh* It’s been two weeks now and this fuss between Applejack’s Rangers and Tenpony Tower is still showing no signs of dying down. Fillies and gentlecolts, this is the sort of thing the Lightbringer sacrificed everything to save us from! So please, before you start shooting, wait, listen, maybe get your cooler head on. Because if we start fighting now, it would have all been for nothing.

In other news, we’ve got a short public service announcement. If you’re forced to head in the direction of Fillydelphia, please, please travel together and keep your guns well loaded. I have been told by the leader of the Fillydelphia guard that this fake Red Eye’s forces are still showing no sign of collapse, and though they’re avoiding the city itself they’ve started raiding caravans with increasing regularity. I admit I got this one wrong children, because it looks like this little conflict is going to burn on for a while.

But let’s forget about all that for a moment and hear the sweet sweet tones of our Mare of the Apocalypse, this is Velvet Remedy and Fluttershy, singing ‘The World in Flames’.”

Dust switched it off with a nudge of his hoof, having little time for the self indulgent melancholy that Velvet Remedy seemed to fill all her songs with. He was actually more of a fan of Lonesome Pony’s selection, unfortunately the fake Red Eye had recently hacked his transmission array, promptly followed by the Applejack Rangers lobbing a missile at it. Given the Rangers’ famous distaste for paying for collateral damage it looked like Lonesome Pony was going to be lonesome for a very long while. A damn shame really.

“Mr Dust Kicker? Councillor Silent Steel will see you now.”

“Thank you miss.” Dust jumped down off the chair, giving the old mare a tip of his hat as he passed and grinning as she blushed. Heh, he still had it.

~

Councillor Silent was pretty much as Dust Kicker had imagined. Though he had never seen the stallion in person, he perfectly suited the deep, confident voice so often heard over the radio. He was large and broad shouldered, though perhaps a little soft around the edges, with a square set jaw and a straight back. He had let his facial fur grow out into a well groomed beard, his ebony mane thick and healthy looking. Dust knew the stallion was a politician and that his image had been carefully created piece by piece by some committee, still he was forced to admit that he certainly looked like someone worth voting for.

Just as interesting were those in the room with him however. An Applejack Ranger in full armor stood close by, Dust wondering if he was really so dangerous that Councillor Silent required such an impressive bodyguard. Standing at the back of the room were two other unusual guests, Dust surprised to see a zebra and alicorn standing together there. The zebra he was embarrassed to say froze his breath in his throat for a second, a wave of guilt settling over him as he realized that she was both incredibly attractive and likely young enough to send him to Arbu for fillyfooling. Tiny and adorable, she wore a pair of stylish spectacles and an air of trembling excitement, trying her best to look official and not really succeeding. She studied Dust intently as he entered, her eyes widening in the kind of dumbstruck awe he saw all too often in the eyes of fillies and colts.

The alicorn on the other hand... was an alicorn. One of the purple ones, fortunately with the ‘inscrutably calm’ rather than the ‘violently insane’ personality at first glance (though he had been fooled before). After a second he was forced to revise his initial dismissal however, surprised to see this alicorn actually had a cutie mark, an extremely rare occurrence on one of their species. He couldn’t work out what exactly it was; still the patch of swirling colour was unmistakeable.

“Most pleased to make your acquaintance Mr Dust Kicker. You were recommended most highly by a very good friend of mine.” Councillor Silent’s voice was much like on the radio, calm and paternal, with a strong determined edge and a mild rural accent. He placed a hoof on his desk as he spoke, eyeing Dust with a cool grin, “I hope you can live up to your reputation.”

“I’m loyal to the contract.”

“So I’m told. One of the few ponies to serve in the Talons I hear. Served alongside Gawdyna Grimfeathers herself, certainly something to be proud of considering her later achievements.”

Dust had lost track of the amount of ponies who had told him that. One day he might actually start believing it himself. One little buck once asked him if they had strapped him to their backs when they were flying around, an image which had instantly reduced him to roaring laughter, “I had the pleasure of fighting alongside her, yes.”

Councillor Silent chuckled lightly before continuing, “Well it counted in your favour when considering who to hire for this job. Tell me, have you had much experience with zebra?”

So it was something to do with the zebra. He figured it might be, considering the young zebra’s presence in the room, “A little. They’re not the most populous of the wasteland’s inhabitants.”

“A very pertinent observation. Indeed, are you aware of their actual numbers within the NCR?”

Not many he guessed. He had heard they had pretty much all come from one vault, which didn’t suggest a massive population, “I am not aware of the exact numbers, no Mr Councillor.”

Councillor Silent nodded, enlightening him, “NCR census reports indicate a hundred and twenty four zebra living within our borders. There are estimates of under a dozen zebra in the wider equestrian wasteland, leaving a total population under a hundred and fifty at the most generous estimation.” The Councillor fixed Dust with a piercing gaze, driving in the meaning behind his words, “Fortunately the population is relatively young, still there are serious concerns that they will be at serious danger of inbreeding within a generation or two.”

“Aren’t Zebra capable of breeding with Ponies?” Dust wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but had heard of pony/donkey crosses in his time. zebra... weren’t all that different from an earth pony, save those stripes and those weird cutie marks. He was pretty sure he had heard of at least one crossbreed.

“Of course, yes, but that would ultimately result in losing the zebra into the general pony population... along with the benefits their unique culture and abilities give the NCR.” Councillor Silent shook his head, “No, we the NCR cannot just sit back and let matters take their course, letting the zebra become to all practical effect, extinct. As their representatives we are duty bound to do everything in our power to preserve this vital part of the Republic. Both I and Councillor Gloom of the zebra have spent a great many months on a single ambitious project, one that has been more than two hundred years in the making.”

Councillor Silent paused, Dust frowning as he was left in intentional suspense. He ran through the possibilities in his head, cloning, magical engineering, ‘I want to be a zebra’ killing joke potions...

No, wait. He said this had been more than two hundred years in the making. And the alicorn, she must be a Follower of the Apocalypse. That meant... “You’re continuing the work that Fluttershy started. You’re... you’re finding new zebra.”

Councillor Silent smiled.

“You’re... you’re making contact with the zebra nation.”

Councillor Silent looked impressed, “And now I know I made the right choice. Indeed, we decided the most advantageous solution was to simply go to the source so to speak. Many ponies survived the fallout from the megaspells by living in more remote locations, and we had no doubt that the zebra themselves had their own shelters. And from data taken from still functional computers and first hand information from pre-war ghouls and Mistress Fluttershy it was easy enough to locate the zebra homeland.”

Dust couldn’t stop a silver of black humour creeping into his voice, “So... how are they doing?”

“Not as well as us, taking into account the Gardens of Equestria and Single Pegasus Project. But that was to be expected.”

Dust... was surprised at the answer. He wasn’t sure why, Equestria had managed to survive of course. Still somewhere in his soul he had just assumed that Equestria had reduced the rest of the world to ash. After all there had been no contact, no immigrants, no... nothing, “You found them?”

Councillor Silent looked back at the zebra filly, nodding to her. She took a deep breath and advanced forward, steeling her nerves before speaking. She had a surprisingly clear and deep voice, despite her obvious nerves, “Clear Skies, a Pegasus sent to investigate possible civilization, finally made contact with us a month ago from inside the zebra homeland. She reports that while politically unstable and mostly barren, the western parts of the zebra lands are inhabited at a level of civilization similar to pre-gardens Equestria.” She swallowed before continuing, still looking past his shoulder and sounding a little like she was addressing some invisible committee, “Furthermore he managed to make contact with a leader who has declared himself Caesar, and who has managed to force his rivals into accepting that title... if not his claim.”

“That’s the name of the zebra... king, ruler, yeah?”

She stuttered slightly at his interruption, “Y...yes. And this Caesar has expressed a desire to meet representatives from Equestria to further discuss relations.”

Dust frowned. He was no NCR stooge, or in any way a diplomat, “And you want me to go? Why?”

Councillor Silent smiled, somewhat smugly Dust thought, “To protect these two fine mares as they meet with this Caesar of course.”

This stunk. There was something he wasn’t being told and there was nothing he hated more than being left in the dark on a contract, “And you don’t have NCR men for that? What about your bodyguard standing there?”

Both the Applejack Ranger and Councillor Silent ignored his highlighting of the silent guardian’s presence, Councillor Silent simply giving a soft chuckle as he answered his question, “Because this isn’t a NCR mission, it’s a mission on behalf of the Followers of the Apocalypse.”

Brahmin shit. If it was Fluttershy would be here giving him this job, perhaps even Violet Remedy. Councillor Silent was one of the most prominent members of the Republic, with clear designs on the Arbiter role itself... with all the political rivalries that suggested. He didn’t just do things for other factions, or let them take credit for his achievements.

Maybe that was just it. If they were really sending a peace mission to the zebra after all these years then it would be a project for more than two councilors. Arbiter Regina would likely be giving him this mission... or not, because as a former mercenary herself she would know better than to let them anywhere near something like this. Councillor Silent was taking all the credit for this one, likely so he could offer the peace treaty to Fluttershy on a platter when it was all finished. The Followers were wildly popular among the general population for their charity work, having Fluttershy’s blessing would make his election a formality.

And Dust didn’t care. He had no loyalty to Regina, no matter her parentage. Despite what popular rumour would suggest he was no Talon after all. And in fact he still found something intensely distasteful about a proud wasteland killer hanging up her guns and clumsily trying to join the softhooves, like there was no place for his kind anymore in this grand new Equestria.

Let smiling dignitaries like Silent Steel play their politics, all the more work for an old killer like him, “Ok, I’m in.”

“Excellent...”

“Providing the pay is damn good.”

Councillor Silent chuckled, “Very, I assure you.”

~

Dust Kicker knew he had accepted the job a little quickly there, and though he still felt good about it he now had to consider practicalities. It sounded like it was going to be a very long term deal, though that was one big reason for accepting the job in the first place.

A whole new wasteland, full of danger and people willing to throw good money at a old stallion for a good eye and a quick gun! He certainly had no problem with the zebra, the few he had met had impressed him with their bloody minded stubbornness in the face of danger. And all told he had always traveled light, most of his wealth in favors among fellow mercenaries and a few lockboxes of essentials in banks around the wastes. Clearing out the new Canterlot box and negotiating some supplies from the councilor should provide him with all he needed for the journey.

“Good day Mr Dust Kicker. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zenai, zebra historian and student of Alchemy for the Followers of the Apocalypse.”

Dust smirked at the little Zebra as she stepped forward to provide her over rehearsed greeting, still as earnest looking as ever. She was certainly enthusiastic about her role, he could already tell that much. He would have thought they could have found someone a little older, but he could see now that she had her… swirly zebra cutie mark. So not quite as young as he thought then. Maybe she was just underdeveloped, “A pleasure. So you’re our diplomat I presume?”

The zebra considered this for a moment, finally formulating her carefully stated answer, “Well as Councilor Silent Steel mentioned, this isn’t an official diplomatic mission. Really we will be observing the culture and politics of the zebra wastes, and educating the Caesar about our own culture and politics.”

“Makes sense. They wouldn’t want to draft up such an important treaty with both sides totally unprepared.” He looked up at the alicorn behind Zenai, the huge winged unicorn still totally impassive, “And what’s your story big filly?”

The alicorn looked somewhat shocked at being addressed, the first emotion he had seen so far on the big mare. She hesitated, Dust Kicker swearing she actually looked rather shy as she tried to find her tongue, “I… I am eager to learn of the culture of the zebra, who after all brought the alicorn race such hope.” She looked down at Zenai, her expression hardening into quiet resolve, “And... um... I am resolved to follow Miss Zenai, who has shown me much kindness.”

Zenai giggled girlishly at the alicorn’s answer, taking a moment to compose herself before introducing her friend, “This is Star Swirl, my loyal research assistant. Don’t let her appearance fool you, she really is very sweet.”

Dust Kicker stared up at Star Swirl, the alicorn once again the picture of cool composure that matched her impressive stature. He had a chance to check out her cutie mark a little closer now but it was no easier to decipher at this distance. He decided just to ask, “I’ll take your word for it. Pleasure to meet you Star Swirl.” The alicorn just nodded at his greeting, Dust motioning towards her flank, “Unusual to see an alicorn with a cutie mark. I didn’t think you had them.”

Star Swirl looked back at her flank, almost like she had forgotten it was there. She quickly looked back to Zenai, the zebra grinning and answering for her, “We’re not sure what it means. We think it might be a distorted cutie mark from one of the Goddess’s victims, maybe whichever one Star… used to have.”

Before she was dipped. Dust Kicker was reminded once again that these alicorns had once been unicorns, mostly slaves captured by Red Eye. He wondered for a moment if he had maybe met this unicorn, seen her back when she was just another terrified face behind iron bars. He looked again at the mare’s cutie mark but it inspired no sudden recognition, just a swirling mass of twisted color.

“I don’t mind.”

Dust blinked at Star Swirl’s statement, “Huh?”

Star Swirl clarified, her voice perfectly level, “I am free of the Goddess, and I have a home among the Followers. I don’t remember my life before, but I would have likely have died out there in the wastes even if Red Eye had not caught me.”

She was a sensitive soul wasn’t she? Dust Kicker was getting the feeling that it was Zenai who wore the pants in this relationship, which was bizarre considering that Star Swirl couldn’t be less than thirty years old. Granted, none of the alicorns had been particular well adjusted after the Goddess’ death. Being mind slaved to a megalomaniacal blob of goo would do that to you he supposed, “That’s a very mature view of the situation you have there.”

The alicorn just bowed her head, Dust Kicker giving a chuckle before turning the conversation to more practical things, “Ok, let’s get down to business. If I’m going to protect you I need to know what you can do. Can either of you fight?”

Zenai nodded firmly, “I can take care of myself. I’m very good at zebra alchemy, and I’ve also studied magical energy weapons with the followers.”

Dust paused for a moment at that statement, looking down at the tiny, innocent looking zebra. Eventually he just asked the question outright, “You can make zebra combat drugs?”

“Yes, nowhere near as addictive and with less crippling withdrawal than prewar varieties.” Zenai gave Dust a rather haughty look, adjusting her glasses and lifting her nose ever so slightly, “Those were either created by immigrant zebra in homemade labs, created by the Ministry of Morale, or the results of Ministry of Technology’s rather inept attempts to create power armor based delivery systems. None of them could match what a zebra can do with a proper lab and fresh ingredients.”

Dust smirked, “Really?”

“Well… maybe the Ministry of Morale, but they had their own problems.” Zenai paused for a second before shaking her head in quiet awe, “According to the recipe for Party Time Mint-Als they were created by Pinkie Pie herself. We’re still not entirely sure how a baker somehow found the alchemical knowledge to improve on a recipe created in the labs of the Caesar himself.”

“Because she was crazy.”

“I’m pretty sure some of them were as well… but we’re losing the point.” She drew herself back up primly, “Anyway, the point is, I can create Mint-Als, Dash, Stampede, Buck, Healing Potions and a few of my own creations. We’ll be taking a large supply of ingredients, so I can mix up whatever we need on site.”

“Hydra? Rage?”

“I don’t make those.” Zenai gave him a long hard look over her glasses, “Rage is outright illegal you know, and as for Hydra… you might as well just inject yourself with IMP, which I’m pretty sure must be an active component.”

Dust smirked. It certainly wasn’t pleasant, that was true, “When you’ve broken every bone in your legs and there’s a gang of raiders ready to assrape you, I assure you you’ll think differently.”

“I know someone who grew a fifth leg.”

Dust Kicker chuckled and decided to drop the subject. It was certainly something to think about, though he hadn’t Dashed up in a while. The withdrawal and the high price of maintaining himself on the drug had eventually convinced him to give it up. He was certainly a lot more deadly on the stuff however, with a steady supply maybe it was time to start it up again, “Well, that should come in handy. What about you big filly? Apart from being an alicorn I mean.”

Star Swirl shook her head, “I don’t fight.”

“You don’t?”

She nodded, looking regal and imperious once again, “I will shield you if I have to, but I do not like violence. I am a scholar and a doctor, I don't have any combat skills.”

Typical, they had a designed for combat, lightning firing killing machine on the team, and she had to be a pacifist. Still that made him feel a whole lot safer, making it slightly less likely that she’d suddenly decide to wear their bones as a trophy. Being exposed to Red Eye for much of his career had left him with an inbuilt dislike for racism, still he couldn’t help finding the alicorns intensely creepy. Even Star Swirl, increasingly shy and awkward as she was showing herself to be, made him intensely wary. More to the point, he had heard somewhere about that opinion being shared… “Don’t zebra think alicorns are… some sort of dark gods or something?”

“Caesar actually requested we bring an alicorn with us apparently.” Zenai shrugged lightly, “We didn’t get any details on why, but I figured Star Swirl is as likely as any to make a good impression.”

Dust Kicker didn’t like this. This ‘Caesar’ was likely just another warlord emerging from the post apocalyptic wastes. He could be pretty much anything, from Red Eye to Bloodbath, and Dust Kicker really wasn’t keen on negotiating with either towing a pair of civilians (And whatever Zenai’s fancy skillset was, he could already tell she was still wetter behind the ears than a preschool seapony). Still, that was his contract, and he hadn’t gained his fame from shying away from the risky jobs, “Well whatever turns him on I guess...”

~

Their chariot was one of the biggest he had seen, actually incorporating magical rocket engines in addition to the space for two pegasi pilots (‘for that little extra kick’ according to the co pilot Loose Trigger). It was rounded like a rocket, four wings giving it stability and a retractable landing platform allowing it to be as streamlined as possible in the air, painted sky blue with a dark purple stripe down the side. Dust had to admit it was a pretty nice construction, the name on the side proclaiming it as the Altostratus II, “What happened to the Altostratus I?”

“Aha, don’t mention that around the captain if you know what’s good for you!” Loose Trigger gave a wide grin, tossing his dark brown mane back as he shot a look at his fellow pilot, “He always gets mighty melancholy about his babies.”

Loose Trigger was a pretty typical groundlander pegasus, informal, loud and way too cheerful, though Dust noticed that his twin wings cutie mark meant he wasn’t a Dashite. His ‘captain’ on the other hand was grimly ignoring his passengers as he readied the Altostratus, not having yet said a word. Dust had been informed by others that this was Ice Break and that he was one of the best navigators in the business, and if that was true Dust Kicker could forgive a bit of reticence, “How long is the journey exactly?”

“Couple of days, providing the weather is right.” Trigger quickly did a few calculations on his hooves before answering, “We’ll try and catch the great south, bring us over to the Aric ridge. Once there it’s a nice straight slipstream right to Star Fall Island, which is just a days travel from the zebra coast.”

“I understood half of that.”

Trigger laughed, “Well don’t you worry none, me and the captain will get you there in fine shape. We’ll be taking turns in the flying and sleeping, with the rocket there if we’re both indisposed for some reason. As I said, we’ll be stopping over in Star Fall, a volcanic island off the zebra coast. It’s inhabited by... some folk that Clear Skies didn’t describe very well, but she said they were right friendly. We have trade goods in the back there, so I’m thinking we can recharge our batteries and get a bit of rest there before continuing on.”

Dust nodded, figuring the two pegasi would certainly need it after a few days of straight flying. He had another question he’d been meaning to ask though, “Who is this Clear Skies?”

“Her? Ha, you’ll learn soon enough!” Trigger grinned widely, shooting Dust a wink, “One of the best, though it’s good you guys are going over to handle the negotiations.”

“She’s not the diplomatic type?”

“Hell, she can be charming if she wants to be. I wouldn’t bring her to any formal dinners though.” Trigger chuckled at some long distant memory, “Still, if she sticks around you could do a hell of a lot worse for a scout. No one knows the skies like Clear, even if she normally has trouble walking in a straight line.”

Great, a drunken Pegasus with a talent for showing herself up at formal dinners was the zebra’s first impression of post war ponies. He was reminded once more that with an alicorn and a zebra accompanying him he was effectively the representative of the pony branch of the NCR. He would have to do his best to stay off the booze while he was there it seemed, “How long before we’re ready?”

“No more than an hour... ah screw.”

It had began to rain, a mild drizzle that pretty quickly became a firm downpour striking loudly against the metal airship. Dust braced his hat against the rain and rushed inside, looking over at Trigger’s concerned expression, “This going to be a problem?”

“Nah... I mean, hopefully not.” The Pegasus peeked outside and held up a hoof, “Wind isn’t too strong, that’s the main thing. Weird, we weren’t scheduled for rain.”

“Littlepip's getting confused?”

“Maybe the Enclave or smugglers trying to hide something. The SPP should clear things up soon enough, and it won’t affect our departure.” Trigger flashed Dust a wide grin as he trotted into the Altostratus, “We’ve flown through a lot worse than this, don’t you worry none.”

Dust nodded and continued to watch the rain, smiling as he spotted Zenai and Star Swirl arrive. The Alicorn had a shield up against the downpour, regally trotting alongside her friend as Zenai aimlessly chatted about anything that came to mind. Once again he was forced to notice what a cute couple the two made, so different in size and temperament, wondering if their friendship was really so platonic, “So you made it. Cutting it fine aren’t you?”

“Some of us actually have things to prepare.” Zenai answered huffily, “And we’re a whole half hour early. What, have you just been standing here watching the rain?”

Dust had been a soldier, which contrary to popular belief was a very dull profession. He was proud to say that he was good at staring at nothing for hours, “I got all my stuff prepared yesterday, and I was just making sure nothing went wrong.”

Star Swirl turned her head toward the Applejack Ranger standing nearby, the rain pinging off her metal armor, “I am sure the Rangers are protection enough.”

“Yeah, you’d think so in those big impressive suits.” Dust chuckled, lowering his voice a little, “Don’t be fooled darling, you really think they keep their hardened veterans guarding cargo ships in the middle of Canterlot? All the real Applejack Rangers are out fighting this fake Red Eye fella, I’d bet you anything that under that fancy suit is a buck just hours into his cutie mark.”

Zenai snorted cutely, shooting him a smirk as she trotted past him and into the cargo hold, “Bet he could still take you Mr Kicker. I’m pretty sure that ‘buck’ could still handle himself well enough.”

Star Swirl continued to observe the Ranger for a little while longer before following, “Actually, I think it’s a mare.”

Dust sighed and settled back into his watch, nothing but the rain and the sound of Ice Break making the last adjustments to the ship to keep him entertained. He briefly turned on the radio but Canterlot station was looping old political broadcasts from Arbiter Regina and Chancellor Life Bloom and DJ Pon3 was again playing that modern crap he couldn’t stand. Instead he just stood and let his mind wonder, considering battle tactics and weapon modification...

Something was up.

Something had gone wrong.

He could see the scuffles in the background, the sound of raised voices from the gates. The Applejack ranger stepped forward to guard the chariot, Dust Kicker tensing further as he heard her engage her weapon systems. He hurried over to his battle saddle sitting atop one of the crates, quickly disengaging the straps securing it and flipping it on his back with his mouth. As designed the straps were thrown neatly around him by sheer momentum, Dust using his hoof to secure each one tightly. The entire thing was done in a couple of seconds, Dust dropping down behind a crate and trying to work out just what was going on out there.

He still couldn’t see what was going on through the heavy rain, though there hadn’t been any gunshots yet. The Applejack ranger finally spoke, her voice amplified through her suit, “Step out and identify yourself or I will fire!” Dust noted that she was armed with a grenade launcher and minigun, not exactly built for warning shots.

Something appeared in the darkness at the edge of his view, Dust ducking as he recognized the tell tell flare of unicorn magic. The Applejack Ranger instantly tensed up, sparks flying from her suit as her weapons suddenly powered down with a whine. She took a single step before sinking onto her haunches, an echoing gasp from inside her suit indicating that her air filtration unit and amplifier had shut down too. This attracted the attention of Zenai, the zebra running out of the cargo hold with a strange magical pistol clutched in her teeth, “Wth goonin on?”

“Quiet, stay down!”

She squeaked in fear and disappeared behind a box, Star Swirl obliviously strolling over before spotting the other two hiding and clumsily attempting to crouch behind her own box. Dust Kicker almost face hoofed as he looked back, the massive alicorn painfully obvious and almost totally exposed even in the darkened interior.

A troop of strange ponies emerged from the darkness, shielded from the rain by long concealing cloaks. They were all unicorns save two, but their horns were the only thing revealed about them, their faces concealed beneath rounded masks of shaded glass. Energy weapons hovered among them, one of the two without horns sporting a long plasma cannon fitted to a battlesaddle.

Their leader however had her face uncovered, revealing the oldest looking mare he had ever seen. A unicorn, her mane was pure silver and even her once pink coat was grey and mangy looking, almost bare in patches of loose liverspotted skin. Her horn too was twisted by age like the trunk of a great dead tree, Dust wondering for a moment if she wasn’t some particularly well preserved ghoul. Her eyes were still sharp and bright however, her voice too rang out over the rain in a clear sharp tone, “Stand down! The guard are already on their way, and there is no need for further violence!”

Dust snorted, keeping his shotgun leveled on the old mare, “Strange, how you’re the only one who dare show your face. Should I know you fellas?”

“Maybe my name escapes you, but I don’t regularly deal with mercenaries.” The mare snorted, hoofing the ground as the others stepped nervously around her, “And those with me are ponies with families, livelihoods, things the jealous and evil would use to get at the secrets we possess.”

“And you?”

“I have given up those things.” She glared at the stallion in front of her, horn glowing a light purple as a corona of swirling dust sprung up around her, “And I don’t like to repeat myself buck! Stand down! We have reason to believe those here are engaged in illegal actions harmful to the core charter of the New Canterlot Republic, lay down your arms and you will be considered simple unaware parties!”

Dust Kicker didn’t even give her words a second thought. He did not like being threatened, especially by ponies too cowardly to reveal their true faces, “And who are you to say what the NCR will and won’t do?”

“I know exactly who she is.” The frozen Applejack Ranger slowly managed to move again, lifting a hoof and flexing the knee before re-targeting her weapon systems on the mare and her companions, “That’s Dream Star, leader of the Twilight Society!”

“Ah, I thought I felt Jammer’s magic weaken. So you’re moving again are you Ranger?” Dream Star gazed at the Ranger contemptuously, “Move to fire those weapons and we will show you just how obsolete you are.”

The ranger almost spat her words, “Obsolete?!”

“In every way. That armour was outdated even before the war ended, that spell of Jammers is a simple trick.” She smirked, “ It makes me laugh, the whole idea of the Steel Rangers. The bounty of the Ministry of Technology? They could not win the war, they could not even save themselves. And now you consider yourselves protectors of the Republic? You are thugs in steel armor, no more, a brutish blunt instrument against our foes.”

One of the other masked ponies trotted close to their leader, “Uh, mistress...”

“Don’t question me buck!” She sent the robed stallion backing away with a sharp glare before stomping the ground with a withered hoof, “I have nothing better to do, so I might as well give you all some education. And you prove what I’ve said no better than your misunderstanding of my position. The Twilight Society has no leaders, we are simply a gathering of ponies with the wisdom to guide and advise the new world to its future glory.”

“A group of unicorns.”

Dream Star looked straight at Dust Kicker, her mouth curling into a sneer, “We picked the best. Maybe the earth and pegasus ponies should have stepped up, but all we got from them was Red Eye and the Enclave.”

Another of the robed unicorns, a female this time, spoke up at this, “Dream, please. This isn’t the time.”

“Shut up. I don’t often get the chance to speak my mind without consequence, and I have a rapt audience here.”

Dust Kicker could only smirk at the cantankerous old unicorn, still he was getting tired of her shit. They were already behind schedule, “Zenai, tell Trigger and Break to get us moving.”

Dream Star whirled on him, the other unicorns raising their weapons, “You will not move!”

“You’re not going to fire on a zebra, let alone one from the Followers of the Apocalypse, especially when guards are already on their way.” Dust Kicker smirked, tipping his hat to her, “You’ve gone out of your way so far to avoid casualties, and I know none of the well heeled ponies of the Twilight Society wants to be found firing weapons in the middle of New Canterlot.”

Dream Star’s look of anger grew, and for a moment Dust wondered if he had made a mistake. Eventually however her expression faded into a cunning smile, “I have seven unicorn here. Your chariot is staying right here.”

“I have an alicorn. Ranger, smoke grenade!”

The ranger fired, the grenade hitting the centre of the Twilight Society formation with a loud bang and a cloud of thick black smoke. Dream Star gave an animalistic growl and used her magic to snatch an energy weapon from one of her followers, spinning it in midair and firing it at Dust Kicker with stunning accuracy. Still it was instantly dissipated as Star Swirl threw up a barrier around them, the shield holding firm as Dream continued to fire the weapon through the thick black smoke that was quickly covering her.

The chariot launched with a solid metallic thump and Dust Kicker was forced to brace himself against a crate of supplies as he kicked the back door shut with a solid hoof. He was left looking on as several of the Twilight Society unicorns dissipated the smoke with a combined burst of telekinesis, the Applejack Ranger opening up with minigun fire that bounced off a magical shield one of the others projected around the group. Blaster fire followed the chariot as Dream Star continued to fire, Dust kicker ducking away from the window as a shot deflected uselessly off the shield Star Swirl was still maintaining around them.

Foiled completely Dream Star simply turned and fired at the Applejack Ranger, striking the mare in the head and shattering her visor into a cloud of glowing metal. The other Twilight Society members looked on in shock as the Ranger toppled, quickly scattering as the yells of the approaching Canterlot guard sounded out.

Only Dream Star remained, staring up at them with an expression unreadable at this distance as they climbed into the cloudy skies.

Excitement already. This job was going so well.

_______________________

Footnote: Level up! (17)

New Perk added: Quick Shot – “Sorry, were you saying something?”
No longer do you have to listen to villainous monologues! Unless surprised, you always win initiative in combat.

Quest Perk Acquired : Ranger’s Code
For siding with the Rangers against the Twilight Society (and keeping true to your contract) you gain a 3% increase to your HP (rounded up).

This fanfiction is based on Fallout Equestria by Kkat, it is highly recommended that you read that first for context. Reading Fallout Equestria: Pink Eyes by Mimezinga will help understanding, but isn’t required.

Many of the characters and much of the setting are not mine but are on loan from the very awesome Kkat, or are taken from My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic by Hasbro. This story makes no pretentions at being canon with either, and is merely a ‘what-if’ set in the same world.

If you enjoy Fallout Equestria Side Stories, you will want to check the Fallout Equestria Side Stories post on Equestria Daily and the Fallout Equestria Side Stories thread on Ponychan.

Comments

[Zooty]

Interesting idea, is this set after the main story?

[Syrahl696]

Very well done. Quite brave of you to directly follow up Fallout Equestria like you did, just because it requires a large amount of familiarity with FoE in order to properly pull off. You've done a very good job of it is I do say so myself.

I like this idea, and I want to see it finished through to the end. You have planned that far, haven't you?

Its interesting to see that you've started your character off at a high level, but it makes sense.

In any case, this is a very good FoE sidefic, and is canonically compatible with most other major sidefics (the exception being perhaps Starlight, I cant quite remember how long after FoE that one is) and I certainly recommend it a major sidefic.

Heres a few errors I picked up on:

"...drawing Ponies from all over the wasteland..."
Ponies doesn't really need to be capitalised.

"If it was Fluttershy would be here, perhaps even Violet Remedy..."
You seem to be missing a pronoun in this sentence, and I cant make heads or tails of it.

"...mission on behalf of the Followers of the Apocalypse.”
Brahmin shit. If it was..."
You are one enter short here. It should be:

"...mission on behalf of the Followers of the Apocalypse.”

Brahmin shit. If it was..."

That was all I found. Keep up the good work. There is going to be some of these going around when I see this in my updated box.

[Syrahl696]

1072661

17 years since Littlepip activated the Single Pegasus Project.

[Melon Hunter]

Oh wow. This looks like serious business. I'll be keeping an eye on this. If you haven't heard of it already, there's a Fallout: Equestria Side Stories Compilation Document here where you can post your story. Other authors of FO:E side stories hang out there, too. Come and introduce yourself, it's a great place to procrastinate discuss deep, worldly issues!

[Deathpony]

good chapter one of the good side fics I see looking towards the next

[Philweasel]

Thank you guys, I admit it was a little brave since I haven't read most of the sidefics (actually, I've only read Pink Eyes and the Original), bar a short browse to make sure I wasn't copying anyone's idea. I'll likely run into a continuity error eventually, but hopefully it won't be too major!

And thanks for the proof read Syrahl696, I'm a little dyslexic so little things always tend to sneak by even after lots of proof reading.
"...drawing Ponies from all over the wasteland..."
Bah, I was trying to avoid that. Capitalized species names make grammar cry
"If it was Fluttershy would be here, perhaps even Violet Remedy..."
He's pointing out that if it was a mission on behalf of the Followers, the actual leadership of the Followers would be here. I'll reword it.
"...mission on behalf of the Followers of the Apocalypse.”
Brahmin shit. If it was..."
Yeah, when I posted it from word to here it messed up the formatting. I had to go through and redo all the spaces. Knew I'd miss one.

And yes, I've got a overall plan of how the story progresses, though it will likely change to something far more interesting before the end. Second chapter's already well into production.

[Earthpatriot117]

Hope that applejack ranger is ok.

AWESOME story so far dude!