WAPL-58 Power Station, early-2280
“No,” the power-armoured soldier muttered as he pushed himself away on a broken arm. “No! I shot you! I-I-I fucking killed you!”
Dom simply stared at him as he kept moving. As she watched, he bumped into the charred body of one of his squadmates.
“Why!?” he screamed. “Why are you doing this!? What did we do to you!?”
“Arefu, over two hundred dead. Underworld, over a dozen fell in its defense. Big Town, a dozen house destroyed and fifty dead. Rivet City, they still haven’t repaired the bridge.” Dom calmly listed their most recent atrocities as she stepped forwards. “You bastards have been destroying the peace the Brotherhood managed to carve into this hellhole. Because of you, I’ve lost some of my best friends. Brothers and Sisters in arms that I’ll never speak to again. Four of the best mercs D.C ever saw now lie dead in Arlington. All of because of you and your fucking Enclave.” She punctuated her hatred of what was left of pre-War America by spitting on him.
“We were just following orders!” the soldier replied loudly. “That’s all we were doing!”
“So you murdered innocents because you were told to? You cut off a settlement from the outside world just because some idiot gave the command? Do you know how weak that sounds?” Dom unholstered her laser pistol and pressed it against his visor.
“I don’t wanna di-i-i-i-ie!” he cried out as he tried to turn away.
“Yeah, neither did anyone in Arefu.” Dom pressed harder. “You didn’t give them a chance, you just blew the bridge out from under them. How do you think they felt?” She yelled into the blubbering soldier’s face. “There were children there! Children who had a chance at something normal! And you murdered them,” she hissed.
“I-I wasn’t even there!” he claimed, trying to get away. “I swear, I didn’t do - ” He didn’t get any further as a crimson beam went through his eye. The armour fell to the ground as the man within was reduced to ash, accompanied by a rather unsettling sizzling sound.
Dom took a few steps back before sitting down on the now-overturned barrel. She let out a sigh as she pulled out the Small Energy Cells and inserted new ones. It was done. The Enclave, at least on the east coast, was no more. After a few moments spent inspecting the wreckage, she asked a simple question. “Now what?”
“What was she thinking!?” Shining Armor screamed angrily.
Thomas, Dominica and Veronica could only watch awkwardly as the stallion vented his fury. Shortly after Shadow’s collapse, a number of griffons had arrived, a little too late to provide support. They hadn’t been happy when they had learned that the Dogs had gotten away, but they carried the unconscious mare back to town.
Twenty minutes later, the three humans and the Commander had taken shelter in the library. Twilight Sparkle had yet to return, though Spike the baby dragon sat near them, staring at the deadly warriors in awe. He tried asking them a few questions, but after receiving no response went right back to staring.
Shadow Dancer and most of the Griffons had returned to Canterlot, the Knight in a medical chariot. Two dozen guards, an even mix of Day and Night, had been sent to clean up the town and help the ponies in any way they deemed necessary. The remaining griffons provided overwatch, making sure that the Dogs stayed away.
The schoolchildren had been found at the edge of the Everfree, accompanied by Corporal Hailstorm and the local teacher Cheerilee. Knowing how Diamond Dogs hated anywhere with a large amount of plant life, she had led them there, thinking it would be rather safe. The Commander had praised her swift thinking, then reprimanded her for bringing children so close to what was basically the most dangerous place in Equestria.
Thomas was on his back, trying to ignore the pain from his injured ribs. His Pip-Boy’s medical tab revealed that three of his ribs were bruised, two were cracked and two more were fractured. He had also sustained bruising and small cuts along his arms, though his PHOENIX Monocyte Breeder was repairing what it could.
Dom had pulled the dagger from her arm after removing the MF Cell from her pauldron. She looked at the blade carefully, trying to figure out what it was to punch right through the steel plates of T-45d.
Veronica just sat there twiddling with her Power Fist.
“The transformation is meant to be a last resort! She very nearly died, and all she did was intimidate them!”
To relieve her boredom, Veronica stood up and walked over to Spike. To the young dragon, this was easily one of the more terrifying experiences of his short life. The six-foot tall metal giant (at least, from his viewpoint) stopped before him momentarily before bending over and picking him up. It briefly held him at arm’s length, long enough for Spike’s life to start flashing before his eyes. Suddenly he was pulled in close to the creature’s chest.
“He’s so cute!” she squeaked as she hugged Spike. Thomas and Dom looked at her weirdly. Her behaviour was odd enough to get Shining Armor to momentarily cease his brooding.
“Be careful, he’s practically my little brother.” Veronica looked up and smiled sheepishly, though her helmet obscured this.
“But he’s so adorable!” she said as she squeezed harder, making the poor dragon’s eyes threaten to pop out of his head.
“Help,” he croaked.
“Wait ‘til she sees the children,” Thomas muttered to the ghoul, finding some amusement in the young dragon’s plight.
The door opened to reveal an exhausted Twilight Sparkle. The lavender unicorn had spent a brief period of time in Ponyville’s clinic for treatment of her magic fatigue. Luckily, it had been a rather minor case (compared to what was detailed in her medical records) and they discharged her quickly. “Shiny, why are you yelling?”
The stallion, still in his armour, let out a sigh. “Just... one of my soldiers might have revealed something she wasn’t meant to. It’s not major, but - ”
“Huh,” a gravelly voice suddenly said from across the room. “You weren’t kidding. The purple does look like gangrene.”
“I’m sorry, what was thah ah ahhhhh!” Twilight’s complaint quickly turned to shock when she saw just who had made the comparison. “What is that!?”
“That is Paladin Dominica,” Shining replied. “She helped fight off the Diamond Dogs earlier. As did Thomas and Scribe Veronica.”
“Wait, Thomas?” In response the man raised an arm and waved lazily.
“I’d get up, but I might puncture a lung or something,” he said unhappily.
“You’re a big baby,” Dom replied. “I once stabbed a guy in the eye when I had two broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. Broken ribs are nothing.”
Twilight made a point of ignoring that rather gruesome statement and turned to Veronica. “Hey!” she yelled when she saw what the woman was doing. “Put Spike down!”
The faceless helmet turned to her and faced the mare for a few moments, completely unnerving her. “Fine,” the Scribe muttered unhappily as she put down the dragon.
Spike fell over and began to take deep breaths. “I’m just... gonna... go to bed.” And then he walked away, rubbing his chest from where he had been pressed against the breastplate. “Crazy aliens...” he muttered as he ascended the stairs.
“Why was your robot hugging Spike?” Twilight asked as the dragon disappeared from view.
“Did the purple unicorn just call me a robot?” Veronica asked as she pulled off her helmet.
Twilight gaped. “That’s armour!?” she asked loudly when she found her voice.
“Yeah, some of the most advanced stuff you can get.” Veronica’s eyebrows went up when she noticed the strangely hungry expression the mare now wore. “Uhh...” she said as the unicorn started circling her.
“But... how does it even work? It must weigh hundreds of pounds! Something like that would need it’s own power supply! And what’s it even made of? It’d have to be metal, but I’ve never seen metal that looked like that before!” Before she could get further, the ghoul spoke up.
“How can she not find the person without skin more interesting?” At that, Twilight looked up at her. “Ah, crap. Er, little help?”
Shining Armor didn’t respond, instead looking at his sister with his head tilted. “I... I’ll never be able to unsee that.”
“Unsee what?” Thomas asked, taking amusement from the ghoul’s plight.
“Why don’t you have skin?” Twilight asked loudly. In response, Thomas and Veronica cringed and started moving away.
Dominica glared at the mare for a few moments. “How come you have absolutely no tact?” she asked coldly. “A little ‘advice’. Most ghouls don’t like being treated like some high school science project. It’s a step up from ‘mindless monster’, true, but it still hurts.”
That quickly put Twilight in her place. She turned crimson and backed away. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean - ”
“I know you didn’t, but next time think before you open your mouth. Stupid smoothskins...” Dom said unhappily. “As for why I don’t have any skin, part of the package. Too much radiation in too little time and I look like you pulled me outta my grave.”
“I was pulled out of my grave,” Thomas said as he carefully pushed himself into a sitting position. “I came out looking pretty good.” He grinned.
“I’m sorry, did you take a nuke to the face?” Dom asked, turning to glare at the black man.
That caused the grin to disappear. “What?” Veronica stood there, slackjawed. “A nuke? As in, ‘nuclear weapon’ nuke? How did you survive?”
“Flash-ghoulification. The skin didn’t start falling off for a few days, though,” the ghoul explained. “It’s a good thing they knocked me out the whole time, probably would’ve been torture.”
“So you weren’t born that way?” Twilight asked. Dom spun around and saw the mare levitating a piece of parchment and a quill. “What else is there?”
The Paladin let out an angry sigh. “I’m not getting out of this, am I?” Everyone present shook their heads. “Fine.” She began to juggle the knife as she rattled off a list. “No soft tissue, high levels of ambient radiation heal me, I age slower...” She scowled. “What else is there?”
“Chance of going feral,” Thomas chipped in.
“You look like a corpse.” Dom shot a venomous glare at the Scribe. “What? You do.”
“You’re lucky you’re wearing that armour and my arm is useless,” the ghoul said angrily.
“Speaking of that, why?” Shining Armor asked, having kept silent to watch the small display.
“That damn knife,” Dom raised the dagger, “hit something and I can’t fix it.”
“So, get one of the ponies to pump you full of magic,” Veronica suggested.
The Paladin slid the edge of the blade in between two of the plates. “Won’t work.” She let out a grunt as she tried to pry it open. “Damn it, it’s bent out of shape.”
“Why won’t it work?”
“Last I checked...” She grunted again. “Radiation can’t heal...” More grunting. “Circuits!” With a pop the plate came off and fell to the ground. “There!”
The other four leaned around to peer within the now-open armour. Instead of the scarred, skinless arm they had been expecting, there was nought but metal, circuit boards and wires. More than a few had been severely damaged, even destroyed by the dagger’s forceful passage.
“How bad is it? This was more Rothchild’s thing,” the ghoul asked.
“You’re a cyborg?” Thomas asked as she inspected the damage.
“No, I’m a Super Mutant,” Dom deadpanned.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. Where did you even get this kind of tech?” Veronica asked, eyes sparkling as they took in every detail.
Naturally, the revelation that her newest house guest was a mutant cyborg sent Twilight Sparkle a little crazy. Shining had to pull her away to give Veronica a chance to attempt to make any repairs. Not that that managed to stop the mare from bombarding the Scribe with questions.
“It can reflect lasers?”
“If it glances,” Veronica replied as she carefully extracted a circuit chip from the Paladin’s arm. “Against a direct hit it isn’t any good, though it won’t burn through.”
“And the fuel source?” Twilight asked, scribbling it down so fast ink splattered her snout.
“A back-mounted TX-28 MicroFusion Pack. Lasts about a century, though I don’t know how much fuel’s left.” It had been a long time since the Scribe had been able to talk shop with anyone, and even though the audience happened to be a small pastel-coloured equine, it felt good.
“MicroFusion?” Twilight asked, looking up.
“A self-contained fusion plant.”
As the ghoul was subjected to the two talking about things that went over her head, Thomas approached Shining Armor.
“You’re gonna be taking your sister with you, aren’t you?”
“What choice do I have?” the stallion said unhappily. “She and her friends are amongst the most important ponies outside of the royal family. It’s either we take them to the capital or fortify the town. And it’s easier to relocate six ponies than it is to move an entire garrison.” Shining glanced at the three girls. “I hate that I have to do this.”
“The right thing isn’t always easy, Shiny.”
“Hey, Commander?” the ghoul called out. “You have any idea how this damned knife punched through two inches of steel like paper?” she asked as she raised the dagger in question. “And why it has a sun on it?”
Shining took the small blade in his telekinetic grasp and brought it closer. His eyes widened and his expression turned to shock. “How did one of those Dogs get this?”
“What is it?”
“Every guardspony carries a dagger, in case their magic or wings fail them,” the unicorn explained. “This particular design is from before Princess Luna’s return.” He dropped the dagger into the human’s outstretched hand.
It was a simple thing, much like a combat knife in design, though without serration. The blade was easily nine inches long, the handle clearly designed to fit better in a mouth than a hand. On the flat of the blade, near the hilt, there was a small sun imprinted into the metal.
“So, what, they got old equipment?”
“That isn’t possible. All guard equipment, armour and weapons are either recycled or melted down,” Shining said. He took a breath before continuing. “I honestly can’t think of how someone managed to get this..”
“A bit like the Brotherhood,” Dom muttered. “We can’t let anyone get their hands on our power armour, we have to send squads to retrieve bodies.”
“So, what?” Veronica asked as she attempted to reattach a wire. “You think they stole it?”
Twilight kept herself quiet, not sure how to integrate herself into a conversation that was clearly military in nature.
Author’s Notes:
I am fully aware that the numbers given for the towns in the first part seem large. Remember, the size of towns are small because of processing limitations. It only makes sense that, if things were real, the towns would have a rather decent population as opposed to the ten or so you actually meet.
Did the plot just thicken?
Oh, and just a head's up, I may pull this chapter down and re-submit after my proofreader friend decides to emerge from whatever pocket dimension he's hiding in...
I've already deleted three comments that went against everything I've outlined in this blog post.
I will continue to do so.
You know, I've never played Fallout before, but I just might start because of this story.
Uh, I edited that comment, but whatever, still nice to see the update in my inbox this good morning.
Amazing storyline. Keep it up.
As if a war between magical ponies and dogs wasn't enough, you added a mysterious equipment in the possesion of the opposite side.
I can only say: plot-twist no jutsu!
1485893
As a native Japanese speaker, I cringed with force of a thousand nukes.
1485865
Same here!
Stories like this have really got me interested.
This was filled with just the right amount of Courier/Wanderer awesomeness that I needed. Still waiting for the squee filled meeting between Veronica and the Crusaders.
1485963
Don't forget the meeting with Rarity!
Nothing like the smell of a plot twist in the morning.
Well Dom you could always head to your spaceship and study some alien tech.
1485965 Oh dear that will be priceless. I expect to be rolling on the gound laughing after a harty round of D'aaaawws.
Apparently, Equestria had some hardcore weapons Pre-Nightmare Moon Era. Nice. Now the only mystery is, how did mere diamond dogs get a hold of said ancient super equipment?
1485976
Ancient super weapon? Dude, it's just the Equestrian Army's equivalent of a combat knife, nothing really special about it.
Nice chapter once again.
Though I always feel conflicted about the Enclave, they are all thats left of America and as they say "AMERICA, FUCK YA!"
The Courier and the Lone Wanderer are doing their best to improve the wastes, but I cannot abide on them spitting on their past. Never forget where you came from.
The problem with the Enclave is that they have forgotten where they came from and what America used to mean.
America is(or at least was and is supposed to be) a country of inclusion and united efforts. I mean, after all, our de facto national motto was "E pluribus unum": Out of many, one untill 1956.
If the Enclave could remember this they would stand a lot better chance of raising the wastes of the US back to the glory it once possessd.
images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20081206210307/fallout/images/c/c4/Fallout_3_Enclave_Propaganda.jpg
Can't wait for more though!!
1485985
Unfortunately, the Enclave is still the close-minded police state the US became just before the bombs fell. All they remember is what they were then, not what they were before. Hell, the Enclave is the reason the US became that police state.
And don't forget that the Enclave leadership was responsible for the Vault Experiments...
update! and plot twist indeed damn its early xD wonder what celestia will think on the old stolen equipment
Stupid Enclave always committing genocide without thinking about how angry it makes people, you'd think that they would've learned their lesson by now...
Oh well great chapter, now I wonder who is supplying the dogs with weapons… twenty bucks says Blueblood
Maybe they have an insider smuggling equipment out of Canterlot? If so, they probably have a lot more than just knives...
1485985 no, the enclave's problem is that its members are mostly suffering from a case of egotistical survival, Which is essentially when you think that your race is better and everyone different needs to die. They also cant discern the difference between the psychotic super mutants, and people who simply took some rads and got a small mutation.
1486001
WHAAAAAAT!? I thought that was just Vault-Tec doing whatever the hell they wanted. Unless Vault-Tec is just a division(?) of the Enclave, then I would kinda understand.
Be careful if a proofreader has access to a pocket dimension he may have other powers yet to be made known
shouldn't "house" be houses
1485865
I highly recommend playing them they are hours of entertainment with lots of replay value.
As far as the chapter I found that it was well written and am looking forward to the next installment .
Veronica has to meet rarity and get a dress made for her, cause we all know how much Veronica loves dresses.
Whelp, there goes an hour I should have spent studying.
My guess is that the Diamond dogs stumbled upon a forgotten ancient equestrian armory. That enchanted combat knife is probably the least of our heroes worries.
I'm guessing traitor within the royal guard. But that's just me.
1485985
President Eden is the best example of the Enclave's failure.
Eden: Sorry for killing your dad. But here's some modified FEV, take it and use it to kill everyone in the wasteland.
Lone Wanderer: Circular logic!
Eden: Oh no- *BOOM!*
This story, and it's precursor, made me want to play New Vegas. I picked it up on sale on steam, and played probably about half of it. Then i found this story, and now i've gotta find the time to finish it.
1486001>>1486116>>1487185 Holy shit thats a lot of responses!!
You all make good points, and I admit that it's unlikely that the Enclave or whatever else is left of the old US will ever become a unifying force.
But you can't blame a guy for hoping for at least one member of the Enclave that could be called a good guy.
Thanks for reading and responden.
1487441
Two words: Enclave Remnants.
They're probably the only "good" Enclave in the whole series.
1487496 O ya, i forgot about them. Too bad theres only 5 of em...
1486155
Oh no, Vault-Tec simply put them in place. The Enclave had them performed for... was there a reason?
The Courier and the Lone Wanderer's banter about past badassery was excellent. I'm still holding out for the Courier earning his manhood back.
1487665
Six if you count Arcade.
I still want to know how a little combat knife pierced 2 inches of solid steel.
1485865 DO IT! This story convinced me to get Fallout: New Vegas. I don't like Open-end RPG's like that, but New Vegas is one of my favorite games already!
1487789 Bah, He took part and had a parent (I think) in the Enclave but he was never an actual member. (I'm pretty sure, lazy researcer here.)
1490231
Maybe, but I think he still counts as a "good" Enclave member.
1490498 True Dat.
If I had to go into a pocket dimension, I'd pick the one full of chicken paninis.
1487668
Officially, the vaults were nuclear shelters designed to protect the American population from nuclear holocaust. However, with a population of almost 400 million by 2077, the U.S. would need nearly 400,000 vaults the size of Vault 13, while Vault-Tec was commissioned to build only 122 such vaults. The government, and Vault-Tec, never really believed an actual nuclear war would occur; the real reason for the existence of these vaults was to run social experiments on pre-selected segments of the population to see how they react to the stresses of isolation and how successfully they recolonize Earth after the vault opens.
The Enclave, responsible for the experiment (officially known as the "Societal Preservation Program"), considered themselves prime candidates for recolonizing the world after a nuclear holocaust and to this end commissioned the construction of their own shelters, isolated from the vault network. The purpose of the vault experiments was to help prepare the Enclave for either re-colonizing Earth or colonizing another planet if Earth turned out to be uninhabitable.
The total number of vaults is a government secret and has been lost; there were the aforementioned "public" vaults, which numbered 122 and an undisclosed number of "private" vaults. Information on whether Vault-Tec was an international corporation and were there vaults made by them in other parts of the world, or were they strictly U.S. based, cannot be released due to Vault-Tec and US Government regulations That said, Vault-Tec seems to have constructed some vaults in Canada. In a letter sent to a rejected D.C citizen the company offered to provide a list of "Vault-Tec facilities with available accommodations, in exciting locales such as Oklahoma and newly-annexed Canada."
Of the 122 known public vaults, only 17 were control, meaning that only 17 were made to public expectations. All others were designed to include a social experiment, sometimes with a select few of the inhabitants observing the occupants. The Secret Vault, the Vault-Tec private vault, was kept secret from the Enclave by Vault-Tec and so was not part of the experiment project.
The few vaults that survived intact for more than 80 years came to serve another, unanticipated purpose: they were an excellent source of pure human stock, uncontaminated by the mutated airborne strain of FEV and prime candidates for conversion into super mutants.
Ripped straight from the vault article on the fallout wiki.
1485985
I, for one, actually am amused by the Enclave. Forget the fact they're trying to kill you, and they turn out to be quite entertaining!
And don't forget: They provide you (and by provide, I mean either you steal and/or murder the crap out of them) the best darn equipment in-game (charisma is overrated, anyway)!
That and, well, they are amusing as hell.
EDIT: After a through out scientific analisis, I can conclude that when you present yourself with Fawkes as a Companion, they are the equivelent to a goopy mish mash of gore, flesh, some paste, and sometimes ashes.
What the hell is your problem, Dom? You asked her why she didn't think it was more interesting that you didn't have skin, you don't have any right to get offended when she asks you why that's the case!
1488070
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3fg7agg3u1r757rdo1_1280.png
1491910
Actually, that's pretty damn close. After all, the Knights' armour is laden with dozens of enchantments, and the normal Guard armour utilises an illusion spell that alters the coat, mane/tail and, with the Night Guard's pegasi, wings.
It makes sense that weapons would be magically reinforced to withstand great stress.
1491429
Drill Sergeant Dornan FTW.
1485978
If that's just a combat knife, I'm dreading what you have planned for Equestria's military. I like this new equipment, it makes the humans less over-powered, and more like high-quality combatants.
1491920 Mainly this guy!
1492731
Also, there's the "Tin man" special encounter in FO2.
You meet a poor Enclave soldier whose advanced power armor has rusted into immobility. He pleads for your help. Pick up the oil can near him and lubricate his power armor. He will thank you and he'll give you 150 microfusion cells as a reward.