//------------------------------// // M Is for Mutant: Beware the Malignant. // Story: Fallout Equestria ABC: Dangers of the Wasteland // by Doomande //------------------------------// The House on the Hill. 200 years ago, the Great War that ravaged Equestria and beyond had ended with the detonations of the Megaspells, weapons of mass destruction where one held enough firepower to wipe out an entire civilization off the face of the earth with just a snap. And if the detonation failed to get the job done, the resulting radiation acted as an unadaptable plague, killing swaths and swaths of people faster than any plague existed before. With no natural defense against something made by the hands of Pony and Zebra alike, the only option was for many species to evolve rapidly over time to make worth of their unfamiliar environment: or in layman’s terms, mutate.   Now of course, many mutations are well known such as the Hellhounds, Ghouls, Timberstalkers, and more are well known amongst the Wasteland populace. However, there are a great many that remain undocumented for a variety of reasons ranging from the individuals dying at the hands of these monsters to lack of resources to record these beasts. Alas, that doesn’t change the fact that these creatures live, breathe, and eat just as much as you yourself do.     (Near the roads of Manehatten)   Gaining the morale of those who follow in your footsteps have become less of a requirement and more of an art these following years, it’s not easy to turn a pessimistic situation into a ray of hope when every turn you make can mean the difference between life and death. Keeping that morale is another situation entirely, it means to understand the limitations of the mind and how far someone can stretch their manipulation before the string broke.   It is because the fragile intricacy of leadership that Capt. Leo considers himself the best Captain the Pegasus Enclave has to offer. Time and time again have he proven that his prowess in rallying his forces and achieving stellar victory after stellar victory, claiming lands in the Enclaves goals of unifying the world under their rule. Even the Queen of the Sky agrees with this notion, appointing him of very important missions that even the smallest mistake can send their plans tumbling forward and crashing into a mess that just can’t be cleaned up.   “Capt. Where are we?” However, not everyone can possess a streak so clean that it can’t be tainted by the unexpected. In which Capt. Leo was facing the full brunt of taking on a task pertaining to an area he knew little of. This time, he decided to annex whatever remains of Manehattan existed into Enclave rule.   On paper, this seemed like a great idea, only for half of his forces to be dispatched by the savage and barbaric Wastelanders and a quarter more left to die at the hands of the Talons and whatever beast decided to peak its ugly head out in the morning. Now, with a pitiful handful of soldiers at his disposal, the disgruntled Capt. Was burdened with the responsibility of finding shelter before night fell and casted them in darkness. In which, even more unspeakable terrors would unearth and devour his remaining forces.   Unfortunately for him, as expected by a land ravaged by the Megaspells, shelter was nary to be seen in the endless stretches of dry land. Everywhere he looked, the mirage of refuge formed in his sight only to disappear when he made a step towards it, like a haunting image of his daunting failure. It was at crucial moments like these he wished to the high heavens he was a Unicorn so he could conjure up a shelter and that be that.   “Look Capt. A cabin up ahead!” His soldier did not lie, for at the head of a mountain, surrounded by seas of lush produce, was a cabin. The sight of such an out of place cabin in accordance with the greenery that was as scarce as water nowadays, maybe even more so, was enough to raise alarm.   He held his hand out, signaling for his troops to stand still. “I’ll investigate, stay on guard.” He stayed true to his word, flying up the hill to investigate this strange cabin. Even from far away, he could see that these rows of greenery were all but an illusion, they were as real as the sun itself.   He inspected the many produce growing on the bushes, vines, and whatever else, trying to detect any sort of malicious magic, concluding that it was clear. But to be sure, he took a cautious bite, the taste actually better than what the Enclave could ever produce. “An Earth Pony must live here.”   That statement was true for he learned at an early age that Earth Ponies possess an affinity for growing exceptionally good produce and plants. He decided to investigate the cabin, to which he was relieved to see that it was unremarkable all things considered. No secret compartments, no weird creatures, spotless in all venues. With a stern second viewing, Capt. Leo determined that the vicinity was safe for camping. And maybe a meal, but he had to be extra sure about that.   Returning to his posse of soldiers, he nodded. “The vicinity seems to be safe at face value, so we’ll camp out here for the night and leave first thing in the morning.” No matter how dire his situation seemed to be, and to an extent the punishment he would receive upon returning to the Enclave, the down on his luck captain couldn’t deny that seeing his troops rally in relief. It was a sight that he lived and breathed to see every day.   With fatigue threatening to drop them in the road, the team of tired soldiers made their way to the cabin on the hill. Before long, they’ve picked various fruits Capt. Leo deemed to be safe to eat and a makeshift banquet had taken place in the living room, the stove and everything working flawlessly.   “I don’t think this is a clever idea.” The one superstitious Pegasus amidst the group spoke up, scouting the cupboards and other storage places for salt. “There absolutely no salt here, and all the vegetables are South-Eastern in nature.” Private Conspiracy, as his team had named him, continued to voice his ever-growing concern.   The final female of the group could only scoff, rolling her eyes along with every other comrade. “You’re always like this; can’t anything good ever happen without you ruining it?” She scolded harshly, causing the younger soldier to cower and cease his worrying.   Not a word was uttered as a typical Pegasus banquet had taken place, the sight of something so close to home raising their morale ten – no – a hundredfold, all ready to take the rest of this task head on.   (Later That Night)   Night had come swiftly with the spell of slumber, rendering Capt. Leo and the rest of his team defenseless against the Wasteland wonders in the darkness. But while the grand majority of the team were fast asleep, Private Con couldn’t get a wink in.   He tried forcing himself to sleep, tried relaxing into the unexpected position, tried to ignore that voice in the back of his head. He truly tried to deny his natural superstitious behavior the acknowledgement it craved so he could join his comrades in a well-needed sleep. But it was all for naught as the midnight hours ticked by and he was as wide awake as he was that morning.   “I can’t do this…” He trailed off, jumping off the couch used as a makeshift bed. He made his way to the kitchen, hoping to find something he could eat or drink to pass the time as it was clear that sleep would not come to him.   “Leave.”   Whether it was his own fractured psyche or not, the whisper had caught the private off guard. He leaped to attention, plucking the pistol from his holster, and pointing it at the dark. Cautiously, he stepped towards the kitchen, sure that was where he heard the voice. His forehead was drenched in sweat, hands shaking as he was all but ready to pull the trigger and lay waste to whatever being lay behind the shadows. However, just as he round the corner, he could not believe what he saw.   Standing in the kitchen, a figure capable of dwarfing the Queen of the Sky easily, shrouded in unnatural shadows with horns large enough to impale a stallion’s throat. Seeing this… creature stand there was nothing short of mesmerizing, the sheer supernaturality of it all something not even he could predict to see.   Ensnared by the sight, Private Con failed to suppress a gasp, alerting the being. The way in which it twisted to meet his gaze was stranger, its lower half seemed to not move at all as its upper half twisted. Its white eyes came into view, small white wisps whisking off like smoke from a fire and met his eyes. Its lips contorted as it spoke.   “Go to sleep.” It was undeniable, this creature – which carried a feminine tone – was the one who whispered. Her voice ethereal, not unlike a spirit, as she spoke her demand. He found it hard to disobey her, but as he was rebounding, a strange sound reached his ears. It was the sound of air splitting asunder as something of unimaginable speeds whipped through, and as he turned his attention around, he felt the hands of this creature violently grip his face.   He felt her fingers digging into the skin of his cheeks, hearing the sounds of his jaw collapsing under the unfathomable strength this being possessed. She hadn’t even held on for a quarter of a minute and he was already suffering damage.   “Break.”   As if on cue, he felt his jaw bones break as she spoke, the pain surging through his body would’ve forced a loud scream to erupt from his throat, but he found that he was unable to produce any sound. He looked at this being as it raised one hand, raising him higher off the ground than he’s ever been in his life by one hand.   And with that one hand, she tossed him across the house, the loud thud against the wall no doubt loud enough to wake everyone else up. He hoped that it did so that he would not be forced to go up against this powerful beast all by his lonesome, which is surely to end in death for him. But no one came to his help. He tried getting up, only for a powerful weight to rest on his leg quite harshly, the undeniable snap of his leg breaking in two only outdone by his loud scream, which too should have woken up his comrades. He feared for his life, his leg and jaw broken, and in spite of his shrieks of pain, he would die alone as this creature had its way with him.   Another violent hand gripped his cheeks and hoisted him into the air. He shut his eyes, unable to look this creature in the eyes as it robbed him of his life. He expected the cold hand of death to touch his soul and lead him to the afterlife, whether he’d reside in heaven or hell.   Alas, such a deadly blow had not come. In fact, it was as if nothing had taken hold of his cheeks. Curiosity superseded caution and he wretched his eyes open, only to see that not only was he on the couch he was previously, but he was unharmed.   It wouldn’t take long before his mind put two and two together and he waited not a moment to obey the creature’s whisper: hopping off the couch and running out the door, disregarding the idea of waking his comrades for they were sure to think him a madman. Luckily for him, his belongings were situated in front of the door, proving that the being in his dreams was far from a figment of his imagination.   He was gone.   (Tomorrow Morning)   The remaining forces of Capt. Leo’s squadron had woken up, replenished and rejuvenated, prepared to complete the task the Queen of the Sky had assigned to them. They prepared accordingly and thundered down the stairs, ready to reel in Private Con into their shenanigans.   However, as they reached the lower floor, Private Con was nowhere to be found, and his belongings were gone as well. Despite him being a powerful asset, his superstitious attitude made sure that they harbored nothing but negative feelings towards him. They quickly cited insubordination and abandonment and evacuated the premises.   As they stepped outside, they couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with a sense of being watched by a malicious, malignant force. Words need not to be exchanged as weapons were drawn and everyone watched their surroundings intently.   Relief would have taken hold of the 4 Pegasi squad if it weren’t for a creature that could only be described as a mix between a Goat and an Earth Pony with the height that from afar looked to be able to block the sun. Capt. Leo, stunned for words, immediately pointed his weapon in this beast’s direction, only to hear the deafening screams of his comrades.   He looked back, only for his eyes to widen in horror as two of his subordinates were dragged off into the distance by the plants surrounding them: the sickening sound of flesh and blood being spilled with the company of bones being harshly broken, they were killed.   Before he could turn back to their primary offender, he felt a harsh hand grab his face and shatter his jawbone. He tried his absolute best to scream for help, but he could hardly squeak out a breath when he found that a searing pain ripped through his chest. It was with one loo down that he saw the fist of this beast had penetrated his stomach and out came a lung, the organ like a grape in the hand of this monster.   “CAPTAIN!”   His remaining comrade attempted to save him, only for his head to fly off with a strong kick, the rest of the body falling limp. But he had little time to inspect the body for his attention was drawn to this Goat/Pony hybrid, a cocktail of fear and anger swirling behind his eyes.   “You will pay dearly for killing my men…” He seethed.   The large creature leaned in, her lips mere inches away from his ear. “Should have heeded the private’s warning.” She spoke before she pulled back, opening her mouth to let out this strange black mist.   No sooner had he unintentionally inhaled the mist had he broke out into a shrieking wale of pain, absolute agony coursing through his veins as he felt death’s cold hand violently rip his soul out of his body. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel the skin on his face and body evaporate, leaving only bone. Luckily, he died before the transformation was complete.   Now, his body was no more than a skeleton, void of any blood, organs, or anything else. Not even eyes as they had burst as he passed away.   Now, what was once a shining example of the Pegasus Enclave’s expansion was now a scarecrow of death, a warning warding off any further potential invaders.   Remember: M is for Mutant: Beware the Malignant.