//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Heartaches by the Number // Story: Fallout: Equestria - Vanguard // by Veprem //------------------------------// Fallout: Equestria - Vanguard Chapter 4: Heartaches by the Number ***** ***** ***** As we entered Fort Ziggurat, I was respectfully greeted by a tall, powerfully built striped mare. Aside from her officer uniform, she was adorned in a red Legate sash and a massive sword, both passed through her family for generations. “It is a pleasure to see you, General. You as well, Major Striker.” Captain Zaire bowed to each of us. “Though I wish it were under better circumstances.” “Agreed,” I began. “This is going to be an unpleasant and complicated operation. I’ll need your help retaking Seaddle.” Being the garrison farthest from the Crystal Empire, I was confident that Zaire and her troops were the most likely to have avoided infiltration. Flurry’s accidental teleporting us this far was extremely fortuitous. The warrior of tradition wore a thoughtful expression. “Clearly it won’t be as simple as sweeping through the streets. We have no way to identify our opponent.” I nodded. “We must accomplish two things; Secure Fort Reinier, and capture Commander Tenna.” I noticed a glare from Flurry Heart. “Assuming she can’t be convinced to turn herself over.” Wind Striker interjected. “If she doesn’t, and her changelings put up a fight, it’ll get bloody. Taking them alive might not be feasible.” He looked apprehensively at the novasurge pistol on his battle saddle. Its stun setting has limited effectiveness, admittedly. There was, however, an alternative just offshore. “I think Alcatrot can spare a battalion of guards,” I announced with a grin. The Major blinked, then shared my smile. “Novatrons? That might just do.” Captain Zaire rubbed her chin. “They’ve never been used on such a scale. Capturing lowly criminals is a far cry from fighting invaders. Invaders whom they cannot tell apart from our citizens.” “There may be a way they can.” I countered, looking at Flurry. “All magic gives off unique frequencies. Even the illusion magic of changelings. I’ve been studying and isolating it while traveling with my companion here. The Novatrons’ scanners can be tuned to detect it. I didn’t mention this in my messages because I didn’t want to tip Tenna off.” “That’s more like it!” Striker whooped. “Can our troopers’ EFS be tuned to detect it as well?” “Of course,” I assured. “Tenna will be in for quite a shock when her disguises don’t work.” ***** The wing of G-VIII transports touched down in the main courtyard of Alcatrot Prison. Built upon a relatively small island surrounded by harsh, cold waves, it had been a secure place to house lawbreakers since long before the bombs. Had things gone differently with that train heist to steal the Alicorn Amulet, I could have ended up here. Crime not being a terribly common occurrence in the Commonwealth, the cells were primarily occupied by raiders and the like who were smart enough to surrender. They will be productive members of society some day, after serving their sentence and rehabilitating. There weren’t many organic guards stationed here. That task fell primarily to Novatron security robots; a dramatic design overhaul of wartime Assault-Mares. Cloaking devices had been sacrificed for more effective armor, overcharged head-mounted lasers were exchanged for stun weapons and a TK projector, and the addition of turbine-supported wings increased their mobility. All to make them an effective force to bolster the policing duties of the Vanguard. Stiker trotted beside me as I inspected the robots lining up at my command. “Ma’am, are you at all concerned that Tenna could take control of these things? She has your memories, your codes.” I raised an incredulous brow. “Major, I designed all of this myself. I’m updating their encryptions as we speak.” Worry creased my face as I realized what he meant. “However, any robotic forces already at Reinier will probably be compromised, and it will take time for me to get control of them.” “Of course,” he chuckled. “Can’t make things too easy, can we?” Zaire stepped forward. “Do we know who in Seaddle can be trusted? Who are still themselves?” She turned to Striker. “What of Colonel Waxwing?” The Major gave an assuring smile. “Icarus was really him last time I saw him. We, uh, shot each other to make sure.” He couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Oh, you should have heard him whimper. Bloody hell, that stings!” Even the always stoic Zaire snickered at his poor impression. “Speaking of which.” She sat in front of the pegasus, ready for her turn. “That won’t be necessary.” I waved a hoof. “If she were a changeling, my scanners would notice.” I smiled at her. “Not that I don’t appreciate the gesture of trust.” “On the topic of trust…” Flurry spoke up, a nervousness in her voice as she looked around at the intimidating prison. “I’d… understand if you wanted me to stay here. For what I’ve done. It… It’s what I’d deserve.” That wasn’t something I expected her to bring up. She wasn’t wrong. Nevermind what she’d done to countless crystal ponies, she was directly responsible for the deaths of four Vanguard soldiers. I’d be remiss in my duty, to both the Vanguard and those soldiers’ families, not to enact some form of justice. “You…” I took a moment to find the right words. “Once this is handled, you will stand trial and plead your case. For now, I still need your help. The more good you do, the more favorable the court’s decision will be.” She nodded. “That’s fair.” ***** All the G-VIII transports available to me were filled to the brim with my robot army, all calibrated to target changeling infiltrators and take them down. Non-lethally. As we set off, I couldn’t help but think about the potential the changelings had to be valuable allies once this all worked out. I need scouts. I need an intelligence network keeping me updated about the goings on in the rest of the wasteland and beyond. I’ve been in the dark for far too long. Who is the Goddess? Why are Steel Rangers hostile to alicorns? Are those rumors of slavers in Fillydelphia more of a problem than I realize? All questions an army of shapeshifters could find me answers to. In the meantime, I needed to nip this brewing conflict at the bud. I turned to Flurry, who was secured in the seat beside me, clinging to her harness for dear life. She clearly wasn’t a fan of my flying machines. “Flurry, I need to be able to get into Tenna’s head when we confront her. What makes her tick?” She blinked, and pondered a moment. “She’s loyal to her family above everything else. Her mate and nymphs back at the Empire. All she does, she does for them.” That sent a pang through my heart, and then a flash of suspicion. “You’re not just saying that because of my history, right? To make me sympathetic?” Flurry looked hurt by the accusation, then understanding. “It’s true. Deep down, all she wants is for them to be safe and prosper.” Good. I can use that. ***** Our approach to Seaddle was met with several wings of G-IX attack craft. I couldn’t begrudge them for following protocol, especially in this situation, but the idea of there being hostile changelings piloting them put me on edge. “Glad to have you back with us, General.” Waxwing’s voice put me at ease just a bit. Reaching out with my detection spell… Four. Four changelings, two sets of pilot and co-pilot. The ones impersonating my previous escort. Thankfully, not in Icarus’ chopper. I didn’t say a word. It was far too early to reveal that I knew how to spot them. We were going straight to Fort Reinier, flying past the bustling city and towards the mountain housing Stable 14. It’s a massive structure. While I have no doubt Tenna is still there, there are a lot of places she could hide. The atmosphere as we touched down and began to unload was tense. I couldn’t be sure how the changelings would react to my arrival. According to my scans, dozens of them were posing as my soldiers. Thus far, as I tread across the tarmac, they played it cool. I made it inside without incident, and I signaled the Novatrons to spread out through the facility. Anywhere the infiltrators could hide. This operation will be swift. ***** Seeing the Stable-turned-base has always evoked the same thought in my mind for a hundred years. I miss Gallus. Him, his wife, Gabby, their griffawns… Survivors of the great war, who never lost hope that things could be better. They counted on me, as thousands more families are counting on me now. I won’t let them down like I let mine down. I went straight to my office, what was once Gallus’ Overgriff office. He served Stable 14 flawlessly. He got fifteen thousand souls through the apocalypse safe and sound. I owe it to him to keep their descendants safe. The office was quaint and empty as ever. A desk with a terminal, a large, circular window overlooking one of the many atriums, a display case with many of Gallus’ things… Photos of him with family and friends, a newspaper clipping of his heroism during the war, his medals… I looked up at the beautiful, blue, sunny sky painted on the ceiling. Gabby did that for him, to help with his claustrophobia. A chuckle escaped me every time I thought about that. A classic Stable-Tec oversight to appoint someone with that condition to be the leader of an underground bunker for thirty years. My only additions to the decor were some vases and paintings. They were crudely made, amateurish. They also had to be kept in sealed glass. One only had to notice the subtle pink hue to understand why. “They look like they were made by foals.” Tenna’s voice would have surprised me, if my scanners didn’t see her coming. I admit, I wasn’t expecting her to come to me so willingly. “They were.” My grim reply put a sorrowful, understanding look in her bulbous, glistening eyes. “I’m sorry.” Tenna stepped up closer beside me. She knew she didn’t stand a chance against me in a straight fight. “It’s obvious you’ve got me beat. You’re here with Flurry, you’ve got those robots…” I faced her. “If you call your forces off, none of them will be harmed. Tenna, Flurry and I have figured out how to fix things. The Crystal Heart will work.” She looked doubtful. “How?” “Love,” I answered. “I can get volunteers to move to the Empire. They can empower the Heart willingly and directly, and the changelings can feed on the ambient energy it produces. It’s a solution that’s been right under your nose this whole time.” Tenna took a disbelieving step back, her face creasing in thought. “Oh,” I continued, “in case you get any ideas…” I turned on some monitors, showing that my Novatrons have detained every changeling in the base. She gave me a defeated pout. I returned it with a smug smirk. “We have a lot to figure out, regarding terms.” My expression became stern. “You and Flurry have gotten some of my people killed, and you have to answer for that. Once the Heart is empowered, trials will-” Flurry teleporting beside us interrupted me with a jolt. Before I could be angry with her, I noticed the terror in her eyes. She was hyperventilating, panicking… I knew something was horribly wrong before she spoke. “T-The Empire!” she sputtered. “I don’t know what, or why, or how, but the Empire is in danger!” Tenna snapped to attention. “What!? What makes you think that?” She glared at me. “What did you do!?” I blinked in confusion. “Nothing! Flurry, what’s the problem?” “I don’t know!” she whimpered, collapsing and shaking. “Every fiber of me is telling me my Hive is in peril!” That doesn’t make any sense. What could possibly… “Shining Armor.” My words locked both their attention onto me. Tenna’s face was confused, but Flurry’s was horrified. I continued. “Flurry and I opened a Stable. Shining Armor, Flurry’s father, was there. So were Steel Rangers. They became hostile.” Flurry nearly choked on her words. “They must have gone to the Empire…” Tenna’s eyes went wide. “Our entire army is here! The Empire is defenseless! M-My family…” “Tenna.” I spoke calmly and assuredly. “We will go straight there. I’ll get the choppers mobilized…” “No time!” Flurry shouted, before engulfing us in light. ***** No time whatsoever. As soon as we blipped into the Empire’s chilly outskirts, I had to adjust my olfactory senses to dull the stench of fire. Black smoke plumed from every building. Flames engulfed the towering palace. Tenna was the first to launch into the air, crying in despair. “Canthus! Elytra! Ventra!” Flurry and I followed quickly, but it didn’t take long before we found her, collapsed in the town center, below the palace. Flurry immediately fell to her side, wailing in guttural agony with her. I very nearly joined them. If I could throw up, I would be. Before us, where the Crystal Heart once was, was an enormous, burning pile of corpses.