Fallout Equestria: Dark Shores

by SwimmingEagle


Props and Casting

The cool tangy taste of my orange juice was a refreshing contrast to the swelter of the noontime sun. Eating lunch at Seaside Inn wasn’t a bad decision. However, having the meal on the roof top patio certainly didn’t spare us from the heat.

Sorbet was across from me, sipping a glass of ice water. She was looking very intently at her PipBuck fiddling with the dials and knobs on it. Éclair was next to her, reading an issue of Captain Equestria that she had ‘liberated’ from a box in Sugar Rush’s shack. Sugar Rush herself was downstairs.

“Well the good news is, of the three locations we got from the films, one of the labs is close.” Sorbet pushed a map to the center of the table. It detailed the eight islands of the Summer Sunset territory. A red circle around one of the smaller islands stood out from the other landmasses.

“That line usually precedes bad news.”

“I did a little leg work while you were sleeping off your midnight movie marathon,” she continued. “Target Island is apparently a no go zone around here. Back in the day, the navy used it for target practice, hence the name. There are a whole lot of unexploded shells liable to go off. Not to mention the place is apparently toxic. Anyone who went there didn’t come back looking pretty, or at all.”

“Right, so if we go there, we’ll be blown up or grow an extra head. I’m going to venture a guess and say that’s not stopping us,”

“You bet your ass.” She smirked at me.

“I don’t have an ass,” I said, smirking back.

“I- what?”

“Forget I said anything.” I waved my hoof dismissively. “So what’s the plan?”

“Right, sorry. We need to take at least some precautions. Chem-suits and metal detectors would be ideal,” Sorbet suggested. “Though, plenty of Rad-away and a decent magnet would suffice if we can’t manage that.”

“I doubt they have anything in my size.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“I think I can work something out,” I said. “You should focus on getting you three prepped.”

“Three?” she raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yeah. You, Éclair and Sugar Rush.”

“I never said she was going with us,” she said, incredulously.

“I thought she joined us.”

“What she did was offer us the use of her utilities and pay for our food as penance for trying to KILL us.”

“You’re still sore about that?”

“Yes, Riptide, I am sore about that. I tend to be sore about any time somepony endangers our lives. Besides, her story sounds fishy.”

“Hey now, I resemble that remark.”

“You’re not really offended by that are you?”

“Guilty. Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“It’s not really working. Look, just break it down. A mare goes to an abandoned town, a town she is being paid to remove threats from no less. She goes to the bank, opens the vault and randomly cuts out the back wall to discover the hidden lab. Not to mention she has yet to collect her payment. Doesn’t that raise any red flags with you?” she leaned in a little bit closer.

“Yes, when you say it like that, it does. However, you’re going off of incomplete information. She did open the vault and she did cut through the wall to get to the lab. Why was the vault door closed when we got there? There weren’t any obvious controls to open the vault from inside the vault. Perhaps the vault door closed on her and she figured cutting the door itself wasn’t viable.”

“That’s conjecture.”

“So is your suspicion towards her motives. The thing is, without more information, conjecture is all we can do. For all we know that asshole from the barge was her employer and she was to going to collect the prize”

“Hell, that’s what I was thinking.”

“Now, if that was true, then they already know about our plans and what your PipBuck holds. However, this presents to us a unique opportunity.”

“That is?”

“If she is a rival agent that is leaking information, then we can do the opposite. Probe her for information on the enemy. We can even feed her misinformation to get the drop on whoever she works for. Now if we’re false, then we can still use her as an asset, she’s technically minded and is computer savvy. That, and having an extra gun never hurts.”

Sorbet put her hoof to her chin. I could see her eyes dancing around behind her closed lids.
“You’re right about one thing at least. I am working off of limited information. So I’m going to get more,” Sorbet said finally. She glanced over to Éclair.

“Hey honey, do remember when we ousted those smugglers back home?” Sorbet asked her daughter.

“Operation: Curious Filly?” Éclair replied, tilting her head to the side.

“Good girl,” Sorbet ruffled the little filly’s hair. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the glint of metal in the sun. Sorbet quickly folded up the map on the table and put it in her saddle bag.

“Much, much better now!” Sugar Rush sat down at the table. I smirked at her as she scooted up closer.

“Did ya fall in?” I prodded her shoulder

“No, but I feel about twenty pounds lighter,” She admitted. Sorbet put on a smile and faced her.

“Sugar Rush, can you do me a favor?” Sorbet asked her.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I need to take care of some errands. Can you watch Éclair for me?” Sorbet continued to smile as she asked her.

“Um… I can, but I gotta go by the Mason’s Guild to get my pay and-” Sugar stammered a little

“Mum, I wanna see the Mason’s Guild! Can I go? Can I?” Éclair blurted out excitedly. Sorbet looked at her with a puzzled expression. She then looked back at Sugar Rush with a questioning glace, shrugging after a moment. Sugar Rush looked back and forth at the mother daughter duo.

“Fine… I take her with me to The Masons while you do your… thing,” She sighed.

“Yay!” Éclair bounced out of her chair and pranced about in place. Sugar Rush got up from her seat, a weary smile adorning her face, as she lead the filly towards the door. Sorbet got up as well and began to follow them out. I swear I could have seen a wink come from Sorbet before she left.

I sat there for a few seconds, downing the rest of my orange juice.

“Well, if she’s doing that,” I said to myself aloud, “I might as well work on my radiation protection methods.”

“Wonder if there is an herbalist in town?”

---- ---- ---- ----
I was standing in front of the only place of business on the street. The storefront stuck out like a sore fin. It was decorated with the bones of what appeared to be a dragon, with its skull above the door. The sign of the shop was being held in the dragon’s jaws. Several charms and fetishes were hung over the storefront, ranging from dream catchers to spirit wards. The sign was written in the unmistakable glyphs of Zebracan text. The sign was subtitled in Equestrian, reading “Juju’s Alchemy and Talismans.” Upon the door was a posted message, “No love potions or weight loss elixirs.”

I pushed the door inwards. The bell that hung over the door rang as I entered the shop. It was warm, and the air was very still. Behind a broad counter was a zebra mare with a pair of shears. She was trimming a bonsai tree. As soon as my eyes met her she was looking back at me smiling. She then looked up to the ceiling.

“Juju! Sisi wateja!” she called upstairs. I heard a quick series of thumps as someone moved towards a set of stairs.

“Take your time,” I found myself muttering. The hoof steps traveled down the stairs and a small zebra boy reached the bottom. He jumped on a step stool with wheels on it and slid over to me.

“Welcome to Juju’s Talismongery and Alchemy! I’m Juju. What can I do for you?” the little one sing-songed to me. His voice was cracking and had surprisingly little accent to it.

“I’m going to be heading out into some nasty stuff fairly soon. I was hoping you could provide me with some components.”

“Well, sir, we can provide the reagents for all your alchemical needs. I we don’t have something in stock we can have it added to our shelves in less than two weeks!” Juju replied in an obviously practiced piece of information.

“Cool. Now here are the things I need for my project. Mint extract, xander root, a pegasus’s pinion, mandrake root, an-”

“Did you say mandrake root?” Juju looked up at me. His eyes were wide and looked back at the zebra mare. “One moment please sir.”

“Take your time.”

“Mama, yeye kuuliza kuhusu mzizi Mandrake. Nini I kumweleza?” he asked the other zebra.

“Mwambie hatuwezi kuuza kwamba hapa. Ni kinyume na sheria!” his mother said back. I tilted my head to the side.

“<Why is it against the law to sell mandrake root?>” I asked them. The two zebra looked at each other agape, before returning their gazes back to me.

“<You speak Zwahili?>” Juju’s mother asked me.

“<Well we had a bunch of foreign movies back at my home and I hate reading subtitles… Back to my original question.>”

“<R-right, mandrake is a very dangerous plant. Pulling it out of the ground can be lethal without protection.>”

“<Right, when you pull it out it releases spores that cause neural damage and auditory hallucinations. Usually, it’s an earsplitting scream.>”

“<That’s correct. Someone assassinated a council member twenty years back by flooding his room with mandrake spores. It’s been illegal ever since.>”

“<Well that certainly puts a damper on things. Got any peace lily?>”

“<Got a fresh batch this morning.>”

“<I guess that will have to do. Gonna hate myself later though.>”

“<Would you like anything else?>”

“<Hrmm… five empty vials with stoppers, a mortar and pestle, some cilantro… yeah that’ll be it.>”

“<Would you like this bagged in paper or plastic?>”

“<Plastic please,>” I responded.

“<Too bad, we only have paper,>” she said back to me with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.

“<Paper, then.>”

“<One moment please, sir.>” the nice zebra lady walked towards back of the store where I assumed the herbs were. I smiled as she turned the corner then looked at the little guy on the step stool. I cleared my throat.

“So how did you end up running this place? You seem a bit young to run a business,” I asked him in plain equestrian. He looked up at me with a smile on his face.

“Great business sense!” He beamed at me. I raised an eyebrow at him, maintaining my smile. He looked off to the left and started nodding.

“It’s my dad’s store,” he admitted. “His name is Juju too. Mama named me after him ‘cause we look so alike.” Something clicked in my head after he finished speaking.

“So your name is Juju Junior?” I asked him biting my lip.

“Yup!”

“Awwww,” I found myself saying, with the corners of my mouth rising of their own accord. Juju Junior crossed hooves on the counter giving me the poutiest of glares. Juju’s mom stepped back out from corner. Her back was laden with three paper bags full of herbs. She shifted them to the table.

“<Here you go sir! Will you be paying in caps or shillings?>”

“<I’ll be paying in caps.>”

“<That will be two hundred and seventy five caps then.>”

--- --- --- ---

My groceries weighed down my pack. It was a small blessing that when I finally processed them into the alchemical potions I planned, they would weigh far less. I couldn’t complain though; the day was too good.

The mid-afternoon sun beat down over the buildings. The bustle of the marketplace was dying down slightly. The seagulls could be heard from the bay. That slight bite of salt from the sea. That fresh smell of the palm trees in my nose. It felt so much like home I could almost hear my mom singing.

I would chalk it all up to nostalgia, except for the fact that she was really singing. It was faint and coming from my left. I couldn’t believe I missed the building the sound was coming from.

Sunset Cinema. The name didn’t ring any bells, but by Poseidon I could barely call myself film enthusiast if I didn’t dart forward instantly. I shoved myself through the door. Not a soul was in the lobby, or the ticket booth. The muffled voice of my mother, accompanied by a soft guitar, was coming from one of the theaters. I marched right past the concession stand. I opened the door to the theater.

On that silver screen I saw my mom. She looked young. She sounded beautiful. She…

She was taking a steamy bath and was in a sultry pose. My mind wanted to erase the mental image of her wet blonde mane sticking to her light purple coat and the pair of bedroom eyes she sported. I was just about to turn and repress the memory when suddenly the singing stopped with metal falling on the ground.

“Who intrudes upon me bathing? Show thyself! Lest I have thee run through by the guards!” my mother threatened into the steam. A shadowy figure was hiding behind the open window.

“Twas I milady, though I meant no intrusion. Thine melody left me so enraptured I could not help but peer in,” A stallion responded just out of sight. The voice was deep, but youthful. The bath steam cleared and a much younger version of my dad was in the window. He was wearing a Middle Ages style suit of armor with a full metal wide brimmed hat that almost hid his short black mane and pale white coat. His eye patch offset the shine of his right golden eye. A badge on his collar was emblazoned with a stylized crimson rose.

“I recognize thee, thou wert the knave that first leapt the ramparts and mowed down its defenders like so much grass. Comest thou now to rend thine way into the castle?” she questioned, with a hint of fear in her voice. My father shook his head with a mirthful smile.

“Nay, during that hateful struggle upon the outer walls, I did spy thee guiding the young ones into the inner sanctum. I would seek thy safety in these coming days. Whilst the skies are calm now, this storm has yet to break. Should a maiden as fair as thee come to harm from this feud of former friends, my soul may not bear the pain,” he explained sheepishly. My mom giggled as she began blushed.

“Thou should wield thy tongue in battle, ‘tis clearly sharper.” She smiled with half lidded eyes. My father returned the smile.

“I would humbly ask thy name.”

“Buttercup. And thou, good sir?”

“Messer… It means knife. Mine parents were queer folk.” He rubbed the back of his head, “Mightn’t I come in? It would be a misfortune if I were discovered.”

A thunderous crack resounded. My father nearly jumped out of his barding. With a golden eruption of magic, he drew a single edged cutting sword that nearly was as long as he was. His eyes went wide as they slowly raised up. His body became shadowed by something large.

The camera panned upwards from the ground revealing a pair of cloven hooves covered in ring mail. Plates of steel were sown into the suit as the camera showed more. A huge minotaur stood high above. The angle of the camera made it seem fifty feet tall. A large badge depicting a stylized white rose was welded to his bulging chest plate. His hands held a staff that could be mistaken for a stone pillar, with azure gems studding both ends. Flicks of lightning shot from each gem.

“I see thee, bloody rose,” the minotaur yelled, his voice booming with authority. “I saw thee cut down my brothers upon the outer ramparts. Didst thou think thou could steal into the castle under darkness to repeat the act upon the nobility!?”

“Nay, vanguard, my intentions tonight are pure. Stay thy hand and I shall trouble thee no longer this night,” Messer replied to the minotaur. The minotaur snorted and shook his head

“thou thinkest me a babe? An oaf?” he retorted. “Surrender thyself, or thy life will be fodder for Voltaga!” A thunderous crack resounded through the courtyard as hundreds of tiny lightning bolts flew from the staff.

“Thou art clearly beyond reason. Thou wisheth a quarrel? Thou shalt receive one!” Messer roared back at the vanguard. The background music swelled into a mixture of orchestra and electric guitar. He leapt towards the minotaur, sword hovering overhead. Messer’s leap was cut short by horns of the tall beast ramming into his skull. Messer flew back, faster than a blink straight into a tree. Chunks of bark splintered across the courtyard.

The sound of a Tesla coil rumbled as Voltaga smashed into the tree, splitting it in half. The leaves caught fire in a flash. Messer narrowly tumbled under the swing. His eyes widened to the minotaur swinging downward, meaning to crush him into smoldering paste.

Messer dashed in between the giant’s legs, cleaving the armor from the beast in a few deft swings. A small spurt of blood littered the grass. The minotaur swept his mighty staff in an arc toward the unicorn swordspony. Messer brought his sword down to parry. The two weapons collided. A massive thunderclap resounded and Messer was sent sprawling across the courtyard. Smoke drifted off of his body, and a faint sizzle of burning flesh could be heard over the music. The minotaur loomed over his mangled body with his staff ready to strike. Like a mighty bolt of lightning from the heavens, the minotaur drove the staff toward Messer’s head.

The picture froze and the audio stopped. I stood there leaning forward and teeth clenched. I blinked twice, Perhaps it was the adrenaline causing the movie to move slowly. The overhead lights to the theater came on. My worst fears were answered.

Somepony had stopped the movie.

“Your ticket please?” A voice questioned from behind me.

“Uhh…” I managed to vocalize as I turned toward the source. An alabaster earth pony stallion, who looked like his body couldn’t decide if he was middle age or venerable, Stood there behind me with a lever action shotgun leveled at my head. While the shotgun was scary, the scarier thing was he had a kindly old smile you’d expect your grandpa to have.

“Go ahead son, explain yourself,” he said to me calmly. I looked back at the screen, before brewing up some words in my mind.

“They did a good job, the makers of that film you were playing. The actors showed genuine emotion, the special effects were obviously done with silver age techniques, but they used modern camera angles. The score was delightful… this is probably the best film that’s come out in the last two hundred years,” I started gushing about the film. His kindly old grandpa smile grew wider and he lowered the shotgun.

“Well I don’t want to toot my own horn, but it is the best film I’ve ever made. Though that’s not saying much, The War of The Roses was considered Shake Pear’s magnum opus. There’s also the fact that I’ve only made three films, but that’s beside the point,” he responded. My eyes widened and my mind went blank.

“I love you,” I blurted out.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I am already married,” He said with a smirk, “My name is Thespian.”

“Riptide,” I returned his greeting and extended my hoof. He shook it eagerly.

“I apologize for the shotgun, miscreants like to come in here and make messes.”

“No harm done. However, I must ask. If you have a working theater, why aren’t you selling tickets? This place looks like it’s been abandoned for years.”

“That’s the rub isn’t it? We were in business some thirty years ago. However, a movie theater can’t run on just three movies now can it?”

“No, I suppose you can’t,” I looked wistfully back at the screen, “They always talked about movies. They never said they were in one.”

“Bingo,” Thespian said suddenly, smiling broadly.

“What?”

“I thought you looked familiar. Couldn’t place it at first, but putting two and two together I see now. You’re Gibson Score and Serene Scene’s son,” he said. I looked him square in the eye. I couldn’t sense any malice, or ulterior motive. Just understanding.

“Yes, yes I am.” I replied simply.

“Well son, I’m glad to have met you. It a shame your parents aren’t with us anymore.” He said.

“That easy to tell, huh?”

“Thirty years, and the only sign they didn’t fall of the face of the earth is their grown son trespassin’ in my theater. May I ask h-”

“They got sick. Mom went first. It was faster than it should have been.”

“She did have a delicate constitution. She was at the doctor almost every other week.”

“We didn’t have a whole lot of meds, but she went peaceful,” I said. “She slept right through the worst of it. Dad, on the other hoof, was more stubborn than a mule. He held on a whole two years before he went under.”

“I apologize for bring up painful memories.”

“I was young. I let my grief out when it happened. It’s nice to know they were a part of something like this though.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t talk about it.”

“Heh, the only thing about the past they mentioned was that dad lost his eye the day they met.”

“Ha! That’s all? He didn’t mention that Serene tore it out herself?”

“The fuck!?” I blurted out.

“When they first met, they were trying to kill each other. That’s what mercenaries do.”

“I… wha… Huh!?” My jaw was ajar. My brain couldn’t process what my ears were hearing. I looked to Thespian for solace in this news but all he did was laugh in my face.

“Shocking, I know.”

“Dad seemed like he would do something like that, but mom?”

“They did quit after they got done fighting each other. Got sick of fighting altogether after their encounter. Then they bonded over their mutual appreciation of music and theater.”

“That… makes sense. I guess.” I fought to wrap the thought of my mother being a grizzled mercenary posed on top of a mound of spent bullet casings with my dad. It was… probably a good premise for a movie. I saw Thespian pull out a pocket watch and study it for a moment.

“I tell you what. You keep on coming here and I’ll keep telling you stories about your folks,” he said, smiling. Extended his hoof. “Deal?”

“One condition,” I said quickly.

“That being?”

“Start playing movies again.”

“Son, I told you, I can’t run a theater with only three films in the whole house.”

“I can get you some more,” I replied.

“How? Most of old films are too decayed or damaged to use,” he asked with an eyebrow raised. I smirked in response. I lifted up my cloak.

“What do you know about seaponies, Thespian?” I asked, smirking.

--- --- --- ---

Dusk was near. A bandana rested on my nose to guard it from the acrid smells of the concoction I was mixing. The lights were all off. I learned that the ceiling fan of Sugar Rush’s home was wired with the lights. I couldn’t risk dust being kicked up into the mix and ruining the delicate work I was engaging in. If I didn’t hurry I would be working in the dark. If I rushed, the mixture would kill me rather than help me.

I slowly sifted through the crushed herbs in the mortar and pestle, allowing the fine white specks of what I needed to fall gently into the glass vial. Then I raised the mint above the vial and bled the liquid left in it into the container. White powder in the vial began to sizzle. My eye started to go wide.

“Needs more iron,” I said to myself while looking around. I grabbed my knife with my magic and raised my left hoof. I pressed the blade into the side of my foreleg until I saw tiny beads of red. I let the blood I just drew slide down the blade. I held the tip of my knife over the beaker. A single drop fell into the vial. The sizzling stopped abruptly as the substances mixed into a sanguine fluid. I wafted over the top of the vial and smelled the air. I saw a few spots of color before I put a put the stopper on the vial.

I levitated the red vial and placed it with its four purple brothers in a leather pouch. I pulled off my bandana and craned my neck back and forth. I felt a few pops in my spine. I scraped the leftover materials into separate pouches. You never know when you need alchemical reagents later.

The door opened behind me a few minutes later. Sugar Rush strode in, dragging her metal hooves on the ground and heavy bags under her eyes. She walked straight to the bed and collapsed on it. Sorbet followed in with a satisfied smile and a fast asleep Éclair on her back. Sorbet slid the little filly on an unoccupied portion of Sugar Rush’s bed. I smirked as Sorbet approached me.

“I guess they had an eventful day,” I commented

“Bards will sing of their fun filled adventures for eons to come,” Sorbet responded, walking past me to the door. “I say we give them some time alone to rest.”

I packed up my work and followed her out of the shack. She sat down on the curb of the street. I walked up beside her.

“What did you find out?”

“She was a champion eating contest winner in three different food types in her teens; She can’t hold a romantic relationship for more than a week, not for lack of trying; She bats for both teams; and she’s a fan of mystery novels.”

“…And?”

“And her story checks out,” she continued. “Real estate is apparently big business in Summer Sunset. Lots of demand for land and very little land is secure and available. So being a troubleshooter like her is lucrative but highly competitive business. It’s not uncommon for troubleshooters to fight and kill each other for the job.”

“And the buyer? Any info on them?”

“Not a word,” she said, shaking her head. “Lots of money goes around the real estate game. Stuff that’s less than kosher goes on between rival landlords, so anonymity is a requirement in all the trades. That said, the Mason’s Guild keeps them from fighting out in the open. So far, the guild has a controlling interest in the island. Technically, they own the entire island, but that’s just so they can sell the landlords what isn’t settled.”

“So what happens next?” I asked.

“Well, like you said, Sugar Rush can be an asset. We give her the offer when she wakes up from her nap. I found a merchant that will rent us the Chem-suits. Have to pay a deposit though. I didn’t see any metal detectors or magnets. Hopefully, Sugar Rush can whip something up. She seems like she’d know how. How about you? Get any use out of your day trip?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I said, grinning. “Found a nice Zebra shop, got some materials and made this baby!” I pulled out one of the purple vials. “This is six hour radiation immunity in a bottle!”

“What the… why didn’t you tell me you could make that! We could just whip up a bunch of- there’s a catch isn’t there?”

“The thing works by creating an absorbent membrane around the lining of your stomach. That membrane sucks up all the radiation that enters the body. After the six hours the membrane breaks up in your stomach to be evacuated.”

“Evacuated? you mean...?” She slowly began to comprehend my meaning with increasing horror.

“You spend the next ten minutes puking your guts out. Best case scenario, you lose a meal or two. Worst case scenario, you burn a hole in your esophagus,” I elaborated further. I saw her body visibly shudder at the thought. We sat there on the curb for a few moments. The sun had finally fallen past the horizon. The stars came out in full force, sparkling like tiny jewels.

“Well then, you think we’re ready for this?” Sorbet asked me. I looked at the stars for a few moments. I lowered my gaze back at her and smirked.

“Your call, boss,” I replied. She looked at the stars for a few moments then closed her eyes. The corners of her mouth rose into a smile and she nodded. Standing up from the curb, she walked into Sugar Rush’s shack. I chuckled slightly and followed her in.