//------------------------------// // Rising Action // Story: Fallout Equestria: Dark Shores // by SwimmingEagle //------------------------------// Chapter 7 Rising Action I awoke with a start; something caught my bottom lip and yanked it down. A small droplet of blood ran down my chin. “Ah Damn!” I hissed. “I know I look like a fish but did they have to put a hook in my mouth?” “Relax; they do that to everybody here.” A voice emerged from nearby. In its direction I found two others with me, one tall one small. Hooks with fiber wire hung from their lips. “Why’s that?” I asked “Some kinky pony stole all the shackles from the sheriff last Tuesday. This was the next best thing.” the tall one of them explained. My jaw dropped. “That’s just silly.” I finally said “Stranger things have happened.” The small one added. “For example?” I asked “Well naught thirty minutes ago the guards tossed a pony with the backside of a dolphin in here.” He continued. I rolled my eyes “Fair enough. At least they didn’t shoot me.” I said aloud. The door swung open. A grey haired mare walked in wearing an ascot. “We’re still working out whether or not we should.” The mare said to me, “I’m hoping you can convince me to one or the other.” “I’m hoping what I say leads you to the former.” I added. “That all depends on how you answer these next few questions.” She stated. Her eyes were stern and judging. “Such as?” I asked “What is your name?” she asked. “Riptide” I answered robotically. “What is your business here?” she said evenly. “To seek the holy grail…” she eyed me. I shifted in place. No sense of humor “Okay bad joke. My client was injured and we put in for help and supplies.” “Your client?” She raised an eyebrow. “She’s hired me to escort her and her daughter to Summer Sunset Island.” I answered straightly “You mentioned supplies.” She pointed out. “Food, water, medicine. The essentials.” I replied. “To include a video camera.” She added. “Not essentially an essential but yes.” I danced around the statement. “You think your funny don’t you?” She remarked. “I used to, but I continue to be proven wrong. Look, we’ve already got what we want. Let me go, and we leave. We were planning on leaving after that game anyways.” I sighed “Here’s the thing, the inner sea region, hell Steam Town itself has had bad luck with mutants. Last time a mutant came through here; it ended up poisoning almost the whole town with radioactive spores. Locking you in here was erring on the side of caution.” She explained. “Well, all I do is breath water just as good as air and save money on shoes. You needn’t worry about me and my kind.” I said automatically “Your kind?” Her eyes grew narrow. “Yeah, my home island has got a few others like me, its genetic birth defect isolated to my family.” I lied. She didn’t need to know there were hundreds of us. “I’ll take your word for it. Word of advice though, do not advertise that there are more like you. The ghouls learned that the hard way.” She said. “So I’m free to go?” I asked. “As long as you leave immediately, yes.” She confirmed. “So no chance for a return trip I guess.” I added. “You can dock here; you personally cannot enter the town limits. Your crew however is fair game. That’s the most I can allow, I apologize.” She bowed her head. “No worries, I can live with that.” I replied. It was no big deal, just inconvenient. I figure that other towns may be more accepting. The mayor motioned to the guard. The guard promptly removed the hook from my mouth. I flexed my oral muscles; it was hard talking with that thing in there. I made my way towards the door. I had best leave before I over stayed my welcome. --- --- --- --- --- --- The Poseidon was loaded and ready to sail. The stick ball fiasco over with, the three of us were ready to depart. Restocked on supplies, we had food enough for two weeks, good medicine to include several healing potions, and nice 30.06 rife for Sorbet with a matching rawhide jacket. We still had her old jumpsuit but couldn’t find anything to patch the holes with. Steam Town was still bustling even with the lateness of the hour. Strapping the harness to me, I tugged our vessel to the north east. The sounds of the settlement being drowned out by the waves on the horizon. The sun finally fell out of the sky, only the occasional pocket of stars lit the way. The ladies were asleep. My eyes kept closing on me. The day had been long, eventful, and most of all tiring. I clambered back on deck, shaking the sea off my skin. I picked my usual corner of our raft and curled myself up. No blankets, no pillows; I didn’t need them. I don’t care what anypony tells you, there is nothing more comfy than a seaponies tail. Especially his own. --- --- --- --- --- --- I sat in the theater. Watching the pictures move across the screen. A unicorn stallion was tuning a guitar facing away from the screen. A tiny sea green seapony walked up to him with beady yellow eyes. “Daddy, I have a question.” The child asked. “What is it Riptide?” He turned around, his short cropped hair parted across the pair of goggles he wore. Only one lens covered an eye and it was painted black. “How comes you only gots one eye?” The child asked. “Because I lost one.” “Where did you lose it? Maybe I can helps you find it.” The child offered. “Well, that’s kind of you but daddy lost it a long time ago. I don’t think it’s any good now.” The older stallion chuckled to himself. “Well how did you lose it? Eyes don’t just fall out of heads like that. ” the young me had asked. “I’ll tell you this, the day I lost my eye is the same day I met your mother.” The film caught fire and snapped. --- --- --- --- --- --- I felt I twinge in my nether regions. That was a good dream, damn ‘call of nature’. My eyes fluttered open. Lifting my head I was greeted by a cold metal barrel of a belt fed monstrosity touching my esophagus. “Unless you want about twenty blow holes to go with those fins, you’d better not move another muscle” Said the pony attached the machine gun. He wore metallic armor with a twisting hourglass like symbol emblazoned on the chest plate. Moving my eyes around, I saw that four others in similar garb were on deck, guns pointed at the ladies. One was hanging back raising his hoof into the air. “The boat is secure.” He spoke in to a mouth piece. “Bring them in.” A voice over his walkie talkie ordered. A roar erupted from the darkness next to the Poseidon. A motor boat off the starboard bow kicked on. It flew across the water, with a rope attached to our mast. We were being dragged to where ever these guys wanted. It didn’t take long to find out. Lights from a massively flat ship quickly approached. A converted barge with junk buildings was their base of operations. We docked alongside it. They dragged us up on board, doing a good job of taking our guns, my knives and my spear. Ushering us towards the middle. We stopped at a little bonfire between four buildings made from storage containers. The ponies that confiscated our weapons walked away from us and into the building to our left. The one with the walkie talkie stepped closer towards the bonfire. “We’ve brought them as you’ve ordered.” He said to a figure I couldn’t see past the fire. “Thank you Major, at ease.” The figure had what I can only describe as a ‘dusky’ voice. He stepped into view. He looked like he had a serious love affair with pockets. I couldn’t see his eyes due to his helmet and shaded visor. “I’m going to venture a guess and expect you know why you’ve been brought aboard this ship.” The figure said. Shit, fucking racists called a hit on me. “Look if it’s about the thing in Stea-” “You shut your damn mouth Seapony, I’m not talking to you.” The figure snapped at me. The fuck… then it hit me. I looked over to Sorbet, who had a scared shitless look in her face. “You know what we want. you’ll give it to us, either willingly or forcibly with your leg still attached. Your choice.” The figure gave his ultimatum. I could see Sorbet starting to shake. She leaned in closer to me. “I-I can’t do it, I can’t explain right now. Just get me and my daughter out of here.” She whispered, her voice wavering on sobs. Damn it woman, you’re gonna have some splainin’ to do. I looked around as subtly as I could. Three on the roof with rifles, one next to me with a light machine gun, two in front of me with submachine guns, and Celestia knows how many others are on this barge. What to do? What to do- what’s that poking me in the ribs? “Listen to me; you know what you gotta do.” I told Sorbet. She looked at me. I jerked my head to the figure. She closed her eyes for a moment. “Fine, I’ll come quietly.” Sorbet said aloud. The figure smiled. Sorbet began walking to him. I eyed the pony next to me, he looked almost disappointed. Too bad for him. “She didn’t say a damn thing about me!” I shouted. A rocky rod sung in an arc and impacted in the pony’s jawbone. His head turned a complete 180 with the swing of my coral war-club. My teeth clamped on to his trigger. The most lethal typewriter erupted with bullets. The others scattered. My magic wrapped around the pony’s side arm and tossed it towards Sorbet. Without missing a beat she caught it in her mouth. The figure bolted. The belt fed bullets ended. I released the machine gun and dashed for the building with our weapon’s captors. One of the ponies on the roof fell next to me, with a smoking hole instead of an eye. The door to the building shattered beneath my hooves. The two ponies that had our gear just pulled the triggers on their submachine guns. BANG! BANG! The two ponies that had our gear crumpled like tissue paper. Sorbet ran past me with a smoking 10mm pistol. We snatched up our gear. I had lifted the metal armor off the mercenary and slipped it on. Suddenly several thousand thuds dotted the side of the building as the ponies outside let loose their weapons on full auto. Bullets punched through the siding and dug their way through to the other side. Despite the peril, Sorbet was smiling. “And here I was worried; these ponces can’t shoot worth shit! Let me show you tossers how it’s done!” She exclaimed. One shot, one of the streams of bullets, jerked up and suddenly stopped. However the everypony else traced her shot with their streams. I pulled up a barrier. Time to go Crazy! Weakened by the rain of bullets the siding was easy to crush. The wall parted as I leapt through, bullets pinging off my shield as I flew towards them. My spear in range, I skewered one of the six shooters. My machete out, I started carving. The blade dug into the neck of the next attacker in range. Blood spurted out on my new armor. The other shooters had finally turned to face me, ready to unload. Too bad for them I had two sets of armor to go through now. One of their heads exploded, thank you Sorbet, as I approached. The opened fire again. My telekinesis launched my recently felled foe at them as I dashed alongside it. Their bullets tore the dead pony in half. My coral mace concaved the next one’s leg. He crumpled to the ground as I slid one of my throwing knives into his neck. I dashed towards the next one, only to find myself staring down twin barrels of a sawed off shotgun. The blast threw me into the wall. My armor caught the most of it. I realized that it was good against bullets but crumbled under close combat. Sorbet was reloading, and my machete was knocked away from me. The two mercenaries approached. I was distracted by a soft thunk; I saw a gunmetal colored egg land not too far from my assailants. That’s odd, I wonder what that… Oh Shi- The explosion ripped the two into bloody shreds. An eyeball was rolling down my hastily put up barrier. I looked over to the ladies. Éclair was playfully dangling a grenade pin from her teeth. Apparently, killing ability runs in the family. We, as Sorbet put it, legged it. The ladies led the way. I preferred it if I was in front but the simple fact was that I just couldn’t keep up with them. I ran after them but they still kept out of pace. They leapt under a bunch of barrels suddenly. A sledgehammer hit me square in the chest, knocking the wind out of me. It was actually a rifle round but it damn sure felt like it! I rolled into cover, while Sorbet and Four other exchanged potshots. That’s when I heard the chainsaw. Bloodshot eyes and empty syringes burst from the sheet metal next to me. A burlap sack for a mask, the crazed mercenary howled, swinging the spinning blade to and fro. I lurched back. I could feel myself quivering. The corners of my mouth rose however. “NOW we’re talking!” I screamed. My machete and club whipped out as I charged. The chainsaw slasher pony did the same. Our weapons collided in a shower of sparks and debris. We separated. The whirring blade whizzed by my head, taking off one of my braids. My machete cut the bridge of his nose. The crazed pony reared up, swinging the chainsaw down. I dodged left as it dug its way into the ground. My club impacted with his jaw. My magic wrapped around the chainsaw. I drove it into the pony’s chest. Blood red and midnight blue mixed together make a very weird combo. The Poseidon was there in front of us. It was time we got outta here. They had set up chocks on our boat. Hoping to keep us attached to their vessel for a while. “Cover me, I gotta get us loose.” I called out to Sorbet. She nodded. I proceeded to rip off the connections barring our escape. Every few seconds I heard the bang of a 30.06 round. The last one broke free. I heard an fwhooshing sound. “RPG! SCATTER!” Sorbet screamed. The explosion tossed me a good ten feet. It also sent the Poseidon adrift. I traced the contrail of the rocket to its source. The figure from earlier stood on a storage crate. He tossed the spent launcher and hopped down. “Did you really think it’d be that easy? Well I guess you would actually. You should be proud; you just took on an entire detachment of Helix Mercenaries and came out of it no worse for wear.” He said to us, advancing. “Now, you ladies are giving me what I want, one way or another. Actually after all this, I think we’re going with the other way.” He said. You know what? Fuck this guy. I charged at his smug ass. I swung my machete right were his neck was. Or where it used to be. He ducked underneath me, and kicked me square in the jaw. Sent me rolling a yard. He pulled out a weird looking submachine gun. It had a bunch of blinking lights on it. “It’s as good as mine.” he announced. He shot a five round burst at me. The bullets collided with my barrier as a charged at him again. I slashed at him. Only to find he flipped above me. Three stinging bullet pierced my back. I threw my shield at him, knocking him over some crates. I ducked behind some cover, and gestured to Sorbet to do the same. “Naive little bitch. Cover does jack shit in a fight like this.” I heard bullets coming from his gun. And they promptly dug their way into my side. Blue contrails curved around my box as they stuck me. HE CAN CURVE FUCKING BULLETS!? I pulled up my barrier in a bubble around me. It started to crack under the onslaught. Think Riptide, think! I wrapped my telekinesis around the box I was hiding behind. I shoved it closer to the bastard. My barrier shattered, and I jumped over the box. He was right there. I swiped my club at him. I felt it connect with his shoulder. His submachine gun fire off its curving bullets right next to my head, hitting nothing but air. I was too close for the bullets to re adjust. That’s where I had him. Stay close. My club uppercutted the son of a bitch into the air. It was immensely satisfying. He bounced off the ground once, then a saw a flash of light. Three of him stood before me. They all charged at me with a smug grin. I promptly lopped off on of their heads with my machete. I didn’t feel any contact. When the body disappeared into tiny globs of light I realized I hit nothing but air. A hoof connected with my face as the real one kicked me. The other two circled around me. Both of them had hoof beats. Both of them breathed. I could not for the life of me figure out which was which. One of them was suddenly riddled with bullets. It burst in to light particles. I turned to the remaining one. He looked at me then at the smoking gun that Sorbet had, and then back to me. Another flash of light. They surrounded me. Ten of them. All chuckling with their smug grins. I returned the smile. Then I started laughing. “You know, now I have the tactical advantage.” I said aloud. “And how is that?” The bastards said all at once. I pulled up my barrier. “When I’m surrounded. No matter where I swing, I can’t miss!” I roared. I shoved all my magic everywhere. My shield exploded outward in a shockwave. A brilliant storm of light particles erupted from the fakes as everything was thrown back. The one that wasn’t evaporating, I rushed towards. I rammed myself into him and created a barrier to pin him to a wall. “I gotcha now you little bastard, let’s see you hop around now.” I hissed. He still had that smug look in his face. “Just get it over with. You’re gonna die soon anyways.” “Who are you what do you want.” “You know when you die and see your Lord Poseidon, tell him Gamma says suck my nuts” he spat in face. I ground my teeth. “I’m the one talking here, you answer my questions!” I yelled at him. “You can’t interrogate what isn’t here.” He said. He disappeared into tiny globs of light. My eyes widened. I felt contact, how was that one a fake? Laughter echoed in the air. “Oh when I said ‘suck these nuts’, I meant these nuts specifically.” His voice echoed. Panels opened in the deck. I saw twenty or thirty bundles of dynamite ticking away. “Bye bye, Seapony” He said. “Run!” I managed to yell. The barge exploded. ---- ---- --- --- --- --- --- --- Level Up! Twice! Perk(Quest): Shield burst. Expends remaining Action points to make an AOE attack with barrier. Perk(level): Toughness: +5 to Damage Threshold.