Fallout Equestria: Space Captain Andromeda

by Weavers of Dreams

Chapter Twenty-One: In Which Our Captain and Her Dear Friend Meet a Frog

A national hero. They had actually called her that. Andromeda didn't feel like it though. Did heroes ever feel like heroes? What did being a hero feel like? Surely not like this. She had just murdered half a battalion... the images burning into her skull. The worst part... she still didn't feel anything about the incident.

Apparently they had found Command a long time ago,

The council, or, whatever it was called, she never cared for politics, she thought one was a president, anyway, they had decided to allow her to redeem herself. By completing a mission for them. Must have been something dangerous, as she was being sent in alone. With a more primitive weapon than she was used to. A simple double-barreled shotgun and a pouch full of ammunition. As well as small pack of tools.

"Head north," she repeated the instructions to herself with a nod. She lifted her pipbuck and looked at the screen. The Geiger counter was ticking with an ominous rhythm. "So, Peppy... I mean, Rarity, what can we expect up ahead?"

---NCR REPORTS SUGGEST A SWAMP OF MUTATIONS---NO KNOWN INTELLIGENT LIFE---ON THE FAR SIDE IS AN UNIDENTIFIED STABLE---

She sighed as she set her hoof back upon the ground. With a deep breath she scowled and began marching stoically forward. "Well, a swamp... doesn't sound like your style. I try to keep you as clean as possible."

---I WOULD APPRECIATE IT DARLING---

Andromeda couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Some things never change."

* * *

As it tends to be with swamps, the ground started getting softer and murky pools and streams of water became more frequent. The deeper she got the deeper it got as well. The Geiger counter was ticking so loudly that she had Rarity shut it off for the time being.

The plants were twisted and misshapen. Weird sounds echoed through the bloated trees, and glowing eyes watched her from all sides. Above and below. A few times she swore she heard something walking behind her, but every time she looked it was just empty space.

More than a few times red dots flickered at the edge of her EFS. But nothing seemed to be risking attacking her. Rarity had explained that the pink gas scared animals, and that they could sense it. But these swamp things were not running away, so much as staying out of her sight. It worried her a little.

Her shotgun floated alongside her, ready to shoot whatever might jump out at her.

Then a red dot that didn't run away made her stop. She stared at it for a minute. It just sat there at the edge of her map. Not wanting a fight, she started to give it a wide birth. But it followed her.

---CONFLICT IS UNAVOIDABLE---

"Oh, but I don't want to see some giant bloated frog," the unicorn shivered at the thought of the slimy thing. "Maybe if I pick up the pace."

---RUNNING EXCITES PREDATORS---AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT FLUTTERSHY ALWAYS SAID---

"Then, should I just find and kill it then?"

---MAYBE THE SCENT OF A DEAD COMRADE WILL SCARE THE OTHERS AWAY---

With a defeated sigh, she turned to find the source of the red dot. She pushed through some prickly bushes and fell face first into a mud hole.

"Ooh, sorry-sorry-sorry," she apologized to her friend.

---...---...---IT''S FINE---JUST CLEAN ME OFF AS SOON AS WE'RE DONE HERE---

"Right, gotcha, will do," Andromeda nodded eagerly as she shook off what she could and turned to find the source of the red dot.

SPLAT!

She blinked at the source. A small frog no bigger than the size of her hoof. It was a sickly green and had four blue eyes as well as six toes on each foot, but was recognizable as a frog. It also clung to the outside of her helmet, croaking softly as it seemed to regard her a piece of the scenery.

---KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT---

"It's just a little frog," Andromeda said as she watched it climbed to the top of her helmet and just sat there.

---KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT---...---PLEASE---

"Eh, it's fine," Andromeda shook her head. "It's kind of cute too. Not at all what I imagined. Let's let it stay."

---BUT IT'S GETTING YOUR SUIT ALL SLIMY---

"Yeah because the swamp isn't slimy enough," she answered with a gesture around the general bog.

---...---FINE---BUT YOU'RE NOT KEEPING IT---

"Deal, it stays in the swamp when we leave," Andromeda agreed.

And so the trio continued their journey. The mare soon found herself having to leap from one land mass to another. And use her lasso and DMCs to get across bigger bodies of water.

"How much further?" she groaned as she went around a giant fungus formation.

---HALF A KILOMETER MORE---

"Okay not much further, good to know. This shouldn't take long then."

Surprisingly... Murphy was absent, and the mare and her friends arrived at the door to the Stable not to long after. However the fact it was laying about a hundred meter from the entrance was some cause for concern. That and it was bent it several places.

"Uuuummmm," Andromeda stared at the giant piece of metal in confusion. "How...?"

Just then a red dot appeared behind her, and seemed to be approaching fast. Along with the sounds of breaking foliage and and falling trees.

---RUN---

Rarity's message was unnecessary as the space captain was already booking it towards the mutilated entrance. A beastly warble sounded behind her and she couldn't help but look back to see a massive mass of tentacles and teeth coming at her.

With an undignified scream she activated her digital magic to form a barrier behind her and dove through the entrance. It was a long hallway labeled: DECONTAMINATION, and on the far side was another stable door. This one closed, though it was covered in long scratches.

She rushed to what appeared to be the control switch and instinctively plugged her pipbuck into it. "Gogogogogogogo. openopenopenopenopen."

The warbling monstrosity behind her was too large to fit through the entry way, but it stretched it's tentacles inside, each tipped with a vicious hook. Even without eyes they seemed to know where she was.

Andromeda screamed in terror as she began firing her shotgun and shrinking her DMCs into long spikes that she stabbed at the assaulting appendages.

"Get it open, Rarity"

---HOLD ON---

Foul fluids began spurting from the wounds she inflicted, but it continued its assault in an almost craven manner. On of its hooks managed to stick and it tried pulling her back, but she created a saw and cut it off. This gave her an idea and formed a bunch of saws and sent them spinning in random patterns as she hugged the control panel with all her might.

All the while, the frog atop her help croaked contentedly. Not a care in the world.

Then lights started flashing and a loud siren sounded as the rusted door began to shift. Pulling back and then slowly rolling to the side. With more cries of terror and distress, she threw herself inside and rushed towards the second control panel.

"Now close the damn door."

---WORKING ON IT--- Rarity told her as she was plugged in.

The tentacles, as if sensing the door closing, stopped writhing and simply pulled back in a smooth fashion. Much to the unicorn's relief. Then, to her slight dismay, the frog gave a croak and leapt off her helmet and jumped out the door just before it closed.

"Good luck, Squishy," she waved as she slumped to the ground and breathed hard.

---YOU NAMED IT?---

"I'm fine thanks," the mare returned with a huff as she began taking stock on her equipment.

---OH, YOU KNOW I CONCERNED ABOUT YOU DEAR---

The mare nodded. "I know... it's just that... that thing is still out there. Where we have to go once we're done here."

---I DON'T KNOW---MAYBE THIS COULD BE OUR HOME FOR THE NEXT THOUSAND YEARS---

Andromeda shook her head. "Yeah. No such luck, I'm afraid. I'd go insane in a week."

---IF WE MUST---

"We must."

And so the space captain reloaded her shotgun and lit up her horn to illuminate the stable. "Lt's find out what's so important about this place."

Comments

[JOEBLACK]

is this or is this not that thought to be fictional character Puppysmiles kept talking about?

[The Well Dressed Ninja]

Well guys see you in 2025!

But in all seriousness, love to see this continued. Though it feels like the whole resolution of messing up the Factory was a bit glossed over.

[Weavers of Dreams]

9416778
Believe me, I know. You have no idea how many times I wrote and rewrote this chapter in the last two years before settling on this. I flush that out with flashbacks and stuff.

[Weavers of Dreams]

9416327
Yes.

[JOEBLACK]

9416853
Awesome. Too bad they will never get to meet. Unless it is retconned like in project horizons

[JOEBLACK]

5 bits says this is stable 41. and that they were cryogenically frozen. yay family reunion.

[PonyofEntropy]

Nice update! Good work!