Fallout: Equestria - Wasteland Bouquet

by Cascadejackal

Epilogue: Bourbon Rose

Epilogue: Bourbon Rose

Midvalley, the leader of the Hornfreaks, was dead, and his gang scattered to the winds. The Wasteland would never again know them as a threat, and Canter Creek stood free.

Her grim task completed, Bourbon Rose resumed her hunt, combing the ruined wastes of Equestria for any sign of the ponies who had caused her wandering. Her heart, hardened by tragedy and hate, burned only with the fires of vengeance.

But fate had other plans in store for her.

News of Midvalley's death spread, reaching the ears of his kin. His killer would not be allowed to live. The bounty on her head was raised. Gangs were assembled. Young minotaurs, eager to prove their worth and earn their place, set out to bring down the murderous mare.

Few would return.

The legend of Bourbon Rose, and the bounty on her head, continued to grow.

Author's Note:

And that brings this arc to an end. It's been a heck of a ride, but the crew's finally got back the Serenity and they're going home.
This isn't the end of their adventures, though! Stay tuned for more Wasteland Bouquet!

Headcanon time, because I kinda left Bourbon's fate open-ended up there.
The last time she was seen alive, Bourbon Rose was staring down an alicorn, defiant to the last. After a fight she had no chance of winning, she was taken and converted into an alicorn herself to serve The Goddess.
Her fate beyond that is unknown.

There was a lot of unused material for this arc, mostly sidequests and backstory for characters.
One thing I was considering was having the group enter the Pastern mall early, when Rose was looking at it from the street. There, they would have met the scavengers who had set up their base there and had a chance to rest, as well as meeting Bourbon Rose on better terms. Instead of, y'know, dangling her from a streetlight like a pinata.
After escaping the bounty hunter attack on the mall, Bourbon would have remained with the group on their journey to Canter Creek. They would have arrived earlier, before the sheriff ran off, meaning Rose never got her badge. Instead of the duel, the crew (plus Bourbon) would have convinced the townsponies to fight back, leading to a Magnificent Seven inspired battle against the Hornfreaks.

The character backstories were for Bourbon Rose and "Crystal" Rose. This note's long anough already, so I won't put them here.

One last thing to mention: I changed the title for "A Glimpse of The Future" to "Epilogue: Jacknife".
Major side characters are gonna be getting epilogues. Just for the fun of it.

Comments

[Cascadejackal]

5906066 Good to hear. Rose being the Serenity's brahmin has been planned from the very start.

[Reese]

Interesting. Of course, answering the question about Bourbon's future still doesn't reveal much of the mystery of her past... :)

[Cascadejackal]

5908173 I'll either do a sidefic for Bourbon's origin, like I did with Jacknife, or I'll just infodump it as a blog. Probably as a blog, since Jacknife Days is the one fic I've never been happy with.

[Reese]

5908336
Ah, okay; thanks. And sorry about that.

[Cascadejackal]

5910136 I've been meaning to rewrite Jacknife Days, but never seem to get around to it.

[Cascadejackal]

5912649 Still a few arcs to go before the end. We're getting closer, but we're no there yet.

[Cascadejackal]

5923663 All aboard the Reply Train!

So... some level of sociopath, I guess.

Guess we know who's been whispering in her ear, at least.

Very much yes, and also yes.

You know, looking back on things like this from a later date, I'm having a hard time telling what's a *reference* and what's just coincidence.

Those two are coincidences. It happens surprisingly often. I do slip references in a lot, but finding out I accidentaly referenced something I never knew about is always funny.
Now I have to go read The Vagabond and Eyes Without A Face.

Ohi Blackjack 1, Blackjack 2, and LittlePip. So what you're saying is that there *might* be deus ex machinas, but they won't be in hospitals, and that if she DOES become a cyber-pony it'll be reversed before the end, and that while she won't suddenly get a magical mutation after her death that doesn't stop her from possibly using a pre-exisiting one.

...you. I like you. You're clever.

So now let us sing a song to eulogize Rose

Great song. It's been on my "Writing WB" playlist for ages.

Didn't you bring it up in the previous chapter, what with referencing raider disease?

Honestly, I forgot I'd referenced the raider disease.

Oh, and speaking of PH, editor O. Hinds sent me =D Enjoying so far.

Great to hear! and O.Hinds sent you?

Felt a lot like he was hanging with Lily to scout out Rose's special talent for the High Roller

...I never thought of that.

[Luminous Lead]

5925002 Huh. That's weird. Fimfiction didn't notify me of any replies. Found 'em when I finally managed to push through to the end. Makes me worry what else I've missed in other places.

Ohi Blackjack 1, Blackjack 2, and LittlePip. So what you're saying is that there *might* be deus ex machinas, but they won't be in hospitals, and that if she DOES become a cyber-pony it'll be reversed before the end, and that while she won't suddenly get a magical mutation after her death that doesn't stop her from possibly using a pre-exisiting one.

...you. I like you. You're clever.

I can't believe it actually happened that way, too. The deus ex machina was found elsewhere and brought to hospital, the implant Wolverine-Weapon-X treatment gives cyborg-like toughness, but apparently makes people end up crystallized instead of cyber-ponied, and the only evident magical mutation appears to be the very-not-beneficial healing immunities (well, those spooky empath powers too, but I'm pretty sure "Starfall" is fueling those, given how she easily pulled status-ailments from Lucky Break before he died).

Now I have to go read The Vagabond and Eyes Without A Face.

Fair warning: While it's excellent and vividly written, Eyes Without A Face is probably the darkest, grittiest story I have ever read, MN7 and PH included.

5907917 All aboard the Blackjack Rose Express XD

I do slip references in a lot, but finding out I accidentaly referenced something I never knew about is always funny.

You know, "Is this somehow running off of Beyond Her Tomb?" is going to be a burning question in my mind, and it may never go answered. Guess I'd better start developing some ice powers to beat the heat.

[Cascadejackal]

5927291

As a curiostiy- was Bourbon's skull-mark that of a bovine? It'd make a lot of sense, given the chapter's events.

Yep. Here's the line it's mentioned in: "A big, ugly scar ran across one off-white flank, cutting her brahmin skull cutie mark almost completely in half."

Fimfiction didn't notify me of any replies.

Chapter updates, replies, FimFiction tends to lose them both.

well, those spooky empath powers too, but I'm pretty sure "Starfall" is fueling those

The empathy is all Rose. It's natural for her.

Fair warning: While it's excellent and vividly written, Eyes Without A Face is probably the darkest, grittiest story I have ever read, MN7 and PH included.

Warning noted. I don't mind dark&gritty (I like Project Horizons, for instance), as long as there's something more to it.

You know, "Is this somehow running off of Beyond Her Tomb?" is going to be a burning question in my mind, and it may never go answered.

No comment.

[Reese]

5925002
"Great to hear! and O.Hinds sent you?"
...Um. Did I forget to mention that that's me, then?
And also, um, wow, I'm not used to people fainting at the mere sound of my name. :D

5927291
"Huh. That's weird. Fimfiction didn't notify me of any replies."
Yeah, it does that sometimes with some stories. Don't know why, but it is indeed annoying.

[Cascadejackal]

5938669 Well, that's awesome.
You work on one of the big FoE fics, so knowing you like WB is flat-out awesome. It means I'm doing something right.

[Reese]

5945353
Oh, I'd say you are. :)
I don't seem to have had too terribly much success with my attempts to direct readers over here, judging by your seventy-seven upvotes, unfortunately, but I, at least, have been quite enjoying this.

I must say, though, that I still find it odd, whenever it comes up, that I'm apparently kind of famous within this niche of a niche.

[ignition191]

cant wait to read more!