Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel

Chapter 1.10 - Crystal Legacies

“Indeed. I hesitate to take too strong a hand, still in this case I have harshly disciplined those involved. It appears that some in the Society were under the mistaken impression that a group within the Rangers were in possession of weapons that they intended to use against the NCR, and an attempt to confirm these rumours resulted in weapons fire and unnecessary casualties on both sides. I want to confirm once more that these rumours are false, and that those members of the Society, while well intentioned, were at fault for failing to confirm them through official channels. I formally offer to pay for any damages incurred, and wish to put this terrible affair behind us.”

“Thank you. That was Midnight Sceptre, leader of the Twilight Society folks. Stay tuned for more exclusive news, here on The Voice of the Wasteland!” Rusty Needle flicked the switch as the broadcast ended, bringing them back to pre-recorded soundbites and music. He nodded to Midnight Sceptre as the stallion stepped back from the mike, “That was great Mr Sceptre, it came out really well.”

Midnight Sceptre gave a satisfied smile, adjusting his cravat with a hoof as he admired himself in the reflection of the surrounding monitor screens, “Thank you Rusty Needle. Hmm, maybe I’ll have to make this a regular thing, like Silent Steel and New Canterlot Radio.”

“I can’t get too political sir. Bad for the image.”

“Of course. I am more comfortable with face to face encounters anyway.” He turned, away seemingly satisfied that he was still the picture of elegance. Constant vigilance was the price of sartorial elegance Rusty supposed, Midnight Sceptre determined to be never seen without full top hat and tails. He made an odd sight in the admittedly messy confines of the radio station, though Midnight Sceptre didn’t seem perturbed as he stared about in interest, “You know, Homage never let me in here.”

Rusty was well aware. It had taken a long time for her to trust Rusty enough to even let him touch the controls unsupervised. He was certain it had been physically painful for her to leave him control, even for the purpose of seeing to the SPP personally, “She’s very protective of this place, especially after the attention the tower keeps attracting from every national threat that pops out of the woodwork.”

“I do understand, it will be a long time before the NCR can replicate the technology here.” Midnight sighed, looking back at Rusty with a sympathetic expression, “Still, I am glad she is clearly moving towards retirement. The poor mare deserves some rest after all she’s been through, and the running of this station is clearly straining her nerves.”

Rusty wondered what Homage would think of Midnight’s comments, really hoping those bugs she was jokingly threatening to install had been just that. Unless the stallion had insider information he didn’t, the idea of his imminent ascension to DJ-Pon3 was extremely premature. DJ-Pon3 was a persona that had lasted two and a half centuries, and Homage had expressed frequent lectures on what a responsibility it was. Rusty was pretty sure she was still weighing up whether he was ready for it, and would be doing so for a good few years yet, “Homage isn’t retiring any time soon. Had to force her out of this room with a crowbar, and that was for something real personal.”

“Yes, her enduring love for the young wanderer.” Midnight sighed, deep and sad, “Tell me, how does she carry that heavy burden? Is it truly a fairytale romance of fleeting kisses once a year? A matter of duty, honour? Is she really so committed to a mare she spent but a few nights with?”

Rusty would like to know himself. He hadn’t spotted any mares on the side, but in truth Homage wasn’t given to discussions on her personal life. With many ponies commenting on her increasing privacy and isolation he was likely the one pony who saw her most, and even he didn’t know that much about her. Even Velvet Remedy didn’t come up to see her that often these days, her family and work commitments keeping her too busy, “I don’t talk about the boss. Bad habit, she’s got the biggest eyes and ears in the wasteland.”

“Shame. Ah, at least I got to see this place... hmm?” He went to leave, stopped short by something in the shadows. He tensed in fear for a moment or two before relaxing with a chuckle, “How did you get in Dream Star?”

“Rusty let me in.” The figure emerged from the shadows, most of her body hidden within the traditional purple robes of the Twilight Society. Only her hood was thrown back, revealing a wispy, thinning white mane that hung limply around wrinkled sunken features, the pink of her fur almost completely faded to grey, “Congratulations on your broadcast High Elder.”

Midnight Sceptre laughed in amusement as he locked eyes with the elderly unicorn, “Well Rusty Needle, you really are taking liberties with Homage’s trust. I can’t imagine she would want you anywhere near this place Dream Star.”

Rusty nickered defensively, having thought the same thing. Still, what was he supposed to do? Dream Star was like a mother to him, a very scary, very forceful mother, “You’re both Elders of the Society, and you both already know DJ-Pon3’s secret. What harm can it do?”

“True.” Midnight Sceptre gave Dream Star a regal smile, “So Dream, you liked my broadcast?”

“Indeed.” She moved past him with a breezy trot, her gruff voice casual, “There is no point continuing the fighting here in Equestria when the objective has departed. Our target now lies in the zebra lands.”

Midnight turned, grinning at Dream Star’s back, “And we will send someone after it?”

“I already have. I am currently putting together a more substantial effort in case of failure.”

“Excellent.” Midnight Sceptre grinned, giving the old mare a dignified salute, “As always I can count on you to get things done. I will look forward to further news.”

Dream Star paused in the middle of the room, waiting a moment before speaking, “You’re not going to criticise me for not informing you?”

“I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

“The other elders don’t think so.”

“My dear, the other elders have many ponies under their command, they are used to being obeyed. I however have many elders under my command, and so am used to being ignored.” He chuckled at his own joke before adopting a more serious tone, “And I am still comparatively young. Many of the others still remember the pain of your departure.”

Dream Star dropped her head, looking angry, “I had no more answers to offer.”

“And I understand that. But they no longer trust your word.”

She looked back a Midnight Sceptre with resolve in her eyes, “I promised to advance the order, to move past what Twilight did and towards what she could have done. To rebuild the old world, and crown the Twilight Society as its new masters.”

Midnight smiled affectionately, “And instead you left. Disappeared back into the wastes for thirty years.”

“I never lied. I needed more information, more knowledge.” Dream Star looked to the side, pain and anger filling her dark, sunken eyes, “I never gave a timeline.”

“And now you’re back. Can you fulfil your promise this time?”

She looked at him, a sharp glint in her eyes and a pained grimace on her face, “I have more power and knowledge than even Twilight Sparkle herself. If you believe in the strength of a unicorn’s magic then... yes, I can.”

Midnight Sceptre nodded, considering her words quietly for a moment. Finally he spoke, calm and hopeful, “Then ask for anything you wish Dream Star, I will provide. Maybe you’re as mad, dangerous and fraudulent as the others claim. But I’m willing to take a chance on you.”

She nodded softly as he turned away, “Thank you Midnight Sceptre.”

Rusty Needle watched him leave, just Dream Star standing motionless for a long time. He remained silent, just watching the aged unicorn as she stood in contemplation.

He didn’t truly know if he really believed unicorn magic was the ultimate power in the world. Dream Star had told him that unicorns had once moved the sun and moon before Celestia, forged the elements of harmony from the hopes and wishes of all the citizens of Equestria, forged empires within the harshest lands and protected them with nothing but the force of their will. The unicorns focused the will and the power of the other ponies, collected it together and built an empire through the power of their horns. That was why Celestia and Luna were called Unicorn Princesses. Built with the qualities of the other races maybe, but their true power was always by horn and spellcraft.

Unicorns were born to rule.

Rusty Needle didn’t know if he believed it. He didn’t believe in Twilight Sparkle like the others, he only joined the society because Homage and Dream Star were members. She had let the world burn. So had Celestia and Luna.

He didn’t know if he believed in Dream Star either. She outright admitted she was crazy, arrogant, unethical, impulsive. But she had earned his loyalty. His love. He knew the long years were the least of the trials that marked her body. He had seen the pain that drove her on, and was certain she would outlive him by willpower alone.

“It is time to show you something Rusty Needle.” She spoke suddenly as she turned to the exit, not bothering to look to see if he would follow, “Set the station on random, you will be gone for some time.”

~

She led him down into the labs, mostly abandoned and desolate now. Age and general deterioration had put a end to the last surviving hub of the ministry of magic some time ago, and with the generators and tower defences gone no one wanted to set up a new lab in so prominent a location. Rusty looked down the long corridor that led to the Celestia One megaspell, once the most powerful weapon in existence. Now it was just a partially excavated ruin, the whole area blasted from the tower to stop it from targeting New Canterlot.

The Twilight Society had given them the codes that enabled the NCR navy to penetrate the tower’s defences. They had sacrificed their greatest weapon, along with the integrity and power supply of the tower itself in order to save lives. And the ponies of the wasteland still looked on them with suspicion, still envied the petty wealth they controlled. Rusty Needle wasn’t a rabid member of the society or anything, but even he could see how that hurt, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

They finally emerged into what looked at first glance like a megaspell chamber, runes and spell focuses outlined on the stone floor for use by the team of unicorns who would power it. This one however had a central focus, a large empty frame about three times the size of a pony, made of a shiny white metal, “Is this... a magic door?”

“Indeed. Likely the last surviving.” Dream Star moved over to it, her horn glowing a gentle pink that was reflected in the runes below, “Megaspell chambers are generally rather rare and fragile, and this had few applications directly related to the war. This one is rather complex, joining to a number of different areas depending on a specific magic ‘key’.”

“And you have a key?”

“My blood is the key. My grandmother escaped to Tenpony Tower through this door, the connection to the door she used is keyed to her bloodline.” Dream Star chuckled, “There was once a door that led straight to Canterlot too, though it is now destroyed. Shame.”

Rusty nodded, that did sound like a shame. A direct route to Canterlot would have been very usef... “Hey, why didn’t they let Littlepip use that one?”

“Because it led straight into a thick cloud of pink gas.” Dream chuckled to herself, “Funny trick at parties.”

Rusty knew all about Dream’s parties. They generally involved toxic substances, cheerful sociopathy and twisted corpses. He was pretty happy all things considered that it was broken, he could only imagine how much fun she must have had with it, “Where else does it go?”

“The other ministry hubs, most of them scavenged and locked down. All have their own unique codes, we don’t have all of them. Maybe there’s some hidden hub out there that we’re not aware of, but for the sake of argument... very few places indeed.” She took a step forward onto the runes, the glowing lines pulsing at her touch, “I doubt most ponies here even know how to work it anymore.”

“And the destination unlocked by your blood?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” She raised her horn, the runes glowing bright as a glowing portal appeared at the centre of the ring with a crack of magical power. Rusty Needle stepped back a little, rather impressed and worried that Dream Star could activate a megaspell single hooved, while talking to him no less. He could only assume it had been an easy spell to cast, though he had to admit to not really knowing how powerful she was these days. She noticed his awe and chuckled at his reaction, stepping forward so she was bathed in it’s glow, “Here, I’ll even go first to reassure you that it doesn’t lead into any pink clouds.”

“Dream...!” He raised a hoof but she was already gone, stepping into the portal and disappearing with a flash of magic. Given that he could only assume this was teleportation magic rather than a straight door as its appearance indicated, and he hated teleportation. Still Dream would be back soon to yell at him if he didn’t follow...

He stepped into the swirling vortex, feeling his stomach lurch and a bright light burn against his retinas...

Rusty stared about in confusion as the light faded, trying to work out where exactly they had been sent. It didn’t look like Tenpony Tower, the walls were of red brick and were supported by carved wooden beams inlayed with long spiral designs picked out in gold. The doors too, there was three of them, two single and one double, were also finely made and decorated in gold. The place had seen better days but the luxury of the construction was evident, it was obviously somewhere important.

A portrait hung on the far wall, long and mostly covered by canvas. What he could see seemed to depict a family gathering, taking place in front of a large regal manor, “Where are we?”

Dream Star carried on ahead, pushing open the large double door with a single hoof and continuing through, “Crystal Heart Manor, in the Whitetail woods outside Ponyville.”

Rusty hurried to follow her as they entered a small hall, seemingly a living room by the looks of the plush sofas and large fireplace. This place had certainly seen better days however, one of the sofas had collapsed in on itself and the other wasn’t in much better condition, an expensive looking rug mostly eaten away by rot. Indeed it reminded him of the logical inconsistency in her words, “Aren’t the Whitetail woods... a radioactive hellhole?”

Dream Star didn’t slow as she answered, “Indeed. The manor was heavily shielded, but in the end this basement was all that remained.”

“Looks... cosy down here.” Stratch looked to a monitor set into the wall, environmental data displayed among readouts of structural integrity. He had seen it before, this was Stable-tec technology, “This was a fallout shelter?”

“Yes.”

For somepony important by the looks of it. A portrait of Princess Celestia stood on the wall, standing alongside another alicorn who he didn’t recognise. That was... unusual, they certainly weren’t that common back then, “Who’s the alicorn with the Princess?”

Dream Star looked back at his words, her expression withering and a little angry, “The correct term is ‘Unicorn Princess’ or ‘Winged Unicorn’. The term alicorn solely refers to Twilight Sparkle’s cut price knock offs. And that is Queen Cadence.”

Rusty thought back to his history lessons back in the stable, “I... think I heard of her. Wasn’t she married to Twilight’s brother?”

“Please don’t lower my opinion of you any further.” Dream Star glared at him for a moment longer before sighing, waving a wrinkled hoof at their surroundings, “This, my historically retarded friend, was built to house Queen Cadance and Shining Armour in the event of a zebra attack.”

“Did it?”

“No.” Dream Star stated bluntly, “Shining Armour was already dead, and Cadance was in Manehatten when the Megaspell detonated.”

“So... it was never used?”

“The manor had staff, fortunately for them the Princess was a gracious employer.”

Rusty looked around. Seemed a nice enough place to hide out, better than the vaults at least. He wondered why no one seemed to use it anymore, “Seems abandoned.”

Dream Star pointed to a red light on the wall, along with a prominently displayed warning message flashing up on the screen. ‘Corruption detected in Water Talisman, please contact your maintenance head and review your radiation shielding’, “Unfortunately the water talisman was corrupted by the radiation. The survivors eventually connected the magic door to the one at Tenpony Tower, abandoning this shelter.”

“And... they just left all this behind?”

Dream Star seemed pained for a moment, the expression sending a blade through Rusty’s heart. She looked to a set of stands nearby with a look of anger, the contents hidden under more canvas sheets, “What here is worth keeping?” She flung a canvas sheet away with her magic, revealing a familiar looking tiara sitting upon a stand, “This?”

Rusty widened his eyes in shock, “That’s... the Element of Magic!”

“No. This is a knickknack.” She moved the glass case away, taking the tiara in her hooves and cradling it for a moment before flinging it through the air to land ignobly at his feet, “It was the Element of Magic, before King Sombra destroyed it. See the crack in the gemstone?”

“But then...”

“The Elements cannot be destroyed. At least not so easily. Princess Luna forged a new tiara, and the Element bearers infused it with the power of their friendship.”

Rusty looked down at the object on the floor, the cracked gem still shining in the light, “This is...”

“Useless.”

“A historical relic!” He protested.

“Because that’s what the Twilight Society deals in. History.” Dream Star tore one of the other sheets away to reveal a broken crystal heart, half of it shorn away by some mighty blow, “This used to be one of the most powerful artifacts in Equestria. With it in our hooves the war would never have ended as it did, Cadence could have made peace with the zebra and the world would have been saved. Would have.”

Rusty looked at the broken relic, “What happened to it?”

“Does it matter?” Dream Star took the heart and dropped it at her hooves, suddenly rearing up and driving both front legs into it with crushing force. The floorboards cracked at the impact, wood splinters sent flying. The crystal heart made a ringing noise, hairline cracks radiating outwards with the sound of musical notes. Dream Star winced at the impact before giving a malicious grin, “Hmm, not half bad.”

Rusty stepped forward, not sure what to do. It seemed... obscene to break these things, and he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t regret it later, “Dream Star, wait! These things... they’re our legacy!”

Dream grinned evilly, “Legacy? A pretty shitty legacy, broken stones and shiny jewellery. So, you wanted to know why they left all this stuff behind?”

“I...”

“Because it’s useless junk. Because ‘might bes’ and ‘would haves’ mean not a shithole of anything when your world is fucking burning.” Her expression changed to anger, eyes burning with dark rage as she looked down at the heart under her hooves, “It just makes me angry.”

She brought her hooves down two more times. The second shattered the heart into pieces, the artifact giving a dying whine as broken shards scattered in all directions. Dream smirked as they bounced, picking up one of the pieces and holding it up to her eye, “It still has magic in its construction, can you hear it? The enchantment has fled, but the basic principles are clear.”

Rusty Needle wasn’t sure how that made it better, “Then why did you destroy it?”

“Because glue is plentiful.” Dream span the shard in her hooves, her grin widening, “With a bit of work, a chance to study the pieces and how they fit together... these artifacts were created Rusty, and they can be created again. I’ll make a new Crystal Heart, a new set of Elements. And mine will be better.”

Rusty Needle said nothing, not feeling it appropriate to mention that no one really knew where the elements came from, and most theories indicated it had been a group of powerful individuals behind them rather than a single demigod. Still he had underestimated her before, “So... is that what you’re working on? A new artifact?”

“No.” She shook her head, moving forward past the broken shards and towards the far door, “Something far more important. Follow.”

~

He had to admit, among the list of things he expected down here... this wasn’t one of them.

The room was a stark contrast to the rest of the building, indeed it looked like some kind of high tech command centre. Built of a cold, grey metal, numerous computer systems and display screens stood around beeping and clicking, some of them projecting huge 3D images of buildings and ponies. It looked half finished, wires tumbled across the floor in places and several areas were powered down, a somewhat hastily painted and age faded logo on the far walls identifying the place as... “The Single Pegasus Project?”

“Indeed. This is the prototype for the RTTAS, the Real Time Tactical Analysis System.” Dream Star stopped near the entrance, her eyes sweeping the expansive chamber, “The Single Pegasus Project is a marvel of construction, and doesn’t just serve the purpose of weather management. I’m sure you’re aware of that Rusty Needle, considering how you yourself make use of its systems.”

He nodded, “DJ Pon3 has always used it as a transmitter and spyin... information gathering device.”

She smiled, moving forward across the tiled floors, “Indeed, the SPP hubs are equipped with a whole host of scanners, only a fraction of which the MASEBS is compatible with. This of course was necessary for the project’s primary purpose.”

Rusty gave her a sideways look, wondering if they were talking about the same ‘primary purpose’, “Weather management?”

Dream Star laughed at his confusion, twirling among the beeping, glowing machines to face him with an enthusiastic grin, “As noted I am a blatant, unreconstructed racist, and even I admit that weather management is a very complex science. It is not just shifting clouds from one place to another, the quality and quantity of a simple rainstorm can be affected by the terrain, altitude, air flow and even slight variations in atmospheric gases. Pegasi have sensory organs on their wings for these matters, at range however technology must bridge the gap.”

Rusty attempted to follow, “So the SPP records...”

“It is designed to record everything.” Dream cantered forward towards a large glass table throwing up a jagged wireframe image. She threw a hoof through the beams and the image instantly shifted, towers shooting up towards the roof and crudely animated water flowing through carved channels. As Rusty Needle watched the image slowly sharpened and filled with colour, whites and golds streaming out over the stone. Dream Star smiled at his dawning awe, waving a hoof across the image, “Recognize it?”

Rusty did, though he was almost rendered speechless by the sight, “It’s... Old Canterlot. Before the war.”

As he watched ponies started to form, eventually becoming recognisable even down to their cutie marks. He couldn’t help gasping as he spotted Princess Luna walking along the battlements of her castle, Dream Star grinning as she too followed her progress, “This was recorded before the war by a test hub, using most of the scanning equipment that was stored on the real thing.”

Rusty was... impressed. If that was true these were... real lives, real ponies recorded. Princess Luna had walked those battlements just like that, that baker had sold that pie just like that, that parade of soldiers were real ponies heading off to battle... it all seemed so excessive, “Did... did they really need to record each individual pony? Or texture the image like that?”

“Not for weather control. For this.” Dream Star waved at the control centre around her, “This is the Real Time Tactical Analysis System, designed to take further advantage of the SPP’s capabilities. Using it they would have been able to take the data gathered to create a constantly updating, real time map of the whole of Equestria, just as detailed as this one.”

Rusty whistled. He could already see the possibilities, “For strategic planning in case of invasion right?”

“Well, that is one of its many possible functions, but it was at the forefront of their minds given the current situation. That is also however why it was never completed.”

“How so?”

Dream Star sighed, “Think about it, how useful would it have been? Zebra invasion of Equestria was a very remote possibility, the primary focus at the end of the war was preparation for our own invasion. Add to that the fact that the SPP itself was months late, and hadn’t even been officially activated when the Megaspells dropped... the ministry of magic had more important things to spend their budget on.”

Rusty nodded, wondering... well the same thing, “That’s why they left it here, rather than place it inside the SPP.”

“But we’ve been over the SPP plans, and we’re sure there’s still an empty space for it within the central hub.” A familiar looking unicorn mare trotted out an open door at the back of the room, her coat a reddish pink with green mane and her cutie mark two knotted wires, “It was designed to be modular, though as far as we know only weather management systems were ever installed.”

“Sparks! I was wondering what Dream had you doing.” His eyes lit up at the sight of his stablemate, as normal layered with multiple bags of electronics and wearing a pair of heavy welding goggles, “You’ve been down here all that time?”

“Trying to get it working, with mixed success.” Spark Plug sighed and gave an annoyed arch of her eyebrows as she tapped a spanner against one of the consoles, eyes scanning the readouts, “Twilight wasn’t working on this personally unfortunately, and the stallion who was seemed incapable of keeping proper notes. Makes my work much more difficult.”

“So... you plan to get it working?” Rusty certainly thought the RTTAS was cool, but it wasn’t really world domination stuff, “What exactly do you plan on doing with it?”

“Well...” Spark Plug looked over to Dream Star, her expression uncertain.

“No proper supervillain reveals her plans before they’re fully complete.” Dream smirked as she strode confidently through the facility, her body illuminated in the bright lights of Canterlot, “This is but a small part of my ultimate plan, mha ha ha...”

Rusty Needle raised an eyebrow at her cheerful villainy, “Dream, you always worry me when you do that. I always wonder if you’re joking.”

She turned to glare at him, snorting loudly as she angled her snout upwards, “I am not joking. You think I am not a supervillain? Lurking in my underground lair hatching a plan that will soon unite all of Equestria under my hooves?”

Dream Star had never been the most stable of ponies, and to be honest she had pretty much always cackled like a witch and delighted in villainous monologues. She had yet to convince him that she was diabolical mastermind material though, “No, I think you’re... a brilliant scientist, with an unfortunate flare for the dramatic.”

“Oh wise up foal!” Her horn flashed with bright pink light, her robe suddenly becoming irracadesant and billowing out around her. She swung round to grin malevolently at him, a host of ghostly grey cloaked ponies forming behind to back her up with a grim, persistent chant in some obscure (likely made up) language, “I’m not talking about sending a strongly worded letter to my local councillor, and we‘re not some endearing bunch of misfits trying to make the world a better place! We. Are. Villains! And I will change the world, with no intention of asking it first!”

Rusty averted his eyes, unsure how to react. Things were rarely so black and white in this world, but Dream seemed to have resigned to being painted black. She was always so misunderstood. With her methods and appearance how could she not? “You’re not a bad pony Dream Star.”

She smiled smugly, her voice rough, “Oh, I’m not?”

“You saved Sparks and me, you stopped the others in our stable from hurting anyone else and you did it with minimum loss of life. You shut down that ministry hub we encountered, without the promise of any sort of reward.” He lowered his voice, knowing he was stepping into dangerous territory. Dream hated being interrogated, ironically considering her love of talking loudly about her motives and plans, “And with all you speak about unicorn supremacy, I’ve never seen you hurt an earth or pegasi pony because of it.”

As he expected Dream’s face shifted into anger, the mare growing quiet as the pink light dimmed and the shadows grew around her. Eventually she just raised a hoof, the dark figures behind wailing as they collected there in front of her. Rusty was forced to shield his face as the dark ball exploded into pink flames, Dream flinging it down to explode into the image of a powerful, radiant alicorn, golden light shining out around her. Rusty backed away in terror at the imposing figure, never realizing how intimidating Princess Celestia could be up close.

His fear only increased as the shadowed form of her dark twin moved up to stand beside her, much smaller than her sister but even more terrifying in those close quarters. He peddled back even further, only stopping as he sensed something behind. He span around and was immediately faced with a third alicorn, instantly recognising her as Queen Cadence, her countenance far more gentle despite ironically enough being a little taller than Luna. The pink alicorn observed him with a gentle smile, Rusty relaxing for a moment...

Before her image disappeared into smoke, Dream Star stepping through the swirling magic in a prowling half crouch, body totally uncovered. However much he tried he couldn’t resist the look of disgust on his face, this being the first time he had seen her naked since Marapony. He had suspected the truth since she had emerged from the balefire clouds, unchanged and angry, clad in a full body cloak that she had never again removed in public. Still, to see it, to look on and realise just what had happened that day...

She smirked at his reaction, her eyes flashing with that sharp cunning look she always got when she was about to do something sadistic and brilliant, “It’s not so bad. I’m not in bad shape for a hundred and thirty two, and believe me when I say that I beat that idiot Blazing Heart with a tenth of my full power.” She grinned, holding up a hoof and smirking as a light shone behind to wreath her in shadow, “And you have to admit I cut an arresting figure, can’t you just see me bathing in the blood of virgins and cursing whole civilisations into darkness?”

Rusty grimaced, “Dream, you’re not...”

“An alicorn princess.” She stabbed a hoof at her chest, grinning wide and wicked, “This is what hubris looks like. A wonderful, clichéd hubris, far older than Red Eye or Trixie or any other fool with delusions of godhood. But this is what the wasteland teaches you, to work with what you have. And I did always love a bit of drama and chaos.”

“Listen to her Rusty.” Spark Plug spoke out from behind him, Rusty turning to see her standing in the shadows with a firm, dignified look on her face, “I realised it long ago. Not everyone gets to be a hero.”

“And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain. And hate the idle pleasures of these days.” Dream Star laughed joyfully, dispelling the illusions around her with a wave of her hoof. She moved forward to gently place it upon Rusty’s shoulder, her expression softening, “I need you Rusty, to take care of things here. This project must be finished by the time I return, I’m afraid to say I am running on a rather tight schedule.”

He froze in confusion, this all happening rather fast, “Return... from where?”

Her horn pulsed with light as she turned to the exit, her cloak reforming around her once more in a wave of pink sparkles, “From the zebra lands. A certain little filly has something I need, and I learned long ago never to trust a minion.”

Rusty Needle was getting sick of this, Dream keeping him out of the loop, playing coy little games with him. Sure he wasn’t helping her on missions anymore like Bitter, Jammer or Sunshine, still he deserved more than this, “What has she got exactly? I’ve heard it called a weapon, a program, a computer system... everyone’s going mad about it, but no one seems to know exactly what ‘it’ is.”

“It’s all three.” Dream smirked, turning her head back to him, “And the Applejack Rangers have a very good reason for concealing its true nature. They designed it to facilitate their military coup after all.”

Conspiracy theories didn’t interest him, and he had heard this one before, “How?”

“The Rangers have no experience of running a nation, that has already been demonstrated. Their coup would fall apart, lose popular support. They needed some way to run their new empire, and the Rangers have always trusted in technology above all else.”

Rusty frowned, not liking where this was going, “An artificial intelligence?”

Dream laughed, “Ha, indeed. Well done Rusty, not as stupid as you advertise.”

“But that’s been tried before, it didn’t work...”

She laughed, “It’s been tried several times, by many fine minds. Their creations once littered the wasteland, we ourselves once encountered one didn’t we Rusty?”

Rusty tried not to remember, having carried a hatred of AI’s ever since. He could still see the bodies, hear its sultry, all too reasonable voice... “Didn’t Littlepip encounter one too?”

Dream nodded “Indeed, of a different type to ours. That one lacked all emotions and higher reasoning, and so was unable to effectively respond to new situations. Ours was far more flexible, and ended up going insane because of it.”

Rusty wasn’t being convinced that they shouldn’t just put a shotgun to this new AI of the Rangers, “And how is this one different?”

“Several ways.” Dream grinned with enthusiasm at his question, turning fully to face him, “For one thing, this one was actually created by a previous iteration of the idea, a program originally designed to oversee a post apocalyptic civilisation if the worst came to the worst. Apparently this program was eventually convinced that it was insufficient to this task, and allied with the Rangers in an attempt to create a new intelligence better suited. This AI was apparently built upon the template of a previous hero of the wasteland, and designed around the elements of harmony. It was grown organically, starting at an infant’s level of development and slowly being introduced to new ideas and concepts, allowed access to carefully controlled environments.”

Loyalty, honesty, laughter, generosity, kindness and magic. No computer system could ever embody any of those concepts, let alone all of them. Most ponies fell short, and they weren’t soulless hybrids of magic and metal, “What are we intending to do with it? Help it turn the wasteland in some mechanical utopia? Drop it in an industrial furnace? ”

“I can think of many uses to such a creation, however my present concern is for the tools it possess to implement the first stage of the Ranger’s takeover.” Dream’s expression became slightly troubled as she continued, Rusty’s ears perking up at the sight. Dream could ramble for days, but seeing her actually look emotional was a sign that she was getting serious for once, “It incorporates databases and other resources from Pinkie Pie’s Ministry of Morale, among them total access to all of Equestria’s computer systems. Alongside this it has been taught by the best hackers in the Applejack Rangers, and it is now able to crack any system so far presented. It is designed to open its takeover by seizing full control of the NCR’s logistics and communication systems.”

Rusty lifted his head, horrible realisation dawning, “You think it was responsible for breaking into the SPP?”

“No. They tried.” Dream grinned knowingly, smirking at him as he shot her an annoyed glare, “The SPP is immune to brute force attacks, its primary systems are semi-isolated, impenetrable from the outside without access codes.”

Rusty tapped his foot in irritation, knowing Dream was playing games with him again, “You know something I don’t. I know that expression Dream Star.”

Dream laughed joyously, angling her head arrogantly to the side, “Something you don’t Rusty? Oooh, now you’re just giving me the openings!”

“Dream!”

“Fine.” She sighed, looking disappointed at her teasing being cut short, “I’ve had the Single Pegasus Project access codes for twenty five years now.”

“What?”

“Heh. Your face is a picture Rusty.”

Rusty Needle paused for a moment to see if that statement would make any more sense. It didn’t, still sounding like she had been sitting on the keys to the Single Pegasus Project seven years before Littlepip had finally managed to get inside. That she had possessed the ability to defeat the Enclave and save everyone for years... and hadn’t? That... didn’t compute. At all, “How? Where!?”

“It was surprisingly easy, if you knew what you were looking for.” Dream chuckled, shrugging her shoulders casually, “Rainbow Dash planned well for the possibility of mutual destruction, and that she might die before activating the project. She hid clues through the wasteland, invisible to the Enclave but perfectly apparent to a wasteland explorer like myself. Those clues led to a dataspike, containing a set of codes giving access to all the SPP’s systems. Her final message was that they should be used to destroy the Enclave, give sunlight back to the wasteland.”

Rusty could have... exploded right then, “And you... did nothing with them?!”

She snorted loudly, her expression somewhat bitter, “Of course I did. I instantly set about building a transmitter, linked it to the SPP, put in my codes and watched as it opened up to me.” She chuckled softly, shaking her head in a strange mixture of amusement and sadness, “And my connections were instantly shut down, my equipment fried and the passcodes very nearly wiped. A single message appeared on my screen, calling me by name and telling me that it knew exactly who I was and what I had done. That I would misuse the SPP if I ever was allowed access, and that any further attempts would not be tolerated.”

Rusty couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. That Dream Star had access all this time... and that there had already been somepony inside, “Somepony was locking you out?”

“Some kind of thrice damned AI, designed by Celestia herself and forged in the fires of Luna’s raging mareheat if I’m any judge. I tried again and again, with the same result each time. Eventually it became a tradition of mine, I would spend the whole year working out my tactics, bringing them to bear at the date of my first attempt. Each time she would shut me down, sometimes quickly, sometimes after a fierce fight.”

Rusty took a deep breath, “And... you’re still doing it? Even after Littlepip...?”

She snorted angrily, “The first time I tried Littlepip came after me herself. Imagine, that cheeky little whore thinking she was worthy of playing games with me! I told her that I didn’t want her, that she could waltz off and go get her betters already.”

Rusty rolled his eyes. Knowing Dream she probably said exactly that.

“She did in the end, and as normal I was totally defeated, no contest at all. And you know what message that damn system sent to me afterwards?”

Rusty knew that expression. Dream was upset, trying to disguise it with bravado, “Thanks for the game?”

“She...” Dream took a second to glare at Rusty before continuing her monologue, her voice slightly more croaky than normal, “She thanked me for being a good friend. Me! The one who had been trying to break into her house and wreck her shit for more than half a decade! Damn AI obviously was really fucking lonely before...”

Rusty shook his head, feeling a little sorry for her now. As normal Dream Star’s protests of villainy ran hollow, “Stuck in the SPP, all alone for two hundred years? I guess it probably was.”

Dream curled her lip, looking rather petulant, “And we continued like that, each year. Two old, lonely relics battling it out in an epic struggle no one else gave a flying fuck about. And a little more than a week back the date came round again, and we set out our pieces for the contest.”

And so they reached the final part of the story. The reasons behind everything that was happening, the reason she needed the Ranger’s AI. A week ago was the exact time that... “The SPP shutting down... what happened Dream?”

“I have no fucking idea.” Dream shook her head, deep upset and pain in her eyes, “We were in the middle of our game, I had come up with some pretty good duel attacks and she was struggling to counter... and then everything just collapsed. Some new signal using an algorithm I had never seen before piggy backed mine, preceded to simultaneously cause massive errors in dozens of the SPP’s systems. The security system... she tried to shut me down, end all my connections as quickly as possible... but it wasn’t me. She was so busy fighting me that she let some fucking party crasher sneak in through the back door and lamp her over the head with her own fucking network.”

Rusty couldn’t help but notice how Dream Star kept calling it ‘she’, “You’re worried about her aren’t you?”

She didn’t answer his question, simply slapping a hoof against her chest and giving an angry decoration, “She was my opponent, and the SPP my prize! Some little shithead comes in an overturns the game table, doesn’t even have the balls for a face to face? Damn right I’m not about to just roll over!”

“And you need this AI to fix it?”

“The SPP is totally locked up, gone into safety mode. That safety mode has in turn been fed an endless loop, meaning it can’t just naturally reboot. The security AI has been isolated from all controls, and Littlepip put into a state of advanced status. All these issues can only be fixed by accessing the primary control panel, which is intentionally isolated from outside access.” Dream gave him a low, hard look, “I need to get inside to fix it, and would you know there’s a flaw in the shielding megaspell that I could easily exploit now that the security systems are down? Convenient huh?”

“A trap?”

Dream grimaced, “I bring the SPP defences down and anyone can get inside, and not being a pegasus or remotely authorised to be inside Neighvarro base I’ve got no chance of getting inside and bringing the defences back up before that whole place is swarming with troops. And as you just rightly pointed out... I’ve no idea who was behind that hack, and I can’t help suspecting they’re right up there just waiting for me to let them inside.” She suddenly smirked, her voice lowering, “But with the Ranger AI, I don’t just have to take the shields down. I could change the access rights, open up those shields to this faculties’ magic door signal.”

Rusty’s eyes opened wide, “The SPP... has a magic door?”

She smirked, “Yes, and the access code has been in Tenpony records forever. But it won’t get you through the shield, you’ll just end up back where you came unless you have access privileges.”

“Which you could give yourself if you had this AI!”

Dream laughed, turning back towards the door, “And I’ll be sitting pretty inside the facility while Calamity and friends are still pounding at the door. And then it’s your game Rusty.”

He blinked, pointing a hoof to his chest, “My...?”

“Get the RTTAS fixed Rusty. I’ll be back soon.” She smirked, stepping out into the main hall, “All just another game... and this one I intend to win.”

_______________________________________

Footnote: Level up! (9)

New Perk Added: Signal Boost - “You can’t stop the signal.”
Your skill with electronic devices allows you to boost their range by 20%. This includes EMP grenades and stealth field generators.

This fanfiction is based on Fallout Equestria by Kkat, it is highly recommended that you read that first for context. Reading Fallout Equestria: Pink Eyes by Mimezinga will help understanding, but isn’t required.

Many of the characters and much of the setting are not mine but are on loan from the very awesome Kkat, or are taken from My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic by Hasbro. This story makes no pretentions at being canon with either, and is merely a ‘what-if’ set in the same world.

If you enjoy Fallout Equestria Side Stories, you will want to check the Fallout Equestria Side Stories post on Equestria Daily and the Fallout Equestria Side Stories thread on Ponychan.

Comments

[Philweasel]

1767174
She underestimates everyone. It's pretty much intentional, she acts stupidly and impulsively on purpose, just to make life a little more interesting.
She freely admits she's crazy.

This is the first of a series of three chapters, exploring the other factions and giving some context to events.

[Twin Buster]

Uhhh, what's with the massive shaking of canon? Sombra was confirmed dead and Cadance isnt a Queen, and the broken Magic and 'Crystal Heart-not-being-in-the-Empire' thing just doesnt seem to gel at all.