• Published 12th Aug 2012
  • 5,500 Views, 280 Comments

Fallout Equestria : Black And White - Philweasel



Peace between the NCR and Zebra wasteland becomes a battleground between competing factions.

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Chapter 2.2 - Putting it back together

Chapter 2.2 - Putting it back together

Zenai blinked furiously as she opened her eyes, groggy and confused all of a sudden. Her head hurt too, and her shoulder ached. She groaned as she levered herself up from the table Fluttershy was laying on, having only laid her head down for a second and already feeling stiff as a board.

The dull rumble of the armoured truck around her continued, a constant, dull lullaby. Zenai adjusted her increasingly uncomfortable barding, just about to take it off when she noticed her pipbuck.

It was three hours later.

Zenai groaned, shaking her head clear. She couldn’t just doze off, what was she thinking? Fluttershy and the others still needed her medical attention, she knew for a fact Dust was still injured. She was embarrassed to think she could have fallen asleep without even realising it, they were still in enemy territory after all!

Or were they? “Dust, are you there?”

The earth pony smiled as he levered himself down from the turret, throwing her a salute, “Good morning sleepyhead. Feeling any better?”

She pouted, “How could you just let me sleep? What if you needed me?”

“If someone attacked I think you would have woken up princess.” He chuckled, nodding sympatheticly, “You need the rest Zenai. You still look like crap, no offense.”

She frowned moodily, not in the mood for his casual attitude, “What about you?”

“I’m running on combat drugs here Zenai. Fine if you’re looking out for danger, not so much for our medic.”

She sighed, looking over at Fluttershy. She still seemed to be sleeping peacefully, “How is she?”

Dust nodded, his good cheer fading, “She’s stable. Hasn’t woken up, and I haven’t tried to press the issue. Ace says his spell normally gives about two hours enforced sleep, then another six hours normal rest.”

Zenai looked at the pegasus, noting that she was murmuring slightly and exhibiting other small twitches that indicated she was dreaming. That was reassuring, Fluttershy certainly needed her rest, “What about Ace?”

“Buck’s running on adrenaline and pissed off. Can’t blame him.”

Zenai sighed, the least she could do was relieve him. He was just a kid after all, and she wasn’t too keen on letting him drive on no sleep...


And at that thought the whole vehicle lurched, falling forward before slamming to a stop with a loud crack and a crunch of grinding metal. Fluttershy fell forward and landed on top of her, a loud curse sounding out from Dust.

Zenai waited for a moment to see if anything followed. Fortunatelly they seemed to be secure for a mome...

Fluttershy punched her hard in the face, the old mare not putting a bad effort into it. Zenai was certainly stunned for a moment as the pegasus leapt away and landed in a crouch, terrified eyes darting around for a moment before she spotted the weapons rank and darted towards it. Dust recovered quickly and moved to stop her, blocking the mare’s desperate tackle and trying to get a grip on her, “Fluttershy, stop!”

She growled animalisticly and sank her teeth into his ear, Dust yelling in pain and pushing himself away. Fluttershy took the opportunity to slip past him and grabbed a rifle, holding it in her hooves as she swung it around dangerously, “Don’t come near me!”

Zenai dropped her ears and backed down in a gesture of submission, trying to keep the fear from her voice as Fluttershy’s hooves hovered perilously over the trigger, “It’s ok Fluttershy, it’s us. Zenai and Dust and...”

“It is not ok!” Fluttershy screamed at them, her eyes wide and desperate, “Why didn’t you leave me there, why didn’t you let me kill Arick?! He deserved to die, it was my last chance to do something good!”

Dust held a hoof to his bleeding ear, Fluttershy really looking like she he had done a number on it. He tried to speak through the pain, as calm and reasonable as he was able, “Fluttershy, you don’t know for sure that it was him.”

“It was! It’s obvious! Silver Scribe...” Fluttershy’s eyes grew even larger, the bloodshot orbs now looking like saucers, “Silver Scribe... they trusted me. Twilight Frost put everything into that mare, she had seven sisters who looked up to her, parents who adored her. She was an icon to alicorn everywhere, beloved by everypony in the cathedral. And... I got her killed.”

“Fluttershy...”

“I got her killed! She was... she was fifteen years old! She never got a chance...” Tears ran down Fluttershy’s face, her voice cracking up. She gasped a single desperate sob before turning the weapon upwards and pointing the barrel under her jaw with a single quick twist.

“Fluttershy, no!” Zenai ran forward, Dust just a little quicker. He grabbed the weapon and forced it to the side, the bullet striking the roof and richoching dangerously. Dust winced and Fluttershy threw her weight onto the rifle, forcing it against Dust’s shoulder and firing again. His armour took it but he was still knocked sprawling, Fluttershy bringing the weapon back up to her chin...

Zenai grabbed hold of it with a grunt, Fluttershy briefly struggling to haul it back. It continued for another second before Zenai realising this was going to get somepony killed, balling her resolve and back handing Fluttershy across the jaw. The pegasus barely resisted as she let go of the weapon, hit the floor and curled up in a whimpering ball. Dust immediately jumped on top of her, pinning her for a moment as he drew a pair of ties across her legs and pulled them tight.

She was soon bound tight and secure, Dust stepping away and pawing at his ear, “You just saw my special talent by the way, bringing them in alive. Though it seems a little rusty, damn that mare is stronger than she looks.”

Zenai had to agree, staring in dumbstruck horror at the quietly sulking pegasus. They had come perilously close to having Fluttershy get herself killed on their watch, for the fifth time today it seemed, “We just leave her tied up?”

“For now.” Dust nodded at the cockpit, “Check on Ace.”

Zenai edged gingerly into the drivers cabin, feeling her heart leap a bit as she saw the foal slumped across the controls. He was breathing at least, Zenai inspecting the wound on his head and judging that it wasn’t too serious. He must have been thrown forward in the crash, “He’s unconscious, but he seems ok.”

“Right. I’m going to check outside.”

Zenai watched with not a little fear as Dust moved towards the exit, opening the top hatch and letting it fall open with a clang. He then grabbed a long rifle in his teeth, snatched up one of the legionary cloaks, and raised it through the opening.

It was immediately blown to pieces. Dust didn’t hesitate, jumping up to the hatch and firing off a snap shot in the direction of the attack. He took a little longer to aim on the second, his smirk indicating a hit. Another figure attacked him from the side but he threw them off the roof with a smart toss, his shotgun discharging with a roar, “Zenai, the turret!”

She had no idea how to work a turret. She jumped onto the ladder anyway and crawled into the cramped confines of the gunner’s nest, soon realising why Dust hadn’t chosen it in the first place. She was totally exposed, without even a roof over her head and a huge spike of iron and steel that she had no idea how to use parked in front of her. They were in a small gully, cliffs of yellow stone rising on both sides, the area bathed in the shadows of the morning sun. Figures scurried within them, looking to be zebra in raider gear. Ugh, spikes and leather. Raiders really were the same the world over.

She unleashed a barrage of fire towards the nearest figure, sending him scurrying into cover. Another burst missed him entirely but dislodged a cascade of rocks that flattened him anyway.

Score one for her.

She swung the weapon over to another but Dust dropped him with a smart double tap, Zenai trying desperately to line up another shot with the unwieldy weapon. Too heavy to start or stop without strain, another burst went well wide and she couldn’t help panicking as they started to swarm. There were dozens of them.

More than she thought. Bullets struck the armor behind and she tried to turn the weapon to face them, only to fall backwards as a shot caught her in the shoulder and cut across her neck. She tumbled down the ladder awkwardly and struck the metal floor below with a curse, clutching a hoof to her neck to make sure she wasn’t bleeding to death. Fortunately she wasn’t, the wound minor.

She scuttled back onto her hoofs and took one look down at the quietly glaring Fluttershy before galloping past and jumping into the cockpit. She grabbed Ace’s forehoof and pulled out two syringes, hitting him with a double dose of healing potion and buck.

“What the hell!”

Zenai caught the panicking buck as he reared up, trying to hold him down, “Ace, cal...”


Something hit the APC, the whole machine rocking as it was filled with smoke and fire. After a second of confusion at the sudden silence that followed Zenai realised she had gone deaf, the vehicle clearly hit by some kind of explosive. She grunted as Ace stepped on her stomach and jumped out into the transport area behind with a look of panic, shelding her eyes from the smoke and glaring after him.

After a second to recover from her concussion she followed, locating the intact and whimpering Fluttershy in the corner before ducking away as bullets skimmed past to rebound off the metal behind. She galloped to the side and jumped through a broken segment of the side armour, skidding across dirt as she landed outside and assessed the situation.

The APC was a mess, it's side a wreck and currently being swarmed by five armed raiders. Even as she watched that number reduced to three, Ace Gold leaping out to clock one across the jaw with an iron bar before bucking another off his perch on the side plating and sending him smacking into a hard rock. Zenai drew her plasma pistol and fired at one moving to shoot the buck, her weapon devastating at this range.

But it wasn’t enough. While one of the last two hesitated in panic the other was much faster, bringing up his rifle and aiming down towards Ace with a wicked gleam in his eye. He grinned triumphantly, pulled the trigger...

Ace swept the iron bar in a sweeping arc, the metal igniting with blue magic. The bullet smacked into the ground at the side of him with a whine and a thud.

The bandit was still standing in shocked amazement when Ace dropped the bent iron to the ground and charged forward, leaping through the air, slamming his hoof into the zebras jaw and flinging him backwards. He grabbed his rifle as he fell, swing it round in his teeth and hurling it at the final bandit. It smacked him right between the eyes and knocked him sprawling, another leap and a downwards thrust finishing the fight.

Zenai stood befuddled. Sure she had heard about noble warriors batting bullets out of the air in stories, she however had just seen Ace Gold break the laws of physics right in front of her, “How did you do that?!”

He smirked, looking way too pleased with himself, “Trade secret.”

She... paused. Did he just smirk at her? “Ace, be serious!”

He grinned, “I am. I’m not telling you.”

“Don’t look so...!”

There was a loud gunshot, a bandit toppling down the cliff a short distance away. Dust frowned at them as he came across the top of the APC, angling his head, “Watch for stragglers before you start talking ladies.”

~

The APC would never move again, not without heavy repairs of the sort they were ill positioned to make. That meant a reassessment of their continued plan of action, and so they were currently camped out around the smoking wreck as they evaluated their options. The living raiders both she and Dust had been tempted to kill, Ace however was firmly against such an idea and so they were simply stripped of their weapons and sent on their way. Questioning them didn’t get much, it being a dull, familiar story. Guards for the local tribe posted in some remote outpost, they had deserted for banditry when the pay stopped coming. They didn’t know what had happened to the rest of the clan, save vague rumors of demons and ghosts.

For the moment Dust was keeping watch, Zenai prowling the wreckage and pulling out whatever looked valuable to trade. It was a fair haul, the APC had been well stocked up with weapons and armor. There was also a fair amount of medical supplies, though for specialist equipment all they had was Fluttershy’s medical bag. Her supply of stoma bags for instance was extensive, but still likely to run out within a couple of weeks. She was also on a couple of medications that Zenai didn’t know how to make up, and had a supply enough to last a month at best. Zenai's own bag was unfortunately back in her room, containing IV tubing, extra needles, mouth guards and all the other little things that she really needed for any serious medical care. She could only hope that they would find an abandoned clinic or something.

As for weapons, none of it was immediately useful but it was all it all very valuable, surely stuff somepony would trade for. For their own needs armor was needed more unfortunately, her own was a ruin but she really didn’t know where to start patching it. She doubted wearing Caesar’s uniforms would be a good idea either, and there was nothing to fit Zenai or Ace Gold anyway.

“Take that, it’s a fuel converter.”

She turned her head as Ace spoke up, “What?”

He trotted over to her side, picking up one of the random nicknacks she had pulled from the wreckage. She honestly thought it looked like a piece of junk, still Ace treated it as if it was a valuable work of art. He turned it over in his hooves and brushed the soot off, holding it up to the light, “This is worth a great deal of money, especially with fuel so rare.”

Zenai couldn’t help snarking a little, “Maybe you should be doing this then.”

“Hmm.” He moved past her, his cute little rump bobbing, “What do you know about engineering?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Zenai replied, as she tried to kill the previous observation of his physique with a hammer. Was she really so desperate that she was resorting to foalcon? “And don’t tell me, you’re an expert?”

“I graduated in it.” Ace Gold searched through the wreckage, pulling out another random shard of twisted metal and adding it to the pile, “I love stuff like this. I would have loved to be an engineer, just spend my days pulling apart machines, making them run just a little better.”

She frowned, turning her head away so she wouldn’t have to keep observing how good looking he was. Stupid sexy damn kid, “Why didn’t you?”

“Don’t know. Everypony wanted me to.”

That sounded like a bit of a cop out. He ‘didn’t know’? Did he really put so little thought into his life choices? “Wasn’t your dad an engineer before he became... you know?”

He slowed slightly, his voice taking on a tiny tinge of bitterness, “Hasn’t changed a tire in a long time though has he?”

“I don’t know him personally.”

“Yeah well, his cutie mark isn’t a spanner, and his destiny isn’t to be a mechanic.” He looked down at his own flank, “And neither is mine.”

She reluctantly turned to look at it, though she had taken note of it quite a while ago. It was quite famous really, for being so damn... appropriate, and so odd at the same time. It was a gold medal, with ‘#1’ printed on it and a red ribbon. First prize, in the game of life, “So what, your special talent is... being the best?”

“Yeah.”

“Be serious.”

He frowned deeply at her before sulking further into the wreckage, his voice echoing in the hollow chamber, “I am. My special talent is being good at everything.”

That... that was stupid. That wasn’t a special talent, that was the universe just being unfair. What, he was rich, privileged, sent to the best schools and friends with the best people, and now he had a cutie mark like that? “Well sucks for the rest of us.”

“Yeah. Ask Dust Kicker.” He trotted out of the darkness, throwing another mess of pipes and wires down before her, “Experienced mercenary, doing this for years. I beat him easily, despite being half his size.”

“And half his age.”

He snorted, turning back to the wreckage, “Yeah well, get used to it. You might as well just sit back, because I’ve pretty much made you all irrelevant.”

They continued quietly after that, soon having several sacks of sellable goods and a makeshift but quite sturdy looking sled to pull it. Zenai took the moment to brush her coat and mane, sure she must be filthy after all the battle she had seen. Her armor indeed came off wet and stained, Zenai shivering and wishing there was some convenient stream to bathe in, “Ace Gold, can you do that fancy spell you did on Fluttershy? You know, getting the muck off her?”

He turned reluctantly to her as he passed, shaking his head, “It’s baked into your fur. I’ll just pull it all out.”

“Ow... ok then.” She figured she would have to deal with it for the time being. The air on her fur felt good no matter what, Zenai reminded once again how constricting clothes were. Even if her armor had saved her life on numerous occasions, it was still hot, sweaty, heavy and suffocating.

Speaking of which, she had noticed Dust Kicker hadn’t taken his armor off since he first put it on. She guessed it was a fair idea giving the circumstances, still she heard him say that he hated power armor. He seemed to be getting used to the idea if that was the case. She wondered where his hat had gone.

It was a mystery that could wait for another time. She settled down to rest, her eyes drifting now to Ace and Fluttershy. He was trying to get her to eat but she was having none of it, just batting it away with a hoof and angling her head away. She eventually tired of the pointless exercise and rose from the bed to trot over to him, shaking her head at the foal, “You’re just going to waste it.”

He glared at her, anger hot and raw, “So what do you want me to do? Let her starve?”

Zenai sighed, “She won’t starve missing a meal. Eat it yourself Ace, I’ve noticed you haven’t had anything yet.”

He shook his head, “Not until she does. If she won’t, then neither will I.”

Fluttershy simply glared at him before hiding her face in her forelegs once again.

“You can’t bully her into taking it... come on.” She took his foreleg, leading him away. He followed reluctantly, though to be honest he seemed a bit lost and eager for guidance. Zenai tried to look as supportive as possible as she faced him, remembering Fluttershy’s own demeanor when they first met, “You need to be strong Ace. You need to eat, and not let her condition get to you. Because she needs you, and we need you.”

He looked down at his hooves, clearly upset, “I need to help her.”

“And you will.”

Ace Gold reacted with a familiar snort, his voice and manner defensive, “You don’t know that. I’m just a kid, and so are you. She’s going to die out here.”

Zenai could feel his pain, ill communicated as it was. The poor kid was totally lost, “You’re really close to her aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. She was more a mother to me than my real mother ever was.” Deep hurt traveled through his expression as he looked over to the pegasus, something tragically broken in his voice, “I hated university, hated life until I met her. Whenever I was angry, or upset, or just in a shitty mood, she was always there. Is it so weird that I want to return the favor?”

“Not at all.” She nodded, “But take care of yourself first.”

“Good advice.” Dust strolled over to join their little group, greeting them with nods of acknowledgement, “You want to know why I’m acting so casual about all of this?”

Zenai... had wondered that. But then he always seemed to be casual, “Yes actually.”

“Practice.” He chuckled, “You go into anything tired, distracted and lacking in sleep, food or water, then you’re setting yourself up to lose. So keep your chin up, eyes focused and think about the here and now. Tell me, how can we make this better?”

Zenai started, “I...”


“Oh, what a terrible place...”

She turned at the sound of the cracked, sing song voice, hardly imagining it could be coming from Fluttershy. But there she was, smiling vaguely as she sang her little song, “Fluttershy, what are you...?”

“...and I owe it all, to the zebra race...”

Ace looked as if he had been struck, “Stop it.”

“...if I knew the ground had so much misery, I’d have bombed it sooner, intentionally...”

“That’s enough Fluttershy.”

The mare focused her eyes on Dust, spitting her final words, “I. Hate. Every. Thing.”

Dust waved them over, shaking his head, “Come on, let’s go over here.” He moved over to a nearby cliff edge and waited for them both to gather opposite, Ace positioning himself so that he could still see Fluttershy. Dust gave them a second to get comfortable before speaking, “We should talk about our plan from here.”

Zenai answered swiftly, “We have to stop this escalating between the NCR and Caesar.”

“Hold your hippogriffs Zenai.” Dust answered with a sympathetic smile, “We’re in no condition to do anything about that right now. We’re actually in the condition to make it a lot worse.”

Ace answered bluntly, “We need to do something for Fluttershy.”

Dust nodded, “Agreed. Fluttershy’s condition is a danger to us and herself. And don’t discount the emotional toll all this has taken on you, you might be running on adrenaline now but it won’t last forever.”

Zenai had to agree, in private of course. She was exhausted, finding it increasingly hard to care about the NCR, Caesar, or damn near anything but finding a comfy bed. Fluttershy’s condition was indeed wearing on her, and she only imagined how Ace Gold was feeling. As far as she was concerned the solution was obvious, “We have plenty to trade, and a need to rest and find medical aid. I say we try and find a settlement.”

Dust nodded in agreement, “I agree that is the most promising course of action. If this is anything like the Equestrian wasteland, any successful settlement will have somepony competent in mental health issues, and guns will fetch a high price.”

Ace Gold bristled slightly at this. After a moment of simple brooding he finally spoke, “I’m not happy with leaving Fluttershy with strangers.”

Neither was Zenai to be honest, but she wasn’t sure what choice they had. Dust eventually spoke for her, “We can do anything for her Ace Gold. She needs competent, psychological aid. None of us are trained in that.”

Ace glared across at Zenai, “You’re supposed to be a doctor aren’t you?”

Zenai shook her head quickly, “I’m trained as a paramedic and nurse, I don’t know the first thing about treating mental health problems.” She sighed, not feeling particularly proud of her failings, “Physically she appears to be fine. Has she had problems like this in the past?”

Ace glowered yet further, “She spent the first two years of her revival totally incapable of even leaving the compound.”

“I... heard that.” Zenai was a little young really, but could remember the excitement of Fluttershy’s revival. She also remembered the disappointment when it became clear that Fluttershy wouldn’t be making any public appearances any time soon. The senior staff of the Followers had been very careful to keep her exact condition closely guarded, and Fluttershy herself had never spoken of it save in very vague terms, “I’m not aware of the details though.”

“She...” Ace started off indignantly before pausing, continuing in a slightly quieter tone, “I don’t know. She doesn’t like to talk about it with me.”

Zenai pursed her lips, feeling sorry for the buck. This was clearly even more difficult for him than for them. To them Fluttershy was an icon. For him, a much loved grandmother, “We want to help her Ace.”

“I know.” He answered quietly, looking back at the mare, “It’s not fair. I’m... good at everything. I’ve always been good at everything. Winning fighting tournaments, breezing through university, hotwiring that APC...”

Dust smiled sympathetically at him, “Not everything is always going to be that easy.”

“But... that’s shit.” He gritted his teeth, glaring at the ground, “I don’t care about any of that stuff. It was just... to distract me, to keep me busy. Is that the joke? That I’m only good at the stuff that doesn’t actually matter?”

Zenai stepped in before he got any more self pitying. She felt for the buck, but he was just being a child now. Still she had resolved to be nice, “It does matter. We’re going to need those skills to get Fluttershy to somepony who can help her.”

Dust nodded, “Don’t you go thinking you’ve got to fix everything yourself. That’s ego talking, not firm sense.”

“I... I don’t.” Ace Gold sighed, deflating slightly, “But this is personal. She’s not just another mare, you know? I want... I want to give something back.”

“Then do it. Get us to somepony who can help her.”

Ace Gold considered this for a few more moments before giving a firm, resolute nod, “Ok. Any village around here will want to be sheltered from the wind, yet get enough sunlight to grow crops.”

Dust smiled, nodding, “That’s a good start.”

~

Ace’s instincts proved correct, a small village soon emerging from beyond a rolling hillside. It appeared to be a fairly average wasteland farming community, with fields of rather pathetic looking crops struggling for life and piecemeal walls to keep out predators. None of it was very impressive, the fields had no irrigation channels or farm machinery, the walls were mostly corrugated iron and wouldn’t serve to keep out an armed opponent for a single minute. The houses looked secure and comfortable though, and they weren’t re-purposed pre-war buildings at least. Indeed they appeared to be made out of brick, topped by slate slabs that must have been hoof hewn. Zenai wondered why they couldn’t put the same technique into their defenses.

Zebra hurried out of the houses as they approached, along with a few ponies Zenai noted. A few weapons appeared among them, still they didn’t seem eager to use them and they were of poor quality anyway, her, Dust and Ace could probably knock over the whole place. They certainly didn’t put up any resistance as they entered through the open gate, simply watching the new arrivals cautiously.

A large zebra clad in homemade leather armor and carrying a shotgun strode over, trying his best to look intimidating, “Natak how.”

‘Identify yourself’. He spoke iwako, Zenai realising that she was going to have to negotiate here, “<We are travelers, with goods to trade for food, medical care and shelter.>”

He frowned and glared suspiciously, still he seemed to accept this, “<You don’t cause any trouble, you hear? This is our village, and we like to keep things peaceful.>”

Zenai nodded, sighing inwardly. No matter where you went there was always some jumped up runt wielding his tiny authority like a club, “<I understand. Is there some zebra I can trade with?>”

“<You can trade with me.>” A older pony emerged from the crowd, authority marked with a jeweled necklace around his neck and a little extra bulk around the middle. He gave a friendly bow, motioning towards one of the larger buildings, “<Please, step inside. The village of Jenywa is honored to offer you our hospitality.>”

~

The pony, whose name was Nanta apparently, was true to his word. They were fed, bathed and boarded without any trade even taking place, and Zenai felt the weight of the previous few days fall off her shoulders just a little. Nanta’s zebra wife and his three children seemed very enthusiastic about their guests and Dust appeared to enjoy the attention, entertaining them with stories of life beyond their walls. Ace on the other hand was firmly unsociable, setting up his laptop and glaring moodily at the screen as he messed around with a portable aerial, occasionally checking on the uncommunicative Fluttershy. Zenai eventually had to ask, “What are you doing?”

“Trying to establish a connection with the NCR, what do you think?”

Zenai shook her head, “You’ll never get one, not with that dinky little aerial.”

“I can leapfrog other signals in the area, bypass the worst interference, send short coded messages... something.” Ace glared at his laptop screen in anger, grinding his teeth, “My father set up secure radio towers all across the coast. If I can get even the most basic connection to one of them I can contact him, and he can send a flyer over and get us out of here!”

“And stop a war.”

“I know that.” He growled, “But don’t tell me you don’t want to get out of here as much as I do.”

Actually she really was worried about the possibility of war. Given what Fluttershy had said about the NCR she couldn’t help but wonder if it was capable of fighting one in its current condition. The Rangers trying to mount a coup? Infighting within the council? Open fighting between the Rangers and Twilight Society? They said a war brings folk together, but Zenai couldn’t see it. To be honest after their twice fold victory over the Enclave she couldn’t help but worry that some would be arrogant enough to use it as an opportunity to finalise their ambitions while everyone was distracted.

And she didn’t want Caesar to face it either. His society was working, his rule sensible and well planned. The city and the lands beyond had been safe and rich, and despite occasional autocratic leanings he wasn’t a bad zebra.

War could only end in tragedy, on both sides, “Keep working at it Ace. Is there any way I can help?”

He considered for a moment before shaking his head, “This antenna is top of the range NCR tech. The only thing better would be a proper large scale transmitter.” He paused before speaking again, “But thanks.”

Heh, was she finally getting through to him? “No problem.”


Things passed quietly for a while and Zenai eventually found an old familiar itch emerging. They still had a few hours until their appointment with Nanta and so she decided to wander over to Dust’s room, poking her head in and smiling as she saw him reclining on his bed, “Good to see you getting some rest.”

He smiled as he saw her, turning himself to face her. It was odd to see him naked, his armor standing in a corner silently recharging. He stretched, grunting as he worked out the stiffness in his shoulders, “What about you?”

“I’m a lot younger than you.” She teased playfully, looking over to the black carapace armor, “You seem to be getting fond of that.”

“I left my coat back in the palace.” He paused for a moment before nodding, “But yes, it has it’s uses. It certainly stops a bullet.”

“Yeah, I doubt we would have made it out of there without it.” Zenai stated unenthusiastically, not really wanting to talk about armor. She smiled a little flirtily as she sauntered over, taking the opportunity to admire his muscles and the scars from a lifetime of battle. She had to say she had never really seen the appeal of older stallions before, but that confident experience did have a lot to say for it, “I actually was feeling a little lonely, wanted to see what you were doing.”

“Ace Gold is out there somewhere.”

She wrinkled her nose, “Ace is a kid.”

“He’s only six years younger than you.” Dust chuckled lightly before giving her a lightly chastising look, “And what exactly were you thinking of to alleviate your boredom?”

“I...” Zenai frowned, this not being how you played. You danced around the subject for a little while, both denying what you were really after... built up the atmosphere. Dust was ruining it, “Well we have a little time before we meet with Nanta, so I was thinking...” She smiled teasingly, “Why not continue our conversation from before?”

Dust smiled, a little mockingly in Zenai’s opinion, “I thought you said that was a one time thing?”

“A casual thing.” Zenai corrected, starting to feel a little huffy now, “Didn’t you enjoy it?”

Dust sighed, levering himself off the bed and jumping down. He looked sympathetically at Zenai as he shook his head, “Zenai, we keep doing this and it’s going to get serious.”

Zenai frowned, thinking he was missing the point. He was pleasant company, capable and available, and she wanted to spend time with him in an activity that alleviated her stress. What was wrong with that? “It won’t get anything but what it is.”

“Heh, I forgot you don’t do serious.”

“Serious? I don’t think you understand me very well Dust.” She lifted her head up angrily, her fur ruffling, “I take it seriously, it’s an activity I enjoy and I make sure to do well and safely. Only with those I like and trust, cleanly, discretely and respectfully. I take it more seriously than you.”

He actually laughed at her tirade, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know you visit whorehouses Dust.” She glared at him, all too eager for the opportunity to rant, “You consider me a slut? At least I don’t pay some down on her luck floozy who I’ve never met before in my life to pretend to like me for five minutes. What is wrong with you?!”

Dust smirked back at her, giving her a lopsided look, “Is this really about me, or is it just a general rant now? I don't think you're anything Zenai.”

He... he was an asshole, but he was right. She was feeling vulnerable, and she was taking it out on him, “Well... you can see how tense I am. I really need it Dust.”

He sighed, taking a deep breath before addressing her seriously now, “Zenai... I’m sorry, but I really don’t make a habit of sleeping with younger mares. It was great the last time and all, but that’s mostly because it was a change of pace and a good chance to get more comfortable with you. I don’t think it’s going to work as a regular thing, though I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

Zenai let her head drop, deeply depressed now. Was he really implying that this whole trip she was stuck with an old fart with an underactive libido, and irritatingly smug twelve year old and... Star Swirl? She quickly skipped over Fluttershy before her whole nervous system imploded from the ‘eww no’ wrongness, “So what am I suppose to do?!”

He laughed heartily at this, shaking his head at her in amusement, “Can’t you... deal with it yourself?”

“Who do you think I am, Star Swirl?”

“Be nice.”

She was being serious. She was way too pretty and outgoing to spend time alone. It was insulting. And... very frustrating, “You know that thing about not doing things when you’re tired or hungry? This is just like that.”

Dust just shook his head, “Zenai, if that’s true you need help.” He chuckled, shooing her, “Just... go and do what you have to do, and remember we’re wanted in the main hall in an hour.”

What she had to do. Namely beat her head against the wall until the urges went away. Great entertainment.

~

So here she sat, still feeling so tense you could use her as a spring and with a growing headache from all the unreleased frustration. They had been through a lot lately, and all the time to rest in the world didn’t stop the worry or the guilt or the frustration at being unable to do anything about it. All she wanted was to take her mind off everything for a while.

Still she had resolved to just accept it for now, realising that now just wasn’t the time for whining about her own problems. Nanta had lain out some food for them and her and Dust sat across the table from him, their host still his cheerful self. Even she could see his desperation however, his words shaking a little as he got the point at hand, “I have to admit, we have little else to offer but our hospitality. We of course will take care of your injuries, provide food and water, maps for the road ahead. Still, we cannot pay the kind of prices the great clans would for those weapons you carry.”

Zenai noticed their lack of weaponry and poor quality walls before. They were almost totally defenseless out here, “You do seem very exposed.”

“Once upon a time the tribe here, the Entitidi, provided protection in return for our obedience.” Nanta shook his head sadly, “But now the Entitidi are gone, and we are forced to protect ourselves. It has not been easy.”

“We’ve just got here, but we’ve heard about this mysterious new figure that’s been terrorising this area.” Dust nodded gravely at the mayor, “She really wiped out the Entitidi?”

The mayor considered the matter carefully, his words cautious, “They were, in truth, not good zebra. To continue their war on Caesar they took much of what we produced, took the best of us for their armies.”

“And this new group?”

“They take less, which is good at least. Their leader apparently distrusts zebra, but the village elected me to represent them and we haven’t had any trouble. The antics of her followers are occasionally a bother, but truth be told it is hardly worse than it was under those that once ruled this land.”

Zenai had to question this one, being a little too vague for her tastes, “Antics?”

The mayor nodded, “Her followers are all foals, and that results in what you would expect. They fight, bully, vandalize and act like the children they are, all the more with no authority figure to restrain them. It is humiliating for sure, to allow them to get away with so much, but we have all heard what happens to those who challenge them.”

Dust nodded, “Let me guess, they come and burn your village down?”

“Well, their leader simply hurts the culprit normally, but yes. Whole villages have disappeared, with no survivors. The bodies are often found nailed to their burnt houses, rambling messages about sin and punishment burnt into the rocks outside.” The mayor shook his head, “And most famously, she is known for stealing children. It was isolated incidents at first, families found killed or beaten, their children taken away. In time those children appeared at the head of her army, and eventually she grew more brazen. She has often times marched straight into villages, offering the children there power and respect if they follow her.”

Zenai couldn’t help but be horrified by the idea, “And they accept?”

“The children tell stories of her, they speak of her as a goddess delivering them from the tyranny of cruel adults.”

Dust’s expression grew dark, his voice cold, “Who is she?”

Nanta took a deep breath, this obviously not a pleasant subject for him, “I have never seen her in person, but her followers call her Princess Luna. Eye witnesses have said the same, that she is a huge black alicorn with power over darkness and shadows.”

Dust sighed, Zenai mirroring his reaction. This was a new complication to their flight, it now obvious they would find no welcome here. She looked up at Dust, hoping for some wisdom that would make everything better, “What do we do now?”

“Well, it makes things a little clearer at least.” Dust shrugged, “Before she was some evil ghost, just popping out of nowhere to jump us. Now she makes much more sense. A powerful unicorn, with an established power base, group of followers and a reason for her hatred of zebra.”

Zenai accepted that at least. It did make her seem much more manageable, though ‘powerful unicorn’ didn’t quite cover it. And she guessed having motive did go some way to understanding her, “You think it’s revenge against the Entitidi?”

“A group of well known jerks led and mostly populated by zebra, in the same area where she first appeared? It seems to be the most obvious suggestion.”

“Why kids?”

“I’ve... honestly got no idea. They’re easily led, manipulated, but it still seems a little strange. Plenty of adults are the same.” Dust looked over to Nanta, questioning, “Anything else you can tell us about her? Where she came from, when she appeared, anything?”

He shook his head nervously, “I... hesitate to talk about her too openly. And no, not really, only contradictory rumors. From the stories the children speak of she appears to enjoy writing her own legend, and it very rarely remains consistent.”

“Star Swirl did mention her theatricality.” Dust sighed, “I still don’t think we should get involved, but if we do bump into her... she’s got an ego to be flattered, and anger to exploit.”

Zenai turned to him, reminding him of the key part of their team he seemed to have forgot, “She might know where Star Swirl is.”

Dust looked reluctant, brooding on her words, “I’m hesitant to get us any deeper into this.” He stood in silence for a few more moments before raising his head to Nanta, nodding firmly, “Thank you for the information Nanta. We’d be happy to trade you some guns and show the villagers how to use them. In return, we ask if you have anypony who can deal with mental issues or repair armor.”

Nanta nodded gratefully, “Your friend, yes I noticed her condition. I have already informed the Seer of our village, she has accepted the job. Once we have finished eating, I will take you to her.”

~

The Seer was traditional in her appearance, a wizened old zebra mare clad in an enfolding green cloak decorated with painted runes and shards of bone, living in a hut festooned with creepy masks and strange potions. She was friendly however, and her touch was gentle as she quietly directed Fluttershy into the shadowed back room of her hut.

They all waited for her to emerge, the mare eventually returning from the chamber after what seemed like forever, her face grim and pale. Zenai’s heart immediately sank, still she was the only one who could find words to speak, “What’s wrong? Is it bad?”

The Seer took a deep breath, trying to force some kind of smile onto her face, “Healing is possible, but it is a terrible thing that has been done to her.”

“Losing her friend? Or the peace treaty...?”

“All of it. And so much more.” The seer moved to explain, “Not only was she forced to watch her plans crumbling and her friend dying before her. At some point afterwards a zebra has used a supernatural technique called the ‘Annanragu’ on her, binding that trauma to her soul, burning away her happiness. It is... beyond cruel, and the wound is deep set.”

That was an old word, a very old word. Still Zenai was eventually able to force out a rough translation, “Soul Eyes.”

“Few know of such a thing. I only know of it because my great grandfather was born with the talent, and it caused him great distress before he learned to control its terrible power.” The seer shook her head unhappily, “Whoever did this has no such restraint.”

Zenai looked back at Dust and Ace Gold but neither of them looked like they had heard of it either, “What is it exactly?”

The Seer nodded gravely, “It is a mental technique, projecting your will against another through direct eye contact. Depending on the will, its applications can be devastating. It has been so in this case.”

Ace Gold paused to consider this, finally speaking in a firm, questioning tone, “Can you use it to get into the victims head, give them orders, make them question themselves?”

“Yes.”

“Fluttershy has that ability too. She calls it ‘The Stare’.”

The seer sighed deeply, “If she possesses it untrained, this makes her all the more vulnerable. If she even tried to resist, she would have given her attacker deeper inroads into her soul.”

Zenai thought this was all very fascinating, still they were dodging around the main issue here, “Can you help her?”

The seer took a deep breath, giving a determined if not entirely confident nod, “I can try. I will not lie, I am not a shaman. I am more used to delivering children, setting bones. This is a deep, supernatural wound.”

“But...”

“But you have delivered Fluttershy to me, and asked me to help. This is a hard request to refuse.”

Zenai widened her eyes in suprise, “You know who she is?”

The seer nodded, “You just confirmed it for me, when you confirmed her knowledge of Annanragu.” She smiled warmly at the assembled group, aged face wrinkling, “You see, it was her who taught my great grandfather to control his gift, well over two hundred years ago. That is a dept my family still carries, and I intend to pay it.”

Ace Gold bowed deeply, his voice unexpectedly emotional, “Thank you.”

The seer shook her head, smiling at him, “Don’t thank me yet young foal. Now please, go on with your day and leave her to me. I will do all I can.”

~

“Well, this is turning out better than I expected. They did a good job on that.”

Zenai nodded as she inspected her newly repaired armor, having to admit it was better than before. Her modifications to make it fit previously had been amateurish and the material had been aged, now it was resized to fit her properly and much of the material had been replaced with metal and fabric from Caesar’s newly forged uniforms. They had even incorporated a dust cloak, embroidered with Zenai’s own cutie mark and able to be tucked away when it wasn’t in use. All in all it was pretty nice, even with Zenai’s dislike of armor, “Ace really needs something too. During that whole fight against the bandits I was worried somepony would get a shot in, and however good he thinks he is he can't out-talent a bullet.”

Dust moved past her shoulder, looking over the materials laid out across the clothing store. As the name suggested not a lot here was meant to stop gunfire, more to keep out the dust, sun and cold. For all the skill they demonstrated with Zenai’s armour they were poor folk in the end, and so the materials on offer weren’t exactly of high quality either. Unfortunately Ceasar’s troops tended to be outfitted with flack jackets reinforced with metal plates, which weren’t easily resized. Dust continued looking around for a moment more before realizing it was futile, turning to look at her questioningly, “You know who would have armor in his size? Princess Luna.”

Zenai hadn’t want to say it out loud. She still wasn’t sure what Dust’s true feelings were on the matter. Now he had suggested it though... “Do you think we should find her?”

He smiled knowingly at her, “You’re worried about Star Swirl.”

Zenai was yes. But there were other reasons too, “We’re totally without support, outmaneuvered at every turn. And Luna is in deep with those doing the manoeuvring.”

He chuckled, “And so we should make friends?”

“Yes.” She nodded, feeling a... half formed demiplan slowly filling her thoughts, “Star Swirl thought that Luna was just being manipulated, that she wasn’t a bad pony. If that’s true then she’s a weak link in the chain, somepony we can use to interrupt their plans and turn one of the greatest assets against them.”

“It’s risky, but I agree.” Dust nodded, “At the very least she can provide some answers, and she’s had plenty of opportunity to kill us before now.”

“How do we contact them?”

Dust chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, “Well. We might as well be direct.”

~

It was true what they were saying, Zenai marveling at the odd and rather disturbing sight of a dozen well armed foals advancing on their position. Nanta had told them they expected a party arriving to collect tribute, and they didn’t mess around. Their leader be damned, the group in front of them packing enough firepower to take out the entire town themselves. They advanced cautiously and in a serviceable combat formation as they spotted them standing on the path, a pair of what looked like twin pegasi launching to flank them in both directions with twin linked pistols mounted on battle saddles. Their leader was a lanky brown furred earth pony, a powerful assault carbine slung on his side. He shouted to them as he closed, the others around him drawing their weapons, “State your business!”

Dust just smiled, stepping forward, “We’re ambassadors from the New Canterlot Republic. Take us to your leader.”

__________________________________________________________

Footnote: Level up! (8)

Perk Acquired – Gunslinger
While using a pistol (or similar one-handed weapon), your chance to hit in V.A.T.S. is increased by 25%. As with all perks that increase your chance to hit in V.A.T.S., this bonus is multiplicative, not additive.

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.

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