Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel

Chapter 1.5 - A Paper Crown

Chapter 5 – A Paper Crown

Zenai didn’t like to cry. It always made her uncomfortable. It was odd because her father had always been an expressive zebra, but in retrospect maybe it wasn’t so odd after all. His tears over a mare she never knew had always made her uncomfortable, his attempts to include her in his grief… incomprehensible. She loved her father dearly, but could never feel the same for some mare she had never met. Her father didn’t even have a photo.

Yes she hated crying. It was an outward expression of internal emotions, designed to elicit sympathy. Despite the obvious advantage her small size and young appearance gave her in maintaining such an illusion, she had always hated looking weak. That was why she cried now, alone, indulging in an ugly, messy emotional release and hating every moment of it.

It wasn’t even the end. Far from it.

She had played everypony to get this far, with no resources, allies or strategic advantages she had pulled the wool over the eyes of the Applejack Rangers, NCR and Twilight Society. Now she had connections with Star Fall and Caesar who knew what she could do? Silent Steel thought he could use her to his advantage? Let him try, she would take what she needed before exposing the corrupt bastard for exactly what he was!

And… she would get Star Swirl back her position in the Followers. Fluttershy was coming here after all, which meant she would need Zenai’s knowledge and translation skills. The old mare was known for being a total pushover, Zenai knew she could easily worm her way into her affections and get back all they had taken from her. And when she had forged this alliance, proven herself a hero? With a reputation like that she could finally get things done, expose the corruption at the heart of the NCR and make it shine again like the beacon of hope it should be!

Zenai rose to her hooves, wiping the tears away and replacing her glasses. She had no time for crying.

~

The meal wasn’t as bad as Zenai had feared, the mare having read a few too many Daring Do novels to be instantly trusting in foreign cuisine. She was actually a pretty fussy eater, strictly vegetarian, and was glad to see almost everything was made of some sort of plant matter. A little heavy and fibrous maybe, still maybe that was how plants grew over here, “Is this all from the surrounding farms Caesar?”

“Indeed! That there is one of our new crops, imported from the land of sands. So far it appears to be thriving.” Caesar raised his head from his meal, looking way too pleased with himself for Zenai’s comfort, “They call it ‘Sadra’, and according to initial reports it contains several of the nutrients lacking in the common diet and is easy to grow in dense concentrations. It is part of a project I have been working on over the past year, a well fed population is after all a happy and strong one.”

Zenai held several reactions in check, Caesar’s self regard and tendency to make it sound like he ran his nation single hoofed really starting to bug her. He seemed to have totally forgotten about his insult earlier, starting to wonder if it had all been an elaborate game to get Fluttershy here. Still, he cared about his people, and his eyes shone brightest when talking about agriculture or economics. Zenai was convinced at least that he would get along well with the NCR, “Equestria has been working on engineering new crops for years now, I’m sure our nations have plenty to share with each other Caesar.”

Caesar nodded, looking both slightly nervous and rather impressed by this information, “Yes, so you have said. I must say... well, I hate to admit it but the Golden Coast was never a haven of alchemical practice, and it shames me that Equestria is more advanced than us. To engineer whole new strains...”

“It... it’s actually a collaboration between earth and unicorn ponies, and zebra.” Star Swirl suddenly spoke up, her voice wavering. The alicorn as expected had been silent through much of the meal, never having been a natural at a fancy dinner such as this one. Her alicornian appetite hadn’t helped of course, Zenai had been counting and was pretty sure Star Swirl had eaten three times the amount she had. Zenai was wondering when she had gotten time to chew, let alone speak... “No one knows the soil like earth ponies, and combined with zebra knowledge of chemical composition unicorns can quickly and repeatedly tweak traits to determine the best fit for the environment it is to grow in.”

Caesar stared at Star Swirl for a moment in rapt attention before laughing joyfully, nodding at her words, “Yes, yes. My, you are a wonderful mare aren’t you?”

Star’s expression almost made Zenai laugh herself. She really couldn’t handle a complement.

“You know, it reassures me greatly to see something designed as a tool for war display such scholarly knowledge and humble wisdom.” Caesar gave Star Swirl a broad smile, motioning elegantly to the mare, “You should speak up more often, I cannot understand why you seem so reluctant.”

Star Swirl faltered for a moment more before opening up with a soft, quiet grin, “I... I only speak when I’ve got something interesting to say, that’s why. You’re not missing anything the other times.” She swallowed her nervousness before continuing, a little more seriously, “And I don’t believe Twilight Sparkle intended us to be just a weapon of war. She modelled us on Princess Celestia after all, and she was a great scholar and scientist.”

Caesar smiled slyly, looking down his muzzle at her, “Is that a confirmed fact then?”

Star Swirl hesitated, “Wh... what is?”

“That they were modelled after Celestia, not Luna.”

Star Swirl frowned, Zenai noting a little bit of anger in her expression as she replied, “Does it matter?”

Caesar chuckled, giving them an enigmatic expression, “To many, yes. There is a prevailing theory among many zebra that Nightmare Moon planned the final destruction of our twin nations, and therefore that she also came up with a way to survive such an end herself.”

Star paused in a mixture of horror and anger at what Caesar was implying, Zenai eventually answering for her friend, “And you’re saying the alicorns were how she intended to survive? That they were... clones of her?”

“For much of the last two hundred years it was assumed that your Goddess was actually Princess Luna, especially after some of her alicorns made it here and tried to take over.” Caesar frowned, seemingly disappointed by his next words, “Apparently that wasn’t true, correct?”

It was Dust who answered this question, the stallion having spent the last few minutes working lazily on a particularly chewy piece of root, “That’s right. Goddess was actually a combination of Twilight Sparkle, her two deputies Mosaic and Gestalt and some washed up circus performer called Trixie.”

“And this... washed up circus performer ended up being the dominant personality, over the three most powerful unicorns in Equestria?”

Dust paused for a moment, “Well... yeah.”

Zenai frowned, seeing where this was going, “Trixie became the dominant personality because she was dipped in IMP before the others, she was able to absorb them at her convenience.” She glared coldly at Caesar, “Not because she had some... non-existent, demon alicorn empowering her.”

Caesar chuckled, seeming to be enjoying this, “Non-existent?”

“Luna was a good pony.” Zenai sat back on her haunches, eyes firm, “She made some mistakes, but so did everypony else in that war.”

Caesar just smirked back, his voice breezy “You don’t think she intentionally split the elements of harmony, subjected them to stresses designed to break them?”

“No! It... it was only natural that she would put the biggest heroes in Equestria in charge of the war effort!”

“Of course it was.” Caesar shook his head, chuckling to himself for a second before nodding to her, “Forgive me, just a little thought experiment.”

Zenai’s mouth dropped open in shock, anger quickly rising in her haunches. Was this zebra trying to aggravate her? “What? A thought experiment, how...?”

“Be calm, it was not without purpose.” Caesar sighed, motioning a hoof, “Have you heard of the cataclysm? When a meteorite of star metal landed in the middle of one of our biggest cities?”

Zenai nodded, it was one of their oldest and most famous stories, one all zebra were told as children, “It poisoned the land, released the star demons upon our kind and wiped out millions of zebra.”

“Zebra went insane, killing each other in droves. Great wars broke out among the survivors, wielding dark magics like never seen before. Our civilisation burned, all our history and culture lost.” Caesar placed his hooves on the table, eyes shining with enthusiasm for his tale, “Much like your Discord, who is widely believed to be a star demon himself. Indeed our reactions to our respective cataclysms say a lot about our people I believe.”

Zenai looked at the others before asking the question, “How so?”

“The ponies of Equestria enshrined the virtues that Discord attempted to destroy, harmony, friendship and order. The zebra...” Caesar paused for a second to gather his words, “You have to understand, the zebra have always prided themselves on their ability to withstand hardship. We enshrine hard work, practical wisdom and not grumbling about your troubles. As a result, the pain of our downfall... we could not deal with it. We ran from it, we hid from it. To this day we build wards around our homes to scare off demons, offer symbolic tribute to evil gods... ascribe every evil to unseen forces. More than a thousand years on, we’re still terrified by what lurks out there in the dark.”

Dust cut in, “Sometimes the things in the dark can be pretty scary.”

“Indeed.” Caesar nodded, “Greed, envy, hate, stupidity. But no dark gods, no Nightmare Moon plotting our downfall. Those... fools out there in the wastes? Again, the stars fall and they retreat to their caves, put up their totems and wait for divine intervention.”

Star Swirl spoke, her voice soft, “You want to bring them civilisation.”

“Yes, yes I do. Science, agriculture, just rule by a rightful king.” Caesar smiled warmly at Star Swirl, causing the alicorn to blush a deep red and look away quickly. Caesar only chuckled, “You are no demon Star Swirl. That’s part of why I invited you over, I needed to confirm it for myself.”

Dust cut in, “What was the other part?”

Caesar grinned, a little disturbingly, “I wanted to see a real alicorn, why else? And I am not disappointed, you are a truly beautiful specimen Star Swirl.”

Star Swirl blushed even harder, her eyes flicking about for escape. Eventually she just dropped her head, muttering her reply, “I’m... a poor specimen your highness...”

“Your modesty suits you well.” Caesar laughed, returning to his meal, “I wish you all a long and exiting stay in this land, I assure you that you will find much to occupy you.”

~

Exiting alright. Dust had informed Zenai of their mission, Zenai finding it slightly perverse that they were being used as diplomats by a nation that technically they were envoys to in the first place. She knew Caesar was just trying to show off the fact that he had the NCR’s support, and in a way this was contributing to her own goals. She needed Caesar powerful and on her side, with his support her options expanded substantially.

One of those options was becoming Caesar’s liaison to the NCR. It was one that made the most sense, even if it left a dirty taste in her mouth. That taste was only made worse by Dust’s words the previous day.

This wasn’t her homeland. She had been born in Equestria, she grew up in Equestrian culture, she had pretty much been a convicted patriot all her life. It was a side effect of being born a mere two years before the day of Sunshine and Rainbows she supposed, her childhood had been one of excitement and expectation for the future. She used to sit and listen religiously to Arbiter Gawdyna’s broadcasts every evening, she had actually cried when the griffon had refused to stand for a third election. She had been fifteen when her tutors at the Follower compound had called them all in to inform them that Gawd had died, causing her to lapse into a depression that had lasted weeks. She had grown up with tales of Littlepip, Calamity, Steelhooves, Velvet Remedy and Zenith. She had lived watching the adventures of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

She didn’t want to live here, surrounded by all these strange zebra. She really only realised that now, the homesickness really starting to set in. She missed her tutor Rainfall, bitter, unpleasable old bastard that he was, she missed the endless filing and sneaking away to make plans in the dark nooks of the library.

But she had made her choice. She had to live with the consequences.

Zenai opened her wardrobe, brushing the dust from the barding inside as she inspected it for any damage caused during transport. She hadn’t used it in a very long time and it had put an end to the suspicion that she stopped growing at age twelve the first time she had tried it on, the straps cutting off her circulation at even their maximum length. Still you didn’t make armour for a child that wasn’t easily adjustable and it had been fairly easy to modify, adding some extra protection, polishing it up and reformatting the pipboy while she was at it. It was pretty nice now she had a proper look at it, not bad for a piece made by two untrained zebra from an assortment of three other badly damaged outfits. She slipped into its confining grasp, clicking the pipboy into place and making sure the armour was correctly balanced. It was... uncomfortable, Zenai always preferring to go naked, the reason she didn’t habitually wear her pipboy like she had seen others do. Still she figured she would get used to it.

Her ‘other’ suit of barding on the other hand was stored in the cupboard beside, locked with the best electronic seal she could find. Somepony could always just batter down the door of course, but even then the suit was completely locked down and programmed to alert her on her pipboy if interacted with in any way. Even if they did just take it apart all they would likely be interested in was the suit itself, which though impressive was hardly the most valuable thing hidden there.

She was still working out exactly what to do with it, remembering Silent Steel’s words about him ‘retrieving his property’. She wasn’t sure she could keep it out of his hands, and since the Applejack Rangers had developed it in the first place he would know exactly what he was looking for. Zenai should have just given it back when she first received it, she had certainly given it thought. She wasn’t normally given to grand theft, and the Applejack Rangers were the sort of heroes she sought to emulate.

Only... they weren’t. Those heroes had died with Steelhooves, Scold and Lemon Drop, and had been replaced with a group forever one step away from a military coup. Never afraid to precede every heroic action with a request for more power or influence, their relationship with civilian government could be charitably described as volatile at the best of times. They had actually assassinated one of the Arbiters when she had tried to limit their power, and though it was a lone nut and the Ranger’s had purged themselves pretty thoroughly Zenai had no illusions that many still within the organisation had considered it justified. The program installed in the suit said it all really, as despite her affection for the packaging Zenai could not honestly think of any legitimate use for half of its functions.

Indeed... was it the reason for the problems with the SPP? Her discussion with the program had indicated otherwise, it had quite empathically stated that all Ministry of Awesome and high level Ministry of Magic and Governmental systems were outside its reach. It could be lying of course, but she found it hard to believe that someone wouldn’t have found a backdoor into the SPP’s systems by now if one existed. The timing was suspicious, but the fact that the Applejack Rangers and Twilight Society were still trying to recapture her prize suggested they didn’t have a spare copy sitting around. The program had stated that the mainframe had purged itself of all data when the Twilight Society captured the facility.

Were these two events connected, the conflict between the Society and Rangers and the loss of the SPP? The loss of the SPP caused instability, which could justify a military coup by the Applejack Rangers. It was also however a prize the Twilight Society had openly hungered after for years, a golden capstone to their might now that Celestia One was inoperative. Either one of them had reason to go after it... but Zenai doubted either could penetrate its defences.

The SPP was infamously well protected, some joked that it was better defended than the capital or the vital Maripony and Tenpony facilities. This wasn’t actually true, a myth perpetuated by the fact that the zebra megaspells had never even got near it while the other targets had suffered a full bombardment. Still against conventional means the shield around the central facility was totally impenetrable, the Enclave had tried for two hundred years and hadn’t even made a scratch. Full details had never been revealed but it was reasonably common knowledge that only a very select group of ponies had access through the shield, the Princesses and Rainbow Dash among them. Later reports had confirmed that not even the other ministry mares had been given access despite Twilight Sparkle being a consultant on the project, which had moved Rainbow Dash from ‘justifiably concerned about security’ to ‘nutso paranoid’. Littlepip’s method of access to the facility had never been fully revealed, but it had been confirmed that that security loophole was rather unique to their situation and quite definitively plugged. About three of Littlepip’s closest friends had been granted access since, and they all had passcodes to indicate if they were under duress.

It was quite possibly the safest place on the planet. The very idea of somepony getting inside uninvited made Zenai shiver.

~

They stepped out of the gates of Demonnivoire early in the morning, her, Dust, Star Swirl and a small unit of eight of Caesar’s personal guard led by their captain, Oteka. Zenai had to say she was somewhat nervous around the grim looking zebra in camouflaged combat gear, never having been good with military folk. Dust as normal was chatting easily with them, Zenai starting to get really irritated with the casual ease with which he approached everything.

He was supposed to be the hired muscle, the solid, unimaginative walking gun emplacement backing up her and Star Swirl’s brains. His record seemed to say that, never having accepted a leadership position, even of a squad. She didn’t understand, the stallion from what she had seen was clearly clever and experienced, even quite adept at politics. It was infuriating, and Zenai had to admit that it was because he was smarter than her in a lot of ways. It shamed her to admit that... she didn’t like that. Was she really so thin skinned?

She sighed and looked to her pipbuck as a new signal crackled into existance, a radio station by the look of it. It was labelled as coming from the ‘Imperial House’, which Zenai recognised as the old Zebra empire’s central government. Fortunately it was in Irasi, the ‘common’ zebra tongue, one Zenai was most familiar with. She was familiar with the voice who was speaking too, she had heard it on several old recordings.

“My subjects, if you hearing this then the ponies have finally given into their genocidal impulses and have launched megaspells at the homeland. The destruction is likely near total, the death toll, unthinkable. But do not despair, though darkness covers the land we zebra have faced this before and prevailed, and we will rise again against this new evil! My advisors and I have retreated to shielded shelters, from there we will plan the counter attack and how to rescue those trapped above. Until that day arrives, remember this advice, and stay strong! Do not venture outside, it is likely still saturated with magical radiation. Remember, this radiation is a silent but swift killer, yet it is blocked by stone walls. Stay within and you will be safe. Your basic needs are water and food, fill as many bottles as you can with water from the faucets, it is likely that it will take week or so after megaspell detonation for the underground reservoirs to be polluted. Do not use water for washing until you get a consistent, clean supply, your life is more important than your cleanliness. As for food, eat the fresh food first. Anything tinned will last, save it for emergencies.

The ponies will likely stage an invasion now that our infrastructure has been wiped out, keep a good weapon handy and pack armor piercing ammo if you have it available. Shoot on sight and strip the corpses, they will be carrying anti-radiation drugs and food supplies.

This is not the end, this is only the beginning. We will fight on, and we will survive! This message will repeat.

My subjects, if you are hearing this…”

Zenai switched off the recording, shivering a little. Equestria’s emergency broadcast had never engaged, the one remaining hub that wasn’t destroyed had stumbled over a corrupted bit of code and had frozen up. By the time anyone had thought to record the message for posterity it had degraded almost completely, Luna’s staccato syllables indecipherable. With that in mind the zebra broadcast’s survival was very impressive, especially considering it didn’t seemed to have degraded at all.

“You are listen to the Obanato?”

Zenai turned to Oteka, translating that word as ‘last message’, “Yes, I am. Where is this broadcast coming from?”

Oteka bowed her head, “Two places left. Capital, and deep inside the east waste.”

The capital huh? Zenai was starting to wonder how well preserved the capital was, that Caesar’s curse and this broadcast were both still operational. Equestria obviously hadn’t done a very good job on the bombardment, “Where in the wastes is this? A surviving military base?”

Otecka hesitated, seemingly uncomfortable with discussing it, “It is… a study place. Was hit, badly damaged, zebra repair it and move in.”

“Is it a settlement now?”

“It is… a religious site. Zebra come to worship, old world and war.”

Zenai frowned, rather uncomfortable with that idea, “They worship… the war?”

Otecka was clearly nervous now, and not just because of the subject, “I… unsure how to say it…”

“Is this better?” Zenai spoke in her best Irasi, chastising herself for not attempting it earlier. They had got off easy so far with everyone speaking good Equestrian, she hadn’t even had a chance to use her language skills yet, “I… think I speak it well.”

Otecka nodded, moving to the language herself “You do Equestrian visitor, though you are a little hesitant. I do not so speak it that well myself, Irasi is spoken mostly in the east.”

Zenai was feeling her old frustrations arise from when she had first studied zebra linguistics, unable to comprehend how a single species could have nearly six languages between them, “Then what do you speak natively?”

“In the tongue of Jarato do I natively speak, though when it comes to words I have always been weak.” The zebra warrior spoke the words in a different language from before, shaking her head sadly, “The letters and tones come out all in a jumble, I have studied all my life, but still I fumble.”

Zenai felt a pang of dread, feeling Oteka’s pain, only in reverse. Jarato was one of the two ‘rhyming languages’ of the zebra, and she was terrible at both of them. She decided to give it a go, figuring Oteka would appreciate the effort, “So… what is war worship place?”

Oteka considered the question a moment before answering, “Karege, where the shaman of all tribes rules, he is bitter and twisted, they say war made him a ghoul. Ponies he regards with nothing but hate, and the tribes all follow what he dictates.”

Wonderful. Zenai had never had a lot of patience with pre-war obsessed ponies of any stripe, and not just because they would always repeatedly refer to her as a ‘zebra’ like she had something to prove. She was starting to sympathise with Caesar all the more, wanting to bring civilisation to these wastes, “And Caesar not friendly with Karege zebra?”

Oteka smiled, “The ruler of Karege named Caesar of East, two Caesar’s cannot rest until one is deceased.”

“And I can guess whose side you’re on.”

“Of eastern Caesar I have only distain, I give my allegiance to the one not insane.”

“So loyal to Caesar huh?” Zenai’s tone came off as unintentionally aggressive, still she was in a bad mood, “Forgive if I make own decisions. Ask not loyal zebra, get different answer, Caesar flatters too much. Something to hide?”

Oteka actually smirked, annoying Zenai all the more. She noticed Zenai’s expression and brought herself back to seriousness before speaking, “Please you have no reason to fret, Caesar’s dedication to peace has always been set.” She nodded firmly, “No creature of war has ever he been, his dedication to beauty you surely have seen. The wasteland destroys all that shines, his only desire is to leave such things behind.”

Zenai frowned, “Well forgive I do not trust soon yet. Trust two directions is.”

“I understand only too well young mare, and you certainly are wise to beware. One should never blindly follow, when for so many words of peace are hollow.” She regarded Zenai for a moment or two before her expression became kind, her tone careful as she angled herself forward, “Caesar himself is truly not perfect, indeed I fear he has shown you a lack of respect.”

Zenai didn’t think much of Oteka’s rhymes, though maybe they lost something to her untrained ears. Still at least she was trying to be sympathetic, “Told me I was... uninterest to him. That I was just zebra who pony think.”

“And that is truly a terrible thing? He himself hates those to old ways cling.” Oteka smiled sweetly at the younger zebra, “My own tribe feels I have abandoned their ways, that for tribe I had family, husband, children to raise.”

“I guess have to do what’s right you.” Zenai paused, biting her lip in frustration, “Do what’s right by you? No... I language hate...”

Oteka had to resist a chuckle now, “Your grammar will improve in time, though for true mastery you must hold a rhyme.”

Zenai could only sigh, “You’d be lucky, I can’t even hold a tune...”

~

Estelle was a solid looking place, more like a fort than a town with strong stone walls and several rusting auto cannons pointing out onto the road. A crudely painted flag featuring some strange pony like creature fluttered above the four corners of the structure, armed creatures of some unidentifiable species patrolling the walls.

“So, ideas?”

“King Abartili has hired mercenary, this is certain.” Oteka scanned the wall with a pair of binoculars, her gaze travelling across their defences, “Hard to infiltrate will it be.”

Zenai hated the idea as soon as she said it, still it popped out of her mouth without consulting her brain first, “Unless we go alone.”

Dust nodded, “We’re envoys after all, if Abartili isn’t totally insane he won’t hurt us at least.”

Zenai tried desperately to backpeddle, really wishing she hadn’t said anything, “No, forget I said that... do you really want to be stuck inside stone walls with a bunch of well armed mercenaries?”

Dust chuckled, looking way too enthusiastic, “I’ve got out of worse, and we have an alicorn with us remember? Besides, as I said we have diplomatic protection.”

Zenai looked to Star Swirl, the mare already ducking her head down in embarrassment at being mentioned, “Once again, she. doesn’t. fight.”

“But she can shield and teleport right?”

Star Swirl nodded slowly, “Yes...”

Zenai grimaced, “Don’t encourage him Star. This is a stupid idea.”

Dust chuckled, “You mentioned it. Oteka?”

The stocky zebra was already considering it, carefully watching the argument taking place in front of her and scanning the settlement in front. Eventually she gave a cautious nod, hesitant but still resolute in her decision, “It is best idea. I give you communicator, you press button, we come rescue. Stay under cover, let us fight.” She pursed her lips, giving Dust Kicker a serious look, “But try not fight. Go in, find out why king refuses Caesar, come out.”

“Right, we can do that.” Dust turned to them, smiling broadly with his normal smug, irritating confidence, “Ready to go my little ponies?”

~

Zenai took a quick breath as she advanced, the others moving along behind. Zenai wasn’t totally ignorant of military matters, and looking up at the town’s defences made her realise that even with Star Swirl’s shields they would be quickly torn apart if Estelle decided to open fire.

Still they made it into the firing arc of the mounted weapons without incident, Zenai looking up as various figures huddled onto the wall above. Eventually one shouted down at them, his voice growly and heavily accented, “Who goez there!?”

Zenai nodded to Star Swirl, the mare gulping back her nervousness before speaking. Dust and Zenai figured she had the loudest and clearest voice, as well as being the one most likely to make the guards nervous if she kept quiet, “Um... we are travellers from Equestria, seeking an audience with your leader!”

There was discussion above, several of the figures eventually disappearing. A minute or two passed in silence before the gates rumbled open, a group of armed figures marching out to meet them. Zenai couldn’t help but recoil slightly at the sight, her aesthetic senses not ready for these creatures so soon after Clear Skies. Indeed she figured they were some kind of wasteland mutation for a moment before recognising them, identifying them as camels. She had to admit having never seen one before, or even heard of one in Equestria post-war. The leader was particularly ugly, wearing heavy metal barding and wielding a long black cannon that looked like it could punch through plate steel. He grimaced at the sight of the travellers before spitting into the dusty ground and advancing, ordering two of his fellows to flank them, “You wish to see our leaders huh?”

Zenai took this question, nodding regally, “Yes sir, we are on a diplomatic mission from Equestria.”

“Equeztria? Huh, careful throwing that around, lot of zebra don’t much like ponies in theze parts.” The camel gave them a sour glare, throwing a hard motion of his head to his men, “Search them.”

Three of his companions moved forward, Zenai thankful that the one searching her was a pony rather than a camel, a pegasus even. She soon reassessed that opinion however, the pegasus even smellier than they were and just as ugly, reassessing it all the more when his hooves strayed a little too long across certain areas. She had never been more glad that she was wearing her barding, though even his proximity made her feel dirty. She was surprised a little when the lead camel glared at the offending pegasus, causing him to hesitate a moment before quickly finishing off the search and trot back to his boss with a downcast expression. The camel let the three feed back to him before speaking, “You two are well armed.”

Dust nodded, “We’re exploring a strange new country, full of zebra who in your words ‘don’t like ponies’.”

The camel grinned, motioning towards Star Swirl, “What about her? She doezn’t have a weapon on her.”

“She’s an alicorn.”

“Fair enough.” The camel observed them for a moment more before waving them inside, “I’ll take you to the bozs. Don’t stray or I will shoot you all in the head, conzequences be damned.”

~

Estelle was not the wonder of civilisation Star Fall and Demonnivoire were. The area was mostly pre-war, maybe a trading post, but had seen far better days. The post war construction consisted of poorly constructed lean-to’s and tents, the pre-war dusty and in a poor state of repair. The majority of the population seemed fed and healthy but were all covered in a layer of dirt that’s own civilisation of parasites likely outclassed them. The guards on the other hand seemed to be divided into two groups. One was dressed in uniforms of repurposed sports equipment sprayed green and black, mostly zebra with a few camels spotted about. They looked unmotivated and poorly disciplined, with an embarrassing array of pistols and knives serving as their armament, only slightly above raiders. The other group were dressed in metal armour like those who met them at the gate, a motley, grim looking lot but certainly looking like they could handle themselves in a fight. Their weapons too were old and battleworn, but all were of quality and high calibre, “You look like you’re gearing up for a fight.”

“Ask your queztions of the ‘king’ sikkafa, I’m not going to tell you anything.” The mercenary leader turned his sour looking face to her, giving an ugly leer, “I’m still deciding whether to shoot you now and spare myself the trouble later.”

Zenai shut up.

~

The contrast between outside and the ‘palace’ was striking, and highly ironic. Whereas Caesar’s palace had been an important structure mostly used as storage, Abartili’s palace was clearly a storage facility that had been converted into something garishly extravagant. Finely woven tapestries hung from the walls alongside expensive looking works of art, golden statues standing atop marble plinths. Silk, gem beaded curtains parted as they moved through the structure, attractive looking mares of all species observing them with lazy eyes as they lounged atop velvet cushions. The whole place showed a sickening lack of taste, Zenai shuddering as yet another openly pornographic statue came into view.

“Greetings, greetings fine gentlefolk!” The voice sounded out as they entered the throne room, a large, oddly shaped figure rising slightly from a large plush cushion that had been supporting his bulk. His neck just kept going long after his legs had stretched to their full length, Zenai gasping as it stretched up high above them to regard them with lofty eyes, “Who have you brought me this time Nazir?”

“Travellers from Equestria King Abartili.” The camel turned to regard the three of them, “Figured you would like the small one at least.”

“Oh, hehe!” The... thing stepped forward, though he didn’t have to move far. His long neck angled itself down to regard Zenai closely, his eyes wide and creepy, “Well, you are a beauty aren’t you? Would you like to join my harem? Gold, jewels, fine clothes, all the food you could eat. I won’t mind if you get fat.”

Zenai wasn’t sure what to say to that. Normally she would just hit them with the back of her hoof, in this case however that didn’t seem advisable, “Um...”

“Wow, you’re a giraffe. I didn’t think they actually existed.”

Abartili turned to look at Star Swirl in surprise, not seeming to have registered that she was there. After a moment he broke out in a broad, slightly confused smile, eyes shooting over to Nazir, “Nazir, it’s another Nightmare Moon. I’m not sure what to say to it.”

Nazir sighed, turning to spit into a corner before answering the king in a low growl, “Sire, it’s an alicorn, from Equestria.”

“Oh, of course.” Nazir stepped back, settling his rear back down on the cushion as several airily dressed zebra mares trotted out of the woodwork to settle down around him, “I was expecting guests you see, I got confused.”

Zenai picked up on this immediately, her brain trying to make sense of the king’s ramblings, “You were... expecting another alicorn?”

“No, I...” Abartili stopped, his eyes dilating slightly as his brain struggled to process some important fragment of information, “I’m getting confused, don’t worry about it. You reminded me of someone, that’s all. What brought you all here today?”

Zenai hesitated, feeling Nazir’s eyes on the back of her head. The king was obviously addled, likely drunk, really a perfect opportunity for information gathering. Nazir wasn’t as foolish as his king however, if they started to take advantage he would quickly cut the audience short. That left one option... “We are visitors from Equestria, come to seek our fortune great king. Indeed, your offer of joining your harem sounds interesting, please tell me more.”

Several of the mares surrounding Abartili bristled, Nazir merely frowning. Abartili however couldn’t look more enthusiastic, a wide, hungry grin spreading across his face, “Oh yes, my harem is one of the most prestigious in the land! You would have wealth, status... all you have to do is keep your king happy. Can you do that little filly?”

Zenai grinned like a wolf, stepping forward with an elegant little trot and peering up at him through her spectacles with a smouldering glint in her eyes, “Oh, I know a few tricks you might like. Why don’t we go somewhere in private, you can... see if I’m worth the investment.”

The king’s ears perked up, the large creature scattering the other squealing members of his harem as he rose to his hooves. His eyes never left Zenai, even as they all glared at him, “Ooh, I’m pretty sure you’re worth it... but I never turn down an offer like that!”

“Sir, I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Nazir growled his words, not sounding happy at all, “You have already had several attempts on your life have you not?”

“Nazir, are you saying this little filly is an assassin?” The giraffe chuckled, “Forgive me, Mr Nazir can be very paranoid at times. I guess it’s a risk of the job, hmm?”

Nazir looked like he was going to say something he would regret for a second before sucking it back in, gritting his teeth as he trotted over to Zenai, “Then she wouldn’t mind if I took that armour and all her drugs and weapons.”

Zenai hesitated at this, the weapons and armour because she didn’t want this dirty creature’s hooves anywhere near her stuff and the drugs because that’s exactly how she expected to get out of this mess. But she had to make a sacrifice, “Ok... but can my friends here take my things instead?”

Nazir grinned, a most disturbing sight, “No, they can’t. And they’re handing over their weapons too.”

“Wait a second.” Dust kept his voice firmly neutral as he protested, “What’s to stop you locking us all up the second we give up our weapons? Or taking them all and selling them for quick coin?”

Nazir went to say something but Abartili cut him off, his voice high and reedy, “Because I decreed that this would be a safe trading post for all, and we do not steal from visitors! Indeed... Loof!”

A fat, aging zebra ran in, his forehead dripping with sweat that was currently staining the rather sad looking cravat he wore about his neck, “Uh... here great Abartili, titan of the sands. You wanted something?”

“Yes, take the weapons and armour of these fine creatures, and make sure they’re kept safe for the duration of their visit.”

“Yes sire!” The zebra wobbled over, Zenai and Dust hesitating a moment before reluctantly giving up their things. Zenai took a sneaky look at Dust as she struggled out of her own barding, noting that the stallions body appeared to have tell tell lighter patches in his fur where tattoos had been removed, as well as a large furless spot in his side where he appeared to have been tortured with burning brands at one point. Confirming her suspicion she could finally see his cutie mark, a pair of steel hoofcuffs suspiciously like those used by slavers. How did he get that she wondered...

But she would have to think about that later, already ushered after Abartili by the fat zebra. She shared one last glance with Star Swirl before they were separated, the alicorn staring after her with a look of terrified worry.

She wanted to tell her, that it would all be ok. She knew Star Swirl wouldn’t listen though. Mare had always been a worrier.

~

“You are just a juicy little pear aren’t you? Are all zebra in Equestria as pretty as you?”

“Only me.” She gave Abartili a smouldering look as she posed for him, hiding her revulsion and sheer awe at his stupidity under well honed acting skills. Still, he could complement her all he wanted, it put off the horrible moment where she would have to touch the bizarre looking creature. He was already getting exited, Zenai wondering whether to shudder or laugh at the fact that his... nethers were as awkward looking as him, almost tempted by a curiosity to see how he actually used the thing, “Actually most of the stallions where I come from never showed much interest, they said I was to small and delicate looking, along with me being a zebra...”

“Nonsense!” Abartili reacted predictably, his ears pricking up in righteous anger, “You are a marvel, a gemstone of true distinction!” He settled down after a moment, his eyes hovering across Zenai’s form once again with hunger, “I actually am very partial to zebra. So strong and robust, and the stripes are so... artistic.”

Please, it was always the stripes. Along with the strong jaws and tendency towards wiry manes, jokes about ponies complementing them on their ‘strong exotic beauty’ were all too common among zebra living in Equestria. You would think they would stop being thought of as noble wildfolk only a few steps removed from living in caves by now, but no, they were still ‘strong’ and ‘exotic’. But she digressed... “You do seem to have very good taste your majesty. I saw the works of art in your palace, you must be very rich indeed.”

“He he!” The giraffe actually giggled, so enthused he was by Zenai’s insincere flattery. His head lolled slightly to one side, drunkenly attempting to focus on the zebra anew, “I... am indeed one of the richest merchants among the Ticari, my wonderful little town is the last independent gateway between the desert and the golden coast. That makes me a... very important giraffe indeed.”

“And the mercenaries outside? Are you worried about your independence your highness?”

“Oh, them.” Abartili did not seem very enthused about the subject, “Someone as powerful as me has many enemies, I need to protect myself.”

Zenai was losing patience already, his self delusion was epic, “But just as many friends right?”

“Hehe, indeed. In strange places, why only yesterday I was talking to...” The giraffe made it halfway through his speech before seeming to remember himself, hastily backing off from the topic, “Um, anyway... come over here my dear, let me have a proper look at you.”

Zenai sighed inwardly, this would have been much easier if he was just a little more drunk and a little more stupid. She would have to improvise, “I think I would need a drink first to loosen myself up highness. You seem to have a very good selection, may I pour you something?”

“Ooh yes, try the Kozen brandy. Sweet and refreshing, the perfect drink for this situation.”

Sweet huh, perfect. Zenai moved over to the cabinet, snatching a couple of leaves from Abartili’s beachberry bush and a few petals from the poppies hanging from the planter above. She placed both on the table as she opened the cabinet, locating his coco beans and banana seeds and adding a couple of each to the pile. Fortunately Abartili was enough of a poser to have a squeezer and grinder handy, Zenai checking Abartili wasn’t looking before squeezing some juice from the banana seeds and mashing the poppy petals into a mush, mixing the two ingredients together before shredding the beachberry leaves and grinding them into a powder. She popped a coco bean into her mouth and chewed it for a few moments, wincing at the taste, before spitting the juice into a glass and adding all three ingredients together. The concoction swirled within the glass, dark and dangerous looking, Zenai realising she had no way of testing it. She would just have to trust to her skill.

She quickly poured their drinks before Abartili got suspicious, adding a tiny drop of the concoction to Abartili’s glass, “Here your highness.”

Abartili took the glass in his mouth, seemingly too lazy to lift his hooves. His eyes widened as he brought it over, setting the glass down in front of him and giving a curious little grin, “Oooh, it smells quite distinctive doesn’t it?”

Damn. It could be rather smelly, she was hoping the brandy would hide it. Trust him to pick a drink without much of a distinctive aroma, “Ah, yes it is rather. Not unpleasant though.”

“Hmm, indeed.” Abartili chuckled, taking another sniff of the brandy, “I’ve never actually tasted this before, it was recommended to me by a good friend.”

Aha. She was reassured by the fact that the bottle was unopened, hoping he wouldn’t know what it tasted like. Zenai gave her most genuine smile before picking up her glass and taking as small a sip as she dared, not knowing the alcohol content of the brew. As Abartili had stated it was sweet and rich, Zenai embarrassed to say it was to her taste. Maybe she would have to steal a bottle, “Mmm, it’s very good.”

Abartili giggled merrily, “Oh really? I must try it for myself.” He picked the glass up in his mouth again (showing terrible manners for a king) and tipped it back, nursing the taste for a moment before swallowing. After a second of contemplation he took another gulp, Zenai unable to help some horror showing at the fact he had just downed half the glass. Abartili placed the glass back down and grinned wide and goofily, his eyes travelling in different directions, “Ummmm, it’s quite sexily delectibble. You must give me the ingreede thingies...”

His head hit the ground, the stupid grin still plastered over his face.

Zenai paused for a moment, contemplating the fact that the drug she had just fed him should have taken a minute or two to work. She cautiously moved over and checked Abartili was still breathing, reassured to find that he was, if shallowly. She was tempted to finish her own glass but really didn’t need to be drunk right now, resigning herself to that one little sip and moving to search the room.

The first item she wanted was fairly easy to find, true to her impression of the giraffe he had plenty of drug paraphernalia stored in a drawer nearby. All the actual compounds were recreational and useless, still he had a couple of syringes which would come in handy. She grabbed a gaudy saddlebag from the table nearby, conveniently the property of a creature of similar size to herself by its dimensions, packing it with anything she felt could be used for legitimate medical reasons. Three of the syringes she used to draw up was left of her knock out drug, each with enough to take out something pony sized, tucking them into a side pocket in easy reach. Unfortunately the giraffe didn’t have a weapon stored anywhere, astounding Zenai yet again with his useless foppishness. There were a couple of large scimitars hung on the wall but Zenai decided to not even try, doubting she could even lift the things. She briefly considered what she was becoming before stuffing a collection of jewellery and unfamiliar looking coinage inside, figuring even Littlepip wasn’t above a bit of larceny.

None of it gave her any information on what was going on here however, Zenai eventually deciding to try the door at the side of the room. To her satisfaction it led into something that was clearly an office, paper files on the shelves and a wall calendar showing dull financial information. It also had a computer, Zenai figuring that was her best option and moving to access it.

Zenai wasn’t a great computer technician or anything, in truth she found it all rather dull. Still she had picked up the basics easily enough and could make a decent attempt at hacking most terminals. This one was a little more difficult as it was obviously of zebra manufacture, the GUI laid out a little differently and her knowledge of the zebra language tested by some of the more technical phrases. Still her pipbuck did its job admirably, soon throwing her into a password screen that more resembled an elaborate word game that the more simple Equestrian layout. Fortunately it was pretty easily, especially as Abartili’s password turned out to be “Awesome Money”.

Unfortunately the contents of the computer weren’t very interesting after all that, mostly finances and pornography. The finances at least proved Abartili wasn’t as idiotic and she thought, he appeared to take close control the business and was making an impressive profit, expanding into new areas and cutting free those which circumstances indicated were soon to fail. So far so... dull and irrelevant. But Abartili had said he had been in contact with someone. He had been smart enough to delete his messages but not smart enough to clear the cache, Zenai locating the most recent communication and opening it. It appeared to be an audio file.

The first voice needed no introduction, even with the drunken slur replaced by barely controlled nervousness, “Are... we all here?”

Another voice answered, low and growly, “Here Abartili.”

“Ah, we don’t use names. No telling who is listening in.”

Zenai’s eyes opened in surprise, she recognised this voice too. It was Themba, from Star Fall.

“Is subterfuge really necessary at this point?” This voice was female, deep and commanding with generous bass. Personally Zenai almost laughed, especially as the mare continued, “Our plan is almost complete, soon all the world will tremble at our combined might!”

Ok, this mare was either being ironic or she really was several stripes short of a zebra. She sounded like a Daring Do villain. A bad Daring Do villain.

Themba seemed to agree, “Yeah, right, but it’s not complete yet. Our moneybag is still totally exposed remember?”

Abartili spoke up in response, clearly nervous, “Actually I think Caesar is actually getting rather suspicious. He’s stopped sending messages, I don’t think that’s a good sign.”

“I will send some of the best to evacuate you and your household if it comes to invasion.” The growly voice spoke up, genuine concern in his voice, “Even if we cannot face him on the field, we can still deny him any prize.”

“In... deed.” The mare spoke, her voice complative, “I will also make a personal appearance I think. Yes.”

Themba sounded amused, “And do what? The key to a big showstopper is to keep the diva in reserve until the critical moment, having you reveal yourself now feels like a letdown.”

“I don’t need to show them my true might, remember I can teleport.” The female voice swarmed, “A most useful gift for a quick exit, wouldn’t you agree?”

Abartili broke in to give his opinion, voice quivering, “I.. I am only too happy to host a beauty like you Princess!”

Themba snorted, “I’m sure.”

The female voice quickly cut him off, haughty and offended, “Say no more pirate! Our dear king knows how to speak to a lady.”

“And a lot more besides... but fine, whatever makes you happy. Just try not to hover above the town, firing lightning bolts and cackling.”

“Huh, I know how to maintain a low profile when I have to. Besides these caves and bunkers are getting so dull, a princess desires elegance.”

Abartili’s voice almost quivered with excitement, “You will find it in Estelle my lady, I assure you of that!”

“Uh... you two deserve each other.” Themba’s voice dripped with irritation mixed with wry amusement as he continued, “Ok I’m signing off, you mares have fun.”

The recording clicked as it finished, Zenai considering the implications. As they had suspected Abartili had powerful allies, arrayed against Caesar... and elsewhere, by the sound of the mare’s boasts. She was clearly insane and Abartili was an idiot, Themba however she had already decided was competent and dangerous. The forth voice unfortunately hadn’t spoke enough for her to get any read on him.

“You really shouldn’t have done that.”

Zenai turned in a whirl, unfortunately she was nowhere near fast enough. A pair of hooves hit her shoulders and tipped her up, slamming her onto her back with jarring force and pinning her tight, nostrils assaulted by a familiar stench. She coughed and looked up at the ugly pegasus from before, shuddering at his greasy fur and the sight of parasites crawling within those dank strands. She was also a little perturbed by the rifle currently pressed into her ribs it had to be said, especially wielded by this wicked looking specimen, “Wait, let me explain!”

The pegasus smirked, exposing a mouth full of crooked, rotten teeth, “You don’t explain to me honey, I’m the muzcle. You’ll be having the honour of explaining to the bozs, after I’ve finizhed with you of courze.”

Zenai shuddered, not another one! She swore, she was going lesbian after this, “Please, just take me to Nazir, I’ll...”

“You’ll do shit, unlezs you want your guts ventilated!” The pegasus snarled, pressing his weapon firmly into her belly, “The bozs ‘anit stupid, he knows exactly what’s going on with you guys. Whatever you’ve got to say to him is just for his amusement, and he promised me that I’d have mine if you really were stupid enough to try something.”

“I... oh, sod it.” She growled, throwing the pegasus to the side and slamming him hard into a bookcase. She would rightfully hit anyone who accused her of being a slut but she would admit to being a bit of a flirt, which meant she had naturally experienced unwanted attention in the past from ponies who couldn’t take a hint. She was about as good in a hoof fight as any skinny mare barely more than filly sized, that didn’t mean she couldn’t wrestle.

“Bitch! I’ll... nngh!” The pegasus was struck on the head by falling files, just batting them away when Zenai caught him in a buck that slammed him back against the bookcase. She tried again but he caught her this time, throwing her to the side and cracking her head against the desk with enough force to make her head spin. He snarled as he advanced, though it quickly turned into a grin, “So, you want to make this interezting...”

She kicked his hooves out from under him, the pegasus quickly catching himself but still off balance as she grabbed him and threw him onto his back. He laughed as he wrapped his hooves about her, obviously amused that she would place herself in such a disadvantageous position. She allowed him a second to congratulate herself before pulling out one of her syringes and jamming it into his neck.

“Gagh!” He slammed a hoof into her jaw that sent her crashing into the computer behind, the monitor shattering and toppling atop her with a crash. She winced further as he fired his weapon, the desk shattering as the bullet tore through it, “Bitch, crazy stupid bitch! I’ll kill you, I’ll fuck you, I... fuuuck...”

He slumped into a heap, Zenai taking a moment to recover before attempting to stand. As expected it hurt, clearly feeling shards of glass dig into her back as she straightened. The little pinpricks fortunately took something away from the dull ache spreading through her jaw and back, along with the sharp stinging from the side of her head, “I... I really need a healing potion. Fuck you Abartili, can’t even keep a medical kit in your room...”

She grabbed her fallen spectacles from the ground before staggering out of the room as fast as she was able, reassured that her vision was still sharp. The last thing she wanted was concussion, and her other wounds weren’t too crippling. She could still do this. She briefly considered finishing the pegasus off but she wasn’t really sure how, his gun had no mouth grip and she wasn’t beating him to death, no matter how satisfying it would be. Right now she just had to find Dust and Star Swirl. They would know how to get out of here and back to Caesar.

The corridor outside she knew headed back to the throne room but figured that was a bad idea, taking a route she figured might lead her to the exit the long way round. Once outside she could blend into the crowd, try and find the others...

“So, you are the zebra from Equestria? Excellent.”

Damn, she really needed to pay more attention, this was the second time someone had snuck up on her. She turned in a whirl, preparing to defend herself...

It was an alicorn. Only it wasn’t.

She had met plenty of alicorns, it was hard to avoid them working with the Followers. Many thought they looked unnatural, that they were some sort of supernatural entities. Zenai didn’t see it, rather seeing an oversized pony like any other, even a little goofy looking in their stretched out proportions. They had muscle and fur, anatomy like any other.

This creature didn’t. It was smooth, silken ebony hair with none of the coarseness of normal fur. Its body was sleek, Zenai noted with a little disgust that it didn’t have nostrils or any apparent hips. Indeed it didn’t have much muscle at all and didn’t seem to use it as it moved either, simply flowing effortlessly from one position to another. Its mane flowed behind, wavy blue tresses that floated without apparent support, stars seen within its shifting form. The alicorn’s cutie mark was a silver crescent moon, its design shockingly familiar, “What are...?”

“Ssh... quiet, hush. There is no need to be afraid.” The creature spoke, Zenai recognising the voice as being the female on the recording. All Themba had said now about her abilities now made much more sense, and the creature’s gentle, motherly tone really wasn’t making her any less scary. Zenai shrunk down further as the creature rose up above her, her voice regal and sure of itself, “You understand the truth don’t you? That after so long in despair the long nightmare is over. That I have finally come back to save you all.”

Zenai couldn’t believe it, even as it walked before her, “You’re... Nightmare Moon!”

“I am Princess Luna! I am your monarch!” The alicorn grinned wide, exposing rows of unnaturally white, pearly teeth, “Be honoured, that you are the first of my subjects I have revealed myself to!”

Zenai needed no more encouragement. She sprang to her hooves and turned on the spot, her legs pumping as she galloped down the corridor.

“Ugh... why must they be so difficult?” Princess Luna took a single step, her horn glowing with a dark violet light. Zenai instantly felt her body become heavy and her thoughts sluggish, her eyelids drooping. She tried to force herself through it, remember her training but the magic was too powerful. She took a few more unsteady strides before her chin hit the floor, everything fading to darkness.

______________________________________________

Footnote: Level up! (5)

New Perk added: Living Anatomy – “Is her face gonna stay like that?”
Your medical skill allows you to assess and target the most vulnerable areas on your opponents. Living Anatomy allows you to see the health and Damage Threshold of any target. It also gives you a +5% bonus to damage against all hoofed species.

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]

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Any camel I make is dedicated to the extremely awesome Prince Khufu from Flight of the Alicorn (read it!).

[Philweasel]

Hey people, new chapter (which I'm very pleased with) and I also wanted to note that I'm now a chapter ahead. Since I've now got a buffer, you can expect a new one every two weeks on Saturday. Next chapter will be next week (as these two aren't long).

Thanks for reading peeps. I'm really enjoying writing this, and have plenty of good stuff planned