Fallout Equestria: Alphabet soup

by Doomande

Enclave: V is for Vertibuck by Jamin P Rose

In the wasteland there is one sound above all that you should fear. It is not the cry of a Hellhound, nor is it the impact of a bullet, no it is the sound of a Vertibuck. Some would argue I’m wrong but hear me out, in the wasteland the majority of the threats are on the ground; they are bound by gravity, only able to move so fast and only in so many directions. A Vertibuck however, follows different rules, it is able to reposition and attack from a dozen different directions a lot quicker than anything on the ground. The other side of the cap is that Vertibucks mean Enclave troops; each one trained for war and ready to deliver death to whoever gets in their way. They aren’t even worth trying to salvage, the Enclave jealousy guards their technology and resources, and will gladly blow it up than let it fall into the hooves of surface dwellers.

If you hear the whir of a Vertibuck pray to the goddesses, because you’re going to need all the help you can get, trust me, I know…

***

Small caliber rounds slammed into the ground I had been standing on just moments ago. The rock I rolled behind provided some cover for the moment but it wouldn’t last. The ever-present whir of the Enclave Vertibuck changed in intensity as they moved around to attack again. I didn’t have much time to think, rolling out from behind my rock and dashing across the ground towards the wreck of a sky wagon. Rounds peppered the ground chasing me all the way to the wagon and where they pinged off of the solid metal of the hull. I counted my blessings that the wagon was a Ministry of Peace ambulance, those things had decently thick metal hulls, at least strong enough to shrug off whatever caliber round the Enclave were using.

This gave me a chance to reload my 50-caliber revolver, which was the only weapon I had that could punch through the armor on the thing. As I used my magic to slot in the rounds, the Vertibuck made another pass and peppered the other side with rounds. I had to hurry, a luck shot from them could set off the spell matrix that used to power the thing and then I’d be a crispy Unicorn; with my weapon loaded, I prepared to cast a spell and dove out of the MoP Ambulance. As soon as my hooves hit the ground and I started to roll, I cast my spell. Lightning arched from my horn and towards where I expected it to be, I missed by a good ten feet but that was closer than my last attempt.

They were wising up to my tactics as I dodged behind another rotting hulk of a vehicle, this time their rounds not only punched through the hull, but hit the spell matrix and cracked the casing. I made a hurried run from the chariot, diving through the doorway of a half-ruined convenience store. Behind me there was a loud pop, and as I tucked around behind the half intact door, the chariot exploded. I could feel the heat and corrupted magic wash over me; I’d definitely need some Radaway when I got home. Peaking over the door I was able to get a clear shot on one of the Pegasi piloting the thing. I quickly fired two rounds into the glass protecting the pony, the first one cracked it and the second punched through and into the head of one of the pilots.

I had taken out one of them but it cost me my position. I made a mad dash, ducking between the shelves as I ran towards the back, sliding out the back door just as rounds slammed into the ground I had been on moments before. As luck would have it there was a large delivery wagon right behind the store, I slipped under it with ease and took a moment to catch my breath. I could still hear them circling the area looking for me, thankfully, they hadn’t seen me duck under here but I was effectively trapped under this wagon. I had a choice to make; either I try to hide or I attack them again.

As I weighed my options, I pulled out a couple of tabs of rad-x and downed them with a quick swig from my canteen. The Vertibuck passed overhead again, this time I could see that they had activated their spotlight and that decided it for me. I couldn’t hide here until they left, I had to take them out. I charged my horn with my lightning spell, pumping as much power as I could into it and holding it at the ready for their next pass. My heart thudded in my ears as I waited, the whir of their propellers started to get louder until they passed over my hiding place. I rolled out into the open and fired my spell, hitting them dead center.

The war machine sputtered and fell out of the sky with a whistling, a loud bang echoing out as it hit the ground. I knew that if any of them survived they’d be on me in the blink of an eye, so I holstered my pistol and drew my semi-auto assault rifle and switched to my armor piercing clip. I also decided to cast my shield spell, which manifested in the form of a half dome just in time to block two beams of magical energy. Up in the air above me hovered a Pegasus in power armor, I couldn’t see their face but they were no doubt angry. I quickly leveled my rifle at them and fired two shots back, one hit the Pegasus’ shoulder and the other missed as they quickly flew out of the way.

The pony tried to fly around me to bypass my shield, but I was adept at controlling my shield and moved it with me, always keeping it facing them. As I spun, I fired a few more shots and scored a couple more hits, one even striking their wing which forced them to retreat for the moment. This gave me the change to reshape my shield into a dome with firing slits, and to draw my other rifle. With two identical rifles at the ready, I switched to fresh clips of AP rounds and steadied myself.

Not a minute later a whole squad, consisting of 8 Pegasi in power armor, were flying towards me and firing their weapons at me. My shield helped block a good amount of incoming fire, but some lucky shots got through the firing ports I had added to my shield. I quickly returned fire with both my rifles, taking out one of the Pegasi instantly with a headshot while wounding at least two others. The rest of the squad quickly spread out and forced me to spin and aim at one at a time. Two more shots connected and I had another Pegasus down for the count, hitting one of their wings with both rounds. The six remaining Pegasi were quickly joined by another, before taking up a defensive formation around the newcomer, and Enclave Officer by the outfit he wore.

“Lay down your arms and surrender, Wastelander.” The officer shouted as he looked down at me.

“No! You attacked me for absolutely no reason! Leave and I will not fire on you as you do so!” I shouted back at the bastard. I kept my guns trained on him while preparing to fire a bolt of lightning at him.

“You seem to misunderstand your position here, Wastelander. You are outnumbered and outgunned,” The officer called back as he indicated to the six Pegasi around him.

“My name is Power Flow! Remember it when you limp back to your high command and tell them you got your flank handed to you by a Unicorn,” I shout, dropping my shield and both my guns to unleash a massive bolt of lightning. They have no time to react and they all fall from the sky, paralyzed and helpless. I quickly pick up my rifles in my magic and rush over to them. Moving from pony to pony I take what weapons I can get off of their armor quickly and break the rest; arriving just in time to knock the Enclave officer out with the butt of my rifle and take his gauss pistol. I put all the weapons I collected into my saddlebags and tuck away one of my rifles before quickly heading in the opposite direction of the Vertibuck.

***

After ten or fifteen minutes I found a building to duck into, it was dark inside and had no windows in the back. The Enclave ponies were still alive and I had no intention of letting them follow me home. I quickly set up my bed roll, pulled out a can of veggies and a Sparkle Cola for dinner. After having my meal, I sat there in the dark with my rifle and waited. I expected that they would eventually get the Vertibuck working and come after me, and I was ready for them. It wasn’t more than an hour later when I heard the whir of a Vertibuck pass over head, except it wasn’t the only one. A second Vertibuck passed overhead a scant few minutes later, prompting me to draw my other rifle. I stayed absolutely still, holding in the urge to curse as I realized that those were two completely functional Vertibucks.

I did the only thing I could, I prayed to the Goddesses and kept my rifles close. I didn’t get much sleep that night, jerking awake a few times in night as I tried to fight off my exhaustion. Finally sleep took me just a couple hours before dawn, I slept for a good six hours before my body would let me get up again. After coming too and checking my surroundings, I cautiously made my way out of the building and back towards where the Vertibuck had crashed. Thankfully the world was quiet, not even the wind made a sound as I walked with my rifles at the ready. I swept every place I could think of where they may be hiding, they were all thankfully empty and showed no signs of use.

When I arrived at the crash site, I was surprised to find little trace of what had happened. There was a crushed wagon where the Vertibuck had likely landed, and there were bits of scrap that looked like the remains of whatever parts they had replaced. Otherwise there wasn’t anything to indicate what had happened. I uttered a quick thanks to the Goddesses and turned towards home, tucking my rifles away and checking to make sure my pistol was loaded and ready; my ears perked and listening for the sounds of a Vertibuck, hoping and praying to the Goddesses that I wouldn’t encounter another one.

Author's Note:

Topic: Enclave. By Jamin P Rose

Comments

[Salted Pingas]

My only complaint is that they're called "Magazines" not "Clips," common misconception among gun-shy folks and not a big deal unless you're a gun-loving grammar nazi like me.

This one was nice, short, and sweet.

[platogkrone]

I like that she (he?) spared the paralysed Pegasi. It's always nice to see some measure of mercy in the wasteland.

[Salted Pingas]

10418869 I read it as being a male, but that's just because I'm probably a sexist. Regardless, it was an interesting touch not killing them.