It Was Just a Legend
It Was Just A Legend
The Unwilling Raider series
By Felsune
This story takes place in Fallout Equestria and is going to be very dark. Themes will eventually include rape, cannibalism, drugs, sex, kidnapping, etc. You have been warned.
The first reference to the monster was from a village elder, a Terran of considerable esteem. He was known as the Storyteller after he grew too old to work anymore. Filling the minds of the foals with stories of the Wasteland, modified somewhat to tailor to the audience. But there was one story that he only told once a year, the same day every year, where he would drink away his misery. Every year, on the anniversary of his Sister's death, he told the story to warn everyone who would listen, of the Great Monster.
A metal behemoth that was more a force of nature than a living thing. It lumbered with great steps like a coming storm, with blank eyes and a weapon that spewed a fire unlike anything he had ever seen before. A fire that burned Amethyst in color, and melted anything in its path. It was possible to outrun it, but never to escape it. It had chased him and his sister for a week straight, until it had finally cornered them. His sister had sacrificed herself to let him escape, but he still wondered, if it was still alive and tracking him to this day.
He refused to say what happened to his sister, only that she had died an ignoble death for a noble cause. And at the end of the night, when he was deep in his cup, he would break down and cry, signaling that his stories had ended for the night. Among all that listened to his stories every year, only his Grandcolt listened every year to that story. Eyes wide as he listened to the same story of his Grandfather's harrowing tale. Staying until his Grandfather broke down, and then helped him get home.
Later on, many would remember the strange colt, who favored his Grandfather, and the events that surrounded him on the day of his fourteenth birthday. Said colt's Foal Name was Wide Eyes, due to the fact that he always liked to sit around and observe others. Although his favorite thing to do was watch ponies work with Metal. It was quite obvious to all the ponies that his Destiny Mark would be something to do with metal working. But strangely enough, as his Stallionhood Birthday came closer and closer, it was hard to ignore the fact that he did not yet have a Destiny Mark.
And while it was considered to be an embarrassing speculation, most simply assumed that the reason for his lack of Destiny Mark was simply due to him needing to actually do it first. And since he had been kept from actually doing much of the harder work with the engineers and metal workers, everyone was quite certain that was what the problem was. So on his coming of age day, he was allowed free access to the Machine Shop, working to discover himself. But this event was quickly forgotten as travelers were sited on the horizon. Unease spread through the village, a whole new type as everyone ran to the walls.
The lookout quickly called down that it was the Broken Hooves, a raider gang that ran the area, and had a camp set up at the entrance to the Valley. Said Valley was a utopian location, with small mountains on either side, a narrow path between them leading into a mostly unradiated valley, and a small natural harbor at the other end. The first Settlers had turned the soil back into green land, and set up a successful town. But, as was natural with all success, it attracted those too lazy to work who wanted in on said success. Raiders quickly became a problem, blocking off the valley entrance to starve the growing town of trade.
Battles had been waged for a long month, before the Raider Leader and the Town Mayor had met to work out a compromise. The Raiders had been offered food and clean water in exchange for being turned into guards for the valley. So long as no one replaced them, they would receive one forty percent of the produced food and water, allowing the town to continue growing, and thereby, making them more successful. This compromise was...not reached the first time they spoke. It took another three months before a deal was struck, and it was with a new Gang that had rolled in. They had wiped out the previous bandits, who had been fighting on both sides, and seen more...wisdom in the idea of not ending up like those before them.
Things had worked out well since then. Occasionally a new gang would take over, and see how successful the last Gang had been doing, and would take over their end of the deal. The Broken Hooves were the latest, and largest group to take over the area so far, and had held the position successfully for the last ten years. But now, their leader was running to the town with a small band of his men, bloody, smoking, and hyped up on enough drugs to kill a lesser pony. While it was initially met with resistance, the current town mayor, Paper Trail, told the ponies to let the raiders in. He reasoned that if something was wrong, they would be turned over to the new bandits, if they accepted the deal, but until then, they had a pact. One the Broken Hooves had stuck to.
As the ponies were questioned, treated, and taken care of, with some hesitation and fear, the story was wormed out of them. Not that anyone could quite believe said story, and it took a while for it to spread, simply due to the shear incredulity of the listeners. It was not a new raider gang coming to take over the position, but a single creature. Larger than a Death Claw, and looked like some sort of machine or power armor wearing monster. And it carried a weapon that spewed a purple fire, one that burned all the way to the bone if the victim wasn't fast enough.
There was some credibility to this idea, simply due to the wounds that the victims bore. Not a single one had a bullet wound, or a laser burn, and the few who were not burned, had cuts that looked like some sort of great claw had torn through them. The only bit of good news that came, was that the creature was slow. Slow enough that they might have a full day left to prepare. If they were lucky. And amidst the chaos, no one noticed as a smaller stallion, covered in grease, lubricant, metal shavings and dust slipped away. Running back to his home to seek out his Grandfather.
But as he slipped into his house, what shocked him the most, was the look on his Grandfather's face. It was guilt ridden, coated with a covering of anguish and resolution that made him cold to his very core. And it was with a tentative voice, he asked a question he already had the answer to. "Grandpa, have...you heard?"
"Yes my little Wide Eyes, I have heard, and I know what it is, even if they do not. Even if no one remembers my story, my warning, I remember. I had hoped he had died, grown to old, or found something better to hunt. Maybe even been satisfied with his revenge. He had his revenge, most thoroughly, and yet, he is not satisfied." A sob tore through him, ragged with grief as he leaned forward, his shoulders shaking as he rested his forelegs and head on a table. "And now, the sins of my past have come to harm this home I have built."
Wide Eyes had no idea what to do, what to believe. For while the stories matched up to well to be anything but truth, not that he had ever doubted. Well, now he was faced with a reality that was impossible to comprehend. An unstoppable monster was coming, from legend itself, to destroy his home. He moved forward, a desperate hope in his breast as he thought of something.
"Grandpapa, you never told us in your story. Why did he attack you? What was it that he was getting revenge for? I have always assumed him to be just a monster, a beast bent on destruction. But you say he had his revenge? What is it you did to draw his attention and ire so thoroughly?!"
It took a few minutes, for the sobbing to turn into a hiccuping laugh of a broken stallion. "Something so stupid we could never have predicted it. Me and my...and my Sister, we used to be Scavengers. We dug through ruins, seeking things to sell at settlements, anything that could be salvaged. And one day, we came across what we thought of as the mother load. It was a pile of broken power armor, the likes of which we had never seen! Now, if you know anything about power armor, you will know how valuable the parts to it can be. And in our haste, we never thought of the fact that there might be something within it."
He pushed himself up from the table and pushed his chair back. "We took something from his chest, we didn't know what it was, but it glowed, and looked like it would be worth quite a lot of bits. But when we took that damned thing out, whatever it was, the beast woke up. In a panic, we ran away, trying to escape...and in the end it was not enough. He caught us, and my sister..." His voice choked here, strained through a grief crushed throat.
"My sister offered him his missing part back. And we thought he would be content, for he did not kill us at first. In fact, he seemed to be unable to even comprehend it at first. But after a bit, he took the...thing back from us, and he attempted to put it back in. But something went wrong, or maybe he just didn't forgive us, for after a few more moments, as we tried to leave, he turned on us. What he did to my sister...what she had to endure to get me out of there...I will never speak of." He shuddered and then turned towards the door.
"But, I have a chance to atone for everything. To protect you, this village, and everything that we have built. We can't beat him. We don't have anything that can deal with that armor. The best thing we can do, is see if he will accept my life as recompense, and leave this town alone." He raised a hoof as Wide Eyes opened his mouth, to protest. "No little one, this is all we have left. Otherwise, everyone will die. We don't even have boats to escape with. Nowhere near enough of them anyway. And it has been so long since we built them...there's no guarantee they might even work!" He leaned over, kissing his grandcolt's forehead, ignoring the grease on it. "Now, I must go, I need to talk to the other elders, and the mayor, and explain what must be done."
And just like that, he was gone. The door swung open, then swung shut, with a final sounding thump, taking all the air from Wide Eyes' lungs. He just stood there, then sat there, then lay there. Trying to come to terms with it. In the end, he crawled into his bed, not able to even eat, nor to talk, as he heard the rest of his family come home that night. When his mother tried to coax him to eat, he ignored her, staring at the wall, his mind working over time. And when he fell asleep that night, his dreams were plagued by the monster of his Grandfather's story. He ran and ran, but he could never escape it, and in the end, the amethyst flame engulfed him. Waking him up in a cold sweat, his eyes wide with panic, his blanket twisted around his legs from his thrashing.
The sun had risen, and the house was empty, leaving him alone with his nightmare. Pushing himself up, the colt turned stallion sat there, trying to figure out a way to solve this situation. One that didn't involve sacrificing his Grandfather! But there was something gnawing at the back of his mind. A memory from his dream, something that had bothered him since last night. Something about his Grandfather's story. Why was the creature so willing to hunt down his father? Why had it tracked him across thousands of miles, just to kill him for something it had gotten back?! And then it struck him, his Grandfather had said something had gone wrong!
What if the thing they had removed, was an important part of the creature? What if it wanted his grandfather to fix it?! It couldn't know that his grandfather wouldn't know how to fix it after all! It could only assume that if the mare hadn't known how to fix it, then the stallion would! They had removed it, so most likely it thought they knew how to fix it! But he might be able to fix it! He had felt most at home in the Machine Shop the other day, maybe this was his Destiny. He was a mechanic after all! But maybe he was to be specialized in Power Armor! Sure, he would have to leave the town to find someone who could teach him better, but he was certain he could jury-rig the monster's armor!
With renewed purpose, he ran outside, making a bee line for the Machine Shop, looking for the things he would need. At the same time, the walls were lined with ponies, their meager weapons lined up, and the air was tense. Each pony had a simple rifle, designed with a hoof trigger attached to a Battle Saddle harness. While there were a few unicorns, none of them had anything heavy enough to really be a danger to the creature if it wore power armor! A few had grenades, but these were expensive and last ditch effort weapons!
Just outside the walls, sitting and waiting, was Wide Eye's grandfather, Scraphoof himself. Ready to make his sacrifice, and to buy the town time, if it didn't work. He held no weapon, and yet it was the most calm out of everyone. Ready to lay down his life, for what he loved after all, he had nothing left to fear. Or so he hoped as he watched the horizon. And it wasn't until nearly noon, that the monster was spotted. Lumbering forward, a gait that would never be able to catch anything that was healthy. But a consistent one, that could eat up miles without ever stopping it seemed. And while the very sight of their enemy made the entire crowd twitchy, it also drew their eyes away from anything that wasn't directly in front of them.
This of course, was what Wide Eyes had been waiting for, as he slipped over the wall at a different section, following the wall, and watching with quivering legs. While he was resolute in what to do, should it become needed, he was still terrified. He wanted to throw up, to run away, to just hide in his home, and wait for everything to blow over. But if he did that, he would never again see his Grandfather! Never again hear the stories he told! And that was something worth fighting for, in his mind.
But despite how 'ready' everyone was, it was not going to speed up the beast. Seconds dragged on to minutes, and minutes to an our, as the creature lumbered forward, growing larger and larger as he came, until he was well within sight of everyone who didn't have a scope of some kind! Closer now, it was obvious that the stories had not given it the justice it deserved, for its very presence was terrifying in the extreme! Smoke curled from the strange mask that covered its face, out of a filter that most likely was designed originally for ponies fighting the Zebra chemicals!
But now it just gave a menacing and soulless visage to the monster as it walked forward endlessly. Long metal forelimbs ended in rusted claws that were obviously designed to slice through flesh and into bone. Standing well over eight feet in height, the monster had strange protrusions on its back, all the way down to the long tail that dragged along the ground behind it. On the tail were spikes, obviously designed for the creature to use if something came at it from behind! And most horrifying of all, was the weapon that it grasped in one claw. A large Flamer unit of some kind, that constantly dripped amethyst fire, as if it were constantly ready for use. At the back of the Flamer was a long cord, or maybe a tube that slipped up to attach to the creature's chest, most likely to make certain that the weapon was not lost even if the monster dropped it.
With each lumbering and heavy step of its huge taloned feet, the creature grew closer, and the tension grew thicker. Finally, with the sun high overhead, it was time to act. Scraphoof stood up proudly, and called out in a strong voice, despite his age, to the beast. "I am here vile creature! I am the one you seek, so sate your vengeance and return to wherever it was you come from!" Spreading his hooves, he stood his ground, making it clear he had no intention to flee from the beast. And this seemed to stall the creature somewhat. As if it was uncertain what was going on, or how to deal with it. But in the end, it knew what it wanted, and it moved forward.
This was the critical moment for Wide Eyes, he needed to see if the creature was going in for a kill, or if it had something else it desired. But it was everything he could do, not to just rush out there, as the monster approached his grandfather. He felt his throat tighten as it came into easy range to use its flamer unit, and yet...it didn't raise the weapon! It began to move quicker now, striding in and reached its free claw out to grab his Grandfather! This was all the proof that Wide Eyes needed, and with a cry he ran out. "Stop!"
Scraphoof whirled around, eyes widening as he took in his grandcolt running forward, armed only with a grease coated saddlebag. A strangled cry came from his throat as he tried to move forward, to do what he wasn't sure, but he had to protect the colt! But that was not within the creature's plan, as it wrapped a, strangely, warm metal claw around his throat and lifted him up.
Again, Wide Eyes cried out, this time panic tinting his voice as he desperately played his cards. "Stop! I know what it is you seek, and he can't do it! But I can!" He stopped, a mere few feet away from the monster, trembling, but determined, watching as his grandfather's life was held in the creature's metal claws. And for a long moment, nothing happened. The vacant eyes stared at Wide Eyes, then, slowly, it moved his grandfather out of the way. Moving until Scraphoof was off to the side, and let go. Dropping the old pony to the ground, and walked past him.
Each rumbling step bringing it closer, closer, the scent of metal, blood, and burned meat was overpowering, this close. But even as his gorge rose, he knew he could not turn back now, and that he had but one chance to save his Grandfather, Himself, and the town itself. Because it was obvious now, that it was looking for a solution. And it wouldn't stop until it had one. And while he could feel himself starting to sweat, both from nerves and the strange heat that was radiating from the creature, he began to empty his saddlebag. By the time the creature stood directly before him, he had everything he needed out, and looked up, realizing just now, his next problem. Said creature was...much larger than him. He maybe came up to three and a half feet, said creature was more than double that!
But the creature had thought of this, and it slowly began to lower itself, crouching down over him. The heat was becoming more intense, as if the creature was a bonfire trapped in a metal suit! Or so he thought until the creature reached up to a spot just under the metal tube that went into its chest. It pulled back a bit of armor, and liquid fire rolled out, dripping onto the ground with an intense heat that dried his eyes and singed his fur. He had to look away as the heat vaporized the sweat from his fur, and reached into his bag for something he had not thought he would need. Welding goggles, quickly pushed over his eyes, protecting them from the heat as he turned back to the source.
Within the metal casing was something he had never expected to see. A glowing pressure gauge, similar to what one might find on...well that much was obvious! But it was not obvious as to why it was in the armor! Why would such armor need a pressure gauge? Well, never the less, he had his answer as to what was wrong. The pressure was...wrong, obviously too low, and the leaking fire made it obvious that it had something to do with the creature's weapon! But if the fire was leaking into the suit, why hadn't the suit melted? Why hadn't the creature died?!
All questions for later, for now it was best to try and work as quickly and safely as he could. He carefully lifted up his first tool, and went to work, scraping off the excess liquid fire, and began to look at the problem. Time passed in a haze for him, his body slowly growing used to being in such heat, even though he constantly had to call out for more water. He was in a haze now, just working as best he could in the heat. He had to seal up the damage done by the removal of the gauge before he could do anything else! He idly wondered if his grandpa and his sister had used a chisel and hammer to get the damned thing out before! Either way, it took a lot more effort than he had first thought it would.
Every time he tried to put some kind of metal filling in, it would simply melt in the heat and slide out, forcing him to start over with a new material. Over and over he worked, until finally, he found something that did work, even if it was obvious it would only be a temporary patch. Whatever the suit was made from, that was the material he would need! But he had something for the moment. And as he finally managed to seal up the leaking metal, he carefully twisted the gauge, making sure it was settled properly, and the seal would hold.
What he didn't expect, was the 'click' that followed, along with a sound like sucking air, then a snap of nothing! The pressure gauge shot up, and caused the creature to jerk for a moment! Then it was still, and the world was cold. With the source of the heat gone, and only a minor radiation of it coming from the suit, the temperature around him felt...cold. Like he'd stepped out of a blast furnace heated room, into snow! He shivered and stepped back, tiredly, and stumbled. He looked up, blearily at the sky, and frowned at the darkness that blinded him temporarily. It was dark, so dark except for the great moon in the sky. How long had he been working on the creature? How long had it been, his mind feverishly working as he fixed a wound in the armor.
How long had it taken him, to wipe away his grandfather's sin? His Debt to this creature? He didn't know, but what he did know, was that he felt nothing but satisfaction, so deep that it was almost physical. It washed away the aches, the pains, the taste of bitter ash in his mouth. It made his singed and burned fur meaningless, the ache in his neck was trivial in comparison, and nothing else mattered. He just sat there, looking at his work, and feeling...at peace. Then, he felt a strange sensation on his hips, a tingling itch he hadn't even known he had, until it had faded away.
And it was an effort, but he looked down, looking at his right hip, and saw his Destiny Mark as it gleamed in the moonlight. A mechanical, dragon skull with flames dripping from the teeth over a cog wheel. Without comprehension, he looked at the symbol, as he felt the creature stand up. Towering over the tired Terran pony, and as its shadow covered him and the mark, it finally clicked home. He had finally discovered his destiny.
"Oh...shit."