Fallout Equestria: Steel Chicken Edition

Snowy just stood back and watched the exchange, not really wanting to add anything. These griffons did not look like the type she should try to be friendly with. More like the type she should avoid at whatever cost. So when Galli was done talking with them, she quickly bowed her head in apology and quickly went to her companion’s side, helping her walk once again. “They’re kinda scary… Are all griffons like that?” She asked quietly.

“You mean a bunch of merc jackasses? Well, Black Beak Bill seemed okay until you shot his cock.” She grinned, feeling sardonic for a moment, “Besides that, though? Not really met any that don’t fit the stereotype.”

Even with Galli’s hobbling it took no time at all to reach the wagon. She banged an armoured hoof against the door. “Reek? You in there? I’m the Steel Ranger that’s meant to go with you.” There was a brief, awkward silence before a smooth sounding voice replied.

“Yeah, I’m in here. Come on in, tin can.”

After fumbling with it for a moment Gallivanter pushed the door open. The interior of the wagon had been turned into an armoury. Pristine weapons, actual weapons rather than the cobbled together ‘guns’ most wastelanders had, lined the walls and stacks of ammo boxes surrounded a small desk at the end of the wagon. The unicorn mare that sat behind it had a pristine beige coat mostly covered by a surprisingly good looking suit, a well groomed blonde mane, and her eyes were a lovely deep blue colour. Clearly with how stunning she looked ‘Reek’ was clearly some ironic nickname. If only her expression were as nice to look at but alas, she looked pissed .

“Oh look, you brought a chicken with you. Is that why you’re...” She paused to clear her throat, “... IS THAT WHY YOU’RE SO FUCKING LATE YOU FUCKING STUPID JACKASS!?” Okay, maybe it was her attitude that reeked.

Snowflake nodded quietly and stood by as Galli entered the wagon, just standing by the stoorway. Upon seeing the interior though, her jaw dropped and she could only silently gawk at the sheer amount of weaponry that was in there. Wow… You could comfortably arm at least a platoon of ponies with the stuff here. Her thoughts were cut short when Reek cleared her throat, and she nearly fell over from shock when she shouted at them. She did manage to recompose herself, and slowly raised a hoof. “Th-that would be my fault, ma’am. There was… an accident…”

“Hah! Really? An ‘accident’? You chip a hoof on the here, maybe messed up your mane under that armour? I don’t see any missing fucking limbs or new, bloody assholes in your chest so it can’t have been that bad! Oh, or maybe one of you got hit with one of those fucking pointless M-69Z gender reversal rayguns. That one’s a classic piece of bullshi—.”
“Yes.” Galli interjected.
“What?”
“Yes, that’s literally what happened.” Galli said before taking her helmet, much to Reek’s very apparent surprise. The unicorn paused before floating up a polaroid and looking at it, then Gali, then the polaroid again.
“Huh... yeah, that’ll do it...”

Snowflake nodded. “Yeah. We found it in a book wagon.” She pulled the gun out of her bag. “Even for a prototype, it’s very poorly designed. All it does it turn stallions into mares. Not even a reverse switch. Or a safety for that matter.” She grumbled that last part. Yes she was still salty about that. No she won’t let that careless design go. A badly designed gun is a badly designed gun, prototype or not.

“Hmph, must be one of the older ones. I know somepony with one stashed away where we’re headed so if the Can here ever wants something dangling between his legs again he should be hoping it works.” Reek opened a drawer in her desk and floated a cigarette into her mouth before lighting it with a particularly flimsy looking cardboard match. “So, either of you asshats got anything important to ask me or will ya just fuck off so we can get this show on the road?”

Snowflake did a double take. “There are more of these things?” She looked at the blaster again. The havoc these things could cause if there were more of them… A grin crept onto her muzzle at the thought of pranks she could’ve played on her old squad. After the last one she pulled on her peers, they weren’t too keen to share a bunk with her. “Maybe that’s why they ditched me…” She mumbled to herself, before shaking the thoughts away. “Uh, yeah, we’re good. I’d ask about tools, but I can’t pay for anything right now.” She made a mental note to look this mare up again if she had the funds or free time though.

“So that’s one ‘I’ll just fuck off’ done. How about you, Can—“
“My name is Gallivanter.”
“... How about it, Tin Can?”
“I’ll... just go.” Gallivanter replies with a sigh.
“Good can, now you two run along, do whatever crap you want to do here get your shit together. We leave in an hour no you finally decided to show up.” She took a drag from her cigarette, the closest thing to a smile she’d let show so far tugging at her muzzle as she let out a puff of smoke in the pair’s direction. “No fucking about any longer than that otherwise I’ll be tying you fuck faces to a wagon and dragging you the whole way to Sacramareto. One whole week of eating dust and dirt sound fun to you? Didn’t think so.” With that Reek spun lazily around on her chair so she faced away from Gallivanter and Snowflake. For a moment Galli considered saying something but in the end she simply turned away and trotted out the door.
“Come on, Snow, we’re done here.”

Snowy nodded and helped Galli back to their wagon. “I kinda like her. She reminds me of the Quartermaster back home.” She said, taking a glance back towards Reek’s wagon. Then she turned back to Galli and sighed. “But we might as well be dragging you with how your armor is treating you. You know what, Galli? We have an hour, so I’m gonna see what I can do to adjust your armor to your size. These things have gotta be adjustable, power armor is basically a one-size-fits-most type of deal anyway, just gotta tighten things up a bit.”

“Well, much as I’d rather go drink my problems away for an hour you have a point. Being able to stand would be better I guess,” Galli stumbled back into the wagon, “So... help me get this stuff off or whatever and knock yourself out.”

“You don’t have to get out of it. It’s probably easier for me if you stay in. Just stand still, gimme a moment to work out your size.” She went around Galli, squeezing her legs to see how they fit, then giving what could probably be described as a hug around the barrel, then started working on the armor. She opened up a few panels before letting out an “ah ha!” “I found your problem. Your armor has two enchantments in it, right? One to repair and fit your armor and the other to provide you with medical treatment. Well your medical enchantment says you’re now a mare, but it’s not talking to the armor enchantment, which still thinks you’re a stallion. If I can make them talk to each other, turning on the armor enchantment might make itself regenerate into a proper size your you.” She took a cable from her armor and plugged it into Galli’s, waited a moment, then put a piece of scrap metal into a slot on the side of the armor. Sure enough, the armor started shrinking slightly to match Galli’s diminished size. “Haha! It worked! And when we get you changed back, it should be as simple as doing that again. Now you can get that drink.”

“Okay then— woah, getting a little adventurous with where you’re touching, huh?” She squirmed and blushed slightly under her armour as Snowflake checked the suit and even awkwardly ‘hugged’ her back. “Awwww, you sure you didn’t like what you see back in that diner, Snow?” Galli remarked in an attempt to keep the mood light and slightly less awkward (and at failing spectacularly on her end).

Unable to cease her squirming, Gallivanter let out an uncomfortable grunt as Snow fiddled with the panels and explained what was wrong. She didn’t really understand how a lot of the armour worked unlike a lot of the things she’d seen in the field. Anything beyond basic maintenance was the scribes’ domain what with the magical side to some of the systems. When the armour suddenly adjusted itself to her now smaller frame she reared up in surprise as it reformed around her, overcompensating for a bulk that now no longer existed and falling straight back on her ass. “Right... well that works.” She looked down at herself before getting back onto her hooves, trotting around the inside of the wagon to test out the armour now it had been resized, “Not bad, Snow. Not bad at all... you sure yo7 want me to drink alone, though? An hour is plenty of time for something to ‘go wrong’ without somepony to help out after all.” She smiled and lent against the side of the wagon, “So how about it?”

Snowy sighed at Galli’s attempts at flirting. “Are all wastelanders as… sexually awkward as you?” She gave the armor one more look over. “Yeah, it seems good.” While she wasn’t too familiar with Steel Ranger armor, she had gotten to take a look at some salvaged armors before, and she was very familiar with her own armor. She was just glad Galli’s talismans still worked. Whoever maintains these armors does a good job. She rolled her eyes at Galli. “Yeah, if only to keep you from knocking this wagon over, I’ll join you.”

Galli playfully smacked Snowflake on the back, producing an unpleasantly loud clang. “Damn right you will! I’ve wanted to see what a drunk Pegasus looks like since I ran into you, anyway.” She started heading further into town, clearly with no destination in mind, “Let’s go get wasted!”

Despite Gallivanter aimlessly... well, gallivanting aimlessly around New Appleloosa it didn’t take long to find the local watering hole. A mass of train cars haphazardly welded together stood upon a rather suspect looking set of wooden stilts. A flickering neon sign marked the place out as ‘The Station’ and proudly declared that it was open 24/7 and alongside it a large wooden arrow was bolted to the wall, pointing to a set of stairs that led inside.

Once the pair had made their way inside they were greeted by a crowded and cramped establishment. Faded old paintings cluttered the rusty metal walls and a matted patch of carpet seemed to be passing off as a rug of sorts. Amongst all the ‘decoration’ the dining booths (which had clearly been looted from an actual diner) and the positively minuscule bar would have had barely had any space to fit if the place were empty but as it was the bar was packed with townsponies and more of the griffin guards from outside which only made the place stink of sweat and vomit.

The sad state of The Station certainly didn’t deter Gallivanter though and before long the pair would be crammed in one of the little booths as the Earth pony took the opportunity to order round after round after round. Not only would she quickly down literally anything put in front of her by the barmare but occasionally she’d even take a cheeky sip of Snow’s drinks while she wasn’t looking (and when she was looking, too). Looking away being something Snowflake may find herself doing a lot as a strange mare kept stealing curious glances at her from across the bar. She was strange in that sometimes the stranger would briefly look away to adjust a heavy looking pair of blades attached to some comparatively slender looking... wings?!

Something suddenly banged on the table just as the shifty looking managed to fix her eyes on Snow’s but it was only an already very drunk Galli.
“Heh, I think she,” hic, “Likes you, Snow. You are into mares, right? I remember asking bu—“ hic, “But you never answered... or did you? I forget.”

Snowy gave a chuckle as they went into the bar. She really had no intentions of getting drunk, since they still had a job to do, and the memories of the last time she got drunk were not good ones. She did have one drink, but most of it was stolen sip by sip by Galli, to the point where she needed to order a second drink, which then also got slowly stolen. The bar itself was… quaint, and would feel homey if it wasn’t so cramped and smelly. “I should have shed the armor before coming in here… I might have more space.” She glanced at an increasing drunk Galli. “Then again, maybe not.”

As she glanced around the bar, her eyes caught sight of a strange mare in the corner taking glances at her. She didn’t think anything of it at first, she was a pegasus in power armor in a place where this wasn’t normal, but on a second look, she noticed to very distinctive things about this mare. First was the set of wing blades she had on. Second was that she had wings. Another pegasus. Snowy turned back to her drink, suddenly feeling like taking a big swig. “Okay, no need to panic yet. There’s no guarantee that she’s here for me. It’s just a coincidence there are two pegasi in the same building.”

Galli’s drunken banging snapped her out of her thoughts... and knocked her out of her seat, much to the amusement of another patron. Picking herself back up onto her seat, she shrugged. “I don’t think I ever did tell you. I’m certainly not gonna tell you right now, especially since you won’t even remember it later.” She was gonna take a drink, but once again found that Galli had emptied it, so she just sighed. “This is why I don’t drink.”

“Come on, Snow. I drunk better when I remember things... wait, that—“ Galli cut herself off as she pulled a face that screamed ‘I’m going to puke’ before—
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP! “Ahhhh, better... what was I saying again? Gah, fuck it, more drink!” She loudly exclaimed before slumping forward, her head smacking against the table as she passed out. All the while the other Pegasus kept watching, once again making eye contact as Galli started snoring the day away.

Snowy sighed and got her third drink, actually managing to get a drink in. She took another glance at the pegasus, turned back, and shook her head. “I’m just imagining it. She’s a pegasus, she knows the armor. That’s all.” Snowy glanced at the clock on the wall. “Close enough. Gotta drag this lug out of here anyway.” Then another thought came to her. “I hope Galli has some way of paying, otherwise we might be staying a bit longer than anticipated.”

Just as that thought entered Snow’s head she’d feel a presence looming over her. Needless to say it was the Pegasus that had been staring at her. Most of the mare’s navy blue coat was covered by a thick looking set of leather barding but it was obvious just by looking at her face and her brushed back cobalt and crimson mane that she was oddly well groomed compared to everyone else in the Station, Snowflake and Galli included. With a voice that was as cold as a corpse, she said,
“You need help dragging this one out,” She squinted at Snow for a moment and looked her up and down, “Private?”

Snowflake found herself shrinking slightly under the pegasus’ gaze. Whoever she was, she guessed her rank almost immediately. Then again, she didn’t really look like anything but a Private. “Yes ma’am. And yes, please, ma’am.” She tried to avoid eye contact with the strange mare as she started lifting Galli off the seat.

The Pegasus didn’t say anything more and instead began rooting through Galli’s saddlebags before producing a few caps which she threw on the table. “I noticed you hadn’t paid yet.” She threw one of Galli’s forelegs over her shoulders, grunting as she took her share of the weight. “Hmph, your... marefriend? She’s real heavy, Private. Even for somepony in power armour.”

Snowflake nodded and took a few more caps from Galli and put them on the table. “I’ll pay her back later.” She started dragging Galli out of the bar with the pegasus’ help, doing her best to ignore the continuing assumptions of her love life. “From what I’ve gathered, this power armor has none of the lightening or agility of my armor, instead going for maximum survivability and durability. Makes sense, considering the ponies it was meant for and the environment they’re in.” She paused as she realized the more experienced pegasus might already know this. “Sorry, I’m quite passionate about this sort of thing.”

“Honestly, it’s fine. If I couldn’t even take somepony’s rambling about power armour I’d never have made it past the first raider. Then again I’d probably never have ended up down here in the first place.” In spite of her earlier comment about Galli’s weight the pegasus certainly didn’t seem to have too much trouble dragging her along as she and Snowflake got out into the street. “So why are you here, again? I don’t think you said and unless things have changed I don’t remember any joint ops with the Steel Rangers ever being on the cards.”

Snowflake paused. “I… I was doing some recon over to the east with a squad of other Privates. Something about finding an asset, I don’t remember. I don’t know why, but for some reason they turned on me, shot me out of the sky. All I know is that I woke up a morning or two later with a warning not to come back. So I didn’t.” She sighed. “I drifted for a few days before stumbling upon Galli’s place. H-she was apparently going on a suicide mission, and her parents were worried for her, so as thanks for giving me a place to sleep for the night I offered to tag along. It was probably a dumb move, to be honest…”

Frowning, the Pegasus shot Snow a sympathetic look. “You’re serious? Who does that to someone? That’s,” She caught herself before whatever rant was coming could start but still, it was obvious something about that really rubbed her the wrong way, “That’s damn atrocious, that is.” She shook her head and sighed. “Anyway, So you say you just happened to blunder into this Ranger on the road? Well I’ll tell you that suicide mission or not, that’s a blessing and a curse around here, kid. You watch yourself and... I’m sure this’ll sort itself out...” She said, her expression becoming somewhat more grim.

As the pair reached the book wagon the Pegasus gently set Galli down on the ground next to it. “So where are you headed? Plenty of roads from here.”

“I… Yeah… I needed this talk… I’m still young, still new to all this. I just hope things can get settled. But Galli has been good to me, despite the rough trip here. As for where we’re going next...” Snowy pointed at Reek’s wagon. “I think we’re supposed to go with her somewhere. Whoever gave Galli this mission was either really vague on the details or it’s just me who’s getting the raw deal… By the way, what brings you around here? You a Dashite or a spy?” She then held up a hoof. “Actually no, don’t tell me. I’d rather not get killed for knowing.”