Fallout Equestria: The Manehatten Project

Stable Sixty-Six

"Democracy? These days it feels like a dictatorship."

"Stable Six-Six was the fourth largest stable constructed by Stable-Tec. Built under the city Baltimare the stable runs under about a quarter of the city. Now, the way the Sixty-Six works quite differently than the way Equestria did, even before the war." Neigher paused and used a ruler to point at a picture of the first Overstallion. "While Stable-Tec appointed Doctrine as the first Overpony, we as a populous determine who our leader will be. This is known as 'Democracy' and is more favourable to some ponies than the rule of a monarch or of Luna's Ministries."

The lecture continued as Neigher continued to drone on about the second Overstallion and the introduction of "Capital Punishment." Life was simple in Sixty-Six. Do your job, don't break the laws, and avoid getting caught if you do decide to break a rule or two. Now, in other stables ponies were assigned jobs based on their family or their cutie mark, but here you can apply for any job you want. The beauty of "Capitalism" I supposed. However, Sixty-Six is far from utopia; poverty is a large issue for some families and I've seen ponies so thin you can count their ribs. The icing on the cupcake? We also had to deal with the highest crime rate since Sixty-Six closed its door. While armed robbery and breaking and entering are the most common there are stories of murders and other heinous crimes that had happened in the past.

I looked at the clock on the far wall and a small smile crossed my features. I raised my hoof and said, "Herr Neigher, as fascinating as this lesson is, I'm afraid I must depart."

Neigher let out a sigh and waved his hoof dismissively. "Go on Concerto, no need for the flattery."

I smiled gleefully and gathered my things and tossed them into my saddlebags. As I stood up to leave the lecture hall's PA speaker let out a crackle and a voice that sounded akin to a tin can full of rusty nails broke through the static. "Ahem.This is the overstallion speaking. Will everypony please report to the Stable Door." there was a pause. "That is all." Then the speaker went silent. The ponies around me began to murmur. I managed to pick out a few words but only two were important, "Capital Punishment."

Slowly the class swarmed out of the lecture hall and into the dull cement corridors. The florescent lights hummed softly as we made our way to the stable door. As we walked I picked out a dull clopping that was about five beats faster than the gait of the group. "Angelos." I said nonchalantly as I slowed my pace.

"Concerto. We need to talk." She said in a hushed voice plagued with worry.

I looked down at my winged companion; her brow was knit with worry and she studied the worn concrete floor through her bifocal glasses. She walked on unsteady legs as she chewed on her bottom lip; she was obviously troubled. "What's wrong?" I asked her as we lagged to the back of the group.

"I was caught..." She whispered with a chuckle. "I mean, everything's in place, but I was caught! ME! They have charges against me already, and with this... Concerto... I'm scared..." She said as she looked up at me; tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

I looked down at her with with a consoling smile as I wrapped a foreleg over her shoulders. "Hey, I'm sure you'll be fine. They probably caught another chem addict; you know how quickly they sniff those guys out." I gave her a little shake. "Or perhaps they caught Med fornicating with his patents."

That elicited a chuckle from her. "Hah, yeah. The horn dog could never keep it away." She wiped away her tears and smiled at me. "Thanks, Concerto."

"No problem, Angie." I said as I let her out from under my foreleg. "Now, let's go see who's getting punished."

The stable's populous spilled out into the large chamber and quietly filled the seats set up for the occasion. I took a seat in the front, and looked down at the lowered section of the floor and saw him, the overstallion. He was a older buck, at least thrice the age of myself, but he was built like a stallion in his twenties. His white dress shirt and black jacket hugged his lean figure and I thought it would tear at the seams as he walked to the Door's control panel. His ash grey coat had recently been given a thorough grooming and he'd recently been to see Crest, the local dentist, as I could see pieces of cotton stuck to his lip. He smoothed his long white mane back with a hoof, wiped the cotton away with a handkerchief, and cleared his throat. The room fell to a still silence so quiet I could here the ponies around me breathing, quite creepy really. "My little ponies," the overstallion began in his raspy voice, "we are gathered here in this room today to set an example." He looked around the room. "I hate having to do this, you must understand, but I want you to think for a moment; ask yourself, are the crimes you're thinking of committing really worth the price of capital punishment?  No, of course it isn't.

"I'm standing here today because one of you, my little ponies, thought that we wouldn't catch you, or that you simply forgot the severity of what happens to the ones that break the laws put in place by myself and my parliament that were meant to keep you safe and to keep Sixty-Six peaceful. So, I would like to ask Mrs. Sugar Swirl to join me down here."

Everypony turned and looked at talked about her in low murmurs, but the plump earth pony stayed where she was. Beads of sweat poured down her cyan forehead and her bubblegum pink irises shrank to pinpricks. "Mrs. Sugar Swirl, I will not ask again." The overstallion said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

A Service member picked the stunned mare up with his magic and lowered her to the centre of the lowered floor. Everyone looked down at the the plump mare with annoyance, pity, or a combination of the two. "Now, Mrs. Sugar Swirl, we all know you made confectioneries, but I must ask what did you do that landed you here? You can tell them or I can."

Sugar Swirl opened her mouth, closed it, then croaked out, "I made and sold illegal chems."

"Illegal chems." Repeated the overstallion. "Now, would you say the extra bits were worth the price you're paying now?"

"N-No..." Was all she could reply.

"Of course it wasn't. You can't buy yourself out of this." He chuckled darkly. "Lookout, the shield."

"Aye, Sir." The tall white buck said as his horn began to glow light pink; the same colour as the shield that kept out the radiation and other horrors of the outside world.

The high-pitched whine of a klaxon filled the air causing ponies to cover their ears, myself included. Sugar Swirl spun 180 degrees and looked at the large steel door with fear filled eyes. I looked up at the ceiling in time to see the large mechanical arm swing down and extend outwards towards Sixty-Six's door. The large bolt on the end of the arm slid into place and tugged the thick steel door aside. Beyond the semi-transparent pink shield we could only what the light from Sixty-Six would illuminate: a scorched concrete floor. Sugar Swirl looked out into the darkness and emptied her bladder from her fear of the unknown.

Lookout walked up next to the mare and looked down at her with a stern look and sighed. "C'mon Sugar. Time to go."

Sugar Swirl looked around the room like some wide-eyed animal looking for help. She let out a sigh and quietly submitted to her punishment. Her head hung low and her ears drooped as she slowly made her way towards the exit of our asylum from the unknown. Lookout followed behind with a burlap sack floating in the air next to him. "The stable grants you the following," the overstallion began. "One stable sixty-six jumpsuit, two canteens of purified water, one 10mm pistol, and one 10mm round." he finished as Lookout levitated the sack to her.

Sugar Swirl looked up and began walking. She she lifted a hoof, reached out towards the barrier, but hesitated. Then the klaxon sounded again and the door began to move. Lookout put a hoof on her plot and forcefully shoved her through the magic field and she gracefully landed on her face.

Unlike most ponies she got up, grabbed the bag, and walked off into the darkness. Then we heard the familiar sound of a gunshot ring out and the door slammed shut. Justice had been served and everypony began to mill out of the room and back to their previous engagements. Everypony was talking to each other as they walked. "What'd you think she shot?" A mare to my left asked.

"Probably herself." Replied a stallion, his voice gruff. "I doubt there'd be anything else for her to shoot. Swirl might have had the intelligence of a mule, but she wasn't stupid enough to waste her only bullet."

I didn't join in the gossip nor did I return to class. I had a show to put on and business to attend to.