Chapter 1 - Hit The Lights
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…
There came an era when the ideals of friendship gave way to greed, selfishness, paranoia and a jealous reaping of dwindling space and natural resources. Lands took up arms against their neighbors. The end of the world occurred much as we had predicted .The world was plunged into an abyss of balefire and dark magic. The details are trivial and pointless. The reasons, as always, purely our own. The world was nearly wiped clean of life. A great cleansing; a magical spark struck by pony hooves quickly raged out of control. Megaspells rained from the skies. Entire lands were swallowed in flames and fell beneath the boiling oceans. Ponykind was almost extinguished, their spirits becoming part of the ambient radiation that blanketed the lands. A quiet darkness fell across the world…
But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue for another bloody chapter in pony history. In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters known as Stables. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the Wastes to greet them.
For the inhabitants of Stable-151, they found that the once great trading city of Maresyside had been ravaged by the war, with the main centre of the city crumbling in the radiation. To try and save the city, the ponies of Stable-151 took to maintaining the three buildings iconic to the city, the Three Graces. Forming a new faction, the ponies came to call themselves the Three Aces and began to offer shelter and trade.
Now, 180 years after the Great War, The Three Aces control most of the central area of Maresyside, holding off from the raiders and slavers that walk the old neighbourhoods surrounding the fallen city.
But now we begin, where many stories do, in an unopened Stable. Stable-157, where a curious young buck with a talent for tea making is about to get a mouthful of the wasteland…
‘Hey Cheerilee Hey Cheerilee, I'm afraid to see you after school, I can't come to your office, and tell you that you're cool…’
I hummed merrily as the Stable radio played from my PipBuck, smiling as I cleaned another glass and put it to the side. Today was a quiet one; with little to no ponies paying my small little café a visit. Ever since Morning Glory fixed her coffee maker, business had been rather slow. The only saving grace for me was the music filling my establishment, it gave me peace.
But where are my manners, you probably have no idea what is going on. Allow me to elaborate.
Stable-157 has a system where by all manual labour is done by machines, and the only thing that the residents are able to do is sell wares. At the age of 15, everypony in the Stable is required to take the Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test, or GOAT for short. The test decides what field a pony would be best to sell their wares in. I was given the job of distributing tea to the stable, an occupation I found myself very good at.
Now, 7 years on from gaining the store, I’d taken to making it into a popular venue. Good tea at a reasonable price; that was my motto.
Looking to the ceiling, I stared at the flickering lights that hung above, giving off artificial sunlight to keep us all healthy. I dreaded to think of what the world outside was like, but the thought of feeling the true sun was something I dreamt of. The wind on my fur, the ground beneath my feet. It sounded wonderful from the old books.
I was brought out of my stupor as the door to the shop opened, the metal groaning filling the room, signifying that the door needed more oil. That was the problem with having a shop in the lower levels, the water tended to seep down from the residential floors. Sighing slightly, I put on the best face I could. The customer should always feel welcome when the-
My thoughts stopped as I noticed the new occupant of the store. A dull pink coat, flowing purple mane and striking red eyes, I had to do my best to not blush. Misty Star, often considered the most beautiful mare in the stable, had just walked into my store.
I felt parasprites bubble in my stomach, my breath constricting a little as I tried to focus on something else. Clamping my teeth down, I turned to look at her, only for my eyes to land on her flank… Then on her smirking face.
“You know, I should start charging for bucks to look at me like that…” She noted absently, still
holding her wicked smirk. My cheeks flushed quicker than I could control, making me shrink back behind the counter a little.
“H-Hey Misty…. How can I h-help you?” I stuttered out. Great way to address a pony like her, idiot.
The mare simply giggled, most likely at me and walking slowly over to the counter. Gracefully unfolding her wings, she fluttered onto one of the stools that lined the counter. “I would like some tea, if you would be so kind.” She requested, making me gulp slightly.
Don’t cock up here. “R-Right away, madam.” I replied, trying to sound sophisticated, but coming off as a little snooty. Working as quick as I could, I set everything up to make the tea, using the grace I had to pick up due to not being a unicorn. For most Earth Ponies such tasks would be rather difficult to complete, but I had crafted it into an art form.
Smiling as the smell of the brew hit my nostrils, I added the ever important milk. Stirring the tea, I turned and placed it carefully on the counter, pushing the sugar to the mare.
Misty smiled pleasantly as she put two teaspoons of the sugar into the cup and took a small sip of the liquid. I felt my heart pound in my chest, my muscles tensing as I waited for her review of the tea. Maybe I was being silly, but you have to understand. This mare is near Goddess-like in beauty.
“What?” She asked, noticing my stairing with a small smile on her face. I turned slightly, suddenly finding a rather specific nut in the floor very interesting. “Its good. Don’t worry yourself.” She reassured me, taking another sip of the tea.
Was she some sort of mind reader?
“Yes, yes I am.” She said with a smirk, almost playfully looking at me. Part of me wants to give her a dirty look, which I indulged in. Quite happily in fact.
“So, what brings you down here?” I ask after a few moments, going back to my previous task of cleaning the cups.
“What? A mare can’t enjoy a good cup of tea?” Misty replied with a half offended tone.
“Wah! No! I mean…” I sigh, letting my breath and wits come back to me. “Most ponies are going to Glories recently, not here.”
“Well… I’m not most ponies.” She challenged.
“That’s not what I mean-”
‘Beep, Beep, Beep’
The sound of beeping coming from my PipBuck stopped me in my tracks. The same beeping was coming from Misty’s PipBuck too, filling the room with the rather obnoxious noise. Looking towards the device, I saw bright blue text flashing on the screen.
‘EMERGENCY MEETING IN STABLE AUDITORIUM - ATTENDANCE MANDATORY’
Part of me wanted to sigh, hoping that this was just the Overmare wanting to show something off. Probably how her young foal was getting such great scores. Spoiled little brat.
Taking in a deep breath, I take off my apron and hang it behind the counter, watching as Misty flutters out the doors and towards the auditorium. Shaking my head, I notice the half finished tea on the counter. It was going to go cold before she’d get back.
A metallic groaning hit my ears as I began to walk towards the meeting, similar to the ones you’d hear down in the maintenance corridors. Only, we were on the higher levels. Maybe the reactor was playing up, or the water talisman needed to be fixed. Either way, it was going to be a pain in the arse.
Metal roof, light, doorway. Metal roof, light, doorway. Metal roof, light, doorway. Metal roof, light, doorway. The same pattern over and over again, all over the Stable. So boring. So mundane.
Rubbing my eyes as I look at the other ponies walking, I see others in similar spirits as me. Apparently I wasn’t the only one sick of hearing about the Overmare’s special little princess. The little mule needed a good spanking if you ask me.
“You know what this is about?” A stallion asks, slowly walking beside me as we continue along. Knife Edge… Cutting Floor… I can’t really place his name.
“Nope. But I can make a fine guess as to what.” I reply in tone, making the other stallion sigh and take his hat off in irritation.
With the conversation dead from there, I just keep walking. My ears are still picking up on that groaning though. It’s more frequent as we go to the higher floors. Now I may not be the smartest pony, but even I know it should get quieter, not louder. Maybe its nothing. Maybe I’m just imagining it all. Its very much like me. I’m stupid like that…
Shut up brain.
In the auditorium I find a large amount of ponies already there, the Overmare standing tall on her elevated platform at the center of the room. At her legs stood her daughter… And that’s where I started to notice that something was wrong.
The foal looked scared.
Not cocky. No sense of superiority. Lack of discipline. No
She was scared.
Her mother, now that I looked, didn’t seem at ease either. Her eyes darting around the room as if to take stock. Was something happening? Something bad?
“Fillies and Gentlecolts.” The Overmare tried to sound cool and reserved, but her breath was shaky, her voice just a little higher than normal. “It has come to my attention that there is… There is something knocking at the door. From what we can guess, it will…” She pauses, obviously not wanting to finish her sentence. “It will breach in 20 minutes.”
And thus, the tigers broke free. A few mares fainted, foals began to cry, and stallions began to shout angrily. I just stood there, frozen on my spot as panic erupted around me. She had killed us.
She had killed us all.
I bit my tongue for as long as I could, anger building up inside of me. We may have been able to stop whatever was coming if we were organized. Now there was panic. The stallions could have used weapons usually used by the security forces. Now there was panic. We could have fought this. And now… Now there was chaos.
“She let this happen!” A stallion shouted, pointing at the Overmare. I looked to see a stallion just a few feet away from me. His cutie mark a broken shard.
“Yeah!” “She’s to blame!” “She should be protecting us!” The crowd began to shout in agreement, all turning on the Overmare and her foal.
“M-Mommy!” The foal screamed in fear, and I felt my hooves move before my head had time to process my movements. Galloping over the advancing stallions, I slide in front of the Overmare.
“Overmare, we need to get back to your office. Now!” I tell her, keeping myself between the approaching crowd and the two mares. I notice the Overmare nod and begin to gallop towards her office.
“Just move out the way Herb. We’re not after you.” Broken Shard said, glaring at me as he and the group advanced on my form.
“What? You think killing them will change anything!?” I shout back, although it doesn’t seem to faze them at all. Slightly backing up, a gulp passes through me. Closing my eyes for a fraction of a second, I turn and begin to run after the Overmare.
Thunderous hooves clap on the metallic floors of the Stable as I run away from the group of maddened ponies, any other noise being drowned out by the slamming. I can just make out the Overmare and her foal a little ahead of me, nearing the security wing.
Skidding into the security office, I slam my hoof onto the door latch, closing it before my pursuers could make it into the room.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I slam my hoof onto the door control once again, this time making sure the door was locked from the inside. They could probably still get in, but it at least gave me some time to think.
Taking a few deep breaths, I walk around into the Overmare’s office, minding as the security bots rolled around casually. The Overmare had obviously waited before turning them into active mode. They could be a problem on a normal day, so it would definitely cause problems now with the chaos. Bad situation or not, she needed to protect the residents.
Walking into the room, I’m surprised to find the forelegs of a foal wrapping around my neck. “Thank You!” She squeals, tears staining my coat as she cries into my shoulder. Letting out a sigh, I stroke gently her mane, glancing over to her mother who gives me a relieved look.
Then her face drops as she gets a good look at my face. “Oh my, you’re bleeding!” She says pointing to my forehead, her eyes filled with worry. Her daughter jumps away to look at me, gasping slightly. Looking at them strangely, I pull my hoof up to touch the spot, red liquid staining my coat.
“Oh!” I say, slightly surprised as I had not noticed the hit at any point. Maybe it was the adrenaline in my system, but I could barely feel it…
Why is the room spinning?
Oh… Hello floor.
Footnote: Level Up.
New Perk: Not-so-smooth Talker.
While you might not be a hit with the ladies, you certainly can make them laugh. You gain a chance of making ponies of the opposite gender laugh out loud and a 15% increase of damage to those of the opposite gender.
Author's Note
And first chapter is done. Welcome readers to the first chapter of Three Aces High.
Any reviews or comments are greatly appreciated, along with a like... or a dislike.
ArchTea.
Chapter 2 - A Thousand Summers (Edited)
...bwaum. bwaum. bwaum. Bwaum. Bwaum. Bwaum. Bwaum! Bwaum! Bwaum!
The ringing of a Stable-wide alarm hits my ears as I slowly regain consciousness, a dull pain spreading through my head as I try to drag myself upright. Failing in my efforts, I only succeed in putting myself on my back, the bright light above me blinding me for a brief second. The cold steel floor beneath me tickles my fur as I try once again to get myself into a standing position.
Luckily for me, this time I succeed in my efforts, with the help of one of the chairs around the Overmare’s Quarters. Blinking my eyes into focus, I see that the Overmare must have moved me into her chambers at some point; the personal photo’s of the mare and her daughter proving that point.
Groaning at the pain in my head, I slowly trot to the door, guiding my hoof to the door control. The gears in the door whir along as the slab of metal moves out of my way. In a way, I wish it hadn’t.
The sight that fills my vision brings bile to my throat, an inevitable sense of dread filling my every being as I took a step back in horror. There, laying in a pool of her own blood, was the Overmare. Her eyes hung dulled and lifeless, stuck in a permanent state of emptiness.
I feel my body shake in horror at the scene, the bile that had threatened to escape now doing its job. I don’t know how many times I puked then and there, just that the only reason I stopped was because there was nothing left to come up. I felt weak and lightheaded, and completely terrified.
If only I hadn’t hit my head, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe she would still be alive.
Gulping, I slowly make my way over to the dead mare, tears threatening to escape my eyes. Feeling guilt wash over my body, I reached for her eyes and slid them closed. I may not have particularly liked the mare in any sort of way, but she deserved better than this.
Whoever had done this hadn’t done it quickly. They’d wanted to make an example of her. Part of me knew that it had to be that stallion with the shard cutie mark. He’d killed her and then went for he-
My mind screamed as I was reminded of the other mare I had helped escape the mob. Grinding my teeth in anger, I ran out of the Overmare’s office, my hooves striking at the hard metal floor. I had to find her daughter. I at least owed the Overmare that much…
It was just outside the Security office that I saw it. Wrecked Security Bots littered the hallway, scorch marks and dents on the walls, showing that there had been some sort of firefight. I took some solace in the fact that I didn’t see anyone who had been killed…
Yet.
Making my way forward, I came to a stairwell, the alarm still being the only noise I could clearly make out. That put me on edge more than anything, I at least hoped to hear the panic from earlier. That would at least indicated that somepony was still alive.
Creeping down the steps, I gave a quick glance around the corner, letting out a sigh of relief when there was nothing there waiting for me. The stairwell led to another hallway, which would lead to the atrium and the upper living quarters. Stepping out of the stairwell, I finally came into contact with something living. Whatever it was, however, was not good.
Whatever the thing was, it looked like a pony. It had a sleek metal casing, a pair of wings sticking out of its back. It stood slightly taller than me, and was dragging along a black bag. I’d seen those sorts of bags a few times as a foal, when I’d been in the clinic.
It was a body bag!
“This is Echo-42, calling Delta Squad. Upper Living Quarters and Security Offices are clear. Three Casualty. Other Occupants have been moved for extraction.” The thing spoke out, its voice metallic, like it was coming through an intercom. It paused for a moment, soft sounds coming from it indicating that somepony was replying to it. “Understood, moving to Lower Levels.” He replied before continuing on his way.
Whoever they were, they weren't afraid to use lethal action against ponies. Taking slow and deliberate steps, I began to make my way down the hallway. I made sure to keep out of the view of the windows that lined it, just in case one of those… things was on the other side.
Keeping my breathing steady, I leant against the edge of the door to the Atrium, counting down from 10. As I got closer to zero, I found myself oddly thinking about how I had played hide and go seek with my friends as a foal. It was slightly humorous to think that those skills would be so important at my age. If shit wasn’t going down, I would have probably made a quip about it.
Taking a deep breath, I turned and slowly trotted into the atrium, hearing the soft patter of hoofsteps in the distance. I really hoped those hooves were going in the opposite direction to the Atrium. I would notbe able to take one of those things on. Thankfully, from what I could see, the metal ponies had moved on from the Atrium entirely, leaving it empty and cold.
I couldn’t really tell where the riot had ended and the invasion began. The scorch marks on the walls could have easily come from either the security bots or the metal ponies. From the overturned chairs and tables that sat in the middle of the Atrium, it seemed that some of the inhabitants of the stable had tried to act on a defensive. Though, from the large pocket of scorch marks and bent metal in the middle of the barricade, it was clear that those defenses had failed them.
Edging closer to the door that would lead to the Stable exit, and hopefully to everypony that had survived the onslaught. I heard the signature sound of a door opening on the other side of the atrium. I felt my stomach drop as I heard the metallic clanging of the invaders hooves as they entered the Atrium. I prayed to Celestia that they would not notice me…
Apparently, Celestia would rather fuck me with her almighty horn.
Slamming my hoof on the door controls, I dodged rainbow lasers as I raced for the exit, ignoring the shouts for me to stop. Coming to the Stable door, I could see it was left ajar by the invaders. The metal was warped and melted, black markings covering the entire thing. Nuts and bolts lay scattered along the floor.
Whatever these things were, they were advanced. Advanced enough to break through a Stable door. A door designed to take on a megaspell. Directly.
In hindsight, we were pretty fucked to begin with.
Bounding through the door, I found myself running through another set of tunnels. These tunnels were completely different from the halls in the vault, the metal was rusted and layered with dirt and dust. The thick air launched into my lungs like a manticore to a ball of yarn, making my lungs burn and my need to cough go overboard.
Biting back any sort of cough or splutter that begged to come out, I raced up a flight of stairs. Going higher and higher for what seemed like forever, I finally made it to a door and barged through it, only to get my eyes assaulted. Cringing back, I shielded my eyes to look at what the light was.
I kind of wish I hadn’t.
There, standing in formation with guns mounted to their backs, where hundreds of the metal ponies from the vault. They stood behind several large flood lights which shined on the entrance to the Stable, lighting the area and assaulting my eyes. I could feel my vision blurring as I froze in place.
“Citizen of Stable-157, you are to remain calm and stationary. The Enclave has chosen to liberate your Stable, and therefore would appreciate your co-operation. Be warned, we are not above using lethal force.” One of the metal ponies said through a megaphone, sounding gruff and irritated. I could hear the metal clanging of hooves getting closer to me and wished I could do something. “One of my operative is going to place a collar on you. Do not fight them.”
Looking around, my eyes finally adjusting, I saw that I seemed to be in the middle of a large airfield. The husks of broken sky chariots were scattered across the runways. Across the airfield I could see a rather large building with the word ‘airport’ labelled on the side in worn lettering.
Gulping, I looked to my side to see another of the armoured ponies come up to me. He was holding onto a thick metal collar with circuitry on the side. Closing my eyes, I felt the collar clamping onto my neck, thankfully not digging into my fur. Taking slow breaths, I felt a surprising shock run through the collar, making me yelp in pain.
“The collar on your neck will keep track of your location and allow us to shock you if you get out of line. Now follow the operative to your left. You will be escorte-” The voice cut out as the sound of gunfire began to go off a little ways away. The ponies in formation all began to take flight, firing on something in the distance. Before I could get a good look at what was happening, the pony who had put the collar on me began to push me towards a sky chariot.
“Move.” The metal pony, a mare, commanded as she pushed me along. Gulping, I nodded and hopped onto the chariot, my eyes straying to the battle that was happening on the other side of the airfield. The mare jumped on next to me, commanding the two driving the chariot to begin their flight.
I felt my stomach turn in several directions as we lifted from the ground into the air, slowly gaining speed as we began to climb. I was panicking now, afraid of just where these ‘Enclave’ where taking me. The clouds were heavy above us, blocking out the stars as we climbed. Closing my eyes, I resigned to my fate. There was no fighting it now. They had me exactly where they wanted me.
As if Celestia herself had decided to stop fucking with me, one of the two ponies pulling us along suddenly lost his head. Gore went right over both me and the mare as the chariot banked to the side, obviously not designed to have only one pony driving it. “Get us back on course!” The mare shouted in anger.
“I can’t ma’am. I’m not strong enough to pu-” His excuse stopped as his own head exploded in a shower of gore, sending the chariot into a spiral. The force of the spinning was too much for my body. Suddenly, I found myself being flung from the chariot, set to plunge to my death.
Its funny the kind of things your mind thinks about when you know you’re going to die… other than panicking about the fact you’re going to fucking die! As I fell, I felt myself slipping back to the first day of school, my parents wearing happy smiles as they walked their special little colt off to class. I could remember the face of my teacher, as cheery as ever in her job as she wrote my name on the board and had me introduce myself to the class.
It’s with that thought that I closed my eyes and smiled as my body hit the River Maresey and felt the warm embrace of Luna take me for the last time.
Footnote: Trait Gain
Short Sightedness
Being assaulted with intense light when exciting your Stable, you have damaged your retina. When not wearing eyewear, you have a -2 Perception Score. Didn’t you read your exciting the stable manual?
Author's Note
(Edited 22/02/14 - Decided that Herbal simply surviving the fall into the water was kind of silly. So this chapter ends just after he falls in the water.)
Hey guys, ArchTea here.
So, I'm sorry this took a little longer than expected. Apparently my body thought that giving me a chest infection right off the bat after writing the first chapter would be funny. I hate my body.
So yeah, here's chapter 2. Full disclosure on this chapter is the fact that this chapter and chapter 3 were going to be the same chapter, but I have decided to split them for better pacing. So be on the lookout for the next chapter.
Big shoutout to my Beta TyrelltheChaotic for pulling through on this on a really short notice. You rock man.
A big shoutout to the artist who did the cover for this story, Chezamoon18. They're a personal friend guys, so be nice.
Anyway, hope you guys had fun with this chapter, and I'll see you next time.
Ja ne.
