Fallout: Equestria - A World So Cold
Written by Arcane
[CHAPTER ONE]
“You never know what life might bring you.”
The sewer lid glowed with a faint white silhouette and moved slowly to the right, seemingly on its own, though it was still obvious that it was the work of unicorn magic. Aurora poked her head out of the hole in the trail, her silky white coat tainted with rotten sewage. She raised her hoof out of the hole and allowed herself up and onto the surface of the Stable. Aurora stood up and swiftly wiped off some grime that collected on her PipBuck with one hoof. She balanced herself on her hind hooves and dusted off her vomit-green vest.
Aurora sighed with disdain. Being a sewage treatment worker was not a very fun job. At the end of the day, you’d get so dirty and covered in filth that you would have to take extra-long showers--daily. If Stable 64 had some sort of automatic sewage treatment process, rather than manual, then Aurora’s life may have been a lot easier.
Aurora’s horn glowed again, and she quickly removed her vest and folded it up, placing it carefully into her inventory saddle. She shook her head a little bit to get more dust mites out of here dark gray mane, which had light streaks of purple. Every day she would look forward to the end of her shift.
The sewage drain she had exited from was outside of the main city, but not too far of a walking distance. Aurora pressed forward onto the trail and towards the main living area of Stable 64. She had to get to her dwelling before this filth got too deep into her coat. All the way, she frowned.
Sewage treatment was probably the lowest class job in all of the Stable, at least to Aurora. There were much better jobs she could have been assigned, but the Overmare just had to decide sewage treatment. And most ponies said, when she first got her job: “Well, Aurora, that’s the perfect work for you, isn’t it, after what happened as a filly, right?”
So what if she liked to play in the mud as a filly? That shouldn’t have been crucial evidence that this job was “destined” for her. Aurora believed in one thing, and it was a belief that she held near and dear to her.
I decide my destiny. No one else can.
Aurora passed through the entrance gates into the “utopia” of Stable 64. Ponies of countless numbers crossed the streets, entering buildings, buying items from concession stands, doing their assigned work, or just taking a relaxed stroll. She was glad that she could take part in the various activities unrelated to her day-to-day work routine, now that her shift had ended.
“Hey, Aurora! How you doing, sister?”
Aurora looked up to see her lifelong friend, Moonwing, flutter down gently onto the Stable road. Moonwing was a pegasus, with a light gray coat and a darker gray mane and tail. Moonwing had been Aurora’s friend since their filly days.
“Well, it seems you’ve been hard at work in the sewers, right?”
Aurora let out a short laugh. “Don’t even get me started. Did you know that I found a skeleton in there?”
“Really?” Moonwing asked in surprise. “What was it?”
“Heck if I know. Besides, it’s pretty common. I see dead stuff in those wretched tunnels all the time.”
“Was it another pony? Like, you know, another sewage worker.”
Aurora winced. “Don’t think so. It was too small to be a pony. Probably a cat or something. How was your shift?”
“Same old, same old. Aerial Patrol is the most boring area of work in the Stable,” said Moonwing.
“It sounds all right to me.”
“Barely anything ever happens. No one has really attacked the Stable, or done anything illegal in a long time. And I have to stay off ground! Nothing bad’s gonna happen above the town! I wish I was a Ground Patrol--they get all the fun.”
“Hey, um, I really have to get back home,” Aurora said. “Right now, in fact.”
“Yeah, go take a bath. That grime makes you look hideous,” Moonwing agreed. “See ya later, Aurora.” Moonwing turned to the right and unfolded her wings, and then fluttered quietly away.
* * * * *
Aurora turned the shower handle with her horn. Warm water rained down on her dirty, sore body, and Aurora let it wash over her coat. The grime slowly began to wash away and pour into the shower drain. Aurora picked up the bar of soap and lathered it over her. Now she felt fresh, but then again, all the grime would just go straight back to the sewers.
Aurora switched the shower head off after five minutes and stepped out of the shower. As she was drying herself with the towel, she was suddenly shaken by a deafening noise that sounded like a loud moan coming from underneath the surface. Aurora slipped onto the white tile floor.
The floor beneath her trembled, and the groaning noise continued. She got to her feet and swung the door open. It was rare that a tremor would occur in the Stable, but the Overmare had arranged a procedure for all citizens just in case it ever happened. Aurora ran out of the door and immediately sprinted down the stairs. She opened the door and leaped out of her dwelling. Everypony was outside of their homes and on the streets, ducking and covering their necks with their hooves. Aurora shut her eyes tightly.
The earthquake continued for another five seconds before it finally died away. Aurora opened one eye and looked around, confused. “Um...”
Everypony panicked in confusion, chattering various queries concerning what had just happened.
“What was that?”
“An earthquake?”
“No! Not an earthquake! That’s not possible!”
Suddenly a loud voice boomed over the loudspeakers placed around each block, and from everypony’s PipBucks: “CITIZENS OF STABLE SIXTY-FOUR!” The familiar voice of the Overmare.
“THIS IS AN EMERGENCY MESSAGE,” said the Overmare’s voice through the loudspeakers. “WE ARE UNSURE OF THE CAUSE OF THIS TREMOR, BUT WE WILL TRY AND FIGURE IT OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MEANWHILE, WE URGE THAT YOU REMAIN CALM AND LET THE MEMORY SLIP YOUR MIND. WE SHALL ALL PRETEND THAT THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED.”
Aurora’s mouth was agape in confusion and wonder. “But...does anyone know...?”
“IF YOU ARE INJURED,” the Overmare continued, “THE STABLE’S SECURITY AGENTS WILL TEND TO YOU IMMEDIATELY. WE SHALL REPEAT: THERE IS NO REASON TO WORRY. CONTINUE WITH YOUR EVERYDAY ROUTINES. THANK YOU.”
“Aurora! AURORA!”
Aurora turned her head and saw Moonwing galloping towards her. Moonwing skidded to a halt and panted slowly to catch her breath. “What the hell just happened?”
“How am I supposed to know? I was just taking a shower, and then it happened. It didn’t really sound like an earthquake, though. It sounded like it had come from the sewers...”
“It’s all right. Besides, the Overmare said to forget about it.”
Aurora sighed. “Well...all right.” She turned back to her dwelling and entered it quietly, trying to shake off the harrowing experience.
* * * *
“Excuse m-me, Miss O-overmare, ma’am,” stuttered a yellow Earth pony stallion, wearing a Stable regulation uniform. The Overmare stood tall over him, dwarfing the stallion, making him seem like half the size of the tall unicorn mare that loomed over. “I need to inform you of something--it’s an emergency.”
“We already told you, and everypony in Stable Sixty-Four, to forget about the tremor. It doesn’t matter to us, and that means the entire Stable, any longer,” the Overmare said coldly. She used the terms “we” and “us”, rather than “I” and “me”, carrying on the traditions of the ancient city of Canterlot.
“It isn’t about the tremor, it’s about the sewers.” The pony walked over to a nearby terminal console, the Overmare following behind him. He tapped in a few commands in the terminal, bringing up the Stable map. On the map were hundreds of yellow dots, representing the denizens of the Stable. The map showed the main city and the outskirts, which did not stretch too far from the city. The pony typed in another command, and he brought up the blueprints and schematics of the Stable’s sewer system. “Look over here.” The pony pointed a hoof at the screen.
“What is the urgency we are supposedly observing?” asked the Overmare.
“There are red dots in the sewer map, see? Nopony’s even supposed to be in the sewers right now, not even sewage treatment workers.”
“Then what’s the fuss about?”
“When there’s a red dot, that means that whatever pony we are looking at does not own a PipBuck. The only ponies in the Stable that do not have a PipBuck are young fillies or colts, and they only get issued a PipBuck when they are old enough. And what would a filly or colt be doing, wandering around the sewers?”
“Interesting,” said the Overmare. “Quite interesting, indeed.”
“I believe it’s quite suspicious, Miss Overmare.” The pony paused. “Not meaning to contradict you, however.”
“We agree with your beliefs,” the Overmare replied. “We shall investigate deeper into this predicament. Meanwhile, we order that you send out all of Stable Sixty-Four’s security agents to protect the citizens for the time being, until we sort this out. Understand?”
“Yes, Miss Overmare, ma’am,” the pony said.
“Splendid.” The Overmare walked away.
The pony turned back to the terminal console and tapped in a message to send to the security agents.
* * * *
Aurora laid back on her bed mattress, listening to the radio on her PipBuck. There was only one station that you could actually listen to, and that was Stable Sixty-Four’s radio station. On other stations, you could faintly hear some voices, but they were mainly just static.
“Whenever you find an opportunity for excitement, you should take it!” said the voice of Dream Mare, a pony who made motivational speeches over the Stable’s radio broadcast. “Don’t let it slip! It may be a once in a lifetime opportunity!”
“The very meaning of my life,” Aurora muttered quietly.
“And remember to--” Suddenly, Dream Mare’s beautiful optimistic voice was cut, and the terminal-operated voice replaced it. This voice was dull and emotionless, just like the rest of the Stable.
“We interrupt this radio broadcast to bring you an emergency message from the Overmare of Stable Sixty-Four,” the voice said, and then the Overmare started speaking:
“Citizens of Stable Sixty-Four!” her voice boomed through the PipBuck. Aurora glanced at it and sat up; maybe they found out the cause of the tremor!
“After the tremor that happened very recently today,” the Overmare explained, “we detected lifeforms inside the sewers that do not own PipBucks.”
Aurora’s ears perked up, and her eyes widened. “No PipBucks? What the...?”
“And these lifeforms are most likely ponies like us,” the Overmare continued. “Obviously, fillies and colts can’t be wandering around in the sewers, so we think that this is quite suspicious.
“For this reason, our security agents will be guarding every perimeter of the Stable, so as to protect our little ponies. We recommend that you remain inside your dwellings until further notice. In addition, if you are a worker, your job schedule will be delayed until this mystery is sorted out. That will be all.”
Aurora dived off of her bed and hurried down the stairs. Like Dream Mare said: when you find an opportunity for excitement, you take it. Aurora wanted to dash for the sewers. She needed to investigate. She went to her door and turned the knob. Aurora opened the door, but was greeted immediately by a security agent.
The agent was a tall Earth stallion with muscular legs and hooves, that had a very dark gray coat, but no mane. The agent had a bridle clamped between his teeth that connected to two long shotguns placed on either side of his saddle. “Stop right there!” His voice was as rough as gravel.
Aurora skidded to a halt, and took a few steps backwards.
The security agent raised his hoof. “Where were you going?” he barked loudly.
“Uh...nowhere?” Aurora grinned sheepishly.
“Didn’t you hear the Overmare’s broadcast?” he snapped. “Stable Sixty-Four’s under an Emergency Lockdown right now. Nopony leaves their dwellings. You got that?” He jabbed his hoof at Aurora threateningly.
“Um, yes, sir,” Aurora replied nervously, and then nodded her head.
“Good. Now, cooperate with us, or we’ll have to use force. Stay inside your dwelling. And no tricks.” The agent slammed the door shut.
Aurora kicked the floorboards with her hoof and cursed softly. There had got to be a way out of here! “Why was the Stable under lockdown, anyway?” she asked herself. “Something strange really is happening.”
She reached the second floor of her dwelling and went to the terminal console that sat on a wooden desk beside her bed. Aurora sat down on the chair and booted up the machine. Almost immediately, the messaging system loaded in the blink of an eye. Terminal consoles in dwellings were only meant for networked communications through different dwellings. Aurora didn’t know about the other uses for one, but those were for high-class workers.
The monochromatic green screen lit up in front of Aurora. There was nothing on the screen but a blinking cursor. Aurora laid back in her chair and used her horn to type in a message to Moonwing:
/send: 0058
/message: Moonwing, we need to talk.
“0058” was the number of Moonwing’s dwelling. Everypony’s dwelling had a specific number, often used for communications through terminals.
Aurora waited a couple of seconds before a reply message showed. Moonwing took almost no time to answer whenever Aurora sent her a message through terminal. A notification signal was sent to Aurora’s PipBuck, and it let out a short beep. The screen read:
/0058/ Aurora, the Stable’s under lockdown. The freaking guards won’t let me out of my own dwelling! What’s up with that?
Aurora replied:
/message: I know. I tried to leave, but they blocked my entrance. The Overmare said over the radio that there was suspicious activity in the sewers.
A few seconds later:
/0058/ I heard the broadcast. But what’s this stuff about the sewers? The Overmare said that the ponies in the sewers right now don’t have PipBucks.
Aurora quickly typed:
/message: What if they’re from the Wasteland?
Aurora immediately regretted saying that. That was maybe the craziest thought she’d ever had.
/0058/ That’s bull. Everypony knows: “nopony ever enters, and nopony ever leaves”. And that counts for any Stable.
/message: I want to investigate further, and go into the sewers. That’s why I wanted to leave my dwelling just now. There’s no way I’m ever gonna get out of here, though, with all these security agents guarding every single square foot of this Stable. I want to go into the sewers to find the ponies in there. Also, I just might find the reason for the tremor! Say, you have wings, right? You can just fly out.
/0058/ Nope. There are also security guards patrolling the air. So not even pegasi can get out of their houses.
/message: I’ll try and figure out something. They’re also delaying our jobs. Can you believe that?
/0058/ I gotta go. Like, right now. There are two guards banging on my door right now. Catch you later.
There was only one thing Aurora desired that moment of her life: answers.
* * * *
Aurora waited that night. She waited for the perfect time. She went over the plan in her mind many times until she stopped counting, and finally had it instilled into her brain like graffiti on a dull gray wall.
She checked the time on her PipBuck. 9:58. Two more minutes until she would begin to sneak out.
She counted the seconds until 9:59. Sixty seconds more to go...
Fifty-five seconds passed, and Aurora readied herself.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One...
Aurora leaped out of her bed and climbed on top of her desk. There was a square-shaped hatch door in the ceiling of her room, and she quickly unlatched it. Aurora heaved herself into the dark, dusty attic. The attic had a triangular-shaped roof, with a small circular window at the front. Aurora crawled toward the window, and, careful not to make any noise, opened it. She poked her head out of the little hole and looked down. The same guard that she had encountered earlier that day was pacing along the sidewalk, humming a faint tune that Aurora could barely hear.
She held her breath and brought herself out of the attic through the hole. Aurora tried to grip her hooves onto the roof, and again loaded her heavy body back onto the triangular roof. Aurora grunted, but it wasn’t loud enough for the guard down below to hear.
Aurora wiped away a bead of sweat that down trickling down her forehead and sighed with relief. She checked her PipBuck: 10:01. Only a minute to get up on the roof; not too shabby. Aurora suddenly remembered that there were security guards patrolling the skies as well (not really the “skies”, but more like the air above the surface). She looked up, and, saw one, holding a bright searchlight in his mouth. The pegasus didn’t aim the searchlight where she was standing, and since it was dark, the pegasus couldn’t notice her otherwise.
Aurora took a step forward, but then slipped. She crashed onto her side and slid down the roof. The rough shingles grinded against her body, and Aurora tumbled headfirst towards the ground...
Aurora crashed into a dumpster, which was filled with black garbage bags. The bags cushioned her fall, but Aurora still felt blood dripping from the right side of her body. She wasn’t worried about her injury; she hoped that she didn’t make too much noise when she slipped.
“HEY!” shouted the pegasus. “What was that?” He aimed his searchlight at Aurora’s roof. Aurora wasn’t on it at that moment, and she had to thank Celestia for that.
Aurora pulled one of the garbage bags over her and covered herself; that way, the pegasus guard couldn’t see her in the dumpster.
The pegasus swore loudly and continued to patrol the air.
Relieved, Aurora took several deep breaths. If that pegasus had seen her, she would have been dead meat.
“I’ll go check it out.” She heard the same voice of the guard who had stopped her. Aurora peeked through a small opening in the bags and looked to her left. The guard was just coming around the corner of her dwelling towards the dumpster.
Aurora ducked back into the trash bags and held her breath. She didn’t move a muscle, staying perfectly still. She was in an extremely uncomfortable position, but she couldn’t move herself, or the guard would notice her.
“I don’t see anything!” said the guard.
“Aw, come on,” whined the pegasus. “I swear that I heard something crash in the dumpster.”
The guard rolled his eyes and galloped back to his post.
Once Aurora was sure that he was gone, she jumped out the dumpster and leaped forward three feet. She landed on her two forehooves, and without her hind legs even touching the ground, she made another jump, this time four feet. She repeated this process and was able to slip past several guards unnoticed. Aurora had learned over her years how to quietly jump forward to move around faster.
Aurora dived into the nearest alleyway and hid under the shadows. She waited for a guard to pass by, and then she did her leaping run out of the alley towards the intersection that was directly in front of her.
Her main destination was the sewers. At the intersection was a sewer lid that would allow her to enter. Aurora unbolted the sewer lid using her magic. She easily moved the lid aside and climbed into the sewers. She carefully stepped down the rusty iron ladder that descended ten feet, and quietly moved the lid over her.
Now she was where she wanted to be. Aurora’s horn glowed in the darkness, illuminating the damp and rough walls of the sewers with a translucent white light. She shielded her eyes briefly from the fierce glow and continued on the path. She activated the Mapping function on her PipBuck and stepped down the ladder. She reached the bottom and began trotting through the dark cylindrical corridor.
She didn’t know where exactly these lifeforms dwelling in the sewers were, and an uneasy feeling growing inside of her told her that maybe she didn’t want to know. Aurora checked the Map on her PipBuck, which also had a radar on it. There was no dots on the screen except for one that represented herself. She was as doubtful as ever, but she had to investigate further.
Aurora stopped dead in her tracks. Her ears perked up at the sound of...chuckling? She stay completely motionless and listened to the voices.
“This place smells like shit,” one voice said. It was deep and gravelly. “Why are we here again?”
“Because this the only way into the Stable, you foal,” another snapped. Then he stifled a laugh. “Those damned ponies aren’t even gonna know what hit them.”
Aurora carefully took a step backwards, careful not to make a sound...
Her hoof tapped against the floor of the sewers. The sound echoed through the walls of the sewers, bouncing all around the place, traveling towards the ears of the other ponies inside.
“Hey! Did you hear that?”
Aurora held her breath.
“I see a light, too! Let’s check it out!”
Aurora was about to turn around and make a run for it, out of the sewers and back into the Stable. She didn’t care what punishment she got for sneaking out past curfew. SHe needed to get out--now.
“Well, well, who do we have here?”
Aurora froze.
“Turn around, mare!” a stranger barked.
Aurora slowly rotated herself to face the strangers in the sewers. One of them was a unicorn, tall, with muscular hooves. He was wearing a tattered woolen vest that had two firearms attached on either side. Clamped between his teeth was a bridle, and he had a scar over his left eye. The others looked exactly the same, except they were both earth ponies.
The leader flashed Aurora a grin. He looked like he needed more teeth than a regular pony would ever need. “What’re ya doing out in the sewers, little mare? You lost?”
“None of your business, scumbag,” Aurora shot back. Her eyebrows curled and she gritted her teeth. “Who are you?”
“Who do you think--” started one of the strangers, but the leaders cut him off.
“We’re raiders. We come from the Wasteland.”
Aurora’s eyes widened. “The Wasteland? But I thought...”
“So, you’re a feisty filly, aren’t ya?” the leader chuckled. “Boys, why don’t we teach this little one a
lesson, shall we?”
The other ponies guffawed with laughter.
Aurora smirked and stood up on her hindlegs. “In your dreams.” She charged forward and slammed her hoof into the leader’s snout.
The leader staggered backwards. Blood gushed out from each one of his nostrils like twin rivers, smothering his face in the crimson body fluid. He closed his eyes and winced in agony. “Get her!” he yelled.
The other two ponies cocked their shotguns and clamped their teeth on the bridles in ther mouths. A blast from each shotgun rung through the sewer walls, and Aurora carefully dodged all four bullets the raiders threw at her. The unicorn leader picked up a knife from his pocket and waved it in the air, preparing to stab Aurora. But she thrust out her hindlegs, catching the leader squarely in the breastbone.
Aurora used her horn to detach one shotgun from a raider. She brought it front of her and cocked it, seeing as it was already loaded. She vigorously pulled the trigger, and the raider’s stomach exploded. Blood splattered the cylindrical walls, and his entrails spilled out onto the floor. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he lurched backwards, dead.
Aurora leaped forward and tackled down the other raider, who made no move to attack her back. She swiftly struck the raider’s face with her hoof and pointed her shotgun at his face. After pulling the trigger, blood stained her coat and her mane, but it wasn’t hers.
“You’re gonna DIE, you know that, little filly?” barked the final assailant. The leader prepared to charge, waving his knife in the air. “I’m gonna cut open your breast and rip your beating heart out of your ribcage!”
“We’ll see about that!” Aurora thrust herself into the air, and she vigorously kicked out her hind hoof into the leader’s neck. There was a loud snap, and the leader slumped to the ground, his neck in an unusual position.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Aurora turned away from the splayed bodies. The smell of blood wafted through the damp sewers, but Aurora disregarded it. She kept trotting until she saw a faint dot of light ahead of her.
She squinted to see it better. What was ahead of her? Most importantly, what would happen if she chose to proceed?
Aurora sprinted and galloped to the light, which became clearer and clearer with every step. She reached the end to see a large circular door with a handle shaped like a large wheel, opened halfway, leaving cracks of light to flood into the sewers.
“What the...”
She stepped through the crack in the door, and inadvertently placed her hoof on a barely visible pressure plate.
Suddenly an ear-splitting groaning sound gonged through her brain. The ground beneath her shook uncontrollably. Aurora swerved her head around to see the door beginning to close...
Aurora crouched, put her hooves over her neck, and prepared for impact...
The groaning stopped, and so did the shaking. Aurora opened one eye and glanced behind her. The door had closed shut.
“Shit!” she cursed to herself. She tried using her unicorn magic to turn the wheel and open the door again She concentrated so hard that it felt that her brain was about to explode. Finally Aurora gave up. She was trapped. There was no turning back now.
Aurora looked up to see a rough staircase made of cobblestone ascending towards a wooden trapdoor. Curiosity overwhelmed her, and she walked up the stairs.
Bracing herself, she opened the trapdoor. “Please be something good...please...” she prayed to herself as she closed her eyes...
AUTHOR'S NOTE: What's up everypony? This is Arcane, here. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and if you did, it would be awesome if you would give it a rating or comment or maybe give some feedback!
Next chapter will be coming soon, so stay tuned until then! :D
