Fallout: Equestria-SURVIVOR

FALLOUT EQUESTRIA: SURVIVOR

Chapter 1: Truth and Lies

“Oh Celestia…why do we have to do this. It’s unethical, it’s cruel, and it’s against everything that makes ponies who they are. But here I am, holding the life of one pony in my hoof. How can anypony do this and not feel like they’re the epitome of evil?”

I looked down at the piece of paper that sat on my desk. The whole area was filled with many different projects I had been working on the past few months. Some old pip-bucks I had been trying to get working again, a lamp I was rewiring to run on direct horn magic, and a few other bits and bobs I won’t bother going into detail about.

I was sitting on a small chair in front of the desk. I had been sitting there for a good half an hour now, looking at the paper and thinking about what it meant.

It’s not really something everyone LIKES to do, but it’s something everyone HAS to do. Personal opinion didn’t matter down here. The only thing that mattered was the good of everypony.

And sometimes…sometimes that means you have to be the bad guy.

But I guess I should do some explaining first,  just so that you get caught up to speed with what’s going on.

My name is Flatfoot, I’m an earth pony stallion living in Stable 11. Even though my cutie mark (a sheriff’s badge) probably means I work as a guard, I’m anything but that. Instead, I’m a maintenance pony. I keep the Stable running and make sure that if anything’s broken, it gets fixed.

The reason I’m a maintenance pony and not a guard...because The Over Stallion said so. Maintenance is one of the most important jobs available, and I was chosen because they were running low at the time. Guess it just as they say: for the good of the stable.

What are stables you might ask…well that’s a more depressing topic.

You see stables are basically underground bunkers that are meant to house ponies in the event of a catastrophic attack. They were made back during times of war between the pony nation of Equestria and the zebra nation of Zebrica.

Many ponies and zebra died during the war, and both nations were constantly at each other’s necks. I’ve been told that ponies back then couldn’t even go outside without worrying about being wiped out by the Zebras.

This went on for a few years, until the day the Mega Spells dropped. These were the most powerful weapons ever made by anything with four hooves. And when they went off, there was no hiding from them.

So many Mega Spells were dropped on that day that the pony nation was almost completely wiped out. Those in Stables were spared the horrors, while those that survived outside were left to contend with a cruel and dangerous Wasteland.

I guess you think I should count myself lucky my ancestors had signed up to live in a Stable right. That since I’m living the perfect life I should be as happy as a party animal.

Well guess what, life down here doesn’t leave a lot of room for smiles…at least not at this time of the year.

You see life down in Stable 11 is a little different than life in other Stables. While the other ones get lives of happiness and friendship, we get a life of worry and death.

It all began around…120 years ago, on the day the Stable door closed for good. My great, great grandparents were told to go to the atrium with the rest of the Stable’s inhabitants. That’s when the main computer came online…and gave them a chilling message.

It said that if the residents didn’t sacrifice one pony per year, everyone in the Stable would die.

And that was it, just sacrifice one pony per year. No reason why, just what would happen if we didn’t. Great way to welcome hundreds of ponies to their new home!

But as you can guess ponies didn’t want to sacrifice anyone. Not only did we know little about WHY we had to do it, but it just wasn’t right. How can anyone be cruel enough to actually select a pony to die.

However, when the lives of hundreds of ponies are on the line, things tend to go in the way of the masses.

The Over Stallion was the first one to be sacrificed. Not because ponies wanted him to, but because he volunteered to do it. The reason why: No One Knows! He just said that he was going to be sacrificed and that was that.

Of course after that, it was almost total anarchy in the stable. Thankfully a pony named...Braeburn...or something like that, took command of the stable.

Ponies quickly adjusted to their new lives, and sacrifices continued for years afterwards. At first the decision was made using a random voting system. But this didn’t go on for long; ponies didn’t like the idea that it was a matter of chance between life and death. Tensions became fierce, and so a new plan was made.

Starting the year after, a voting system was put into place so that the stable as a whole could decide who was to be sacrificed. Ponies found this to be a better option, and that’s how it's been every since then.

Now, like every year, I looked down at the sheet of paper on the desk. The name of every pony in the stable was listed on it, each with a small box on the left side.

“Okay Flatfoot, you can do this. You’ve done it every year so far, so you can do it this year. Just check a name and put it in the ballot box” I said to myself, trying to make the feeling in my stomach go down.

“Let me think…I could vote for Lock Pick; he’s always breaking into other ponies things. Then there’s Stitch; never really did forgive him for putting that tack on my seat in school. But…maybe I should vote of Beaker.”

“I’m surprised you even have to think about putting that bastard's name down.”

I jerked back and looked around for the sound of the voice. I didn’t have to look hard, because standing by the door to my room was a dark blue unicorn mare with a short brown mane. Her heart (with a scalpel running through it) cutie mark was just visible in the dim light of the hallway. She was smiling at me so smugly it was like she’d caught me jerking off.

“What are you doing here Zest? Don’t you have some ponies internal organs to tie in a knot” I asked, turning back to the paper on my desk.

Zest laughed and walked right behind me, putting her hooves up on my shoulders.

“Why do you think I came here big boy? I wanted to know if I can turn your large intestine into a balloon animal” she said in a seductive voice.

I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat and tried not to show fear in my face. Even after knowing Zest for a good fifteen years, she still found new ways to make me nervous.

“You’re just kidding…right” I asked, maybe with a little too much hope in my voice.

Zest started gently rubbing my shoulders and whispered in my ear “Maybe, but like I’ve said before: I’m always looking for volunteers. If you’d like to donate your large intestine…”

“I’m going to cut you off right there Zest. No way will I lower myself to be your personal play device” I said, shaking her hooves off my shoulders.

Zest came to my right side and gave me a typical puppy dog face. “You don’t have to be so mean Flat. I’m just trying to live out what my cutie mark says is my special talent.”

I snorted and continued to go down the list of names on the paper. Trying to get Zest to leave on her own is usually the only way to get her to leave at all.

“Your special talent is performing operations on ponies in the medical bay. NOT harassing ponies in their room while they’re trying to make a really important decision” I said sternly.

Zest snorted, but in a more comical way. “How hard is it to check the name of a pony you don’t like? I voted for Beaker in less than five seconds. Everyone who knows him knows that he’s the one that’s going to be sacrificed. You’d be crazy not to vote for him.”

“As much as I would love to put his name down, I have to think about what’ll happen if I do vote for him. Remember, he’s the head of the Stable’s research labs. If he goes, it’s going to be tough finding a replacement.”

Zest walked over and plopped down on my bed, keeping her eyes on the rusty ceiling. Her expression had become more concerned and serious: a rare occurrence for her.

“I’ll admit; a part of me agrees with you. Those who can work in that area are becoming scarcer. So the ones we have there now are more valuable than any of us. …But it doesn’t mean I’m going to change my vote. And I know you’ll still vote for him” said Zest, lifting her head to look at me.

I wanted to say that she was wrong, that I was going to make the decision that was the best for the whole stable. I was going to be the older stallion here and make the right choice.

But that’s never how these things work. Every year, the asshole of the year is chosen to be sacrificed, because everypony wants him dead. And as much as I didn’t like to admit it, I had done the same thing. Every time I had to vote, I voted for the one I hated the most. Now…I was going to do the same thing.

I took a pencil off my desk, and almost too slowly, I lowered it down and check a box on the paper. The name next to the box was: Beaker.

Zest walked over and looked at my decision. The smug smile on her face grew and I waited for the gloating to start.

“Well Flat, looks like you did the right thing after all. Just think about it: years from now, our grandfoals will remember how their grandparents rid them of having a very annoying pony be able to reproduce” she said, grabbing my shoulder and sliding her hoof across air in a dramatic fashion.

Her words had an effect on me, but not in the way they should have.

“What do you mean OUR grandfoals” I asked with a cocked eyebrow.

She turned to face me, still with that seductive look on her face.

“Well who knows? One day you and I could be drunk, walk into a room together, and make some…MAGIC…happen.”

“Makes me glad that I’m an EARTH pony. I prefer to stay away from anything magic. So sorry to burst your bubble Zest, but you’ll have to wait a little longer to be a mom” I said, taking the piece of paper in my mouth.

“Not if I really wanted to be. Ratchet’s said a few times that he wouldn’t mind having a little fun with me. So you’re not my only option” she said.

“Then why don’t you go and talk to him in your seductive voice. He’ll probably enjoy all the attention you’d give him” I asked, walking to the door and pressing the OPEN button.

I walked out into the hall with Zest following me. She never really gets it when somepony wants to get rid of her. It really showed when she was a kid and always got out of detention, AND ALL BY NOT SHUTTING UP!

“I would, but he’s working at the moment. Probably fixing something in the reactor room or the water filtration plant. He’s a real he-stallion you know” said Zest.

And that’s another thing Zest loved to do: trying to get me jealous. A lot of ponies say it’s because she likes me, and part of me thinks that’s true…or at least hopes that’s true. I’ve never really been a sticker for the mares, so having one that liked me and was pretty isn’t something most ponies would pass up.

But to be honest the only reason she does try to get me jealous is so that she can get under my skin. At first I fell for her little act, but as the years went by I became more aware of what she was trying to do.

But I couldn’t ignore her forever, and part of me wanted someone to talk to during this depressing time. Most residents became emotionally unstable when election week came along. From tears to cries of rage, we’ve had it all come through the medical bay.

“Changing the subject; do you know anyone else who’s voting for Beaker? Or even more informing; anyone who is voting for either of us?” I asked with a hint of nervousness in my voice.

Zest smiled, not smugly, but continued to look ahead. “Well I know Zap and Zip are voting for me, and that Tin Can is voting for you.”

“Figures: you accidentally dump soup on him ONE time and you get labeled for life. He votes for me every year, and he’s one of the few that do,” I said while I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, but just be glad that more people hate him than you. As long as you aren’t the most hated pony in the stable, you’ll never have to worry about being picked,” she said with another smug smile.

We walked through another door and into the atrium. A few ponies were mingling around on chairs scattered around the area. Four fillies ran by in a game of tag while some of the elderly watched.

The sight filled me with hope and sadness at the same time. The Stable had one restriction when it came to voting: Don’t vote for anypony over 80 or younger than 10. The elderly were given the right to live out the rest of their life if they had survived long enough.

Hopefully sixty years from now, I’ll be sitting in a chair watching foals have fun with other young ponies. My wife will be beside me, and I’d reminiscent about years gone by.

Young foals were also given leeway in the election. Ponies though that foals should have some time to grow and have friends, before being able to vote. There innocence was one of the reasons these elections were bearable.

But that’s when the sadness kicked into full gear. Seeing those foals reminded me that eventually, the restriction would end for them and they could be sacrificed. Their childhood would be the only happy years that they would get to experience…and that just wasn’t fair.

I shook the thought out of my head. I couldn’t change what was necessary, so worrying about it wasn’t going to help me. I began walking towards the door on the other side of the atrium.

However, just when I had walked a few feet, I saw somepony…somepony I REALLY didn’t want to see right now.

A Maintenance pony with a dark cream pelt and a dark amber mane and wrench cutie mark was scrubbing away at some of the rust on the wall. He turned away from his work and wiped his forehead with his hoof. He gave a quick look around the atrium, and when he spotted us, trotted over to where we were standing.

“Zest, how’s it hanging? I heard from Lock Pick that you operated on old Cranks yesterday. Tell me, is the old coot still bucking or is he sipping cocktails with Celestia?” he asked with a smile.

“Don’t worry Skycap; I was able to keep him down here on Earth. However, you should have seen the inside of his middle section! I swear that certain parts of a pony are not supposed to be green,” said Zest.

I rolled my eyes at the thought of Zest not seeing anything weirder than that. She handled all the major operations in the stable. And trust me; we’ve had our fair share of weird illnesses in this metal paradise.

Skycap turned his attention away from Zest and looked over at me. His smile grew even bigger, which didn’t make me feel any more comfortable.

“Hey Flatfoot, good seeing you again. I haven’t seen you come out of that room of yours since Friday. Maintenance has been wondering if you dropped dead or just passed out. Don’t hate me, but I went for dropped dead,” he said, still smiling.

“Wow, some friend you are Cap. If I were in that position, I would go and maybe check on my friend to see if he was all right. That’s the right thing to do anyway,” I said with a frown.

Cap was ready to say something, but then looked down to where I had tucked the ballot sheet into my stable jumpsuit. Before I could even react, he had whipped it out and was looking it over.

“Hey, give that back!” I yelled. I tried to get my paper back, but Cap put his hoof out far and used the other to hold me back. His grin became even bigger when he found the box that had been checked.

“Ha, no surprise there Flat. Beaker is the lead in this year’s election, and there is no way he can get enough ponies to vote for someone else now. He’s going to be sacrificed whether he likes it or not,” said Cap as I snatched the paper back and tucked it deep inside my jumpsuit.

“Whatever Caps, I wasn’t doing it because everyone was doing it. I don’t like Beaker just as much as everyone else does. He votes for me every year just because I made him look foolish ONE time.”

“One time is all it takes Flat,” said Zest.

“Alright, enough of this. I am going to cast my vote and then head back to my room for some good me time. You can follow if you want Zest, but it really doesn’t make a difference to me,” I said sternly.

I turned away from the two and headed towards the large door and the other end of the atrium. A large sign with an arrow pointing to it said “TO BALLOT BOX! DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!”

As the door opened, I heard two pairs of hooves coming up behind me. I turned around and saw Zest walking towards me with Cap following closely behind.

“Both of you are coming with me?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Zest and Cap began rummaging through their jumpsuits, and soon both pulled out pieces of paper with ponies’ names on them.

“We need to cast our votes to Flat. After all” said Cap, and he put his head up and spoke with a high authority voice, “It is the duty of every pony in Stable 11 to vote every year for the one who is to be sacrificed. It’s for the good of you, for the good of me, for the good of STABLE 11!”

Zest did a small clap while Cap bowed and smiled at us.

Those words are said every year when election time came around. The computer would pump that message through the PA systems from day one to the day of the sacrifice. Every pony in this stable knew it by heart. It was not just a message, it was a reminder that what we were doing was for the good of the Stable. Therefore, in a sense, it was for the good of Ponykind.

“Alright, no use standing around. Let’s go decide who’ll be killed this time” said Zest as she pushed past me and continued down the hall. Cap followed closely behind her. Letting out a deep sigh, I followed them to the Ballot box.

____________________________________________________

The box was located near the Science labs on the lower levels. A security guard was standing next to it so that no one could tinker with the votes. A riot helmet covered his head, and leather armor covered his back. He eyed us as we approached but did not say anything.

I spotted the Stable issued 9mm gun that was latched onto his belt. One shot from that in the right area, and I’d never have to worry about what went on in this Stable again.

I had a feeling he saw me look at it, because then he shifted his belt so that I could see it even clearer.

“I’ve never had to use this in my whole time as a guard. I personally wouldn’t have any problems using it for the first time. No funny business, any of you” he said sternly.

“Yes sir” I said, keeping my eyes locked on the box next to him.

I took out my slip of paper and dropped it in the box. Zest and Cap did the same after me.

“Alright you all voted, now beat it!” said the guard sternly.

“Geez, calm down snappy. You need some Pinkie Zip. I’ve had them, and they REALLY keep you energized all night” said Zest with a smug smile.

The guard just grunted and turned away from us. Zest was going to say more, but I pulled her away before the guard arrested her on disorderly conduct.

“Why’d you pull me away? I could have given him a piece of my mind” said Zest as we walked back towards the atrium.

“That’s exactly why I pulled you back. I didn’t want to wait next to you in the medical bay while they pulled a bullet from your flank. One of these days you’ll do something stupid and I won’t be there to help you” I said as we walked through the door to the atrium.

Zest was about to retort, but was interrupted by a ringing noise. Looking down, I saw my pipbuck was alight and the image of a scroll was on the screen. It was also the one making that beeping noise.

“Oh, wonder who’s calling this time,” I asked as I pulled the pip-buck closer and opened the message.

It was short and didn’t have a lot of big words…just how I like it.

“Flatfoot, it’s Screwy. I got a message on my terminal that there’s a wire malfunction in the vents above The Over Stallion’s office. You’re the closet pony to the office, so I need you to take care of it. Go to the vent on the wall on the far left side of the door to the office. Open the grate, climb in, and locate the fuse box. Fix the wiring and report back to me when completed.”

“As a side note, The Over Stallion has been complaining about sounds coming from the ducts. He suspects that Radroaches have gotten in there. So be careful when you’re climbing around. Au revoir and good luck my friend.”

I groaned as I lowered the pip-buck away from my face. I didn’t want to go crawling through that might have Radroaches crawling in them to. I’ve dealt with those things before, and they aren’t very friendly. Don’t believe me; I’ve got the scar to prove it.

“Sorry guys, I’ve got work to do. Screwy needs me to fix some wiring in the ducts over The Over Stallion’s office” I said to the two.

Cap and Zest both showed different expressions. Zest looked like she was holding in a laugh and trying not to scratch an itch. Cap had a mix between sorrow and relief.

“Well good luck with that Flat. Last time I had to go into the vents it was right above the waste disposal plant. …Yuck, I can still feel the burning in my nose” said Cap.

“But hey, look on the bright side Flat. Maybe you’ll catch The Over Stallion doing something REALLY embarrassing. Then, you’ll have some pull in this place” said Zest.

I rolled my eyes again. Anything that Zest thinks about is usually a bad idea. Plus, if it has any chance of making somepony she knows powerful, she’ll push them to do it…no matter what.

“RIGHT…well I’m going to head off and fix that wiring. I’ll talk to you both tomorrow before they announce the sacrifice. Try not to get arrested before then Zest” I said as I walked to the door to the upper levels.

Zest put her hooves under her chin and smiled sweetly.

“What, little old me?”

Cap began laughing, and as much as I didn’t want to, I began to smile. I really couldn’t stay grumpy this whole time, or I’d just be like everypony else in this stable. Best try to make the best of a good situation.

I walked to the other side of the atrium and opened the door to the floors above. I was ready to fix that fuse box, and hopefully, get back with enough time to sleep.

“After all, how much trouble can fixing a fuse box be,” I asked myself as the door closed behind me.

____________________________________________________

On  the other side of the door sat a flight of stairs. They stretched upward towards the top levels of the stable. The overstallion’s office was on the next level up, so I had to go to the one above it to get to the air duct. I already had a few tools with me, so I didn’t see the point of going back to my room to get my tool box.

I’d been taught early on how to handle things without much on hoof. Sure it was a little challenging, but it’s a skill that I wouldn’t want to be without. Course, there’s not that many chances to use this skill down here. Most of what you need is pretty much within reach.

But hey, when you cutie mark is a sheriff's badge and you're good at fixing things, it  just proves that sometimes the mark doesn’t make the pony.

I reached the top of the stairs fairly quickly, and found myself in a small hallway. There wasn’t anypony in sight, and the only shred of life was the bleep that was coming from my PipBuck. The bleep let me know if somepony is nearby if the population drops below twenty. A nifty little addition that Stable-Tec added.

I walked away from the stairs and towards the hallway Screwy had indicated in her note. The floor here was rough from the lack of proper maintenance in the area over the last few years. I had to step carefully so I didn’t get cut on the rust.

I jumped over a rusty patch and landed around the corner in another hallway. Like the last one, there was no pony in sight. But this one had clean floors, so I could walk normally. Good thing too, because my legs were starting to ache.

My eyes landed on the surprisingly large air grate at the bottom of the wall on the left side. The grate looked dirty and damaged, most likely from the radroaches that were supposedly crawling around in there.

I walked over to the grate and gave it a small tug with my hooves. It jiggled a little bit, but didn’t pull out.

“Ha, think a few screws are going to stop ol’ Flatfoot do you? Well think again” I said as I rummaged through my suit looking for a screwdriver. I found one and began removing the screws.

“Alright, let’s just hope I can find the box...and not get bitten by radroaches while I’m at it” I said as I pulled out the last screw.

I grabbed the vent and pulled it away from the wall. Placing it next to the opening, I kneeled on the ground and looked down the vent. It was too dark to see anything, and I couldn’t hear anything moving around.

“Alright, here we go” I said, and I began to crawl through the duct.

Years of dust began to cover me as I crawled farther into the vent. The light from my PipBuck helped me see where I was going. My eyes scanned the walls of the vent for the fuse box I was supposed to repair. Wires ran along the top of the vent, so I just followed them. Eventually I’d come across the fuse box.

However, it wasn’t going to be a comfortable task doing it. This vent may have been big, but so was I. My head kept scraping against the top, and I sometimes got stuck when I came to a corner.

“Don’t worry Flats, you’ve been in situations worse than this. You’ll come across that fuse box any time now,” I said, trying my best to smile.

Unfortunately, I came across something else first. I just turned at a corner vent when I found myself face to face with a radroach. The thing was about five feet long, and his soulless eyes were looking right at me.

I kept still and tried not to breathe too loudly. Normally radroaches attack the moment they see a pony. But this one just looked at me, not moving an inch. It was a stiff as a board, and not even it’s pincers were moving.

My instincts told me to slowly back away, but my curiosity told me to poke it and see what it did. This was the first radroach I had ever seen that hadn’t attacked me on sight. When you come across something like that, you want to know why.

So I slowly raised my hoof up and gave the creature a poke.

Nothing happened.

I poked it again, this time a little more forcefully. Again, it didn’t do anything. I even flipped it over, and it didn’t even twitch a leg.

“Dead. Must have been recently, or else it would have decayed more” I said with a little more relief in mind.

I pushed the carcass into another vent and continued on my way. I hoped that every radroach in the vents were dead to, but I put my hammer closer to my hoof just in case.

After another four minutes of crawling around the vents, I found the fuse box I was supposed to repair. It sat on the right side of the vent, a few feet away from another grate. The outside looked fine, but I knew to never judge a book by it’s cover.

I reached a hoof up and pulled the hatch open, and found a complete mess inside.

Wires were criss-crossing all around the inside. A few were unplugged and others were burned out altogether. The lower wires looked alright, which meant I needed less materials.

Reaching into the pocket on the back of my suit, I found some spare wires and my flat head screwdriver. I put them in front of me and began pulling out all the damaged wires. Once they were all laid out on the floor, I started putting the new ones in.

A few minutes later, all the wires had been replaced and the old ones were safely tucked into my suit pocket. I gathered my tools and pulled my PipBuck up to my face. I quickly wrote down a note to Screwy, telling her I’d fixed the fuse box.

“Well, got that done. Now I can head back to my room and get some sleep. I want to be wide awake when they announce the sacrifice. Don’t want to fall asleep like last year” I said as I began to reverse back to the grate.

“Another one for Beaker. Well I must say, this colt doesn’t have many friends down here does he.”

I froze where I was, both with shock and curiosity. That voice was talking about Beaker, AND said he had a lot of votes. How could the voice know that.

“Where’s Dial with the next sack of votes.”

The voice sounded close, and didn’t seem to be an echo from down the vents. If that’s true, then there’s only one place it could come from. My eyes instantly went to the grate a few feet in front of me.

Slowly, I crawled over to the grate. Light was flowing through it, and I could feel the air pushing past me and down into the room below. Once I got close enough, I looked down through the grate.

The room I was looking at was large, larger than most rooms in the Stable. A few mainframes ran along the walls, and a window was on the wall in between them. I could see the upper half of the Atrium through it. A large half circle desk sat in the middle of the room. Stacks upon stacks of paper covered the whole area, and even more were stacked around the desk.

My eyes tried to take the whole thing in, but then I noticed a pony sitting behind the desk. He was a cerulean blue unicorn with a dark white mane. His eyes showed ones of age and his judge mallet cutie mark sat on his flanks. Signs of a beard showed on his chin, and his hair looked even whiter in certain spots.

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. “I’m above The Overstallion’s Office” I said quietly to myself “and he’s counting the votes!”

The O.S. shifted through more papers. No sign of emotion appeared on his face; he just looked at the paper, wrote something on his terminal, then moved on. He was like a well oiled machine; never skipping a beat.

I crawled a little farther over the duck, so I could look down clearer. He didn’t seem to notice me, and I doubt anything could distract him from the most important job in the stable.

But at that moment, a dinging sound rang through the room. The Overstallion, not even looking up, pressed a button on the side of his desk. “Name” he said with no emotion.

“Dial sir. I’m here with another sack of votes from the ballot boxes” said a voice through the intercom.

“Very well, come on it then” he said, and pressed another button on his desk. The door in front of him opened, and a small earth pony mare walked in.

She had a yellow mane with a red coat, and a steam dial as her cutie mark. Slung across her back were two full sacks, no doubt filled with votes for the election. She dropped them right next to where the overstallion was sitting.

“Thanks for bringing the votes Dial. I’ll send out a message to all the residents later tonight, telling them they have to vote by midnight. Hopefully Everypony will cast a vote this year. I don’t want to deal with another shortage for the records.”

The more he talked about the election, the more I smiled. The overstallion was a very responsible pony, and he definitely had my respect. Having to count all the votes every year must be a very challenging job. But he did it anyway, and that’s the reason he was O.S.

Dial took a chair from a corner and pushed it besides the O.S. She took and seat and looked over the stacks of paper covering the desk.

“I don’t understand why you bother counting those votes anyway. The votes don’t decide who gets sacrificed, so why go through all that trouble?”

My ears shot up and my eyes popped wide open. The words rang through my head with the vigor of profanity. The front of my hooves began to shake, and I had to lay them over each other to calm them down.

“What...what did she say,” I asked myself, with nervous sweat starting to pour down my head.

“Because Dial, part of my job is to count all the votes and log the data in the Stable computer. If I don’t do this, the computer will think we’re not sacrificing anypony this year. Even the most brainless ponies know what happens if we don’t sacrifice anypony” said the O.S., who was STILL counting votes.

“But you can just put in whatever you want into the computer. You already pick who gets sacrificed anyway, so I don’t see the point in wasting your time. You need to live your life a little, which doesn’t involve spending all your time in this room. There are other ponies out there that would love to spend time with you,” said Dial, who I noticed was fluttering her eyes. But her actions went unnoticed by the O.S.

“I’m a little more preoccupied with keeping this stable up and running. Spending time with mares isn’t really a high priority for me. You should feel the same, because I need all hoofs on deck until tomorrow. I don’t want a repeat of what happened five years ago.”

I kept silent as I listened to the conversation the two were having. I didn’t want to believe what I was hearing. I didn’t want to know this...I didn’t want to know the truth. But I was; I chose to listen in, and now I was paying the price for it.

“You can’t worry about what happened that year sir. All ponies know that if they are chosen, then they must be sacrificed. Even if it was you who picked him and not the majority of the stable. You did what you had to do” said Dial.

“But what I didn’t expect was for him to be packing a gun. Fool waited till we arrived at the chambers before springing on us. If the computer hadn’t seen him as a hostile and taken him out, I shudder to think of what he could have done. I don’t want to have a repeat of this, so I need you to make sure the armory is well protect. I don’t want any ponies getting near there until the sacrifice is over.”

Dial stood up and made a small bow to the O.S. “I will do what you wish sir. However, some note from you so that they don’t think I’m up to anything would be nice.”

Keeping his eyes on his work, the O.S. pressed another button on his desk. A slip of paper slid out of a slot on his desk, and Dial took the paper and stuffed it into her suit. She turned to walk out the door, giving her flanks a little wiggle when she did. But this time the O.S. did look, and he smiled a little.

___________________________________________________

My mind was racing with the new information I had just heard. The O.S., the most respected pony in the stable, had been lying to us all this time. The votes didn’t matter, HE was the one who decided who was sacrificed. We were completely at his mercy, and we didn’t even know it.

I knew that I couldn’t stay up here forever: I had to get out.

There was a nag a the back of my mind telling me I had to go and inform anypony who would listen to me about what I had just heard. Ponies had to know this, it couldn’t go on!

But the majority of my brain was telling me to keep quiet and try not to grab attention. When you know something like this, you’d better not draw attention to yourself. Especially when it involves the most powerful pony in the stable.

Still arguing with myself, I slowly began to reverse away from the grate. I held my breath and hoped that the O.S. and Dial wouldn’t notice or hear me. I kept my legs squished together so they wouldn’t hit the sides, and lowered my head away from the top. Hopefully I could make it to the grate without attracting any unwanted attention.

But of course, stuff like that never happens to me.

Just as I began to crawl back, I felt a vibration on my foreleg. The light of my PipBuck turned green, and then the voice began to blare out.

“ATTENTION, ATTENTION, YOU’VE GOT A MESSAGE! YOU’VE GOT A MESSAGE!”

I mentally cursed myself and tried to click away the message. The image of a scroll burning up kept flashing on the screen, and my clumsy hoof work didn’t help make it go away. My inventory and Health stats flashed up instead, and the voice kept screaming out that I had a message.

Finally, I slowed my hoofwork down and found the off button. The scroll burned up and went into my file storage. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it was over.

But just then, I realized everything had gone quiet. I didn’t hear the shuffle of Dials hooves, or the sound of flipping paper from the O.S. My mind began to go into panic mode again, and I had another bad feeling. Slowly, I looked down into the room. Dial was stopped in front of the door, her face in one of shock/despair. The O.S. had looked up from his papers, but his face still showed no emotion.

“Dial...was that your PipBuck by any chance” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dial still seemed shocked, and swallowed a large lump in her throat. “N...no sir. Was...was it yours” she asked.

“No, it was not. Since it wasn’t mine and it wasn’t yours, you know what that means right” asked the O.S., whose eyes had suddenly become cross.

“No sir, what does it mean” asked Dial nervously.

The horn of the O.S. began to glow, bringing more light to the room. But the moment it did, I saw the same light wrap around my front hooves. Keeping the sudden surge of panic under control, I tried to tug my hooves away. But the magic held onto them like they were encased in concrete.

“It means we have a visitor with us. Why don’t we let him in” asked the O.S.

I suddenly felt a sharp tug at my hooves. Before I could react, I felt them get pulled towards the grate, bringing my whole body with them. They were pulled against the grate with so much force it broke like a cracker. My body was dragged through the opening and free fell onto the hard steel floor. My back collided with the broken grate, causing a ripple of pain to go across it.

My PipBuck began to ring out, stating things about bruises and possible cuts. I ignored it and slowly began to rise off the floor. My legs were wiggling with pain, and my back now felt like someone had put a hot knife into it. My teeth gritted against themselves while I tried to work through the pain.

But when I lifted my head up, my eyes fell upon the face of the O.S.

He looked at me with the stinging face a disapproving father would give to his foal. His eyes were filled with hate and loathness that any other kind of creature would have run off in fear. He brought his hoof up to his suit and dusted some...dust...off of it.

“Well hello there my young friend. How nice of you to drop in on us. I must say you didn’t give me enough time to prepare, my office is a complete mess” he said, still with a disapproving scowl.

I didn’t know what I could say in this situation. The most powerful pony in the stable had caught me listening in on him. Now I was trapped between him and Dial, who was still shaking by the door.

He quickly pointed his hoof at me, squishing it forcefully into my nose.

“State your name, occupation, and most importantly; the reason you were in the vents above my office!”

It took me a minute to collect my thoughts. Ponies say it’s hard to speak when under pressure, and I can confirm that 100%.

“Uh...my name is Flatfoot sir. I’ve been a maintenance pony for almost six years sir. I...I was up in the vents to fix a fuse box that had blown out” I said, with fear flowing out with every word.

“Do you have any proof that you were fixing a fuse box?” he asked crossly.

I swallowed another lump in my throat. “Yes sir, I have a note from Screwy with instructions for me to repair it,” I said, and I quickly pulled the message up on my PipBuck.

The O.S.’s horn glowed and magic wrapped around my PipBuck. He forcefully tugged it (and myself) over to him and read through the message. When he was done, he dropped my leg and stared coldly at me.

“Well it seems your story checks out...on your reason for being here anyway. But I’m not focusing on why you’re here. I’m more interested on what happened after you repaired the fuse box. So tell me, how much of our conversation did you hear?”

Sweat poured down my head while I tried to answer his question. No way I could tell him the truth, and I couldn’t say I didn’t hear anything. There’s a icepops chance in Tartarus that he’d believe me. So, I compromised: “Uh...I just heard the part about you wanting Dial to make sure nopony gets into the armory.”

The O.S. stepped closer to me, his eyes still mentally burning holes in my brain. His head was not only half an inch from mine. I could feel his breath on my face and the point of his horn on my forehead.

“Are you positive that’s all your heard? Not a single thing about anything else?” he asked.

“No...no sir. Nothing more than that, I swear,” I said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

The O.S.’s horn glowed, and once again wrapped me in magic. But this time he focused on my face, squishing it with the force of a body builder. Pain erupted through my head as he pulled me even closer. If he hadn’t raised his head slightly, then his horn probably would have pierced my head.

“So let’s say I was to go and get Beaker. Say I had him perform the most powerful truth spell he knew on you. So powerful that you’d spill every secret in your mind to anyone who asked. If I were to do that, would you still be saying the same thing? Choose your answer carefully,” he said sternly.

His magic continued to crush my face into my skull. The pain was worse than any headache I had ever had. If he didn’t release his grip soon, my head would pop like a magic bubble.

“Yes, yes I would sir. I swear I didn’t hear anything more than what I told you,” I said through gritted teeth. Tears began flowing down my face, and my legs were so numb they were about to give out.

The O.S. kept looking at me with a disapproving scowl. But then, he stopped channeling magic and let me head go. I dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. I rubbed my temples, hoping to get the beating to go down. I’d need about twenty pain relievers after this.

The O.S. looked down at me with his non-emotion face once again on. But something was different about it: now I could feel hatred just lurking behind it.

“Alright then, I believe your story. You seem to be telling the truth, and the truth is always the right thing to say,” he said, then turned around and walked behind his desk.

“You're free to go...Flatfoot was it. Dial will escort you back to your room. Make sure no one bothers him” he said to Dial, who nodded in agreement. “I hope to see you at the ceremony tomorrow Flatfoot, but I don’t want to see you any time before then. Try and have a good day..and try to keep out of trouble while you’re at it” he said, then went back to looking at the “votes”.

Dial stepped forward and waved a hoof towards the door, indicating me to follow her. Slowly, I got up from the floor and turned to face the door. I didn’t look back at the O.S., but I could tell he was staring at me. I slowly followed Dial out of the office, and the large door closed behind me the moment I stepped into the hallway.

____________________________________________________

I kept my thoughts to myself as Dial and me walked to my room. Ponies watched as we passed, but didn’t take much notice of us. A few small fillies giggled as we passed, and I could only wonder what was going through there heads. Dial walking so close to me was a pretty good clue.

But my mind wasn’t on the ponies that were watching us. My mind was still on what had just happened to me. I started off just fixing a fuse box, and ended up learning the biggest secret in the whole stable. Plus to top it off, The O.S. now looked at me as some kind of criminal.

We passed through the doors that lead to the Living Quarters. Dial steered me straight to the door of my room. She pressed the button on the wall and watched my room door spring open.

“Alright, you’re to stay here until the ceremony tomorrow. If you are spotted outside before that time, guards will be on you faster than you can say “party pony”. Have a nice day” said Dial, who gave me a forceful shove into my room. The door closed behind me and I was alone once again.

Naturally, nothing had changed since I was last in here. My old PipBucks and magic-powered lamp were still sitting on my desk. Papers overflowed my wastebasket, while a stack of blueprints sat on my nightstand. The sheets on my bed were unruffled, and my closet door remained shut.

Sighing, I trotted over to my bed and buried my face in my pillows.

“Why...why me? Why did I have to get that job? Why did I have to have such curiosity? WHY DID ALL THIS HAPPEN TO ME!” I shouted through the pillow. I lifted my head up so I could breath again.

“The worst part about all of this is knowing the truth. Our votes count as nothing; it’s the O.S. who picks who dies each year. Somepony who would normally not be picked is sacrificed just because the O.S. says so. How did it come to something like this?” I asked as I turned around so I lay flat on my back.

An occasion twinge of pain would shoot up my back every few minutes, but it passed just as quickly. Dial had given me a stimpack on our way here, so the pain was starting to die down. Right now I needed to get some sleep.

I closed my eyes, hoping that I would drift off to sleep quickly.

Unfortunately, my mind was in the mood. No matter how still I laid, or how hard I shut my eyes, sleep never came. I tried this on and off for an hour with no success. I was ready to start counting sheep when the door to my room opened.

I quickly sat up and looked to see who had entered.

A dark grey earth mare with a dark brown mane walked into my room. She wore a smile on her face that would make just about anypony smile with her. Bags hung under her eyes, and her jumpsuit looked dirty and patched in places. Just below her suit sat her cutie mark: a water pipe with a bandage over the center. She walked over to my bed and smiled at me.

“...Mom, what are you doing here?” I asked while I climbed down from my bed. I walked over to her and quickly gave her a hug, which she gladly returned.

“Well, I was talking with Cap’s mother a little while ago, when she mentioned something rather interesting. She said that you were spending time with Dial today. Not only that, but a little pegasus told me that she was your new marefriend” she said with a smile.

“What..what, NO. She just walked me back to my room, with orders from the O.S.” I replied hastily. Just the thought of me and Dial doing anything made my whole body shiver.

“And do you mind explaining why the O.S. asked her to walk you back to your room?”

My mind started racing for an answer. I couldn’t tell mom what had happened up in the office, less the O.S. sends guards to take care of me. So I did what everypony hates to do to their mother: I lied.

“Uh, I was fixing some wires...in...the O.S. office an hour ago. He was thankful for my services and saw I was tired and asked Dial to escort me back. He didn’t want anypony to bother me” I said in the most convincing way I could.

Mom raised an eyebrow as she studied me. She always had some kind of instinct that let her know when I was lying, but she never got it right all the time. I still got away with plenty of things when I was a foal.

Mom sighed “Alright, I’ll believe you this time Flatfoot. But I really do hope you actually try and find a mare for yourself. I want you to have a great life, no matter how short or long it might be.”

I snorted (in a funny way) and turned around. “Sorry mom, but this colt’s going to stay a bachelor forever! No mares for me, it’s just going to be this colt right here,” I said confidently.

Mom smiled and shook her head. “Sarcasm, another wonderful trait of yours...just like your father.”

The moment she said this, both of our smiles turned to frowns. Mom’s eyes widened slightly and then looked down. I sighed and turned towards her, before walking up and giving her a hug. He waited a moment before doing the same.

It had been almost seven years since dad had disappeared from the stable. He was the only earth pony that worked as a guard in Stable 11 at that point. He worked the night shift, so I didn’t get to spend much time with him. But whenever we did, he’d always tell me stories about life before Stables, and how his parents used to live during the war.

Sometime he’d even allow me to stay up late and come with him to work. The ponies on duty didn’t mind having me around, and they’d even let me work the cameras sometimes. Other times I walked around the Stable with dad, looking for anyone who was breaking curfew. I usually fell asleep after an hour or so, and dad would walk me back to mom so she could put me in bed. When I woke up, I’d go to the door and wait for him to come home.

But that all changed one night a few years ago.

I had just reached the age when I got my own place in the stable. Dad would come by my room and ask if I wanted to help him out that night. I only agreed to it once, since I was usually trying to work on other things. But he didn’t mind, and would always come by to see how I was doing. Then in the morning, he’d open my door, force me out of bed, and tell me about all the things he had done that night. Thanks to him, I now wake up early in the morning.

But one night, things were different. When he came by my door that night, he didn’t seem as cheerful as he usually was. His eyes kept looking all over the room, as if he was worried somepony was watching him. His legs shook slightly and his teeth occasionally chattered. I asked him if he was okay, but he just said he was fine and quickly changed the subject.

He told me he’d talk to me in the morning, then quickly left.

I shrugged it off as dad just getting old and didn’t think too much about it. The next morning I woke up and right away noticed something wrong. I had woken up by myself; dad hadn’t arrived yet. Soon mom came and asked if I’d seen dad, and that’s when I began to worry. I went to the guard station and asked if anyone had seen him, but no one had since last night.

Guards and volunteers searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. Nothing had gone missing from his locker, and no drops of blood could be found. Other guards didn’t have a clue where he went, and a whole bunch of theories began to go around.

One pony even said he might have actually left the stable. If that was his plan, I know it wouldn’t have worked. The door that separated Stable 11 from the outside world was sealed and locked over 120 years ago. Only the O.S. had the passcode needed to open it. So I’d like to see how he could have gotten him to give the code up.

But whatever happened, it still became hell for me and mom. She’d lay awake all night, hoping that they had found dad. She stopped being cheerful and only spoke when someone yelled at her (usually because she didn’t answer). Not even Aunt Med could get her out of her stupor. It was only when they called off the search for dad that she knew she had to move on.

As for me, I took the whole thing a little bit differently. I helped out in the search, and even interviewed ponies in my spare time. I asked security to check all the cameras, and even inspected every terminal available to me looking for evidence. But after two weeks, I came up with nothing. Security hadn’t found him on the cameras, and it just got “better” when they called off the search. After that, I followed mom and tried to move on.

“I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have brought him up. I should have known what happens when we talk about him” said Mom, who was still hugging me tightly.

I patted her back gently “It’s okay mom. We don’t want to forget dad, so talking about him is good. There’s no use ignoring something in the hopes that it will go away.”

Mom stepped back from the hug and wiped a tear from her eye. Her frown turned back into a smile “using my own words against me? Now I know how you feel.”

I smiled “hey, sometimes you do give good advice. I didn’t just think of girls and candy when you were speaking “words from the wise” all those years ago. I listened, and kept those words to heart.”

Mom wiped another tear from her eye and smiled a little more. “Good to know. But I think it’s time for me to head out Flatfoot. And I think you should go to bed now; you need to be wide awake tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to fall asleep when they call my name.”

I smiled at my comment, but then my head jerked to the side. Pain spread from my cheek and rippled through my skull. My already throbbing head now felt like a sewage pipe had been dropped on it.

“Don’t you ever...EVER...say things like that. No one in their right mind would even think about picking you to be sacrificed. Your mind is so valuable to this stable that we’d be all but screwed without it. Plus, I’d personally kill all those who would make you the sacrifice,” said mom with the meanest scowl I’d ever seen on her face.

I gently rubbed my now sore cheek, hoping to get the pain to go down. Mom may not have had the best mind, but I didn’t get my strength from dad.

“I know you shouldn’t have. Now I’m heading back to my room, and I expect you to go to bed in the next half hour,” said mom. She raised her nose indignantly and walked towards the door. She raised her hoof and smacked the hydraulic button. The door quickly rose up and she walked out.

“You can’t tell me what to do mom: I’m not a foal anymore,” I called to her.

The door was just about to close, but before it did, she called back to me.

“You’re right, you’re not a foal anymore. But you are still my son” she said, before the door closed completely.

I groaned slightly while I turned back towards my bed. I jumped into the air and landed back first on the mattress. Slight pain rippled through my spine, but once again it quickly subsided. I hoped this wouldn’t be a recurring theme and that it would heal relatively fast.

I thought about all the things that had happened to me over the last few hours, and how my life would probably never be the same again. The future I had always dreamed about could now be just that...a dream.

I thought about this for an hour, before my mind became bored and I finally fell asleep.

____________________________________________________

But my wakeup call wasn’t exactly the most refreshing.

“Wake up Flats, it’s killing day!”

My brain hadn’t even started up yet when I felt something large land next to me on my bed. The impact caused the mattress to ripple, causing ME to fly off the bed. I hit the floor with a solid thud and rolled across it until I hit the wall.

“ouch...okay, who’s the wise colt,” I asked as I slowly got up from the floor. I turned towards my bed, ready to kick that buck till he needed more than sixty stimpacks.

“Hu, maybe you hit your head too hard there Flats. Because if I’m not mistaken, I’m no colt.”

When my eyes fell on my bed, I didn’t see a colt standing there.

Instead, Zest was lying down with her hooves crossed over one another. She smiled normally at me, but I could see glee streaming through her jumpsuit-blue eyes.

I frowned and walked over to my bed. Zest looked up at me, still with a smile, that I could tell she was hoping would get her off the hook. But instead, I raised my hoof and gave her a slight tap on the head.

“What’s the deal with waking me up like that Zest. I could have broken a rib, or a leg for that matter,” I said grumpily. It happens when I’m woken up from a good sleep.

Zest rubbed the spot where I’d tapped her, but still had a smile on her face. “I tried shaking you awake, but you were out like an atrium light. I even tried slapping you in the face, but that didn’t work either. So, I did the last thing I could think of: flinging you out of bed.”

“Ugh...if I don’t wake up next time then just let me sleep. You know how cranky I get when I’m woken up early in the morning,” I said while walking over to my dresser. I grabbed the handle in my mouth and pulled it open. Sitting neatly in rows were all my stable issued jumpsuits. I picked one out and began removing the one I had on.

Being an earth pony, this was one of the hardest parts of my day. I had to wiggle my head out of the suit, then work it down my front legs. And when I got that done, I had to reverse the process on my new jumpsuit. This was the only time I wouldn’t have minded being born a unicorn.

Zest jumped off the bed and did a few stretches. I started pulling the clean suit over my head, but soon found it to be stuck. I tried pulling on it with my free hooves, but it wouldn’t go down. As I tried pulling again, I heard the sound of hooves approaching.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

I felt Zest bite down on the end of the suit, and then she began pulling. I did the same with my hooves, and soon the suit slid over my head and slinked up my legs. I quickly adjusted the bottom half so that it wasn’t folded, while keeping it short enough so my cutie mark was still visible.

“Thanks for the help Zest. I don’t know how long i’d have been at that without you” I said while turning to face her. But the moment I did, I found our faces so close together our noses were touching. I looked down at them then up at Zest. She did the same...so we were now looking right at each other.

My brain was telling me to back away and say I was sorry. But I stayed rigid as a stone and kept looking at her. I breathed and my nose inhaled the sweet scent of apple cinnamon, filling every crevice of my head. I didn’t know if it was perfume or some kind of shampoo, but I really liked it.

It was only then that I looked down at Zest’s cheeks, and I didn’t see the color of blue. Instead, her cheeks were starting to turn a light shade of red. For the first time in my whole time knowing her, Zest was actually blushing. I couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or nervousness, but the shade just kept getting darker.

I wanted to stay like this a little longer and see what happened, but I knew I couldn’t. Instead I quickly stepped back and put a hoof or so’s distance between us. I thought I saw Zest frown slightly, but it was gone just as fast.

“uh...so...Zest...did, did you come to wake me up for a reason. You never usually do it,” I asked nervously.

Zest sighed slightly before looking at me with her normal smirking demeanor. “I came to wake you up because they announce this year’s sacrifice in twenty minutes. All ponies in the stable are to be present or risk sewage cleanup duty. Knowing how much you hated doing that last time you were punished, I decided to help you out. So I woke up early and came to get you. Didn’t expect you to be so hard to wake up.”

I smiled to before playfully punching her on the shoulder. “Says the mare that once slept two whole days, even after she was rolled down a flight of stairs and rubbed by just about every pervert in the stable.”

“To be fair, I was highly drunk at the time. What else did you expect to happen: It was cider season. That’s my favorite time of the year, and something as small as consequences isn’t going to stop me from enjoying it.”

I let out a small laugh, then began walking over to the door. “Come on Zest, we’d better head to the atrium. Like you said: we wouldn’t want to be late.”

I reached a hoof up and pressed the OPEN button. The door slid up and locked itself into place. A few ponies quickly ran past towards the atrium. I could hear talking all throughout the halls, and feel the rumble of hooves on the floor.

Smiling at the energetic behavior she was showing, I followed behind her as my room door shut behind me.

____________________________________________________

Me and Zest quickly merged into the crowd of ponies that were making their way to the atrium. Old ponies, young ponies, mares, colts, were all seen throughout the crowd. A few foals were there too, since ALL ponies had to be present at the announcement.

Zest kept her happy smile plastered on her face the entire way there. Besides her smile and my blank expression, every face of every pony was either scared or nervous. I know I should have been to, but I didn’t want to show my concern.

In reality, I was as scared and nervous as any other pony in the stable. Unlike all of them, I actually knew the truth about the goddess awful act. I didn’t want to think about it, but I couldn’t keep it out of my mind either.

It wasn’t long before me and Zest reached the atrium. Hundreds of ponies filled the bottom and top floors. Guards were stationed at all the doors, each one looking dead center at the stage near the back wall. A large podium stood at the center, and microphone wires ran from it to speakers around the atrium.

Zest and me walked further into the crowd of ponies. Occasionally I saw one with a look of disinterest or boredom, but most showed ones of fright or sadness. Foals were either talking with their friends or tightly holding their parents.

The whole sight made my insides churn.

When Zest finally stopped near the center of the atrium, she looked around at all the ponies and guards. She squinted her eyes and frowned as she did.

“Something wrong Zest,” I asked.

“...Is it just me, or does it seem like there are more guards on duty than there normally are?”

I tilted my head, not understanding what she was saying. “What do you mean?”

“Just look around you Flat. Normally there’s one guard for every door and one for the stage. But now there’s two guards at each door and four near the stage. They’ve more than doubled the horsepower this year,” said Zest, who was still looking around.

My initial thoughts labeled it as nothing too unusual, but then that itch in the back of my mind kicked in. Just yesterday I had found out the truth about this, and now more guards had been called in.

And if that wasn’t enough, the final nail in the coffin soon presented itself.

I felt a hoof touch me on the shoulder with a good slam. I turned my head around, looking for the owner. Looking at me with a face that a mother would give her lying son was Dial. She wore her normal stable jumpsuit, but was now wearing a gun belt with it.

Trying to show that I wasn’t afraid of her, I smiled smugly like Zest. “Morning Dial. I see you let your mane down today. Didn’t have enough time to style it this morning? You should probably spend more time sleeping and less time rubbing your flanks in the O.S. face.”

Zest started laughing, and I almost did to. Dial’s face went from annoyance to pure hate, but she shook that off and put on one of patience instead.

“I’m not here to help you make jokes Flatfoot. I’ve been sent to give you a message, directly from the Overstallion.”

“Oh, this I gotta hear,” said Zest, who quickly ran over to us with anticipation on her face. But Dial wasn’t having any of that.

“This message is for Flatfoot only. No other pony is allowed to hear it,” she said.

Zest raised an eyebrow “And how do you expect that to happen when we’re surrounded by ponies?”

Dial grabbed my face with her hooves and pulled me close to her face. A few nearby mares giggled at this, which caused my face to turn red fast. I looked back at Zest, who looked like she was ready to kill.

“I’ll whisper it to him. Now be a good filly and leave us for a moment. You can have your coltfriend back after I’m done with him,” said Dial.

I wanted to explain that I wasn’t her coltfriend, but Zest nodded and turned away before I could say anything. Dial looked back at me with a wicked smile. Her mouth moves close to my ears.

“The O.S. wanted me to tell you why there are so many guards this year. He’s been worried that certain ponies will...speak their mind...during the announcement. Therefore, all the guards have been told to shock anypony who says anything that would bring ponies to worry or be scared. Plus, all those who are close to the pony will face equal punishment. He hopes you enjoy the show, and that you don’t have to deal with the guards.”

Dial moved away from my face, looking at me with an evil smile. Then she turned on her hooves, slapped my face with her tail, and walked away towards the stage.

Zest watched her leave before walking back towards me. “So, what did she say? What’s the scoop Flat?”

My eyes shot up to look at the nearest guard, who was looking at me and Zest with the concentration of a meditator. His horn magic flickered for a moment, and I felt a slight tingling in my right hoof.

“Uh...none of your buisness Zest. Just some stuff I have to do for the O.S. later. Nothing more nothing less,” I said, trying my best to smile.

Zest looked like she was about to respond, but was cut off by the speakers turning on. All the ponies in the atrium stopped talking and looked up at the stage. The door behind it opened, and the O.S. walked out. He was wearing a new O.S. jumpsuit and had shaven whatever remnants of a beard were left on his face. His hair was unkempt, but it worked well for him.

As he made his way up to the podium, ponies began clapping and cheering. Zest just did a small clap while I stayed silent. No way could I ever clap for that stalion again.

The O.S. reached the podium, where the mics had just turned on. He raised his right hoof, which caused all the ponies the quiet down. The guards stood at attention, raising their right legs up to their forehead in a solute.

The O.S. lowered his leg and turned to the crowd in front of him.

“My fellow stable ponies; it is unfortunately that time of year again. It is the time where one pony will be sacrificed so that all other ponies in the stable will be able to live. Now I know many of you are scared or worried that you shall be picked this year. But I want you to remember that if you are picked, you are making the biggest contribution anyone can do for the stable. You shall be saving the lives of all the ponies around you. Every single one, saved because you made the ultimate sacrifice: yourself.”

The ponies in the crowded once again clapped and cheered, but I continued to remain silent. All he was saying was bullshit and I was the only one who knew so. To everyone else, he was speaking words of wisdom.

“Now it is time to reveal the name of the pony who was voted by the stable to be sacrificed. When I call the name of the selected pony, I want him or her to immediately come up to the stage. If the pony refuses to or tries to run, the guards will forcefully take you away. Now I hope that doesn’t happen, but it has before. Now, I do believe it’s time to see who has been picked. Dial, if you please,” he said, waving a hoof in Dial’s direction.

Dial walked up to the stage with a small blue envelope in her mouth. Making a great deal of it, she walked up the the O.S. and held the envelope out. He took it in his magic before turning back to the crowd.

“When I call the name of the pony selected, please come straight to the stage. Ponies may say their goodbyes while they are walking here, but no pony is allowed to stop him so they can have a long talk. The sacrifice must be done within the next hour.”

The crowd silently talked to one another, but none had any objections. Nopony ever did.

The O.S. increased his magic, tearing a side of the envelope off. A smaller piece of paper floated out and unfolded itself in front of him. Ponies watched with anticipation while the O.S. read the piece over. When he was finished, he lowered the paper and looked at the crowd with a smile.

“Well I must say I didn’t expect this pony to be the one picked this year. I hadn’t even met him until a while ago, but he seems to have quite a record to have as many votes as he did.”

Everypony in the atrium was holding their breaths. Zest looked more nervous than ever, and I could see Caps a little distance away. He was shaking so much you could make a milkshake with him.

But I ignored him and turned back to the O.S. He was now looking more serious, and spoke with a tough voice.

“Who would have guessed that this pony would actually be this year's sacrifice. I didn’t expect it, but you all did.”

I wanted him to say who it was and get it over with. The feeling I was getting from the area was starting to make me sick.

“The pony that will be sacrificed this year is none other than the chirpy maintenance pony himself...FLATFOOT.”