Fallout: Saddle Arabia

The dull hum of stable machinery filled the hallway around me with life, reminding me that this place was much more than just dull grey concrete and metal. The soft hiss of steam leaking out of one pipe or another, the gurgle of water moving behind the walls, and the slight buzz of generators and air purifiers combined together into a kind of heartbeat; a living, breathing pulse all around me that seemed to resonate with my own body.

It was relatively early in the morning, according to the readout on my PipBuck. The screen filled with my schedule, reminding me where I was to be, and at what times. '10 AM: Class - Stable History, Level 5 Room 502' corresponded with a small tag on my compass, directing me where to go. Soft amber bars moved about nearby, other ponies going about their duties or attending classes. I passed one room that appeared to be a solid block of them, somewhere between twenty to thirty younger fillies and colts attending a class on Stable-Tec generators. I caught a glimpse of the gem array that fed us power and kept the lights on before moving past the classroom window. Ahead, my tag guided me to another room filled with a milling mass of amber bars.

I took a deep breath of recycled air, closing my eyes for a brief moment. My right eye itched. Grimacing, I fished a small phial of liquid from my saddlebags, dripping a few drops into the socket. The cybernetic implant stopped itching, but the display went a bit fuzzy for a short while, the liquid gathering on the lens. I shut off the feed with a thought, the right half of my vision going dark. With it went the PipBuck interface, and I lost the tag for a few moments. Not that it mattered, I was right outside of the classroom anyways.

Inside, I could hear a jumble of soft voices, almost all of them young. Young colts and fillies who hadn't begun taking their classes yet were allowed to mingle and socialize as they pleased, but soon enough would be structured the way other classes were. On this level, at least. I blinked twice and the feed from my cybernetic eye came back on, loading my schedule alongside the small tag hovering in the air directly in front of me.

I was a few minutes early, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The double doors opened with a whoosh, and I stepped into the maelstrom of milling foal bodies.

"Diamond Dust!"

"The Head Mare is here!"

"Momma!”

My entrance shot out among the gathered foals like a ripple, earning at least a look from everypony, if not an overt reaction. One filly in particular flung herself at my hooves, clinging to them petulantly.

"Good morning, everypony!" I bubbled, my horn glowing as I wrapped the small filly with my magic. "And good morning to you, Opal." I nuzzled my youngest daughter lovingly, getting a small giggle and a smile as precious as all the world in return. Whatever foals that weren't busy playing with toys or talking in groups began to mill about me, some of them leaving their games and toys behind in order to join the group steadily swamping me. "How are we all doing today?" I got a jangled chorus of 'good,' and 'great' back, many young ponies reaching out just to touch the Head Mare. I set Opal down (and was promptly shackled with the young filly) in order to pay better attention to the class. There were twenty-eight that I could count, and a small list on my PipBuck confirmed the number.

"You're a bit early, Head Mare." An elderly nag by the name of Cream smiled warmly from her nest of blankets. She wasn't very mobile anymore, but this same mare had watched me when I was a foal. Her strong magic pried apart two fillies jostling to get closer to me, the firm milky-white field just as strong as I remembered.

"I like to get an early start." I smiled at her, wading through the group of young ponies to the front of class. "Now, today's a very special day, isn't it?" I spoke to them all, prying Opal off of my hoof and setting her down nearby. I gave her mane a soft ruffle to keep her in place. "Who can tell me what starts today?"

"It's the start of our trials!" A young earth pony colt with glasses piped up, almost overly eager. I beamed at him and nodded.

"That's right - now that all of you are at least five, you're going to start doing your trials. I'm sure you've all heard terrible things about these trials, about the injuries and accidents we've had in the past... And while it's true that some of these trials carry great risks, I know you're all going to be strong for me." My smile was genuine as I looked out at the twenty-eight beaming, determined faces. Well, twenty-seven. One pegasus filly near the back seemed to be having second doubts. I looked directly at her as I continued speaking.

"Here in Stable Alpha, we have a long tradition of strength and resourcefulness. We build up that strength and resourcefulness through a long system of classes and trials, which each of you will be starting from now until you finish the last trial. But don't despair!" I clapped my hooves together, smiling at them still. "That's what me, Cream, and all the other ponies in Stable Alpha are here to help you with. To make you strong." I cast a long gaze at the small mob of enraptured faces, my eyes landing at last on Cream. She had a sad smile on her lips as she slowly nodded her head.

"All right," my horn lit up as I pulled a blank canvas from its roller on the ceiling. It covered a healthy portion of the concrete wall, and Cream turned down the lights. "Your first trial starts now, and it begins with a history lesson. A great pony once told me, 'before any steps can be taken, one needs to find where they stand.' So you're all going to learn about the Great War, Stable-Tec, and Saddle Arabia." A chorus of 'ooh's' and 'aah's' rang out as a projector descended from its hiding place in the ceiling and flickered to life. Projectors, basic as they were, still hadn't been seen by the young ponies. We let them play and enjoy their youth before introducing them to the real wonders of Stable Alpha... And the real gravity of the world outside. The image on the canvas flickered for a few moments before coming into focus.

"Equestria. Seat of the princesses Luna and Celestia, each embodying the night and day, respectively." A tinny mare's voice narrated while images of Equestria as a whole - with the Crystal Kingdom to the north, Saddle Arabia to the south, and the Zebra lands far to the east. Celestia and Luna flanked the map while the mare continued talking. "It was a peaceful land, existing for many, many years without any major conflict with its neighbors. Even when dissension brewed between the two sisters, ending with Luna's interment in the moon for an entire millennium, Equestria maintained peace with the surrounding lands - who had troubles all of their own to focus on. However, the banishment of Luna and her subsequent return to Equestria sparked something entirely new and unheard of before then:

"Industry. Equestria began to develop wonders the likes of which no other country could boast. It began with steam-powered engines that, when drawn with a team of ponies, could cross the country in a matter of days. Travel became faster and safer than ever before, sparking trade and other ideas as well. Before long, Equestria was developing power plants and factories for its steel, expanding its cities and growing larger and more prosperous as a nation. But this entire industry relied heavily on the one thing that Equestria did not have: coal.

"After stripping almost all of its natural resources, Equestria turned to trade to keep its industry afloat." The image changed from the map, which had grown a spidery line of railroad tracks across it, to a wider angle that now included Saddle Arabia and the Zebra territories as well. The mare continued. "What the ponies had in gems, the zebras had in coal, and for a time, things were good again. Trade was Equestria's salvation, and their industry came to life once more. But trade is seldom fair, and the zebras felt as if they weren't getting the better deal - or even a good one."

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as the projection shifted entirely, displaying the princesses opposite a fierce-looking zebra, both parties wearing angry expressions. ”Political meetings and negotiation attempts grew in abundance as both sides vied to seek out the best deal for their people. The zebras, feeling shorted, began to withhold coal shipments from Equestria, resulting in an entropic decay within the developing society. Tensions grew higher and higher, with minor scuffles breaking out here and there between the two nations.

“The tension built to a head at the Equestrian academy of Littlehorn, where reports say a group of refugees seeking shelter from the fighting were fired upon by Equestrian guards at the academy. Following the brutal murder of their own kind, the zebras instigated a full-on terrorist attack of the school, releasing a vicious Pink Cloud that brutally murdered the students, professors, and guards at the academy. The record remains unclear precisely who was to blame, but it had the effect of spurring the zebras and Equestria into new action. The war began in earnest. The image burned away from the middle, as if a flame had been placed underneath it. What followed was a close-up of Equestria, though the map now sported a myriad of red dots, spreading across the north and eastern portions of the map.

”Following the egregious attacks on both zebra and ponykind, Princess Celestia abdicated the throne to her little sister, Princess Luna. Together with the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Princess Luna formed six ministries to help with the war effort, in an attempt to bring the conflict to a quick and decisive end. The Ministries of Arcane Science, Image, Peace, Morality, Technology, and Awesome. As the war became more and more heated, so too did the subjects of research for the ministries, which began to develop everything from firearms designed to kill zebras en masse to potions that could bring a dying soldier back to perfect health. Once gem-powered generators were developed, Equestria’s wartime industry was spurred to even higher heights, developing fearsome weapons of war.

“The zebras’ own development was spurred on as well, though instead of hulking suits of power armor that rendered a pony as durable as a tank and equally as powerful, they focused on stealth and intrigue, using a wide-spread network of spies, subterfuge, and sympathizers to sabotage the Equestrian war effort. The frontlines of the war were never entirely clear-cut, with the zebras bringing violence into the very homes and towns of Equestrian citizens. With these fearsome advancements in technology, the war became the bloodiest, most violent era in our history.

“The devastation increased exponentially, as did the death toll on both sides. Yet Equestria and Zebrica continued to fight. New, more powerful weapons were unleashed as fast as they could be made, culminating in the deployment of the most destructive forces the world had ever seen: Equestria's Megaspells, and the zebra's Balefire Bombs."

I looked away from the video to watch the foals in the classroom. They were all raptly paying attention, most of them looking horrified at learning the awful truths behind the Great War. I was glad they shared my sentiment. Thankfully enough, the war was almost two centuries done. There was hope to be found in this terrible lesson, and they would learn of it momentarily. I cast my eyes back to the projector as the mare continued speaking.

"Near the end of this awful conflict, many companies had been founded to assist with the war effort, or help the ponies of Equestria to survive through the war. One such company, by the name of Stable-Tec, had been founded by a trio of hopeful fillies that wanted to see the ponies of Equestria saved from the terrors of war. Using technology developed from within or bought from without, Stable-Tec used its considerable resources to begin building formidable Stables - massive underground structures designed not only to withstand balefire bombs and megaspell attacks, but thrive for many, many years afterwards. State-of-the-art recyclers and underground orchards would provide food in abundance. Skilled medical staff could create healing potions and chemicals to fight sickness and injury. Mechanical wonders that would recycle the carbon dioxide we exhale and produce fresh oxygen kept ponies breathing underground, where they would otherwise suffocate and perish. All of these wondrous advancements and more contributed to the future of Equestria."

I saw some furrowed brows and scrunched noses among the crowd, as their young minds tried to process what they had seen and heard. One of them - the young colt with the glasses from earlier, turned to me and opened his mouth to ask a question, only to be interrupted by the projection.

"By now, I'm sure you're wondering exactly how all of these things impacted Stable Alpha and Saddle Arabia, where you find yourselves now." I smiled at him and nodded at the flickering image, turning my own eyes back to the presentation. Never mind that I'd seen it dozens of times by now, it was still a good reminder of the way things had been, and the reason why we were so blessed. "To understand that, you have to understand more about Saddle Arabia itself." The image changed from war-torn Equestria and the zebra territories to the wide, brown expanse of Saddle Arabia. Sandwiched between Equestria to the north, the Dragon Territories to the south, and oceans to both east and west, Saddle Arabia appeared as a nearly square expanse of desert on the map.

"Due to its harsh, unforgiving climate, Saddle Arabia had been almost entirely independent from the rest of the world. But local Saddle Arabian ponies found ways to survive - and even thrive - in the harsh sun and dry air of the desert. For as long as Equestria had order, Saddle Arabia had the opposite. Marems - coalitions of mares all allied under one Head Mare - fought among one another in fierce, tribal warfare. Valuable supplies of water and grass were fought over as vehemently as any conflict in the past, and some of these millennia-long grudges persist even today. However, there were some in each tribe who could see that peace ensured survival, and alliance ensured growth. And so some marems from each tribe set aside their pride to forge new collectives, and out of those would eventually rise the four main cities of Saddle Arabia. Four large dots grew on the map, their names appearing in compact text beneath each city. 'Neighjev,' 'Tel Applebim,' 'Conscanternople,' and 'Damarescus.' The mare continued.

"Damarescus was arguably the most successful alliance, founded from seventy-six marems all allied under one central, localized council - Saddle Arabia's first attempt at a government." The black dot for Damarescus began to pulse on the map. "Here on the coast, the ponies of Damarescus fished for food, and used their unique environmental magic to purge the salt from ocean water and use it to irrigate the dirt buried beneath the sand. Using their combined might, Damarescus shored up the sand into massive dunes, exposing the nutrient-rich dirt beneath, and used their water to grow crops of wheat and corn.

Once the city was founded, more and more marems set aside their conflicts to join the Damarescussian Council, lending their strength and skill to the greater collective. Together, they cleared more land for crops, and began to build sturdier and stronger ships to explore the sea, eventually making contact with Manehattan and Roam, thus opening trade with their neighbors and furthering their place as the prime Saddle Arabian authority.

"However, they weren't the only ones to settle. Far to the Northwest, zebra nomads allied with six of the strongest, largest marems in Saddle Arabia, and used zebra alchemy to lay the roots of Neighjev. The massive trees spread their roots deep into the sands, drawing moisture and nutrients from massive underground aquifers and sustaining life above ground. While the marems provided security and safety, the nomadic zebra clan used mysterious alchemy and their own brand of magic to grow the city - not outwards and upwards, but down. Sandstone caverns and huge subterranean amphitheatres housed tents and buildings, while underground farms provided the mushrooms and algae these ponies needed to survive. Thus, Neighjev was born, a formidable underground city safe from both the desert and their neighbors in and out of Saddle Arabia.

"South of them was a more recent city, one that cropped up only near the end of the Great War. Largely an Equestrian endeavor, Conscanternople was firstly an experiment at adapting ponies to living in the desert climate of Saddle Arabia. Using complex spells and new, exciting magic, ponies converted the sand beneath their hooves to cultivable dirt, planting orchards of trees and crops to feed themselves. Unicorns played a key role in this city, using their magic to maintain a network of talismans so they could continue to collect water from both the air and the ground.

Only very few native Saddle Arabians lived in Conscanternople before the war, though their population increased slightly after the bombs fell. Ever since then, however, Conscanternople has been a mystery; the city is surrounded by a massive sandstorm that even the most hardy of Saddle Arabian desert striders can't penetrate. Even other unicorns attempting to use magic to teleport through the storm into the city have been unsuccessful - some of them gruesomely so.” The image shifted from the bottom-left city to the top-right, the last one on the map.

"Tel Applebim was the last major city to take root in the desert. Located well to the north and east, it sat just far enough from both the ocean and the Equestrian border to be inaccessible to both. Here, Saddle Arabia held onto its traditions, with a multitude of warring marems continuing open conflict against one another. However, at the discretion of their their leader, called a Majordomo, the tribes can unite against a common enemy when needed. Bloodshed was not uncommon among the contesting marems of Tel Applebim, but somehow they all managed to strike an even balance, the most powerful Head Mares all equalizing one another with a complex series of checks and balances. Some marems allied, others continue to fight openly, and yet all of them existed together in the lush grottolands - a series of oases and aquifers that keep the marems fed and watered. Even after the war, the Tel Applebim marems continue to fight among one another, though they survive by trading, offering protection to other, weaker roaming marems, or scavenging the remains of the smaller towns and cities amid the Saddle Arabian desert - of which there are many."

The projection swept to each dot in turn, giving some statistics on each city as the mare narrated. I knew all of these things, of course, and had learned first-hoof from my mother the ins and outs of each of them. Politics, who was in power, who wasn't, what to watch out for, and what to stay away from.

The projection wasn't completely finished, however. I pursed my lips as it went into the final leg of our bloody history. Damarescus filled the screen one more, the camera zooming in on the dot until a sprawling city emerged from the sand, surrounded by a green band of vegetation. The skyline was impressive, with massive glassy buildings looming up from behind the farms, challenging the wide expanse of blue sky like a hoof thrust skyward in defiance of some deity or another. The commentary continued, the image swinging back to Damarescus’ dot, zooming in until the bustling city’s skyline filled the screen, with the backdrop of the glimmering sea behind it.

"Now that you’ve been introduced to Saddle Arabian settlements in general, we can bring our focus back to the city where our roots took hold. Here in Damarescus, Equestria and the zebras both saw the potential for something incredible. Even before the Great War began, our ancestors saw the need for Equestria's technology, as well as Roam's myriad of resources. A balance was struck between the three countries, Saddle Arabia, Equestria, and Zebrica working together to help lay the foundation for our city. While the Damarescussian Council retained control over the government and other critical infrastructure, Equestria and Zebrica lent their hooves to our combined strength, forging our city in a matter of a few short years. Even then, the technological developments of the time were continually implemented, allowing Damarescus to flourish, even as tension between their allies mounted. However, the council kept a tight lid on fighting in the city, punishing or outright exiling dissenters, even while providing shelter to interested parties looking to flee the war.

"Damarescus may not have been without its own issues, but it found itself becoming a standalone third party to the war, all the while profiting from the massive technological advances of either side. The Zebra’s alchemical advancements and cybernetic technology were implemented alongside Equestria’s budding megaspell arrays to give Damarescus a functioning weather system and a stout defense against the dragons to the south. Near the end of the Great War, Stable-Tec endeavored to put together this one final project:

"Project Alpha. A stable so vast and so well-designed that the ponies inside would not only be safe from the war and external threats, but able to expand and continue to develop underground. And that, my little ponies, is our home: Stable Alpha." The screen faded to a display of eight levels, each stacked one on top of the other and connected by either one centralized bank of six elevators, or smaller elevators and stairs between them. The topmost level looked to be a massive dome with a spiral wound around the outside, with one last, smaller section half the size of the others on top of it all. The narrator continued to talk, and as she did, each section lit up with bold words describing them.

"The top level contains the atrium, security, and the Overmare's offices."

"What's an Overmare?" Glasses asked.

"An old term for Head Mare. Now shush and watch." I nodded towards the projector, which had moved on to the second level.

"These are the classrooms and educational facilities, where everypony from young foals to old mares and stallions learn everything they can; maintenance, mathematics, arcanoscience, history, culture, even music." The third section lit up, which was also the widest of the eight levels, extending out almost half as much as the others. "Here are the food facilities. Together with the fourth level," which lit up as well. "... makes up for the stable's well-being. Underground orchards provide fresh produce, while the recyclers on the floor above process leftover food and food waste back into edible material. The recyclers can also support the entire stable in an emergency, in case the orchards are damaged or don't grow for whatever reason. Obviously, maintenance and the agricultural staff should endeavor to return functionality to these levels as soon as they can, for comfort if not the added security of fresh food."

The fifth and sixth level lit up then, both of them tied for the second widest next to the fourth with its orchards and fields. "These are the residential levels, where you all live and play. Equipped with the best recreational gear that Saddle Arabia could afford, this level boasts fields for sporting events such as hoofball, or picnics and other family events. Alongside that are standard accommodations, including facilities designed to comfortably accommodate single ponies and families as large as twelve."

Next came the seventh level. "This is the maintenance level. Here is the lifeblood of the stable. Our ability to survive underground for so long depends on the success of this level in particular. Everything from the waste recyclers to air purifiers are located here, each part working in harmony alongside a triple-redundant generator array that provides all the power a stable could ever need." I grimaced as the eighth level lit up.

"The last level is storage and development. Here, the machinery and raw materials were stored that the stable can use to expand further outwards and down. Outfitted with a miniature factory, this level can be used to create copies of any piece of the stable's infrastructure, including extra generators or gem arrays should the current ones malfunction or break. Tools, weapons, armor, even talismans and other bits of valuable machinery are manufactured here, as long as the stable keeps its supplies in check." All of the levels went dim once more, the text clearing off as the image zoomed out just a little bit, so that the stable occupied the top two-thirds of the screen.

"Since its inception, however, our predecessors have put Stable-Tec's good will to hard work, expanding our possibilities even further than before. Stable Alpha now boasts twelve levels, not just eight." Four more levels appeared at the bottom, effectively taking half of the stable and expanding by that much. "Myself and your ancestors used these levels to expand our production facilities, including a myriad of new and exciting production factories. Stable Alpha uses its ninth level as an expansion of the eighth, storing excavation machinery and more shops for the creation of our weapons, armor, and computers. Level ten houses backup maintenance arrays, in case level seven experiences a critical failure. More generators and air purification talismans are kept ready to turn on in case of emergency. Heavens forbid.

"Deeper, level eleven is where our ongoing excavation process is. Stable Alpha continues to draw raw materials from the rock around the stable, which is how we maintain a steady supply of iron, silicon, and other important materials." The presentation paused as the twelfth level lit up, the smallest and most foreboding one yet. It was red, where the others were lit with an amber light. A massive X crossed out the whole level as well, and I saw the gathered colts and fillies fill with worry.

"This level is absolutely restricted to anypony who isn't the Overmare, or has their express written permission to be there. To put it bluntly: Simply excavating this level cost us dearly in time, treasure, and sadly, lives. The area has been off limits to everypony ever since. The elevator from the eleventh level is the only way down, and even then, you need an Overmare's clearance to access it. No stairs. No tunnels upwards. Only the elevator. So remember: unless the Overmare says you can, don't even try to go down there." The image zoomed out once more, the lights dimming to leave only the stout, tower-like outline of Stable Alpha on the screen.

"This is our home, now. While I'm sure you've got a hundred and one questions for your Overmare, I urge you all to remember that our lives are much more blessed than many ponies outside. The Great War was terrible, and there is still lawlessness and violence out there. Over the next few years as you conduct your trials, you will all begin to see just how ruthless people can be against one another.

"So I urge you; while you might think these places are interesting and exotic, they are actually incredibly dangerous, and ultimately could kill you if you go unprepared, as Head Mares like myself and my predecessors have been. Remember these words: The Wasteland is a terrible, awful place. Down here we are safe, and we have tools. Tools that can help us, and help others as we see fit. And ultimately, we will help others. People who NEED it, who won't spoil what we give them and use it for their own benefit, or to harm others. We can help them be better.

"We have to do better."

The last two words were echoed by everypony in the room, even Cream and myself. The projector flickered and went dark, the only source of light for a few moments being my horn as I flicked a switch. The lights came back on, the colts and fillies blinking and looking up at me. I saw a mixture of fear and confusion on their faces, some of them outright horrified at the things that had been said. Opal was crying. Gingerly, I scooped the young filly up into my hooves, nuzzling her pale mane with a soft sigh. I stepped up to where the canvas sat, rolling it into the ceiling once more so it was me in front of the troubled young hearts.

"Do any of you have any questions?" I asked solemnly. Almost immediately, Glasses blurted out.

"Did all that stuff really happen?!"

The rest of the class fell silent, looking to me for confirmation. I closed my eyes tighter, kissing my daughter's cheek before setting her down so she could join her classmates. This was going to break their hearts.

"It really did. Equestria was effectively destroyed, and nopony really knows what happened to Zebrica. Even Saddle Arabia did not escape the carnage unscathed. Thousands upon thousands - maybe even millions of ponies and zebras died. There were other casualties as well; dragons, griffins, minotaurs... All because of some dumb black rocks." The futility of it all still struck me now, twenty-five years after I'd learned this same lesson. I knew how it happened, even understood to some small degree why. What I didn't understand was how the world could continue to let itself languish in such a way. Rather than lose my composure (any more than I already had) I looked up at the young foals of my stable. My family.

"That's why we say what we say, and do what we do. Because even after all of these terrible things were done, one wise mare imparted to us some of the best advice I've ever heard in my life." My horn glowed as I scrolled through the audio files in my PipBuck. I picked one labelled "Stable Alpha Overmare Instructions" and played it through the speaker of the device. A brief burst of slight static preceded a tired-sounding, halfway drunken voice. The speaker was a mare, her speech slurred but still understandable. She heaved a deep sigh before speaking.

"Stable Alpha. My company's last, best effort to right all the wrongs we've done. Man, we really screwed the pooch... Heh, hope the Sand Dogs don't take that personally." There was a swishing sound, like fluid in a bottle, and a soft grunt. "Ah, it burns. So, yeah... Stable Alpha. You ponies got it all. Underneath Damarescus' Stable-Tec Satellite Office, you're, uum..." There was some shuffling of papers, and a soft curse. Finally, a flurry of papers sounded out, as if they'd been thrown around the office in disgust. "Whatever. Doesn't matter how big you are now, the thing is, we gave you everything you need in order to grow. Similar designs to yours could hold a thousand ponies - maybe more. With your facilities, you could provide enough food and water to twelve hundred ponies for... er, I think the lab estimated two hundred and forty-six years." She sighed again, something thumping against the table. Her head, maybe.

"Thing is, we're only putting four hundred and sixteen in there. Two hundred to run the facilities - which should be enough - and the others to... well, expand." She went silent for a long time, the pregnant pause filled with only soft sniffles and choking sobs. After a few minutes and another swig of whatever was in that bottle, she continued, much more quietly.

"One of the kindest, most wonderful ponies I've ever known gave me this bit of advice, and it's on that premise that I okayed Project Alpha. Put everything I could spare into it. I even skimmed from the ministries for some of your assets." She gave a shaky sigh. "She told me that equine kind wasn't inherently evil. That there was still good in the world, despite... everything. Looking at the fuckers that run Equestria under Luna's nose, I wonder how she can see it, but then again..." She gave a heartless chuckle, followed by another swig and a groan.

"She said to me: 'Scootaloo, everypony can do better. Everypony can be better.’ So that's all I have for you. Fuck the rules. Fuck the regulations. Fuck these- these... terrible circumstances we've put other stables under." Her voice wavered, breaking down at last. As the recording drew to an end, she choked out the five words I doubt I'd ever forget.

"You have to do better."

The class finished around noon, as I left them in Cream's capable hooves. Some of them were understandably worried, as they began to realize the challenge that lay ahead of them over the next eight weeks. From now until they got their cutie marks and completed the last five trials, they'd be attending rigorous classes each day. Their free time with family and friends would be even more valuable as they drew closer to finding their place in one department or another. I had a lot on my mind as I rode the elevator up to the first floor, crossing the massive, domed atrium towards my office. It was empty at this time of day, though other ponies had their own offices here. They were likely off with their departments, keeping things in check. I was alone as I slipped behind my desk and kicked my rear hooves up.

Visions danced behind my eyelids of my own trials, oh so long ago. I tried to mentally shake them off, but they were persistent. I remembered with great detail the earlier trials, of learning the history of the Great War and what it had done to the world. How Saddle Arabia had been targeted by quite a few zebra missiles, but was ultimately spared thanks to the weak atmosphere. With the thin air, the rockets hadn't had the purchase they needed to fly to their destinations. They had faltered, small errors leading to larger ones, eventually causing them all to crash in the desolate, relatively unpopulated region along our northern border.

The balefire melted the sands to glass, sealing us away from our northern neighbors, though that did nothing to prevent Equestria responding in kind. That Saddle Arabia was harboring the 'filthy stripes' injured by the war was deemed sufficient reason to hit us with several volleys of megaspells. They were to blame for the wild sandstorms that plagued the north, from Neighjev to Tel Applebim and all through the grottolands. Another had triggered along the Eastern coast, turning all of the marine wildlife into vicious, flesh-eating creatures of nightmare. Others still had been delivered elsewhere, with unknown effects. Many of us suspected that was the reason Conscanternople was trapped in the middle of a magical sandstorm, more furious and vicious than the ones in the north.

History wasn't all we taught to our foals, though. They learned how to wear armor and fight with guns and energy weapons - a requirement for everypony in the stable, in case our defenses were ever breached. We might be caught by surprise if some surface plot managed to weasel its way into Alpha, but we wouldn't be defenseless. We also taught basic arithmetic and science, the finals for which garnered a trial all of their own. Lastly, each pony in Alpha was taught how to survive in the Wasteland. They knew how to forage for supplies, handle radiation, taint, and other dangerous corruption, and even what to do in a fight with whatever denizens we knew about.

The only reason we knew about any of these things was because of the efforts of our previous Head Mares. As part of Scootaloo's final directive, 'Do Better,' we determined we wouldn't be completely separatist. Our Head Mares made pilgrimages out into the Wasteland several times over the course of their lives to gather news, resources, or even additions to our stable, if they wanted to come and could provide valuable services.

"Hey there, Diamond Butt." The silky voice made me smile as I cracked an eye. I hadn't even heard Sapphire enter the office. I smiled at her, taking my rear hooves off of the desk and gesturing to the empty chair opposite me.

"How are you today, sister?"

"Just checking in on you. Making sure you aren't puking your guts out." She was a dark blue mare with a darker mane, almost black. Her cutie mark was a slightly lighter blue gemstone, not unlike my own. She was a shapely unicorn, but then again, my mother always bred beautiful daughters. I myself was white with a tan mane, my cutie mark almost indistinguishable - four gemstones with faint blue wisps of air passing through them. We weren't a terribly colorful family, like others in the stable. I gave a soft sigh before smiling at her.

"I'm fine, thanks. What about you? Did Mauve kick you out of Medical already?"

She snorted, tossing her mane petulantly. "Not my fault he's positively delicious. Besides, nopony's getting hurt." She sidled up to the chair opposite my desk, taking the seat with ease. Her expression shifted from 'teasing' to ‘concerned’. "Seriously, are you doing okay?"

"Yeah," I groaned, rubbing the implant with a hoof. It itched again, so I dripped in a few drops from a phial on my desk to help lubricate the device. "Just gave the new class their first trial." Sapphire hissed a breath in through her teeth, shooting me a sympathetic look.

"That's never easy, learning about all that..."

"They gotta start somewhere." I sighed, blinking rapidly so the fluid spread over the lens. "Plus I think the dreams are coming back."

"Right before you leave on pilgrimage? Diamond, that's not good..."

"I know it's not, but I can't bother mother with it. Honestly, I just hope she doesn't think something's off with me. I might be Head Mare, but she had the position before I did. She still has a lot of authority." I grumbled faintly, sinking into my chair a little more. "I think she kept half her privileges on her PipBuck."

"Can she do that?"

"Geode's a resourceful old nag. She would be the one to find a way to do it, if anypony." I sighed, closing my eyes. "This whole ordeal has me stressed, sis."

"Need something to relax?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. I lifted my own in return, a coy smile spreading across my lips. She mirrored me, slipping out of her chair to walk around the desk. "Or maybe... somepony?"

She sidled up onto my lap, our lips meeting sweetly. "Haven't done it in the Head Mare's office yet." I mused, earning a delightful murr from her.

After I finished with Sapphire, it was dinnertime. We slipped into the bathroom in the Head Mare's office complex to grab a quick shower and joined the dinner rush with wet manes. I earned a few curious looks from the ponies in my stable - my marem - but most of them were lecherous grins, knowing precisely what I'd been doing with my sister. Stable Alpha, as part of our 'do better' initiative, had elected to adhere to the Saddle Arabian tradition of a marem. While deviants from Equestria and Roam thought marems were perverted orgies of ponies constantly screwing and delighting in the pleasures of flesh, those of us who weren't sick in the head knew it was much more than that.

Sure, love was as open and free in a marem as anything. We were basically one large, incestuous family - though seldom would the generations mix, at least not without some degrees of separation in the bloodlines. Our medical technology was strong enough that we ensured all the foals born didn't have any defects. In doing so, our stable had become a mixing pot of genes over the years, and we'd had quite a few pegasi born to round out the numbers. If I had to guess, we were about as close to equal thirds as we could be.

But we were more than just a wild group of perverts. We ran the most technologically advanced stable in Saddle Arabia - likely in the entire world. We had among our ranks a skilled surgeon who could probably quote the Canterlot Journal of Medicine verbatim. Next to him was our Maintenance head, who could (I knew from watching myself) disassemble and reassemble the gem array of our generators blindfolded and with only one hoof. Our head of security was a boulder of an earth pony who could put a bullet through a golden bit at two hundred yards, then probably throw the rifle and hit the bit as well.

But we were far more than the 'incestuous stable-dwellers' that some had made us out to be. We were a functioning society, a herd of friends... A family. And I was their leader. Head Mares were seen as the best among their peers in every way. The Head Mare was stronger, faster, and smarter; that's why she was the Head Mare. I might not have been the absolute best in every single category, but where one of my marem would best me in say, speed, I’d have them beat on intellect, or strength, or any other combination of skills. What I lacked in definitive prowess, I made up for in versatility.

Dinner was a somewhat special affair - tomorrow's would be more so, but this was a lovely meal of mushroom steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and an iceberg lettuce salad. Sapphire and I sat among a group of young foals, all of them in combat barding. They would be going through their second trial, where they would be instructed in the proper use of personal armor as well as basic firearms, in case of a stable-wide invasion. We didn't expect ones so young to really fight, but everypony had to be able to defend themselves. They all had questions for us, and we answered as best we could, laughing and smiling the whole time.

"Heya lover," A smooth mare's voice drew my attention from Emerald - my second-youngest child who was giving me a play-by-play account of his armor training. I smiled at the voluptuous Lily, a good friend of mine and one of the most sought-after mares in the stable. Well, she was, until I captured near-exclusive access to both her heart and her haunches. Just seeing her smiling down at me made my insides writhe with anticipation for what was to come that night.

"Hey yourself." I cooed, kissing her openly. One of the younger colts let out a soft 'blech,' but was silenced by the filly to his side. "How are you?"

"Looking for you." She answered, her hooded eyes betraying her intent. "It's almost bedtime."

"We're not due to sleep for another three hours." I blinked, then blushed as she arched her eyebrow.

"Good, I've got plenty of time to wear you out, then." She hooked a hoof around my neck, practically dragging me from my seat. I couldn't help but follow the lusty mare down into the residential levels, into my quarters, and onto the bed. We'd snagged some company along the way too, and the three of us practically dove onto the bed with eager anticipation.

After all, I was leaving to enter the wasteland the day after tomorrow.