Fallout: Saddle Arabia

"Do you know you're all my very best friends?"

I was woken in the wee hours of the morning by the most devilish of creatures known to equinity: 'foals.' Worse, this was one of my own creation, so ignoring the interruption was definitely out of the question.

"Momma." The petulant little voice nagged at me, coupled with a pair of hooves insistently jostling my flank. "Momma, I gotta go potty."

That, more than the tone in the voice, spurred me into action. I groaned and kicked feebly at the covers for a few moments, my eyes opening at last. The miniature readout in the upper-right corner of my eye told me it was a quarter to five - far before any decent pony should be stirring. "Come on, you little runt." I yawned, feeling the hooves leave me before they sounded on the carpet a few feet away. I managed to crawl out from beneath the comforter, which was promptly stolen by my partner, who rolled back over and resumed her light but adorable snoring.

The dim lights of Stable Alpha were still glaring to my sleep-addled brain, making me squint at the dull-grey interior of our home. Blearily, we left the cool, welcoming darkness of the bedchambers and made our way toward this wing's bathroom. The door slid open with a soft hiss, ushering us into an even brighter glare of linoleum, tile, and septic-white wallpaper that had only just begun to peel.

I helped the young colt - Emerald, it turned out to be - with his barding before shooing him into one of the stalls. My eye itched something fierce, so I fished out a small phial of eyedrops from the nearby medical cabinet and proceeded to drip them into the socket. The machinery stopped tugging at me, the itch soothed, but the readout was blurry for a few moments as the liquid worked its wonders. I simply shut down the feed for a moment, sacrificing depth perception for clarity.

I managed to get a look at myself in the mirror, grimacing faintly. My mane was a disheveled mess, and my hide was matted with some less-than-mentionable fluids. Indeed, the wafting stench of sex passed my nostrils, reminding me that I was due a shower before this day began proper.

A toilet flushed, and Emerald plodded out tiredly. The poor foal looked almost like the ghouls from my mother's tales, staggering towards the sink. He washed his hooves like a good little pony, then led me back out into the hall after I helped him into his barding once more. Despite my annoyance, I knew it'd be better that Emerald seek me out for help with the frustrating clothing. There are certain processes that were best left outside of the hooves of impatient, 'about-to-pee-myself' Earth Pony foals. Most ponies in Alpha didn't wear barding, or any clothes, in fact - but young Emerald was in a trial week. Even without his Cutie Mark, he still had to learn.

"All good now, Emmy?"

"Yeah, momma." He yawned, half-asleep on his hooves. I chuckled warmly, scooping the little colt up in a firm field of silvery-white magic. He went willingly, his eyes already closed.

"Such a little baby. You'll never beat out your sisters for Head Mare position at this rate." I couldn't help but smile at the little snot, though. Annoying as he was compared to his sisters, he was still mine and I loved him to the ends of the world and back. The foals' quarters were quiet save for the hum of stable machinery as I carried Emerald back to his bunk, where he curled up into Amethyst's embrace without another sound.

"You smell like sex." A quiet filly's voice turned my head to the side, spotting Holly's young daughter, Yellow Jacket. Her muzzle wasn't scrunched, and her eyes weren't hard - she seemed to simply be stating the facts.

"And you smell like somepony who ought to be in bed." I countered, turning to face her. My cybernetic eye opened at last, clear now of the solution that kept it lubricated. The spells inside the eye caught her PipBuck tag, cross-referenced it with the roster, and pulled up a compact paragraph of information on my eye. "Unless - ah, you pulled the graveyard shift."

"Saw you walking in with Emerald, wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"It’s fine." I tried to stifle a yawn, failed, and got a sympathetic yawn from Yellow Jacket. "Come on. Let's get some coffee."

"That sounds divine." Yellow Jacket fell into step to my left as we exited the foal's quarters, though she didn't miss the wistful smile I cast back over my flank at the rows of dimly-lit, slumbering young ponies. When the door closed behind us, Yellow Jacket and I turned towards the elevator. I gave her a soft smile, nudging her with my flank.

"First time working overnight?"

"Second." Yellow Jacket sighed. She had only received her Cutie Mark last week, and as was custom, had begun working for the stable. Small jobs, like keeping watch over the foals, were reserved for ponies who hadn't completed all of their trials yet. Lapis and Lazuli, my eldest daughters (and twins at that,) would have just started her first of three final trials, to adapt her to her duties within Stable Alpha. "And I had my first career trial last week. I'm still sore." At that, I couldn't help but chuckle, nudging the young filly with my flank.

"You're doing well, Yellow Jacket. I'm proud of you." She blushed a bit, falling silent the rest of the way into the elevator and down to the kitchen facility. This early in the morning, the cafeteria ponies were just beginning the morning preparations, but upon seeing me, they began brewing coffee immediately. By the time Yellow Jacket and I arrived at the serving counter, two steaming mugs were ready for us, and I levitated them both to the nearest table for us. Cream and sugar were already out for the morning breakfast, and I immediately put them to use to get the coffee just the way I like it. I glanced over at three other ponies who had just entered the cafeteria, my eye giving me the readout for each of their professions. Despite it being just shy of five in the morning, Stable Alpha was active, with forty-eight personnel on current assignment, eighty-seven who had just been woken up to prepare for their duties, and another three hundred and forty-nine still asleep, or at least in their quarters.

These three were off-duty, but even if they hadn't been, I wouldn't have made a big fuss about it. Schedules, like most rules, were meant to be broken now and again. Myself, my alarm wasn't even close to going off yet, but here I was. If I confronted an errant pony for deviating from their schedule a bit, I'd be setting a poor example.

And Head Mares always led by example.

"Diamond," Yellow Jacket drew my attention. I blinked to clear the display, glancing at her. She was looking at my coffee with a bemused expression, and I glanced down to see that I had been pouring a continuous stream of sugar into the liquid since the three had entered the room.

"Damnit." I fought to scoop some of the congealed, sugary sludge out with my magic. I made a bit of a mess in the process, but I saved the mug, more or less. "Still getting used to it, even three years later."

"Three years, two days... Seems you and I have that much in common." Yellow Jacket smiled into her own unblemished mug. "We're still adjusting."

"Such is the way of our humble life." The coffee was still ridiculously sweet, but also very hot and bracing, and that was just what I needed to fully evaporate the remaining grogginess in my head. With hardly a thought, I pulled up a display with my daily schedule, complete with a countdown timer to my alarm, my first duty, and all the ones after that. It even gauged my level of alertness, adjusting the slots for free time and preparation as needed. I had been living with this implant for years, yet I was still amazed at the ridiculous level of integration it had with my PipBuck. Schedules, vital signs, environmental conditions, machinery status. I could monitor anywhere, anypony, anytime, with naught but a twitch of my 'eye'.

As I watched, however, a red alert popped up in my display, coupled with an audible alarm from my PipBuck. Yellow Jacket appeared to be on the verge of saying something, but was silenced as I pressed a button. The prompt came up on the display in my eye as well as on my foreleg, and I felt a slight chill run down my spine.

"There's an emergency in Maintenance." I stood from the table, leaving the coffee behind and making for the elevator. "Yellow, with me!" I barked, and the filly jumped to comply, both of us sweeping towards the elevator. My eyes flickered over the three that had entered a few moments prior, their eyes turned to me curiously. I recognized one. "Jam, you're with me."

"Yes, ma'am!" The pegasus stallion practically jumped to follow, our entourage of three sweeping into an open elevator that had just deposited another four occupants. They looked at us curiously, but none of them questioned the busy Head Mare carting three of her charges off on some errand. As the elevator descended, my hoof tapped, and I thought of one of the many bits of wisdom that my mother had drilled into my head. 'Surround yourself with ponies. Even if they can't fix the situation, they can always help. Every effort, big or small, contributes to a solution.'

"There's an issue down in Maintenance," I started talking, reading from the display in my eye. "... it seems one of the condensers finally blew a gasket." I paled as another icon popped up, a medical alert. Somepony had been injured, the vitals that their PipBuck monitored setting off an alarm in mine, and likely in the on-duty doctor's PipBuck up in Medical. "Fuck. Not the way I wanted to start this morning."

"That's right," Jam mused behind me to my left. "You're leavin-"

"We're here." I cut him off, practically jumping out of the elevator. Alarms were sounding on this level, a mirror to the audible alarm from my hoof. I mashed the 'acknowledge' button, clearing the alert and all the details from my vision, even as two panicked ponies joined our small group from the maintenance headquarters.

"It's number twelve!" One of the ponies offered, matching our pace as we jetted down the halls, passing open doors with curious ponies poking their heads out. The department heads had grave looks on their faces as they scanned their own PipBucks for information. Those who were capable followed us, making our group ten strong as we smoothly filed into the condenser coil's housing. Up ahead, I could see steam billowing out from the twelfth unit, one pony dancing outside of the cloud with her hooves on her head. As we approached, she pointed into the mist frantically.

"Lug Nut! She's inside; the condenser blew right in her face!" Just then a piercing, stomach-curdling scream cut through the cacophony of blaring alarms and hissing steam. A cold feeling grew in my stomach, even as my horn began to glow.

"I have the steam - if you're trained in medical, get in there and evacuate her. Everypony else find the tamper and shut this condenser down!" I worked as I spoke, my magic reaching out into the world around me. Almost idly, I recognized two ponies poking their heads into the condenser housing, wondering what was happening. Jam had lagged behind a bit, and turned to them with a glare.

"Head Mare Diamond Dust is here handling it. We might need to clear a path to the elevator so we can take them up to Medical. Help me clear the way!"

Thankful for my talent now more than ever, I began to focus on the billowing steam. The boiling water inside the condenser had blown out of a weak weld on the joint of the pipe, undoubtedly thanks to whatever Lug Nut had been doing to the machine. It hadn't been her fault, really, I could feel the weak weld straight away. These things happen, especially with centuries-old machinery. Gritting my teeth, I banished the thought of the condenser itself and began to focus instead on the spreading vapor. Slowly, its molecules began to slow. Energy was lost, shed into the atmosphere, drawn out by my magic. The steam condensed to thick vapor, clinging to the floor, and then further until it was droplets falling from where they had accumulated on the girders, railings, and other bits of machinery.

I focused further, drawing more heat from the water in the atmosphere until it began to freeze. Three of my entourage, Yellow Jacket included, rushed through where the steam had been moments prior to pick up Lug Nut. Her dark grey hide was blotchy and red, her face bleeding from shrapnel that had blown into it. But the display in my eye told me she wasn't critical - not yet. I still struggled to work with the water, condensing and freezing the vapor as it hissed out of the condenser.

"Shut this damn thing down!" I barked at the other six ponies, each of them still scrambling to find the tamper.

"Got it!" One stallion bellowed, wrenching a valve closed with his hooves. The steam in my magic began to slow until it stopped, the condenser now wreathed in frost, with one long icicle lancing out of the break. It glittered in the dim lighting, miniature icicles clinging to the various surfaces around us. With a grunt, my magic died away, and the ice began to melt into harmless water. The condenser gave a soft gurgle, but without a feed of boiling hot water, it gave a few pitiful belches of harmless steam before going quiet.

Lug Nut was past me, and out into the hallway by now. I followed them, still monitoring her health with one eye. Shock was setting in, so I opened the communication link to the maintenance headquarters.

"This is Diamond."

"Dusty! Is she okay?" Maintenance was ran by Indigo Steel, a lover of mine. She'd likely been awoken by the same alarm that had alerted me - she usually didn't work at night.

"It's not looking good. Open the medicine supply - the code is four-nine-nine-one. Med X and a healing potion."

"Got it!" The link closed, and hardly fifty feet in front of us, Indigo stepped into the hallway with two items in her magic - a syringe and a bulbous potion. Lug Nut was gasping and whimpering, her hooves shaking terribly as she was fed the potion and injected. The damage receded a little, but she was still in a bad way. I could only watch - and hope for the best - as Lug Nut was quickly whisked away into the elevator and up to the Medical area. The doors had hardly closed when I heard Indigo Steel trot up beside me, laying a concerned hoof on my withers.

"Dusty, I'm sorr-"

"Stop." I hadn't really yelled, but Indigo flinched as if I had. She fell silent, her expression crestfallen.

"I know what you're going to say," I began, my voice strained. I could still feel my heart thumping in my chest, the adrenaline lingering. "... that you're sorry, that you should have been more vigilant, checked the condensers more thoroughly, run extra maintenance on it, double-checked the welds." I turned towards the mare and slowly lifted her chin, bringing her brilliant green eyes around to mine. When I spoke next, there was a smile on my lips, and my voice was much softer.

"I want you to know that this is nopony's fault. None of us is to blame. Accidents happen - be it during trials, or in the middle of an average day. But that's why we have trials, why we communicate and deliberate." I leaned in to softly kiss Indigo Steel's lips, and that simple gesture seemed to relax her a bit.

"Thank you, Diamond." She whimpered. "I'll... do what I can to get number twelve up and running safely again."

I stepped back and addressed the small group that had gathered around us, looking for direction and guidance from their Head Mare. "There’s no rush. It might be stressful, but let's go ahead and finish out the graveyard on a skeleton crew. Anypony who was directly involved has the first clearance to go - other departments can pick up the slack. I'll make sure they get extra time off this weekend in recompense. For now, why don't we all go upstairs and take a break?"

Smiles and nods broke out among the gathered ponies, some of them breaking off into smaller groups to talk and deliberate. Indigo dismissed the group, picking out a few choice individuals to stay on-duty. None of them, I noted, raised a fuss about their peers being let off earlier than them. Once the skeleton crew had been selected and I was alone with the maintenance head, I wrapped her in a tender hug.

"Seriously, Indigo. I don't blame you."

"I know you don't," she sighed, nuzzling my mane tenderly. I wrapped her in a soft embrace. "I just got spooked. Couldn't help myself."

"Lug Nut's going to be fine," I consoled her. I knew she would, thanks to the medical alert on my eye turning yellow and then fading away. "...and I know you’ll be okay too; you're going to have twelve fixed before the night's out. It'll run better than ever now."

"You're too good to us." Indigo gave a nervous chuckle, her body finally beginning to relax a bit. "I'm glad you took over for Geode. She was kind of a cunt."

"Hey, that's my mother you're talking about, there." I couldn't help but giggle as well, though. Geode had a reputation for being miserly. Only a few stallions had ever been able to get her to relax, and she usually wasn't in any state to run a stable when they were done.

"She's my mother, too." Indigo turned away, swatting at me with her tail playfully. "I better make sure Saffron doesn't weld his hooves to the railing. I'll make sure he's upstairs by tonight, though."

"You'd better." I called after her. "It's your last chance to say goodbye!" She waved a hoof before disappearing into the Maintenance headquarters. The morning began to catch up with me then, the rush of adrenaline and controlled panic giving way to relief, tiredness, and another reminder from my nose that I still hadn't showered yet today.

With a sniff, I turned towards the elevators. This was not the way I wanted to start my last day in Stable Alpha...

I arrived back in the Head Mare's quarters to a curious and groggy Lily. "Wha' happened? Last thing I remember you were taking Emmy to the bathroom..." She rubbed her eyes with a stiff yawn, her legs stretching languorously. I couldn't help but admire the full curves of the pink Earth Pony beneath the covers, her violet mane splayed around the pillows like a fan. She looked resplendent, even tired and weary from last night's fun.

"There was a problem with one of the condensers in maintenance," I explained, slowly crawling up onto the bed. My hooves indented the thick mattress on either side of her flanks as I started to sidle my way up her body. "One pony was hurt, but she's okay now. Gave some of maintenance the day off while repairs get underway."

"Hmm," Lily's eyes opened, the beautiful pink irises almost a perfect match for her coat. She grinned as I began to kiss my way up her barrel. "... I'm glad she's okay."

"As am I." I muttered between wet kisses, feeling a familiar heat begin to build.

"Aah, hey, Diamond, come on... it's too early." She began to squirm, her plaintive whine only serving to spur me on. "Come on, I'm too sticky from last night."

"So am I." I panted, kissing along her neck now. She cooed from the back of her throat, a delightful little murr that I so loved her for.

"Diamond..." She whimpered, her forehooves now sliding up my sides. My lips met hers, and just as I was about to surrender to my passion, the third party in our bed stirred.

"Seriously, you two? We went five times last night. Some of us are still sleeping."

"Aww, boo." Lily slumped into the rumpled bedsheets with a sigh. "You're no fun, Twister."

"Hey, pegasi aren't famous for their durability." The silver-coated pegasus emerged from his cocoon of blankets, his mane sticking up at wild angles. More so than it usually did, that is. He smacked his lips a few times, his eyes flickering over the two ponies laid atop one another just to his side. "Then again... It is a special day..."

"There's the spirit." I chuckled, leaning over to kiss him next. As Lily's hooves trailed down to my haunches, I couldn't help the smile spreading across my lips.

'This is the way I wanted this morning to start.'

After a playful romp - and a badly needed communal shower - I excused myself to actually start doing my job. Twister grumbled something about going back to sleep, and the haggard stallion looked like he needed it. He had been right about one thing - pegasi stamina wasn't quite as robust as their 'recovery' time. Feeling no trace of that morning's stress, I made my way up to Medical. Almost immediately off of the elevator, I bumped into the head of the department, a stoic old buck named Mauve.

"Hey, Lug Nut, is she-"

"Observation One." Mauve grumbled, not being one for the mornings. "She'll be fine. We'll keep her for the rest of the day, but there was no permanent damage." I arched an eyebrow, and he amended quickly. "Ah, I'm sure she'll be released this evening. Wouldn't want to miss out, after all."

"Thank you." I smiled, nudging him warmly. "Talked to the old nag lately?"

"Harrumph." He snorted, tossing his greying mane over his neck. "She wanted a throwback last night. After the last time, I told her never in a million years."

"So she buggered you again, huh? That'd explain why you're so grumpy." At that, Mauve's cheeks darkened even further, turning him a brilliant shade of crimson. I had to laugh as he sputtered and struggled. Some of the other medical ponies smiled at us, one of them passing me Lug Nut's chart. I glanced over it as we turned towards the Observation wing. "I'm glad, Mauve, really. She always liked you. Old ponies like you two shouldn't hold onto grudges."

"I'm not old. I'm hardly sixty!"

"Sixty-two." I stuck my tongue out at him, even as his file cleared off of my eye. He seemed to notice the minute flicker of light in that cybernetic orb, and he nodded towards it knowingly.

"Still itching in the morning?"

"Yeah," I sighed, resisting the urge to scratch at it. Hooves and delicate nano-machinery didn't do well when they met. "And it keeps acting up as the day goes on. I had to apply the drops four times yesterday. I put some in this morning, and already it's bugging me again."

"I think it's the way the drops react to the latent moisture in the stable," Mauve mused, his horn glowing as he fiddled with something inside my head. He was probably the only pony I ever trusted to fiddle with the internal workings of my implant; but if I couldn't trust the pony who gave it to me, who could I trust? "... I think I can change some of the components around to make them more resistant and compatible. You could have told me sooner, though. You get the new one tomorrow."

"Think you can make the changes to the new one?" I asked, pulling short outside of Lug Nut's room. The old buck just chuckled, thumping his chest with a hoof.

"I'm not your uncle if I couldn't. I'll see you tonight?"

"Tonight." I promised, hugging the old buck before turning into Lug Nut's room with a warm smile. She smiled back, though I could sense tension around her eyes. The memory of the pain was written on her face, haunting her.

"Hey, Lug Nut." She was a sturdy earth pony with a dark grey, almost black coat and a steel-grey mane that framed brilliant, dark-red eyes. She was very pretty, in a wholesome sort of way. And familiar... I had almost five hundred ponies in this stable; I couldn't keep track of all of them. But damned if I didn't try. I looked her in the eyes as I sat at her bedside, reaching out to take her hoof in both of mine. She laid the free one over the others, her smile widening. "Are you okay?"

"I am now, thanks to you and the others." She sighed. "It was just a huge shock... I'm still trying to make sense of what happened."

"When I was taking care of the steam, I noticed one of the welds on the condenser was weak. Were you trying to open a valve?"

"Yeah, it was stuck, so I put some grease on the nut and was hitting the wrench with a hammer... I guess I broke open the gasket?"

"You did indeed." I smiled, patting her hoof. "I'm so glad you're okay. You gave us all a big fright."

"I'm sorry, I should have looked at it closer-"

"Hey," I cut her off. "... relax. It's nopony's fault, okay? Not yours, not Indigo's, not whoever inspected it - nopony. It was an accident, and an honest one at that. To be frank, I'd have done the same thing if I were in your hooves." I gave a sharp chuckle. "Then who would have waded in there to drag me out? She might boast, but my sister can't freeze water." My light joking had its intended effect, and I saw a genuine smile cross Lug Nut's lips. I released her hooves, but didn't pull away. I scooted up onto the bed to wrap her in a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Thank you, Head Mare."

"Diamond Dust." I corrected, patting her back softly. "You can just call me Diamond."

"O-okay... Diamond." She flushed as she sat back, and I smiled warmly at her as well. Now that I wasn’t worried about her well-being, I recognized her complexion.

"You're Spanner's daughter, aren't you?"

"I am." She blinked, the ghost of pain turning instead to a wholesome look of shock. "How'd you know?"

"Mare's intuition." I winked. "You know, your mother instructed my trials. You can't be much younger than myself..."

"I'm twenty-four..." She continued to look surprised, even as I blinked to clear her file away.

"I'm thirty. Not that much of a difference." Again, I leaned in, but this time I pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'm looking forward to seeing you tonight." I whispered, my smile turned from 'warm, friendly Head Mare' to 'no, I really am looking forward to seeing you tonight.' I pecked her on the cheek again and sauntered out, though I took a moment to return her medical chart to the peg outside the door - and catch the deep blush lighting up her face too. ’I’m glad she’s okay. I’d hate to miss that cute blush tonight.’

I was dying for some breakfast at that point, and now that I'd checked up on Lug Nut's condition, I felt confident nothing else would transpire to draw me away from a hearty bowl of oatmeal. The kitchen was in full swing when I emerged, smiling brightly at the ponies in my stable. I recognized many of them. Others' files flashed across my right eye, some of them too quick to read, others I cleared with a mere thought.

"Diamond! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Head Mare!"

"Hey Lover!"

"Hey, Head Mare! Come sit with us!"

The voices all rang out in greeting, and I did my best to respond to them all. My PipBuck informed me that almost the entire stable was awake at this point, only twelve ponies having gone to sleep from the graveyard shift. Many of them were likely on their way here, if not waiting and handling other business to miss the major rush. Despite the long line at the serving counter, I had a healthy bowl of oatmeal with a side of berries pushed into my hooves. Being Head Mare had its perks.

I spotted Lapis and Lazuli at a table with their sister, Cinnamon, and a few other foals, so I made to sit alongside them.

"Mommy!"

Cinnamon clambered to her hooves and hovered towards me, her still small wings doing their best to keep her airborne.

"Good morning, my little ponies!" I bubbled, ruffling Cinnamon's mane playfully. She sat in my lap, closing her eyes and humming happily. Such an ornery little shit, but I loved her still. "Did you all sleep well last night?"

"Yes!" The chorus of childish voices answered in unison, save a few who had their mouths full. I glanced at Cream, the same pony from yesterday's class. A few of those foals were seated here, as well, though most of them were older ponies.

"I hope these little hellions aren't giving you any trouble this morning, Cream?"

"Hardly," the old unicorn whickered, snatching Emerald by his mane with a firm glow of magic. "'Cept this one; can't stop scratchin'."

"Emerald." I chided him, waving my spoon. "Wear your barding properly, and stop scratching it."

"It itches, momma. I don't like it." He pouted, but a stern look from me cowed him into silence. I settled into 'lecturer' mode.

"Do you know why Emerald is wearing his barding this week?" I asked the gathered ponies. One or two grumbled about it not being class time yet, but the rest answered in unison.

"It's his trial week."

"That's right!" I smiled, taking a moment to gulp down one mouthful of oatmeal before it got too cold. "And why do we do trial weeks?"

"Because we have to do better!" This time, everypony answered in unison, even Cream. My own voice joined them matter-of-factly, though I couldn't help but smile.

"That's right. I'm so proud of you all." I beamed. "Now get to eating - you don't want to be late to class. And remember, you only have a half day today!"

The resounding cheers drew looks and smiles from every other table as the children set in on their meal ravenously. I swapped mouthfuls of oatmeal between myself and Cinnamon, chatting with Cream about their education. Emerald was still scratching at his barding, but looked guilty for doing it. I idly wondered if he had been issued one that was cleaned recently - his skin never seemed to react well to the detergents in the laundry facilities.

'This is the way I pictured this day going.'

"Dusty." The gravelly voice gave me pause just before I set hoof into the elevator. I let it close in front of me, sending Cream and Emerald up to the school level with another wave and a smile. I had stayed in the cafeteria throughout most of breakfast as I usually did, chatting with the ponies of the stable. It was just shy of ten that morning, and everypony was getting around to their duties, few as they were before the festivities began that night.

I advanced towards the voice, almost bowing my head out of respect, but stopping myself. I was Head Mare now. Not this pony. She was a dusky-coated Earth Pony, her hide the color of a sunset after blood had been spilled, or so she liked to boast. Framed by a raven-black mane that showed little grey for her seventy years, Geode cut as intimidating a figure as ever. A black patch covered her right eye, but her left eye still looked as keen as ever.

"Mother." I answered. "Did you need something?"

"Impetuous little shit." She grumbled. Her voice was ragged, sounding not unlike the ghouls I'd listened to on her recordings, and the recordings of my predecessors. My eyes flickered over the jagged scars on her throat, product of some grievous injury she'd never fully explained to me. "You think you're ready?"

"We're never ready for our first." I answered, almost out of practice by then.

"Tha's right." She coughed wetly, dabbing at her lips with a cloth. "Pride will get you shot. Confidence is the key to glory, but arrogance will kill you." She jerked her head to the side, pushing open one of the stairwells. "Come on. Got somethin' for ya."

I piqued an eyebrow at that as I followed Geode into the stairwell. I kept a fairly slow pace behind her. Half out of respect, half because she didn't care to be reminded that her body was beginning to slow down a touch.

We silently made our way up from the cafeteria level, the only sound being the steady thrum of machinery around us, our hooves, and Geode's wheezing breath. We alighted onto the top of the stairs a few minutes later, and I took the chance to sweep ahead of Geode and hold the door for her. I followed on her heels and stopped alongside, as we took a moment to just soak in the view of the Atrium.

Stable Alpha had been designed with longevity in mind, not just preservation. Ideally, the entire population could live in this underground haven for all of eternity, provided we kept up with the stable's vast maintenance needs, of course. And but for a few constantly failing condensers, Stable Alpha was still running strong, even after one hundred eighty years had passed.

And yet, even those things seemed trivial next to the cavernous Atrium. The vaulted ceiling soared almost two hundred feet overhead, and close to four hundred feet across. It wasn't as large as our food production levels with their artificial farms and simulated sunlight, but it was damn close. The dome of the Atrium had been enchanted to show a beautiful blue Equestrian sky, complete with a backdrop of green rolling hills. If one were to stand in the middle, they could easily be tricked into thinking they stood in the middle of an open field.

The dome itself could even simulate weather patterns, giving us the occasional shower, or on special occasions, snow. Those were my favorite days, working my magic to condense and accumulate the icy particles, creating beautiful sculptures or funny-looking snowmares. It was how I had gotten my cutie mark, all those years ago. What's more, the atrium was large enough that our local pegasi could fly in circles, getting a modicum of exercise. There were machines in the recreational level that could simulate a more rigorous workout, but up here they could actually move while flying.

It was also our communal home, a center of activity for ponies off-duty. There were a myriad of lounges, couches, and cushions strewn about the floor at the moment, some of them populated with intricate-looking hookahs. Tobacco and shisha were commodities in the stable, but we'd been working with a surplus of food for a long time, so I'd authorized the growing of a few plants, and we were recently enjoying the benefits of our harvest. I ached to lounge on one of the oversized cushions, perhaps with Lily by my side, smoking flavored hookah and enjoying my last day in the stable. Perhaps, I'd have time later that night...

"C'mon." Geode grumbled, snapping me from my reverie. She led the way towards a doorway set into the wall of the Atrium, near where the stairwell let out. The plaque that read 'Overmare's Office' had long ago been removed in favor of another that read 'Stable Head's Office. Here, I kept a desk, as did my mother, Mauve, Indigo, and several other senior staff alongside the Education Department's head, whom had just taken over for her late grandmother. I may be the Head Mare, but my mother had an immense amount of experience over the forty years she had on me. I deferred to her judgement and advice often.

Geode's office was vestigial at best these days, with more dust than files hanging about. She spent much of her time in the Education Department, conducting trials, teaching classes, or futzing about doing not much of anything. I had a good handle on the way things were ran, and I could contact her through her PipBuck any time I needed her. Still, there were parts of this massive stable that I hadn't quite learned about just yet, and I realized was about to be privy to one more as my mother reached under her desk and flicked a switch. The desk rose out of the floor, several panels sliding back to reveal a dimly-lit stairwell, leading down into the space between the Atrium level and the level below, which would have been the Education Department. One look down the long stairwell, however, told me it went far further down than that.

"I got somethin' to show ya, Diamond." Geode croaked, carefully making her way down the steps. "'Might shatter yer perception o' this stable, and Stable-Tec, and me, and everything you've known t' be true... Or it might jes' validate it all." She had always been a cryptic mare, but the tired tone of her voice made me wonder if this wasn't just a show this time around. I followed after cautiously, making our way down at least one level beneath Education. My PipBuck's map didn't know this area, and was plotting it as we went. I blinked as I saw the tag pop up 'Surface Access.'

"We're not-"

"We are." Geode grumbled as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Immediately, my defenses began to rise. I had heard the stories of other Head Mares, and what their final wishes were. The safety and security of the stable depended on keeping knowledge of the stable's very existence secret from all except its inhabitants, and that's exactly what every Head Mare tasked herself with day and night. Everypony knew full well that once they entered the stable, they could not ever leave.

For that reason, whenever a Head Mare passed on her legacy to her replacement, she had two decisions: She could stay in the stable forever, living among her friends and family for the rest of her days...

Or she could forfeit everything - her position, her access codes, even her knowledge of the stable's location - to embark on one last Pilgrimage.

The last one she'd ever take.

Geode accessing the surface without having chosen either of those things immediately made my coat crawl, as if a trillion bugs were between it and my muscles. I stood on the landing, looking incredulously at my mother as she plodded down the short hallway. I could see a doorway at the very end, with a lit terminal on the wall beside it. Geode stopped when she realized I wasn't following her, and her lone eye looked back to me intently.

"Relax, Dusty." She croaked, giving a wet laugh. "I'm staying in Alpha. I won't run with the knowledge of this place. Yours isn't the only legacy this place holds, and I'm not keen on destroying that." She laid a hoof on the wall, a wistful look crossing her eyes. Her soft smile was genuine. "I love Alpha, and my family is here. I've other daughters, sons, lovers... I don't feel like leaving them for the surface."

"You've decided, then." I surmised, carefully closing the distance between us. Geode looked to me, the same wistful expression on her face.

"I have. I'm staying."

"Alright, then." I relaxed at last, sighing faintly. "Thank you. Honestly, I halfway expected-"

"What, that I'd take you up where we're going and jump?" Another wet laugh, and she wrapped me in a soft hug. I tensed a little, but relaxed as she gingerly stroked my mane. "Somepony's got to keep an eye on this place while you're gone."

"Right." I laughed, hugging her back for a few moments. It was probably the most genuine moment I'd ever shared with the mare. The memory of the things she'd done still echoed through my dreams, some nights waking me in a cold sweat. Whether she'd done those things 'for' or simply 'to' me was yet to be seen, but those memories could wait. The hug ended, and Geode turned back to the door at the end of the hallway. I noticed we had passed by pairs of amber bars, hidden and recessed in the walls to our left and right. It was comforting to know that even this usually-empty hallway was guarded by turrets.

I managed to catch a glimpse of Geode as she quickly input a massive password into the terminal. I think I lost count after twenty-five characters or so. When she hit 'Enter,' the door hissed open to an elevator cab. Geode wasted no time in slipping inside, and I followed suit. The doors shut, and we slowly began to ascend. I came to the sudden realization that I was actually exiting the stable! All the terrible and awesome stories I'd heard about the wasteland were up there! My hide began to crawl again, this time with a much more acute sensation.

"As you know, we're located beneath the city of Damarescus. Far beneath." Geode spoke as the elevator whirred into the unknown overhead. As we rose, the guiding rails seemed to grow a little more worn, if the slight grinding was any indication. Slight shudders began to ripple through the elevator too, and I could feel my defenses rise more with each new jolt. That effect tripled when I heard my PipBuck begin ticking ominously, a small meter popping up in my eye's readout that simply read "RAD," the bar hovering in the green. It wasn't rising very fast, almost imperceptibly so, but it was still incredibly unnerving. I'd only seen this warning on my PipBuck a couple of times in the past, when the shielding for the generators had been taken off for maintenance. Afterwards, myself and every pony whose PipBuck had reacted similarly had spent a full day in Medical, sucking down some terrible orange potion.

"Huh. There's a storm about." Geode grumbled. "Hope it passes higher up."

"Higher up?" I asked, blinking at her curiously.

"Aye. Y'see, Stable Alpha's probably the biggest accomplishment that Stable-Tec could rightfully claim. They never did though, for reasons I'll explain later, but it's safe to say that a lot went into making our lives easier. First and foremost is the fact that we're not just under Damarescus, but we're under the city's tallest, biggest, most defended building." Our PipBucks stopped clicking as the elevator slowed, and Geode sighed. "Good, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to see."

"See... what, exactly?" I asked. Geode turned her head to grin at me deviously.

"The wasteland."

The elevator opened, ushering in a blast of hot air, and a blinding, disorienting light.

Before me sat eternity. I hardly registered it as Geode's hoof fell on my back, shoving me stumbling into the light. My eyes adjusted, one faster than the other, the world coming to me in one big brown and blue mess. Details came second, each new one making my heart thud faster and faster. The display on my eye said '110 BPM' with a little yellow exclamation mark next to it. Geode just laughed, joining me on what I supposed would be a roof, if roofs could sit on top of the whole world.

"F-fuck me."

I struggled to even begin processing what I was seeing. The whole world was blue and brown. Blue above me, wheeling off into forever, an infinite, stretching void of just... nothing. There wasn't anything up there. It felt like if I stepped forwards, I'd fly off into that nothing, and the vertigo immediately made me sway. This was different from the Atrium. The Atrium had a clever spell, sure, and the superficial sunlight was nice on your hide, but you still saw the girders against the wall. You knew there was rock and metal and electronics past that illusion, and if you were a pegasi, you could fly right up to it and put your hoof on it.

Just to orient myself, I looked back down at my hooves, and the stretching black shadow before me. The source, whatever it was, had to have been behind me, and when I glanced over my haunches, I drew in a hissing breath. Even the cybernetic eye ached in my socket, spots dancing in front of my vision. The right half of my vision went dark, displaying only the time and date, along with a single word: 'recalibrating.' The left half reeled, blinking rapidly.

"'S a pain, innit?" Geode chuckled, trotting past me towards the edge of the roof. "Your grandmare did the same thing to me, you know. You might think I'm bad, but she was a right cunt." Geode stopped at the edge of the roof, hacking wetly before she turned back and ushered me forward. "C'mon, storm's passed. You can see all of Damarescus from up here."

'C'mon Diamond, you can do better than this.' I willed myself to calm down, even though the sky still reeled overhead. My PipBuck finished rebooting just then, and I could now see a patch of clouds just on the edge of that blue canvas; North, if my compass was functioning properly again. I joined my mother at the edge of the roof, and saw that eternity came with one hell of a placemat.

Damarescus in all of its glittering, gorgeous beauty sprawled out beneath me, stretching halfway across the visible plane where it ended in a massive blanket of shifting, fuzzy brown sand. I knew about sand, had played in boxes of it when I was a foal, seen shipments brought up from our mining operations to be turned into silicon and glass... But this much of it? It was impossible to comprehend. There was more sand out there than anypony could ever hope to see. Even as I stood on top of what was surely the tallest building around, I knew there was far more that I couldn't see. Far to my left and right, though, the brown sand gave way to a slowly-rolling ocean that looked as blue as the sky, and as infinite as the sands. Looking around, I remembered the maps I'd studied, and the stories Geode and my grandmother had told me about this once great port city. For a moment I could almost taste the small bite of fish Geode had brought with her when she came home last.

My PipBuck began ticking ominously again, and I looked over my shoulder at the far end of the roof. "Aw shit," Geode groaned. "Sandstorm's comin' back. Wish I'd have checked our weather instruments 'afore I brought you up here. Ah well. Plenty o' time fer you ta experience a sandstorm on yer own." She slunk back towards the elevator, and now that I'd seen the outside, I didn't want to go back! I knew what was out here, now! That wild blue sky, the brown desert - heck, I hadn't even had a chance to look at the city properly! I thought I'd seen a thin line cutting off one section from the other, but an ominous howling was accompanying the rapid ticking of my PipBuck. With a little more urgency, I followed Geode into the elevator, my heart slowing a little as I was once more wrapped up in metal and stone.

"That was-"

"Yeah,"

"I'm-"

"Ah huh." Geode chuckled patronizingly, fishing about in her barding. I'd hardly noticed that she was wearing it today. She withdrew two packets of orange liquid, and I recognized it as Rad-Away. My throat clenched a bit at the sight, but not even that disgusting orange drink was going to dampen my mood.

"So that's the wasteland?"

"Part of it." Geode waved her packet. "Less than a smidgen of it, to be honest. Yeah, you saw a lot of it, but you didn't see it. Not closely. Not the way that I have." She finished her drink off, pushing mine up to my lips. I chugged it down, if only to start talking again and distract my mind from the horrible taste. The little RAD meter descended and then disappeared.

"But I will?"

"Starting tomorrow, yeah. Yer pilgrimage begins right there, in that city I jes' showed you." She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Though I don't remember that wall bein' there. Wonder what ol' Malachite's got up his sleeve, lettin' that crop up?"

"Malachite?" I asked, still reeling internally. I halfway wanted to brave whatever a 'sandstorm' really was (I'd read on them, of course,) just to see more of that wild, wonderful world!

"Later." She growled, shaking herself as we descended into the smoother areas of the building. I saw another tab pop up in my navigational menu, drawing my attention away from the crazy world I'd just glimpsed. I scrolled over to it, blinking as 'World' opened up, displaying a simple icon that looked like a couple of tall buildings next to each other. Beneath the icon was the word 'Damarescus' with a small circle of spider web-looking lines branching out around it. The webs looked almost like a grid of sorts...

"Ah suspect yer map'll look a lot like mine when yer done." Geode displayed her own PipBuck, scrolling to the same tab. Hers was far more complete, and as she zoomed out, I saw the icons practically fill the screen. Many of them were too small to detail, and the names too numerous that the PipBuck couldn't display them all.

"Woah."

"Well, y'all got yer taste. Now tomorrow won't come as such a huge shock to ya." She chuckled, clapping me on the back once more. I could have chided her for not giving me any warning, but I was still too shocked to comment. I'd been dreaming of tomorrow ever since I'd taken over for Geode. Now, on the cusp of my pilgrimage, I found my worries about Alpha falling by the wayside. "C'mon, yer not gone yet. Still got a stable to run." Geode pushed me out of the elevator as we arrived back in the short hallway, the stairs looming over us. "Hey, what was that-"

Click.

My world stopped. I knew that sound all too well, though that did nothing to stop an icy chill from running down my spine.

"Mom?" I asked softly, dreading to glance back. I did anyways, and I saw the gun in her mouth. Where had she been hiding it? It wasn't in her barding, was it? I hadn't seen a holster on her. Then I saw the panel in the wall, open where there had only been wall before.

Geode kept the gun pointed at me as she pulled a pair of saddlebags out of the alcove, alongside a full set of armor, blinking and glowing with tiny lights. Still frozen in the sights of the weapon, I watched as my mother donned the armor, shrugging into it like a well-fit coat. Next came the bags, and she never took the gun's barrel off of me as she strapped them all on.

A small panel next to her fetlock on the armor opened, and she carefully spat the gun into it. Machine arms took the pistol in their grip, adjusting the barrel as Geode's eye turned back to me. A red laser pointer clicked on, hovering just over my breast as Geode spoke again. "So I'm a liar."

"I gathered that." I scowled, looking from my mother to the alcove in the wall. She chuckled, sensing my confusion and fear. "You're not staying at all."

"Never planned to." Geode chuckled. "If there's one thing that this wasteland will teach you, it's that 'better' doesn't exist. Cross one obstacle, and the next one will be twice as dangerous. Escape one seemingly impossible situation, and I promise you the next one will be worse still. Believe me when I say that there is no 'better' up there, and the whole 'do better' bullshit is just that: bullshit." The alcove she'd taken the armor and bags from slowly hissed shut, the red dot still fixed on my breast. Geode slowly backed into the elevator, never once looking away from me.

"You’ll see that one day, Diamond Dust." She croaked, pressing a button on the elevator. "Everypony in Alpha is going to see." The doors began to close, and I caught the last glimpse of a wicked smile on her lips. "Soon."

I was haunted by the sight of Geode's eyes as those doors slid shut between us. It was no secret that Head Mares had little love for their predecessors. Historically, the ties between the two figures were vestigial at best, and my link to Geode was no exception. I had been the youngest of all my siblings, sired by some paunchy buck in Maintenance, who died just shy of fifteen years ago thanks to a drinking problem. I struggled to remember a name and a face. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly the favorite among the ponies in the running to take the position of Head Mare. Throughout my trials, though, I'd done my absolute best to excel. I'd fought hard to be the best. Be smarter, faster, stronger, more resilient, more crafty.

I'd fought hard to be better. To do better.

I made my way up into my mother's old office, scowling at the dust and empty bottles lying about before finding the same switch she'd flicked, and flipping it back. The access door slid closed, and the office once again looked just like any other one in this stable. I turned away with a heavy sigh and very cloudy thoughts, eventually wandering my way across the hall to my own office.

'My own mother drew a gun on me.'

I don't know what scared me more: that I half-expected such a thing from her, or that it wasn't the first time she had done it. Hell, it hadn't even been the fourth.

'Head Mare' is a prestigious title, and one that's only earned through hard work, sacrifice, and as Geode has just reminded me, a healthy dose of treachery as well. I could still see the glint of the front sight post on the pistol my mother had held, the hard cast to her eyes. I'd been so shocked in that moment, despite everything she had put me through already, that I completely forgotten everything my training had taught me. I hadn't even summoned a shield to protect myself. Then again, I knew she'd have shot me if I had tried to stop her. Maybe not lethally, but she wouldn't have hesitated to fire.

Maybe that's why despite my shock, a large part of me was glad to see her go.

I sat behind my desk and kicked my rear legs up, thinking long and hard on what had just happened. Out of curiosity, I opened the tracking section of my PipBuck and toggled to my mother's tag. A small line of red text popped up 'Inadequate privilege - contact local administrator.' I couldn't even open the channel to talk with her directly. I had no idea where Geode was, what she was planning, or what she would do next. The tag just sat in my PipBuck, silently mocking me. With a groan, I closed out of the interface and closed my eyes. My thoughts were too preoccupied with what was happening in the here and now.

I'd just had my first glimpse at the wasteland, in all its terrifying beauty. I'd be out there in mere hours, sandwiched between a seemingly infinite, barren desert, and a vibrant blue sky that defied description entirely.

Flipping through the mostly blank 'World' tab on my PipBuck, I wasn't sure what was more ominous: that I was all but blind to what I was getting into...

I flipped to Geode's now blocked out tag and stared at it.

...or the danger my mother had just put us all in by leaving.

"Diamond?" I was shaken from my reverie by the soft voice of Maroon Skies, the pegasus at the head of the education department. She peeked in curiously, worry painted on her features. "I didn't hear you two in Geode's office... is everything okay?" She blinked, looking around. "Where is she?"

"Left." I muttered, taking my hooves off of the desk and rubbing both my eyes gently.

Maroon paled. "You're joking. She went... out there? Into the wasteland? Without wiping her memories?"

"Not before pointing a gun at me." I gave another soft sigh, my thoughts going a million miles an hour. Maroon closed the distance between us, sitting beside the chair and laying her hooves on my back. She began with a tender massage, the light pressure doing wonders for the building tension this morning had dumped on me.

"W-well look at it this way… she’s gone, right?" The nervous tone of her voice only compounded on my own stress, though her hooves were doing their best to allay the mounting tension. Geode’s departure had shaken me to my core, as it had for Maroon, but I couldn’t show it - not outwardly.

"Oh, she's gone alright." I sighed, my eye itching again. I squeezed a few more drops into it and shut the feed off while Maroon leaned into her massage a little more. I felt the tension melt away from my muscles, but my brain was still going wild. There were too many variables to consider, too much risk...

"You seem to be taking this pretty well." She balked at the glare I shot her over my withers, giving a shy smile. "I mean, obviously you miss her. As do I. She was my aunt, after all."

"No, she was a good Head Mare." I sighed, wishing that this massage would never end. It was likely the last one I'd receive in a long while. "She did her job admirably. Alpha thrived thanks to her efforts, and that of her predecessors. I just hope I can live up to her example."

"You already are." Maroon cooed, leaning in to kiss my cheek from behind. I leaned back, inhaling a slight breath through my nose. "You're going to go up there into the wasteland and kick her tail to Roam and back."

"Damn right I am." I growled, feeling anger return to my system. How dare she?! Leave this stable without following protocol! What made her so much better than all the Head Mares that had come before her?! I was going to- ooohh, that felt divine. Maroon's hooves slid down my spine, making my entire body shudder.

"Tomorrow. Tonight, you still have us."

"I sure do." I chuckled, turning around under Maroon's hooves. I slid between them, pulling the mare up onto the chair with me. She gave a delightful squeal as I began to pepper kisses along her neck, and right as I was about to get serious, her PipBuck chirped.

"Oh damnit," She groaned, silencing the alarm with a wingtip. "I have class. I'm sorry, Diamond."

"Aw, but our lesson was just getting started." I teased, giving her flank a quick swat. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Count on it." She teased, giving my lips a sweet, drawn-out kiss. She left me all tingly, my eyes fixed on her flank as she swayed them back and forth on her way out. When she left the Head Mare's office for the Atrium, my gaze lingered on the door a while longer.

This day was shaping up to be the strangest I'd ever had.

The evening's festivities began in short order, several ponies working hard to decorate the Atrium. Nopony was asleep in Residential, and only a skeleton crew was working in maintenance. Every other body - all four hundred and eighty-four of us - were filtering into the Atrium. That number nagged at me - Geode's leaving had removed her from our systems. She wasn't included in the tally of ponies in the stable. And that number would adjust one more downward as I left tomorrow. My niggling little doubts could wait, though. Tonight was a special night.

I stood in the center of the Atrium, talking and greeting well-wishers. The gifts hadn't started yet, but I knew they were coming. For now, we started slowly. Food was being brought up from the kitchens, along with alcohol and premium shisha. It wasn't often that a Head Mare went on a pilgrimage, so the whole stable was preparing to celebrate. Once my PipBuck informed me that all of the celebrants were present, I climbed to the top of a podium that had been erected in the center, putting me just above everypony else. The whispers of conversation died down, each eye turned to me expectantly.

"Well, we all knew this day would come," I began slowly, giving a fake, wistful sigh. "... many of you are probably pleased to see me go-"

"But we love to watch you leave!" Twister offered, and I laughed with everyone else.

"But it's a time-honored tradition, one we've abided by for almost two centuries. Even back when Stable Alpha abided by an Overmare, we deemed fit to take this trip, to gather news, technology, supplies, and worthy friends and family to live with us in safety. The purpose of this pilgrimage is for the Head Mare to do what we all do, to do what we were instructed to do so long ago."

Every voice in Stable Alpha joined me as we all muttered those two words together.

"Do better."

I looked out over the gathered eyes, each of them turned to me. Even the foals sat in silence, their young minds undoubtedly soaking up the moment like sponges. I smiled warmly at my friends and family - my marem.

"Starting tomorrow, you will be without a Head Mare. Or, more specifically, I'll be assigning one to handle the affairs of the stable while I travel into the wasteland. Were it not for the folly of those who came before us, we wouldn't have the myriad opportunities that we do. That's why we send the best of us out into the world - not just to gather and hoard all that we have, but to help spread the knowledge and expertise we've accrued. Be it with a few select spells, or some bullets where they need to be put." Another ripple of laughter rolled through the stable, and I closed my eyes, feeling the artificial sunlight on my hide. It felt almost like the real thing. It was only missing the hot breeze, the blue sky, and the heart-thumping sensation of the whole wide world stretching around me into nothingness.

"I'm sad to go, but I've known this was coming ever since I took the position from my mother. The truth is, I might not return - there have been four Head Mares that have perished on their pilgrimages. But that's okay. They died trying to do what any of us would do in their positions, doing what they felt was best, and right, and whole.

"But this is not goodbye. True, tragedy may strike. I may be removed from your lives by any number of risks out there. But I'll be damned if whatever takes me gets away without something to remember me by. And should I return, it'll be with something new and wonderful for us. More family. New technology. Treasure and wonders that will help us to do better." I raised my voice, speaking louder as emotion welled within me.

"I'll not resign myself to an easy death! I'll not falter from my path! With Stable Alpha as my witness, I will help everypony I can, any way I can! I will fight, I will bleed, and sun and moon help me, I will live!" The entire stable joined me as we all chanted the last four words.

"I will do better!"

The night's festivities had been legendary. Truly, a party of that magnitude had seldom been seen in Stable Alpha. There was dancing, music, amazing food, alcohol, and sex all about, sometimes all at once. I stayed up talking, laughing, and loving alongside my marem, but didn't partake of the alcohol. I had an early start the next day. After a few hours, I took my leave of the festivities, so I could partake in a more personal, intimate celebration. Alongside Lug Nut, Twister, Lily, Maroon Skies, and an almost overly-eager Earth Pony stallion I'd been teasing for the past few weeks by the name of Blue Danube, I retired to the Head Mare's chamber for a delightful orgy.

I slept peacefully through the night. Were it not for my alarm buzzing at seven in the morning, I could have easily slept the entire day away.

But the wasteland waited for nopony. And so I quietly disentangled myself from my precious companions and made for the showers.

"Diamond." Mauve was the first pony to greet me as I ascended the Atrium, three other ponies lingering about during their free time. They looked at us curiously, but Mauve's strict glare scared them towards the ramp leading up to the entrance. Most ponies in the stable would be shaking themselves awake by now, making their way up to the entrance to bid me farewell. They'd be hungover, tired, and cranky, but they would come. They always did.

"Gonna be a long day, isn't it?" I asked, grinning at the old buck's knowing smile.

"It sure is. Got yer new eye." He held up a vial filled with some blue-ish sort of liquid and a new cybernetic eye. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." I sighed. Mauve's horn glowed as he withdrew the implant from his vial and seized the current one in my head. The feed went dark alongside the tugging sensation I'd become mildly familiar with over the past three years of using the damn thing. I hissed as I felt the dangling wires drag along the inside of my eye socket, accompanied by the nausea and twinges of pain I'd come to expect.

"Just a moment, now..." He put the old implant in the vial he'd drawn the new one out of, and proceeded to install my eye once again, this time with a marked upgrade. The feed re-initialized immediately, scrolling text sliding up the black screen before it booted up entirely. Everything looked much the same, though a touch clearer. Mauve began listing off the changes as he fiddled with it, small bits of the PipBuck interface clicking into my vision.

"This eye comes with a shield projector that'll protect it from all but the most tenuous of sand, so you won't be blind in a storm. It should also keep moisture and other stuff out of there, though the shield will fail if too much comes in at once. Obviously, it won't stop a bullet or shrapnel. I've smoothed out all the ragged edges, so even if it does catch on some of your muscles, it ought to be negligible. Plus, you can now use water to lubricate it, not the eyedrops I've had to brew up for you previously."

"Really? Any water?"

"Well, you'll want to use clean water, but yes, any old water will work."

"Well, thanks for that, I suppose." I chuckled, blinking a few times to get accustomed to the feel. Despite being new, nothing in my socket itched or pulled at the flesh. It was as close to a 'natural' feeling that I'd had in an implant ever.

"'Side from that, and some updated programs, it's about the same. Better resolution, though, as you've probably noticed." He stepped back, finished with replacing the new eye. The display looked the same, even pulling up his profile as I looked at the old buck. He looked... sad, almost. I smiled, nodding my head towards my office.

"Send your Head Mare off?" He just gave a soft 'harrumph' and followed. I led the way into my office, where I'd been gathering supplies for the trip.

Mauve had taken it upon himself to arrange all my accoutrements, undoubtedly collected from the armory and fabrication laboratories. I stood before the impressive armament, looking over all of the instruments of death and defense. "My sojourn into the wasteland is going to be unpredictable, but at least now I knew I'd be well prepared."

“I did this for your mother, long ago.” Mauve sighed, his horn glowing as he pulled up the first article, an impressive set of armored barding. “Her armor was much the same as this one, if I recall… though it came with an integrated battle saddle. You won’t have any need for that.”

“Not unless I come across an artillery unit I want to haul across the wasteland, no.” I chuckled, taking the armor from him and examining it. Inter-locking ceramic plates were woven between two layers of steel-reinforced silk-woven fabric, and enchanted several times over with a myriad of defensive spells. The suit of armor could repair itself, administer healing potions when needed, and would even assist with my own magical ability by supplementing my spells. As I pulled it on, I watched the integration program sync it with my PipBuck, the fabric tightening and fitting to my body perfectly.

“We’ve just got your rifle back from the fabrication lab, too. I must say, she is a beautiful piece of work.” Mauve levitated a slick black case from its place on the ground, setting it on the open space of my desk the armor had vacated. “Your specifications were implemented without issue. She just needs to be zeroed.”

I flipped the clips securing the case up and pulled the lid open. Inside the custom-tooled foam bed sat a glorious piece of deadly machinery, the same mottled-brown as my armor. The custom-designed rifle was chambered to a precise .338 caliber, using specially-designed rounds that struck a perfect balance of stability and damage potential. The rifle came fitted with a bipod for stationary firing, a muzzle break to help reduce recoil, and a scope of my own design that would scan and tag the same marks from my PipBuck, tracking them behind cover and concealment.

As I lifted the rifle out of its case, I couldn’t help but smile at the beauty of it. She was mine from the stock up, a weapon unlike any other in the world. I couldn’t help but breathe her name. “Shiva.”

“And your ammunition, as well.” Mauve levitated a small selection of boxes forth. I had spent much time developing not just this rifle, but the rounds it fired as well, and had adapted many of the traditional ammunition types into my own bullets. Alongside a healthy supply of the standard .338 rounds were matrix-disruption, explosive, incendiary, armor-piercing, and poisonous bullets. In total, I had close to two hundred rounds for Shiva.

But the impressive rifle wasn’t the only piece of equipment I’d be taking into the wasteland. One article in particular, which I was glad Geode hadn’t pilfered, was an old, well-worn saber. The scabbard and pommel were wrapped in genuine dragon leather (product of one of my ancestor’s first kills,) and inscribed with our motto. ‘Do Better’ was laid into the sturdy material, and as I pulled the blade from its sheath, I could see my face reflected in the polished surface.

“Ashur.” This blade had a history with the wasteland, and had been passed down by my predecessors after more than thirty pilgrimages in its time. Miraculously, the blade had always been found by a Stable Alpha Head Mare, even if their predecessor perished. It too had a name, though I didn’t know where it came from, or what it meant. Still, the blade’s designation felt… right. Like it owned the name. The scabbard slid under the rifle’s sling across my back, ready to access at any time (by magic or mouth) just over my left shoulder.

“We’ve also got your other things back from fabrication.” Mauve hoisted two more black cases from the floor, opening them both. Within the left case sat a custom-tooled ten-millimeter pistol. It boasted a myriad of features, including a built-in suppressor, gem-studded sights that glowed in low-light conditions, and alternative firing modes, in case I needed three-round burst or fully-automatic fire for any reason.

The other case held a titanium-alloy shotgun chambered in twelve-gauge, lightweight and sturdy enough to handle the punishment of the wasteland. The shotgun slipped into a custom holster that sat between my flank and my saddlebags, with the handle poking out next to my tail. The ten-mil fit just along my front left leg, above the joint of my knee. I draped my hefty saddlebags over the shotgun’s holster, feeling their reassuring weight settle.

I had close to one hundred rounds of ammunition for each of my weapons, a half-dozen grenades and mines, twenty or so healing potions, and a healthy selection of chems. To help conceal my impressive arsenal, I wrapped a balaclava around my neck, and donned a lightweight cloak with a hood over it all. To finish it off, a dark pair of shades covered my eyes. From behind the tint, I looked at Mauve critically.

"So, how do I look?"

"You look like a Head Mare ready to take her pilgrimage." Mauve commented with a low whistle. I grinned back at him.

"We're never ready for our first. But that doesn't mean we can't go well prepared."

Mauve seemed like a gatekeeper as he stepped to the side and ushered me out of the office. The Atrium fell silent the moment I walked back into view, looking like a different mare entirely. I stood before my stable for a few silent moments as the soft murmurs of conversation died away. Nopony spoke. Hardly anypony even moved as I shared a pensive moment of silence with my family. The silence was broken as I stepped forwards, the congregation of ponies making their way towards the long, sloped ramp that led up to the Security level.

The ramp gradually curled around the massive dome of the Atrium, running through the rock and steel outside until it ended in a wide bay door that opened into Security's main floor. Originally used to accept oversize deliveries of raw building materials and machinery, these days we used it as an impromptu slide for the foals, or for exercise in running up and down the incline. The offices of the head of Security were located here, along with a small barracks for the on-duty guards watching the entrance and patrolling the upper levels of Alpha. When we arrived outside of the gigantic, cog-shaped door to the vault, there wasn't any conversation. Nopony spoke. There really wasn't much to say at this point. I turned to face them, looking over the rim of my shades.

"Step forward, Mauve." I spoke calmly, but loud enough to ensure everypony present could hear me. Mauve blinked and stepped forwards. "Lift your PipBuck."

He obliged, and I could see in his eyes that he sensed what was about to happen. I fished a small wire out of my PipBuck's access port and connected the other end into his PipBuck. I navigated into the settings and selected one prompt, my eye blinking faintly as it popped up on my screen.

'Overmare Duty Transfer Protocol: Initiate? Y/N'

I toggled 'Y' and waited for it to load.

'Verbal Override required. Speak passphrase now.'

"Overmare Duty Transfer Protocol, Stable Alpha, authorization Delta, October, tac, Beta, Echo, Terra, Terra, Echo, Roam." The prompt vanished, along with half of the readout of my PipBuck's interface on my eye. The time and date remained, along with an idly spinning hourglass that emptied and filled several times as it turned over.

'Transfer Complete.' The compact text scrolled across my eye once before flickering away. At once, I felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of my withers.

"Mauve," I smiled at the buck, pulling the wire out of his PipBuck and tucking it back into my own. "I'm leaving it in your capable hooves. You're Head Buck while I'm out." My eyes glanced over the gathered faces, all of them stoic, some of the shedding tears. The gigantic cog gave a massive bang, alarms flashing across the interior of Alpha. A gust of dry, sandy air blew inside, washing over the crowd.

I pushed my shades up and turned to face the dark cave outside of Alpha.

"Do better."

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk: Daughter of Alpha - You boast some of the best weaponry, training, and technology in the entire world! Radroaches and raiders won't pose much of a problem to a mare as well-equipped as yourself, and to top it all off, you've got the resolve of a Head Mare! Gain +1 to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, +10 to all skills, +10 DT and +10% damage dealt! Be careful, though. Naiveté and arrogance have been the downfall of better ponies than you.