Fallout Equestria: Plight

Prologue: Ties

“The infinite of night arises, and drift away from my plight. The hurt, and the blame. Alone from my soul, so here's my existence.”

I put the final piece on my master-work as the brush spread orange paint on the previously grey and mournful wall, and take a step back. I get the full wind of the artwork, not my best work, but you make due with what you have.

An orange pony, one I knew was the old ministry-mare Applejack... or presumed. I might have gotten the hair wrong, and it's hard to tell when you only have old dingy paintings in profile to work from. She bounced across the wall against a blue background, washing away the greyness of the boring wall.

The brush dropped from my mouth as I looked at my usually dark-blue coat. It was now more than one shade of every other colour in the rainbow. Ugh... I felt dirty, but we all have to make some sacrifices for art. Even my cutie-mark had some paint on it, though I had no idea how it got there.

The usual three bottles of Sparkle-Cola were covered in a blotch of green paint, and a sigh escaped my mouth as I went for the shower.

Click, click, click, my Pip-Buck so generously interrupted the mood as I got out from the shower. I sighed annoyingly, and brought it up to my face, pushing the button with my nose. “Yes?” I commanded.

“Overmare, they're ready for the daily speech,” a mare's voice scratched from the device. Her voice cooed softly yet she managed to sound way more demanding, and commanding than I ever would be able to.

I lingered for a bit, then spoke. “Fizzle, is that you?” No response came, and I spoke again, more demanding this time, but I doubt it sounded as if I was.

“Yes,” the voice screeched out from the Pip-Buck and I giggled back in glee. Fizzle was the best at her job, she was in charge of the security around the Stable, and I didn't doubt for one second that without her, Stable 53 would have perished long ago.

I pushed my nose against the screen again. “I'll be with you in just a minute,” I cooed into the device, and I could her a groan from a buck, so she wasn't alone. I shut it off as I'd rather not hear whatever it was that they were doing.

Looking back at the 'masterpiece' on the wall before me I smiled and neighed as I walked out the door, and down the metallic hallways. A light flickered, and another one was broken; they seemed to break every other month or so.

I turned a corner, passing two other mares in the hallway, and they stopped whatever it was that they were speaking of. Nothing could change what my predecessors had done, in spite of the fact that I tried my best, nothing would change that fact.

Shaking my head, I buried the thought, and put a smile back on my face as I walked. The sound of my hooves echoed against the cold walls as I turned to the right, and entered a classroom. Rows of desks were lined up with foals standing up next to each one. I approached their teacher: a white mare with a golden mane, and a brown textbook as her cutie mark. Next to her stood Fizzle: she was clad in black rubber barding, standard for security personnel, and her baton swung at her side.

“So, how many reported in today?” I asked, directing my question more at Fizzle than at the school teacher.

“All of them, Overmare Soft Soda. No one is away today,” the school teacher said with a smile and nodded towards me. I nodded back and could see Fizzle roll her eyes in my side-view. With a smile, I turned towards the class, and it was silent as they all watched me in awe... a legacy from my predecessors as well.

“Good morning Foals. I hope today's lesson will be a productive one, and I hope you learn something!” Jubilee erupted from the foals as they stomped their hooves. I kept my smile as I motioned for them to sit, and take their respective places. A smile, another nod towards the school teacher, and both me and Fizzle were out of the room, and standing in the drab grey hallway again.

“What's on the agenda?” I Cooed softly as I turned towards Fizzle, swishing my blond and silver striped tail gracefully as a pair of bucks passed. They didn't say anything, but I swear I could hear the faint sound of laugher and muttering as they walked further down the hallway. I pushed it back into the caverns of my mind.

Fizzle grimaced as she looked at her Pip-Buck, and her horn glowed faintly of pink as she flipped through menus until her face lighted up. “We're doing another sweep in the lower areas, some of the mares there have been complaining about hearing voices. We still have one foal missing, so I think we should pay her parents a visit,” she said dryly and stopped for a moment.

“And yes, another visit to maintenance. Apparently, Wrench has something he wants to show you,” she added with a muffled giggle; clearly she was trying to hide it.

I knew what she was thinking, and the thought had crossed my mind more than once I will be fair, but no... just no, that was out of the question. I perished the thought and nodded towards her as she lead the way down the hallway.

Now I got even more bad looks, and I felt bad.

We weaved through countless metal hallways, each was as dreary and moody as the last one. Yup, I had to paint more. Finally, we ended up at a seemingly normal looking door in the living area, and one of the areas where things actually worked! Almost... roughly 90 percent of the time.

Fizzle used her Pip-Buck, the green worked well with her barding, and pushed it against the terminal outside the door as the door whirred open. Inside sat a brown earth mare with a crimson mane, and a grey buck with a black mane. I nodded towards them as both me and Fizzle walked in.

The mare looked at me with narrowed eyes as she rose from her sitting position. “Have you found my filly yet?” she half-screamed at me.

“I-”

“No, ma'am. But rest assured, Stable security is searching every nook and cranny for her. We will find her,” Fizzle answered confidently, and probably forgetting for a moment that she had interrupted me. Perhaps I had gotten a little slack with the rules... no, I won't become as the previous Overmare.

I looked between the mare and the stallion as she broke into tears then and there. I stood silent alongside Fizzle as the buck sat himself down next to her, and brushed her mane softly as she cried into his shoulder.

He looked towards us, towards me. “Please, bring our filly back in one piece,” he pleaded to me. I nodded dumbly as it was the only thing that struck me as the right thing to do. I didn't do sadness well, so that was probably why I did my best to keep everypony happy.

Fizzle ushered me outside again as we walked away from the room, and down another set of hallways. A set of stairs, and we arrived in the atrium. Metal benches set up neatly around a green tree in the middle with food-courts at the far end, and at lunch-time it was stacked with ponies, but it was abandoned now.

We continued to walk, and more security personnel filled the corridors as we passed into the wing that was maintenance. I had issues about posting so many guards, but Fizzle assured me it was necessary. I deferred to her judgement since she was after all head of security.

The smell of oil flared and burned in my nostrils, as we walked through the large metal airlock door that lead into maintenance. I instantaneously got an headache. I wavered for a moment, my hooves shook, and my breath sounded raspy. I swallowed hard, and lifted my head to look into the red eyes of a very disappointed Fizzle. Whatever, I was the Overmare, I was in charge.

My ears perked as squeaking sounds became louder and louder, when suddenly a yellow shape trundled into view. “What was it that you wanted with me, Wrench?” I asked the buck softly as I looked on the saddle he wore: Large blue rubber wheels at each side, and his back legs rested on a metal plate under his body.

The ingenuity of the ponies in my Stable never ceased to amaze me.

Wrench smiled back at me, but frowned when he looked at Fizzle. He had lost his legs several years back when a large vent had collapsed on him and crushed his legs, and Fizzle had been... less than willing to help.

“Yes, I do!” he stated enthusiastically as he rolled out of view.

I regained my composure, and walked forwards alongside Fizzle as we entered the actual workshop. Ancient equipment lay strewn about on large metal worktables, and that included a few Pip-Bucks, both old and new models. Wrench led us towards a smaller and more secluded table in the workshop, so I suspect it was his worktable

“Ta-da!” he said as he motioned towards a charcoal Pip-Buck with red stripes that lay on its side. I frowned, Fizzle frowned, and Wrench... didn't frown. He groaned and proceeded to lift the Pip-Buck off the table, and cradled it in his hooves.

“Clearly you two have never seen a Pip-Buck like this,” he said with glee as he turned the Pip-Buck over onto its side, brandishing the fur lining the inside. That settled it, I wanted it. “This is a Pip-Buck 2000... yes, I know that isn't a victory in itself, but, and here's the kicker. This one is unique,” he added boastfully as he grinned so much that I feared he would stay that way forever.

“Different, how?” Fizzle inquired, and wrapped the Pip-Buck in a levitation field as she tore it from Wrench's hooves.

“I bet you want to know, Fiz,” Wrench said mockingly, and got a thousand yard glare in return from Fizzle. I giggled, too loudly as half the ponies present in the room turned their gaze towards me. My cheeks turned to fire, and I waved a dismissive hoof, trying to look as commanding as I could.

“Just tell me, Wrench, or I'll be forced to turn your remaining limbs to mush,” Fizzle said as she twirled her baton in the air.

He was about to talk when the entire room moaned and creaked as the lights went out in a flash. The sound of breathing ponies were the only sounds in the room. A scream shook the silence as the pale yellow lights flickered back on. Another buck galloped up to Wrench.

“It's Nickel, he's hurt, bad,” he added as I could see two ponies drag a pony out of another side room, and a crimson trail followed him, from his hoof as far as I could tell. Then another mare came behind them, and in the air she levitated a decapitated hoof.

Bad was undercutting his situation.

“Great, I'm another worker down, and this shitty equipment never works!” Wrench shouted and swung a hoof against the metal table, so hart that his face contorted.

“Did that help?” I said softly.

“Yes,” Wrench responded and held his hoof limply in the air.

“Did that hurt?” I added coyly.

“Yes,” Wrench said and clutched his hoof as his face contorted in pain. I giggled as we filtered out of the room, and Fizzle still levitated the prototype Pip-Buck in a pink levitation field.

****

The brown walls of my office were more than depressing, it was horrid. I desperately needed some paintings in here, but for now there were more pressing issues. I poked at the prototype Pip-Buck that lay on the wooden table in front of me. A spark of wonder ignited in my head as I got the equipment out that was needed to remove a Pip-Buck from your hoof.

Somehow, I managed to strap the prototype on my hoof and activate it. It was seemingly similar to my usual one, and it had apparently belonged to somepony called Cold Front. I didn't remember the name, so either this was very old, or she was dead... yeah. Suddenly wearing the Pip-Buck was creepier than ever.

I flashed onto the map menu, seeing the interior of the Stable. Using my nose to manoeuvre through the maps, I stumbled upon another level of the Stable, and one that I, nor anypony else had apparently seen before, except for this 'Cold Front.'

I must have jumped four feet into the air when my own Pip-Buck clicked to life on the table, and my heart pounded as I rolled it over to look at it. I frowned and clicked my hoof against it. “Yes?” I asked dryly.

“We found the filly, Overmare,” the voice from the Pip-Buck said and my face twisted into a smile. I giggled gleefully as I pushed to respond.

“Good, then we can tell her parents the good news.”

The Pip-Buck cracked and the voice scratched out again. “I mean... we found the remains of the filly. Equipment malfunction. As far as we can tell she was hiding in food-processing when the machine turned on.” I grimaced as images of pony-mush flashed before my eyes.

“I see...” I commented sadly.

“What should we do with the body, and who should tell her parents, Overmare?” I paused, let that thought linger for a few moments. Dear goddesses! I would have to tell them, me? Only a day ago I had promised to bring back their filly, and now I have to tell them that their filly got turned into goo!

Nope, not going to happen. “Get Fizzle on it, and... process the body,” I said and closed the communication line with security. “Another day, another problem,” I muttered softly to myself as I walked towards the big rounded window that looked out on the atrium. It was one way, so the ponies couldn't see me, but I could see them. Another addition by the previous Overmare.

Currently it was filled to the brim with chattering ponies, and I could feel a cold shiver down my back that made me sweat with nervousness. I couldn't help but wonder what the other Overmare had thought about those ponies down there, and suddenly memories flashed in my eyes. Memories of whips, rules, and broken males, so I had to push it away and back into the depths of my head.

I frowned and held my newly minted Pip-Buck up to my head, flipping through the menus until I came to one containing four audio logs. I pushed my nose against the first one, and the Pip-Buck hissed, sputtering in response as 'CORRUPTED FILE' flashed on screen in big red letters. Clearly, I wasn't going to get anything remotely useful from that.

I pushed the second one.

“We finally settled in, and I got my orders from Stable-Tec today, and my official uniform. How sweet isn't that?” a voice sounded with glee from the Pip-Buck, and I rolled my eyes. The uniform wasn't all that great. “Anyway, mom and the rest are settling in. I managed to get them a room close by mine, perks of being the Overmare,” she continued with a giggle and the recording vanished in a regalia of static as it finally clicked out.

When I pushed the third one, the same error message popped on screen followed by the rattle of audio scratching. I groaned and paced back and forth. I couldn't rid my mind of it, so I had to tell them. I removed the prototype and put my own Pip-Buck back on, and pushed the communication button. “Hold the thought, security. I... I'll tell them,” I said wearily and got a dry 'okay' in response.

****

As I paraded through the hallways, I pushed the communication channel for Fizzle's Pip-Buck, but there was no answer. For the last few months she had disappeared every day around this time. More than once had I thought about monitoring her movements, but my better sides decided against it.

I reached the door, and knocked. The brown earth pony mare opened the door and looked at me with blood-shot eyes, and her cheeks wet from crying. “C-can I come in?” I asked, and she nodded in response as the door closed behind me.

She wanted to give me some tea to drink but I waved a dismissive hoof; I didn't want to be here any longer than I needed to. “We-we f-found y-your f-f-filly,” I managed to stammer out.

“Yes?” the mare said eagerly as her face lit up several lighter shades of brown as she wiped her nose with a hoof. I grimaced, and shuddered.

“I-I'm s-s-s-sorry!” I blurted out, “we f-found her in f-f-f-food p-p-processing, s-she's d-d-d-”

“Dead?” The mare finished my sentence for me and I nodded melancholy back to her as her face twisted in sadness and she cried. I felt out of place as her husband gripped her, and tried to comfort her. I rose and left the room with another 'I'm sorry' though I doubt they heard me.

The door closed, and I collapsed against the cold metal walls. I wanted to scream, but that wasn't a good idea, so I banged my head against the wall several times. My head hurt... in fact that was the positive thing.

“You okay?” a voice said and sprung me awake as I looked to my left and saw a mare, a few years younger than me. She wore the same security barding as everypony else in security did. Her coat was white as snow, and a curly red mane donned her head.

“You okay?” I snapped to as she repeated the question, and I shook my head as I rose to my hooves, but I was still a little shaken.

“Y-yes! Of course I am,” I said with a fake smile. During the years I had practised that many times, but I doubt it fooled anypony. The mare nodded to me with a smile as she vanished down another corridor, and twirled the slick black baton around her hoof.

“I hate security,” I muttered to myself as I walked back down the long corridor that lead to my office.

****

“What the hay?” The words caught in my throat as I looked at Fizzle, and a few other security mares rummaging around my office as they tore out any papers they could find. Needless to say, the effort they used in trying to break the encryption on my computer was useless, not even they knew my password.

Fizzle turned towards me with a glare as she levitated the prototype Pip-Buck into the air next to herself. “Did you know?” she asked, her voice dangerous and low.

I shuddered. “Know what?” I asked, sounding confident. Fizzle giggled ominously, and turned on the Pip-Buck as a recording sputtered on after a few scratches.

“I got word from Stable-Tec. The experiment is a go, every equipment in here is designed to break down every second month... I can't help but feel a bit saddened, knowing that I have to deceive my family like this, but Stable-Tec duty comes first, it's my duty as Overmare.” There was a brief pause in the recording, but I could definitely hear laboured breathing. “This is my confession I guess. Curfew will go in effect as of today, because of that I can at least minimize the risk of something bad happening... Cold Front, Overmare of Stable 53 signing off for the last time.” The recording sputtered to a halt as the Pip-Buck dropped to the floor.

I didn't have words for what I had just heard. For decades the Overmares had deceived them, and deceived me. “I... I...” I was mute, not that I think I could have convinced Fizzle that I had nothing to do with it anyway.

Fizzle approached me slowly, carrying her glare the entire time. “You lifted the curfew, you inherited your mother's job, you deceived us! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you outside!” Fizzle shouted at me and I cringed, lowering my ears as I felt her breath against my cheek.

“I.. I'm y-your f-f-friend?” I asked, and she neighed back – she shook her head and turned towards one of the other security mares.

“Initiate the plan,” Fizzle commanded to the mare who instantly turned on her Pip-Buck, and on to the Stable's PA system, which you could do from any security Pip-Buck.

“Listen closely Stable fifty-three. We have learned grave news today, and grave news indeed. The overmare, our protector and idol, have betrayed us.” I could hear the roar of ponies from the atrium, and I slumped together even more. At this rate I would be curled into a ball on the floor in a matter of seconds. “She, along with her family actively worked against the Stable, and caused the deaths of many ponies, including a filly recently,” the mare stopped and looked at Fizzle who looked towards me.

“It's either them or the outside?” she giggled mischievously. I swallowed hard as I could see the faint lights of the atrium, and the ponies there scurrying about. I took a step back, and nodded towards her and the group.

****

They walked with me down the corridors until we ended in the large chamber with the cog-shaped steel door of a beast that lead to the outside world. One of the security mares walked over to an ancient terminal, and perched her hoof against a steel lever with a T-shaped wooden handle.

“Wait!” I exclaimed as I turned towards Fizzle and the rest of security, or what I suspected was the ones who supported her as I didn't see the mare from earlier here. “Can I get the prototype Pip-Buck, it's after all my family's,” I said wearily as Radiant shrugged and hovered it to my hooves. I strapped it onto my other hoof, and now I had two Pip-Bucks! It was only temporary, I hoped.

Fizzle nodded towards the mare who had her hoof perched on the lever. “Open it, Baton!” she said excitingly as the mare used all her might, and lowered the lever. The room filled with steam as a giant steel arm extended down from the roof, and pulled the large metal beast door from it's place. It rolled over to the side as light gleamed in through the gear-shaped opening.

A vile cackle sounded and the room deafened. “Oh... meet some friends of mine,” Fizzle giggled as a group of three decrepit ponies walked in through the door. They smelled acrid, the pungent aroma of rotting flesh the most notable one. The leader: a dark orange buck with a spiky green mane walked forwards. I also noted that they were clad in barding, not looking anything as that of the security; and it looked cobbled together from scraps of clothing.

Fizzle strode forward. “Here, I hoof the stable over to you, but my people go free. You can have the rest except for my security ponies,” she said and the orange buck nodded in response as his left eye twitched, and his eyes descended into pinpricks.

“What?” I shouted in confusion as I looked befuddled at Fizzle. “How can you do this? You call me a traitor and then you do this?” She smiled mischievously back at me.

“Why? Because I'm going to live, and live wealthy once I get out of here,” she cooed to me and turned back to the buck. “Now, where's my reward,” she said enthusiastically and closed her eyes proudly.

I watched as Fizzle got turned into a pile of entrails, blood, and guts. Fizzle was everywhere, dear goddesses! Fizzle was on me! I froze as the orange pony cackled, and the rest of the group lunged against the security mares. He had fired off his shotgun(which I recognized from several books inside the Stable), and decimated Fizzle, and now one by one the others fell beside me, and their screams echoed through my ears as shots rippled through their barding and hit the flesh beneath.

Suddenly I felt the coldness of the floor against my fur. In the confusion I hadn't noticed that a buck had tackled me to the ground, and I could feel his breath on my neck. “Now, now... what have we here!” he said excitingly, his grating voice tore at my ears. OH NONONONONONO!!!! I felt my tail move, and I clutched it to my body as he continuously tried to move it out of the way, and the rest of his body pinned me to the floor.

“Stop moving, bitch!” I moved, there was no way I would stop moving! Pain tore in my skull as I felt wood hit me in the jaw, and blood splashed across the floor. “That's a good mare,” he cooed softly as he moved my limp tail out of the way. Another cackle sounded as I looked around frantically. The room was strewn with blood and torn bodies, and I could hear muffled groans and shrieks coming from inside the stable.

My eyes widened as pain shot through my back, leading from my haunches all the way up my spine. “A virgin too!” the buck over me snorted eagerly, and leaned down closer to me, and I could smell the stench from his mouth. “I'll be gentle,” he said and I felt another twang of pain from my haunches.

Gentle? That was not being gentle! Dear god... my vision blurred as the pain intensified and I looked back, and oh my god! He was rutting me! Without my permission! Tears blurred my vision more as I reached out with my hooves. “P-please...” my voice sounded raspy and torn as he cackled again, and another sharp pain followed.

And again...

again...

again.... The world whitened and faded in front of my eyes as excited moans from the buck rippled in my ears.

****

It was cold. I shivered when I flashed my eyes open, and it hadn't been a dream. The room was still smeared with blood, and torn bodies laid around the room. The buck had vanished along with his friends. I moved to get to my hooves as pain shot through my body as electricity, and I looked at my haunches. Bloody... my tail was smeared with it, along with other less savoury things.

I crawled into a ball, and leaned against the metal stairs as I tugged my tail close to my body. I wanted to bathe, to just immerse my body in water, and to just forget what had just happened. It couldn't have happened, yes, it was all a dream! The pony inside my head kept telling me.

Wake up, wake up, Soft Soda! I pinched myself, but the pain wouldn't subside, and the room didn't clear up. I wiped my eyes as I removed my hooves and looked at the room. It had turned night outside, and it was dark and cold inside; without supervision the generators had no doubt stopped working.

I could see the mangled body of Fizzle in a corner, blood covering her flank and mouth, and the security barding had been torn from her body, leaving her mutilated and gutted on the hard metal floor. I felt sad, angry, and regret... it was my fault after all. My family had deceived them for years, and that filly's death was on my head, and Fizzle's death was on my head.

Tears welled up in my eyes again, not a single good thought entered my mind. I blanketed and sobbed as I huddled my hooves close to my body again. The chilly wind coming from the rocky tunnel outside tore through my body

You can't stay here, leave! A mental pony shouted at me, and immediately I rose to my hooves, and I keeled over, vomiting. I clutched my sides as I looked at my cutie-mark. Two thirds of it was covered in blood.

Born into being the mascot for a famous company, how about that?

Groaning, I managed to get to my hooves again. I limped with my remaining strength to the door leading into the rest of the Stable, and poked my head through the opening. The walls were bloodied, limp bodies of mares and stallions decorated the hallways, and offensive writing was painted on the wall, and I couldn't figure out if it was paint or blood, probably the latter.

I grimaced and looked away as I tore the bloodied Stable uniform from my body, using my teeth to shred the material. With that out of the way I turned on the E.F.S. on my Pip-Buck. It was blank, not a single red, yellow, or green bar of life. I was truly alone.

Robbing what I could of the meagre supplies in the room, I managed to fill two saddlebags, emblazoned with the official Stable-Tec logo. That was one part I couldn't rid myself of. Finding one canteen of water I tossed it across my back. I didn't want to go further into the Stable, I couldn't...

My eyes turned watery again, and I used a hoof to clean them. I looked back and moved forwards towards the open door. I breathed slow, exhaled and lifted hoof as I limped out the door. I was truly alone now, for the first time in my life.

====

Footnote: Level up(2.)
New Perk: Swift Learner – You are indeed a Swift Learner with this Perk, as each level will gain you an additional +5% bonus whenever you earn experience points.