Life before the MegaSpell Apocalypse

Hello, my name is Azuli. I’m a stable dweller here in stable 112, I’ve been around since the Great War ended in devastation. I still remember life in Equestria before it all happened.

It was often peaceful, fillies and foals alike would frolic and play all day long. Mares and stallions would often spend their days working or hanging out with their friends. I was not like the other mares around, I spent my days indoors working on projects for Stable-Tec. Making sure the oxygen productions were at optimal potential, creating innovative ways of reusing stable prepared water and food, and other stuff like that. I had always feared that ponies would have to escape to the underground shelter in these stables and that they’d have to rely on my inventions to survive the upcoming crisis that the zebras would soon unleash on them.

I remember it like it was yesterday, loud sirens filled the undisturbed night like gunfire in a clear meadow and screaming ponies ran to their designated stables. Well… those who were admitted that is. Stable-Tec couldn’t afford to house everypony in their stables as the population was exceeding their expectations, therefore many ponies were left to endure the blast of the megaspell dead on without any help.

Each region had their set number of stables and each stable had their own set of instructions when it was time to retreat into them.

I lived in Manehattan and we all imagined our great city wouldn’t be in danger of the megaspells. Alas, we were all clearly mistaken. On the last day of the war a smuggled megaspell detonated under the city, causing mass devastation and wiping out all life in the fair city.

As luck would have it I was inside a stable monitoring progress being done on one of the newest social experiments being conducted by the owners of Stable-Tec. The blast itself triggered the stables’ door to shut, immediately locking everyone inside for a minimum of 35 years. Long enough for the radiation to subside and civilization to rebuild anew.

None of us could believe what had happened, had everyone outside died? Had some survived in other stables? We were all baffled by the suddenness of it all; some cried, others prayed but the one thing on my mind was not the others. I apologize to those who lost family in the blast but we have to worry about our survival.

The stable was still in its infantile state and had no overmare to watch over the stables’ residents, therefore, I volunteered to become it’s overmare since I had knowledge on what had to be done in this stable and what the Crusaders wanted me to achieve once we left the stable to rebuild.

Our first order of business was to carry out the plans left to us by Sweetie Belle, the lead coordinator of our social experiment. By her demand we had constructed over 30 Virtual Reality chambers for ponies to carry out their lives as if nothing had happened. No megaspells, no apocalypse, nothing. As I ordered everyone into the machines I knew what my objective was as well, I needed to go in with them and make sure they had a leader, that no-one messes with the simulation in any manner. Mares and stallions alike were scared to enter the chambers, they called it dark magic and that zebras were behind it all. It wasn't easy, coaxing them into stepping into something they were already skeptical of. But after a lengthy talk about having practically having built the machines myself, they were finally at least willing to try.

After everypony was comfortable in their chambers I activated the simulation, the glass cover slid in place and the lights turned off. I had experience with the pod before as I had tested it back when it was first introduced, the sensation of living in another reality and in another body felt odd at first but in time it felt more realistic than simulated. The sunrise felt more realistic than in real life and food tasted better, in some way a simulated reality bested our current reality by a huge margin.

Inside the chamber itself, all that was visible were wires and a monitor, as I stared into the monitor an instructional video started playing explaining to everypony what was going to happen and how Stable-Tec appreciates everypony cooperating with the social experiment. As Sweetie Belle’s picture appeared and her voice echoed among the quiet room some fillies and foals squealed in excitement to see their favorite crusader.

“Hiya fellow stable dweller, as you may know I am Sweetie Belle, CEO of Stable-Tec, and I want to congratulate you for safely entering this stable. I know you may be wondering what you may be doing inside these chambers and why I’m talking to you right now. As you may know the land above you was bombed by the zebras. I want to send my condolences to everypony and their families for their loss. Anyways, apologies and everything else aside the reason you're laying in these chambers today is because your stable has been chosen to participate in a social experiment which will help rebuild Equestria in all its former glory. Simply put everypony here will be put into stasis inside these chambers while a simulated reality is portrayed before you, in these realities everything will affect you and everypony around you so please, play nice. The chambers are set to re-awaken you in a set time frame so there’s no need to worry about that pie in the oven, in about ten minutes the simulation will begin and you will be immersed in a virtual reality. It shouldn’t be different than how life was above ground so enjoy your stay in Serenity Square!”

I felt uneasy living a simulated life but it sure would beat being blasted to pieces that’s for sure. It seems now that when the rest of the stable dwellers heard this upbeat message they were on board. As the simulation booted I noticed the scientist who was tasked in starting the simulation was holding what seemed to be a pistol. I looked in horror as he finished what he was destined to do before holding the pistol right under his chin, “He isn’t gonna do it right? there’s no way!” I thought to myself. The machines whirred faster as I became sickened by what would unfold after we were inside, it wasn’t until I was immersed into the program that I heard that fateful gunshot. As my consciousness was transferred into the simulation I couldn’t help but feel sick to my stomach, not even one day and we already lost someone. Whilst deep in thought I failed to notice a robotic pony asking me what my role and cutie mark was. “Azuli, Overmare, Blue Stable door.” The robotic pony was lifeless as it whirred an answer out “Understood, welcome overmare Azuli, you will be the mayor of Serenity Square until your stable’s time runs out.”

“Runs out? I thought we could live here forever!” I angrily replied at the machine.

It whirred out yet another answer, this time it wasn’t pre-recorded or simulated, it was the voice of the scientist. “The stable will kill you all, I am sorry for doing this to everyone, I hope I burn in Tartarus for this.” And with that, everything turned black, I woke up in an unknown bed as the sun rose over the horizon. We have to leave this simulation no matter what.

End of prologue.

Author's Note

First time at writing a story so please go easy on me
If there are spelling or vocabulary errors please feel free to let me know

Hope you enjoy :3