Fallout Equestria: Epilogue

Book 1: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

A Brighter Future, Underground) If I’m going to tell you the story of my life, and really set the record straight about what I did and did not do, I have to start way back at the beginning.

Life was never easy in Stable 54, but whether I like it or not it laid the foundation for who I would eventually become. I don’t regret leaving that place, although I wish it were under better circumstances.

Entry 1: My morning started out pretty normally. I woke up to sound of my pipbuck’s normal 5a.m. alarm, which I deftly turned off.

I sat up and stretched, looking over the mess that was my bedroom. After the security toss last night, what was already a normally cluttered room of somewhat controlled chaos was now just a mess of spare parts, tools, and work projects.

I used my telekinesis to pull open a desk drawer to grab a notebook and a pencil, and sat down in my seat in the corner underneath the camera (the one blind spot in my room). I ripped out the first three pages of random drawings so I could use it as a new journal.

I had been writing when security showed up, so I didn’t have time to stash my old journal in my usual hiding space. I was forced to quickly slip it into a ventilation duct instead, before it could be found by security. At the time I thought it fell into a vent fan, where it got shredded.

I sighed at the memory. I had written a lot in that old journal. But then again, I was just gonna have to destroy it and replace it after it ran out of pages anyways.

I stowed the new, empty notebook in my hiding space. It was above a loose ceiling panel right above the camera in my room. That blind spot above and below the damned thing was the only area I could find privacy in my room. I also kept a bag of emergency supplies up there, but I'll get to that later.

I grabbed a suit of utility barding from my dresser and put my lucky flathead screwdriver in its proper shoulder pocket. Then I grabbed my toothbrush and trotted over to the buck’s bathroom.

My boss, Ticker, was taking a shit when I trotted past. He didn't bother shutting the stall door, prick. But its not like I could file a complaint against him. It'd be sent to and handled by him, kinda defeating the purpose.

“Good morning sir”, I said brightly with a small smile as I trotted past. I may hate the bastard’s guts, but I’d never let him know that. He was my boss, and it was my job to follow his orders, whether I liked it or not.

I walked over and started brushing my teeth at the sink next to him. For a minute, I just stared at my reflection in the mirror while I figured out what to say. My dull gray eyes were as bloodshot as they always were, and my navy blue coat was still dirty from re-oiling generator #7’s turbine the night before. I ended up running my gray telekinesis through my messy dark brown mane to get it back into that lazy, brushed forward position it's normally in.

Rock looked at me through the reflection on the mirror with a small expectant grin.

Here we go again.

In Stable 54, there’s a hierarchy: The Overmare, the department heads, security, and then all the other residents at the bottom. You only associated with ponies you had to work with for your job. You always look at those around you with suspicion of disloyalty. You reported anyone whom you found suspicious. And security beat anyone who was suspected of being disloyal; or those who didn’t pull their weight.

Productivity and security were the core tenets of life in 54. The Overmare watched you 24/7 for your entire life, through the thousands of cameras posted throughout the stable. You were expected to do one thing, and only one thing, work. Friendships and unproductive activities are looked at with extreme suspicion. The moment you get your cutie mark, you’re supposed to work, and be happy with only working until you die. That’s it.

Since ponies aren't robots, that doesn’t work so well. Ponies get arrested all the time for unproductive, uncivil, disloyal, and suspicious behavior. My Journals would get me lashed within an inch of my life, if they were found. But I still write them. I still write them because I’d lose my fucking mind if I didn’t. I’m not the only one; although in recent years journal writing has been on the decline. Mainly because chem abuse has skyrocketed.

Despite the constant surveillance, there’s always been a small, but thriving, black market in the Stable, mostly trafficking food rations and chems made from waste chemicals from all the machinery. Most of the ponies involved are in the maintenance department. There are a lot of holes in the security system down in the engineering levels.

Every couple of years, somepony will manage to do so well at avoiding surveillance that they manage to spread their chem trade to the majority of the stable. They almost always get caught months later that though.

The current pony to spread contraband throughout the stable is known only as ‘The Shadow’. And unlike all other previous ponies in his position, he’s managed to avoid capture for three years. There is no sign that he’ll be caught any time soon. Unlike previous master dealers, The Shadow doesn’t deal with anyone face to face. He always works through dead drops and notes. Leaving no one to squeal on him to security.

But the real reason he hasn’t got caught, is that the Shadow is a security officer. I know, because I know who he is, Rock.

Security officers are basically trained from the womb to be completely loyal to the Overmare. They exist in a whole other world from the rest of us dwellers. They do what they want to, when they want to, however they want to. They only have two rules: Do what the Overmare says, and don’t put the stable in danger. They’re brutes, and they’re kept happy and well fed so long as they keep all the ponies below them in line, ponies like me.

That is why it is so surprising then that Rock has turned traitor, a security enforcer going against the Overmare is basically unheard of.

Every time security catches a real lead, he’s right there alongside the enforcers. Even after three years, security hasn’t once considered that the Shadow was one of their own.

With all that being said, how do I know him?

It’s complicated, the word ‘friends’ wouldn’t be the right word. Not at all. We don’t like each other. We rub each other the wrong way.

I think he’s a spoiled thug who ought to get thrown out of the stable, alongside the Overmare and all her other cronies in security. He thinks I’m a rezy bug who shouldn’t be whining about how I’m basically being worked nonstop until I die. He thinks I should just be happy being alive, and be proud to do my part.

But we have something in common: a hatred for the Overmare.

We’ve known each other since we were in grade school. He used to beat me up alongside all the other bullies. One day I caught him down in a storage closet huffing dash. We had a little talk. He threatened me, I threatened him back, then we started talking. Over the years we’ve had little private talks regularly in the surveillance blind spots. Our preferred spots are down in engineering, where there aren’t many other ponies and the machinery drowns out our voices. The most common topic: How much we hate the Overmare and the stable.

I guess somewhere along the line someone fucked up in the process of turning Rock into a drone that followed the Overmare without question. I’ve never been able to figure out why. He’s never been straight with me whenever I’ve asked. Unlike me, he actually decided to do something about it. Apparently he thinks that successfully getting all us resies hooked on chems will somehow undermine the Overmare’s authority.

I can’t see it, to be honest I think he’ll get caught any day. I’m not gonna rat him out, I like hearing that tinge of anger and frustration that creeps into the Overmare’s voice every time she makes a chem or Shadow related announcement. But I’m not gonna help him either. When he gets caught, I don’t feel like getting hanged right next to him in the middle of the atrium. Hanging’s are uncommon, but there is always at least one or two hangings a year. With almost 500 residents and enforcers living in the stable on average, it doesn’t affect population too badly.

At that moment in the bathroom, I wanted to tear into Rock with questions. Every night someone’s quarters gets searched randomly by security, and Rock always told me ahead of time so I wouldn’t get caught writing in my journal. But last night he told me I was safe, something that I realized was a blatant lie when Security came knocking.

Security gave me a citation for my room being a mess, and I went down into maintenance to find my journal. I thought all that was left of it was a bunch of fresh paper scraps I found in a vent fan.

Anyways we weren’t in maintenance at that moment, we were in the bathroom, where surveillance was working just fine. So that meant we had to watch our words when we talked until later that night.

We had to keep up appearances, after all, friendships were suspicious, especially between a resident and a security enforcer.

“So how was your night?” The brown bastard said with a slight smug smile

“Oh pretty routine, ate dinner, had a visit from security, and cleaned laundry. Pretty boring overall,” I said sarcastically as I wet my toothbrush.

“A visit from security? Routine? Did you make some friends I don't know about or is your dad finally talking to you again?” He asked before spitting into the sink.

“Me? Friends? Do you know who you’re talking too? And the chief of security has made it pretty clear that he has no son. Actually, the security visit was actually pretty unexpected now that I think about it. I mean, what reason would would you guys have to search my room?”

“You know it’s called a random search for a reason right? It's not like we picked you out ahead of time”, he said.

“So you just drew names out of a hat and I got unlucky, Is that it?”

Damn it. I wanted to ask him what I was really thinking. Why the fuck did you lie to me about the inspection you ass? But the damn cameras made it impossible, and I had no idea how to phrase it without giving us away.

Rock turned punched me in the mouth, “Yeah we did! Now quit butting in on security business!” He snarled.

He didn’t actually hit me hard at all. But I acted like it was a mean right hook and toppled to the ground, lying there dazed like I was seeing stars while he walked off.

As I was getting up, Ticker was leaving. He turned around in the doorway, “Rivet, when you said you ate dinner and did laundry last night, was that really all you were doing?”

I looked at him a little confused, “Yeah, what else would I have been doing?”

“Nothing just… Never mind.” He walked out.

That was weird.

I stood up, finished getting ready for work, put my toothbrush back into my room, and then headed off to the cafeteria.

I grabbed my usual breakfast and started eating. I switched on the stable maintenance channel on my pipbuck and opened the Task menu. Ticker would send all of us maintenance ponies their scheduled work for the day around 5:35.

I knew this because that's how it was, every day. It was routine, and routine was good. Routine was efficient. Routine was the way of a loyal stable dweller.

I wish routine didn’t mean eating the same bland breakfast every morning.

I saw some foals running around the diner, playing tag. Fuck me, I envied them. Kids were the only ponies in 54, besides the overmare, security, and department heads, that got to do whatever they wanted. Kids were able to play games, express themselves, and live their lives.

But the moment they find their special talent, and by extension get their PipBucks and job assignments, that all ends. Once you have a job, you have a role to play. And you were expected to fit that role whether you liked it or not. The kids never adjust well to it. Nothing in their lives prepares them for their first ‘visit’ to security. But they adjust, they grow up, they lose that restlessness and ambition, and they learned to shut up and play their part.

I sighed and looked over at the poster next to the door, a smiling pink earth pony with the words ‘THE OVERMARE IS WATCHING’ plastered on the bottom. 21 years of seeing those posters around the stable and they still creeped me the hell out. Those eyes just always made me feel like they were actually watching me! I knew better than to think there would actually be cameras behind the eyes (I’ve checked), but for the life of me I still got shivers every time i looked at one.

A brown earth pony from maintenance sat down in front of me, just like he did every morning

“How’s the food?” He asked without making eye contact. Just like he did every morning.

“Filling,” I replied dryly.

“Is the generator 7 maintenance done? We need to take another one offline to service today,” He asked before munching on a bland stable grown apple.

“Yeah, its good as new,” I replied.

“Good to hear,” He finished.

I’ve spoken with this same pony every morning for seven years, and I still don’t know his name. He was an average dweller, that was an average Stable 54 conversation between residents. Someone says some greeting, then asks a work question, then moves on.

Today Ticker was 2 minutes early, my tasks for today were:

• Fix door to security
• Defrag stable mainframe
• Meet with head of Engineering (3:30 pm)

Fix door to security

Fuck

I got up and started running for the door, the sooner I fixed that door the less of a chance I would run into da-

WOMPH!

My line of thought and dash to the door was interrupted by a mass of muscle wrapped in Stable 54 security barding. It only took a half second of seeing his burned right cheek to know I was in trouble. Before I could react his security baton connected with my jaw.

I stumbled to the right, but made the mistake of instinctually staying on my hooves and baring my teeth.

“Tsk. I guess one wasn’t enough!” So Brick clocked me on the head again.

This time though I had the wits to go down, and unlike with Rock, I didn’t have to act like I was in pain. While all the security enforcers got a sadistic kick out of their jobs, Brick got an extra sick kick out of assaulting me.

“Brick, what the fuck dude, don't you remember what the overmare said!? You can't keep attacking Rivet without a reason all the time!” Bitwise, Brick’s partner, said.

“Oh shut the fuck up. I’ve got the best beating quota on the force!” Brick boasted proudly.

“No you don't! The Overmare said your beating report doesn’t mean shit when half of the report is just the same pony listed over and over, and the only reason being ‘looked at me funny,’” Bitwise shot back.

“Yeah, and then the Chief said I was doing fine and to just keep up the good work afterward. Speaking of which,” – He kicked me right in the stomach, causing me to cry out in pain. – “I better get back at it!”

“Like hell you are!” Bitwise said stepping between us. “The Overmare said that if you keep this up Rivet will end up dead. And that if you kill Rivet, she’ll have you hanged for depriving the stable of resources. And then have me hanged for letting it happen.”

I looked up and watched them glare at each other for a minute before Brick spat to the side and trotted out.

Goddesses I hated Brick, if the cameras turned off for just one day the, first fucking thing I would do would be to kill him. I don't know how I would do it, but I would find a fucking way. Preferably something as slow and painful as possible.

I looked over at Bitwise, who was still watching the door. “Th-thanks”

She spit in my eye and stomped down on one of my legs, causing me to cry out in pain again. “Just do your fucking job resie,” She said before trotting out after her partner. “And get the damn door to security fixed already!”

Security ponies weren’t your friends.

Stable Maintenance. That was the department I worked in. It encompassed a quarter of the population of stable 54, with security consisting of a third and all the other ponies making up the remainder with miscellaneous other jobs. It's been my role ever since I got my cutie mark, a square computer chip with a wrench and blowtorch symbolized out of circuits on top.

I love tearing apart shit, figuring out how it works, and then figuring out how to make it better. Although I’ve mostly been limited to tinkering with spare parts in my room under the guise of trying to fix them.

So yeah, even though life in the stable sucked, most days I at least liked the work my life would revolve around until the day I died.

Today wasn't one of those.

“I. Hate. This. Door,” I muttered in frustration.

I had almost completely torn the door apart, trying to find the faulty component.

“Just fix it,” the chief of security said. “It’s protocol that the outer door is locked when it’s night and I won't have it ‘mysteriously opening’ again because you didn’t do your job.”

“Yes sir,” I said quickly.

Ah yes, Stable Security Chief Ratchet Bolt, my dad. There were complications when I was born and my mom died. He’s made it no secret that he blames me for it. The moment I got my job assignment and pipbuck he immediately had me transferred out of his quarters.

Ever since then, any time he has had to speak to me, he has always been 100% critical about everything that we are both involved in. But that’s the least of what he does to me. The worst thing he does is make sure I always get the maximum punishments possible any time I get reported.

I had hoped that if I rushed over here and got the job done quickly, I would have less of a chance to run into him. When I arrived here after my impromptu beating, I found that my father was sitting here, waiting for me. I had to work with him looming over my shoulder the entire time.

The screams of pain and suffering emanating from deeper within the security wing were not helping. Like usual, ponies were being punished for deviant or suspicious behavior.

“What's the matter? Having trouble staying focused?”, Ratchet deadpanned, “Getting a little squeamish are we?”

“Well yeah, just a little bit, Sir,” I replied quietly.

Just as the last word left my mouth I received a sharp smack to the back of my skull, “Well suck it up! You wouldn’t be hearing my enforcers doing their duty if this damn door was working right!”

I wanted to tell him that I wouldn’t have been there at all if the door had been working right, but thought better of it and kept my mouth shut.

“Is it the thought of other ponies being disciplined that's got you rattled? Or is it the thought of you joining them?” That last theory was right on the money, “That there is a good sign though. It means you know your place. You remember what I told you the first time you showed up here?”

I swallowed, out of all the scars I had on my back from security, it was those first ones that still stung. They always did. And I clearly remember the last words he said to me before his enforcers got to work that day.

“The old and the weak are doomed,” I quietly muttered.

“That’s right, and it's the duty of the strong to keep the weak in line. You are weak, don't ever forget that,” Ratchet said as he looked over into the security wing, “the mare you keep hearing in there kept falling behind in her work, and is getting a few lashes to motivate her to work harder. The two stallions are queers, one of them is a repeat offender, we caught them getting sweet in a storage room. We’re waterboarding the two, it ought to straighten them out”

I finally found the faulty wire, replaced it, and started reassembling the door. Thank celestia, the less I had to hear about Ratchet’s work, the better.

“How much longer?” He asked

“I’ll have it back together in ten minutes,” I said working as fast as I could.

“You better,” He said, finally trotting back into his department.

Love you too, you fucking bastard.

Ticker’s office was always a mess of broken parts. Hell it looked messier than MY room right now. There was even an old lead pipe which had half of its length sheared off, leaving a sharp point, just sticking up out of a box next to the door.

Most notable of it all was the lack of cameras. They were removed as a sign of trust between the department heads and the overmare shortly after the stable was sealed 240 years ago.

It was 3:30 on the dot when Ticker arrived at his office. Something felt really wrong.

“Hello Rivet, how are you doing this morning?” He asked. That question by itself was weird. Ticker was a model department head. He only ever talked work and trouble when he opened his mouth.

“Alright... the head of security, uh... monitored me, as I fixed the door, and the mainframe’s memory has been defragmented.” Ticker had this angry look on me the entire time, and didn't say a word afterward, so I continued. “So boss... Uhh... what’s going on? My performance review isn't for another two weeks.”

Please don’t be another performance review. I don’t want that finicky generator from last night to earn me extra lashings because I couldn’t make up the time.

“Oh nothing much, just wondering if you want to come clean about something,” He said narrowing his eyes.

“Like... What?” I asked in confusion.

“Well, would you by chance know anything about the Shadow?” He asked.

I was caught a little off guard by that, “The Shadow? Why would I know anything about him?”

“So you know he’s a him then,” he said, sitting up straighter.

What the fuck?

“What the fu… I assumed the Shadow is a him. Could be a her too I guess!” I exclaimed in desperate frustration.

“Okay, how about making weapons? I know your quarters were searched last night, and it probably caught you a bit more off guard than some other pony would have been,” He asked.

“What the hell would I do with a weapon? Security is always a yell away, and the Overmare has eyes everywhere… except in the department head offices of course.” A thought crossed my mind, “And what makes you think I would be a little more surprised than other ponies that my room was searched?”

“Well perhaps somepony in security told you that somepony else was going to be searched last night. Somepony, in security that was a bit shadowy perhaps,” He asked in a much darker tone.

Where the hell is this coming from?

Don’t get me wrong. He was right on the money about everything, but how did he know?

“Okay one, SHADOWY? REALLY!?” I exclaimed in response to his use of a fake word, “Second, those are some pretty big claims, do you have any actual evidence against me? Or is this about something else?”

It was like he had read my journal,

But,

it was destroyed,

“Fair enough. Final question, did you ever start a secret journal?”

“No, why would I?”

It was at that moment that I noticed the holotape recorder on his desk. Oh no.

“LIAR!” He snarled as he pulled a very familiar notebook out from his desk drawer and dropped it onto the top.

The bottom edge was slightly tattered, as if it had fallen into a vent fan.

“Imagine my surprise when I had this little guy fall into a vent fan last night, right after I got done working on it. Lucky thing I was there too, otherwise it would have been shredded for good.”

I felt a chill run up my spine.

“I figured ‘oh Rivet is a good kid, very productive too. I’m sure we can sort this out with the Overmare, and we could set ya straight.’ I even set up this meeting, and one with the Overmare, so I could give you a chance to come clean. And we could go up to the Overmare at 4:00. Then I started really reading what you wrote.”

I tried to plead with him, “Ticker, Sir, you’re right, let's just go to the overmare an-”

“I read about how you knew who the shadow was. I read about all the things you really thought of me, the Overmare, heck, I read everything you thought about EVERYPONY you piece of shit! But worst of all, I read about what you have hidden in your ceiling! The gun! The codes! You should be shot for this shit!”

He got up, put the journal and recorder in his saddlebags, and started walking towards the door. “I just needed that recording, and once I hand these over to the Over-”

In my panic I did the one thing I could think of, I stood up and tackled him down as he passed me.

“You aren't doing SHIT!” I screamed

We landed right on some boxes of parts, I braced myself for him to push back, fight, anything. But he didn’t move for a couple of minute.

I eased up a little, “Ticker… Look… Let's just talk about this… I’m sure we could work something out…”

Nothing.

I slowly stood up and looked at the orange earth pony, he was just starting forward, laying there. He wasn’t even breathing.

He wasn't breathing.

“Oh crap, Ticker!” I knelt down and felt for his pulse.

Nothing.

Did he have a fucking heart attack!? He was only thirty something!

I rolled him over to do CPR, and saw the bloody pipe sticking out of his head.

I killed him! Holy crap, I killed him! I knew I was supposed to feel some form of guilt. But I think the adrenaline of the moment blocked whatever that was supposed to be as a new thought hit me.

Ticker was going to meet with the Overmare at 4:00. The security cameras caught me walking into his office from the hall. Ticker recorded our who conversation, even the part when I tackled him and yelled...”

He fucked me. I was fucked.

He may not have planned to die, but no matter how this meeting went, I was fucked!

I mean, what the hell was I thinking!? Ticker never would have ‘worked something out.’ Tackling him just would have made the situation worse. Though maybe not as bad as it was now, since he died!

There was nowhere to hide in the stable. Oh sure, you could avoid cameras for a little bit here or there. Or hide some contraband in a spot or two. But you can't hide! One way or another, I would be found and executed for killing a fellow stable dweller.

“Oh goddesses what am I going to do!?”, I exclaimed.

I sat down hard and looked at the clock on Ticker’s desk, 3:42. Eighteen minutes to live.

“At least I found my old journal before I…” I said as my eyes drifted onto my old journal sticking out of Ticker’s saddlebag.

Then I remembered the bag in my hiding spot.

I jumped to my hooves and yanked that goddesses forsaken book out of Ticker’s saddlebag with my telekinesis, and flipped to the bookmarked page.

ENTRY 47: Okay, after a week of work I have everything together. Now if some shit happens and I'm ever fucked beyond belief, to the point where I actually think doing this is a better alternative, I can now actually go through with this. Well let's face it, horrible fucking plan.

Escape Stable 54:

1) Get the bag.

I hauled ASS to my room, as I did so I set an alarm on my pipbuck for 4:00. I rushed into my room, yanked the panel out of my roof and took both this journal and the bag. I shoved both journals into my bag, which I promptly threw over my shoulders. I checked the time, 3:50.

2) Haul ass to the door through engineering, check the gun as you go.

I ran through engineering as fast as I could, avoiding ponies and cameras whenever I could. My heart pounded and I had sweat building on my brow as I ran, not from exhaustion (though I was running at a full sprint the entire time), but from stress.

I was actually doing this. I was about to do the unthinkable, and betray every pony in the stable by doing something that hasn’t been done for 240 years.

As I neared the door, I slowed my pace and checked to make sure the magnet gun was good to go. I had built it a year ago, it worked by accelerating a piece of metal inside up to supersonic speeds using electrified rails.

I’ve never actually tested it, but then again I never actually expected to use it.

My alarm went off as I neared the corner.

“Now or never.”

3) Kill the guard, there's only ever one. We’re the only pony in 240 years to even consider this, so why would there ever need to be more than usual?

I rounded the corner and shot the guard with the magnet gun without hesitation.

Actually, more like the entire front of the magnet gun exploded in the guard's direction. Red hot, electrified shrapnel blasted both the guard and everything behind and around him.

I stood there for a full minute in pure shock, holding the smoking back half of my ‘gun’. All that was left of the guard’s front half was bloody paste!

It was the Overmare’s booming voice on the intercom that shook me from my shock.

“ALL RESIDENTS! RETURN TO YOUR QUARTERS IMMEDIATELY! WE HAVE A CONTAINMENT BREACH ATTEMPT AT STABLE DOOR! SECURITY PERSONNEL! ENGINEER RIVET IS TO BE ARRESTED ON SIGHT! ALL SECURITY TO THE STABLE DOOR! IMMEDIATELY! REPEAT! ALL SECURITY TO THE STABLE DOOR IMMEDIATELY!”

“Oh shit!” I exclaimed as I dropped the smoldering back half of my weapon.

4) Close and break the controls to the inner door. You don’t want visitors during the next part.

I flipped the switch next to the door with my magic, floated out my screwdriver, and began unscrewing the panel to the controls when I heard Tulip come in over the intercom, and she was not happy.

“THIS IS A CODE 1 EMERGENCY! USE OF DEADLY FORCE IS NOT AUTHORIZED! REPEAT! DEADLY FORCE IS NOT AUTHORIZED. I WANT RIVET TAKEN ALIVE!”

I got the last screw off, let the panel fall to the floor, and ripped out every piece of electronics between me and the control panel on the other side.

Now for step five.

5) Run the override program on the main door controls.

I ran over to the control panel that stood before the large gear shaped door that separated Stable 54 from the outside world. I plugged in my pipbuck and ran the program labeled ‘Stable Key.’

A long time ago, while digging around in the stable’s mainframe, I had found a backdoor to the stable door’s authentication protocol. Once a stable door is sealed, the only way to open it is supposed to be with the proper passcode, normally held exclusively by the overmare. The encryption and firewalls were too much for me to break, but then I found something odd.

It looked like some kind of backdoor to bypass the passcode, it required audio verification from three different sources.

I had no clue what they could be, so I threw together a little program that would overload the backdoor with a metric assload of audio input in the hopes of overloading the backdoor. When I tested it, I got two of the three verifications and stopped it before it hit three and, opened the door.

“Now I just have to wait,” I muttered to myself.

Authentication 1 … Accepted

I sat there as it really sank in. I was leaving.

I was a little nervous. I had just killed two ponies in the last half an hour. But I was also excited. Sure, I might die the second I got out there, but hey, that would be a second of freedom.

The camera over the interior door was focused on me.

“RIVET! DON'T DO THIS! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING! YOU’RE PUTTING THE WHOLE STABLE AT RISK! JUST STOP. NOW, WE CAN WORK SOMETHING OUT.”

“HA! Work something out!? How the hell would a murderer be able to keep walking around the stable, living their life as if nothing ever happened?” I said in panicked disgust. Did she think I was an idiot!? I laughed. I actually laughed and said, “Fuck security. Fuck you. And fuck your stable too!”

Authentication 2 … Accepted

I watched through the thick bulletproof window as the first of the security ponies got to the outer door, only to find the panel didn’t work.

They started beating on the window, and one growled, “Stop this! Turn yourself in!”

“LISTEN TO THEM! PLEASE, YOU’RE PUTTING THE WHOLE STABLE AT RISK! JUST TURN YOURSELF IN AND I PROMISE JUSTICE WILL BE AS MERCIFUL AS POSSIBLE.”

“Sorry, but I don’t feel like dying!”

I saw the gun belt on the dead security pony's body beside me. I removed it with my magic, floated it around my waist, and buckled it tight. In hindsight I probably should’ve shook it off first, it was soaked in blood.

I stood up and walked over to a spot between the window and the stable door mechanism, and listened as the claxon started going off. The large cylindrical mechanism slid forward until it connected with the door, then a motor inside the mechanism rotated, pulling the three rods which held the large gear shaped door to the wall inward. Then the mechanism slid back and to the side, pulling the massive cog back and rolling to the side with it.

It left an open door to the dark abyss of a tunnel and beyond.

I stood there, dumbstruck for a moment, before I turned to the equally dumbstruck security ponies looking through the window. Even Brick was among them, with the most priceless and stupid look on his face. It was like a couple fuses popped in his brain.

Adrenaline, fear, and excitement coursed through me. I cleared my throat, and said something along the lines of, ‘Well assholes, I’d say it's been fun. But honestly, I’m willing to take whatever nightmare is waiting for me out there, over staying another minute in here! I know you’d all love for me to stay and so you can execute me, but I really don't want to be executed. So I’ve decided to move on to bigger and better things. So fuck all of you! And fuck this stable!’

I was giddy out of my mind, I had never dreamed I’d get to say something like that to an enforcer’s face!

My glee was cut off by a wall to my right sliding down to reveal a hidden passage. A passage filled with A LOT of security ponies running down the passage with guns. Including my dad, with a much bigger pistol of his own.

“OH SHIT!” I screamed as I ran, with every fiber of my being, in the direction of ‘not here as fast as my legs could carry me.’

Security sprayed rounds at me, their bullets pinging off the metal floor and concrete walls, as I fled out the door and down the tunnel, quickly jumping around the corner at the end.

“SEAL THE DOOR!” I heard my dad faintly yell down the dark passage, “DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING COME BACK! YOU HEAR ME! NEVER COME BACK YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING PIECE OF SH-!”

Then I heard the sound of the door screeching shut.

“Don’t worry dad, I won't.”

I switched on my pipbuck’s lamp function and took in my new world.

I was in a large tunnel almost as tall as the stable atrium. There were two long sets of metal rails running along the length of the tunnel. Behind me was the small passage leading back to the, now shut, stable door. It was still proudly displaying a large yellow 54 from before the war, something that was also printed on the collar and back of my bright blue utility barding. The large tunnel ended abruptly to my left with a cave in, and stretched further into blackness on my right. I started walking right.

While I was walking I decided to double check the contents of my bag. When I packed, I made sure I was prepared. I had multiple packs of freeze dried apples, which I had stockpiled over the course of multiple dinners, five filled water canteens, and even a book for some light reading.

That was until they were all turned into…. Whatever kind of cheese has all those holes in it! It was looking at my perforated pack that made me realize something: I was really lucky not to get shot during that whole ordeal.

I threw the ruined bag onto the floor in disgust as I trotted up to a large, rusty, sheet metal gate. There were tiny holes in it where light poked through. I tried to lift it with both telekinesis and my hooves, only to have nothing happen. It didn't even budge.

Then I noticed the service door next to it. I stepped over and opened it, only to nearly blind myself as pure white light flooded over me from the outside.

“GAH! What the FUCK!?” I exclaimed in pained confusion as I went blind.

I slammed the door shut and dropped to the floor while I blinked hard, until my eyes could see again.

“Please don't be blind, please don't be blind, please don’t be… Ohh good.”

Relieved that my eyes adjusted back to the dark, I sat there for a minute and let myself just process what happened. My eyes were NOT ready for sunlight just yet. Growing up underground around electric lights probably hadn’t prepared them for real light at all.

I checked my clock, 4:45. I could just wait until it was sundown, but would I want to be out after dark? Plus, I kind of wanted to finally see the sun for the first time.

I decided to wait. I could let my eyes adjust more naturally in the morning. But now I had a bigger problem.

What to do?

It was almost five O’clock, right now I would probably be writing in my journal. I did have both of my journals with me after all, so why not? I did have quite a bit happen today.

I walked back over to where I had tossed my bag and pulled out the journals. The old one had been towards the top of my bag, and was holier than a saint. The new one (this one) was at the bottom and was actually completely okay.

Now that I was taking the time to really pick apart my bag, I found that two packs of dehydrated apple slices and one of my canteens were also okay. I took all three and sat down next to the door to blinding light and started writing while I ate.

The light coming through the holes have actually started getting darker now, I think the sun is setting. I’m going to go out there in a little bit, so if I’m dead and you’re reading this, then at least now you know why there's a dead asshole in stable 54 barding in front of you.

But if I’m alive, quit reading my shit! This stuff is private!

But I guess now’s a good of a time as any. Time for a whole new life.

S: 4

P: 5

E: 5

C: 2

I: 9

A: 3

L: 2

Trait added: Kamikaze: Your reckless nature makes you a danger to yourself and others. Action point costs are reduced by 25% but you also take 10% more damage from all sources.

Trait added: Technically inclined: Wow, who knew not having many friends would make you such a nerd! You now have unique options when fixing, hacking, or modifying almost all technology! However, you just can’t seem to crack the delicate art of lockpicking or pickpocketing. Oh well, who needs those skills anyway! (Level 1 of Gun Nut, Hacker, Repair, and Science unlocked immediately, unlocks unique technical options, all levels of lockpick and pickpocket are permanently locked.)

Information

I’ve decided to have level ups in Fallout Equestria: Epilogue and they will be perk bonuses like in Fallout 4. I will work to implement this to try and keep the abilities of Rivet based on this method.

Author’s Note

I want to start by saying that Fallout Equestria: Epilogue takes place 40 years after the climax of Fallout Equestria; Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons chapter 62a; and the climax of Fallout Equestria: Outlaw (The original version). However, it is set in an alternate timeline where the heroes fail and disappear.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you read the canon fics this story is based on. I’m going to try to make it so you can read Epilogue without reading them first. WARNING: This story contains spoilers for the events in those stories as well.

I’ll leave the links to the fics here.

• Fallout Equestria (highly recommended): link
• Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons (recommended up to at least chapter 62a): link
• Fallout Equestria: Outlaw (recommended): link

Now that that’s taken care of, I want to thank KKat from the bottom of my heart, for writing such a great story and creating such an interesting, intriguing, and satisfyingly dark universe that I have come to love.

I also want to thank Somber and Tofu for writing their own amazing expansions to the Fallout Equestria universe, which have driven me to finally write this story. I can only hope my story can live up to the standards you all have already set.

I also want to give a special thank you to whatever Anon on /mlp/ that proofread an early draft of the first few chapters of this story. I was at a point where I considered quitting because I thought my writing was way too shitty, and I really needed the boost from your piece of constructive criticism to be able to get the ball rolling. I now have a whole outline written for the story and I’m having a blast writing it. I’ll may never know who you are, but if you’re reading this, thank you for the support and the rose, it really meant a lot.

I also want to give a big Thank You to Mindrop, who was a massive help in the major rewrite of this chapter. I think the note he left below speaks volumes for how much of a great guy he is, and I really appreciate the help.

EDITOR COMMENT (from Mindrop): I always love helping fellow writers out. Especially developing ones. I had people pour in a lot of time and love into helping me develop. And as I have gotten better and refined myself to the point I am at, I want to give back. Because you can pick up a book and read a lot of good information about creative writing, and those tips and tricks are essential to learn, but nothing beats a trained editor working through your pieces.