Fallout Equestria: Every Lie

“You know, they call Tauston the city of isolation for a reason. Nopony goes in or out anymore.”

Sand. One look outside and all I could see was sand everywhere. It was like a giant pegasus the size of the city had flapped its wings and covered the whole city in the aftermath. Dust and sand covered everything, even the air itself, and I quickly considered going back in the stable. The problem there was that, for no reason, the giant rotating door closed behind me. I was stuck out here in this sandstorm, with no protection whatsoever. Hopefully it doesn’t cut like diamonds.

What was weird was that I could still see rather well, despite how much sand was around me. I took a step and looked down, and saw a piece of paper showing the city of Trauston on it. It was old, probably having sat there for the entire time I was in the stable. Speaking of which, I don’t think I was in their for two months anymore, because I didn’t see anypony around me. What I did see were skeletons, like the ones my tutor had showed me, but were was the pony they all belong to?

I must have seen a thousand different skeletons just in the area outside the stable, and I felt good knowing that these were all ponies I didn’t know or care for. They were leaning up against the fence, laying on the ground with their bones locked with others. It must have been much longer than two months if nopony was around, but why did they leave their skeletons behind? It doesn’t seem physically possible, but that’s probably what they all said.

“Heeellooooo!” I called out, hoping one of the skeletons would respond. They didn’t, but I continued to try. “Do any of you know where my mommy and daddy are?”

They didn’t answer, which makes sense as they all seemed to be sleeping to. I tried to pick one up and wake them, but they just fell apart. I tried to put him back together but I guess a pony can’t move as just a skeleton. Probably should have realized how stupid that sounded before trying it, but too late for that now. Still, bones must be pretty strong, and as I couldn’t find that knife I used to put the Overstallion to sleep, this might do.

To test it, I picked up a random bone from one of the skeletons and hit it against the wall. The bone broke apart, the area that I hit against the wall turning a small part of it into tiny little bits. Guess bones wouldn’t make for a really good defense if they were so weak, but I should’ve expect that when the pony is so stupid as to loose their skeleton. It was kinda fun to watch though, and when I saw the weird hat I remember those security ponies wearing nearby I didn’t care about what I had just done.

“Stable-tec, right?” I said as I picked up another bone, this one being the skull, and looked back at the skull. “A pony like you deserves to be hurt, and perhaps you won’t fall asleep like he did!”

I threw the skull into the wall, but unlike the other bone this didn’t break. That made me angry, seeing that he wasn’t going to be hurt like I was hoping, so I did it again. The skull still didn’t break, and I got more and more frustrated as I tried to break it and hurt him. I knew skulls were thick, but his was so thick he probably had a very small brain because of it. After a time I gave up on chucking it at the wall, and started to just small it into the wall instead. Finally, I broke it open, watching as the top of the skull broke open to reveal nothing inside. This pony didn’t even have a brain his skull was so thick.

“You deserve that, everypony who hurts my parents deserves that,” I tell the broken skull. “Once I find them, everything will be just like it should be. I’ll get another PipBuck, get my revenge on stable-tec for thinking they could take my mommy and daddy away, and finally see the Trauston Tower… are you sleeping!”

I thought somepony with such a thick skull wouldn’t fall asleep, but I could tell he was sleeping even without eyes. All these adults with cutie marks are so weak if they can’t stay awake when a filly like me hurts them. It made me angry, but by this point I was already really angry. I was out of the stable, but nopony was smart enough to admit what they did to my parents was wrong, and nopony would let me hurt them while they were awake. I sighed, and looked back out to the sandstorm in front of me.

“Initializing MentaBuck...” I fell backwards as my eyes were suddenly filled with those words, not knowing what was going on. I recognized the screen from the first time I ever turned my PipBuck on, but that was a PipBuck, not this MentaBuck thing. Then another new voice filled my head “ Welcome to MentaBuck, Lucky Heart II. MentaBuck is a Shadow Corporation technology that allows one to have the qualities of a PipBuck without the added hassle of carrying one around. In this tutorial, we will go over the basics of what the MentaBuck can do.”

“Can we please not?” I asked the smartypants voice that was in my head, but it didn’t listen to me.

“As one would expect, the MentaBuck has all the features of a normal PipBuck with the hardware installed on a chip connected to the brain,” So this MentaBuck thing is what was put in my brain that Rere used. So this Shadow Corporation must be a part of Stable-tec. “Maps feature all current post-war locations and conditions that were relevant at the time of this units implantation. You will also be able to use all features such as E.F.S. (Eyes Forward Sparkle) without needing to be connected to ones personally magic supply. However, due to your current age we have deactivated S.A.T.S. Because of data collected by Stable-tec. We don’t want good fillies and colts hurting others, and Shadow Corporation is dedicated to succeeding where Stable-tec failed long ago.”

“Yeah yeah, I get it,” Suddenly, something occurred to me that I didn’t even think of trying. “Deactivate tutorial you smartass, otherwise I’ll… find someway to hurt you with my mind.”

“We have also added some new features to keep test subjects like you safe in this harsh new world,” Turns out the voice was smart enough to know I wasn’t psychic, so much for that. Wait, did this thing call me a test subject? “This includes a hazard warning when near highly irradiated areas, and information on all known dangerous creatures in the world. Everything else is just like you remember it on the PipBuck. Have a nice day and thanks for choosing to support Shadow Corporation in the pursuit of a better future. Remember: we are geared towards the safety of the protection of everyone whether it be raiders, zebras, ghouls, and, of course, ponykind. You are the future just as much as they are, and the future must be brighter for everyone!”

Thank goodness that’s over. As she finished, my vision finally returned to me, and I was met with that same overlay I remember from the PipBuck as I did. It wasn’t the same as what I remember it being, noticing that the overlay was black with a yellow outline. I decided to test it out and found that I could easily look at the menu, and it had the same look to it as the normal overlay did. It was super weird seeing the PipBuck menu actually take up my eyes, but that’s what happens when something is attached to your brain.

However, this Shadow Corporation is clearly not Stable-tec, seeing as they were ‘in pursuit of a better future’. Was Stable-tec responsible for how things looked now? No, it was the war, somehow I knew that. I looked up, unable to see clouds among the amount of sand blowing around. It was strange, seeing something like this, but I wasn’t going to get answers to anything standing around here. I had to find mommy and daddy before they get hurt again, but would they still recognize me with how much time seemed to pass.

“Maybe they’re at the hotel still,” I said as if talking to somepony, but it was just my way of feeling less alone. Dusty was inside stable 71, and Rere wasn’t talking to me right, so nopony was around. “It’s kinda scary going anywhere without them. What if some adult or a group of fillies and colts with cutie marks find me and start hurting me.”

I needed a knife, or something sharp enough to poke people with to protect me. A sewing needle, a marshmallow stick, just something that could allow me to hurt others that might hurt me. Whatever these raiders were that smartypants voice mentioned were, they didn’t sound very friendly, and ghouls sound super scary. Perhaps, if I was very careful I could be friends with them, but no chances. Heading into the area standing between the fence and stable 71, I started to search.

“Pointy thing, pointy thing, pointy thing, pleeeaaaase give me a pointy thing,” I said as I scanned the ground. After some time I curled up in a ball on the ground. “Ow, ow, ow, why is the sand hurting me?”

I started to swat at the sand, but it didn’t go away. It kept on getting in my mane and tail, poking me, scratching me, and after some time I gave up on trying to get it off my body. I hated it, and I mean I hated it even more than that mean Overstallion. Mother nature should love good fillies such as me, but right now she is being the biggest asshole in the history of mean ponies. If I ever find out where mother nature lives, I think I’ll declare a war on her for doing this, but only after I find something.

Finally something caught my eye, but that was only because I had put my right hoof on it. The thing hurt, and I looked down to see exactly what it was. A pocket knife laid next to a skeleton, rusted badly by time and weather. It was still somewhat shiny, but you could tell that this thing was really really old. I scooped it up, and held it close to my chest as I continued to let the sand hurt me. I didn’t want to move, and the knife couldn’t help me in this case.

“Is everything okay Lucky?” Rere asked me, though my attempts to cry in such a dry place told me she already knew.

“Why does the sand hurt me?” I asked her, expecting her to know. “I don’t want the sand to hurt me. Why is everything so mean out here?”

“Lucky, nod if you remember the way to Central Trauston Hotel. That’s the hotel you stayed at the day the megaspells fell,” I nodded. This was the second time I’ve heard somepony talk about these megaspell things, the first being when my mom and dad were in our hotel room. “Okay, so I’ve finally figured out what this thing is in your brain, and activated it for you to use. I’ll see if I can get some of the restricted features off for you, but I’m setting a marker to the hotel. You’ll be out of the storm in there, and I’ll answer some of your questions then. You won’t find anything standing around in this storm.”

I didn’t like how Rere just talks to me in my head all the time. It’s creepy and uncomfortable, but at the same time she’s really smart. I like that, because at least then she had a reason for talking in my head to me. Actually, she must have been using this MentaBuck thing I have inside me, but how was probably really complicated. Knowing what I needed to do, I stood back up and looked at the ground, because the sand still really really hurt. I didn’t want the sand to hurt my eyes too, so I did my best to not let them get hurt. It was than I noticed the dot glowing white on the E.F.S. thingy both this and PipBucks had.

“Um, what did you do the E.F.S.” I asked Rere, but she didn’t respond. “Oh, right. Gotta go to the hotel and then I’ll get some answers. How did she know about the hotel when she was never there?”

Dead, that was the word that came to my mind as I looked around. It wasn’t like what I did to the Overstallion, or what I did to the skeleton back at entrance of the stable. Using one of those Stable-tec pony’s helmets I guarded my eyes from the sand, but even without it I could tell you the world was like. Death, the thing that happens when you get old and can’t move anymore, and the sleep that follows is so dreamless you can’t even see the nothingness that followed. That’s what mommy had told me it was anyways, and while it wasn’t the same here, the nothingness was what I could see, not the city.

Skeletons were everywhere, and I started to wonder if many of them were more than just asleep. This wasn’t near what the Overstallion had experience, and it made me sad to see that some many of these ponies didn’t share how badly they were hurt with me. The thing is, the street leading from the stable to hotel was narrow and on a cliffside. So many skeletons were on the railing, ready to jump off it, and some were missing certain bones because they were interrupted from their jump. Though stupid ponies like them wouldn’t have known that would be a bad idea, so once again I’m smarter. If I ever find where the Overstallion went after he woke up, I’ll bring him hear and tell him to jump. He might have fun with that.

The walk wasn’t long, but it was enough for me to know that this has been more than simply a year or two after. I must have been sleeping for a very long time after I put the Overstallion to sleep, because Trauston was really different. Windows were broken, metal was rusted, things were burnt, and there was a lot of sand. That was the big one, sand was everywhere, and not just in my mane. It was in buildings, on streets, on the walls for some reason, and it found its way onto my body in the most uncomfortable of places. As I came in view of the hotel, or the Central Trauston Hotel as Rere called it, I broke into a sprint.

As I reached the door I quickly opened it and closed it behind me, only to realize that the windows were broken. The storm didn’t find its way in, but sand was present inside of the hotel lobby. Everything seemed to be torn up, the seats nowhere near as fluffy as they would have been last time I was here. The weird thing was, not a single skeleton was present inside, and not a single pony was as well. I looked around the lobby, and than I heard something turn on behind me.

“That was One More Day by Trauston’s one and only piano mastermind Minor, and definitely a bit of a change from some of his more… heavy stuff, I guess we can say. His newest hit, coming straight from the folks who kept him and the rest of stable 76 alive,” The radio was on, and I heard Rere talking on it. Did she some manage to turn the radio on by herself? And why was she speaking on the radio. “Okay, no need to mince words, we all know The Shadow Corporation did that, so no need to gloat about them. Of course, they aren’t the only ponies out and about right now. I’ve received a message from today’s anonymous listener box saying that Gold the Bloody Ingot is on the hunt again. No idea what he could be after, but you know how Gold is, a mercenary like him is about to leave a dead body behind.”

“Oh, and The Shadow Corporation has also sent me a message, because they don’t care that the word ‘anonymous’ means they don’t need to mention their name,” The Shadow Corporation seemed like a big deal, almost as big of a deal as Stable-tec. The two must be related in one way or another. “They said that they’ve heard your request and will do what they can about the Grand Pegasus Enclave and getting them outta our city. Amazing what half a year can do to an agreement between the two, am I right or am I right?”

A music track I’ve never heard before started to play on the radio, and I was left with many questions. The pegasi were back, and that meant more ponies with cutie marks, and more adults as well. If this ‘Shadow Corporation” wanted them gone, than they must be good ponies, without cutie marks. I wanted to know about them, but I didn’t know where to find them. I decided to save it for Rere, because she seemed to know them.

“Maybe mommy and daddy are in our room?” I asked myself, walking over to the elevator. I pushed the button, but it didn’t work. So I pushed it again, but it still didn’t work. “Come on, open you stupid door. Everything you adults make break so easily.”

“Not like it would matter, that entire floor is fucked beyond even The Shadow Corporation’s abilities,” Rere told me, though this time it wasn’t from my head. I looked back, and suddenly found myself looking at an earth pony mare with a black mane and tail and a really dark grey coat of fur. “Don’t worry, I didn’t stalk you or anything. Technically, I’m not really here. I’m in my radio shack with all the records and CD’s I could ask for, and best of all I have access to every piece of technology the city has to offer. Comes from being old friends with a genius.”

“Rere?” I tilted my body to look at her flank, and indeed I saw no cutie mark on it. I stood up straight before I fell to my side, and smiled at her. “Hello Rere! Hope you don’t mind but how did you get here if you aren’t actually here?”

“Oh, that’s something about the MentaBuck I was told about after you left stable 71,” She told me, looking of into the sky as she sat on nothing. “I can project myself anywhere that your brain wants, but it feels stupid as I’m technically looking through the MentaBuck anyways. This will probably be the only time we meet in this method,” She looked back to me with a smile on her face, and I was happy a pony like this had helped me. If she had a cutie mark, I would want to hurt her for not telling me and maybe trying to hurt me. “Turns out it’s yet another way of The Shadow Corporation is using what Stable-tec managed to fuck up and turn into something that could revolutionize the future.”

“Why do you keep talking about these Shadow Corporation ponies?” I asked. “Why did they put this weird thing in me? Are they bad ponies or good ponies?”

“I wish I could give an exact answer, but that’s impossible,” Rere told me, seeming just as disappointed as I was about this. “The Shadow Corporation doesn’t really show itself to anyone except when it’s necessary, and even then you will probably only get one of there mercs-for-hire. The Ministry of Moral destroyed a lot of trust in the other ministries due to how open they were about what they were suppose to keep secret. Only thing we really know is that they don’t care whether you are a stable pony or a bloodthirsty raider, because in order for the best future all sides must be happy,” She leaned over one of the tables in the lobby, looking off to the skyscrapers in the distance. “So, in other words, how you portray them is entirely up to you. Someponies are all for it, while someponies like the Enclave want them wiped off the face of Equestria, and others just don’t give a shit and go on like nothing happens.”

“You really like to talk, don’t you?” I asked with a giggle, sitting down on the ground as I expected to be here a while. “So, since you said it was question time, why did I suddenly fall asleep when-“

“You were already asleep at the time,” Rere interrupted me, which was rather rude. Of course, that meant that the probably had something really important to say. “Everything that happened after entering stable 71 was a lie Lucky Heart, from getting your PipBuck to putting the Overstallion… to sleep. It was a simulation to test what happens when a pony’s brain is connected to a digital hard drive or some crap like that. The Shadow Company gave me the details when they asked me to bust you out.”

“Oh, so they are the ones who got me out of the stable, or helped you get me out of the stable,” I asked, and Rere nodded. “So, the Overstallion didn’t actually get hurt? I never actually put him to sleep.”

“Oh no, that’s the entire reason you went dark afterwards,” She told me. “The ponies weren’t connected to this virtual stable 71 evacuated everypony inside but you. They saw you as a danger, and had realized you weren’t like the rest of the ponies hooked up, the I don’t know how you were different. Nopony really knows what happened to them all after that, but it’s fair to say that the Overstallion will be... sleeping for a long time,” I wanted to hurt Stable-tec even more now, thinking that I’m a danger. It seems like they are the real danger nowadays. “Actually, many of them wanted to kill you, but one pony from The Shadow Corporation locked the device you were hooked too and made it impossible for them to shut it off. Okay, I’m tired of looking at myself, let’s do this the old way.”

Rere suddenly disappeared, and in panic I looked around to see if I could find where she went. She wasn’t in the lobby, that was for sure, and she wasn’t out in the streets either. Guess she could really project herself using the MentaBuck, which was actually really disturbing the more I thought about it. I tried to hit my head with my, thinking it could do anything, but I knew that it wouldn’t. I lied down, longing up at the city, noticing how old everything above me looked. Seemed like it could fall apart at any second.

“How many years have past?” I asked myself.

“Too many, Lucky Heart. Too many years have past,” Rere said, and while I couldn’t see her anymore, I knew that’s because she was once again talking in my head. “Trauston is nothing like it use to be. Nopony comes to the city anymore, and those who are here are stuck inside the city. Ponies who head out into the desert seem to just disappear altogether, and the Grand Pegasus Enclave is shooting anything that moves. Six months ago things were fine even if we couldn’t get out, but this treaty has been nothing but bad for everypony here. The Shadow Corporation don’t care who you are and what you think of them, but the last thing they want is a pony or group of ponies thinking they’re heroes.”

“Why do they hate heroes?” I asked Rere, so confused. “Aren’t heroes suppose to do what’s right?”

She didn’t answer me, and while I waited for her I looked up above. I know she said it was impossible, but there had to be a up. Rere probably had to take care of something on the radio, maybe picking a new song to play or delivering some news. I wasn’t going to just sit around while she did that, so I decided to look around to see if it was possible to get upstairs without the help of an elevator. I checked the lobby, and then I checked it again, and by the time I was ready to do a third I looked down a hallway I had thought lead outside. It didn’t, because I recognized at that moment a single table standing in the corner of the room.

“The dining room!” I said to myself, remembering the great meal that I had there. At first it made me really happy, but as I remembered everything I quickly felt sad again. “That was the last time I ate with mommy and daddy. I’ll have to come back here when I find them, that way we can start right back where finished.”

“Lucky, we don’t hate heroes,” Rere said to me suddenly. “It’s true that heroes are suppose to do the right thing, but what just cause does a hero follow? Their own path, and that path is one not everypony loves. The Shadow Corporation wants piece for all ponies, but heroes don’t care how good or bad you are if it’s against their cause. If you don’t believe me, I know somepony who will show you it.”

“Does this pony have a cutie mark?” I asked, though I already figured that they had a cutie mark to begin with. “I’m not going to listen to him if he has a cutie mark.”

“This is more than about what you do and don’t like Lucky, it’s about your safety,” She responded, not seeming rather happy about what she was saying. “Trust me, this isn’t a pony I would be sending you to unless he could be trusted. There’s a settlement near the center of the city called Sandtown run by a raider overlord named Bloodlocke. The ponies there may not be the… most comfortable individuals to be with, but they can keep you safe. Now, I can’t stay from the radio, so I leave it up to you Lucky. Just know that my friend wants… no, needs you to stay alive.”

Rere disappeared, and while I expected her to come back and talk some more, she didn’t. I waited a few minutes, but by that point I had realized she was done talking. Sandtown, Bloodlocke, or anything that sounded like dealing with cutie marks seemed like a terrible idea, and mommy and daddy were out there. Yet, I wanted to know why The Shadow Corporation hated heroes when ponies like the ministers and the princesses did so much for Equestria. Perhaps I’ll let this Bloodlocke explain why he hated heroes, and then go and search for mommy and daddy.

Then, I saw something flying in the sandstorm outside, and my attention quickly turned to that something in wonder. It was small, and I mean so small that I could barely make it out. Then I saw three other figures, more pony like in shape, chasing him. At least, that’s what I think I saw, but it could have just been more sand. I decided to take a moment to try and make out other shapes in the sandstorm, but that didn’t really work out so well. So, with that, I decided to head out and look for this Sandtown that Rere was talking about.

Everything felt the same as I went through Trauston, and looking up I couldn’t be feel scared and excited at the same time. Scared because everything was so different from when I was last here, and building looked like they wanted to fall on me. Yet, I was excited because of how many different places could make for a cool adventure. All of these places were abandoned, and that means no grown ups to tell me where I can and can’t go. Take that you stupid ponies!

“Um,” I looked at the body of a pony… I think. It was not a normal pony, and not anything like me, but for of a zombie of some kind. I didn’t know that zombies exist now, but maybe it was one of those friendly zombies. “Excuse me mister sorta-dead, is this the right way to Sandtown?”

He groaned, and then stood up on his legs, which still worked well… I think. Then he looked at me, and I realized that this wasn’t some friendly zombie, or really a zombie now that I saw him. Either somepony had glued him together, or all of his body parts were still there, and he had no pupils. He started running at me, and in fear I ran into a corner, which is both the worst and most stupid move a pony to make. I checked my flank, and despite what I had expect at that moment I still had no cutie mark, so I can’t blame this on that.

He didn’t stop his attack, and as he closed in I threw my knife at him. I had my eyes closed, to scared to look and see what if I would live or not. When I felt nothing bite me, I looked and saw that the knife had poked into his neck. I blinked, and then did it again as I expect the zombie thing to get up, but it didn’t. He was asleep, and that was all I could do at the moment, because that’s a pony can do to another pony even if they are half dead. I walked up and took the knife, and thankfully he didn’t wake up. Looking down the street I was facing at that moment, I saw a weird building off in the distance made of lots of pointy metal.

“Is that it?” I asked myself, before running down the street and watching as the building turned less into a building and more into a gigantic fence with a door on it. “I think this is it!”

I ran up to the door and waited, expecting it to be opened for me. Rere must have told them I was coming, otherwise why would she send me to a place like this? I didn’t seem to be the best of places for a filly like me, seeing the giant metal wires sticking out of the walls. I think there was some of those zombie thingies heads on the spiky parts of the wire. After getting tired of waiting, I decided to knock on the door and refused to stop until somepony answer.

“Okay okay, I’m coming you fucking maniac,” I heard somepony say, and looking around me I didn’t see anyone that could be a maniac. “Look, I don’t care who the hell you are or what fucking business you have with Bloodlocke, but I’ll make this painfully clear. He ain’t here right now, so we ain’t accepting your stupid-“

The pony who opened the door was nothing like the ponies in the stable, or even those before I had gotten trapped inside. She was wearing lots of metal, on her body, though it wasn’t like those metal ponies who had guarded stable 71. It was a lot of scrap mixed with more scrap and sometimes a piece of fabric underneath it. She was wearing a bag with goggles over her head, making her look silly as hell. I couldn’t tell what her coat or mane looked like, as the metal seemed to cover her entire body. I decided to smile and wave to her.

“Hello there,” I said.

“Get loss you piece of ghoul-food,” She slammed the door on me, and I looked at the ground sad. I stayed there for sometime before I heard the door open up again. It was the same mare. “Okay, that bitch of a radio mare has to Open Ribs to let you in, but we ain’t really in the position to accept guests so you’ll do. Head to the theater on main street, and if a little bastard like you survives and finds out where our leader has gone, then you come in. NOW FUCK OFF!”

She threw a satchel at me before once again closing the door. I hated this place already.