Fallout: Equestria - Reclamation Day

Chapter Two: Stable

I blinked as my eyes focused on my surroundings. The jarring message from the Overmare had awoken me, but it still took a few seconds to get a bead on where I was. The Stable living quarter was clean and well maintained. A terminal sat on a desk across the room from the bed. It glowed softly, providing a little light upon which I could see the rest of the room. Posters hang on the walls, propaganda for wartime Equestria. A glass cabinet with various awards hung against the far wall. Below that, what appeared to be a cello rested upon a stand.

As I shifted out of bed, I became acutely aware of a very different sensation in my body. I glanced down at my sides, my eyes widening at the sight of feathered wings. I reached up quickly, realizing that I no longer had a horn. I gulped loudly.

“I’m… I’m a pegasus?!” I exclaimed in a much different, much tinnier and feminine voice than my own. “What the fucking fuck?!”

I stumbled out of bed and over to where I assumed the bathroom was, looking for some sort of mirror to gauge my appearance. I stopped in front of it and blinked again. I was most definitely a pegasus. My coat was a light reddish-pink coloration, my mane and tail a soft sandy blonde. A cutie mark of a cherry tree with musical notes floating around it sat on my flank. To top it off, a cute little red bow was tied in my mane. I extended my wings and examined them. They weren’t lean or muscular, but delicate and lithe. I couldn’t quite understand how I was a pegasus. Didn’t all of them migrate up to the sky ceiling when the megaspells dropped? It didn’t make much sense to me.

I glanced out of the bedroom at the cello. Was this pony a musician? I walked out and towards the instrument, looking up at the awards in the cabinet. They all seemed to be related to Stable musical talent shows or contests. I ran my wing across the cello, the familiarity of the wood making me smile. Yes, I was most assuredly in a musician’s body.

I was about to pick up the instrument to test my theory when a chime of the door alerted me to another’s presence. I walked over to the door and pressed the intercom button.

“H-H-Hello?” I stammered. “Who is it?”

“Cherry Blossom, it’s me, Apple Tart. You know… your best friend? Did you oversleep or something? We were supposed to get together to get ready to leave,” a feminine but brusque voice said from beyond the intercom.

I sighed loudly and hit the unlock button on the door. It shifted open, revealing a tawny earth mare with a cowmare’s hat on her head. Her blue eyes lit up as she saw me.

“There you are. You look like shit, Cherry. Did you stay up too late drinking last night?” she said.

I grinned sheepishly. If I was going to get out of this situation, I needed to play along and figure out how to stop this whole ‘simulative experience’ shit. If there was a way to stop this shit in the first place. My mind immediately jumped to the probably scenario of what would happen if I died while inside this thing. Would I wake up or would I die in the real world? I silently prayed I wouldn’t have to find out. I realized I hadn’t yet addressed Apple Tart’s question.

“I don’t really remember,” I said, rubbing the back of my head. “It’s all kind of a blur. Sorry for not meeting you sooner.”

“Ah well it’s just fine,” the earth mare said. “I haven’t really gotten my stuff together anyways. Feels so weird, having to leave the Stable y’know? We’ve been here pretty much all our lives.”

I grimaced. I had nothing to go on about how to converse with this mare. I didn’t remember anything about this pony’s history in the Stable, or even why we were leaving in the first place. All I knew was that I was somehow musically inclined, and that I’d won some awards. Maybe this Apple Tart would have some more information.

“Well, I mean, we always knew this day was coming right?” I said, trying to provoke some conversation. “I guess we can’t be too surprised.”

“Yeah, I know. Overmare did say she wished we didn’t have to do it, but it is up to us to make Equestria a better place,” Apple Tart replied. She peered past me. “Shit, you have even more stuff to pack up than I do. Are you going to take your cello?”

I looked back at the instrument. “I… I suppose I should, right? Can’t quite consider life without it,” I said, taken aback by the statement. “Ponies need music after all, right?”

“Darn tootin’,” Apple Tart said. “Well, let’s get your stuff together and then we can stop by my room and get my stuff too. Sound good?”

I nodded mutely, turning to the room. I examined things carefully as I pulled out the case for the cello. I very delicately laid the instrument inside and closed it up. Apple Tart was carefully pulling out some of my clothing and putting them neatly into my saddlebags. At first glance I realized that potentially this pony had been something of a socialite, as all of her clothes were dresses that accentuated a little too much. Lastly, she pulled out a Stable jumpsuit with the number 76 emblazoned on the back and handed it to me.

“Here, you should probably get dressed. As much as I don’t care about seeing you naked, the rest of the Stable ponies already on their way out there might,” she said with a titter.

I rolled my eyes before taking the suit from her. Weren’t ponies already normally naked? Nobody seemed to care back home in the Wasteland I was used to. I slipped it on carefully and sighed. It fit perfectly, even had holes for my wings. I stood and examined myself in the mirror. Like a real Stable Dweller, I thought before heading back into my room to get the rest of my things together. I pulled the saddlebags on and attached the cello case to my back. Surprisingly it was lighter than I thought it was.

“Ready to go get your things?” I asked Apple Tart.

“Uh, yeah, but aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked.

I blinked as she pointed to a receptacle on the wall next to the door leading out into the Stable. My eyes followed along as I saw the device inside. A PipBuck 2000?! I made my way to the receptacle as it automatically opened for me, pushing the device out of the wall. I lifted my hoof carefully as it placed the PipBuck around my hoof, locking it in place. I looked down as the hoof computer turned on, displaying a smiling Stable Colt before showing statistics regarding my health and other factors.

“Equestria to Cherry, Equestria to Cherry, come in Cherry,” Apple Tart said. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

I blinked before nodding mutely. “Right,” I said. I followed behind the other mare as we exited my room for what was likely to be the last time. I was certain I felt pangs of homesickness already. We navigated our way through the residential area, passing by several others on the way towards Apple Tart’s room. Everypony appeared to be rather busy, all of them getting ready to leave the Stable just like we were. We found Apple’s room quickly, the mare waving her own PipBuck in front of her door lock to open it. I followed her inside, noticing how much different Apple Tart’s room was than my own.

The cowmare’s room was overly rustic, posters of folk music singers plastering the walls. Apple had taken to customizing everything with a little down home charm, even adding four wooden posts to her bed. She quickly headed to her dresser, pulling out her own clothes out and placing them into her own saddlebags. I glanced about, wondering just how these mares were best friends. My answer came in the form of a simple wooden instrument. Apple Tart pulled a guitar out from underneath her bed, placing it in a case. She attached the case to her saddlebags and grinned as she changed into her own Stable jumpsuit.

“I think that’s everything. You ready to go?” the cowmare asked.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I said. “What do you think we’ll find out there?”

“Who knows. I’m not even sure the Overmare really knows. All we know is that the air’s clean at least,” Apple Tart replied. “Hell, there could be irradiated monsters out there. Won’t know until we get out there.”

“Right,” I said with a sheepish grin. “Well, lead the way. I am still kinda feeling it from last night, if you get my drift.”

Apple Tart rolled her eyes. “Filly. You party way too much,” she said with a laugh. “Fine, come on then.”

I chuckled softly as I followed behind her. We made our way through the residential area. Our area was barren of other ponies by the time we exited up into the Atrium. It seemed as if the entire Stable was in this single place. In the center of the Atrium on a platform was an important looking pony in a Stable jumpsuit. My brain made the connection immediately assuming this was the Overmare. She tapped on a microphone.

“Ponies of Stable 76! It is a joyous occasion this fine day. For today is the day that we open the Stable! It is Reclamation Day, my dearest of friends. I know there are many of us here that still remember the day the megaspells fell. We were scared and worried about uncertain futures, but we will light the way for Equestria. We will carry the torch into the unknown!” the Overmare proclaimed. “For our children and our future, we must rebuild.”

The Stable inhabitants cheered loudly at this. I found myself being somewhat ogled by a few of the others standing around us. I scowled in the back of my mind. I did not enjoy being looked at like a piece of meat. I glanced at Apple Tart. She merely winked at me. I figured that I must have been important somehow in the Stable.

“And now, please give a warm welcome to our Stable’s inspiration, the young and very talented Cherry Blossom!” the Overmare said, motioning towards me.

My eyes went wide as every pony in the Atrium centered their attention on me. I gulped loudly as I made my way towards the platform, Apple Tart having to practically shove me forward. I stepped up and looked out among the crowd. I smiled hesitantly and waved.

“Well, say something,” the Overmare’s low voice said in my ear.

“Uh… hi?” I said sheepishly into the microphone.

The Overmare chuckled nervously. “She’s just a little excited about today, friends, as are we all. Now, everypony, line up single file and exit the Stable! Let’s make this thing happen!” she called out. She glanced over at me. “You and Apple Tart… my office. I have something… special for you two.”

I blinked and nodded mutely as I motioned towards the cowmare. She ambled through the crowd of Stable ponies heading towards the entrance of the Stable. She stopped in front of the platform.

“What’s up? You seemed… nervous up there. Everything alright?” she asked.

“Apple Tart,” the Overmare said. “Please. If you will, join Miss Blossom and me in my office.”

Apple Tart’s eyes widened slightly. “Of course, Ma’am,” she said excitedly.

I grimaced as I followed behind the Overmare and the overly perky Apple Tart. What exactly had I gotten myself into here?

* * *

The Overmare sighed as she circled around her desk. The Overmare’s office appeared much different than the one I’d seen outside of the simulation… if this was a simulation. The desk itself was spotless clean, a small bank of terminals showing the Stable operations on the wall behind it. The bubble windows at the wall looked down into the Atrium.

“Alright. So… I know that everypony is excited about leaving the Stable and all, Reclamation Day… yadda yadda yadda,” the Overmare said as she looked out those very same windows. “But we must not forget that there is a very real problem we have to address.”

“And that is?” I asked.

“We know mostly nothing about this region and how it’s changed in the last twenty-five years, but we do know one thing. Stable-Tec University is approximately north of here as best as we can tell from our scanners,” she said. “I would like for both of you to go there. I will be assigning two ponies from security detail to go with you.”

“Why us? Why there?” I asked, my mind jumping to a million questions.

“Well… you are at the forefront of the Stable’s young population, one of the brightest and most talented young individuals. To think that you’re only nineteen years old, well… your mother would be proud of what you’ve become,” the Overmare said. “

My brain reeled. I struggled to think what could have happened to this pony’s mother. Did she die? Did she leave? Wait… that second one can’t be right. She can’t have left if the Stable didn’t open until today… I chose the option of replying in the affirmative.

“Thank you, Overmare,” I said, smiling softly. “I appreciate your faith in me.”

Apple Tart raised a hoof. “So if she’s going, why am I going? I’m not really a bright and talented star,” she said.

The Overmare chuckled. “Apple Tart, you’re going because you’re Cherry’s best friend. And friendship is important to us all. It represents the values of how we must present ourselves as the ambassadors of Equestrian values,” she said.

“Oh. I guess there is that,” Apple Tart said with a giggle.

“Anyways. Stable-Tec University holds a golden opportunity for us to gather some knowledge on this new world of ours. Your PipBucks will be outfitted with mapping modules, so as you travel you will pick up data on the world around you. Once you’re at the University, there is a very specific thing I would like for you to acquire and bring back. It’s a computer device that was supposedly on display there from before the war,” the Overmare said, bringing up a picture of what looked like a ruined brochure for the University on the wall terminal.

“What does it do?” I asked.

“That’s the thing, we don’t know much more other than the brochure mentioning it in passage as ‘The Dragon’s Fire’,” the Overmare said. “Fancy name, for sure, but it must be something important to have been locked up inside Stable-Tec’s own walls. If we’re to establish any sort of society, we should not let things that could be used against us go freely.”

“Do you think… think its a weapon?” Apple Tart said softly.

“We don’t really know, but that’s why the security detail will be going with you. Trust me, I hoof-picked these ponies to guard you,” the Overmare said. “Now then, you’d better get going to meet them. They’ll be waiting for you at the door to the Stable.”

* * *

As we left the Overmare’s office my mind reeled with what had just happened. Somehow this pony I was inhabiting, or rather I… I was bright, young, talented. What was my talents in besides playing the cello? I wish I’d have taken more time to investigate my quarters a little more before having to leave. I’d also learned that I was parent-less. Or rather, at least motherless. Did I have a father?

I glanced at Apple Tart. The Overmare knew we were best friends. How did we meet? How did we ever become friends? She said it herself that she was not bright or talented like I was. Were we in the same social circles? It was my experience that unless you ran in the same circles as another you couldn’t be friends outside of those. I wondered how I could ask without triggering some suspicion about myself.

I muttered to myself under my breath. There was so much about all of this I didn’t understand, and yet I was going along with every little thing. Was there even a way out of this place? Was Rose on the other side trying to break me free? What would happen if she did? Was my mind jacked into this place like a computer, or was this just some delusion in my mind being enabled by the chair?

By the time we reached the Stable door it appeared that most of the Stable’s inhabitants had already been gone. The only ponies there were a stallion and a mare. They wore Stable jumpsuits identifying them as security staff. I felt a sense of Déjà vu like I knew who they were almost. The mare stepped forward. She was a bright orange coloration, with a blond mane and tail.

“Cherry Blossom, Apple Tart,” she said with a bright smile. “I’m Sweet Sunkist, but you can just call me Sunny for short.”

“Tender Taps,” the stallion behind her said with a nervous tone. He was a golden color with a dark brown mane. “Named after my father. You can call me Taps for short.”

“You guys are the security detail?” Apple Tart asked.

“That’s us,” Sunny replied with a grin. “And I think it’s high time we get going. The more time we waste the less time we have getting up to Stable-Tech University and back.”

Taps nodded, pushing the button to the door. An alarm started blaring and a large clanking noise began to come from the massive gear as it pushed out of the wall and rotated inwards. Dim amounts of light began to pour into the room from outside. The wind began to blow properly across my face. I realized that I had never really seen the Wasteland before. At least, the pony whose body I was inhabiting hadn’t. My eyes widened.

The sloping mountainside that Stable 76 was situated on was far more vibrant than the place that we had fought the raiders on. Sure, there was still trailers and cranes everywhere, but the air felt… optimistic. There were actual fucking trees! Wherever this place had been, the radiation must not have done too much damage to it. I vaguely recalled that the south of Equestria hadn’t nearly hit as hard as the major cities, so perhaps this area was still relatively inhabitable?

I took a step outside onto the rough mountainous ground. I squinted in the dim light. Further down in the clearing I could see other ponies from the Stable. They were fanning out in all directions from the Stable proper, forming up in smaller groups. Likely they were on similar missions to locate various pieces of technology of food. I glanced up at the clouds above us. A rolling wave of the white stuff crossed the entire sky. There was no sun to be found anywhere. Just dim gray light that poked through here or there.

“Wow…” I heard Apple Tart say from beside me. “We really did it. We’re really outside of the Stable.”

I nodded mutely. My eyes kept flittering back and forth across the horizon. The landscape certainly looked different than what I was used to. Was this something to do with the simulation or had something drastically changed in the time since the inhabitants of this Stable left? In the far distance across the mountain range I spotted what looked like houses. I could already see Stable 76 dwellers heading in that direction. Further along I could see what I thought were skyscrapers from a city. I couldn’t quite remember which city was near this Stable… if any. In fact, I couldn’t remember much of anything about the route we took to get to this place, other than how we ended up in the Stable. I struggled for a moment to consider that maybe the simulation was pulling my memories away, but I could still remember my mother and my family.

I was shaken out of my stupor by Apple Tart, who motioned for me to follow her and the others. Taps and Sunny were walking along the path leading down and out of the mountain range. We quickly joined them, passing by several Stable Dwellers who appeared to be setting up some longer range communications equipment. They smiled and waved as we passed.

“It’s a roundabout way to get there, but we’ve gotta go down into the valley and the back up onto the plateau to go north. It might get a little disorienting down there, so we need to all stick together at all times,” Sunny said, looking at her PipBuck. “Do you two like… know how to shoot a gun?”

Apple Tart’s eyes widened. “I’ve never shot a gun before,” she said.

I shrugged. As Starry Night, I’d been somewhat proficient with all forms of gun weaponry. As Cherry Blossom… I was unsure. “I mean, I could probably figure it out. Point gun at what you want to kill, pull trigger, right?” I said with a grin.

“Right. Not giving you two guns unless absolutely necessary,” Sunny said before diving her nose back into her PipBuck.

I scowled. Apparently that had been the wrong response. I looked up at Tender Taps. He appeared somewhat nervous. Was it me? Was I making him nervous? I sidled up alongside him and offered a smile.

“So… what’s your story?” I asked.

“Oh… um… nothing really. Just a regular old security detail,” he said with a chatter. “Nothing really special.”

“Except for the fact that he thinks you’re the hottest piece of flank in the entire Stable,” Sunny said without breaking even a single eye from her PipBuck.

“I… I do not! Sunny, that wasn’t… Ugh!” Taps said, his face turning a bright red. He turned his eyes away from me and started whistling.

I chuckled softly. “It’s okay. I guess I get that a lot,” I said with a small grin. “So… Tender Taps. You said you were named after your father. Odd piece of trivia.”

“Yes… odd indeed,” Taps replied nervously. “Look… I’m sorry, I get nervous when… well y’know…”

“Talking to a girl?” I asked coyly. Hey, at least I can have a little fun with this situation, I thought to myself.

“I uh…” Taps could only stammer.

“I get it. It’s alright. If you don’t want to say anything you don’t have to, but I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to talk,” I said before leaving his side and making my way to Apple Tart with a smile on my face. Some things never changed.

The path angled downwards as it led us out of the mountainous range and down into a deep verdant valley. It was like the radiation had never touched here at all. I looked back up into the mountain range, finding myself unable to see where the Stable had been. It was cleverly disguised it seemed from beyond the mountains.

As we walked along the path deeper into the valley, I could feel something watching us from the trees. A quick glance at my PipBuck however revealed there was nothing there. The only blips were far out blue ones of what I assumed were other Stable 76 dwellers. I turned my attention back to the path. Sunny and Taps had extended their weapons, both of the security ponies sporting a rifle mounted to a saddle device. It seemed they too had felt the same feeling of being watched.

Regardless, an hour passed with nothing happening at all. We continued our journey, turning to the north to hopefully get out of this valley and up onto the plateau where we could easily see better where we were going. Without the PipBuck to tell us which direction we were going, I could definitely see Sunny’s point about potentially getting lost. Soon the path slid upwards, leading us up and out of the valley. A gentle breeze passed along as I took in the sights of the large city in the distance ahead.

“Is that where we’re going?” I asked, stopping for a moment.

“Based on cartographical maps of the area from before the war, the Overmare determined that Pleasant City, the location of Stable-Tec University, is right there,” Sunny said, looking down at her PipBuck intently. “If we move, we should be able to arrive on the city outskirts by nightfall.”

I tried to rack my brain for a Pleasant City. I couldn’t remember such a place in the modern Equestrian Wasteland. My mind reached to try to think where such a place could be. I hadn’t been everywhere in Equestria. In fact, I hadn’t been much of anywhere outside of Chicacolt, and at one point in my life the Crystal Empire outside of Equestria. But Pleasant City had never come up once. Maybe it was there still and I just didn’t know about it.

“Did the Overmare tell you why we were going to Stable-Tec U?” I asked aloud as we continued up the path out of the valley.

“A little,” Sunny said. “Some device, piece of technology. Probably left there before the war and maybe a little dangerous.”

“Doesn’t that scare you at all?” Apple Tart said with a twinge of nerve in her voice.

“Most of us on the security team grew up training for this day,” Tender Taps replied. “Our parents were around at the sealing of the Stable, so we knew first hoof just how bad things had gotten for Equestria.”

I nodded. I could understand being prepared. My mother had spent most of her waking life after having us preparing us for everything. I struggled to think if I was finding some chink in the simulation yet, but nothing had really presented itself yet. If the only way out was to play out this adventure, I had to hope that it would not take that long. I grimaced to myself as I looked at the city ahead.

We continued walking, finding ourselves upon a large sprawling plateau. I could see what Sunny meant about being able to make it by nightfall. The desolate earth we walked on now spread for miles ahead, with rocky hills dotting the landscape. We walked forward with purpose, intent on our destination.

We rounded the first set of hills when I picked up the sound along the wind. It was tinny at first but got progressively louder. It sounded like… music?

“You hear that?” Sunny said, her ears perked up.

“Yeah… music?” Taps said.

From around the side of one of the hills floated a strange metal orb. It had clear translucent wings and a speaker attached to the front of it. It seemed to be playing some sort of march with tubas and drums. I racked my brain, trying to remember if I’d ever even seen something like this before, but I realized I hadn’t.

“Do you think it’s hostile?” Sunny said. “It doesn’t show up red on the PipBuck.”

“I… I don’t even know what to think,” Taps replied. “It’s just moving around in a circle it looks like.”

“I guess keep an eye on it, see what it does and go around it at a wide angle,” Sunny said, motioning to her right.

We started to move when suddenly the floating orb thing stopped cold in its tracks. A panel retracted from its top and a tiny rod popped out. The thing let loose several blasts of magical energy at something that we couldn’t see apparently. I stopped as well, my eyes drawn to wherever the orb was shooting. A large vaguely frog shaped thing was leaping back and forth, dodging the orb’s shots. It opened its mouth and expelled a glob of slimy green goo that struck the orb out of the sky, knocking it to the ground in a heap of parts. The frog monstrosity made a very exuberant shrieking sound before settling its eyes on us.

“Uh… that however, does not look friendly at all,” Taps said. “In fact… it looks like it saw us. What the fuck is it?”

“I don’t know, but get ready,” Sunny said, taking her mouth bit into her teeth.

The frog monster gave a heavy shriek sound before leaping across the clearing. It got within spitting distance of us before Sunny bit down on the bit. Her rifle spoke, sending a blast that ripped through the air and into the frog monster’s side. Greenish blood erupted from the monster’s wound, the force of the shot sending it sprawling to the ground. The creature started to get up, opening its mouth to spew forth its gross bile. Sunny bit down once more, sending another shot directly into the creature’s head.

The creature reeled backwards, the bullet punching through the back of its skull. It slumped to the ground and lay there, unmoving.

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT THING?!” Apple Tart shouted loudly. Her eyes were wide.

“Whatever it was, it’s dead now,” Sunny said with a deep breath. “Come on, let’s go.”

“That was a good shot, Sunny,” Taps said as we passed by the creature. “Right in the kisser.”

“Thanks, Taps. Next time you’ll get a chance to impress your girlfriend,” the orange mare replied with a wink.

Tender Taps’ face went beet red and I chuckled softly as we walked over to where the floating orb had fallen. It had broken apart into several pieces, but the basic shape said that it had been formed to look like an insect of some sort. An insect made of metal, spouting old march music. I scowled as I examined it closer. There really wasn’t anything worth saving. Almost all of the thing was already being slowly dissolved by the frog creature’s goo. However, there was more than just a speaker, there was also what looked like a camera inside of it. I recognized one of the insignias on the outer surface of the orb. Three balloons…

“Huh. This thing is Ministry of Morale,” I muttered to myself.

“What’s that?” Sunny said, walking over to look at the thing. “Eww. That shit is like acid.”

“Yeah, but look at the insignia,” I said, motioning to it.

“Yeah. I think I remember now, my mom saying something about how the Ministry of Morale used to spy on ponies before the megaspells dropped,” the orange mare said. “She was one of the originals who came into the Stable. This must be how they did it.”

“Creepy. Well, there’s no saving it, whatever it is,” I said. “Probably should just keep heading north.”

“Yeah, if we want to make it to the outskirts of the city before it gets dark, we shouldn’t waste anymore time,” Sunny said.

I nodded, standing. I followed behind her and the others, stopping for a brief moment to look back upon the scene and the valley. Something inside my mind didn’t add up. Where did all of this stuff come from? How come I had never seen any of it before? Was this simulation meant to show what the world could be like in this area or did something happen here that changed everything?

I had a feeling the closer we got to Stable-Tec University, the more I would find out.

Author's Note

Chapter Two! We're moving right along!

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