Fallout: Equestria - Red Glare

“Alright, I think I’m about ready to go,” I said to myself, looking over my bag. “Just one final check… Uh, apples, water, an extra set of clothing, a book of arcane sciences…. Yep, bout everything a young unicorn needs.”

“You’re forgetting something,” A stallions voice from behind said, I turned to face him, smiling back at me was my father.

“Oh, right,” I said, moving to the bed before pulling a case from below. Lifting it and attaching it to the side of my saddle before I smiled back at him. “One Rifle, cleaning kit, and several boxes of ammunition.”

“That’s my girl.” He said with a chuckle. “You sure you want to do this? You know me and your friends aren’t going to think any less of you if you stay.”

“Dad, the stable has been my home, but I don’t want to die here. There’s a whole world out there, a world that needs us.” I said with a smile. “Remember? To serve with duty, distinction, and honor?”

“Yeah, I remember those old prewar recruitment tapes too, doesn’t mean they’re right or that you need to listen to them.” He said with a sigh and a frown. “You know your mother wouldn’t approve if she was still around.”

“Maybe so, but I think once she heard me out she would be supportive like you dad,” I said with a chuckle, moving to my desk in the corner of the room, levitating up a photo. Pictured was myself, my mom and dad, I took a moment to just look at it, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. “Some of my friends say I’m only doing this to escape the fact she’s gone.”

“Are you?”

“I… I don’t know Dad, I really don’t,” I said with a sigh. “I keep getting this nagging voice in the back of my head saying ‘come now Solstice, you’re ready for the world and the world needs you’ - am I really supposed to ignore it?”

“I suppose not, I just wish you would reconsider, you could live such a happy life down here, there’s plenty of stallions your age that you could be involved with.” He said, reaching out to me and gently placing his hoof to my chest. “I just want you to do what makes you happy, and I wish being here was it, that’s all”

“Dad you know that I’m not interested in that,” I said with a laugh. “And I’ll come back, I promise, I’m not running away from home forever, and I doubt anything up there can kill me.”

“And what if something happens to your gear? There are very few ponies out there with the kind of skill and knowledge to fix such advanced tech.” He said with a frown.

“It’s military tested and approved dad, I doubt some wasteland monstrosity can do much to it,” I said, pointing to the metal plates that ran down my spine. “Not to mention with the radio, I can always call home and get somepony to come out and fix it up, right?”

“You know that thing is limited range right? If we can’t hear you we can’t help you, sweetheart.” He said with a sigh. “You never really grasped how tech worked, you’ve always been much more adept at magic and spells, maybe this is a bad idea after all.”

“Too late to stop it now Dad, the papers are signed, the class is going to be meeting in a few hours and then the stable doors are going to open and let a fresh batch of soldiers into the wasteland, I bet it’s like a lot of parents and family felt when Equestria first deployed in the war,” I said with a chuckle, trying to hide my own nervousness.

“Solstice, sweetheart - Leaving the stable is not mandatory, you can decide at any time, even five feet outside the door that you want to come back, I expect a lot of your class back within a day, the world out there - it’s different than the one in your books, it’s been changed and is a lot more brutal and unforgiving.” He said with a sigh. “But you’re right, I can’t stop you - I might be your father but it isn’t my place to stand in the way.”

“Not to mention, I’m not a little filly anymore, I’m a grown mare, I want to go out there, make a name for myself, solve mysteries, save ponies, do what I was trained to do down here,” I said, giving a sigh and a shake of my head. “It’s never easy letting go, or making a change - but I promise I’ll be back one day, you’ve got nothing to worry about, alright?”

“You keep saying that, but you don’t know.” He said, frowning all the more at me. “Your mother said she could beat her illness, that she’d get through it you see, and see where we are now? Sorry, I don’t trust the fates so much to keep a pony to their word.”

“Dad…” I said, giving a sigh and a shake of my head. “You can’t be afraid to take chances because of what happened to Mom, she’s gone now, but we’re here to keep her memory alive, and if we all just stay in the stable, then the world will never know on the wonderful mare they missed out on.”

For a moment, my Dad’s frown faded to a slight smile, as he took a deep breath and looked to me with tears in his eyes. “Solstice, You know that you and I don’t see eye to eye on the whole, celebrate life mourn death thing - but, I know you mean well.”

“Was worth a shot” I said with a bit of a smile and laugh, “How about this, I’ll make sure to check in once a month and send home souvenirs and trinkets I find so you always know what I am doing or where I’m at.”

“Speaking of trinkets…” He smiled, his horn glowing as he pulled a rectangular box from under a pillow nearby. “Your mother wanted you to have this if something ever happened to her.”

Taking the box from him and levitating it over, looking at it for a few moments, wondering just what it could be inside. Popping the lid and the first thing I could notice was a brilliant shade of green, the more I opened it the more it came into view - a ankh, a symbol of our home, made of glowpaz it would seem.

“Dad… This is…” I said, stumbling over my words.

“It was your mothers, she found it deep in the stable one day and kept it in her drawer as a reminder to keep hope.” He said, moving to sit beside me, gently lifting it I could see a black choker attached to it, gently bringing it to my neck and clasping, I just looked down and held it in my hoof.

“It’s beautiful…” was the only words I could think of in the moment, looking at it a few more moments before I turned and gave him a big hug. “Thank you, so much.”

Putting his hoof to the case that held the rifle. “Now you have a piece of both of us everywhere you go, my old rifle, and your mother’s ankh.” He said before he’d just hug me tight. “You’re going to make me so proud, I just know it.”

“I’ll try my best,” I said, wiping a tear from my eye before finally releasing that hug. “I have to go and see a few friends, will you be at the ceremony?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world sweetheart.” He said with a smile.

With that, I’d get to my hooves and move to the door, looking back at him and my room for a few moments before stepping outside into the hallway, taking a moment to compose myself against the wall outside.

“Solstice, are you sure you want to go through with this?” I asked myself under my breath, taking a deep breath and nodding to myself “I wouldn’t be me if I backed down, not now not ever, I have to do this, I have to see the world.”

00000

Making my way to the mess hall where I had asked a few friends of mine to meet me, when I got there the lights were off, at first I was confused - stepping through the door before the lights would flip on and my friends and their families would come bounding out from hiding spots with a resounding ‘surprise!’

“Oh come on guys, you know this isn’t my thing,” I said with a laugh.

“Yeah, but this might be the last chance we get to throw something like this for you.” My friend Swift said as he walked over to me. “Gunna miss filling in those holes in the wall.”

“Oh come on, that only happened like once,” I said with a laugh, moving over to a nearby table, sitting down and just looking at the decorations they had put up. “I can’t believe you guys threw me a going away party.”

“What were we supposed to do? You’re our best friend in the world, and one of the few ponies brave enough to step a hoof out that door” Swift said with a chuckle, turning to another approaching pony carrying a slice of cake and a glass.

“You’re going to have a lot of ponies cheering for you down here.” She said, placing the cake and glass on the table in front of me. “Gunna miss seeing your bright and cheery face in the mornings, the cafeteria isn’t going to be the same without you.”

“Oh come on Jubilee,” I said, waving a hoof. “You say that every time a pony leaves.”

“Difference is this time this old mare means it,” Jubilee said with a chuckle. “Keep in mind, I changed your diapers when you were knee-high to a grasshopper.”

“You used to work in the daycare, I think you changed all of our diapers at least once,” Swift said before he turned his attention to me. “Sure you want to do this? I mean, none of us are going to think less of you if you don’t leave.”

“You know I have to Swift,” I said with a sigh.

“Solstice, leaving isn’t going to bring your mom back, nor is it going to let you escape her passing.” another voice said, turning round I could see a familiar face walking to me, the stable’s head.

“Director, since when do you attend parties?” I said with a chuckle.

“When the one leaving is my niece of course,” he said with a smile, “I was thinking I could have you do a speech in front of the auditorium during the ceremony - It’s a toss-up between you or your Class President.”

“Let her do it, she’s always been a better public speaker than me,” I said with a sigh, looking back to the cake sitting before me. “Why does everyone make it feel so final? Do they really think I’m not going to come back?”

“The world out there is a dangerous but wonderous place, my child.” The director said, placing a hoof on my back. “Some of us are afraid you’re going to find that you like it out there too much to ever come back, others are scared because there are so many unknowns out there and any number of them can catch even the most well-trained pony off guard”

“I mean, I get that, I do, but do they not have any faith in me?” I asked, looking back to him.

“It’s not faith in you that they lack, it’s faith in the world. There is no obligation the world has to follow to be kind to ponies” He said with a frown. “I can’t tell you how many times I have had to tell ponies the same thing, only to have to tell their families weeks later that they are no longer with us.”

“Well, I promise you’re never going to get that paper on your desk, sir,” I said with a smile, looking up to him. “I didn’t work my flank off for nothing, and I know I’m going to do my best.”

“Yeah…” Swift said before he’d sigh and turn, starting to walk away, I could hear him muttering something under his breath, sounded like ‘too busy working your flank off to notice somepony’.

I was taken back by that, I wondered if I had heard him correctly, giving my head a shake and deciding to pursue that one later, I turned back to Jubilee and the Director. “Thank you two for everything you two have done, for me and my family.”

“Our family.” They both said together.

“Everyone in the stable is family, even if we aren’t related, we’ve got your back,” Jubilee said with a chuckle.

“Absolutely, you’re always amongst friends here.” the Director added before he leaned down and whispered “though some more friendly than others,” he said, looking across the room, following his eyes I saw Swift sitting away from everypony else, staring down at his own plate of food.

“What do you do when you think somepony has a crush on you but you don’t share it?” I asked with a sigh. “I don’t want to break his heart, but I don’t want to commit myself to something I’m not ready for.”

“That’s a question I think we all asked ourselves at one point in time or another,” Jubilee said with a sigh. “Best thing you can do is go talk to him.”

I nodded and walked over to him, sitting beside him and leaning down so I could see his face. “Hey featherbrain,” I said with a playful tone.

“What do you want,” He said, before turning away from me.

I sighed, “I just wanted to talk to you, about some things that I think we should talk about, just the two of us.”

That got his attention, making him perk up and look at me, “Oh?” he simply said, smiling a little.

“I mean, yeah, I heard what you said before, and I just… I didn’t know how to say it to you.” I said with a sigh, Looking at him as he seemed to brighten up a bit more. I felt terrible, it looked like he was getting his hopes up and I was about to crush him, I couldn’t do that, not when in just a couple hours I’d be outside the stable, maybe…

“Solstice…” he said before he paused and just smiled a little more.

“It’s tough, Okay? A lot of stuff has been happening, and things get crazy so often as of late, I haven’t had a lot of time to spend with you.” I said, before laying a hoof to his shoulder. “You mean the world to me, you know that right? Of everypony down here I think I’m going to miss you most.”

“That’s why I’m leaving,” he said, pulling a paper up signed and stamped. “I’m coming with you, we can stay together.”

“Swift no” I immediately said, looking at that paper “stay here, you’ll be safe here, you’re not trained like me, you can hold down the fort and keep a plate for me till I get back, alright?”

I felt even more terrible, he would risk his life to stay with me, to be there with me through everything, I could see it in his eyes, its the same look I saw when my dad looked at my mom. How can I get out of this? What can I even begin to say to not have this all blow up horribly…

“It’s okay Solstice,” he said with a sigh before he put the paper down. “I understand.”

“No! I didn’t mean it like that!” I said before I covered my mouth and sighed again. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because of me Swift.”

“I know you don’t have feelings for me like I feel for you.” he said with another sigh “I keep thinking, maybe if I prove myself, do something, I can make you love me, but…”

“You know I’m not interested in that right now Swift,” I said, before I leaned a little against him. “But I never said no you know, maybe in the future things will be different.”

“I… What, you mean it?” He said perking up a bit more before he’d chuckle. “Not exactly what I expected, or wanted, but I guess I’ll take it.”

With that, I breathed a sigh of relief and turned round to look at the ponies gathered around, talking, sharing stories, just having a good time. A good memory to keep of home is all I could think to myself.

Slipping from the stool I looked to Swift, “I’ll see you at the ceremony, I promise.” I said with a smile, “and I expect to see that paper torn up in the trash when I get there, You’re not leaving this stable, that’s an order.”

“Yes ma’am!” he said in his usual teasing way before he went back to his food, rather than sulking actually eating it this time around.

While he and everypony else were distracted, I slipped from the room and started down the hallway, I was never that great in social gatherings and I easily felt overwhelmed with so many ponies around.

Listening to my hoofsteps as I walked down the metal catwalks of the stable, passing the infirmary, daycare, the school, making my way towards the auditorium of the stable, stopping to look at a logo painted on the wall.

It was of a yellow hoof print over a globe with a horn and wings behind it, over top of it read ‘ATLAS’, below ‘Fighting for Equestria’s rights and securing a better tomorrow!’

This stable, it wasn’t made by Stable-tec, but by a company that was one of their competitors, ATLAS they called themselves. They were partnered with the Equestrian Military until some unknown event that made Equestria swing in favor of Stable-tec, leaving ATLAS underfunded and overstaffed. Their response was to start making stables in areas where Stable-Tec wouldn’t cover, and making them big enough that every pony in the town it served could fit. We all had come from Somnambula, This stable with its entrance built under the statue of its namesake at the heart of our town.

We all survived because of them, I feel like I owe them thanks, not only for their service to the country but for saving a bunch of pony’s flanks when the world died.

I sat there for a while, staring at that logo on the wall, thinking about what it meant, to be a soldier of a dead nation, to fight for something that doesn’t exist anymore, Looking down I saw the ankh still hanging from my neck, I smiled, I might be a soldier of a dead nation, fighting for something that doesn’t exist anymore, but that doesn’t mean I have to give up hope that it can be brought back.

00000

I spent the next few hours alone, gathering my thoughts and triple and quadruple checking everything, I had to make sure everything was ready. Once I was confident, I went to the door, turning round to look at the room where I had grown up, every fond memory I have had in this room coming back, I smiled, and for the last time flipped off the lights. Walking through the halls I could hear music playing from the Auditorium, reaching the door I took a deep breath before it opened and I joined my stablemates.

Standing at the podium in front of the Stable’s door, the Director was addressing everypony.

“Today is a wonderous day for our stable, for the first time in over a year we will be opening our doors and allowing a group of our intrepid soldiers out, to find their own path, to forge their own trails, To make a name for themselves and do not only this stable but their country proud.”

After a few moments of silence, the crowd cheered and stamped their hooves in approval, he just smiled and looked over every pony gathered together.

“Now please, make way for Private First class Dusty, Element lead and class president as she addresses her classmates on this, the dawn of the greatest day of their lives.”

Everypony stood silent as a young Pegasus mare took the stage, walking to the podium she propped herself up and leaned to the microphone and simply said, after clearing her throat. “Thank you, director.”

Shuffling through a few papers before she began “When the bombs fell over 200 years ago, our ancestors learned a harsh lesson,” she spoke as she looked out at the gathered ponies. “That war, war never changes but at the same time it can change the way you look at the world. The world above is perhaps the greatest proof of that. They lost their world because of a war, because of mistakes made by both sides that ultimately cost them everything. But we are here because ponies were willing to learn from those mistakes. Because sometimes when war changes a pony, it doesn’t have to be for the worse. ATLAS built this Stable in order to protect as many ponies as they could and we are alive today because of that. Now, we have a chance to go out and make something of the world above once more. We do not have to let our ancestors’ mistakes color the choices we make out there. We are about to embark on the greatest journey of our lives. We don’t know how far this will take us, but we know one thing. We will always hold this place in our hearts and our minds because it will remind us of what we are doing this for. As we embark on this great journey, we must never forget that. Thank you all for coming, and I look forward to taking those first steps out there with you.”

The crowd eagerly erupted into cheers, my classmates and I hugged and smiled as we looked up to Dusty on stage. We were all ready for this.

“On behalf of the power invested in me as Director of this great Stable, I am proud to say…” He said as he took the podium, pausing as he leaned into the microphone. “Stable Attendants, Would you please Open the door.”

After a few seconds, the lights in the Auditorium flickered and shut off, strobing lights along the wall and next to the door started to flash as the sound of unseen machinery whirred to life. With the sound of grinding metal, hisses, and bangs the door finally swung open, revealing sandy colored stairs leading upwards to doors, it was dark outside, no light shining through.

We all grouped together and started to walk up the ramp, the closer we got the more ponies started to back out. Either stopping or even dropping their items and rushing back into the stable, after a short while I heard a familiar voice, Dusty’s, as she was panicking and trying to push back past everypony coming up the ramp.

I chuckled to myself at that, she was the youngest of us all, as I reached the top of the ramp I looked out, standing front row as my father, waving with tears streaming down his cheeks, beside him, Swift, holding up a ‘Good luck!’ sign and waving, but his eyes were locked on me. I could feel a little bit of a blush before I turned and stepped outside the door, as the final ponies stepped out the door swung shut behind us, with a bang and the sounds of the locks reengaging we were outside.

We walked up the stairs and pushed open, looking up under a statue of a blindfolded pegasus mare, many buildings were buried in the blown sand but the statue stayed clear, what looked to be the peak of a pyramid showed through. Many members of the class started to scatter, going this way and that, and before long, I was stood there alone.

As I took my first steps, the feeling of the sand under my hoof took me a moment to get used to. Looking around I could see a glow off in one direction and a few members of my group heading that way, deciding it’d be best to follow them and stick together at least a little I started my way after them.

“Hey, guys wait up!” I called out once I was confident I was in earshot, they stopped and looked back before they laughed and shook their heads and kept walking. I found that odd, almost like they knew something I didn’t, curiosity set in and I followed them still, but keeping my distance.

I had to see what they were up to.

Level Up!

First steps

You’ve taken your first steps in a world alien to you, you are unsure of what you might find

or what there might be out there waiting for you, but

you are confident that you are prepared for it all.

Firearms +5/ Perception +1