A Change of Pace
"I'm afraid there's been a change in management."
"Let me go!" The Overmare screamed as a pair of ponies dragged her from her office.
An earth pony reared up and gave a strong kick, his hooves striking hard onto the Overmare's chest. Somepony grabbed her foreleg as she was forced to the ground, shouting. Levitating a sledgehammer, a unicorn mare brought it down full force onto the trapped limb. The Overmare shrieked.
Leaving the Overmare in a crying huddle and coughing up blood, her attackers turned their attention to the nearby tied-up and gagged Stable guards. The unicorn with the sledgehammer slowly approached them, causing both guards to tremble at the prospect of being the first among the body count of a sudden attack from their own.
The unicorn then turned to her associates. "Since they still have their helmets on, wanna make bets to see how many hits it'll take before I bash their heads in?"
“I'll make a bet. Two med packs. Does anypony else want to bet?” The earth pony who struck the Overmare commented as he approached the shackled guards. "Although, I don't think there's much to bet on. You could easily break through their helmets with two swings."
"I see what you mean," a third pony added as he looked over the captives. "Those helmets seem pretty outdated to me."
One of the guards let out a shrill whimper and was promptly slapped across the face by the unicorn.
"It doesn't matter how dated the helmets are," she stated with a roll of her eyes. "All that matters is that their skulls are going to be caved in, and their brains are going to decorate the Stable. So, is anypony going to place a bet or not?"
"There will be no betting," a new voice cut in. "And for Celestia's sake, could you all act any more dramatic?"
All eyes turned to see two ponies approach them. One was a blue unicorn with steel gray eyes, a yellow mane, and a tail, both with black highlights. The most peculiar thing about him was the surgically implanted harness on his back, which sported a pair of powerful robotic arms.
Beside him was another unicorn. Her coat was a mixture of beige and lime topped with a burgundy-colored mane. Her bright yellow eyes scanned the surrounding area, coming to a brief stop when they landed on the Overmare. Not an ounce of pity or concern was seen in those yellow orbs.
"Heya, boss," the sledgehammer-wielding unicorn greeted with a grin. "We're in control of the Stable now."
The blue unicorn looked at the Overmare with a blank expression. "I can see that, Pound."
The Overmare looked up at the unicorn in shock. "Power Plug? You're behind all of this?"
Power Plug's expression remained the same. "It's nothing personal, Gold Key. These fine mares and gentlecolts and I have simply decided it's time for a change of pace."
"A change of pace?!" Gold Key snapped as she struggled against the ponies pinning her down. "Ponies are dead!"
"Yes, well, sometimes you must start with a fresh clean slate. Speaking of," he turned to the yellow-eyed unicorn. "Serenity, if you please?"
With a nod, Serenity levitated a short pistol with a silencer and pointed it at the guards.
"No!" Gold Key cried out.
BLAM! BLAM!
Pound was right. Their brains did end up decorating the Stable.
Throwing obscenities out left and right, Gold Key felt a rush of energy as she once again struggled against her captors. The ponies holding her down were taken back by the Overmare's newfound strength. She nearly leaped up and would have succeeded if not for the two other ponies who assisted in forcing her back down on the ground. Four-on-one was hardly a match, even for the rage-induced Gold Key.
Power Plug barely reacted to the outburst. He merely leaned back as Serenity positioned herself in front of him in case Gold Key broke free. Even though it was hardly necessary, the action had left him impressed with Serenity's loyalty. He never expected his sessions with her would leave such an impression.
He turned to see an enormous stallion with an apricot-colored coat and a small rust-colored mane approach. He carried two giant saddlebags. "Ah, Brick Bash. Perfect timing. I trust you have what I asked for?"
"Yes, sir."
Power Plug's eyes narrowed. "You handled it with extreme care?"
"Would I be standing here if I didn't?" the big stallion deadpanned.
Power Plug shrugged. "Can't blame me for asking." He turned back to see that the Overmare had finally been subdued. "Now then. Let us proceed."
Serenity nodded and levitated several syringes out of one of Brick's saddle bags. Injecting herself and every other pony in attendance aside from the Overmare who was tossed back into her office. Power Plug slowly approached the room as Gold Key struggled to stand.
"You are a monster," she snarled.
"Call me whatever you wish," he spoke as he levitated a heavy-looking canister out of Brick's other saddle bag.
Gold Key eyed the cannister. "What is that?"
"A little concoction I wiped up in the lab. I call it the Blue Flu. I trust you realize what it is."
She nodded. "Why else would you vaccinate yourselves?"
"Again, it's nothing personal. This will be as painless as possible."
The Overmare looked him in the eye. "Why?"
Power Plug sighed. "Generations after generations have been locked in these Stables. Many have passed, never seeing the outside world. I have worked diligently in the laboratory day after day with other scientists, creating new viruses and vaccines to counter them. Over the years, I and many others here have come to realize how held back we are when it comes to living and exploring our talents. We intend to open the Stable and discover what we can accomplish in the world."
"If you open the Stable and leave, there's no telling what will greet us. For all we know, radiation from the fallout could still be lingering in the air." Gold Key sounded like she was talking to a child. "That's the reason why the Overmares before me never opened the door."
"Or was it because you were afraid of what would happen when the Stable's residents found out?" Power Plug challenged her calmly. "Did you believe they wouldn't have taken kindly to the fact that they had been locked within a massive shelter exposed to countless diseases when they could've left and experienced the outside world at any time?"
"Every pony born in the Stable has lived and died completely unaware of the world's status, and the only knowledge of it comes in the form of fairy tales and legends." Gold Key just shook off his words and pressed her side. "It's been like this for over a hundred years. We've all lived peaceful lives."
"Nothing is eternal, and sooner or later, this so-called life we all live in will shatter." Power Plug, while having a conversation with her, was tinkering with the canister. "Calling it peaceful is an absolute lie. You and everypony else like you mistake peace for stability."
"That may be, but stability is preferable to anarchy." The Overmare felt oh-so perturbed. "The destruction of the Stable signifies when we have fallen apart, and we finally have."
"Perhaps. Or maybe we've decided to rebuild ourselves. Either way, you won't need to worry about it." He pressed a button on the side of the canister. Almost immediately, it began to leak a sickly-looking, green-colored gas. Gold Key backed away as the doctor tossed it into the office.
"Just breathe in and out."
Author's Note
For those of you who don't know, this Stable 80 is based off the one mentioned in the fourth episode of Confessions of a Wasteland Pony. I had an idea for a Stable 80 in mind but the backstory with that one fit perfectly so I wrote it based off that, and I contacted them to ask if that was alright.
