Fallout: Equestria - Equilibrium

"Have you been living under a rock? Wake up!"

"Hello!? Anypony!?"

There was nothing but silence as I trotted through the main cylindrical hallway of Stable One-Eleven. Nothing but my cautious hoofsteps, the incongruous humming of the underglow lights, and my shallow breathing taint with cold... I stopped to wonder where everypony else had gone. If this is a game of hide and seek then they have already won, I already give up trying to find them, I'm cold, frightened, left all alone. It seemed devoid of life, completely quiet, hauntingly dead... a skeleton of its former self.

When I approached a metallic door to my left branding the little symbol of Stable-Tec, it opened up with a steel cutting graze as if slightly rusted with age. Huh... Surely I was only sleeping for just a day? Because it seems like this door has gone years or more without maintenance. On the other side revealed another room full of those 'pod' looking machines, I remember this is where I saw those ponies that looked eager to step into those things. Prepared for the future, unless I've woken up premature or something, the future seems dead. Inside this room, I counted only six pods, whereas the room I was previously in only held eight…

"Stupid pegasus!"

There was a terminal back in that other room just before reaching the door, why didn't I just check that for signs of life? I didn't even bother looking into a pod either. Curiosity is my middle name, ponies don't call me Scarlett 'curious' Dawn for nothing... or at least they used to. Slowly I approached one of the pods keeping my caution for any hidden danger, the window was iced up. Great. Maybe if I just- I stood up on my hind-legs then breathed onto the glass, the condensation seemed mostly formed outside so if I just clear a little with my hoof-

"FUCK!"

Quickly jumping away from the pod I fell flat onto my back. A face a fucking face! A fucking stallion's face! I guess I shouldn't really be so surprised, who else would they put into these pods? The stallion's face just had this... strange half-grin, his eyes were plain white, lifeless, dead.
Whoa. Dude, that's creepy.

- CRITICAL FAILURE IN CYROGENIC- ...ALL STABLE RESIDENTS MUST VACATE- -

Looking at this seemingly dead stallion reminds me of that night, they came... those two mysterious ponies, one pegasus mare the other a unicorn stallion. If I ever find them then Celestia give me strength... Just thinking about what they did is enough to make my blood boil. At least that would help in this cold.

Looking away from him I could only feel pity. Why would Stable-Tec do this? I wanted to find out why but where to start is the question. Any terminals around seemed like an obvious starting point, so with that in mind I got up then headed back into the room I woke up in. This room felt more freezing than the other for some reason, maybe I left a door open? Ignoring the warning tingling sensation in my tail; seeing the terminal, I went over to access its knowledge.

This terminal looked to be in a sorry state of deterioration, almost rusted up with tiny cracks in the screen. Despite the damage sustained I see that the terminal still worked, it flickered to life then presented to me in big light green words at the top, 'Thank you for choosing Stable-Tec!' I didn't have much of a choice really, it was do or die. This monitoring terminal had three entries on it, one for a... Cyrogenic Array, Life Support - but the one that stood out the most to me is the Pod Occupant Status. Briefly, I read the first two entries, they pretty much both said the same thing. With that, I looked to the status of their occupants…

- Pod C2: Mrs. Cake - Occupant Status: Deceased. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to Life Support failure -

Wait what? I looked at another…

- Pod C3: Mr. Cake - Occupant Status: Deceased. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to Life Support failure -

The exact same... Then another, the same. They all suffocated in those machines! By Celestia's grace! Now it appears I'm the only one left here…

...There was another entry status that stood out among the rest - Pod C6 under my name in C7, was that pod those mysterious ponies took an interest in. Her name was Cloudspring, the infant son they took had the name-

"Winter Solstice?"

I just feel like I've heard that name from somewhere before, but where I can't remember-

"Huh? Hello!?"

Looking away from the terminal to peek into the short hallway, I could have sworn I just something scurry. Though it wasn't a heavy sound like a hoofstep, it sounded light, something small with multiple legs. Maybe it was just a spider. The hallway was still empty, a cruel reminder that I'm alone... but now it seemed there was something down here with me so I kept an eye out for whatever made that sound; I didn't notice it before but even the walls were discolored with age, rusted. Upon reaching the door at the end of the hallway I looked right seeing another open door…

- CRITICAL FAILURE IN CYROGENIC ARRAY, ALL STABLE RESIDENTS MUST VACATE IMMEDIATELY! -

By Celestia's grace!

Startled by the unexpected reminder, I jumped back bumping my flank. Damn did that hurt! All that stupid door did was make this beeping alert from proximity, being automatic, it didn't open though…

- Malfunction in emergency exit door override. Please contact your Stable-Tec maintenance representative for service. Have a nice day -

Oh, I'm definitely having a nice day all right! It's all sunshine and rainbows with a dash of fire! Da mihi fortitudinem! Sorry, sometimes I just say random ancient ponish words when I'm angry. My flank really hurts now. At least I know that the door won't be opening. Great. So I'll have to find another way around…

Deciding to just go the long way around, I went through the open door to another side of the stable. There appeared to be another already opened door ahead after I turned a corner. This shorter corridor seemed a little different, more worse for wear. Oh, that's what I'm looking for. A door labeled 'Security Office' piqued my interest, so needless to say I checked it out. This little office seemed... really cramped. Two little desks with chairs tucked underneath them, a white-coloured locker looking a little rusty, already opened up to reveal nothing. The only thing in here that got my immediate attention is the terminal that still had power, so I went over to it to look over its security logs.

[Saturday - October 23]

"Sweet Celestia. It finally happened. Equestria's gone. Barely got all the residents inside. Not everypony made it. Poor Quietus. Really miss her cute big smile now.
"Now it's just us and the &#?!#@*. I don't get it. Eggheads tried to explain to me that keeping them fro@%? is a big &%?!!@#?&*. For a better future or something. I don't know. It just doesn't seem right that we were smiling at them all that time before putting them on %@?. Shouldn't we have told them something?"

[Wednesday - December 25]

"Heart's Warming Eve, underground. Got together with the rest of the security boys, and mares as well as the support staff and had a little party. Best gift that got handed out was a Fancy Buck Cake that wasn't too stale. Toilet also got backed up because somepony decided to put a firecracker in there. Never gets old.
"None of the scientists came. The Overmare wasn't there either. I just don't get them. They hiding something from us? Another company secret only for the higher ups?
"Whatever. Just a few more months until the All-Clear is supposed to come through. Then we can start rebuilding Equestria."

[Monday - March 14]

"Only a few weeks left in our mandatory shelter period. Everypony's getting stir crazy. Some ponies are even saying the All-Clear Signal is never coming. We can't stay here much longer, that's for sure. It's not just the fact that I've been staring at the same break room and bunk bed for over six months. It's the fact that we only have enough food left for another few months. Tops.
"The Overmare keeps telling everypony to be patient, focus on work. He's definitely keeping us out of the loop. Something bad is going on. I just know it."

[Tuesday - April 23]

The main door accessing the stable exit is malfunctioning. Now the only way out I'd through the Overmare's evacuation tunnel, how convenient for him. She has one pony from the science team watching the door into her office at all times from a little makeshift checkpoint.
"Got invited to a meeting tonight. Support staffers and security only. Sounds like I'm not the only one with an axe to grind."

[Friday - LAST ENTRY]

"No All-Clear from Stable-Tec is coming. We need to leave. We're all but out of food. I almost murdered Klutzy for dropping a damn salt cracker on the floor.
"A hoof-full of us confronted the Overmare about opening up the Stable. I never knew a mare that small could shout that loud. Now she's locked herself in his office along with the rest of the science staff. We're supposed to hand over any food, weapons, and medicine we have by tonight, or there's "going to be consequences."
"I've talked to everypony. It's time. One way or another, we're getting out of this Stable."

Damn. So that would explain the eerie silence. I've been down here alot longer than I previously thought it seemed. Since Heart's Warming Eve or longer? That used to be Nimbus' favorite, the time of year that we could hold each other close; really enjoy each other's company. Then all this happened, now she's dead. These Stables weren't meant to save everypony like they were advertised to do it seemed.

Resting on one desk was a security baton. Uh... I... usually object to the use of violence but should the need arise I guess I won't hesitate. So I picked the baton up with my mouth just as I stepped out the office. Sometimes I wish I were a unicorn..

Woah! Dammit…

Disgusting. There was this huge weird looking brown thing with several small legs, more than what it needed attached to some observation window. It was safe to say the thing was on the other side, jumping off the window with a few quick flaps of it's small silky wings when I curiously approached closer. Seems like it must be scared. Taking a right turn at a corner which came to another corridor deeper within... Ahead of me is a mess hall straight ahead and some steel door to my left, but there on the floor, it lay... I now had a clear look at that huge monstrous brown looking insect as it turned around at some speed noticing my presence. It just pointed it's head upwards in my direction with it's long antennas going crazy, fluttering it's unnatural silky wings aggressively.

The creature started crawling towards me fast…

Quickly taking a stance with the baton, it got within a few metres before jumping straight for my face. In the little time that I had to react I swung the baton towards the abomination, hitting it somewhere in the side. Judging by the strange sound it made, that must have really hurt as it bounced off against a stained glass window. There was a hole where it had impacted before falling down to the cold hard floor. It just laid on its back; twitching like crazy. Seeing as though the bug is now disabled, I went to go check out the mess hall.

Well this room had seen better days. There were definitely signs of fighting, going by how overturned the quarters adjacent is. Between the rumpled up mattresses and mangled blue wallpaper I'd say there are definitely marks to tell. But I wonder if those ponies did manage to get out of the stable, there wasn't a trace of them left here... except for thrown around chairs, a long metal table in the center still had some foodstuffs probably left behind.

"Oooh..."

Spotting a seemingly recreational terminal I sat down infront of it to see if this may have any logs or something new. Nevermind, there's Just a memo on some pony staff- wait…

Zebra Menace?

A holotape game? Named after Equestria's most hated enemy? Somepony must have been lucky to not get shot in the back, or must have been really really bored... like me. So I guess I'll take this for no apparent reason, because who doesn't like a computer game?

Now to go to the Overstallion's Office.
When the door to the reactor opened I immediately witnessed the death of another one of those roaches. Those things used to be tiny, little annoying, swarming, disgusting, food seekers. Now they are big, foul smelling, twisted abominations. The reactor was just shooting tiny beams of blue electricity around in random directions, it just so happened that a creature was passing inbetween the two of these seemingly unstable machines only to get fried, I guess they kinda smell better when being barbequed by a nuclear fission reactor. Now I can see why I needed to 'vacate immediately,' they looked like they were going to blow up real soon. So I need to move my still hurting flank, like now… Sticking to the left side of the room near the walls that didn't seem too burnt I moved around the reactors from a seemingly safe distance. Even at this range I can feel the static electricity making my mane stand up on edge.

"By Luna!..."
Near the door going to the Overstallion's Office I came upon the remains of a dead mare. Skeletal remains of a dead mare still wearing the remains of stable barding. Conserva nos in caelum! Completely fleshless, those monsters must have been... hungry. So this must be the fate the rest of the staff down here met, but surely some of them escaped? Unless the stable was meant to be watched over by a skeleton crew. No pun intended.

Continuing onwards I suddenly came across another two of those things in a short corridor. Ugh, I'm really starting to hate this place. One of them turned around then immediately moved towards me waving it's antennas wildly, the other just fell from the ceiling onto it's back squirming around. These things aren't very smart. When one got too close I kicked it with a foreleg sending it through the air towards some red metal pipe, I think that actually killed it on impact.

"Stop spawning!"
There was a soft crunch underhoof when I brought a hindleg down upon the squirming roach. It was… satisfying to hear, but not to feel. Now that was dealt with I then entered the Overstallion's Office. Another skeleton lay face down on a wooden circle desk near a terminal, in the left corner of the room stood another steel door which must be the Evacuation Tunnel, one of the security logs mentioned. I keep telling myself that everypony is gone, I just didn't expect... like this...

squee!

At the back of the room locked away in a cage of iron, all alone inside some case surrounded by ice, seemed to be some kind of weapon. I did say that I object to violence... Well I lied, also I have a strange affinity for guns. So I really need this beautiful, parum pudici, ice queen... Oh I'm coming back later for you my angel. Instead I left little miss ice gun for the Overstallion's terminal, 'gently' pushing the skeleton of a scientist off the chair. The way it clattered to the floor was just super creepy.

"Sorry?" Before looking at the logs I opened up the Evacuation Tunnel first, I felt there was something I was gonna regret seeing. So after a moment I went past a log about a 'C.Y.L - 02,' to look at the entry about the purpose of this Stable... all hell broke loose after a minute… "Stable 111 is designed to test the long-term effects of suspended animation on unaware, pony subjects. Security staff are responsible for maintaining installation integrity and monitoring science staff activity.
Under no circumstances are staff allowed to deviate from assigned duties. Insubordination or interference with stable operations are capital offenses. Security staff are authorized to use lethal force."

In a blind fit of rage, I rendered the terminal into a display of light smoke and sparks... If I wasn't already a natural red then that would be the color of my face right about now! Those fuckers lied to me - to everypony else that's dead down here! '...a better future or something?' Well, they don't have one now! So they screwed up there! I only have a future by mistake, or because some sadistic fucks think I'm a 'backup' for an experiment inside of an experiment! So in that case fuck knows how my 'better future' is going to turn out!

leaving the terminal in its condition beyond repair I turned away in a huff. Maybe I need to calm down before I break another terminal, but if I find anypony who supports Stable-Tec in any way then Celestia forgive me for I must sin.

Through the evacuation tunnel I went around to the other entrance into the main room with the giant stable door. This room had it worse than the canteen, I could roughly make out bullet holes in the walls, on the ground, spent casings of bullets littered the floor amongst a few skeletons. Did I mention that I hate the sight of death? Now I only wonder what awaits me on the surface. But the main door was shut tight. Even if it is triggered to open from the controls it might not open up. So I had my doubts about it opening, don't know if it needs a password or- Oh... On the floor near a skeleton of some dead scientist I saw a device of some kind still attached to a dismembered fore-leg. Something in me was hoping the pony wasn't alive when that leg was lost. I went over and felt that I needed the device, so I decided to... borrow it, maybe for a while, it fit like a glove around my left leg as it probably did that one. Wiping away some dust with my other hoof I turned it on which revealed a little green waving earth pony mare after some boot-up sequence. A Pip-Buck 2000 huh? Could have sworn there was a better model being made sometime ago. All the other pony staff I remember were wearing a better type. Just my luck to find the outdated one. Ok, so I guess this may be needed to open the door somehow? There looked to be a button encased in glass, so I must need this... I used a wire that extended out from the Pip-Buck to put it in a 'Pip-Buck Control Override'. That did it. It opened up, I pressed it then stood back when the door made these loud, scratching, steel grinding noises…

- STABLE DOOR CYCLING COMPLETE, PLEASE STAND BACK! -

Inside me I felt that I would finally get to see the sunlight once again, to feel a divine presence watching over me. Something I felt I needed for a long time coming, freedom. All that time I had been stuck in that 'death machine' they call a cryopod, I had been dreaming of this moment... to finally begin again…

When that door pulled back with a hiss and more ear scratching scraping sounds, I got to see the first glimpse of white light... It was like a beacon of hope you know. Guiding me towards a new world full of something, I didn't know what to make of it yet. Those bombs came... everyone died. Nimbus. But maybe someponies survived out there in some form? Maybe those creatures down here were another part in this diabolical experiment? I just... needed to know for my sanity. What the fuck have I woke up to?

After the great steel door fully opened I went forwards taking the catwalk from one world to another. Beyond the beacon, I saw some badly rusted up machine, the walls tarnished by cold water dripping down to the floor which formed in pools. It felt really cold like being back inside that cryopod. To my surprise there were even some icicles hanging from the metal elevator frame, which speaking of, just came down to meet me. It automatically lifted up a rusty frame piece with a metal squealing sound that just went right through me. Talk about airtight... this fraction of the world is already giving off some deep chills.

After that I went to stand on the platform, then the frame slammed down. Ascending. Leaving that hellhole behind... I wonder what this new world has for me.

- ENJOY YOUR RETURN TO THE SURFACE, THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING STABLE-TEC! -

We will see…

Holy pony nut balls! It's the middle of winter out here. A harsh blizzard covered my view as I gave a shocked sigh. By Celestia it feels really really cold out here. I couldn't see much besides the snow.... but Equestria... looked dead. There was nothing but a barren wasteland of destruction. Even the sky looked twisted and turned like some master plan by the heavens... our idolized sun has burnt out, leaving only grey clouds, the dark below. This new world seemed so alien to me now, it just looked so wrong. Oh, how could it have come to this? From here up on a hill I could only see the dead trees, no leaves. Dead landscape. A dead looking ghost town ahead of me, it seems familiar I just can't remember it. Around me, some Dead structures. A Dead world. Some skeletal remains of Dead ponies-

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

"Scar!!-"

BANG!

"No!!!"

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

Hrgh!

Just a flashback... to when I lost Nimbus. The day my world stood still. It should have been me. Not her... Why is one life taken but another spared? I hate being all alone. This is all starting to really get to me. The destruction of the world. An Equestrian wasteland. Death everywhere. Cold. I'm so cold... A winter scours, consuming everything I once called my home. Right now it seems that everything has been lost, I don't know what I'll find from now on but I have a strange feeling that I'm not going to like it. Not one bit.

Just as I turned to go down the path I once walked to that seemingly abandoned town, I saw that ditch... the one I remember Nimbus rolled down into when she was shot. Looking into it to pay my respects…

Wait... It's empty?

No sign of bones, or anything really. There I felt something inside like a feeling of hope. Maybe my little Angel isn't dead? Or maybe the bones have been moved?... or buried under-hoof? But I didn't want to think she's dead, I need to just... maybe try to find her…

So I followed the snow obscured path down the hill, hm I shoulda checked those little security stations outside the stable entrance first. No biggie. There appeared to be nothing around, just unnaturally quiet. I'm really not comfortable with this deathly silence… To think one day Equestria was just so full of life, breathtaking sights and kites of vibrant colors. Changed in an instant. It's killing me to see it this way now, killing my soul being. Between the wind in my mane and the whistling eerie song of the wind, the cold stung my nose, the snow soft but aberrant under my careful hooves. There I came to a river... A river of scarlet red ice. Frozen over by winter, tainted with my blackest fears... Here lies a river of blood. Celestia! What have I-

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Welp boys, lookie we got 'ere. Just a mare all up in 'er lonesome!"

Huh? I turned to see... Three ponies? Wait- stallions, two of thom are brown and blue unicorns, the other a yellow earth pony? They all wore some strange armor, clearly improvised telling by the rusted brown decal of one's chestplate…

"Ooh-wee, damn you know how to find'em, Girl's some eye candy!"

The blue unicorn said, licking his lips.
I don't like where this is going... Just say something. Something to stop them moving towards you.

"Umm... Hi?"
Nice one Scarlett...

"...Hi? Have you been living under a rock? Wake up!"
The brown unicorn stomped a foreleg, that made me jump a little... With fear in my fast beating heart I slowly backed up as they continued moving forwards. There didn't seem to be a way out of this, without possibly fighting. I only had my mere hooves, the meager baton in a pocket of my barding, my Pip-Buck. I am no match against these ponies.

"Go away! Y- your making me scared!"

"Ya know what? Nah. I'm thinkin' maybe we could have a fun time with you!"

Wha- I then suddenly got pushed over by some other pony. Where did he come from? Now it seems I'm really outnumbered…

"Don't bother usin' them wings' just yet, girl. I got a better idea for them..."
The blue unicorn grinned wickedly, pinning me down on my back. Oh Celestia! This can't be happening!

"Argh! No!"
I just wriggled and squirmed as he tried to assert dominance over me- he gave up after a short moment, I tried flailing my hooves at him. He just laughed at my attempt to make him stop, then went for my neck. Wrapping his hooves around so tightly I could barely breathe, I gasped, but it only made him squeeze tighter...
"First i'm gonna break your pretty little neck! And then I'm gonna-"

BANG!!!

Holy freakin' pony tails! His fucking head just exploded! Holy Celestia, he's all over me!...

The other ponies just hit the floor at the sound of the gunshot, not wanting to share the same fate as their friend did. His lifeless body just landed down on me, I almost screamed, there was so much blood! Squirming around to get the corpse off me another shot rang out and hit a pony infront of me, I was too distracted to care if the pony shooting was going to kill me too. When I eventually got free I took the opportunity to quickly fly away while everypony was distracted, I don't think they even noticed... What the fuck is wrong with everypony? This isn't how the world is supposed to work. Why did it all get so very wrong?

Just as I thought the world couldn't get any worse, I realized this town that I now fly into was once Ponyville... My beloved home. I knew that, I just didn't want to believe it... Ponyville. A town built to signify Friendship was no longer a place to call home. Between many destroyed houses and shops, the streets were littered with the skeletons of the former townsponies, some buried in inches of blood red snow. It just breaks my heart, more so knowing that everypony I knew is scattered to the wind... The world turned to grey, it looks like hatred won't be going away.

There is nothing left here!

Flying back to my old home in Ponyville only brought me more pain, more sorrow. She used to live here with me. Nimbus. Now there is nothing left for me here, besides from the wrecked living room, a wrecked kitchen and wrecked bedroom. Everything scattered around... Along with my collection of Wonderbolt statues, Nimbus always wanted to be like them. I told her that she'd always be my little Wonderbolt. Nimbus would most always go red with embarrassment, super shy but always... super cute.

Going into our- well just my bedroom now, I immediately just went onto the bed. Ignoring the decay of the walls, the bedframe, the floor. Everything. On the floor I picked up a smashed photograph of Nimbus and took out the paper to see it more clearly.

Oh... My little pony. My Angel with those big caeruleum eyes, big enough to get lost into. Her big warming smile on her cute little face, good enough to just want her. There is rare hope that she may still be alive, I am holding this close to my shattered heart. Before long I still stared at Nimbus, tears came into my vision, my Wonderbolt now obscured…

I cried and I cried, myself slowly off to sleep.