Fallout: Equestria - Equilibrium

"Sometimes, we all need a long night of Solace..."

Running... It's all I could do right now. Running away from a dark spirit, down an unending inky hallway. My heart was racing, almost pounding, as fast as the pursuing hoofsteps behind me that were accompanied by a scarlet veil of mist. I could almost feel it breathing down my neck. Like the cool embrace of death fast approaching. Every time I get far away, it catches up, it won't stop following me. The days spent here in Equestria were haunting me; all the raiders' blood on my hooves. Nimbus, Stable Six, Celestia's sun blotted out by Luna's darkness... that destruction we brought to ourselves, awakening this nightmare.

Many now live life thinking about the other ponies they've killed, while others drink to forget about it instead. I guess that's why Summer was drinking when I first met her. What we want and what we get is never the same so maybe the ghosts haunt her too? Before I got into that Stable, before the end of everything else, I once killed those who called Equestria an enemy, the Zebras. I didn't want to live that kind of life any longer than I did, so I joined the pegasus weather team in Ponyville to forget that life.

From there I met Nimbus again and we started going out and having some fun now and then. Fun that required a certain bedside manner. Not in that sense, but one that helped to numb the pain for a while; under an embrace of sweat-induced euphoria. Then after a while when it was all going well somepony decided to drop bombs from the sky… and everything changed.

I think I may be starting to regret killing others. They gave me no choice in becoming somepony I didn't want to turn into.

Quickly, I spun around and attempted to punch the Shadow chasing me, but it disappeared before I could hit it. Its force suddenly pushed me over. "Run!" It screeched followed by hissing. That gave me enough reason to jump back to my hooves and resume running. This time it seemed more intense like it was only playing with me before, watching me run helplessly first to ensure the thrill of the hunt. Before it could reach me, I ended up falling down a long black tunnel. Seemingly into oblivion with nothingness all around-

"Scarlett..."

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

I jerked up, smashing my head against the wall shelf in the process and almost yelped as high as the moon outside.

"Scarlett!?" Summer questioned as she came running into the room, worried at my sudden shift in movement.

"Huh, Summer. I'm fine. Just been a long day..." I mumbled, rubbing my head. Seriously, who puts a shelf directly above the bed like that? It's like somepony deliberately put it there for me.

With that sweet smile of hers, Summer softly planted herself next to me on the edge of the bed. "Y'all want to talk about it?"

I don't know if I can tell her; she won't understand half of it. About the pony I once was or why I need to find Nimbus. The truth is I don't even know, maybe for just peace of mind. Staring into those deep violet eyes did make me want to open up to her about my worries. I hesitated, but then began to tell her about the events of earlier; the raiders, everything. Even what I found out regarding the previous inhabitants of the stable. I could see that in her eyes she was also sickened about what those raiders had become… cannibals. Maybe she would've done the same thing I did, locking them away as the place exploded around them. Or not, she's better than that.

Ugh, I don't feel so good anymore. Wait, I think I'm going to be-

Suddenly, I jumped out of bed before hearing Summer's shocked surprise behind me. Barreling out of my room I went to search for the lavatory before immediately sticking my head into the toilet and painting its cracked, white, ceramic layer a new coat of sickly yellow. It took a full minute before I stopped throwing up, but all the memories still wouldn't flush away afterward. "Ah don't think they left ya with much of a choice, Scarlett."

Through indisposed eyes, I looked at Summer for a moment standing in the doorway, "There's always a choice," I said to her before being sick again. Here I thought she would be better than that - nopony even cares anymore! She silently went away without saying anything else, leaving me to immerse in the toilet before I started talking to myself.

"Do ya always talk to yourself when y'all alone?" Summer questioned.

"Have you been standing there the entire time?" I took my head out from the toilet and looked at her as she smiled then nodded her answer which made me almost want to stick my head back in the toilet out of embarrassment.

"Ah find it kinda cute! Y'all even talk in ya sleep too," she said with a giggle. For a moment, I asked myself why Summer had been watching me in my sleep. When I questioned her about it all she did was shy away nervously, not doing much to hide that cute little blush of hers. Though to be honest, I don't think there's anypony else I'd like watching over me while I sleep.

"Um... ah also forgot ta say thank you. Fer saving me earlier from that stable... um -" Summer was interrupted as there was a sudden flash of white as the door flew open, nearly hitting me in the face! In came the ramblings of an old pony threatening to shoot any Zebras. "Colonel!" She then screamed, obviously shocked at his harsh entry.

"What? Huh, tis you girls. Could've sworn ah heard something about a Zecora or whatever." He shook his head and then walked back out to go into the main room. I looked back at Summer and remembered those parts he needed for that train. We were probably thinking the same thing: It might kill him when he finds out the truth.

I walked out of the bathroom and went to go see the Colonel in the next room, standing in the doorway while Summer squeezed past me to make sure he didn't keel over or something. "Colonel, Just wanting to say that... well -" I took a deep breath, -"We didn't find the parts in the stable."

"Ah know, because ya and Windy would have told me when y'all got back. An' ah would be workin' on the beauty till dawn, even if it would've killed me." Oh, of course. As soon as we got back I pretty much went to bed. I wanted to forget what had happened and hoped I'd wake back up in the Equestria I once knew.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but I'll find the parts." For a moment he looked up at me with a thankful glance but also a little doubt now that those parts are in Ponyville protected by a local warlord and horses of the apocalypse.

After I finished talking with the Colonel I felt that I needed to have a little walk around, the town seemed mostly dead at night save for the saloon. Those strange things with two heads were still around. I think I'll leave them alone. Don't know what they are but they seem curious, I guess two heads are better than one but they seem kinda dumb. Later on, I then found myself on a hill overlooking the town and sat near a big, dried-up, dead tree.

There wasn't much to see in the distance except the careful lights of the town below. It seemed peaceful up here. I'm surprised Summer didn't follow me after I left. I know I saved her from cannibals but there was something else that she wanted to say to me before the Colonel barged in. The way she's been looking at me since I rescued her... either it's just her being the way she is or maybe she likes me. I think I like her too but don't know how to tell her, I've barely known her for a day. She reminds me of Nimbus. That was almost love at first sight, but with summer it feels different.

It's barely been a week since I escaped the stable and I'm already seeing my worst nightmares happening all at once...

"Huh?" I got up and turned around as I heard the sound of hooves approaching, only to realize it was Equinox. He faced my direction and smiled like he remembered my voice.

"Scarlett Dawn? I heard you died after freeing us in Ponyville. I feel that I am to blame..." Equinox said before walking close to the edge and looking out over the town.

"No, it was my fault. I wasn't thinking straight, but I came back obviously." I replied. He just looked at me with a smile saying that he should have helped in some way, I don't blame him at all there was nothing he could have done and I told him so. But he liked to think that there's always a way to help anypony in any situation.

"Anyway... what brings you up here, Scarlett?" He asked me. I said that I came here to think, which was half true. He looked, then said, "Sometimes, we all need a long night of solace..." Which sounded more like some fortune cookie stuff. "But, actually you came here to think of the past actions you had done, didn't you? Know that they made their choice to be there and that moment was their last." Wow, that kinda gave me the chills. Why is everyone in this universe so dark? I wondered how he knew about that and asked him, he said, "I saw it..." With a smile.

"If that's why you're here I don't want to talk about it. So I'm just gonna go to the saloon and find my old friend called whiskey." I said back to him as I got up and started walking away from him. Maybe drinking doesn't help, but it helps me.

After leaving Equinox I went down to the Scavenger's Saloon, only to enter and find that it was empty with static coming from the broken radio. Until Malt popped her head up from behind the counter. "Well howdy, Scarlett. Fancy seein' ya here at this time." She smiled warmly, happy about something. "Ah heard ya set fire to Boomers' fat yellow ass an' gave him a buck to the face. Hopefully, the town can now continue to exist in peace. So thank you. Now that asshole can be food for some Balescorps."

Nice. Now I feel sick again thinking about... meat.

"Anyway, name yer poison," Malt asked.

"Actually I'm thinkin' maybe this should be a night to forget. I want to forget my old life entirely, and become a new mare..." I replied. She knew I wanted that pegasus whisky stuff and wasn't surprised but then asked about paying in 'caps'. I almost laughed, "Sorry, I don't have any." Seriously? Ponies now use goddess-damned Sparkle-Cola bottle caps? I remember it being very popular but... wow.

"In that case, I can't give you that," Malt said with a weak smile before some strange midnight-blue unicorn with an eyepatch came over and sat next to me.

"I'll pay for the drink, I'll also have what she's having." He smirked, looking at me for some reason. Is he seriously going to be that kind of guy? The kind that hopes to get me drunk so we can have some fun in the backroom? Typical stallion. I only let that happen once and I don't want a drinking buddy. Right now my only friend is waiting for me at the bottom of this glass. "To... uh? What are we celebrating?" He asked, holding up his glass with his magic as I raised an eyebrow in question to his question.

"Actually, 'We' aren't. But if you're peachy keen to get your teeth bucked in, I'd be more than happy to oblige..."

"Ha! Really?" The unicorn chuckled, shaking his head after gulping down his drink. "Hmm... I love it when a little crimson pegasus talks tough..." He grinned.

"Dude. In about ten seconds flat you'll get my barrel down your throat."

Wait, that doesn't sound right-

"You know what? Let's start over. My name's Cipher. And you are?" He asked me, moving his hooves around as if to encourage me.

"I'm Star Spangle. The moon mare."

Cipher sighed, putting a hoof to his face. "Well, to me, you look like a mare that just came out from a hole in the ground and has no bucking clue about how the world works. Information is power, a wise sexy batpony who killed my family as I watched said. So I'll trade you - No strings attached. Well, only some of those 'honest earned' caps will do."

"You heard me say that I don't have any of those." I looked at the one-eyed unicorn but he chuckled at the fact I was either 'poor' or that I thought using bottle caps from fifty years ago seemed useless. Oh, and I had previously been to a maze of cannibals that would've probably been obsessed with collecting those. Fuck.

"You really are from a hole in the ground... aren't you cute?"

"I'm not fucking cute!" Now I want to drum my hoof upside his head. He seemed to get the message, but then started commenting about how 'attractive' I seemed to him. For a pegasus. He commented on the size of my flank and that made me think, maybe I should just sit on him? See how he likes them apples. Though I have to admit some of his comments are making me feel an itch. He made a mention of my name and that peeped my fucking interest, I didn't know whether to be slightly angry, horny, or curious. I sort of felt all three at once but was more curious about how he knew my name.

"It's my job to know about everything. I also want to get to know more about-" He abruptly finished, giving me a surprise boop on the nose.

"Huh? Well, if you're curious; I'm not looking for a cute boyfriend… but you're kinda starting to push my buttons."

I guess I do have a weakness when it comes to big and confident smart-ass guys, as long as they think with their head and not with the other thing. Which is also what I maybe need to get off my mind right now... the way he smirked at me told me that he was starting to see where I'm getting at, which is where I could go right now. "Heh, well. Lucky for you Scarlett Dawn, I like a dangerous mare. Maybe you could tell me more about yourself and I'll see if I can't press some more… buttons?"

As I began telling him about me waking up in Stable One-Eleven his eyes widened and he smiled a little, like that's exactly what he wanted to hear. I told him about what I had seen, about the cruel experiment Stable-Tec had committed, and about the child that was taken from there. About how I escaped from that evil place and found a world completely different from the one I knew, barely a week away in my mind. Then my encounter with raiders in Ponyville and Sunnywood, meeting Equinox and finding out that It had been over fifty years since all that destruction. Then I died... came back to life a few days later. I even told him about Summer Wind and all about Stable Six, about the ones who didn't blend in with the raiders wearing onyx armor branding a talon. I pretty much told him everything. By the time I had finished a tear came to my eye. The only thing I didn't tell him about was Nimbus but I did say about heading to Manehattan. Part of me was starting to think that maybe I shouldn't have told him everything, especially about why I was at Stable Six.

"Huh, sounds interesting. That stuff about the stable sounds rough, it takes a tough girl to go through all that... since you told me about you, now I'll tell you something good that's been going around lately." Cipher began, leaning in closer to me so nopony else would hear. Even though there was no one else. "Word is that down in Ponyville, the 'great and powerful' Queen Nuka has acquired some old pre-war parts for a 'train'. Whatever that is. And that the feud with Queen Novasurge is getting worse, to the point that they're at each other's necks now."

I remember Boomer saying something about that earlier, that he had struck a deal with her. Queen of Idiots, which probably says a lot about her actually, getting those parts won't be easy then. "What can you tell me about Queen Nuka?"

"Not much to say really, she's a bit of an ass, has daddy issues, and loves to make things blow up - hence the name. Also... rumor has it she sometimes likes to make an alcoholic drink out of RadAway, probably got that from somepony else... complains about it looking like piss though. Maybe it is." He chuckled. "Next time the information will cost you."

"Yeah, I was thinking of how I can make it up to a big guy like you. Maybe some time alone? No strings attached." I purred, raising an eyebrow, and moved dangerously close to him. Slowly putting my hoof upon his chest to make sure he doesn't try anything funny.

"Kinda like your cute boyfriend, huh? But I just actually might take you up on that." He smirked. I mean, sorta like my cute boyfriend? But I haven't had one in a very long time, technically. Back when I had very long hair, he was pretty cute. His name was Zap. He was quite electric in the bedroom too.

After a few seconds of silence when everything was about to get a lot more interesting, Cipher then decided it was time for him to leave the second somepony else walked through the door. I saw Summer, as well as Equinox, and moved away from him quickly before they could notice. Ugh! Come on! "I have to go." Cipher said as he got up and made his way to the exit.

"What was that about?" Summer questioned, as she and Equinox came over. I looked at her with a straight face and said, "I think I may have agreed to have children." She almost immediately blushed, trying to hide it. I'm starting to think that maybe she's a little insecure. Though Equinox chuckled. Something I didn't think he'd do.

"Yeah. I think I want to try and get on his good side, except he thinks he might get me on mine first... pervert." Summer found that funny but I'm serious, I think he seriously likes me and probably wants to hold me against my will. Maybe in a fun way. Which is not fun for me because I want to be the one on top. Fuck, why are the lights so bright in this place?

We sat in silence for almost a minute until Summer piped up, "Uhm... Scarlett. Ah, need to tell you something." She said, looking at me almost nervously for some reason. "Tis about Boomer." My ears suddenly perked up at the mention of his name, turning my head slowly toward her as my right ear twitched, knowing that the news is going to be something I won't like at all. "Ah been hearing around that he's... well, umm... still alive."

Great, fuck my life.

I took a deep breath for a moment, trying to resist the urge to put my hoof through the table in hatred of that groundwalking fat sack of shit! "Well, it seems I'll have to do something about that."

"We don't know where he could have gone." Summer squeaked. Looking a little worried.

"Don't worry, I'll find him and make him pay for what he did to you. But hopefully, for his sake, he'll just die out in the desert." Part of me was hoping that his planned attack on the town was interrupted. Surely he wouldn't be able to attack anymore with all his friends underground? Quite literally. She looked up and thanked me but now remained another matter... getting to Ponyville. I still owe the Colonel that much, plus it will help in finding Nimbus so I need to do that soon. "Also, that reminds me about needing to go into Ponyville for the Colonel."

"Umm, yeah, about that..." Summer started only to be halted by Equinox.

"If you wish to approach Ponyville, I advise caution. There is a place you must pass where even angels fear to tread..." Equinox said. He's trying to make it sound so scary, huh? Well, if it's just raiders, well, they won't like me when I'm angry. "It is a place called the Highway of Death... some think the Devil lives there."

Wow, that sounds like a fun place to be.

"Yeah, tis really bad mojo over there, Scarlett. But tis the quickest way to Ponyville." Summer finished, looking at me with deep concern as her big wide eyes narrowed in fear. Equinox only nodded.

"I suppose if there's no stopping you then it's the only way. Other routes could take longer but are more reasonably safe, as safe as safe gets these days anyway."

"Great, thanks. Why is it even called that anyway?" I asked Equinox.

"It used to be an old border crossing back before the war... with a bridge stretching over the Ghastly Gorge. When the bombs came, it was said that many lives were lost and that the ghosts of the dead now linger along its crossing, like a bridge between both worlds... but honestly, it's just full of ghouls." Yay... now to make that my new joyful location to visit, I don't want to waste time getting to Ponyville in case Queen Nuka decides to do something... well, stupid, or normal for a raider.

"I suppose I'd better get going then," I said to them both and they bid me farewell. Summer was looking down before I left the building like she wanted to say something but stopped herself. I made sure that I had everything before making a move north, my battle saddle, a few potions, and... for some reason, Equinox gave me garlic. I wandered about five minutes from town when Summer eventually caught up to me, panting a little from running, already equipped with her saddle.

"Wait, Scarlett, ah want to come with you." She said with her eyes almost twinkling in the night, almost like she was begging me to accept. I knew she wanted to come with me and I accepted her wish.

Now we travel toward this Highway of Death, the place where angels fear to tread...