Fallout: Equestria - An Equal Experiment

It's never easy to do the right thing, Ms. Glimmer. Stable-Tec is here to help.

"Miss Belle, I'm an old mare," the old mare begins. "In all my years there's been nothing I can't handle in this village. A silly megaspell is nothing to be afraid of!"

Despite her tone she hesitates as she stands at the window, overlooking the once quaint village she called home which has expanded to house hundreds. Starlight was proud of that little town, and as she aged the pride only grew stronger as more ponies came into her loving hooves to join her community. She hasn't a clue how things have progressed in the outside world's political sphere, and frankly she wouldn't have it any other way.

That was until a strange mare came to town with a teal dress and dirty suitcase in tow. The mare seemed confident in her stride, returning the townspeople's greetings with questions about their day and a genuine smile. Such a pony was rarely seen in Our Town, and Starlight didn't like it one bit. Luckily it didn't take long for the two to meet, as the stranger requested a meeting with her that evening.

She didn't expect it to be such a hard sell.

Sweetie Belle, as head of Stable-Tec's public relations, has never failed a sale yet. Confidence and kindness bleeds off of her and infects the folks around her, leaving them with a small spring in their step. She heard of this town through word of mouth when passing through Fetlock; A strange place where nopony ever left, save for one small caravan every month which promptly returns a week later. A town of ponies with the same cutie mark, the same smile, and the same hair. She couldn't resist.

"Oh I assure you Miss Glimmer," Sweetie Belle retorts, setting down her suitcase, "megaspells are indeed something to be afraid of! In the wrong hooves a megaspell has the potential to level cities, poison the water, all sorts of horrible things that frankly I would rather not discuss in further detail." She's made this sell before, it's obvious from her tone and how quickly she bounces from topic to topic. "I'm here to offer a solution for you and your lovely village here. A way to avoid the megaspells."

Despite feigning disinterest, Starlight cocks a brow as she glances over her shoulder. Even if the concept of a megaspell hitting her village is laughable, a deep anxiety rests in her stomach she can't quite shake. The elder pauses momentarily before turning to fully face her guest. "You have my attention, Miss Belle."

Sweetie's tail twitches in excitement, though the rest of her body remains calm and professional. "I represent a company named Stable-Tec, Miss Glimmer, and we would like to construct a private stable for you and your townsfolk. Now I know what you're thinking; A stable? What good would a stable do against a megaspell! Well, Stable-Tec's state-of-the-art stables are designed with a complex system of interlocking gears to ensure a tight seal once the stable is closed in the event of catastrophe, along with large living spaces, recreational areas, and an expansive garden to keep your town fed for generations! We also supply every resident with their own PipBuck, a portable computer designed to monitor their well-being and interface with systems in the stable."

"Mhm... Let's assume that a megaspell event does happen. What, we allow just anypony to access our stable?" Starlight glares down the outsider for an instant before putting on her charismatic front once again, holding her head high. "You may have noticed but we run a tight operation here! If we allow somepony from outside our village they'll cause nothing but trouble. After all..." Starlight pauses, turning to a large poster on the wall above her bed, featuring her gaze and smile along with a large caption, which she reads aloud: "No one is superior; No one lives in fear!"

Seeing the poster Sweetie Belle's eyes widen, unnerved further but still determined to make this deal. She clears her throat before opening her suitcase, taking out a manilla folder full of blueprints. "Oh no Miss Glimmer, not just anypony can enter the stable. Only those in your village will have access to it! That's the best part, plenty of other cities have their own stables all across Equestria! This stable will be designed just for you and your community's needs... So long as you agree to be their overmare."

"Overmare?"

"You see, somepony needs to oversee daily stable operations and report back to Stable-Tec, not to mention maintain order and handle the door controls. Since you already lead the town I think you'd be the perfect fit! You can continue to run your town just as you have on the surface, just with an extra level of security. Just sign here and we can start construction right away!"

Starlight hesitates for a moment, rubbing her chin. "Under one condition."

"Oh, and what's that Miss Glimmer?"

"Your crew can only work after curfew and must cover their flanks. The second the stable is done I want you and your team out of my village, unless you decide to stay with us of course."

"We can manage that." Sweetie Belle hardly finishes her thought before Starlight lifts the pen with her magic and signs on the dotted line, finalizing the deal. "Excellent! Miss Glimmer, let me be the first to say..."

"Thank you for entrusting Stable-Tec with your safety! We won't let you down!"