Fallout Equestria: The Blue Lightning

— After that big old send off Ponyville gave me, I just didn’t have the nerve to come home empty-hooved. I couldn’t come home a failure.

MLP, 2/14

“…So, is that Littlepip?”

Cosmic looked slightly surprised at the pony on the cover of the book that Sonic, Tails, and Amy were flipping through with interest. Honestly, she hadn’t expected the unicorn who’d found the courage to leave her Stable to look so… ordinary.

Four more volumes lay stacked on the floor next to the bedpost. Cream was absent: the rabbit girl had gone to another room to rest.

“Ayep,” Shadow nodded expertly, sitting on the crumpled bed. “A PipBuck technician from Stable Two, who’d been out in search of Velvet Remedy, the other unicorn mare who’d left their shelter. The next day, at Watcher’s behest, Littlepip cleared Ponyville of raiders and was shot by Calamity the pegasus as she approached New Appleloosa–”

“Calamity?!” Cosmic’s head buzzed with all these connections. “I know him! We met a few times at the Turnpike Tavern…”

“Really?” The black hedgehog raised an eyebrow. “Hmm… Well, then maybe you know some of these names, huh? SteelHooves, Xenith, Monterey Jack, Spike…?”

“Monterey? He was executed a while back. Spike’s the one we went from to the Everfree. You think we’d have gone there on our own?”

“Wow!” Shadow suddenly jumped. “So we’re at chapter twenty or twenty-one now! I mean, we’re still in the main timeline!”

“What are you talking about?” Knuckles asked.

The black hedgehog sighed.

“If there is Equestria, then there is a cartoon series it was created for. Likewise, if there is Fallout: Equestria, there must be a book to match it. Simple enough, right?”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Cosmic frowned. “So you’re saying that not only the history of my world, but ALL THIS SHIT AROUND THERE” – she hoofed a circle, clearly referring to more than just a single room – “is also fiction?!”

“Umm… yes?” Shadow shrugged. “And why are you so surp–”

“So the war and the apocalypse and two hundred years – TWO HUNDRED FUCKING YEARS! – of darkness and violence and all the crap that I and the other ponies have to live through is just someone’s fantasy for fun?! How could anyone even think of that?!”

“Earth isn’t perfect in many ways,” Tails said quietly, and Cosmic turned to him. “Humans are always fighting for something, and in normal life they sometimes do no better than the same raiders. And they have to build mental shelters to stay sane, imagining someone else feels even worse than them. Just a way to convince themselves and others that all is not lost. And nobody thinks about some of the consequences. Do you understand, Cosmic? They know what happens in such worlds, but they think they’re not real, created either to change the plot for the better… or to be destroyed completely. I’m sorry, but that’s how it works. The reality we were once trapped in.”

“But this is all real!” the mare shouted. “I’m real! Ponyville is real! Spike’s Mountain, Tenpony Tower, New Appeloosa and Canterlot are all real! I’ve seen all of it! How can what is there not be there?!”

“That’s the problem,” Shadow replied. “There are all kinds of worlds in the multiverse. Absolutely. And they all exist at the same time. And those who live in them, most often, cannot choose which one they wanna be in.”

“But… how did you know that we were in this… pony Fallout?” Knuckles asked. “If you’ve been unfrozen just for a week?”

The black hedgehog grinned. Just like Sonic, the earth pony noted… but in a decidedly more mature way.

“If I was frozen, it doesn’t mean I was unconscious. Dr. Gerald Robotnik had managed to connect my mind to a computer before the project to study me was abandoned. It felt horrible at first: I was floundering around in this virtual prison that didn’t even have a proper operating system, and Robotnik hibernated me to keep me from going insane.

“The computer had been connected to the local network, and when it was linked to the Internet twenty years later, my consciousness awoke from its long slumber.” Shadow shook his head with a smile. “You can’t imagine living thirty years in a stream of pure information, eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while the capsule kept my body alive. I was able to study human culture from the inside, learn several languages, and certainly keep up with the latest trends. And I didn’t ignore the MLP fandom, and with it, a little later, Fallout: Equestria.”

“And you didn’t get… ‘washed out’ during your online life?” Tails asked in shock.

“Fortunately, Robotnik made sure that my identity was securely protected from being overwritten. And so,” the black hedgehog grinned, “I now sit before you with an enormous wealth of information in my head, including about this world.”

“Where did you get the books?” Knuckles asked.

“Ah,” Shadow waved his hand, “I stole them from some brony’s house along the way. He also had a printed ten-volume edition of Horizons, but I didn’t want to carry that heavy stuff…”

“So there are other books about this universe?” Cosmic asked.

“Lots of. Even I cannot list them all. And in each one, something changes a part of the Wasteland – or the entire Wasteland at once.

“Littlepip (or Stable Dweller, as DJ Pon-3 calls her) wanders back and forth, trying to find her virtue. Blackjack, or Security Mare from Stable 99, hangs around Hoofington, hoping to get rid of her guilt, like Luna in Season Five. Puppysmile, also known as Pink Ghost, is on her way south on Route 52 in search of her mother. Dazzling ‘Dodo’ Dusk goes to the north in search for the forth wall breaking artifact. Murky Number Seven, a pegasus with broken wings from Fillydelphia, wants to get freedom. Silver Storm, aka Hired Gun, who’s terrorizing Caledonia’s raiders, is just trying to avoid making mistakes. It sucks, of course, but she’s trying anyway.

“There are many kinds of characters, Cosmic. And the most important thing is to find out if you are the protagonist of your own story.”

“Whoa!” Amy’s strained exclamation was heard.

Cosmic turned to see her and Sonic – both blushing intensely for some reason – staring at one of the pages of the second volume, while Tails sat a bit away, flipping through the third book with interest.

“Oh, you stumbled upon chapter 20.5?” Shadow laughed. “Well, come on, come on… share your impressions later… with me or each other…”

“I don’t understand…” the fox muttered suddenly. “Does Equestria really have sixteen hours in a day, not twenty-four? That’s what it says here,” he pointed to the book, “but in the later seasons of MLP, I remember the usual twelve o’clock watches. Do you know why, Shadow?”

“Uh, I’ll try to explain it as a fan theory…” The black hedgehog thought for a while, then continued, “If there were eight-hour clocks everywhere in the first years after Luna’s return, that means that it had been common for a long time, maybe centuries, so it couldn’t have gone away quickly. On the other hand, before the war, Equestria had developed contacts with other countries and races… I bet on the griffins – that the twenty-four-hour division came from them. I guess it was more convenient, but it didn’t have time to replace the old one before the apocalypse. And then it was up to the ponies to decide how to count.

“Although it was naturally easier. The humans had gotten tired of dealing with all the lore of the show when they made it for kids. So one day they’d just dropped some of it and gone back to their usual counterparts.”

“I see,” said Tails and turned to the mare. “And what do you think, Cosmic…? Uh, Cosmic?”

The earth pony froze, looking at the PipBuck screen in shock.

“What’s up?” Shadow asked anxiously.

Instead of answering, Cosmic silently turned her microcomputer toward them.

The black hedgehog and the fox stared at the screen. There were obviously time settings open on the device. The cursor was on the “Format” field, where two lines were displayed in a drop-down list: 16:64:64 and 24:60:60.

The first of them was active, and the side window displayed a note, “A time format widely used in Equestria (the only official one until 1007). Based on a binary system (derived from 22 = 4 pony hooves), now used in Stables 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128, as well as in some settlements.”

“Got it,” Shadow nodded and explained to Cosmic, “Littlepip is from Stable Two. Of course, she will use her usual time.”

“I can’t figure out what’s real here anymore,” the mare whispered and sat down on her haunches with her head bowed. “It’s like the world around me gets rewritten every moment…” She looked down at her hooves. “What if I’m just a character being directed by some writer? And all my actions… all the things that have happened to me… are just someone’s fucking fantasy…?”

“Keep it simple,” Shadow shook his head. “After all, every character has the illusion of free will. Yes, it’s a little frustrating to realize that the way you see the world is put into your head by someone outside, but within the limits you have, you can determine your own actions.”

“I still don’t get it. Equestria was destroyed… for fun. My team was killed… for fun…” Cosmic lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. “How should I feel when my life and my world are destroyed just because someone out there wants to have fun?”

“Every story goes through several stages. And if things are bad, it’s not the end. Things will get better one day – but only if the protagonist doesn’t give up. And by all accounts, that’s you, Cosmic.”

Shadow leaned over and took the fifth volume of Fallout: Equestria from the stack. Then he placed the book in front of Cosmic.

“After you read the epilogue, you’ll find out what will happen to Equestria ten years from now, when (not ‘if’, but exactly ‘when’!) Littlepip succeeds. Believe me, things will be better than they are now. It’s already predetermined – from the author’s standpoint. But not at all certain from here. After all, if the universe is being destroyed… maybe it’s just to show how it can be rebuilt.”

“Wait… do you hear that?”

Cosmic strained her ears.

From somewhere below came a knocking. Something was tapping insistently on the door of the building.

“Wait here,” said the mare and took her Argument with herself, heading for the exit. “Shadow, follow me.”

The black hedgehog made a surprised face but said nothing as he joined her.

They walked down the stairs to the hall and came to the door of the house. The steady knocking was clearly heard from outside.

Listening closely, Cosmic recognized a faint mechanical whirring. And damn it – she knew who (or rather what) it belonged to.

“Stand aside and open the door on the count of three,” she told the hedgehog, standing in front of the door with the carbine in front of her. “One, two… three!”

Shadow leaned back against the doorjamb, grabbed the old wooden handle, and pushed it open.

The door swung open, and Cosmic found herself face to face with the sprite-bot, flying freely into the house.

“Well, hello, Watcher,” the mare said. “Long time no see.”

“I was looking for you,” the sprite-bot replied. “I was able to follow you through the forest for a while, but then you seemed to disappear. I didn’t expect you to return to your base after avoiding all my eyes in the Wasteland.”

“Neither did we. But we had to. Otherwise, we’d all just die. As it is… I think you owe me now, Spike. How about that, huh?”

“I don’t think either one of us is in a position to dictate terms right now. Can you tell me why you think that?”

“Because for us, breaking into your cave and what we experienced in the forest were not comparable. Not so much in the nature of those things, but in their consequences.”

“But did you find out anything? There was a moment when the Elements glowed briefly, and… Could you lower your weapon? Please.”

Cosmic hesitated but released her carbine anyway.

“The Tree is safe now. That;s all you need to know. You can leave this problem behind.”

“Very good, then.” Judging by his tone, he wasn't satisfied with that answer. So he continued dryly, “Then I’d like my statuettes back.”

“Oh, with great pleasure!”

Cosmic reached into her saddlebags.

“Open the rear panel of the sprite-bot. There’s a compartment for extra batteries. Put the figurines in it.”

“How do I open it?” Cosmic snorted, arranging all six statuettes on the ground in front of her. “Do I look like a unicorn?”

“May I try?” Shadow raised his voice as he approached the robot.

“Who the hay are you?” Watcher asked.

“Just a friend.” The black hedgehog picked up the rear panel and snapped it off. “Done, Cosmic. Load those flügegeheimens in there.”

One day I’ll start taking notes after you, Cosmic thought to herself and loaded the figurines one by one into the cavity inside the sprite-bot. Shadow closed the panel – and then Cosmic grabbed her weapon and slammed it right into the hovering robot!

“What are you doing?!” Watcher shouted.

The earth pony continued to swing the carbine. The sprite robot tried to dodge the blows, but Cosmic remained accurate even without S.A.T.S.

“Are you crazy?!” The robot flew out of the open door and hovered some distance away. “You want me to stop helping you?!”

“Helping?!” Cosmic yelled, pointing the barrel of the carbine at the sprite-bot again. “You are the cause of all our recent troubles! If we hadn’t gone into that forest, we wouldn’t be in such despair now! You are the cause of Cream’s injury, so I had to drag a doctor right out of Tenpony Tower! Knuckles lost his fingers in a collision with a cocatrix! Dammit, Tails got one of his tails burned off when we came down your mountain, so he can’t fly on them anymore! We’re just pawns for you to move around the Wasteland at your command! You’re playing with ponies, pretending that you’re doing this for the good of Equestria, when it’s only to satisfy your own personal desires!”

Shadow’s words about the gray unicorn filly suddenly came to her mind.

“You sent Littlepip to clean up Ponyville just because your left heel told you to, didn’t you? Of course, it’s so heroic to send a weak, naive pony right out of the Stable to fight a bunch of enemies! You can cover yourself with your duty to protect the Elements as much as you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re just a manipulator who’s forgotten how to value the lives of others!”

Spoken out, Cosmic breathed heavily and looked at the robot with hatred. Only the knowledge that she had to return the borrowed figurines kept her from firing.

The sprite-bot swayed silently in the air.

He’s thinking up excuses? thought the mare, but then a voice came from the loudspeaker again. Now it was soft and ingratiating.

“You are not right, Cosmic. At least not about everything. Yes, I can’t leave my home, and I can only rely on the ponies I’ve decided to trust. But what can I do? The Wasteland is a cruel place. I can’t be anyone’s guardian spirit; all I can do is give tips and advice. You can’t blame me for sending others to their deaths, for even without that, any of them could be killed at any moment.

“You may not believe it, but you’ve had a great influence on me, Cosmic. Since our meeting, I have decided to open up to the ponies again and lead them to save the Wasteland. These are not empty words – I really do want to change this world for the better! And inspired by your example, I have allowed Littlepip to travel to meet me in person. She’s now on her way from Tenpony. She too has been wondering if I’m playing with her…

“And I can answer her and you at the same time: in the least possible way. I sincerely wish you to survive. Because the Wasteland needs ponies like you. And if you’re endangered, it pains me to know it. I have watched so many of Equestria’s defenders die over hundreds of years that I cannot bear to lose more.”

The sprite-bot fell silent. Cosmic stared at it, speechless. She hadn’t realized what could be so important to the omnipresent Watcher.

She thought of Littlepip again. If Shadow was right and the events were unfolding as in the book, then the unicorn filly had gone to Spike as the story told…

So she, Cosmic, is the cause! She influenced someone else’s line – according to Shadow, even the main one at the time!

A protagonist then, eh? she grinned to herself. Well, that means I have to find my story’s point.

“I have to warn you,” Watcher said suddenly. “As compensation for the inconve... for my miscalculations. I’ve noticed lately that sometimes the sprite-bots seem to be controlled by someone else. Sometimes I couldn’t access a robot’s functions because it was being used at the same time. Or I would suddenly lose control of the bot: it was being hijacked from outside. And my knowledge of programming in pre-war languages developed by Sunburst and Button Mash is not enough to mount a defense. So, I’m asking you… be careful. Lyra may be looking for you. Don’t let her intimidate you.”

“She won’t,” Cosmic grinned. “Well, goodbye?”

“Hopefully, see you later,” came from the loudspeaker.

Then music played from the sprite-bot, and it flew away over the mined area around the house.

“Why do you want to go there?” Shadow asked, watching Cosmic while she was packing. “If you don’t plan to stay there anyway. Maybe better to be thought dead while you’re looking for Lyra?”

“No,” the earth pony replied sharply. She pulled the bolt of her carbine, clicked the safety off and slung the weapon across her back. “I’ve put this off long enough. The Republic needs to know that I survived. The only bad thing is that in the eyes of the townspeople, my troop’s death will be linked to me anyway. Because Metal Dawn is no longer here to answer to everypony.”

“That’s it! Think, Cosmic! What if they kill you…?”

“But why?” the mare snorted mockingly and adjusted her saddlebags. “The Republic has a small population, every pony counts. They might not let me out, but I can deal with that. I may spend the rest of my life inside the walls made of old carriages, but I have a purpose now, and I won’t let anyone get in my way. Anyone or anything. Even the mayor.”

“So what are we gonna do? I mean, we’ve decided to stay with you until–”

“Anything you want.” Cosmic waved her hoof. “You can go back to your world and fight Eggman, or whatever his name is… You have the Emeralds now, and you may not stay with me forever. Everyone around me lately can’t really boast of having a smooth life. Some of them will never say anything else. And will never do.”

“Cosmic,” Shadow said softly. “Remember, you’re talking to the Element of Loyalty, chosen by the Tree of Harmony. And I’m telling you, we’re not going anywhere, but we’ll be waiting for your return. And if anything, we’ll be ready to come to your rescue.” He grinned. “Sonic can get to you in a matter of minutes…”

“Then wait.” The blue earth pony slipped the magazines into the pockets of her armor and took a few steps towards the exit. Then she turned and looked at the black hedgehog. “A one-way trip takes two days. If I’m not back in five, rush to my aid. Although… I think it will be too late.”

“Cosmic, I… must tell you something. It’s very important. Something… about your town.”

The mare didn’t like the change in Shadow’s tone. It was as if the black hedgehog wanted to tell her some very unpleasant secret.

“And what, then?”

“It was mentioned in the book, too. Near the end. About eight weeks after Littlepip had left the Stable, so about a month from now…” Shadow sighed heavily and finished, “The Republic will be destroyed by raiders.”

“What?!” Cosmic’s eyes widened. “How?!”

“I don’t know the details. The author didn’t go into that much… They’ll slaughter the entire adult population and take the foals to Ponyville. Three young ponies will escape and follow them. And when the survivors are in a firefight with the raiders, that’s when Littlepip and her crew will find them.” The hedgehog lifted his eyes to Cosmic. “But where you are in this whole story, I dare not predict. So, I beg you… don’t stay there. Come back to us soon.”

…And now, with a sinking heart, Cosmic neared the village that stood in the middle of the stony desert.

From the outside, The Republic still looked sullen and unfriendly – but if before there had been something native and recognizable about its deliberately serious austerity, now the town seemed to bristle with the anticipation of battle.

Cosmic took out her binoculars and looked at the guards on the walls. They were the same ponies that had been filling in for her squad during their travels. More than that, they had looked to the blue earth pony and her troops as an example to follow. Right now, however, she couldn’t look them in the eye. Not only because she had condemned them to the front line of defense by not discovering Metal Dawn’s plan in time, but also because their former ideal had been defeated.

But there was no other choice. With a heavy sigh, Cosmic shoved the binoculars into her bag and walked towards the settlement, head down and hooves barely moving.

She was spotted, and clearly from afar. “Hey, that’s Cosmic…!” the mare heard somepony shout. But she felt that the guards’ mood was definitely not friendly. The town was obviously going through some really tough times.

It’s not my fault, the earth pony reminded herself. It’s Metal Dawn’s.

“Stop!” yelled one of the guards, a dark stallion with a grayish mane and a white nose. “We have orders not to let anyone in unless confirmed!”

What a paranoia? Are the raiders coming more often?

“You can see it’s me!” Cosmic replied, stomping her hoof on the ground. “So what’s the problem?”

“We thought you were dead!” blurted out the yellow mare standing on top. “The entire Republic cried at a recent meeting! Mayor Silver Star has already ordered that all your houses be turned over to the town!”

“What?! How could he…”

Cosmic bit her tongue.

It was actually a common practice. “We need more ponies,” the mayor always said. But new families needed a place to live, and housing had long been a particularly acute problem in the Wasteland. And certainly no one would leave an empty house unoccupied just because the owner had gone, uh… to the moon. That would just be irrational.

“You’ve been reported,” the white-nosed guy, who had obviously been running somewhere, returned to his place. “They’ll come for you soon. Wait here for now, we’ll open the gate later.”

A pit opened in the blue pony’s stomach.

The foreboding of something bad she had gotten as she approached The Republic grew stronger by the minute. It wasn’t so much what was going to happen to her, but rather the general feeling of distress that hung over the village.

Finally, the white-nosed pony looked down and waved his hoof, apparently giving permission to open the gate. There was a clang as the bolt slid out, and the heavy steel doors opened reluctantly.

Cosmic let out a loud sigh as she saw the ponies come to greet her. It was as if the mayor had made a deliberate effort to pressure her before he even faced her in person.

At the village entrance stood two young white unicorns: a stallion with a bright scarlet mane and a filly with a blue mohawk. Both had assault rifles floating in front of them, aimed at Cosmic. And while the stallion hid his eyes and pretended not to care, his companion stared at the blue pony, seemingly on the verge of pulling the trigger.

And besides, Cosmic knew the filly had her reasons.

After all, she knew both ponies currently standing in the gate.

Sky Bloom, the youngest son of the mayor. Life Bloom’s and Nightlight Twister’s brother.

And Skyshine. The younger sister of Snow Vision.

Both had relatives who served in Cosmic’s squad. And now lay in a mass grave in the Wasteland.

I have no guilt towards them. Although… okay, shit, I’m guilty on some level. But there’s nothing I can do about it. So that’s it, let it go already.

“Cosmic Valor,” the unicorn filly literally spat out her name. “Mayor Silver Star wants to see you right now.”

“I’m sorry, Skyshine,” Cosmic said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry?!”

Depressed by this visit, the earth pony didn’t react in time.

Next thing she knew, she was on the ground, and Skyshine was leaning over her, pointing her gun at Cosmic’s head.

“My brother is dead!” the unicorn wailed, spitting saliva in her face. “Along with everypony who was with you! And you’re the only one who miraculously survived! And now you’re just fucking sorry?!”

“Skyshine, don’t…!” the filly’s companion shouted, but all he got in return was an angry look.

“And you shut the fuck up! Did Snow mean nothing to you?”

“Skyshine, I’m hurt too! But we can’t give in to our feelings right now! Think of the town! What will happen if you open fire first?”

The filly was silent for a while, gritting her teeth. Cosmic even thought she might go crazy, but apparently the voice of reason still prevailed over Skyshine. She let go of Cosmic with a loud gasp and stepped back but didn’t move her machine gun away.

“Get up,” she said, looking down at the blue earth pony. “We were told to bring you as soon as possible. And unarmed,” she pointed at Argument.

Cosmic reluctantly pulled the belt of her carbine from around her neck and removed her submachine gun from its holster. Skyshine magically picked up her weapon, and the three of them finally made their way down the main street toward the mayor’s house.

Cosmic first noticed how empty the place was. Ponies looked out of the windows at their little procession but didn’t go outside. The wind blew dust and scraps of paper along the path. It’s like the whole place is dead, the earth pony shivered.

Closer to the center, two armed stallions stood on either side of the street, each guarding a poster on a house wall: on the left, “Vote for Murky Gray!”; on the right, “All Power to Silver Star!”

The ponies stared at each other tensely. And it looked like they were about to turn their guns on each other.

As Cosmic passed by, she noticed that the lower right corner of the left poster had been torn off (she must have mistaken it for a scrap), and the right poster had definitely been tried to cut across with a knife. And now both sides seemed to be making sure that neither of them broke the fragile truce.

“Guys… what have you done…?” muttered the mare.

Was everything she’d seen here due to this coming vote? Which, moreover, was still three or four months away? Why had everything been peaceful for the last twenty years, and now it was as if everything had gone out of control?

And what if that’s all… because of me…?

Cosmic was distracted from a new round of introspection by that they had finally arrived.

The mayor’s house looked like a real fortress against the background of wooden buildings. The first floor was made of concrete blocks and covered with steel sheets, the second floor consisted of two railroad cars placed side by side, and the third floor was built of wood. The entrance was closed by heavy metal-clad doors, and the windows had bars. Descended from the Appleloosa refugees who had fled to The Republic, Silver Star was clearly wary of the inhabitants of his town.

Skyshine magically opened the door and stepped back, allowing Sky Bloom and Cosmic to enter. As she did so, she couldn’t resist poking the earth pony in the flank with Argument’s muzzle. Cosmic gritted her teeth in humiliation but remained silent.

The house was bright: the lights were on even in the daytime, and behind one of the doors the generator rumbled. On the side, behind a screen, was a real electric stove – a remnant of pre-war Equestria. The ruling family obviously didn’t skimp on themselves either.

But Cosmic didn’t care what the town’s well-earned caps were used for. At least for the time being.

At a huge table in the middle of the spacious room sat Mayor Silver Star. And silently looked at Cosmic from under his frowning bushy eyebrows.

“I’d like to say that I’m glad to see you, but I’m afraid I can’t,” the mare said. “Maybe you tell me what the hay you’ve been up to while I’ve been away?!”

She waved her hoof at the door, behind which the town stood frozen in suspense.

“I wish I could say I’m glad you’re here too, Cosmic Valor,” the mayor said, getting up from his chair and walking toward the earth pony. She even took a step back – Silver Star looked so angry. “But I’m afraid I won’t be understood. You realize that you’ve come at a bad time.

“Do you want to hear what’s going on?” He jerked his chin toward the barred windows. “I’ll tell you. At first, they were just worried about you. But it’s a long way to Manehattan or any other city, so they thought you’d just be stuck somewhere.” He gritted his teeth in anger. “But that all changed when the news came from New Appleloosa.”

Oh, I see Railright did what he promised.

She realized that the sheriff had done it without a second thought, just to let them know she was alive. But apparently that had become the catalyst for The Republic.

“I was reminded of the fact that I dared to accuse you of thievery before you left,” Silver Star continued. “The town is basically split in two. Those who support Murky (and that’s about half the people these days) believe I ordered Metal Dawn to kill you, and the others stood up for you and died. And my allies” – he glanced at Skyshine and Sky Bloom – “believe you killed them all because they’d found evidence of your guilt.” He tilted his head aside. “And what do you think I should do now that you’ve shown up, huh?”

Cosmic stood silently, biting her lip as she thought about how to answer.

Just like that, I will definitely not get out. So, I’ll have to go all-in.

“We are on the brink,” the mayor continued. “Every day, the ponies of The Republic wake up with the thought that any random shot could start a massacre. And this is your fault. Because I have nopony else to blame.”

“I don’t know about you,” Cosmic muttered slowly, “but at least I found the strength to come back. Kept, for that matter, my loyalty to this place.”

“Take your loyalty and shove it up your ass!” Silver Star slammed his hoof down on the table. “All those fine words don’t mean a damn thing when they collide with reality. What should I do now? And what’s going to happen in the fall? If things aren’t settled before the election, no matter the outcome, the town will drown in blood!” He stood up and began to walk around the room. “For the first time in the hundred years of The Republic, we are about to kill each other.”

“We have to survive until the election,” Cosmic said, and he immediately turned sharply towards her. Aha, he’s triggered, so. “Raiders have been plaguing the Wasteland especially hard lately. And I know that sooner or later they’ll turn their attention to The Republic.”

“Oh, really?” Silver Star snorted with malicious sarcasm. “Why don’t they dare to attack now, then? And besides, do you think you can shift my focus with that?”

“Listen to me!” the mare stomped impatiently. “I suggest you stop bickering about me and unite the town against the real threat! Then you’ll be re-elected, and the ponies will stop glaring at each other like wolves!”

“You think I don’t get it?! You think it’s that simple? Don’t we have other problems?” The mayor stopped and stared at Cosmic. “Do you know that the caravan we sent in your absence was attacked on the way and had to return? Grace is lying all covered in bandages, and there are not enough caps in the budget to buy food for the next month! And our supplies are only enough for a week!”

“Grace?!” The blue earth pony was horrified. “What happened to her?”

“Two bullets in the flank and one in the chest,” Skyshine hissed. “Two of our guys were killed covering her!”

“Shine,” the mayor cut her off, “please don’t interfere.”

The unicorn filly snorted angrily but remained silent. And Silver Star turned back to Cosmic.

“So, how do you want me to deal with that, eh? In this tense situation?”

“If it’s just a matter of caps,” the earth pony replied, “then here you are.”

With her teeth, she pulled a heavily jingling sack from her bag and threw it at the mayor’s hooves.

“It’s several thousand here, I didn’t count. But I’m sure it’ll be enough for the time being.”

“Where did you get them?” he asked, levitating the sack to the second floor. “Was the contract that lucrative?”

“No. It was Metal Dawn’s fee for killing my squad.” Silver Star even coughed nervously at Cosmic’s calm words. “After the bastard was shot in New Appleloosa, I got his money. That’s all. Just the law of the Wasteland.”

“And speaking of the Wasteland,” the old stallion interrupted. “Remind me again: what’s the most valuable resource of a growing village?”

“Ponies,” Cosmic replied, remembering an old truism, but immediately frowned. “What are you getting at, Mr. Mayor?”

He glared at his younger relatives.

“Get out.”

“But Uncle…!” Skyshine protested.

“I said get out!” Silver Star roared.

The unicorn filly made a hurt face but headed for the door, not forgetting Cosmic’s weapon with her. Sky Bloom looked sadly at his father and obediently followed Skyshine.

As the thick doors closed behind them, Silver Star continued, “Here’s the thing, Cosmic. You don’t have your own team anymore, and it’s unlikely another team will take you on voluntarily. And even if they do, you’ll probably no longer be a commander. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. The town has lost several important ponies in recent weeks. Who knows how many more will die. And the new generation is not so eager to make up for those losses. So…” he paused, “I have to make a decision that may not be pleasant for one pony but will benefit the future of others.”

Hay, no! Cosmic twitched as if from a blow.

The mayor’s voice grew hard as steel.

“You must stay in The Republic.”

I knew it…! So, there’s only one thing left to do: go ahead.

“Why should I obey you?” The mare raised her chin. “If I’m such a nuisance to you, just shoot me and be done with that!”

“If you die now, you won’t do any good!” Silver Star bellowed back. “This way you’ll be of some use, you fool!”

Suddenly he jumped up and hit her in the face with his hoof.

Or rather, he wanted to. Cosmic reflexively ducked under his leg and habitually grabbed it to throw him over herself…

But he seemed not to care about her intentions.

Silver Star leaned all his weight on the earth pony, pinning her to the floor. Cosmic was disgusted to feel something hard against her stomach.

“For all the deaths The Republic has suffered,” he whispered in her ear, “you will repay us with foals. As many as we can squeeze out of you.”

His taut end moved a little lower. Cosmic held her breath.

“And it doesn’t matter from whom exactly.”

The mare’s mind suddenly flashed back to how Metal Dawn had tried to get the same thing from her at gunpoint.

No!

Cosmic roared with effort. She lifted the stallion slightly above her and then kicked him below the waist with all her might.

Silver Star gave a yelp and rolled onto his side, cursing at her.

“Maybe… they wanna throw you down for a good reason,” Cosmic said, breathing loudly, and before the mayor had time to recover, she rushed to the exit.

She swung the massive door open with her shoulder, leaped past the young unicorns who were dazed with surprise, then snatched her assault carbine from Skyshine’s magical grip with her teeth and raced for the gate.

Fuck this. Shadow was right. Nothing good is coming my way here. I’ll try to do something with raiders, but it’s not exac–

A heavy blow to the back of her head knocked all thoughts out of her mind and caused the world before her eyes to blacken and fold into a point.

Fuck. I forgot I was dealing with unicorns.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. New perk: Mighty Kick – damage from your bare-hoof kicks is increased by 50%. Now you can break sturdy and reinforced doors with your hind legs and stun enemies for a short period of time. Or knock away their most valuable possessions.

Player: Sonic. New quest perk: Lore Knowledge – you have been spoilered with events of the near future, causing you to maneuver within it. But you shouldn’t even try to change anything.

Items given: Twilight Sparkle statuette (1 piece), Applejack statuette (1 piece), Pinkie Pie statuette (1 piece), Rainbow Dash statuette (1 piece), Rarity statuette (1 piece), Fluttershy statuette (1 piece).

The quest stage “Return the statuettes to Spike” has been completed. Added a new stage “Save The Republic”.