Chapters Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Two: In the Forests of the Night
Chapter Two: In the Forests of the Night
Once her stable-adjusted eyes had finally ceased their blinking against the harsh light of an unknown world, she was able to contemplate her other senses. The wind was all around her now. That was the first thing she noticed. Gone was the stench of charred pony meat and burned hair, now she was smelling…what was it, fresh air?The horizon!
But what now? Where would she go? Were there any settlements? Was anypony even alive out here?
Sterling jumped, flapping her wings madly, feeling the lift they created made her feel more free than she’d ever been before. Her feathers caught the wind, the reason her breed had evolved so clear to her now. She yipped feebly as she felt herself pull a muscle in her wing, and crashed back down to the ground. She hadn’t been airborne for more than a few seconds.How kind of you to let me know that. She thought, and the true weight of what the stable had done to her finally began to trickle in.
Sterling began to panic. Something she had never cared about much now became something she so desperately wanted. The pegasus had spent her whole life in that place, never having the space to use her wings, and when she had ever tried to, she had been scolded, told that she wasn’t allowed to. Now here she was, outside for the first time, and she couldn’t even use them. Sterling couldn’t fly.What if I'll never be able to?
The thought echoed through her mind. What use was a flightless pegasus? How would she survive in this harsh wasteland without her single advantage? Suddenly she felt trapped again, as trapped and worthless as the ponies in the stable had made her seem, but this time, she was trapped in her own mind. The questions kept bouncing around, she realised that her hoof was nervously scraping at the ground, a habit she’d picked up sometime during her cruel life in the stable. She forced herself to keep it still.No . she thought. It doesn’t matter. Stop panicking like a filly.
Sterling had never tuned in to a radio broadcast before. The only times she had ever heard music was through the radios other ponies had owned in the stable, and the few service announcements the Overmare had forced everypony’s pip-bucks to play when she needed to get a stable-wide message across. When she switched to the broadcast she was greeted with the sounds of a young sounding stallion, his charisma intrigued her almost immediately, and for the first time, she found herself listening to somepony that didn’t have it out for her.
“...kids, that’s right, it’s your old pal, DJ-Pon3, bringing you the hottest hits of two hundred years ago! In about an hour’s time, i’ll be giving you all the news from around the wasteland, but for now, here’s Sweetie Belle, here to tell us that sometimes, you just need somepony to treat you right.”
The dulcet tones of a young mare echoed around Sterling as she clip-clopped down the road, taking in her surroundings. To say the wasteland was a bleak picture would be an understatement, and when she looked up the sky was no better. The sky. Sterling had always been taught it was a bright blue colour during the day. Nopony in her stable had ever seen the sky of course, so maybe they were wrong. Or maybe something had happened to the sky itself, the clouds being dragged across to choke out the blue like the ash that choked the ground.This place would be a whole lot less threatening if I could see past those clouds. The young mare mused, Although, it wouldn’t be very fitti-
She had stood on a button. An old Equestrian advertisement sign had fallen on to the road, the button barely hidden under some leaf litter. She swiped the pile away to reveal the stained, smiling face of a purple pegasus mare. She was quite good-looking. In fact, Sterling couldn’t remember the last time she had seen a pegasus portrayed in such a positive way. She broke off from her stare, realising that she was replicating the same, infectious smile worn by Mulberry Sweets on the advertisement. She relaxed her face and respectfully stepped off of the rotting sign of the long-dead mare.
Sterling had never walked this far before. She’d never done nothing but walk for a whole day. She’d done chores, of course, everything around the stable. And she was definitely fitter than most of the ponies that got to sit around and do nothing all day as their pegasi servants rushed around for them, but still, she was tired. As the sun began to set, or, well, she assumed that was what it was doing since she couldn’t see it anyway, the pegasus could make out more of the city. It still seemed so very far away.I suppose it’s as good a place as any. She mused. It had been a nice day, all things considered. She hadn’t seen a single living creature all day, and she wondered whether or not this was a good thing. It was difficult to be out of sight of somepony else in the stable. The only times she had really had to herself were during lunch times in the shower block and brig time. She had always welcomed the silence, the lack of other ponies around her in those moments. It gave her time to think.
Now she wasn’t so sure she wanted to be alone.Not anymore. You don’t need that anymore Sterling, you don’t need them, or anyone to tell you what to do. This is my life. I will decide what I do. But what will happen then?
Sterling had always been a light sleeper, and a restless one at that. She had drifted off hungry, resigning herself to find something to eat in the morning. After about another hour, lost in her own thoughts, she had sunk into a shallow sleep. It wasn’t long before she woke to the sound of a ‘crack’ in the woods around her. There was something there.
BLAM!
“That’s enough, pegasus.” Sneered the mare. In the green glow of her pip-buck, Sterling could finally make out the face of one of her attackers.So why did they just try to shoot me?
Sterling stood still for a moment, wondering if the mare was thoroughly distracted enough for her to try and make a break for it.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter One: All cooped up
Chapter one: All Cooped Up
Stable-tec had a sick sense of humour.
Sterling had always thought of the company this way. From the first time in her youth that she had been mistreated for having wings to now, locked in the stable’s brig, the mare had always figured that the pre-war higher-ups at Stable-tec must have thought putting a breed of pony thats primary feature was its ability to fly in an underground box for several generations was nothing short of the peak of old Equestrian comedy.
She massaged her bruised wing, still sore from the previous day’s brawl with an Earth Pony Stallion and his two Unicorn friends. He’d hit her first, not that the Overmare cared much. Her Father and Brother hadn’t been very bothered by the sight of her when she’d returned to their stable-home, battered and bleeding, nor had they put up a fuss when a pair of stable-guards came to take her away to the brig for the night. Feeling the familiar groove she’d worn in the cell’s table from her previous incarcerations brought a slim smile to her face. This wasn’t the first time this had happened.
“You know your kind ain’t allowed to eat in here”
The locking mechanism chunked as it turned, Sterling blinked herself out of her thoughts. Time to pretend she’d learned her lesson.
Earth Ponies and Unicorns in stables made sense. The Earth Ponies were used to being grounded, and had a long and hard history of working in the deep, claustrophobic Equestrian mines. The Unicorns had an affinity for technology, able to use their magic to fiddle with advanced and intricate circuitry, having the mental faculties and dexterity to adequately control all the machines required to keep the stable up and running. Pegasi, on the other hoof, were not suited to stable life at all. Sterling had always figured that the higher-ups at Stable-tec must have thought stuffing a bunch of pegasi into an underground stable would make for a good joke. She could see the reasoning in that, and at times she had to admit that she did see the lighter side of things, but the simple fact that pegasi were not generally as physically strong as an Earth Pony, nor anywhere near as magically capable as a Unicorn meant that they did not have much of a place in stable life given the fact that the stable did not have the room for a pegasus to spread their wings.
Stable-126 contained Unicorns, pegasi and Earth Ponies, the residents of this stable were taught from a young age that a stable containing all three pony races was a very rare thing indeed-a point of pride for all those that lived in 126.
Pegasi had been in charge of controlling the weather around Equestria, something Sterling had been taught by her dad when she was just a filly. Since there was no real weather inside a stable, the pegasi had been repurposed to different roles. Some were given trivial positions in stable security, but after the Schism three generations ago, the pegasi had instead been given as offerings, as trade items between the two stable groups. This was, of course, why Sterling was being married to a Unicorn stallion she had only ever seen twice in her life.
The first peace trade was made by both sides. Each side would send a pony to the other to live and learn their ways as a mark of solidarity between the two factions. Earth ponies were strong, able to do the heavy lifting around the stable. Unicorns were, of course, valuable in their magical ways. So when the time came to perform the trade, the logical pony to give up would of course, be the least useful to the stable. The ponies traded were pegasi.
Sterling was a brown-coated pegasus, with an even darker-brown mane and tail which she almost always wore in a ponytail. Her eyes were a bright green, and she prided herself on being able to use small devices more deftly than most Unicorns on their side of the stable. A pride that she rarely let be known in case she received even more time in the brig for being better than anypony who wasn’t a pegasus.
She had not been allowed to throw a Cute-ceañera when she had received her cutie-mark, nor had she ever been invited to one. During music and arts class in her primary school, she had excelled at playing the piano as well as reading and understanding music. She had received her cutie-mark during one of these music classes. Lucky for her-most pegasi that lived in the vault never received their cutie marks. Unfortunately, she was never allowed to play music outside of these classes.
She heard the cafeteria doors grind open. “Hey, featherbrain, nice to see you where you belong!”Get used to smelling that for a while.
He was right, of course. She’d be sent to the other side of the stable today. She would be married to a Unicorn who’s name she did not know-probably one of many of his pegasus-wives, and would be forced to bear offspring for him. If they were born a Unicorn, they would have a future for themselves. If they were a pegasus, they’d live a life of servitude. All of this was normal, this was a common practice, after all. She didn’t know who her mother had been, nopony did, not even her father. He’d had too many wives in his hay-day.
Sterling hated showers.
Her life had been a series of upsets. Since she’d been born, Sterling had always been looked down upon by the ‘better’ breeds. She’d never known her mother. Her father didn’t care about her. Sterling’s brother Brighthoof used her as a scapegoat whenever he got in trouble. She really was life’s punching bag. But she tried not to let it get to her. Sterling had always stood up for herself, no matter how much trouble she got in. Other pegasi were just like her, why should she be treated any differently?
Sterling sighed again. Shifting uncomfortably in her two-sizes-too-small stable suit. She glared at her pip-buck, the device that had randomly been chosen as the one that would be sent to the other side, and was at least thankful that she had been selected when she was a full-grown mare.
Sterling was unmoved by her brother’s show. She knew that he only wanted her around to clean up after him, as she had for most of her stable-dwelling life. “It has to happen, i’m sorry Brighthoof, I really wish I could stay and wouldn’t have to get married to a Stallion i’ve never even had a conversation with while you stay here at home.” She said, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Did this have to happen? Who said so, the Overmares? What if she didn’t want to get married? What if she took a stand and-
Deftly, she tied her damp mane into a ponytail as two guards trotted up to the door, more and more had been moving past the windows towards the door to the Other Side, but she knew why these two had stopped here now. Stretching her wings, she stood, as did her brother.
She would miss this place. The familiar posters on the walls drifted past her, as did the thoughts of her few friends and family. Most of these memories were not nice ones. She had always envied the other ponies who got to have birthday parties, hearthswarming gifts, real jobs and lives they chose for themselves, perhaps her new life would be more to her liking. Although she doubted it, maybe the ponies beyond those doors she’d never been past would accept her, anything had to be better than this.
They stopped before the doors that divided the stable in two, the decontamination chamber. “In here.” barked the stallion. But she was already moving towards her fate. She wondered about her life, how it would be now that she would be moving to somewhere else. It couldn’t get much worse than the one she already had.
She had never been in this room before, and the silent fear inside her was only exacerbated when the doors slid shut behind her.
She was used to being ignored. “Alright, well, see you never, I guess.” The door before her began sliding smoothly, then got stuck, juddering upwards the rest of the way, she gasped, sitting down hard on her rump at what lay ahead of her.
“What-what happened?” came the voice of the guard over the intercom, knocking Sterling from her thoughts. Skyblue seemed as nonplussed as ever. “Must have been a gas leak or something, I don’t know, ask the overmare. Come back over to the centre of the room, we’re going to seal the doors.”
A faint clicking could be heard from Sterling’s pip-buck. Radiation. That meant the outside could be seeping in, that meant…
“Hey, pegasus, I told you to come back into the middle of the decontamination chamber!” Skyblue’s voice had grown somewhat agitated. “Unless of course, you want to receive another night in the brig!”What the hell did I just do? They were right, i’m an idiot. Here I am, locked outside of my only home, in a burned tomb. I should have gone back when Skyblue told me to.
And then she paused to make herself remember why she’d taken the leap. What kind of a life was even left for her in the stable? What sort of a life could she possibly lead? The same life that generations of pegasi had lived. Eat, sleep, do chores, have foals, repeat? That was the way the Overmare wanted Sterling to live, but now, Sterling could decide how she wanted to live her life.
There it was.
Footnote: Level Up.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Three: Not like them.
Chapter Three: Not like them.
“Friendship is magic, and magic is power. But if you take that power, you need neither…”
What in Celestia’s name is going on?
Busko the stallion was still limping from their short tussle. It turned out Sterling had not put all her force into a back hoof to his stomach, but to somewhere else, a far more tender spot.Yeah, because losing that chunk of my ear wasn’t damaging at all.
Although the bleeding had long-ceased, the numbness in Sterling’s ear had dissipated, replaced with a throbbing pain. She could feel that a chunk had been taken out by the bullet Stitches had fired at her.
What lay behind those doors? Sterling could only imagine a mess of pony body parts, trolleys of hooves and muzzles, drawers of manes and jars of eyes. She shuddered.
To say that the factory stank would be an understatement. Something hadn’t just died in here, something had gotten sick, laid down in their own excrement, had breathed their last, raspy breath, finally died a few days later, had begun to rot and then had finally wasted away. This process must surely have then been repeated a hundred times, and had to be happening at this very moment.
Then, there, across the room, jeering at her as she was roughly hauled to her hooves by the Unicorn mare, was a group of ponies-well, a group of monsters, really. There were four of them, sitting by a campfire. Scrap iron plates had been bolted to their leather armour barding. A fifth was perched by a window, keeping a lookout, and the sixth, an Earth Pony Mare, was sitting atop some kind of…throne?
“I see your hunt went well.” The mare’s voice was oddly pleasant, a slight gravelly edge, but warm, and inviting. She was of course addressing the two raiders that had brought her in. Busko and Stitches didn’t look very pleased at their appraisal, in fact, they looked like they were about to bolt at any moment. It did not take long for Sterling to realise why.The stuff? this …” She gestured with a hoof towards the pegasus. “Is some form of…repayment for the fact that, because of your incompetence, i’m not going to be getting high tonight.”Oh. Dash is a drug. That makes sense.
Even though they had tied her up, held a gun to her head, shot her, and had taken her back to their camp to be sold as a slave, Sterling couldn’t help but feel a little bad for them. Clearly what this mare was capable of was not something these two wanted to have done to them. Although considering how awfully charming this mare appeared (despite the whole bone-fixation she had), Sterling couldn’t imagine it could be that bad.
“So. Which of you had the idea to attack this poor pony?”Poor pony? Since when did anypony feel sorry for me? Maybe these raiders would accept me into their fold…
Suddenly, Busko was on the floor, screaming. His back leg was broken. Whilst she had been transfixed, Sterling hadn’t even noticed the leader stepping off her throne, walking towards the stallion, and swinging a sort of makeshift mace at him, held in her teeth. Apparently, Busko hadn’t noticed either.Why wasn’t she doing anything about this? At this rate, the stallion would be dead. Stitches must care about him, maybe, if the two of them were to band together, they might have a chance to-
Sterling froze in her tracks. Clearly, her slight forward step had not just been noticed by Stitches. She glanced back.Of course she’s talking to you…well? Say something! Should I have come up with a fake name? Why did this mare care?
Sterling’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. “I-I’m sorry, I think I may have misheard-”chosen to be in a fight.
She didn’t want to use it, of course. It had just been in the jaws of this mare, and that was quite unsanitary. Oh, and the entire thing was coated with Busko’s blood, including the handle. But she craned her neck down, and picked it up with her teeth anyway.really didn’t want to do this. She couldn’t do this.But why shouldn’t I? He tried to kill you, beat you several times over the course of a night and half a day, tied you up and brought you to a raider camp. He’s the one that picked you to be Stiches’ target. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be in this situation. In fact, he wouldn’t be here on the floor either. not to kill him.
And yet, she still paused.No. I’m not like them. I’m a good pony. And I won't take Busko’s life.
Bluebear tutted, and smiled sadly. “That’s a shame.” She murmured.
The words kept tumbling out. “You disregard the lives of everything, even the ponies you lead, shame on you Bluebear! And shame on you all for-”
Behind them, a whoosh, followed by a sickening, wet crunch.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Four: Ghouls and Griffons
Chapter four: Ghouls and Griffons
The pegasus’s ropes had finally been taken off of her, even the ones around her wings. Not that she would be able to use them properly even if there were some way to fly out of here. After being shoved in quite hastily, she took in the sights. Scattered around the room, quite badly bruised were a selection of varying breeds of pony, and a single griffon that sported a wing Sterling didn’t need to be a medical professional to see wasn’t meant to bend that way. On the wall next to the door was a monitor that buzzed just before a huge latching noise reverberated around the room. The door was locked.
Most of them ignored her as she entered.
“Never seen a ghoul-pony before, Stable-mare?” Snickered the griffon, who had somehow snuck up next to her.Okay, if I just take my hooves away from my face, i’ll wake up back in the stable! Yep, no getting shot, or being eaten by monsters, or watching ponies get beaten to death…
As she had regrettingly suspected, she was not dreaming. The ghoul was still fixing her with that awful attempt at a smile-perhaps his jaw had locked in that position. The griffon, on the other hand, began to laugh.
Slowly, Sterling began to uncurl herself, and stood up from the floor. Great, i’ve just met these…creatures, and they probably think I'm a coward already. How are they in such good spirits?
She blinked, suddenly awake, and stretched her sore limbs. She didn't know how long she'd slept for, but it was still dark. She even couldn't remember where she was.
“O-oh, hi, everypony, uhm, sorry about-” Sterling began to apologise, but was cut off by the mare-Nightlight, from earlier.Better out than in. She flicked on her pip-buck’s lamp, causing everypony (including herself) to blink in the new light, and reluctantly began to inform them of what happened just outside that door.
By the end of her reliving of those events (she’d left out the parts where she almost followed through with murdering that stallion) most of them appeared quite undisturbed-Sterling could only surmise by their reactions that this must be a common occurrence in the wasteland. Nightlight looked at her grimly, and the ghoul scoffed, rasping. “What? never seen a pony die before?”Yeah, I think they probably agree. The little pony in her head muttered, sarcastically. And would have escaped if they’d been given the chance real, and that he probably would have eaten her by now if he had wanted to.
“There’s one less raider to worry about now.” Suggested Nightlight, trying not to catch sight of Sterling’s wince as she said it.They think I can fly. She didn’t have it in her to tell them that she couldn’t.something.” Scolded Nightlight. Sterling was starting to like the mare, but concluded that the ghoul-pony was right. How in Equestria could they expect to trust a raider?
“Great, well, we’ve got Earth Ponies, Unicorn magic, and the strength, speed, and claws of a griffon. Surely we can find a way out of this.” Sterling didn’t want them to give up-not if it meant she’d spend the rest of her life as a slave…again.
“My name is Shimmerbud, what’s yours miss?”Well? Don’t be rude to a filly, Sterling.
In the brief shafts of daylight (and without being so tired she was about to collapse). Sterling surveyed the room. It had once been a toilet block. One cubicle had been filled with pony skeletons (the pegasus could only assume this was for the sake of the younger ones present).and get the foals out alive, they’d need to distract him.
Sterling placed her eye to the door, and peered out. Stitches was there, as she had been before, but she was slumped against the wall. Asleep in the early morning light. That was good. Her gun was in its holster. Nightlight could probably have taken the gun with her telekinesis, but Sterling didn’t want to risk her getting in trouble.
Sterling moved up to the locking monitor, next to the door. The pegasus had only hacked a terminal once before. This was in the stable, when her brother had locked her out of the family terminal by changing the password. It had taken her some time, but with a little tenacity, and a great deal of patience, she’d managed to find out what the password had been changed to. Her brother had not been happy when he’d found out.
It had been a few years since the hacking of her family terminal. Matching words, symbols, hyphens and slashes, Sterling tried, failed, and tried again, until finally…Oh no, they’re starting to believe in you.
Slowly, the door creaked open, and Sterling poked her head through.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Five: Punkfac’s End
Chapter Five: Punkfac’s End
“I won’t say that you won’t regret it, because you will. But it’s what needs to be done...”
Sterling had grown quite used to the sight of this particular gun barrel over the last two days. Even so, this hadn’t meant she’d learned not to fear it.are fresh from the stable, huh?”
“He was an idiot, he failed the leader, and he paid the price.” Stitches intoned.know you cared about him. You tried to hide it from the other ponies-and maybe you did. But you couldn’t hide it from me. And i think Bluebear knows it too. How long do you think it is before you’re the one lying in a puddle of blood at her hooves, huh? Come on, I thought you Unicorns were supposed to be smart.”
Another strike to the nose. This time Nightlight squeaked a protest, duly ignored by the one who’d done the damage. Sterling’s head jerked back again, and she surely would have fallen over if not for the helping hooves that were holding her up. She could feel something warm trickling down from one of her nostrils.Don’t you think I’ve realised that?” Hissed the Unicorn, pressing the cold barrel against Sterling’s forehead. “You know nothing about how I think, Pegasus. I know I don’t have long, but if-”
Sterling held the gun in her jaws as she creeped out of the doorway. She didn’t want to kill anypony, but she could definitely cause the distraction Nightlight would need to get the colts and fillies out.
The raiders were all asleep on the floor-well, almost all of them. That lookout with his rifle was still there, gazing out the window, half-asleep. Gordo growled softly, and Sterling glared at him. It wasn’t time to give themselves up just yet.He’s too bloodthirsty, he’s gonna get us all killed.
The lookout whipped around at the noise, spotted the prisoners. And brought his rifle up to bear “They’ve escaped! Get ‘em!”Sterling…” He groaned, leaning back. “How could you let us all think you could fly?”
She glanced at Gordo, who shot a look back at her, and dived for the grenade before she could snatch it away from him. “No, I don’t want to kill-”
Sterling breathed the fresh air deeply. It wasn’t smoke, and it wasn’t a mouldy, old bathroom. She was outside again! She sank to her haunches, taking in the scene.You.” She hissed. Her calming demeanor now gone, replaced with a blind rage. “You destroyed the Punkfac! You killed my ponies!”
“Celestia damn you and all your raider kind!” Rasped the old stallion, and he broke into a gallop, sprinting towards the mare, right as she readied her mace to strike.
Walking around to the back of the building, Sterling and Gordo spotted the open exit route, and a small gap in the bushes a few metres away. She smiled, wiping her tears away with a hoof. “At least they made it out.” Her expression fell as she realised that she’d just smeared more of Busko on to her face.
The pair of them walked in silence for some time, until they got to the road. “Where do you think they-”you.”
“I am not like them!” Shouted the griffon. A fork of lightning illuminated his eyes as he bore over her. She shrank down like a frightened filly. She didn’t need much to remember that the muscular griffon could easily tear her to shreds with those talons of his. He saw the terror in her eyes, and sighed, letting go of his rage.
Footnote: Level Up.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Six: Welcome to Freesaddle
Chapter Six: Welcome to Freesaddle
The downpour had, for the most part, stopped. Sterling had decided that they couldn’t let Nightlight and the foals get too far away, so they had to press on, even if it was still raining.
The soft pattering of the rain on her face was more enjoyable than she’d thought it would be. It wasn’t as much of a downpour as it had been before, but it was still quite refreshing. The soot and blood washed off of her, she felt…re-energised, ready to take on the wasteland with Gordo at her side.
The following morning, the two of them crested a hill. Before them lay a town that an update ‘blip’ from her pip-buck told Sterling was the town of ‘Freesaddle’.
Then she smelled something. Food!
The old stallion grunted, and lifted up a roasted rabbit on a stick, passing it over to her. She gazed at it apprehensively. Maybe she didn’t want to do this.I can’t take it any more! She shoved it in her mouth, as much as she could fit.have to eat meat. I can’t imagine a life lived without it.” He turned back to the stallion behind the stall, and slapped a few caps of his own to the wooden table. “Gimme some rats.”Of course, he’s a bird of prey. Eating rats and other critters like that makes sense.
She looked around. The ponies sitting and eating around here looked happy. They looked content. Ponies were allowed to walk around with obvious guns on their hips, and yet there was no violence, no killing, this place was…perfect.
“I can’t believe he’d…throw himself into the fire like that.”some spells. I could have been more useful. Maybe you should have sent Rattlehooves instead. Maybe he’d still be…” She trailed off.could take a bullet like a champ, and Gordo…”
“But what about you Sterling?” Nightlight intoned.vital. ”Well, isn’t that the understatement of the century?
There, just in the corner of her eye, outside a large building, were a pair of ponies. One of them an armed guard, the other in a hood, clutching a bag in her teeth. She was desperately trying to get in and the guard was not having it. As Sterling crept away from Nightlight’s lecture, and towards the confrontation, it seemed like her knack for listening in on stable-gossip hadn’t left her.The mayor? The hell kind of a name is Stamptrot anyway? Look, I know that you know I know you-”
“Stamptrot, I hear you, but please. I need this. More than my job is on the line here. This could be life, or death.”Perfect, now I just have to get rid of this bomb.
She galloped away from the mayor’s office, away from Gordo and the young ponies, who were about to chase after her, but were stopped by the griffon.Come on, I have to save them! Suddenly, it popped off from the hole easily. Opening her eyes, she looked around and saw that Nightlight was helping, wrapping the thick, steel cover in her telekinesis. Quickly, she threw the bomb into the open sewer hole, and pushed the lid back on as she heard it clatter to the bottom, panting and sweating with effort.Of course it wasn’t armed. That mare wasn’t going to walk around with an armed bomb in her bag!
Footnote: Level Up.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Seven: Goldwood
“And tonight folks, I hope to share with you a taste of the future. Just remember all those ponies that couldn’t make it. All of this, we’ve done for them.”
They clip-clopped their way across a marble room, up a flight of old wooden stairs, and down a long, carpeted corridor that held a distinct, mouldy odour. The two guards ponies were practically dragging Sterling along to the end of the hall, where a huge, wooden door stood. To say that it was all a bit intimidating to the poor pegasus was an understatement.
The room was quite well-furnished. Bookcases and filing cabinets lined the walls, above which the portraits of long-dead ponies were hung.
With a squeak of old bearings, the chair turned around, and Sterling met the mayor of Freesaddle for the first time.He’s a bit young to have a-oh, his life. Sweet Celestia, what the hell is Freesaddle?
“Yes, I am sewious. My fathew is out on the town, pwetending to be mayow. I’m the one who actuawly makes the decisions awound here!” He stated, matter-of-factly.This little…
“I’m not finished with you yet!” cried the colt, galloping out of his seat and standing in between her and the door. “Pwease, ma’am, i’m sowwy about speaking that way.” Clearly he didn’t mean it, he was just putting on a show. She sighed. “What is it? I didn’t save you out of the kindness of my heart, you know.” I didn’t mean to save anypony at all, really, I was just being curious, but he doesn't know that.
“So…let me get this straight. There’s a gang called the Princesses, who all think they’re Celestia because of a single wartime pinup poster, and they’re at war with the ‘Servants of Luna’, which are a group that are based in a pre-war bar that competed with the bar the Princesses have their own base of operations in, and both think you’re siding with the other group, and so both have been trying to secretly kill you?”
‘Mayor Goldwood. It seems as though the failed attempt on your life this morning has caused quite a stir amongst the Princesses, and upon hearing that the plan to leave a bomb in your office had failed, the Princesses have kidnapped whom they think is the Mayor. Your father is currently being held captive in the Celestial Bar. We fear it is only a matter of time before he reveals your secret. Use of guard ponies to storm the bar, not recommended.’
The colt was shaking, and all of a sudden, he burst into tears, crying into Sterling’s stable-suit.first. ” He replied, but didn’t sound happy about it.This kid is in more than just shock, he’s delusional.
The what?! real mayor of Freesaddle, it’ll put me in good favour with the ponies of Freesaddle, and…because I stopped the bomb, which caused him to get captured in the first place.”
He thought about this for a moment. “Okay, i’wwl give you an houw. Then i’m gonna push the button.”
The door to the Mayor’s hall slammed shut behind her as Sterling was thrust out into the bright light. Mayor Goldwood (quite coldly for a colt) had not, in fact, allowed her two hours to save his Dad. In fact, the argument had gotten so heated that she simply gave up, it was difficult to argue against somepony who spoke so poorly…and who was also a stubborn, young Colt. He had also mentioned that the time being spent now was time that could be spent saving his father, and she conceded that she had no time to waste. He had at least given her a parting gift.I think I've had enough hugs for one week.
“How was the Mayor?” Gordo and Nightlight were trotting beside her. When did he get here?Princesses, since they failed to plant a bomb in his office, but that doesn’t matter. Look,I’ve got an hour to save his life so I really do have to go. Sorry!”Celestial Bar , and the other, the Night’s Inn . She looked over her shoulder.I had to do, why are you two still here?”I will go where I please.” She sniffed, raising her nose. What a drama-queen. “I’ve got your back, Sterling.” She smiled, warmly. Alright, I guess she has her moments. talk our way in there, and then back out with the mayor?” Asked the Unicorn.That’s not the right attit-wait…
A ladder!much heavier griffon remained to be seen. She would just have to make sure she climbed up first.A pegasus with a fear of heights. I hope that goes away once I can fly again… Those two are gonna be the death of me… Is it too late to assume that maybe somepony might not have heard that? She asked herself hopefully.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Eight: The Celestial Bar
Chapter Eight: The Celestial Bar
Gordo’s keen senses were able to pick out Sterling’s hushed instructions from the alley, shortly before the two had to leave for fear of the Princesses coming to check out the noise caused by her clumsy ladder-climbing-skills.All according to plan.
The Door on the roof was locked-and likely had been for some time. The padlock itself was relatively new, but the latch it was locked to wasn’t. Sterling had taught herself some basic padlocking skills when she couldn’t get into somepony’s belongings in the Stable with her pip-buck alone, and she would have loved to brush up on her skills again now. Unfortunately, she had neither the time, nor the bobby pins to spare right now.
Quietly stepping down the concrete stairs, Sterling made sure to avoid rustling as much litter as she possibly could.The Mayor’s Dad’s position, I mean. She thought, correcting herself in her mind. Although she supposed it would probably be easier to speak to other ponies about him if she thought of him as being the Mayor as well.Unless he could fly… Guess that company made ‘Juice’ for adult ponies too.
Recognising that she was getting distracted by pre-war Equestrian businesses (and by the good looks of that pretty mare) Sterling shook her head, focusing.Friends? She smiled. I suppose we must be. That’s a nice thought.
Sterling tied the rope to the hoofrail, and gently lowered it down.didn’t involve anypony else, so it was the one she would go with.I suppose the right pony in the wrong place… not physically stronger than she looked.I don’t want to have to kill anypony…
The stallion took a step forward, an evil, almost pleased glint in his eye. Then another. Sterling shook her head, pushing her back against the mayor who had his own to the far end of the carriage.Please don’t make me, I really don’t want to do this! Oh no.
Wh-what is this?
‘You have activated the S.A.T.S. feature of your Pip-Buck!’
‘S.A.T.S (or the Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell) is an advanced spell able to be activated by any breed of pony (so long as they’re wearing the Pip-Buck) to be used in combat. When activated, the spell will cause the user to see the world around them as if they are frozen in time, giving them the ability to properly gauge the situation. On top of this, the spell also presents the percent chance of scoring a successful hit on various parts of an enemy’s body, and the user is capable of switching between targets in this slowed state. When the spell is released, all attacks that were made in this state are carried out automatically. After use, S.A.T.S. must be given a few seconds to recharge before it can be activated again.’
She glanced up to the figure in front of her, and was surprised to find a green outline around his head. At this range, it would have been difficult for her not to miss.Oh, that’s horrible could they do something like this? How could these ponies have possibly believed that Princess Celestia would want them to do this to themselves?certainly die without her aid. There was only one logical choice really, no matter how much it pained her to come to that conclusion.
Time returned to its normal pace. A deafening ‘BANG’ rang out across the loading dock. The stallion’s head rocked backwards, the momentum throwing him off. He crashed into the floor, blood pooling out from the newly-formed hole in the centre of his head.What have I done? Think about it later, save this pony now.
She could hear yelling from somewhere in the building. Ponies were approaching. Angry ponies.
Panting, Sterling started up the terminal, wiping some of the dust off its display. Miraculously, the green text flickered into life on its ancient screen.
‘Welcome to the Celestial Bar loading dock control terminal.
Days since last boot-up sequence: 9999…’
She flickered off the home screen, and began searching through files, wincing as she heard the telltale sounds of pony hooves bucking against the outside of the locked door.Focus. She willed herself.Freight orders, no. Employee layoffs, no. Floor plan…maybe just a few seconds’ look wouldn’t hurt, right? Hold on a minute, if we’re on the second floor, that means that the cargo door opens to nothing!
‘Loading dock roller door controls.’
‘Current door status: CLOSED. Would you like to OPEN?
‘YES’ ‘NO’
Hastily, Sterling slapped the ‘YES’ option.Right, step one, done. Now for step two. Think. What can I do here… We? Us? Does this stallion really believe he’s royalty?
“The major powers of this town request that you give a royal pardon to this Mayor, and offer him another chance to better serve the rule of the Princesses. After all, when the time comes for you all to take your rightful places as rulers of Freesaddle, it would be much easier if you already had somepony in a position of power who already works for you.”
“Speak, pegasus. Before we have our subjects execute you.” Sneered the Unicorn.you Celestia?” Asked the Mayor. “How come none of these other ponies are Celestia, huh?”Guess it pays to be good with words when you’re a politician.
“I have magic!” Roared the Unicorn, snapping the other ponies out of their whisperings. “I am the only one with-”I” She repeated. “Not we. You can’t even keep up the royal voice, can you?”Sterling, if there was ever a time to learn how to fly, now would be it .
The cart weighed much less than she’d thought it would, that was the first thing Sterling noticed.Celestial Bar ’s loading dock.Alright, don’t fail me now.
They juddered a little in the air, and she heard yelling from behind her. “Just set us down here!”I thought he knew about the bomb! Didn’t his son say… That little…Liar!
Sterling’s concentration dipped, her left wing twitched a little too far, and they began to plummet.
The ringing in her ears was back, and she struggled to her hooves. The world spun around her and she fell back down. I think I should just lie here for a bit. That would be nice. Very kind of him to speak slowly. I can understand that.
Footnote: Level Up.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Nine: Dreaming
“Waking nightmares are rare, but important. They can tell you a lot about your inner-most thoughts and feelings. Some ancient cultures believed that they were messages from those who had souls that hadn’t fully passed on. What if we could capture these messages? Many have tried, none have succeeded.”
She fell. Out of the air, into the ground, through it.
The ground opened up again, and this time she was tumbling off a rope into a cart pulled by monsters. Her hooves were frozen to the ground, and all she could do was watch as the pleading faces of two white stallions went blank as she fired a single shot into both of them.
“Hmm, I don’t know about this one. I suppose she’s the best i’m gonna get though.”
“Yes. She’ll have to do.”
“I’m going to have to teach you an awful lot in a very short amount of time.”
“Know that i’m doing this because it must be done and we don't have a lot of time. And i’m very sorry, but your mind was full of enough self-doubt for me to form this connection. I don’t expect you to understand this, but you will, in time.”
The voice echoed around, its source impossible to find.
“You won’t remember most of what I teach you. But you’ll find yourself doing it. So do not be alarmed. You might not believe you can, but I know you can do this.”
“Now, this might hurt. Try not to wake up before i’m done.”
____________________________________________________________________________
Sterling winced, sensations flooding back to her. She was too tired to open her eyes, but she didn’t want to go back to her nightmares.
“Ah, you’re awake! Please, calm yourself…Sterling? Was it?”
____________________________________________________________________________
Sterling blinked awake. This time, the throbbing pain in her head had subsided. She could think clearly again-well, clearer than she had the last few times she’d woken up.
“Mister, uhh, Doctor…” she started, realising that she couldn’t remember his name.
He chatted to her for a bit, telling her about her injuries, the state of the Mayor when she’d asked him, and how long she’d need to rest in order to recover. She tried her best to pay attention to most of it.
“As a medical professional, I have to tell you that you should rest for a few more days or at the very least, don’t do any strenuous activities for a week, you don’t want to pull the stitches out of your leg.”
Sterling limped out of the hospital entrance, slowly. No strenuous activity. At least she didn’t have too much to do for the moment. But she had to see the Mayor-the real one. She had a few choice words she’d need to impart on that little twerp for lying to her about the bomb, after all.your irritation, you’ve made a bit of a reputation for yourself now, do-gooder!”
Sterling frowned. “Do-gooder?”
Sterling passed by a guard at the door to the Mayor’s offices. This time, they even let Gordo in, telling them both that the Mayor had been expecting them in his office for some time now.
“Uhh, Ster? You looking for somethin’?” Asked the griffon, he was watching the door, expecting a guard to come in at any moment. Sterling shook her head. “No, i’m just gonna have a liiiiittle look…”
‘Sterling. If you are reading this, it means that you have made it out of hospital. Congratulations. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to you and your friends for rescuing the Mayor.’ true Mayor’s identity, but she read on.‘Inside this desk is a small box containing three hundred caps. This is for your troubles. I have also included two smaller boxes of one hundred and fifty caps, one for each of your friends for aiding you in your escape. As for why I or the Mayor cannot deliver these to you in the flesh, I believe that you may need some time to relax, and think over what you may do once you meet me again, as I have come to understand that you have discovered the true nature of the bomb in the Mayor’s neck. I will be out of town for a few days with the Mayor. We will be staying at a neighbouring village-forgive me for not informing you of which one. But once the situation has calmed, we will return. We have also decided that it is unsafe for us to remain in Freesaddle at this time, due to the rampant gang violence that has erupted since your rescuing of the Mayor. If we do not meet again, I wish you the very best on your ventures in the future, but because of the chaos you have caused, I will be forced to cut all ties with you here.
Best of luck, -Goldwood Jr.’
She sat down on her haunches, and took a moment to stew on her thoughts. Gordo was wisely keeping his distance.That cowardly, no-good, arrogant…aaaargh!
She stood up again, and opened one of the drawers. Inside were three boxes. She took them out, and Gordo took one of the smaller ones. Sterling was about to offer him the larger one, but he held up a claw. “Oh no, you risked your life way more than I did, you get to keep those.”
In the quiet outdoors, Sterling and Gordo walked back towards the town square. They heard a commotion up ahead, and saw a pony burst out through the hospital doors. “Sterling! Sterling where-” The pony turned her head and saw her, it was Nightlight. Of course it was.
Gordo stifled a laugh and Nightlight shot him a look. “You are one, Sterling. Anyway, where are we gonna go next?”Wait. I do know. How do I know?
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Ten: Departure
Sterling felt her bandaged ear as they gathered their supplies. It was still a little painful, but she was sure it would pass in time. It had been very kind of Doctor Healhorn to treat it for infection-and, (she reluctantly had to admit) it was nice of the Mayor to pay for the treatment as well. Nightlight and Gordo were both fine, save for the black eye the griffon gained a day after their storming of the Celestial Bar.
The three of them spent the rest of the day shopping. With the caps they had earned from their hard days’ work, the two ponies and their griffon friend had hit the town, with various levels of success. Gordo and Nightlight could easily navigate Freesaddle, had found the weapons and food they had needed, and had already returned to the town centre by the time Sterling had even left her first store. The pegasus had run into some trouble-in the form of ponies that wanted to speak to her. Many such ponies had lined up outside the General’s Store after they had seen her enter. Overwhelmed, she had been forced to barge past a small crowd, all wishing her well, thanking her for saving one of their own, and really sticking it to ‘those gangers’.
Eventually, she had given up trying to tell them she hadn’t meant to stick it to anypony, and had resolved that she would try to sneak out of town. That was when a familiar filly gave a tug to the back of her tail.That mare has a very different perception of who I am. She hasn’t even known me for a week!
An explosion rang out across the clearing. Ponies started to run around, screaming. Bullets flew across the scene. Quick as a flash, Sterling had Shimmerbud wrapped under a hoof, and was galloping towards the nearest store.Celestial Bar. The leader of the Princesses. He was here now, and he didn’t look happy.Shit.
“ANYPONY THAT HELPS US TO FIND THE PEGASUS THAT KILLED TWO OF OUR PONIES WILL BE REWARDED HANDSOMELY.” He drawled out, looking around the street. Ponies in store windows flinched away from his gaze as it passed over them. Why the hell aren’t the guardsponies doing anything? We’re literally just across the street from the Mayor’s residence! They want me to turn myself in. I would too. Oh no, they don’t think I should turn myself in, they think I'm going to fight him!
The door squeaked on its hinges as Sterling pushed her way through it. She had firmly ordered Shimmerbud and the other ponies to stay put. If she was going to die here, she’d rather die facing her death than hiding in some shop, putting others’ lives at risk.
“Here I am, and my name is Sterling. Are you here to kill me?” She asked aloud. Perhaps her final words could inspire other ponies to be brave. Celestia (the real one) knew she didn’t feel brave right then, in fact, she was positively terrified.
“Is this what she would have wanted? Is this what you want?” Asked the pegasus, simply. Come on, think of something, fast. So much for calming him down. This Unicorn is crazy! Here goes nothing…
She laughed, both at her own stupidity for getting herself into this situation, and at the Unicorn. “Nope! Gotta try harder than that! A little to the left, maybe!”your majesty!” Typical Unicorn pride…
Gordo and Nightlight stood on the other end of the street, the Unicorn mare was galloping over, whilst the griffon was slinging a smoking rifle back on to his shoulder.Oh right. He’s a gang leader, why did I expect him to actually stick to the rules? So much for ‘no strenuous activity’. wasn’t bleeding from.I should be dead. She thought as she watched the Unicorn rear up-only for him to get hit with another of Nightlight’s magical strikes. This time, he almost fell over. He snorted and turned away from her, blasting at Gordo and Nightlight down the street.I know where we are.
Sterling splashed down into the sewer, losing herself and getting soaked before she could stand properly again. She could hear the fight raging overhead, but she couldn’t think about that right now. Gotta find it… Who needs magic? I don’t!
To say that Gordo and Nightlight were taking heavy fire would be an understatement.
Sterling dove upon the unicorn, the bomb clutched under a hoof. At the last moment, she reared back, her wings slowing her descent drastically, until she was right above his head. She plunged the explosives down onto his horn, and he looked around in alarm. “Over here, Celestia!” growled Sterling, punching him across the muzzle with a hoof to distract him and the rest of his gang from her friends.There you go again Sterling, doing something without thinking it through properly…
Sterling went barrelling up into the sky, then back down again into the smoke. She flapped her wings, barely slowing herself down and she hit the ground with a sickening thud, landing on something soft.
Oh wait, no, I’m not deaf. I heard that. Ow.
Another visit to Doctor Healhorn later (this time, not one that lasted three days), and the three of them were finally leaving Freesaddle.
____________________________________________________________________________
A breeze rustled the leaves of the trees in the morning light as they trotted along the worn road. It had been a week since she’d left the Stable, and she’d already grown accustomed to the way the wind worked. She couldn’t imagine how she could have possibly spent all those years stuck underground, it simply wasn’t right for a pegasus to be locked indoors all their life.
She sighed. Okay, ponies that actually want to hear what you have to say for once. Better make it count. Yep, you blew it in the first sentence. Maybe you can save it in the next-
As the two of them bickered, Sterling cursed herself and her sensibilities. This was a world in which she was now a part of. She couldn’t afford to box herself into the same headspace as she’d had in her old life.couldn’t fly, did you know that?” Nightlight gasped. “Then why did you-”
“You don’t need to worry about us, Sterling.” Gordo intoned. His face was an expression she couldn’t quite recognise.That’s odd. Thought Sterling.are Sterling!” She sobbed into her coat, and the pegasus could feel tears of her own starting to form.anywhere. Alright?”
Eventually, Nightlight lifted her head, and stared into Sterling’s eyes. “My…I knew somepony just like you. You and her would have gotten along so well. I wish you could meet her.”
“This is DJ-Pon3, and you’re tuned in to our no-commercial morning show!” Came the voice from Sterling’s pip-buck. The awkward silence between the three of them had remained until the pegasus had had enough of it, and had tuned in to the station.
Sterling thought back to the hospital, back to the cards and the flowers that had been left at her bedside, as well as the crowd of ponies that had seen them off. “This can’t be happening.”you are one of those lights, Sterling.”Start acting like one… Easier said than done, bird-brain.
Footnote: Level up.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Eleven: A lighthearted story
Chapter Eleven: A lighthearted story
A storm was rolling in. Sterling didn’t like how frequent they were, the novelty of rainfall had been thoroughly washed away by now, and the pegasus understood why shelter was so important to ponies out here. She supposed that a pony never really appreciates what they’ve got until they’ve lost it.Another Stable! She was almost overcome with joy at the prospect of showing her friends around someplace they were unfamiliar with, and not the other way around as it had been up until this point.The ponies inside…won’t treat me well. And they’ll probably be afraid of Gordo. Assuming, of course, they let us in at all! was a structure around the entrance to the stable, it would still be standing after these few hundred years. As she felt the beginnings of a slight drizzle on her coat, she figured that there was only one way they would find anything out.
Pushing their way through the undergrowth, the three of them came to a hole in the ruins of an old house. The cottage’s roof had caved in, leaving the moss-covered bones of the ancient building glistening in the rainfall. Sterling sprinted around in the cottage ruins, trying to find a place to shelter herself and her friends from the rain, when her hoof went through a floorboard. The old, rotten wood caved in and she tumbled down a set of stone stairs with a yelp. As she readjusted herself, Nightlight and Gordo poked their heads through the old wooden trapdoor she’d fallen through. “You alright Ster?”
Gordo and Nightlight looked quite perturbed by the sight of the black, yawning entrance to the stable. Flicking on her pip-buck’s lamp, Sterling smiled at the two of them. “Well, we’re out of the rain. You two can stay here if you want, but I know i’m curious.”Is he claustrophobic or something?
The place was pitch-black, any lights that should have been on weren’t. Even the emergency lighting wasn’t on. Sterling supposed that perhaps the generators had failed, which was why the ponies inside had opened the door to the stable.You couldn’t live underground without any power, after all.
There was a glow coming from the end of the corridor-if her memory served her correctly, that should be approximately where the overmare’s office was. She moved towards it, eyeing Gordo all the while. He didn’t look very happy.look through the doorway.allowed to see any recreational films-only educational ones at school. There was one time she’d managed to steal one from the recreation centre at random and she watched the whole thing alone through the small screen of her pip-buck. Despite everything being tiny and tinted green, and having little to no sound, the pegasus had still been scarred from a young age by the horror film. She hadn’t tried to steal another one after that.
“Well…I’ve never seen one of those.” Nightlight winked, lit up her horn with a spell, and disappeared through a doorway.Sometimes I hate those two…
‘Welcome to the Overmare’s terminal!
If you are reading this and are not the Overmare of Stable-134, please report to the security office where you will be properly reprimanded!’
Sterling felt weird about prying into this random pony’s personal terminal, but curiosity had always been one of her vices. Besides, it didn’t look like the mare (or anypony else) was going to catch her in the act.Hmm, this ought to be good…
‘Greetings. I am Overmare Lightheart. I was once a scientist at the SP, as are many of the other ponies in Stable-134. I am keeping this log for my own mental stability, as has been suggested by the stable’s Counselor and Psychiatrist, Doctor Underhoof.’
Realising properly that she was reading the writings of a pony from two hundred years ago, Sterling shivered, but didn’t know why.
‘I have been asked to type about my childhood. As a filly I was decently gifted in the ways of magic and arcane sciences. My parents had been artists, and had tried to steer me in the direction of stage performance-they had wanted me to be a comedian. Hence the name they chose for me.’
The clicking from her pip-buck started up again, but Sterling ignored it this time. Pre-war ponies are so odd. Imagine your parents trying to give you a name that told you what you were supposed to be! Did they not know cutie-marks are supposed to do that?
‘Thankfully, my younger self decided to pursue my own interests, and I enrolled myself in as many arcane science courses as I could by the time I got to University. Upon seeing my portfolio, Stable-Tec University gladly offered me a position, and I took it without a moment’s hesitation. There were few brighter minds in all of Equestria than the minds that worked for Stable-Tec, after all. If only I had known then what would have happened because of that choice.’
Intrigued, Sterling opened the next log.
‘Stable-Tec offered many advanced courses, but one I was most certainly interested in was translation studies. I am not entirely sure why they named the course that-it was not about languages at all.
I was not long into my course when the War started.
The head of the Ministry for Arcane Sciences, Twilight Sparkle herself came to our class, and personally assigned us to a secret project-one that I am not allowed to write down, even after all that has happened since. At the time I had been appalled. I had joined the world’s Scientists to better help all of Equestria, not to create weapons!
I remember Twilight being beautiful and smart, just like they had always said she was, and I had been too awestruck to complain to her. When I looked into her eyes though, I saw great sadness. She was smarter than anypony I knew, and I suppose that in itself was quite depressing. Of course she wouldn’t want a war either, none of us did. But we all had to do what we were paid to do, such is the burden of the scientist.’
Twilight Sparkle…Sterling had heard about her in some of her classes years ago. She cursed herself for not paying them much attention at the time.
‘I am sorry to myself for not writing too many of these. This may be the last log I enter for some time. I’ve gotten so busy as Overmare, I barely have time for myself any more, and what with all the new experiments and all.
Sometimes I wish the chief scientist was here. But she’s dead, she has to be. She didn’t make it into the stable, in fact, I don’t think she even left the SP. Silver Thread has taken over the science lab in her absence and is driving everypony nuts-myself included. She keeps talking about trying to create some sort of serum to protect us from radiation-I think she has the idea that we’re not going to be spending the rest of our lives underground. Nopony wants to mess with her right now because she lost Sidewinder, but I will. I’m the Overmare, Celestia dammit!’
Sterling went to the next log, this one had been automatically sorted into another category-Sterling assumed there must have been a time-jump between logs, an assumption that was immediately proven right once she read the first sentence.
‘It has been three years since my last log post. I have only started typing again because the situation has grown quite dire.
Silver Thread spent all of last night drunkenly parading around the stable, stating that she had solved the issues with the serum, and it was ready for pony trials. When we asked her if we could see proof before she actually tested it on anypony, she locked herself in one of the labs and didn’t come out until this morning!
She looks quite ill now, and is spending some time in the infirmary. Poor mare must have had a little too much to drink last night-I guess she never really got over her husband being taken away like that. Celestia knows I value loyalty, but he’s been dead for almost four years now! Maybe she should move on. It would certainly save me a lot of extra headaches, and the rest of us a lot of booze…’
The low clicking started up again. In annoyance, she shifted the gauge to make sure it only detected higher levels of radiation.
‘It’s been two days and Silver Thread’s condition has gotten worse, I’m starting to think she isn’t just hungover any more. What’s worse is that now everypony in the infirmary is starting to come down with something, what in Equestria is going on here?’
The ticking stopped echoing around her.
‘I had a suspicion and ended up revisiting the lab yesterday. Now, i’m no expert in biology or the medical sciences, but there were used needles all over the floor with the residue of some weird, green substance left in them, and I don’t think they were somepony’s daily dose of antibiotics! I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I think Silver might have injected herself with something she shouldn’t have. I went to the infirmary to confront her about it, (don’t worry, I was wearing appropriate protection) and I swear I saw a piece of her cheek just…drip down off her face! She acted like it was no big deal, but the whole time she kept talking about going outside soon to find Sidewinder. She’s clearly delirious, and even offered me a hug, one that I vehemently refused.’
Sterling glanced around her, clearly something awful had happened here, leading to the disappearance of the Stable’s inhabitants. Maybe they had been forced to leave by this virus.
‘I don’t know if anypony will read this, but if you do, you need to get out of here, right away.
Myself and a few others who haven’t caught it are about to make a break for the Stable door, we can’t stay here any more. The ponies that got sick, one day they all just, started hugging each other. I watched the security footage back, the doctor couldn’t pull them away from each other before he too was stuck in their embrace. The ponies just…melted together! With their amalgamated unicorn magic and earth pony strength they were able to break down the locked infirmary doors and have started to assimilate anypony they catch. We’re opening up the Stable door to try and escape, but I don’t like our chances. If you’re reading this, don’t end up like them. You need to leave Stable-134 and if you can, shut the door again. So far we’ve managed to keep the mass of ponies back by using light to our advantage. They don’t like light, so stay in the light. As for us, we’ve gathered some supplies and we’re going to try to head West if we can. We’ll leave in the daytime so it can’t follow us out of the stable. Anyway, we have to leave. This has been Overmare Lightheart of Stable-134. May Celestia have mercy on all our souls.’
Sterling’s veins ran cold. Stay in the light…
Footnote: Level Up.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Twelve: The monster of 134
Chapter Twelve: The monster of 134
Sterling galloped through the dark corridors, towards the sounds of the gunshots up ahead.Turn left. It said softly.Go left. Said the voice again, harsher this time, demanding.Left. Now.
She didn’t know why she was galloping this way. All she knew was that something was telling her to go this way. The pain rescinded as she looked to the doorway at the end of the hall, and returned whenever she looked anywhere else. Clearly, whatever it was in her mind wanted her to go through that door. What the hell is my life? I don’t have time to play it now.
The pegasus skidded to a halt, just outside the room. Gordo was with her. When did he-
The room spun around her, and she blinked tears from her eyes at the horrible odour of this beast. This was what she’d read about, this was what Lightheart had warned her about, what Silver Thread had wrought-now, that scientist was somewhere in there, as were all of the denizens of the stable who hadn’t managed to escape.‘The ponies just…melted together!’
Straight away, the beast locked twenty sets of eyes on the pegasus. She narrowed her own in response.once she could get absorbed into its mass. She wasn’t even sure it could die. Twisting her neck around with a gun in her muzzle, she figured she’d find out.Great. Now all I gotta do is get away from this thing too.
To be honest, Sterling’s plan hadn’t actually extended any further than getting Nightlight out of danger. Now she was trapped in the room with this amalgamation between her and the exit. The creature began to cautiously move again towards her, it clearly hadn’t been a fan of her shooting it like that.There’s always another way… least of her concerns.
Bumping her way though, she heard that voice again. Faster!
Sterling quickened her crawling pace, hoping at every turn that she wouldn’t come to a dead end and have to double back. Left. Calm down. She heard, and wasn’t sure if it was her thinking it to herself or if it was that voice.
Shakily, she turned her head back. The monster had stopped, just shy of three inches from her back hoof. She instinctively recoiled herself into a smaller ball to get away from its oozing mass.
A magical glow wrapped around the vent cover behind her and there was a screech of metal as NightLight tore it off its bolts. Sterling was dragged clear from the vent-half scrabbling herself, as the beast lost its sentience once more and screeched, trying to push its way through, trying to reach her.
Footnote: Level Up.
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Thirteen: I can't do this any more
Chapter Thirteen: I can’t do this any more
“Perhaps it was fate that put all these brilliant minds in one room-well, the realist-and admittedly boring pony in me says it was Princess Celestia herself, but... All I know is that I am very proud to announce the official beginning of this project, a sentiment shared by the head of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences. Although she could not be here tonight, she wishes all of you the best of luck. A toast now, to these two lovely ponies, their passion project, and to the betterment of all ponykind!”
Sterling hadn’t said a word since Nightlight had let her go, and the unicorn had respectfully not tried to converse with her. Although Sterling was clearly not in any kind of mood to talk, the same could not be said for Gordo.
She turned to the Unicorn, and raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to let this slide?”what slide?”
They walked for a few more hours, with barely a passing comment between them. Nightlight was humming a tune now, and it touched a part of her mind she couldn’t quite grasp.“Just yesterday I saw that mare. When our eyes met, I lost all of my cares” “Except for her, that unicorn girl, she’s just the one for me…”
“Perhaps it’s the way she walks her walk, or maybe the way she talks her talk.” “All that I know is that unicorn girl, she’s just the one for me” “In the springtime i’ll ask her to marry me, a cute flash of teal in her mane. “If she chooses ‘yes’ then I know that my life will never be the same. “I’m not much of a handsome stallion, and I know that she is smarter than I” “But that won’t stop me from wanting her love, that mare with a star in her eye!”
As they reached the end of the song, the three of them exchanged gleeful glances. Sterling didn’t know where she’d heard that song before, but music had always given her a warm feeling inside. A ‘click!’ was enough to immediately evaporate that feeling.
The three of them swung around, to be met with a wall of rifles.
“You sher look like raiders ta’ me!” Rasped an old, one-eyed stallion. His shotgun was levelled squarely at the pegasus-it looked like he was a heartbeat away from firing.
It was as if a weight had washed over her. Sterling shut her eyes and waited for the shots to hit their marks. If these ponies killed her now, she wouldn’t bring any more death to the few good creatures left in the wastes. She wouldn’t be given the chance to become that daemon.any pony could carry on. How could somepony live like this? She was used to a monotonous existence of servitude, and had been thrust out into a world of free-thought and violence. She’d made friends, enemies, she’d saved and ended lives. Sterling had been beaten, blown up, and shot so often that it had already numbed her. What she was experiencing now had to be the last embers of her sanity fading away.
The guns never fired. Sterling realised she was on the ground, shaking. Nightlight was holding her-of course she was. Gordo was speaking to the others, but they didn’t look like they were paying much attention to him.Yes, I need to relax. I need a break.
Flanksburg was a small village of old houses and streets that had been patched up by a town of around a hundred ponies. Each house had their own vegetable patch, growing fruits and vegetables Sterling didn’t recognise, and the whole place was surrounded by farmland.that question.” Nightlight glared at her but the mare calmed her down. “Sorry, Sorry, I didn’t mean nothin’ by it, honest!” She chuckled, and the Unicorn’s visage seemed to relax again. “My name is Gooseberry, but for some reason, the folks ‘round here call me ‘Aunty Goose.’ Welcome to the Flanksburg Hostel!”
Half-trotting, half-being carried, Sterling was ushered into their room by the Unicorn. It was small, cozy, and…warm. She could see rain begin to fall outside the window again. Something seemed…Great… safe shefelt. The pain and brutality of the world that had clinged to her was being washed away as easily as if it were the mud caked around her hooves. She smiled.
“Enjoying ourselves, are we?”We’re paying for this shower? Sterling supposed it made sense why the public showers had always been cold. In her head, she now assumed that the Earth Ponies and Unicorns simply hadn’t wanted to spend money on warm showers for the pegasi.good.
Her eyes involuntarily closing, Sterling stepped over to the bed. She pushed down on it with a hoof, only to be met with unfamiliarity. It was so…soft. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in a real bed-was it the hospital? No, that one was too thin, as had been her old one in the stable-but then, all of them had been thin. Did ponies really own beds like these?
Feeling her breathing slow and relax, Nightlight grinned. Mission accomplished.
View Online
Fallout Equestria: Silverside
Chapter Fourteen: Anything good on that tape?
Chapter Fourteen: Anything good on that tape?
“-n’t much time! Hey! Sterling!” Said that voice again, the one from her dreams before, the one that had told her to turn left instead of towards her friends. A flare of red filled her vision-but only for a moment.
Pain. Flaring up in the base of her neck. Sterling jolted upright, panting, sweating heavily. Nightlight groaned in her sleep and nuzzled closer, but the pegasus barely registered this. It was still dark outside. The rain had stopped.
After a bit more arguing and teasing, Sterling managed to shoo the griffon out the door.Oh Celestia, she’s adorable! I-I mean…ugh, dammit Gordo!
‘C-tape backup drive. Folders:’
‘SP work stuff’
‘STAR THESE ARE PERSONAL REMINDERS READ THEM OR ELSE!!!’
‘Desktop Clutter’
Sterling’s eyes narrowed against the light of her pip-buck’s display. SP. There was that phrase again.Wait…Star?
‘Turn off the Arcane Aura Projector five minutes before you start the shutdown sequence’
‘Get rid of all traces of that fucking poster Sidewinder found of you from when you did that one Sparkle-Cola thing’
‘Visit the craft store for some canvas and string and stuff DON’T FORGET THE RIBBONS’
‘Get ready for that chief scientist meeting dinner thing with Twilight’
Sterling paused for a moment, and remembered the messages Lightheart had left on the terminal back in 134.That Chief Scientist… This is her drive, she’s Star? was the SP?Great, I'm really going crazy now…
She exited the notes folder, and navigated her way to the first one again. She didn’t quite know why she'd skipped it, but by now she wasn’t quite sure she could trust her own thoughts about anything.
‘SP Overview visitors guided tour [scrapped]’
‘Government grant and budget papers’
‘Cafeteria menus and allergy allocations’
‘East Wing expansion planning proposal’
‘Staff and volunteer roster’
‘Annual Arcane Readings report’
‘Wartime planning doc’
‘SP breakthroughs report’
Whew, there was a lot here. Clearly the SP had been some special project that was funded by the government before the war.Maybe that’s what SP stands for?
“Welcome visitors, to the Ministry of Arcane Science’s very own think tank! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m proud to present to you the forefront of Equestrian magical technologies!”Twilight Sparkle? That name again…i’m listening to the voice of a 200-years-dead pony! needed to learn more.
In the recording, somepony opened a door. Then, a stallion spoke. “Nopony actually calls it that around here, we actually switched it to ‘Project Silverside’.”
“Now, you’re probably wondering why it’s called Project-shit, it’s in my head now.” She grumbled, and Sterling couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “I’ll take that again.”It’s just a recording, Sterling, it’s not gonna hurt you.
Wow. The pegasus thought, marvelling at what she had uncovered, what she now understood…and the flood of questions she now had gushing through her mind.Hold on a second, let’s take a step back and think. She said, trying to calm her thoughts and piece some things together.SP stands for ‘Silverside Project’. Okay. Next. Twilight Sparkle, the head of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences, was approached by Silver Thread and Sidewinder, and together they created the think tank. The place was named after them. Next. The SP’s main purpose was to create technologies that served to better the lives of all Equestrians. Yes. Next.
Star worked there, and was in charge of the place-presumably appointed by Twilight herself. Next. The place was open for the public to visit… She thought about Lightheart’s log messages once more. …At least, it was until the war broke out, when it was turned into a research facility for inventing weapons. Next. The scientists had their own designated stable to go to in case of catastrophe. Someplace they could be safe whilst continuing their work…This is true, but then that begs the question, how close is the SP to Stable-134? Not only that, but Star is somehow in my head. She failed to reach Stable-134 and probably never even left the SP. Somehow, she still lives. She now wants me to go back to the place she used to run, so that I can…
Opening up the ‘Government grant and budget papers’ document, she blanked.Woah, that’s a lot of numbers…and tables…and graphs.
‘‘Elmnt’: $172,000,000’
‘‘EPS’: $20,000,000’
‘‘CFuel: $12,000,000’
‘‘ShySp’: $10,000,000’
‘‘Purfr’: $7,500,000’
The document went on, and on. Listing more projects in descending order of their budget. She wondered exactly what each of these shortenings meant, what projects they pertained to, and if any of them were actually completed. She supposed the only way to truly find out would be to visit the Silverside Project herself.
‘Cafeteria menus and allergy allocations’
“Oh, great…” She rolled her eyes, expecting to be met with a boring table of cafeteria budgetary expenses and a list of dietary requirements that must be met by the kitchen staff. What she was met with once the page had loaded, was quite the opposite.
‘Hey Star, bet you didn’t think i’d hide a copy of this poster on your own computer, did you!
Personally, I think you look great in that outfit, everypony else agrees too!
-Sidewinder’.
Sterling frowned, confused, and scrolled further down the page.
A cursive font at the top of the page spelt out: ‘She wants a taste…’
Despite the grainy image being nothing more than a collection of black and green pixels, she could feel herself growing hot under the collar. Star had been quite a looker, it seemed. Guess this explains why she’d be embarrassed about Sidewinder finding this… I know she means well, but how the hell does she expect me to fall asleep like this?!
Footnote: Level Up.
