Some random musings on Fallout: Equestria · 7:38am Jan 6th, 2014
As I implied in another post, I've been playing some Fallout: New Vegas. Awesome game--glitchy, but once you get all your favorite mods working, it's an unforgettable experience. As I raced around in my underwear and American flag bandana while stabbing muscular men in the balls, (I'm pretty sure I was in the game when this happened) I began to reflect on That One Story with the Little Cartoon Horses that Shoot Each Other.
Yes, I'm talking about Fallout: Equestria, the fanfic that spawned a fandom within a fandom. I've never really understood the appeal of that story, to be honest. The beef I have with it isn't one of quality, nor is it an objection to its mature content, but one concerning its central premise.
I've never cared much for pony fanfics that are ponified versions of existing popular media. Granted, Fallout: Equestria is far more than a straight copy-paste (a sin which a number of lesser fics are guilty of) but something about ponifying Fallout in particular just doesn't work for me.
Here's why: as I see it, the Fallout universe is optimized for telling a story about a very specific time and place on Earth. It is about a nation drunk from the thrill of victory after World War II. A nation that swept its fears under a charming rug of earnest schoolchildren, pipe-smoking fathers, and housewives with vacant smiles. A nation that worshiped the wondrous power of the Atom even as it wondered what demons this new god would give birth to.
Fallout reflects on the dreams of that era, and comes to a frightening realization as to how many of these dreams were nightmares in disguise. For though the wasteland teems with sadistic bandits and vicious mutants, none of these would have been born without a far greater evil. An evil wrought by the hands of selfish politicians, heartless business magnates, and bloodthirsty generals. In the world of Fallout, the future sought by 1950's America could only conclude in nuclear annihilation.
It is said that the fear of death can inspire us to cling to things we hope will make us feel more important--perhaps through extravagant materialism, perhaps through fanatical nationalism, perhaps through self-serving and thin religious practices. I can think of nothing that illustrates this so beautifully as America at the start of the Cold War.
I simply don't see how it works to move the setting to Equestria. But if you're a fan of the story, don't let my opinion get to you. I don't look down on anyone for liking it, and if you think you have a good counterpoint, feel free to chat with me about it.
I would say that the reason why Fallout Equestria works do well isn't because Fallout is made better by ponies but because ponies are made better by Fallout. Like you've stated one of the themes of Fallout is the fall of a nearly Utopian society. Well why not replace that society with the perfectly Utopian society of Equestria?
This idea of Equestria's fall is appealing to a lot of people and the universe of Fallout is a great setting for something like that. People like the idea of destroying something completely innocent and seeing how it reacts.