• Published 6th Jan 2013
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Fallout Equestria: Taking Life By The Horns - Pokonic



A minotaur goes on a journey of self-discovery, adventure, and snark in the irradiated north. Mostly snark.

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If The Pace Of This Story Keeps Going Like This, This Night Really Will Last Forever

" I understand what you're going through, young filly. I too had a sister who often shone brighter than I. I once struggled with this, and in that way I understand your pain."

"As such, I will help you destroy her once and for all."


Sitting across from the leader of a group I knew absolutely nothing concrete about was a surprisingly refreshing experience. The only times I had heard these Scion's mentioned was because they had some sort of orphanage, which sounded nice as anything. Perhaps I was getting too used to talking to middle-people who each had radically different thoughts on how the vaguely defined factions of Tauronto worked, because the idea of actually getting some straight answers made me feel warm inside.

"That's nice to know." I replied, "Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Shade shrugged lightly. For all her friendliness, she didn't seem too intent on explaining what that really meant.

"Go ahead, sweetheart. I have a few questions for you too." she replied.

I didn't like being called a 'sweetheart' by someone I didn't really know; actually, I couldn't think of a situation where I could be called a sweetheart without it being sarcastic. But Shade didn't sound like she was mocking me. so perhaps that is how she really talked.

"Well, who is this Nightmare Moon pony?"

Shade blinked. Her mouth hung open for a few moments, before she closed it and gave me a slightly startled smile.

"Now, that's a question." she said lightly, in the same tone I think was most often used by people who just saw something horribly traumatising and were still trying to deny it's existence, "But first, to understand what Nightmare Moon, one must know who Celestia and Luna were. Do you know those names?"

"Those are the pony princesses, right? The one who controlled the sun stepped down and let six normal ponies rule instead, and then a few years later they ended up launching bombs at the zebras?"

I thought my answer was crude, but Shade accepted it without much comment.

"Celesta controlled the sun, yes. Her sister, Luna, controlled the moon. However, Celestia was the older sister, and Luna grew jealous of the love ponies showed her, as ponies fell asleep during the night and woke to live their lives in the day."

She quite suddenly looked sad, and shook her head a few times, like she was disapproving of something she couldn't fix. "Luna, though some mechanism, transformed into the entity known as Nightmare Moon, and was exiled to the moon for a thousand years by her sister when she threatened to cast the world into eternal night. When Nightmare Moon returned, it took the power of the Elements of Harmony to remove the taint of it from Luna, who was then welcomed back in Equestrian society."

Shade, after she finished speaking, frowned lightly. "Of course, about twenty five years later, Luna's archaic mentality and off-hooved approach to ruling ended up being one of the major causes of the necromantic apocalypse. Both of the eternal princesses of ponykind died at roughly the same time, without any successors to which could claim true authority."

I found myself more interested in that last sentance then I had been since she had started talking. My general knowledge of how pony princesses was slim, and a lot of what I was taught about them was how one gave up their power and tried to let six perfectly normal ponies rule, which didn't end well, obviously.

"You don't sound as if you like them, then." I remarked, leaning in slightly.

Shade raised a almost unnoticeable eyebrow. "They were ponies who had the ability to rule almost uncontested. Celestia grew soft of heart because she could not handle the war, while Luna was paranoid and, quite frankly, rightly so. The ministries created wonders, yes, but the ministries also created monstrosities and committed crimes that, if done two decades before, would have caused the perpetrators to be exiled, if not simply stricken from the records for having even existed. They were two ponies with almost unlimited power, and one chose to throw that away and the other secluded herself while six ponies who had never lead a committee in their lives took the reins on controlling the brightest nation in the world. And the world burned for it."

The mare reminded me of the Elder, just from how she talked. I was beginning to find that I could like this priestess, despite her appearance.

"I have heard some ponies talk about how they 'ascended'. Could you explain that?"

Shade chuckled a mean little chuckle.

"Nope. They died. Probably screaming, too, along with Shining Armor and Rarity and all the rest who were up there. The Pink Cloud is nasty stuff."

The said that with a little snideness and a mean little smirk, but she shook her head after saying that and when she spoke again, she sounded normal once more. I wonder what could make her sound so dismissive to a bunch of two hundred year old ponies that she couldn't even have known.

"To be fair, it's a perfectly fine belief for those ponies who believe it to have. Celestia ruled most of ponykind for a thousand years, and her sister's legend is a part of that. Of course, she was active among ponies long before she became the legitimate ruler of the three pony tribes. Given that most ponies in the wasteland are descended from ponies who fled into the Stables before the war, the belief that Celestia is active in some form even despite evidence to the contrary isn't too far fetched. Notice that, however, most ponies could only vaguely describe what the two celestial sisters do in their current state. There are a few isolated groups that have organized worship of the two of them, and even of the Ministry Mares, but they come and go like the wind. They often miss the point of such worship as well."

I understood where she was getting at, really. I also wondered what she meant by that last bit, but I didn't say that, directly anyway.

"Would you be interested in explaining what reasons you worship Nightmare Moon?" I asked politely.

Shade smiled at that, and moved back into the couch she sat in, wiggling about to make herself comfortable. "Well, first things first; Nightmare Moon is simply a symbol. There is as much evidence that it was a force separate from Luna's own psyche as Luna and her sister does for surviving the war. If there was ever a entity known as Nightmare Moon that survived the war in any state, I have yet to hear about it."

"So, you are the high priest of a cult who does not believe in the goddess you worship." I replied, somewhat reluctantly, believing that I had missed something in that explanation.

The albino mare studied me for a moment, and seemed to focus on my horns for a few moments, but for whatever reason I had no idea.

"Minotaurs traditionally revere Discord, correct?"

Her question caught me off guard, understandably.

"Yes." I replied, but before I could continue about the reason, she stated it for me.

"Because he created you all, along with most other creatures, including chimeras, griffons, and others. He also created the three kinds of ponies from a single stock, because no other kind of creature has as much variety as they do. Am I getting this right?"

She didn't sound too overbearing about it, but she smiled lightly when she saw that I couldn't deny anything she said.

"Ah, good. I try and keep informed about these sorts of things, you understand." she continued, "It makes my job easier, to understand what other species believed or did believe. Ponies never had much use for making up gods when two among them moved cosmic bodies, you understand."

While she did pause, and I did consider mentioning that other Draconequui existed and I knew this for a very certain fact, I wasn't sure if I wanted too. So, I just motioned for her to continue on with her explanation.

Shade shrugged her shoulders, not looking very surprised that I didn't wish to talk about it.

"Consider the symbolism of the sun and the moon. The sun can be considered a negative entity in most respects; it dries the harvest, it burns the skin, and one cannot bear looking at it directly before one goes blind. It's heat stifles all under it, and it is associated in some places with slavery, as most labor must occur during the day. The sun is most present today in the lifeless deserts in the far south, near zebra lands, where bones lay across the sands and nothing of worth exists. It cracks the skin and splits the earth."

She paused her speech only to cough into one of the sleeves on her robe.

"Now, Nightmare Moon, in this case, embodies the comforting aspects of the moon; besides the absence of all the pains that the sun itself brings, it also brings," she paused, and smiled a tight-lipped little smile, "comforting shade."

I couldn't help but groan. The priestess looked pleased at my reaction.

"In essence, it is better to live in the soothing dark than the burning sun. Most ponies are content to live in the ashen wastes, and even those that often claim to prefer the darkness tend to have the mentality of those who live in the sun. All emotions and callus disrespect for their other ponies, all wanting something that they can't have. Those who choose to see the folly in that self centered behavior, of course, can join the huddled masses and help each other survive."

I was starting to lose where she was talking about, and by the way she was starting to talk I couldn't help but think that she was mentally preparing for another night of whatever the heck the high priestess of the Nightmare Moon cult that didn't believe in Nightmare Moon did, which, in fact, was a perfectly good question in itself.

"Can you tell me more about the Scions?" I asked, right after she paused to breathe.

"Oh, of course." Shade said, sounding slightly surprised. "What's your biggest concern?"

"Do the ponies you control believe in Nightmare Moon?"

Shade didn't smile at that. The sides of her mouth curled upwards and she wasn't frowning, but she didn't even bother with the pretense that she was pretending to smile.

"Do you believe in Discord?" the mare asked, high pitched little pony voice sounding surprisingly spiteful.

She had a point. It wasn't a matter of if Discord existed if their was a point in honoring him at all, if he was dead or incapacitated.

"I do. But I don't believe that I'll be meeting him any time soon."

She nodded, and the nastiness that she held in her voice was gone. "But, there are some minotaurs who do, because they find that his existence would make them feel better."

I had to give her credit; she knew what she was talking about. At it's basics, randomness was the domain of the Draconequui. If a minotaur wanted to take things by chance, he or she could, but it just wasn't practical in a place like the commune. I knew only a few minotaurs who would even invoke Discord on a regular basis.

"That is true. Is it the same for the Scions?"

"It is, mostly. The entire purpose of the Scions, you must understand, is to help others." she said, sounding cheerful, "The majority of those who find themselves taking up the robes of the Scions do not come well of mind or body. I'v gotten drug addicts, prostitutes, slaves, cripples, all wanting a better chance in life. But along with them, there are others who are simply not cut out for life in the wastes, the sorts that should have been born before the war, where they can thrive. Gentle souls who deserve to live, but would get torn apart in the savagery of the world if they are not protected."

She sounded fierce, but in a proud sort of way, as she talked.

"So, that's what the Scions of Nightmare Moon do, in essence. Some might truly believe that there is a place after death in the domain of the Queen of Night, but most come to me or my subordinates seeking a better life, a life without the strife of the world that ponies left for their descendants. They get a room to themselves, good food and clean water, and they may either help others learn of what the Scions offer or help assist in keeping the quality of what we offer consistent. They may help tend to the sick or simply wander the world and spread the word of what we do."

She stopped to tug on her robe. "Also, we make these. One hundred percent cotton, made from recycled clothing. A pegasus who used to live in the Enclave base near the Hoof once told me a few years ago that the only thing softer than one of our robes was the clouds she grew up on."

Shade continued to sound proud, but as she said that her voice had a tinge of humor I couldn't help but like.

"I think I will remember that."

The strange mare nodded once and let out a terse giggle. "But, do you want to know what the greatest achievement the Scions have brought to this wasted land?"

She didn't wait for me to answer.

"They brought an infallible leader into the wasteland. Nightmare Moon is an idea, and what has never lived cannot die. The ponies who rule in her name," she paused, winking at me, "know what they are doing. But even if they are killed, there will be devoted followers to take their place. Most of the threats that could debunk what the Scions teach are not ponies, but rather texts and old stories. The original Nightmare Moon tale is, if what I have gathered is true, told in a completely unaltered state only within the Pegasus Enclave and a few dozen tribal groups scattered around in the south. Otherwise, it is confined to the occasional database and storybook. A war on information is quite easy to win when you control a center of intelligence in a world of ignorant scavengers."

I didn't know much about the Enclave, truth be told, but I wouldn't think that telling her that would be appropriate. However, I did have my own concerns about this apparent plan of hers.

"How did this start? Did you create the Scions?"

Shade stiffened, but relaxed after a few moments, giving me a soft, slightly intrigued look. "If I did?"

"You seem to focus on rulers, but what about the people he rules? Are they not part of the issues that you talk about?"

Shade regarded me with something odd in her eyes. "Tell me; do I look like a ruler to you?"

I was slightly confused by her question, but I answered her all the same.

"Where I am from, the oldest member of the community rules not because he is the eldest, but because he is the wisest."

I paused, looking over the small albino priestess in the robe.

"I suppose I would have expected the high priestess to be taller, I must admit."

Shade let out a whooping high-pitched laughed that was loud enough that I was afraid that Candy Cane might wake up, or, barring that, a pony on the floor above us. But, the little filly didn't awaken nor did a pony come downstairs to see an albino cultist and a minotaur in deep conversation.

"You wouldn't be the first one who has said that to me." she replied, eventually, sounding at once tired and amused.

"Once, earth ponies tilled the soil and did the work of the laborer, and were governed by a learned individual from among their own. The pegusi had their armies and maneuvered the sky, and were lead by a powerful warlord who was chosen from his peers by his accomplishments. The unicorns had their magic and serfs, constructed great and powerful weapons to make up for their smaller numbers, and placed a kingly ruler over their varied internal factions so that the internal competition inherent within the noble system would continue to make great works without it all falling apart."

She paused, to breathe.

"Then the two sisters came, and they organized the tribes for a time after they stopped the incursion from Discord, fighting monsters and killing despots and tyrants who were able to take advantage of the weakness of the ponies. After more than three hundred years, however, one of the sisters went mad and the other was forced to cast her out."

I wasn't upset by the mention of Discord, so she only paused slightly to see if I had any reaction to what she had said. I didn't, and so she continued.

"For a thousand years, ponies were ruled by an immortal sun deity that tried her best to stomp out the more extreme aspects of each of the pony cultures and create a government that satisfied all three major parties. This worked, mostly, except in the places where it didn't. Most ponies still stood beside leaders of their own kind, and for some the only thing that changes was that there was now a supreme leader that was always around, like the wind or rain. Celestia defeated her sister, and she ruled from Canterlot.

"However, in this world without a Celestia, ponies continue to turn to each other for guidance, but with that taste of an absolute ruler, their chances of ever becoming what they once were have been lost.

"Without a strong hoof, they all turn to the old patterns. Fillydelphia is the heart of a southern earth pony state that relies on labor and the use of machines to expand, and are led by a learned individual who took his power by force and shear will. The Enclave is a pegasus state in the clouds that relies on their armies and control of the weather to continue their existence, and place their most accomplished war heros in charge. And in the north, the Purebred is a fractured and weak unicorn state that relies on it's varied internal factions to create a better world for those who are in charge, barely held together by the slave trade, all allegedly overseen by a king."

She had a very good point, if what she all said was true. She had yet to lie to me, and what she said made sense. Ponies couldn't rule themselves because they were used to somepony who could rule forever being their leader. Fair enough.

"So, Nightmare Moon is supposed to be a sort of replacement Celestia?" I guessed.

She shrugged. "One who can't die, pretty much. It's hard to kill an idea."

The albino sounded like she was almost done talking, but I still had a few questions.

"How did the Scions get founded, then?"

Shade smiled, like I was bringing up old memories. "Really, I found it. There was a small, nigh-tribal group that used to live in the underground metro system in the far north of the city. They worshiped Nightmare Moon, but it was the hardcore 'doomsday, death, the night will last forever' sort of worship. So, I introduced myself to them, convinced them that I was a messenger of Nightmare Moon, and basically took over. Eventually, other tribes in the area got converted, and I spent a lot of time getting them to a state to where only a few would even think about hurting another pony about what sort of goddess they pray to."

I processed her story well enough, until I noticed that she was speaking in past tense. And she didn't look a day over whatever age ponies stopped looking young.

"How old are you, exactly?"

Shade smiled brightly, and something unnatural started to happen.

Slowly, but surely, her flat set of little pony teeth shifted slightly, to make room for two pairs of canines, each as white as her coat and each as sharp as knives. Her pupils began to narrow, becoming as thin as needles, and I saw her robe shift around a bit near the back.

When she closed her mouth and licked her lips once, I did my best to not look frightened. I had seen sea monsters eat ponies alive; I could handle one monster that was pony-sized.

"One hundred and twenty seven." Shade responded to my question after getting off the couch, revealing a pair of wing-slits in her robe were currently being occupied by a pair of pale, veiny bat wings, colorless except from the slight difference in the shade of white of the leathery skin and the fur around it. "I was minding my own business in a abandoned Stable when I woke up the next day hanging from the ceiling and covered in blood. "

"That's unfortunate." I offered, stunned slightly.

Shade looked at me oddly, as if I had taken an especially good joke she had just told completely seriously.

"It wasn't my blood." she huffed. "You know, you have nerves. The only other person I know who didn't turn tail and run from me when I go full bloodsucking fiend is Charger, but I'm not sure if she's not just dead inside or something. What about you?"

"I have met three immortals and have had trouble with a draconequuis." I admitted. "One of them is a twelve foot long mutant seapony that eats ponies and another of them is my companion, Blueberry Cream. The draconequuis haunts my dreams and Blueberry Cream came back to life after being killed by the seapony. I have also snapped her neck, which she healed from as well."

Shade stared at me like I was the one who could sprout fangs at will.

"Holy shit." the vampiric atheistic albino high priest of Nightmare Moon replied, sounding utterly enthralled.

"I know." I agreed, without irony.

Shade seemed to not know what to say, but when she looked at Candy Cane briefly, longing in her eyes, I glared at her.

"Hey, hey, what do you think I am?!" the vampire replied defensively, "Sheesh, I'v never killed a foal before! Give me a break! Besides, she's Umbra's kid, right?"

I should have expected her to know the other bat pony thing in Caldonia, in hindsight, but before I could reply she just replied to her own question.

"You don't need to answer that; she smells like old and angst." Shade continued, chuckling at her own words, "She's a smart little cookie, though."

I knew that, and while I wanted to talk to the mare some more, I could talk to Candy Cane when she woke up. For now, I had a vampony to talk to.

"How do you know Umbra?"

Shade snorted, and I couldn't help but notice that her nose might have been a little more pointed then it used to. "How does the mouse know the snake? She doesn't care for what the Scions worship, but she likes what they do. We arn't exactly friends, of course. When I first met her, I really hoped I could get her to arrive every so often and pretend to be another messanger of Nightmare Moon for kicks, but she called me an abomination and tried to strangle me, so it didn't exactly pan out."

"What's the difference between what you are and what she is?" I asked, hoping to settle that once and for all.

Shade smiled at me, which was far less comforting now that she had freaky teeth and serpent eyes.

"Umbra told me that the original vampires were a sect of the bat ponies that worshiped primal forces of darkness that got transformed for their efforts, and that the last ones she knew about were wiped out when her Princess arrived to their home cavern and culled them all. Of course, there were probably a few converted vampires on the surface that somehow survived the war. I wish I could tell you more, but I never did ask the stallion who got me in the jugular about his life story and Umbra think's that I'm a monster that will be burning in the sun for all eternity when I die for real."

"Whatever she want's to think." I replied, sounding a little out of it.

Shade gave me an appreciative look. "Yeah."

She started to move for the door out, but turned around to face me before she even made it past the couch.

"Yeah, I got to leave, before the Alicorn in the pools notices I'm here. But before I go, I just want to say that I want to continue this talk later, when I'm not in the middle of enemy territory. But it's been nice the meet you, I just want to say, and if you ever need help the Scions will always be there for you."

I still had a few questions, but I decided not to make any mention of them.

"I suppose you will not be at the wedding?"

Shade shook her head. "No. But I would suggest you be there. Marriage is a beautiful thing."

She sounded sly, there, like she was trying to hint at something but she wasn't sure if she could say it out loud. Whatever it was, I was starting to become tired and I was thinking about how I was going to get Candy Cane upstairs.

"You are aware that there is apparently five or so different murder plots happening at that time, correct?"

Shade laughed. "Oh, yeah. The Scions are involved in half of them."

Charmed, I decided to pick up Candy Cane outright, using the blanket as a slight and putting her across my shoulder, like a swaddled baby.

"Anything else you want to tell me before you go, then?"

The priestess bit her lip for a few moments, and then the metaphorical lightbulb lit up.

"Oh, yes. If you want any assistance from any member of the Scions, there's a secret phrase you would need to tell them to let you know that you are unconditionally a friend."

Interested, I stood up, tiny filly on one shoulder and the metaphorical burdens I carried on the other, and waited for the ghoul to spill it out.

"'Sunset Shimmer reigns from a throne in hell'." Shade said lightly, as if that was all the explanation I needed, before turning around and trotting out of the room.

I decided to head upstairs a few minutes after thinking about what that secret phrase even meant and not coming up with anything. I figured it probably didn't mean anything at all.

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