Fallout Equestria: The Light Within

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 1: Beginnings

I awoke with a dull throbbing in the back of my head and lesser aches covering the rest of my body. I was lying on something softer than the ground, but certainly not comfortable by any means. Slowly I pried my eyes open, feeling pieces of crust roll down my cheeks. I was lying on my back and looking straight up at an inactive ceiling light, the grate over it the same dull gray as the ceiling it was bolted to. Out of the corner of my eye, I could detect a slowly flashing green light, but when I tried to turn my head to see what it was and felt a tightening in my neck, I reconsidered having a look. As feeling besides dull pain began to return, I felt several needles stuck into my forelegs, and realized where I must be; I was lying on a bed in a clinic somewhere. A soft whoosh signaled an opening door, and the room got slightly brighter for a moment. I heard the quiet clack of hooves on a metal door before a mare’s whispered voice.

“How long has he been out?” the voice asked.

“Eighty hours,” a second mare’s voice responded, just as quietly, “Though he hasn’t been comatose for the past twelve hours, just sleeping.”

“The Overmare will want to see him,” the first mare said seriously, with a hint of worry in her voice.

“I intend to postpone that as long as possible,” the second mare replied, determination in her voice, “He’s in no state for her shenanigans, anyways.”

A soft chirping came from where I assumed the two ponies were talking. A soft click, and then the room was silent again.

“Time to give him his meds,” the second mare whispered to her friend.

I heard wheels roll across the floor, followed by the sound of hoofsteps getting closer to me. I caught a glimpse of the pony’s silhouette as she swapped out the IV bag on the stand next to me. 'Hey, I’m awake' I tried to say, but instead it came out as a croak; I had no idea until that moment how dry and scratchy my throat was.

“Oh, you’re awake,” the mare said, hovering over me. “Velvet, be a dear and get the lights please,” she said as she turned back to her work.

I tried to force out a warning that I was staring straight into a light, but once more my voice failed me. I squeezed my eyes shut as the light turned on, but an afterimage was still seared into my vision. As my face muscles clenched, new aches appeared, causing me to grit my teeth, which only made it worse as my face muscles clenched tighter.

“Oh, goddesses above, I’m so sorry!” the mare next to me exclaimed as she realized what she had done.

I felt the bed I was on roll forward, and the light waned enough for me to open my eyes again. I could see the mare more clearly now as she leaned over me, inspecting my body in the light. My doctor was a peach-coated unicorn with a cherry-red mane pulled back into a messy bun. From the pocket of her buttery-yellow doctor’s coat she produced a syringe, which she filled with a substance out of my view before injecting it into me.

“These pain-killers should kick in in a moment,” she said as she trotted around behind me.

As I felt the pain fade away, she began to prop me up, operating a mechanism under the bed to tilt me forward. As I rose up, I got a view of the other pony in the room; a powder blue unicorn mare with a snow-white mane was filling a paper cup from a nearby sink. Unlike the other mare, Velvet (I assumed) was not wearing a doctor’s uniform, but a blue jumpsuit with yellow stripes, a bright pink jacket worn loosely over it. As I reached a sitting position, the pain had receded enough that I could pull myself back and prop myself up with my hooves. Velvet trotted over and offered me the cup of water. 'Thank you' I tried to croak out, and reached for the cup.

“Something wrong with your magic?” Velvet asked, cocking her head to the side.

You’d think with the pain in my horn I’d have realized I was a unicorn. Cursing myself for being so clueless, I wrapped my magic around the cup. The moment Velvet released hers, however, my levitation spell fizzled out and the cup fell to the floor, splashing water everywhere.

“My bad,” Velvet apologized, rushing over to the sink to get me a fresh cup, this time a ceramic one with a handle that I could easily hold with my hoof. “Sorry, I didn’t consider that your magic would be weak, what with you still recovering and all,” she continued to apologize as she grabbed towels to mop up the mess.

I gulped down half the water in one go, letting the cool liquid soothe my raw throat. As Velvet continued to clean up the pool beneath my bed, I sipped at the water I had left and inspected the mug it was in. It had certainly seen better days, but was still clearly blue and yellow, with an “85” emblazoned on one side and a gear on the other with “Stable-Tec” printed through it. I winced and nearly dropped the cup as the doctor pony tried to change my bandages.

“Try to stay still; you were hurt pretty badly when you first got here,” the doctor said as she continued to unwrap the bandages, “I’m Doc Charity by the way.”

“And my name’s Velvet,” the unicorn said as she popped up, “I’m not a doctor, but I am the pony who found you.”

“Thanks,” I said, in a bit of a daze. I wasn’t sure what had happened to me, but it was clear I owed these ponies gratitude for saving me from whatever it had been.

As I had suspected, I was in a clinic; it was fairly large, though out of all the beds only mine was occupied. Over where I’d heard the voices was a desk with a terminal atop it, assumedly where Charity had been sitting before she came over to check on me. A sealed door behind the desk was labeled “DRUG STORES” and was mirrored by a door directly across the room that led out into a hallway, which I could see through short windows that lined the wall. The walls were a dull, utilitarian steel, with the only splash of color being provided by red striping on the door to the drug stores and a yellow strip that ran across all the walls at eye level.

“I’m accustomed to having a name to put with my patients,” Charity said as I turned to her, hefting a clipboard and pencil in her magic, “So, instead of just ‘him’, what should I call you?”

“I’m . . .” I started to say before drawing a blank. How could I not know my own name? “I- I don’t know,” I eventually said.

“Your head injury must’ve been more serious than I thought,” Charity said, frowning as she examined me, “You don’t remember your name?”

“No,” I said, reality dawning on me, “I don’t remember anything. What happened to me?”

“We were hoping you could tell us. Looks like we’re out of luck there,” Charity said, “All we know is that when Velvet found you collapsed out there, you were covered in wounds from head to flank.”

“You’re lucky you showed up when you did,” Velvet said, popping up, “If I hadn’t been there enchanting the Stable door, I doubt the security guards would’ve done anything.”

“It was still a pain to get the Overmare to open the door and bring you in,” Charity grumbled, “Although I think your cutie-mark helped; I’ve no doubt she intends to win you over to her side and have you replace me.”

I craned my neck around to get a glimpse of my cutie-mark, and was struck once again by the odd situation I was in. How could I not even remember what my cutie-mark—the symbol that defined my destiny—was? Through the bandages, I could see what appeared to be a stethoscope; I guess my skill was either in medicine or in cracking safes.

“Stable? Overmare?” I said, turning back to face the ponies with me, “What are they?”

“Wow; you really don’t remember anything, huh?” Velvet said, “So a long time ago Equestria was involved in a really big war that ended with our enemies using super-destructive magic called megaspells on us, destroying our cities and killing everypony except a select few. You see, Stable-Tec—a company before the war—built these giant underground shelters called Stables to save ponies from the end of the world. You’re in a Stable right now—Stable 85—which, like all Stables, is led by an Overmare.”

I nodded as Velvet explained. I needed some time to process this information; all of it was new to me. The mug I was holding with my hoof had a meaning now, as did the sturdy metal construction of everything around me. Something was bothering me though itching at the back of my mind. If everything on the surface was dead, then where had I come from? Unfortunately, this was something I knew nopony could answer but me, and I couldn’t remember. I was about to say as much, when I heard a thumping in the distance.

“What’s that sound?” I asked.

“Oh no,” Charity said after cocking her ears for a moment, “Velvet, shut the lights off! I’m going to have to recline you again. Lie down, close your eyes, and try not to move!”

I had no idea what was going on, but complied with the doctor’s orders. As I lied down, I was once again surrounded by darkness. The thumping grew louder, and I heard a few higher sounds as Charity made her way back over to her desk. As she went, I noticed that she was able to illuminate the area around her with a device strapped to her foreleg. Judging by the green glow coming from Velvet, she was wearing one too. I resolved that after whatever was going on had passed, I would ask them about it.

As the noises got closer, I realized they were music. The chipper song grew louder and louder, until I caught a glimpse of a pony singing it through the window and clamped my eyes closed. As the music went on, louder and louder, I grew impatient and cracked an eye open just enough that I could see out into the hallway. A procession of ponies wearing pick jackets matching Charity’s marched past the windows, singing the song at the top of their lungs. Eventually the line came to an end as the musicians passed by. It wasn’t until they had passed out of earshot again that Velvet turned the lights back on and Charity propped my bed back up.

“I’ve been sleeping through that?” I asked my doctor.

“Yes, every day I’ve been giving you a powerful sedative before they pass by,” Charity replied, “That’s what I was coming over to do before I discovered you were awake.”

“So why did I have to act like I was asleep this time?”

“If any of them saw you were awake, they’d tell the Overmare, and then she’d be down in an instant to meet you,” Velvet said.

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“In your condition, yes,” Doc Charity said, “Overmare Fairy Floss is a bit . . . excitable.”

“By which you mean she’s absolutely bonkers,” Velvet scoffed, “And that she’d boot him out of the Stable the moment she realized he can’t replace you because he doesn’t remember how to be a doctor.”

”You don’t know that,” Charity berated Velvet, “But in any case, I felt it was best to postpone it as long as possible. You know she’ll pressure him into joining the Pinks, and he’s in no state to deal with that.”

While the two friends had been arguing, I’d been sitting silently. I knew much less than they did, so I felt I had nothing to contribute to this conversation. Let’s be honest, by the end I had no idea what Charity and Velvet were arguing about.
“Sorry, I guess we should do some explaining,” Charity turned to me and said as she realized what had been going on, “Back during that war that Velvet mentioned earlier, Equestria was run by 6 Ministries. Stable 85 was filled exclusively with the employees of those Ministries, and they were all divided into groups and issued uniforms that reflected their Ministry. Ministry of Peace employees were given yellow doctors’ coats; those from the Ministry of Awesome received blue flight jackets; Technology got orange overalls, Magic got purple lab coats, Image got white cocktail dresses, and Morale got pink party jackets.

“After our first Overmare died, we had to elect a new Overmare. The race turned into a bitter struggle between the different Colors. Eventually, the Pinks managed to get their candidate in by making an alliance with the Whites. The Pinks and Whites remained united from then on, taking turns at leading the Stable as Overmare and slowly expanding their power and territory. It was when the Oranges and Blues united that things got violent. The Pinks refused to let anypony try to take their power away from them, and they launched repeated attacks, trying to take Orange and Blue territory and convert the residents by force. After a time, differences between the Blues and Oranges caused the coalition to collapse, and the Pinks seized the opportunity. The Blues were the first to go, and after a few more generations the Oranges were squeezed out as well.

“That left only Pinks, Whites, Purples, and Yellows in the Stable, the Pinks having taken over the territory and duties of the Blues and Oranges. The Pinks and Whites continued their advance, pushing the Yellows and Purples back as well. Then, without warning, the Pinks turned on their allies, and wiped out or converted all Whites into Pinks. Since then, every Overmare we’ve had has been a Pink. The Purples and Yellows never outright rebelled against the Pinks, but we did our part to make sure they knew we wouldn’t sit by and tolerate their tyranny. Just a few generations ago, the Pinks decided to be more aggressive against us, and they wiped out and converted all the Purples, leaving only the Yellows to oppose them.”

“That’s what they think, at least,” Velvet cut in, “According to their records I’m a Pink, but like many ponies like me I’m really a Purple hiding within their organization. We try to help out the Yellows whenever we can, and we do our part in the shadows to undermine the Pinks.”

“Now you’ll understand why the Overmare agreed to let you in,” Charity resumed speaking, “The reason the Yellows haven’t been wiped out, only restricted to this area, is because nopony but a Yellow has ever been a doctor, and this Stable needs a doctor. Also, the higher-ups in the Pinks are terrible chem addicts, and I’m the only pony who can open the drug stores. You see, if they crush the Yellows they doom themselves, unless they can get a doctor to join the Pinks.”

“I see; so you probably want me to join you instead, huh?” I said.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Charity said, “For now, just focus on recovering. We won’t be able to keep a secret from the Overmare forever, and when she finds out, you’re going to need all your strength.”

The next few days repeated themselves as I would awake, speak to Charity (and sometimes Velvet) who would answer any questions I had, do therapy to help me heal and regain my strength, and go back to sleep. My days were often interrupted by pretending to be comatose as ponies in pink jackets passed by in the hall. After a while, though, I was able to anticipate when they would pass by. The fact that they acted on a precise schedule added credence to Charity’s assertion that they were just passing by to spy on her for the Overmare. I met a few other Yellows who lived nearby, but usually it was just Charity, Velvet, and myself in the clinic.

I remembered early on to ask what the devices on everypony’s legs were. Apparently all Stable 85 residents were issued these “PipBucks” after getting their cutie-marks. I was amazed at just how useful Charity claimed they were. The pinnacle of Stable-Tec R&D, a PipBuck could be used to organize your belongings, help you navigate the Stable, give you an instant snapshot of your physical condition, let you listen to the radio, play games, record gobs of data, act as a light, and so much more. It even had spells attached to it, like the Eyes Forward Sparkle (EFS) which superimposed a bar on your vision that showed which direction you were facing and where everypony around you was standing, and the Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell (SATS), which could slow down time around you and helped you more carefully target things around you. The best part was that both of these spells required no magic or skill from the user, so even earth ponies could use them so long as they were wearing a PipBuck.

I had so many questions about everything and, while they couldn’t answer all of them, Charity and Velvet did their best. As the days passed, the pain started to fade away, and I was soon no longer swaddled in bandages. I also felt better mentally; even though none of my memories had returned, I was making new ones and filling my mind with new information. This went on for a good two weeks. Of course, it couldn’t last forever.

“All residents please report to the Atrium for a mandatory all-Stable meeting,” the announcement speaker in the clinic crackled one day as Charity was showing me how to operate the terminal on her desk, “This includes Pinks, Yellows, and any Neutrals. Repeat: this is a mandatory all-Stable meeting. Anypony who does not attend will have their food rights suspended for the rest of the week. That is all.”

“How did she find out?” Velvet asked as soon as the announcement had finished.

“I have no idea, but we have no choice,” Charity replied before turning to me, “We have to get you to the Atrium.”

“The Overmare knows I’m awake?” I asked as I watched Charity fetch a wheelchair.

“That part about Neutrals was definitely directed toward you,” she said as she helped me into the wheelchair, “We’d better get to your welcoming party.”

“Welcoming party?”

“Knowing Overmare Fairy Floss, it’s either that or a trial,” Charity said as she wheeled me out into the hall, “I’ve been thinking a lot about this, so just try to follow my lead and not make her angry.”

My entire time in Stable 85 to this point had been spent in the clinic, and though Charity and Velvet had told me about different parts of the Stable, I had never seen them. Now I was being rushed rapidly through the halls of the underground complex. Everything looked the same, except that the stripes on the walls soon changed color from yellow to pink. Just as I’d been told, the Yellows controlled only a miniscule section of the Stable. More ponies began to appear, all wearing pink jackets, as we neared the Atrium.

The Atrium was crowded with ponies by the time we reached it. Even so, the sea of pink parted to let us through. The announcement hadn’t said why to meet, but it still seemed everypony knew why they were here. As I rolled through, I got a better look at the Atrium. I could see why it was the chosen place for Stable meetings; the large room was probably the only place in the Stable you could fit everypony. Not only was there a large floor space, the ceiling was easily four times as high as everywhere else in the Stable, and a layer of catwalks crossed over the main floor. Charity directed my attention to the round window set high in the far wall, apparently where the Overmare looked down on the Atrium.

The ponies around us grew quiet as the lights dimmed. A spotlight on the upper level was focused on a single pony as she descended to the Atrium’s main floor. The mare in the spotlight was pink from head to tail; her coat was pink, and her mane and tail were striped in two different shades of the color. She wore the same pink jacket as all the other Pinks, except hers was covered in sequins. I could tell at a glance that this must be the Overmare. When she reached the lower level, she turned, then suddenly began bounding toward me while singing.

As she finished her song she came to a stop a hair’s breadth away from me. A moment later, ovens lining the Atrium that I somehow hadn’t seen before spewed confetti everywhere. At the same time, cake batter went shooting out of confetti cannons placed on the balconies. The Overmare continued to stand in front of me, a smile plastered on her face.

“New song?” Charity asked when the silence was beginning to become uncomfortable.

“A very old one, actually,” the Overmare replied, shifting her attention to the doctor standing behind me, “Though I’ve never had a chance to use it before, it is song number twenty-six in the officially approved Ministry of Morale songbook.”

“Charming,” Charity said sarcastically.

“It is, isn’t it?” the Overmare said obliviously, “But, I thought it only appropriate considering we’re welcoming a new pony into our humble Stable.”

“I’ve got a little surprise for you,” she said, turning her attention back to me, “We’ve got a Stable 85 jacket all ready for you. Thimble?”

A beige earth pony separated herself from the crowd long enough to pass a pink jacket to the Overmare. Smiling the whole time, the Overmare extended the foreleg the jacket was hanging on, offering it to me. I decided to wait a moment to see what Charity would do, and it turned out to be a good decision.

“Objection!” she yelled, causing the Overmare to frown and withdraw her hoof, “The Stable-Tec issued rulebook clearly states that any resident that is not part of a Ministry is not be issued a uniform, but is to be given a standard Stable 85 jumpsuit and a PipBuck. No uniform is to be issued to them unless they decide to join one of the Ministries at a later date.”

“Charity, please,” the Overmare spoke through her teeth, “This is a gesture of hospitality, and that rule hasn’t been used for generations. Besides, we’ve made it Stable policy to issue these jackets to all residents.”

“I’d like to refer you to Chapter 18, Section A of the Stable-Tec rulebook,” Charity continued on, undeterred, “No rule set forth as law by Stable-Tec may be nullified or circumvented by a lesser Stable rule. Or perhaps you’d prefer Chapter 31, Section G: If an Overmare refuses to obey or execute Stable-Tec rules or Stable rules (so long as they don’t conflict with Stable-Tec rules) she is to be immediately removed from office, and the Ministries to which she does not belong shall hold an emergency election to choose a new Overmare.”

That last section had particularly interesting implications. Since the Pinks had wiped out every group except the Yellows, if the Overmare broke the rules even once, she would be replaced by a Yellow. I could feel the tension between these mares. One of them ruled the whole Stable and an army of ponies, and the other ran a small clinic, but it wasn’t clear who had more power in this situation.

“What do you think?” Fairy Floss asked me after a full minute of scowling.

“If I have to join a side, I’d like some time to see everything they both have to offer,” I replied, choosing my words carefully, “So far I’ll I’ve seen is the clinic, and I need to see more before I make my decision.”

“Very well,” the Overmare said; I could tell she didn’t exactly like the idea, but at least what I’d said had led her to believe she could still win me over. “I’ll make sure you get your Stable 85 jumpsuit and a PipBuck. I’m sure in time you’ll come to see just how much more the Pinks have to offer you. You can return to the clinic now.”

“Everypony return to your jobs!” she called out as Charity spun me around and wheeled me out of the Atrium.

“Did it go well?” I asked Charity once we were back in the clinic.

“As well as we could hope,” she said, collapsing into the chair behind her desk, “She’s not going to give up though. You’ve got a long road ahead of you.”

I nodded slowly to show my agreement. I’d no doubt it would be a trying experience. The first step would be recovering enough to get around the Stable on my own.

>SECURITY LOCKOUT IN 30 SECONDS
>INPUT PASSWORD TO CONTINUE: _

Instead I tapped in the command that would let me directly access the underlying spell matrix. As the seconds ticked away, I searched through the code for the character sequence I needed. At last I had it, and inputted the password in time to keep the terminal from locking me out and alerting the Overmare.

“You’re getting pretty skilled at hacking,” Velvet commented, watching over my shoulder, “Are you sure your special talent is medicine?”

“Not at all,” I replied as I continued to type away on the terminal.

So much had happened since that fateful day that the Overmare had welcomed me to Stable 85. She’d kept her word and had a Stable jumpsuit and PipBuck issued to me, but she’d also had me measured for a Pink jacket at the same time. Despite all the time I’d spent with Charity, she was confident I’d come over to her side. My actions also needed to reinforce this belief. Almost right away, Fairy Floss was having me escorted around the Stable in my wheelchair, showing it off to me. Of course, because I was still recovering Charity was allowed to accompany on these tours, and she was able to give me the inside scoop when we returned to the clinic.

“Could your cutie-mark be wrong?” Velvet mused.

“If it is, don’t tell the Overmare, or we’re done for,” I said as I probed deeper into the Stable’s maneframes.

Once I’d recovered enough to be able to walk for extended periods without help, I was given more extensive tours of the Stable. The underground complex turned out to be much larger than I’d originally imagined. I’d been wowed by the size before, but I’d only been shown a single level, since whoever had designed this Stable had seen no reason not to connect the floors with stairs impossible to navigate with a wheelchair. There were two levels above the one where the clinic was located and (I was told) one even higher than that where the Stable exit was situated. Below us there were four more levels, including an agriculture area where the Stable’s food was grown and a reactor area where the power was produced to keep the lights constantly humming.

Still, as vast as Stable 85 was, it was largely empty. The Pinks had expanded too violently, and too fast. The Stable was meant to hold two thousand ponies (I had found the specs in the Stable’s maneframes), but Stable 85’s population was composed of just under four hundred Pinks and only twenty-two Yellows. The Pinks had plenty of space; most ponies had spacious living areas complete with private bedrooms, baths, kitchens, and seating areas. The Yellows, on the other hoof, were all crowded into a single bunk space (except for Charity, who had a room adjoining the clinic) and shared bathrooms and cooking areas at opposite ends of the zone they controlled.

Admittedly, this made the Overmare’s incessant offers to join the Pinks more alluring. Why choose to live in squalor over living in luxury? Still, I was determined to remain “neutral” as long as possible. I didn’t feel I could trust the Pinks, especially when Fairy Floss openly bragged that they had killed off all the other groups but the Yellows, and dropped hints that they might soon wipe them out as well. Besides, it was easy to see that Fairy Floss only wanted me to join the Pinks for one reason: to replace Charity as the Stable’s doctor.

That could prove to be a difficult task should I have to accept it, as any attempt by Charity to teach me medicine had been met with failure. I could pick up the basics, such as how to treat and wrap wounds, and what drugs to administer, but anything more complex went right over my head, not at all what you’d expect from a pony with a stethoscope for a cutie mark. Hacking, I had found by talking to some of the Purples-in-hiding, was much more up my alley. Velvet worked on the reactors, casting spells to nullify magical radiation (what she’d been doing to the Stable’s door when she found me), and knew little about terminals. However, she was able to introduce me to Breezy Nights, a stallion who worked on the maneframes and happened to be another Purple-in-hiding. After a few lessons with him, I was hacking like a pro. I’d started out small at first, breaking into personal terminals and Stable records, but soon I was going all out, at the moment using Charity’s terminal to break into the Overmare’s records.

“Got it!” I exclaimed as data scrolled across the screen.

I plugged my PipBuck into the terminal and transferred all the Overmare’s data to it. Before the Stable’s security protocols could get wise to the fact that I was doing something I shouldn’t, I disconnected my PipBuck and backed out of the system. After a few minutes of fiddling with my PipBuck, I ejected a datatape from it. It had been blank when I’d started, but now it held all the Overmare’s secrets, or at least those on the surface. I couldn’t be sure I’d gotten everything, but it was a start.

“I can’t believe it,” Velvet said breathlessly as she took the datatape from me, “At long last, we’ve got Fairy Floss’s secrets. With this, the Purples can really make a difference.”

The mechanical swish of the clinic door opening alerted us to the presence of another pony. Velvet tried to hide the datatape before she saw that it was just Charity. She pulled it back out to show off our hard work before she say the look of gloom on Charity’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Velvet asked with concern.

“Something terrible just happened; Silver Shell got her cutie-mark—in medicine!” Charity said as she strode over to us, “We need to get out of here—now!”

“Okay, but I haven’t had time to replace the tracker in his PipBuck. We won’t be able to hide out for long.”

“It doesn’t matter; we’re going beyond the Overmare’s reach,” Charity said as she unlocked her desk and pulled out a pistol, “Outside.”

“Wait; Outside outside?” Velvet asked, “As in, outside of the Stable Outside? Where he was nearly torn to shreds?”

“That’s right. The Yellows must leave the Stable, or Fairy Floss will kill us all,” Charity replied solemnly as she grabbed medical saddlebags and began filling them with supplies.

The speaker on the wall screeched shrilly before cheery music began blaring out.

“It’s begun,” Velvet said breathlessly as she stared at the speaker.

“What’s begun?” I asked, looking back and forth between Charity and Velvet.

“They’re coming!” a mare in a yellow doctor’s coat yelled as she stuck her head through the clinic’s door. The sound of machine gun fire cut her off as she was shot down. The clinic door slid shut as her lifeless body fell back into the hallway.

“It’s a purge,” Charity answered by question, “Move over; I need to input the quarantine password.”

I moved from behind the terminal and let Charity use it. I got a glimpse of the Pinks in the hallway, wielding automatic weapons and wearing pink-painted security barding, just before metal sheets descended over the windows. The sound of heavy pins sliding into place came from the door, and lights along the walls began to spin.

“I initiated quarantine lockdown. That should hold them for a while,” Charity said as she backed away from the terminal, “Still, we need to get out of here.”

The Stable’s doctor presented her PipBuck to the door to the drug stores, and it slid open for her. The three of us stepped inside, and Charity led us past the shelves of medications. She stopped at a wall between two seemingly random shelves, and held her PipBuck up again. With a soft hiss, the wall slid back and away, revealing a passage. Once we stepped through, the wall slid back closed, finally silencing the awful music.

“What is this place?” I asked as we trotted along, the darkness illuminated by only the glow from our PipBucks.

“These were originally maintenance tunnels to let the Oranges move around the Stable better, but they were forgotten once the Pinks wiped them out,” Velvet answered, “Eventually the Purples found them and started using them. It’s what’s allowed us to blend in with the Pinks, but also be able to meet in secret.”

“If you didn’t replace his tracker, it may not be secret for much longer,” Charity commented.

Lights came on around us as we emerged from the passageway into a larger room. Judging by the size of the place, I would imagine it was the Purples’ headquarters. Scuffed-up terminals were perched atop crates, their wires strung out across the floor. Worn-out lockers lined some of the walls, a few open just enough that purple lab coats could be seen hung within them. Everything here appeared to be makeshift or reject items. Curiously, piled up everywhere were stacks of books, most in exceptionally good shape.

“We can’t stay here long,” Charity said, “Grab only what you need, then we have to move on.”

“We’re not going to wait for the rest of the Yellows?” I asked.

“There’s nopony else coming,” Charity said as she shook her head sadly, “There was no way they escaped those Pinks.”

“What’s with all the books?” I asked, changing the subject.

“The Purples were afraid the Pinks would either confiscate or destroy them, so we hid them away here,” Velvet said as she trotted over to me, “We’ve been working on converting them all to electronic form and storing all our literature magically compressed on a single datatape.

“This is for you,” she said as she presented me with a yellow doctor’s coat. I took it from her and tried it on over my Stable uniform.

“I feel better at medicine already,” I joked.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Velvet replied, “Wearing an outfit alone can’t increase your skill with something. It is, however, enchanted to be resistant to ballistic and magical damage. Your Stable uniform already protects you from radiation, so all your bases are covered.

“Good luck out there,” she said as she placed a set of pre-packed saddlebags on my back, “Sorry the Purples don’t have any weapons to give you. Charity’s pistol will have to suffice.”

“You’re coming too,” Charity said firmly before elaborating, “The Pinks know you were in the clinic when they started their attack, and they know we disappeared from the clinic. It won’t take them long to connect the dots and figure out you’re a traitor.”

“I suppose you’re right. This just seems so unreal,” Velvet said with a sigh. “Guess I won’t be needing this anymore,” she said as pulled off her pink jacket and threw it to the side, replacing it with one of the nearby purple lab coats and a set of saddlebags, “Let’s do this.”

We continued down the secret passages that weaved through the Stable, taking ladders up to the next level several times. We stopped once, for Velvet to insert the datatape of the Overmare’s records into her PipBuck and find the master password to open the Stable door, but were quickly moving again. We reached our destination at a wall panel labeled “LEVEL 0: EXIT.” Bringing up our EFSs revealed two ponies were on the other side of the wall. Charity drew her pistol before pressing her PipBuck against the wall.

As the panel slid away, Charity moved faster than the eye could follow thanks to SATS, firing two shots: one into the nearest Pink’s neck, and the second into the other’s leg. The injured Pink began to scream, but Charity silenced him with a shot to the chest. EFS revealed more Pinks were nearby and on the way, so Velvet rushed over to the control panel the ponies had been guarding and began to input the password.

A metal arm swung down from the ceiling and latched on to the giant, gear-shaped door at the far end of the room. With a horrific screeching, it was drawn back into the Stable. As it rolled to the side, the voices of the incoming Pinks became audible.

“Get going,” Charity said as she pushed Velvet away from the control panel, “I’ll hold them off until you two are clear, then I’ll close the door.”

“No way am I leaving you behind to die,” Velvet protested.

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Charity said, “I’m coming as soon as I start the door closing. Now get going before it’s too late.”

Velvet and I started galloping toward the open door as Charity began trading fire with the Pinks. I didn’t look back, but judging by the scream I heard, she was hit before we reached the door. She still managed to press the button that would close the Stable door before she bled out, and the blaring sirens gave me the push to run faster.

I jumped through the doorway and slid across the ground before turning around. As I’d suspected, Charity was dead, her lifeless body slumped over the control panel. Pinks were swarming into the room, firing at Velvet as she continued to run toward the doorway.

The shots hit closer and closer to the unicorn until one eventually struck her left hindleg. She went down, sliding across the smooth floor of the Stable’s entrance. She came to a stop with her forelegs just outside the Stable, and her body in the path of the moving Stable door.

“Velvet!” I cried out as she stared up at me in horror.

With a sickening crunch, the Stable door rolled over her, evoking a scream from Velvet before her lungs were crushed into pulp along with the rest of her torso. The contents of her saddlebags were forced out, sending the Overmare’s datatape sliding to my hooves. I watched in shock as the Stable door horribly maimed my friend.

I blacked out as the Stable door slammed closed.

Level Up
New Perk: Infomaniac – Your lack of memories causes you to hunger for information. This perk unlocks unique information when hacking terminals and causes other ponies to be more likely to answer you in information-seeking persuasion checks (whether it be out of a genuine desire to help, or to get you to stop asking).
Unique Item added: Stable 85 Yellow Doctor’s Coat – This specially enchanted doctor’s coat is resistant to both bullets and magical energy attacks. Also +5 to Medicine when worn and a greater chance of finding healing potions.
Stable 85 Saddlebags added: +20 carrying capacity
New Quest: Outside – Survive outside of Stable 85
S: 1 P: 4 E: 5 C: 2 I: 8 A: 5 L: 3
Barter: 7
Big Guns: 13
Energy Weapons: 11
Explosives: 11
*Lockpick: 26 +4 (30)
Medicine: 19 +4 (23)
Melee Weapons: 5
Repair: 19
*Science: 34 +6 (40)
Small Guns: 13
Sneak: 13 +2 (15)
*Speech: 22 +2 (24)
Unarmed: 13
+18 pts/lvl