Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel

Chapter 5.10 - A Perfect World

She gasped, feeling cool air on her face, feeling it fill her lungs. Hooves met cobbled stone and she stumbled, her body heavy and unbalanced, head full of unexpected sensations.

She finally managed to look up, seeing Canterlot rear up around her. It was all so familar, the streets, the buildings. Like she had only been here just yesterday.

White stone, striped roofs, the mountain air, the warm sunlight... she wondered if she was dreaming, because she knew it was impossible.

"Excuse me miss, are you ok?"

She looked round at the pony who had spoken, a elderly unicorn with a kindly smile. She attempted to smile back, though she was still fighting to remain calm in the face of this unexpected situation, "Yes thank you. I'm simply... feeling a little dizzy."

"It's the mountain air I expect." The pony explained, "Newcomers often underestimate it. And I haven't seen you around miss..."

"Sunny Days." She answered, not hesitating. She looked around, trying to spot some sort of imperfection, some clue to what was going on, "So what's the word on the street in Canterlot today? Anything I should know about?"

"Oh no, just another peaceful day. The Princess makes sure of that."

Sunny Days looked up at Canterlot Palace, "Princess?"

"Princess Dream Star of course." The elderly unicorn confirmed, "It's a true blessing to live under the protection of a real princess, I tell you that. She would never let anything disturb the peace she built, a real dilligant lady."

"Is that so?" She whispered to no one in particular, before turning her head back to the elder pony, "Do you know Littlepip, Deadshot Calamity, Homage, Velvet Remedy or Ditzi Do?"

"I certainly know General Calamity." He answered with cheer, "He's retired now you know? Lives on the second ring with his family."

"Does he now?" She answered before giving a smile and a polite nod, "Thank you good pony, you have been very helpful."

"No problem." He replied, tipping an invisible hat, "Now you be careful now you hear?"

Oh, she intended to be.

¬

It was... an experience, being on four hooves again. She had taken a look at herself in a shop window, faced with a white furred, blue mained unicorn mare in early middle age. She wondered what exactly lay behind such an image, whether it had been formed at random or had been carefully designed.

She was unique in one respect. She looked round at the ponies in the street and attempted to grasp their true forms and spirits, quickly becoming aware that these were all the avatars of real ponies. It was like... their spirits were being projected into this place.

And she knew what this place was now. It hadn't taken too long to work out, a symptom of her condition. She had interacted with the world through crude technology for so long, she had forgoten what the real world felt like. Ultimately... nothing like this. The air was too uniform, the area too clean, the heat and light not quite matching up with the postion of the sun.

This was a projection, a... computer generated fabrication. And all these ponies were trapped in it.

She finally reached Calamity's house after a long trek through the city, remembering this place had once been home to a prominant Canterlot noble. Now it's vast gardens were inhabited by very different ponies. Very familar ones.

Velvet Remedy, Calamity, Ace Gold, Elegant Waters, Pitch Perfect... they laughed and played in the warm summer sun, not a care in the world. They were united, happy, safe. And Sunny Days knew Velvet and Calamity's magic well enough to reach into their spirits, to follow the connection back...

...these were the real ponies. Even as they played here, their real forms lay in the real world sleeping.

She went to move forward, to go and speak to them, tell them what was happening. But... something stopped her. She looked back to see Calamity and Velvet embracing, feeling her heart break just a little. She had spoken to both of them during their divorce. She had seen their pain and heartbreak first hoof. She... couldn't break this up. She couldn't introduce unhappiness and heartbreak back into their lives after all this.

Even if she knew their happiness was a lie.

¬

Sunny Days sat on a park bench, watching the ponies pass by. They laughed and smiled, and little by little she unraveled the true behind their happiness. She felt the wooden surface of the bench and indentified the code making her think it was real.

And in the heads of the ponies around, a subtle insistant message programmed into their brains.

"You are safe. You are protected. You are happy."

It was all a lie, but it was an amazing one. Celestia knew the crusader mainframes that sat inside the SPP could theoretically create something like this, that the mind machine interface of the pod could bring a pony inside a simulation like this, that there were spells that could amplify that effect across a number of ponies... indeed, you could run that spell through the SPP's emitters. Through the MASEBS system. The SPP didn't lack for power. With all the towers currently operative, you could reach the entirity of Equestria.

But this simulation, it was so real, so accurate. Like it had been taken from the real thing...

...and Twilight had been working on something like that hadn't she? A constantly updating, scale map of Equestria, down to the tiniest detail. Celestia was aware that it had never been installed, had been lost when the Whitetail Woods had been hit by megaspells.

Sunny Days shook her head. It was possible, and if something was possible... Dream Star could bring it to life.

And that was just it wasn't it? Dream Star had won. She had finally beaten her in their little game, taken control of the SPP. She had achieved her dream, and it was beyond anything Sunny Days could have guessed. Indeed... she was actually a little impressed. Proud even.

"Don't be fooled everypony!"

Sunny Days looked up, the voice very familar.

"Open your minds to the truth! This peace, this happiness... it's all a lie! Why do we never hear of anything outside the city, why does no one ever leave?"

Sunny Days moved from the bench and trotted closer to the source of the voice, impressed to see of all things a literal soap box. And on that box... "Homage."

"Princess Dream Star is lying to us all!" Homage shouted at anypony who would listen, "Just stop for a moment and think! This world doesn't make any sense!"

"Hey!" Came a loud, authoritive voice from nearby, Sunny Days turning to see a group of royal guardponies approaching. She didn't recognise any of them, especially their leader. He was dressed in the captain's uniform, a broad faced, solid framed earth pony. Sunny Days noted that he, like the others, was armed with military grade shotguns and stun rods. They came closer to Homage, the captain giving her a challanging look, "I've warned you before Homage!"

"Fully armed I see Captain Dust Kicker." Homage accused, "Clearly silencing one little journalist requires you to be packing enough firepower to take down your average dragon."

"Well you always said that words are stronger than any weapon." Dust Kicker responded, "And you're not a journalist anymore, remember?"

Homage stepped down from the box, facing him eye to eye, "That title is not something you can take from me captain."

"You'll find I can take a lot from you." Dust Kicker responded, "I seems you're just asking for a demonstration."

"You don't scare..."

Sunny Days gasped as Dust Kicker cut Homage off with a vicious right hook, smacking her across the jaw and knocking her to the floor. She struggled to roll back to her feet but the other two guards had already moved, both of them striking her flanks with their stun rods and forcing her back down.

"Hey!" Sunny Days shouted, advancing forward with conviction. She felt the heat build in her horn, all three guards turning to look at her, "Let her go!"

Dust Kicker gave a sigh, lifting his shotgun, "Step away miss."

Sunny Days tensed, feeling her muscles bunch and her magic spark. She could take this brute, and his friends. But then sense dawned. She didn't know what she could do frankly, and she was seriously out of practice. Not to mention taking on royal guards, in a public area, in defense of someone clearly known to them? "I'm sorry officer, but I do believe you've made your point." She stated in as diplomatic a tone as she could manage, letting her magic fade away. She waved a hoof at Homage, "Allow me to take her home, and you will have no further trouble today."

Dust Kicker smiled, looking intreigued, "Well you at least know your manners. What's your name?"

She did her best not to react to his leering, "Sunny Days."

"Well then Sunny Days..." He backed away, slapping his shotgun before motioning sharply back at her, "...we'll be watching you."

Sunny nodded politely, "Of course. Good luck on your duties officers."

¬

"Did you get into trouble again?!"

Sunny turned, unable to keep hr smile hidden at that voice, that face. She fought to keep her reaction muted, still... how could she? The mare herself, her face splattered with greese, her hair uncombed and tustled... young. Unmarked by time or illness. That was strange, Homage after all appeared at her true age.

"Yeah... a little." Homage admitted.

"Well... um... I'm sorry." Littlepip stated nervously, clearly self concious as she noticed Sunny's stare, "Do I know you?"

"Oh... no. I simply know you by reputation." Sunny lied quickly. She noted this shop was a tinkers, figuring Littlepip had been studying engineering of late, "I'm told you're really good at fixing things."

Homage chuckled, "Like toasters."

"And your face, after you piss off the guards for the hundreth time." Littlepip retorted, shaking her head, "Another bruise?"

"It's alright." Homage soothed, looking over at Sunny, "This mare helped me. Convinced them to leave me alone."

"So now you're dragging others into this?" Littlepip asked, before bowing her head to Sunny, "Miss, I deeply appologise."

"Actually, she has a point." Sunny noted, studying Littlepip for a moment before realising what she needed would almost certainly need her permission, "I realise this sounds... rude, but may I scan you with my magic?" She blushed slightly, noting that her social nicities had certainly declined, "It may allow us all some answers."

Littlepip frowned, "Answers?"

"To Homage's concerns."

Littlepip lifted an eyebrow, "Why me? Why not Homage?"

"Would you believe that you're special?"

Homage's face cycled through several emotions. Littlepip on the other hoof merely looked offended, "No."

"You are special Littlepip." Homage stated with sincerity.

"No, I'm not. I'm honestly the most boring pony in this city." She frowned up at Sunny, eyes suspisious, "Especially compared to you. I've certainly never seen you around, and yet you seem to know me. And you're..."

"...very strange." Sunny concluded with a smile, "Are you curious as to why that is?"

Littlepip drew back a little, her expression softening, "Go ahead then."

Sunny nodded, igniting her horn. The first thing she noted is that Littlepip seemed... less real than anyone else she scanned. More like the surrounding enviroment than anything else, infinately less complex and messy than any of the others...

...indeed, a lot like herself. And that led to another thing they had in common, they didn't resemble their real world equiviants. That led to one conclusion. That while the others had all been somehow copied onto the system, somepony had made a dedicated effort to modify her and Littlepip's avatars, perhaps even create them wholescale.

She looked deeper, for some sort of connection. To the SPP, to anything. But there was nothing there, just the same thin thread of soul.

That unfortunately left her with few options, "Littlepip, do you remember Deadshot Calamity? Velvet Remedy?"

Littlepip frowned, "Sure. They live at the mansion on the hill, I think I met them once or twice. They seemed nice."

Sunny sighed, shaking her head. Those were the wrong names, too familar, "What about Xenith, Xephyr?"

Littlepip frowned, "Those sound like Zebra names. I... don't think there are any zebra here." A look of pain crossed her face and she averted her eyes, "At least... not for a long time."

Better, "What about... Steelhooves, and Gawd?"

Homage gave a little gasp, Littlepip quickly swallowing a burst of emotion. Homage spoke first, "I know those names... but I don't know where from."

Sunny smiled softly, her heart warmed. It seemed whatever had happened, it wasn't strong enough to totally erase their names from the hearts of their friends, "You know me too. But you've been made to forget."

Homage spoke, anger in her tone, "By who?"

Sunny lowered her head, that being a good question. But there was only one answer, "Dream Star."

"Princess Dream Star?" Littlepip exclaimed, "But she's... our Princess. She raises the sun, she protects us. She's... perfect and pure, and..."

Sunny furrowed her brow in irritation at Littlepip's all too familar words of praise, realised something very wrong with this situation. If her and Littlepip's avatars had been altered, if she alone had retained her memories, if by sheer concidence she had happened to run into Homage... then this was no concidence at all. And she recognised the look of Littlepip's face, the look of infactuation and awe, "Dream Star! This isn't a game!"

"Everything is a game." A voice stated, young and pure, yet somehow hollow and cold. The speaker stepped out of the shadows, her body seeming to just form out of thin air as the light illuminated her pink fur and bright yellow mane, "One you two have been playing for a very long time."

Sunny studied the new arrival. She was pink like Dream Star, but otherwise looked nothing like the mare, "Who are you?"

"It's the oracle..." Homage breathed in both awe and terror, "...Lady Puppysmiles."

Sunny frowned, recognising her. But... it made no sense, "Puppysmiles is dead."

"That didn't stop you. Or Dream Star." Puppysmiles grinned happily, like a child. It looked wrong, unnatural, "The gates of hell are closed to beings as unnatural as us."

Sunny closed her eyes. She had enjoyed their games well enough, but this... this is why she never let Dream Star win, "Enough. This is between us, so just let the others go."

"Go where?" Puppysmiles asked, then turned her eyes to Homage, "Miss Homage, how would you like to be only able to hold Littlepip for a few hours a month, to be riddled with a chronic desease that causes you constant pain, and will kill you before you hit fifty?"

Homage blinked, "What?"

"Miss Littlepip." Puppysmiles then stated to the next mare, her happy smile continuing unabated, "How would you like being near perminantly stuck inside a metal coffin, knowing that your lifespan will allow you to outlive all your friends while your body will decay to the point where you'll be never be able to see or touch the world ever again? To sit and watch others destroy everything you fought for, and be unable to do anything to stop it?"

"What...?" Littlepip asked in quiet, scared little voice, "What is she talking about?"

"And that is any different than this?" Sunny retorted, "This is a simulation, a lie! What is going on in the real world!? What is happening to their bodies while...?"

"Who cares?"

Sunny shook her head, "Their bodies must be still out there! I can feel the connection..."

"Littlepip burned your body." Puppysmiles stated casually, "You were too attached to this world to let a thing like the decay of meat be the end for you."

Sunny gasped, her insides going cold. That... that couldn't be. That couldn't happen, "Their souls..."

"Are bound to this place now. Like you. And when their bodies finally die, those souls will remain, here."

"You... how? You trapped... their souls?"

"I freed them." Puppysmiles corrected, "From pain, from suffering... from death itself."

"You can't!" Sunny shouted, tears forming in her eyes. She had pondered at what Dream Star would do if she found her way inside, what her plans could possibly be. She wondered what insane plot a mind as damaged and traumatised as hers could concoct.

But this... this was more than she ever dreamed possible, "You can't do this Dream... this... this isn't the answer..."

"You haven't a clue what the answer is Celestia." Puppysmiles answered, "All you can do is sit back and enjoy my perfect world."

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?

[Philweasel]

8847570
Very good question!

Off the top of my head.

Puppysmiles - Ariel Winter
Caesar - Quinton Flynn
Dust Kicker - Ron Perlman
Easu - It has to be Keith Szarabajka.
Dream Star - Genevieve O'Reilly

Fun fact, Ace Gold (and all his siblings) do have southern accents, though they're very soft ones.

[squid ink spaghetti]

Are Sunny days and Sunny smiles two separate ponies? I can't recall who sunny days is. And which one is Celestia?

[Philweasel]

8850686
Oh poo, did I mess up her name somewhere there? They are the same pony, sorry.

And the name is a bit of a reference to Sunny Skies All Day Long. For obvious reasons, Celestia didn't want to use her own name, and she has a backup just in case.