Fallout Equestria New Horizons: Lacunae and Rampage's vacation in paradise.

by starwars90001

To teach beilever to unbeileve, for the truth hurts

The truth you cling to is nothing but lies

Most of the tests were simple enough: blood tests, reaction tests, physicals. The only test that made Lacunae raise an eyebrow was when Clean Cut brought a bottle filled with magical radiant water, something about wanting to learn about radiation's effect on creatures on magical radiation attune creatures. By the end of the test, she was a glowing flashlight of radiation.

“I don’t think this test was safe Mr. Cut.” The glowing alicorn stared over to a corner of the room where Clean Cut and Ginger were dressed in radiation suits.

The stallion chuckled at the display. “We’re fine, you seem to be taking it well.”

“For my kind, magical radiation is very relaxing really.” she thought about that phrase for a minute. “Think about it as getting a massage from radiation.”

“Interesting.” Clean Cut pulled out a clipboard and began taking notes. “Now, let’s test your magical abilities.” He pointed his pen to a table to the side of the room, white tins set neatly in stock on it. “I want you to lift all those med packs off the table.

Lacunae nayed. “Filly’s play, I can do better than that.” With a light-up of her horn, she lifted the packs, the table, the medical bed, a cybernetic leg that rest on a rack, and picked Ginger off the ground.

“Amazing!” Clean Cut was fan gasping at the sight. “Tell me is this your normal magical strength?”

“No, I can lift more than this even without radiation enhancement. The power-up is only helping me do this without strain but I could go farther than this.”

“Farther?”

“Yes, in this state I could probably lift up this entire camp.”

“Really?” There was a little disbelief at such a claim. Clean Cut had seen unicorns lift everything from boxcars to large steel beams, but no pony he knew could lift so many ponies and objects without burning themselves out.

Lacunae felt the doubt in his mind, she rarely had to break out her true power but this wasn’t the time or place. “Yes, it drains all my normal magic, but I could take it farther if I became one with myself.”

“One with yourself?” The Phrase escaped Clean Cut, in all his years of magical study he’d never heard that before. Was it an alicorn thing he thought? perhaps she had learned some secret spell?

Lacunae took the confusion as her chance to play wisemare and teach this pony of science the old ways of magic. “You see Mr. Cut there are forces that run throughout our world that move and change us everyday. I take it you know of the Elements of Harmony?” He nodded his head. “Good, ponies seek harmony in all things, we are followers of the Element of Harmony whether we accept it or not. But Harmony is only one of many Elements that move our world: Chaos, order, death, life, time, conflict, male, female, and various others create cause and effect in our world.”

She brought the cyber leg to her face, something felt wrong about it. Something that shouldn’t be there. She kept explaining her faith as she studied it, hoping her host wouldn’t catch on. “All things in our world are connected through the Elements, we are their agents in everything we do, we call upon them when we act whether we know it or not. We are the Elements and the Elements are us.” There was power in this leg, a power she knew all too well. But how did it get there?

“But we can do more than be agents of the Elements. We can tap into their power if we become one with ourselves. To do it one must be in complete balance with themselves, no one Element must have complete control over you there must be peace within all things.” She glanced at the stallion and Minotaur to see they were hanging off her every word. “Only then can you achieve true oneness. I hope my explanation was good enough for you.”

“I, I never heard of this. Is this something you discovered?” Clean Cut for the first time in a long time was speechless at something, for the second time that night this mare had shocked him.

“No.” She stated matter factly. “This was an olden belief from a time when ponies still worship the Elements. As civilization developed ponies gave up the old ways, they forgot the way of the Elements and soul. Magic became scientific rather than a way for ponies to connect to the forces of nature.” There was a hint of resentment in her voice. “Magic has become viewed as nothing more than convenient powers, not as an extension of the Element’s will. Centuries of academic studies and oversimplification of magic has hurt the world.” She sighed, no matter how much she hated what magic became she knew in the end this is how most viewed it. “But I have ranted long enough, is this test done?”

“Eh, yeah! You passed all expectations.” She floated the cyber leg into her forehooves, there was no doubt about it. These Watchers were doing something with this power, she knew what. One only uses this power when they seek one thing, complete destruction. She knew that a group like this could never exist in the Wasteland without having their sins hidden, and this was a big sin. “Now we just need to get rid of all that radiation before you can trot around the fort.”

“Oh, that is no problem.” With a soft light blue flash, the glow she emitted was gone. “A clean body is a clean soul.”

Clean Cut nayed, this mare couldn’t stop impressing him. “You're something else, you know that.” He was about to say something else when a thought across his mind. “Oh, I forgot, your friend came in a half-hour after you did. Apparently, she wants to pay for Torr’s medical bills and everything. I can take you to her tent if you want?”

“Thank you but do you mind if I keep this?” She held the cyber leg in her hooves.

“Oh sure! It’s last year’s model so we’re keeping it as back up if we need spare parts. We have a whole warehouse full of them.” A whole warehouse full of this bringer of death. “Why? Do you want a cyber replacement?” He asked politely, she sensed a hint of worry in him.

She floated the leg looking at its inner components to fane interest. “No, I’m just impressed by its craftsmanship. Outside the Hoof, Cybernetics are rare finds, and this is a well-constructed beauty.” That was a lie, she had seen more advanced than this, but lies require flattery. “I wish to take it as a souvenir back home, compare it to the cybernetics of Pre-war Equestria.”

He seemed to take the compliment, almost blushing at her kindness. “Oh thank you, you can have it for putting up with all our tests.” She guessed this device of mass destruction had a switched somewhere, and without its true purpose would never be known. He probably thought the alicorn wouldn’t look any deeper into it but few understood her talents.

She needed to look into this, she needed to put a stop to this. any pony using this power covertly had no good intention, and whatever these Watchers were planning did not bold well for this city or the Wasteland.

But first, she needed to comfort her friend. “Thank you, Mr. Cut, you’ve been a great host..” Lacunae was cut off by shouts coming from outside.

“COME OUT FOUL CREATURE!” They were loud and defying but with a sense of command in them.

Lacunae looked to her host for answers as to what this was but he seemed just as lost. Deciding to take a look at what was all the commotion the alicorn trotted out of the tent and into a crowd of ponies that surrounded the tent on all sides. They looked like normal Watchers but she could see some were patients here, some looked at her hatefully while others looked on in disgust. In the center of the crowd was a small white mare with a blonde flowing mane, and the Cutie Mark of a rising sun, she stood atop a soapbox like a preacher ready to spread the good word.

“Excuse me?” Lacunae was too confused by what was happening, was this an angry mob, did they plan to attack? “Can I help you?”

“You hear me fowl spawn of the Wasteland! You take the image of Goddess Celestia to lure the faithful from her light! Only to turn them into horrible mockeries such as yourself! Well we will not stand for it monster, leave the city of Celestia and never return!” The mare saying this was small enough to be a filly yet she preached like a priestess before a grand audience.

Realization of what was happening hit her and the alicorn tried her best not to laugh. “Oh my, my, my, we got a true believer. This is rich.” She looked to Clean Cut who trotted out beside her.

“Ms. Lacunae met Righteous Song, Priestess of Celestia’s Vision.”

Lacunae burst out laughing, getting glares or confused stares from every pony. The irony of the name and mare was too much for her. “Oh, when I hear of Celestia’s vision I pictured angry old Celestia thumbing mares. Nice to see my predictions were correct.” That made Righteous Song seeth a bit under her breath. Lacunae trotted closer to her, not taking the mare or her followers as any threat she decided to poke the bear. “Tell me oh wise Priestess, why am I a front to Goddess Celestia?”

The small white mare growled at the question. “Did you not hear my words fowl demon. You steal the image of Goddess Celestia, you prev her good name with lies of unity between ponies, you seek to turn her once great kingdom into your false paradise.” She turned to the ponies gathering around her. “We will not allow such evil to take our land away from us!” That got stomps of approval from some in the crowd.

Lacunae glanced back at Clean Cut who looked like he wanted to dig himself into the ground. “Tell me, Priestess, you're called Celestia’s vision. Do I not fit into her great vision whatever that is? Was Celestia not loving to all creatures in her kingdom? Are we not all in need of her love?” Lacunae could tell her questions were angering the mare by the minute, she loved messing with the followers of Celestia that popped up after the world ended.

That struck a sore spot, Righteous Song let Lacunae have it like no pony would. “Celestia’s vision is for all ponies to live in peace and Harmony. Mutants like you, Griffins, Zebras, Minotaurs, Ghouls, Cyborgs, and everything else that torture ponykind doesn't deserve the beauty of Celestia’s vision!”

If Lacunae wasn’t laughing before she was now, she’d met all kinds of ponies that worship her former teacher’s sister to a slavish extent. And every time she found joy in bursting their little bubble. “So I’m not part of Celestia’s great vision? So what is her great vision? The Wasteland.” The number of death stares she got from the crowd would make a normal pony coward but Lacunae ate this shit up. “You forget your ‘goddess’ is the reason you live in a Wasteland, to begin with. Your ‘goddess’ started the war that ended the world fool! It was under her leadership that Equestria declared war on the Zebras and dragged the world into war! My existence as an alicorn, cyborg soldiers, and the mutants born out of balefire bombs was caused by Goddess Celestia’s great judgment!”

Righteous Song was fuming, her bright white face turning red in anger. If Lacunae didn’t overshadow her the mare would probably fight her. “What would a false alicorn like you know of her greatest? Your words are just lies to break the faithful.”

If she wasn’t enjoying her vacation when she came to this city she was now, Lacunae always loved this next part. “Because I met her.” Righteous Song just nayed at that. “Oh no, I met her. Do you think this form before you was how I always was?” Some in the crowd were staring the alicorn over, most questioning such a claim, only ghouls living so long and she lacked their zombie-like features. “Before I was taken in by Unity and reborn into the form in front of you I was servant great Luna. I was closer to Celestia than most ponies at the time were.” Lacunae’s tone became cruel and she spoke the words slowly. “Celestia was a fucking coward. Who abandoned her sister to clean her mess. But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself.”

Lacunae’s horn lit up and the world became blinding light. Thousands of them, an ocean of memories flooded through their minds like a roaring waterfall. Memories of a forgotten age, of ponies and events from a pony’s life who was long gone. Lacune looked through them all, she filled the crowd’s heads with her memories of the Two princesses they worship as goddesses, showing them how mundane and imperfect the gods they believed were. But there was one memory she wished to burn into their heads forever so they knew who their precious Celestia really was.

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The Canterlot gardens were a thing of beauty, multi neatly cut scrubs were made into pieces of art. Butterflies danced in the morning sunlight as newly bloomed flowers bacon them. The gardens usually had many visitors but today it had only two. A pitch-black unicorn with a white pluff mane and an alicorn with a rainbow-like mane that sparkled. The Alicorn was attending to the garden, cutting leaves and watering flowers as the unicorn watched her. She was dressed in strange black combat armor that meddled with her coat, she looked like a shadow in the bright idyllic place. Her expression was a scowl as she watched the alicorn work, the alicorn paid her no mind almost if she wasn’t there.

“Why?” That was all the unicorn asked.

“No, Psalm, I can’t.” Was her answer.

“Can’t or Won’t?

There was a hint of strain from the Alicorn, she dared not answer that.

“Your sister is risking her life for her ponies while you sit here with your flowers.” That hurt the alicorn more than she knew. “Our troops need all the moral support on this front, ponies are dying and breaking, why aren’t you being their princess, why aren’t you leading them?”

The alicorn looked down at the ground in defeat and shame, she fell back on her haunches as the weight of it all took its toll. “I don’t want to see it Psalm, I can’t see my ponies being killed. I can’t see my sister becoming a killer again, becoming a nightmare.” Tears started welling up in her eyes. “I never want any of this you know. I never wanted my ponies to suffer this war, I don’t want to see how I turned them into monsters.”

Psalm broke at that, she trotted over to the alicorn and grabbed her by the shoulders, making the larger being look her in the eyes. “You started this war! Everything that’s happening outside is happening because of your actions.” Her usual quiet voice was now a violent rant. “You started the war for fucking coal but the minute it came too much abandoned it all to your sister. You're an alicorn, the symbol of the greatest of ponykind, but look at you. You're a fucking coward who ran off when the deck was stacked against you, you don’t deserve those wings!”

Celestia couldn’t respond, she had no comeback, no explanation, just a look of utter defeat. “Your right, your completely right.” She couldn’t, she knew nothing she would say could please the unicorn. “But won’t join the madness, I can’t give up what remains of me. I just can’t become a killer like every pony else.”

Psalm threw her down in complete disgust, not even bothering to look at the alicorn as she walked away. “For 1000 years you babied Equestria, keeping ponies from growing up from the horrors of the world, from experiencing the Elements of Chaos and destruction. Then in our darkest hour, you left us, your world of Harmony was destroyed and your not rising to deal with it. “ She was just out of the garden when she stopped cold. “Let this be a lesson fool, you can create a world of order and Harmony but Chaos will always exist. Those who did not rise to the change the Elements bring are doomed to be destroyed by them.”

With that, the unicorn walked out of the garden leaving the alicorn to the sounds of blowing wind and birds.

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The light fell away as the world came back, every pony was dazed as confusion spread among them. They all saw that vision, they saw their goddess in her weakest moment. Few knew what to make of it, even more, were questioning what they saw. Lacunae’s eyes glossed over all of them, watching as the faith they so heavily believed in was put into question. Some seemed to refuse what they saw, most were questioning everything they believe.

Righteous Song for her part seemed in complete denial. “You're lying. You're trying to brainwash us! You Created that memory to break us.” Her firm belief was shaken but not broken. “We will not be broken but your lies.”

“Lies?” Lacunae let the word hang in the air as she looked the priestess over. “That was as true as they get, that was the goddess whose vision you all seek to make real.”

“Do not believe the lies of this monster brothers and sisters!” Righteous Song pointed an accusing hoof at the Alicorn. “Her vision is a lie, she only seeks to move the faithful from the true path.” Few in the crowd agree at them, most were confused not knowing what to make of any of this.

Lacunae knowing she had weakened their resolve went in for the final blow. “If Celestia’s vision was to create a world of Harmony for ponies, but all she succeeded in creating was a world of Discord. If you view me as a horrible spawn of the Wasteland then you must blame Celestia for my existence and see me as part of her vision.”

Those words seemed to crack the foundation that Righteous Song stood on. Few took her side, most looked broken as the faith they had so long believe started to wane. The few that kept believing stood firm glaring at the alicorn but most ponies begin trotting off. Righteous song tried inspiring them against the alicorn but her words fell on deft ears. “No my ponies, you can't believe what a devil says!"

Lacunae watched the small mare with sad pitiful eyes, the shame she felt for a mare to dedicate her life to her belief only for it to be shattered in an instant. But Sometimes you need to wake ponies up from their disillusion. “Shall we go, Mr. Clean Cut?” She looked to the doctor pony beside her, she had spared him the truth she gave them but he still looked a bit afraid of her.

“Yeah, follow me.” His expression was shocked at what just happened but he kept his thoughts to himself as he made his way down the camp, Ginger walking close behind him.

Lacunae let out a breath she was holding back. “I hope the rest of my vacation is peaceful compared to today.”

Comments

[Bronycommander]

you on a run today, eh?