Horse-Based Economy

by David Silver

7 - Well Rested

Bellies filled, and caps less so, they were lounging comfortably in the warm afterglow of a fine meal. "There you are." Rarity approached with a grand smile. "Imagine my surprise, darlings, when I emerged, and you were nowhere to be seen. And then I hear you ran right out into trouble! I was hoping today would be a day for recovery. You can get back into trouble after you leave our little town."

Applejack cradled her glass with its precious little libations remaining. "Want a sip?" She offered it towards Rarity. "Mighty good."

Rarity's horn glowed as she accepted the glass, hovering it closer. "You look just a little tipsy, dear." She took a sip herself. "Best place to be at. Allow me to help you go no further." And so they removed the rest of the applejack with one last gulp. "Mmm, you were right, delightful. Now, one does not simply skip out like that! I want to hear how you enjoyed it."

Stan climbed to his feet, giving a languid stretch with it. "Today's been very relaxing. The brief shootout didn't even put a dent in it." It hit him. "Well, it did put a dent in Giddyup... But he's gettin' that buffed out."

"Poor dear." Rarity shook her head. "I was wondering why I didn't see him. He doesn't leave your side unless he has to. Where is he being repaired?"

Applejack pointed the way, on the ground on her other three hooves. "Nice mare by the name ah Fluttershy?"

"Oh! Yes, Flutter. Lovely mechanic, and delightfully kind pony. A little curious at times. I swear, she gets along with robots better than she does other ponies." Rarity walked with them out of the eatery. "Shall we check in on her? I can't imagine you want to be away from your partner for long, dears."

"Nope." A little break, perhaps, but he'd gotten that. "Let's grab a Giddyup."

"Excuse me." A stallion with an odd cap had a microphone in his mouth, holding it up towards Stan. "I hear you're an outsider that got mixed up--"

Rarity pushed the stallion back with the firm push of a hoof. "Stop right there. He's not your news story, darling."

"A child ghoul visiting is already news," argued the stallion with a huff. "One that gets into a fight on their first day? Even more news. Eye-witnesses say you had a robotic companion helping you out. There's no way this isn't news, Miss Rarity."

"No comment." Stan sidestepped around the eager reporter, heading down the street.

Applejack tipped her hat and raced to catch up.

Rarity inclined her head at the two. "Read the room, dear. That is hardly the way to welcome guests to our community." She followed, but in no trot. A lady could walk.

They all met back up at Fluttershy's place, where she was standing out front with Giddyup. She was walking him through steps, and he was obeying. He lifted a hoof up and turned it at precise measurements to her satisfaction, one at a time. "You're looking so much healthier." Fluttershy clapped with joy at her repair work. "If you have time, you deserve a fresh coat of paint."

Rarity tittered, hearing this. "Well, his 'child' just got his own painting, it's only fair... Do you plan to remain with us that long?"

"How long does that take?" Stan patted Giddyup on the side. "She treat you right?"

"Repairs complete. Running self-diagnostics..." Giddyup was quiet save for the soft ticks of calculation. "All systems acceptable. Damage negligible."

Fluttershy inclined her head at that report. "Negligible? Did I miss something? I can fix it!"

"That damage is unlikely to be repaired without a complete remanufacturing." Giddyup swung his neck and head to look over himself. "Repairs complete." He swung back to Stan. "You look happy."

"Ah am. Today's been a fine day." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and ran into some paper. "Right." He dug it out. "Don't really need to keep..." But it wasn't just the receipt from the restaurant. It was also the ticket for firing off guns in the town. "Almost forgot about that... We really should visit that mayor."

Applejack sighed, but she was smiling a little. "We really should. The ponies of this town have been a welcomin' lot overall. I don't think we're lookin' at too much trouble. 'Sides! You didn't even need a ticket. You just got one 'cause you wanted one." She hiked a brow at Stan. "Why did you want one? Ah woulda skipped if they let me."

Rarity snatched the ticket with her glowing horn. "What's this?" Her eyes scanned over the words swiftly. "Oh. You really did get in a little to-do... I swear, I let you out of my sights for a moment. Darlings, really... Now, fortunately for you, the mayor is a fine pony. Just explain what happened, be honest, and listen to her. She'll set you all straight."

"I can paint him while you do that." She waved back into her house. "I have what I'd need to get him a nice bright yellow, or would you prefer a different color?"

Stan raised his hands quickly. "Hold on! Don't need Giddyup visible from too far away. We don't live in a nice world."

Fluttershy wilted at that. "True... Oh! What about--"

"--Camouflage," cut in Rarity, to Fluttershy's approval, the two coming to the same thought. "Browns and greens to help him blend in, but still look better."

Giddyup looked to Stan, offering no opinion. Stan nodded. "Sure, some muted earth shades doesn't sound awful. If he doesn't like it, you stop."

"Proceed." Giddyup went with Fluttershy into her house to get a spray-painting done.

Rarity took charge of the remaining two. "This way to the mayor's office." Their office wasn't some grand edifice. A simple one story house that could have belonged to any resident of the town, really. There were a few ponies coming and going, some glancing curiously at the new people.

"Hope we're not interrupting," called Rarity as she walked in. "But I have two naughty, but kind, people in need of the mayor."

The secretary looked up with a cocked brow. "Do they have appointments?"

"Miss Inkwell, always a pleasure." Rarity surrendered the citation Stan had gotten. "I believe this qualifies."

Raven looked it over with proper consideration. "Yes. Please wait here." She pointed to some sofas and chairs and she vanished into the back.

Rarity waved at the seats. "She'll be right with you, dears. Now, I do have business to attend to. You know where to find me." She departed with a final nod, ready to resume her day's work.

Applejack sank onto one of the sofas. "This whole town is... comfortable."

"Not a bad word for it." Stan took a seat, going for a chair instead. "Now let's see what their justice system's like. That can be awful hit or miss these days."

A large pony emerged from the back, the largest any of them had seen. She had grand wings, partially spread. She had a long horn. She had a kind smile and walked with a confidence. "Good afternoon," she bade. "I hear you were involved in that... situation earlier today."

Stan peered curiously at the massive pony. A horse, really, if one wanted to be accurate based on the size... "Nice to meet you, miss...?"

"How rude of me." She brought up a hoof to her chest. "Celestia. And you are?"

"Stan." He gestured to Applejack.

"Applejack, ma'am. We weren't tryin' to cause no trouble, honest!"

"Your hearts were clearly in the right place. "Celestia sank to her haunches, still towering over them easily. "But, you must understand, guns are dangerous. A misplaced bullet can result in a wounded, or worse, person without trying. We have those rules in place for everyone's protection."

Stan lifted his shoulders, not looking convinced. "Your town guards were ready to shoot."

"This is not a kind world," she admitted with a soft tone of regret. "They must be ready, but they will not shoot where they know other ponies, or other residents, are. Proper trigger discipline is practiced, to minimize the odds of... accidents. You are not as aware of the town's layout, or where the people in it are at any given time. Letting outsiders take shots, even with the best of intentions, increases the odds of mistakes. The walls of our homes are not thick enough to dissuade such a thing with any certainty."

Stan considered the doorways he'd been through. Those were fine walls, but not bulletproof walls. "I can imagine... "

Celestia smiled at the two of them. "I think you understand then."

Applejack tipped her hat. "Right sorry. 'Least there weren't any trouble made today?"

"Thankfully not." Celestia rose to her full height. "You were given that citation to speak with me, not to face any punishments. Thankfully, nobody was hurt today. Let's keep it that way. " She turned in place to Stan. "Now, I can't ignore you. You, technically, did not need to be here. Your citation made it clear you were informed of this, but here you are." She smiled anew. "Why?"

"The last mayor of the last pony town, she wasn't quite right, up here." He tapped at the side of his head. "Let the power rush right up there, made a big mess ah things in the end."

Applejack heaved a sigh in memory of that mayor. "Real shame, she'd been doin' a fine job up 'till that point."

Celestia curled a wing to point at herself. "So you've come to see if I showed the same problem? What would you do, if I did?"

Stan considered with a little frown. "This town's not run the same as that one. Ain't much reason for me to get messed up in it. Still, wanted to meet a new pony mayor. Was kinda hopin' you'd show the last one wasn't how it always went."

"Then I hope I have provided that." She looked Stan over penetratingly. "Most ghouls were present, when the bombs dropped. Are you one of them?"

Stan started faintly. "Most ponies don't know what a ghoul is."

"A mayor should strive to be informed." She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Are you?"

"Yeah... I was there, that day. Why?"

"So was I." Celestia ruffled her wings faintly. "It's not every day I get a chance to speak with another survivor, that's all."

Stan held up a hand flat with her. "Hol' on! You were around, then? Ah ain't never heard of no talking horses. That'd be big news!"

"Surely it would have been..." Celestia's horn glowed as she drew out a map, unfurling it to display some kind of vault's diagram. "But I was just placed in the bunker not long before the bombs came. The news was... a little disrupted by the entire event... I grew up in the bunker, my first job being to oversee the ponies they put in there with me."

Stan frowned at the thought. "But you were... How old were you when that happened?"

"My first memory is waking up in the Overmare's chair, and there I remained until we left the vault, and formed this town." She shook her head slowly. "Don't feel bad. They made me for this job, and I'm not awful at it... And I enjoy it. I like seeing my little ponies enjoying the life I work to provide them."

"'Bout that!" Stan waved towards the outside. "'Bout the whole town actually. What made you leave the vault and set up outside it?"

"That was the plan." Celestia tucked the map away and drew out another paper. "This was a secret, but that time has long since passed." She set the paper flat, hovering in the air. "Those who built the vault and who put the ponies in it, myself included, gave me instructions. We were to leave at a specific time and establish a town. As the vault's overseer, I saw it done." Her eyes darted to Applejack. "But I see we weren't the only vault, or the only ponies. Rumors had been reaching us, but you're the first actual pony I've seen that isn't one of ours."

Author's Note:

Did someone order some backstory? Hi Celestia! She's doing her part to be a good, clearly unaging, ruler.

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Comments

[tsaukpaetra]

Hehe, always fun to meet the longer-lived. Didn't see that one coming at all!
Kinda interesting how all of the vaults seem to have been given different instructions and goals. Seems politics pervades even in the ostensibly congruent plans.

[David Silver]

11670498
Welcome to Vault Tech! They love running different tests with different parameters.

[tsaukpaetra]

11670508
"we're throwing all the *&$# at the wall because there ain't no more time to debate it!"

[Booster Spice]

One with the microphone the other with teh writing implement?

Nosey News and Parker Pen?

She got the looks, but does she have the particle accelerator target training?

[David Silver]

11670535
The secretary is Raven inkwell.

[Turquoise pony]

An immortal Mayor? Did we just stumble upon a SimCity/Fallout crossover DLC?