Fallout: Equestria, Project Horizons

Chapter 24: Hell of a Night

Equestria: Project Horizons
By Somber
Chapter 24: Hell of a Night
"It's the horrifying story of the messy inconsiderate ghost, who irritated everypony within a hundred miles! OoooooOOOwwwwOOOoo..."
I had to admit, I had no idea what to expect. Something here gave Watcher the ability to go on day after day, year after year. The strength to face a future that seemed determined to get bleaker and darker till everything was lost. I needed that strength. Virtues. Friendships. Even love wasn't enough. I needed a reason to live.
Or else I was already dead.
Spike stretched his arms and wings far overhead as we walked. "I don't think I've ever left like that before. You mares must be rubbing off on me," he said with a rueful chuckle.
I couldn't help but smile nervously. He was a huge, scaly, fire breathing carnivore. "You seem like you're in a good mood."
He blinked, then looked at me with the smallest of smiles. "You know... I am. Between you and her and everything, I feel better than I have in decades."
"Her? Oh! That mare you were talking about. How'd that go?"
He snorted, glaring at the burned patch. "Aside from the Enclave making asses of themselves, just fine," he said with a low, worrying growl. "They're up to something, though." Tell me about it.
I looked around the cave. Now that I was a bit less nervous, I could appreciate how... unexpected it was. The huge pile of gems I'd been next to was only one of several, but that wasn't surprising in a dragon's cave. What was surprising were the high shelves packed with books that covered most of the walls. We also passed a dragon-sized circular bed which, aside from its size, shape, and being built into the floor, was a perfectly ordinary bed with pillows and blankets. An ordinary-looking terminal stood on a pedestal next to the bed. I looked up and saw a rough, stalactite-strewn ceiling: exactly what you'd expect in a cave. I thought of asking Watcher if all dragon caves were actually like this, but decided that there were more important things to worry about at the moment. "So... you have something to show me?"
"I do," he replied in a softer voice, stopping in front of a passage leading deeper into the mountain. "But I need something from you first. Something very important: a promise. You have to keep this from your friends. From everypony you can."
"After what I pulled tonight, I'm not sure I still have any friends," I muttered, ears drooping. Then I met his green gaze, sighed, and straightened. "I promise. I'll do everything I can to keep your secrets, Watcher." He looked at me for a long moment, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of my words, then nodded.
We wound our way further into the cave, as Watcher (or should I call him Spike?) talked in his slow, deep, rumbling voice. "When the ministries were formed, Twilight Sparkle devoted herself to helping Princess Luna win the war. None of us thought that it would be easy, but I think there was a conceit that, now that we were involved, it'd all be wrapped up soon. But the bigger the ministries got, the less Twilight saw of her friends.
"Did you know that, for years, Twilight lived almost completely alone in Canterlot?" he asked, looking back at me, and I shook my head dumbly. "She had me, of course, but her entire life was studying and thinking and learning new magic. Then Princess Celestia sent her to Ponyville; she met her friends there and stopped the rise of Nightmare Moon. Together, they could do anything. But once they dove into the ministries, they were slowly pulled apart.
"It wasn't like there was some plot to keep them isolated. The war was just so big that, honestly, there was no way for us to be together like we used to. And Twilight, she regressed to how she lived in Canterlot, except that she was desperate for those moments when she could be with her friends. For times where they could pretend like everything was okay. Most folks thought she was happy being in charge of an entire ministry dedicated to arcane sciences."
He let out a great sigh. "Deep down, I think she hated it more than anypony."
"I don't understand how it happened, though. I mean, why didn't they just quit if they were so unhappy?"
He stopped and looked down at me again. "How it happened is a bit more complicated. But as for why she didn't just quit... why don't you quit being Security?"
I arched a brow and gave a little smile. "Spike, I was going to blow my brains out fifteen minutes ago."
"That was suicide. I mean, why don't you quit?" he asked, pointing at the word 'Security' on my barding with his huge claw. "Take that armor off. Go back to Chapel. Let everypony know you're done with wandering the Wasteland and helping out Hoofington. Why don't you do that? Seems a bit saner than killing yourself."
The thought hadn't entered my mind, and I sat down hard. Why hadn't I thought of that? Just give up the job without giving up life? But the thought of what my friends would say... what DJ Pon3 or Priest or Bottlecap would think...
I swallowed hard at the unpleasant thoughts, and he nodded. "Exactly. It's easy to die. Not so easy to quit. Once they were the Ministry Mares, they couldn't stop. They wanted to. I don't think even Rainbow Dash liked what they'd become. But they couldn't... not without completely humiliating themselves and letting down Princess Luna." He looked away with a wistful gaze. "There was a time, about five years after the M.A.S. formed, that I thought she was going to do it. Step down... hand the ministry over to Mosaic and Gestalt. Just walk away to the life she wanted."
"So what happened?"
"Shattered Hoof Ridge. The assassination attempt on Celestia, I think, broke something in her. After that she became... consumed. Her friends grew further and further apart, especially her and Pinkie Pie. But even I wasn't around like I should have been."
"Then, one day, she showed me this..." he said as we reached the end of the tunnel. The chamber beyond was huge, large enough for Spike to rise to his full height. I'd never seen so many maneframes.
The six walls of the chamber formed a hexagon lined with gems and arcane machinery. In the center of the room, though, rose a large, elegant stalagmite of technology that made the walls seem like only a step above bare rock. It seemed to breathe silently, as if it were asleep. My eyes were drawn higher and higher up that spire until I was looking out at a black patch of faint stars.
Then I promptly fell back with a limp thud. Spike blinked in surprise. "Sorry..." I muttered lamely. "I'm not good with heights..." I rose to my hooves and gave myself a good shake. "What is that?"
"This is a Crusader super maneframe," he said quietly, as if it could hear him. "It's one of the single greatest arcane machines ever invented, capable of handling both technological data of staggering complexity and employing precision magical effects." He looked up at it. "She designed it herself, completely secret from the rest of the ministries and even her own people."
I couldn't believe that. There was no way one pony, or even one pony and a dragon, could build something like this or keep it secret. The materials and technology... Then I looked at him again. "The O.I.A. did this, didn't they?"
He looked shocked. Even a little impressed. "You know about them, huh?" He looked at the supercomputer with a grudging glare and sighed. "Yes. She commissioned it from the O.I.A. Goldenblood got the machines, the equipment, from somewhere. Everything completely off the books. A hundred ponies lived in this cave for two years straight constructing it. Then he had their memories erased."
"I don't understand. Why the big secret? What is it?" I asked, looking at the sleeping machine as if expecting it to wake up and talk to me. Was this what EC-1101 was for?
"This machine is designed to cast a spell, the single greatest and most powerful spell of all time. A megaspell specifically crafted to affect, potentially, all of Equestria." I looked at the device in awe. "It has the ability to purge the Wasteland of taint, neutralize radioactive contamination, and restore life to the land. It's called Gardens of Equestria."
I fell over again. "Oh, is that all?" My head reeled at the possibilities. I could imagine the Dealer dropping his dusty cards in shock at this!
He nodded as he gazed at the machinery. "It taps into a source of power greater than even Princess Celestia and Luna: the Elements of Harmony." He walked along beside me as he pointed at jeweled necklaces sitting on crystalline pedestals surrounding the central machine. "Honesty. Kindness. Laughter. Generosity. Loyalty." He paused for a moment, his green eyes lingering on the last, which was a strange crown thingy instead of a necklace. "Magic."
"So... let's get this show on the road! How do we fire it up?" I asked as I looked at the machine. Maybe there was a button that needed pushing? A bright red one? I reached towards a likely-looking gem but caught Spike's look. Right, no touchie.
"We can't," he said softly, "It won't work without the Elements of Harmony."
"But... I thought you said that those were the Elements of Harmony?" I said, waving a confused hoof at the necklaces and crown thingy. He looked like he was trying to decide whether to smile or not.
"They are, but..." he began after a moment, "I suppose you could say that they are dormant. The physical forms of the Elements of Harmony aren't enough; for their power to be used, they have to be wielded by ponies who embody the Elements. The Ministry Mares were the bearers, once... but that was a long, long time ago."
There was a pause as we both thought. The only sound was the beeping of the active maneframe wall.
"So..." I said, "You're looking for ponies that fit the bill?"
He nodded solemnly. "For two centuries. Every now and then, I might find one... but then they die, or they lose themselves to the Wasteland, or just never meet any others. I try to encourage the Elements and foster them wherever I can..." Like when he saw P-21 and me helping each other outside the stable. "But I haven't been able to find enough yet."
I thought of my friends. Glory... was she still loyal after what I'd pulled? Or was her virtue something else? I doubted Rampage's laughter would fit. P-21? Lacunae? Would this even work with an alicorn? "I'm sorry, Spike. I really wish I could be one of those six ponies, but I don't think I'm your mare." To be honest, I'd be terrified of any megaspell that included me as a component.
He reached down and patted my head; okay, I tried to appreciate the intent, even if it did just remind my body that I was standing next to a dragon. "It's alright. The fact is that, even after all this time, I doubt I've come across more than a dozen ponies that were possibilities. Think of how hard it must be to find honesty in a place like this. Or generosity, when ponies kill each other for what was effectively litter two centuries ago?" He looked at the majestic machine with a sigh, reaching out to touch it lovingly with his claws. "But so long as there are ponies, I still have hope that, someday, I might find the six needed and give Equestria a chance to be reborn."
It was a long shot. I knew it. So did he. But as I sat there looking at the machine, I gave a little frown. My eyes were drawn to the necklace with the diamond-shaped jewel, and I had a niggling thought. What about Bottlecap? Maybe... though I feared that her trading in weapons might disqualify her. While she was generous, in her own way, she had caused harm as well. Caprice... yeah, right.
I did know one pony, though... one infuriating... obnoxious... ruthless little pony who had no scruples against trading for every cap she could get her dirty hooves on... but who also went above and beyond in making sure that everypony had what they needed. A pony who somehow found a way to make a daisy sandwich, gave me a box of spark batteries, and sold Glory the barding she'd need so she wouldn't look like a raider. I groaned, pressing my hooves to my temples, hoping I wouldn't regret it.
"Is there an age limit on this thing?" I asked with a rueful smile.