Fallout: Equestria, Project Horizons

Chapter 57: Best Night Ever

Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons
By Somber
Chapter 57: Best Night Ever

"I can't believe we're finally here. With all that we've imagined, the reality of this night is sure to make this... The Best Night Ever!"

I've never been good with parties. I'd had a few celebrations at 99, but, by and large, parties were things that happened to other ponies. Even after getting outside, I always got a little squirm in my gut from the idea of being in a social situation where I was the center of attention. Cuddling with Glory and talking about 'psychosexual metamorphic influences' was more appealing than being in a place where I was expected to actually interact. If it meant I'd be alone with her, I'd happily speculate with Glory all night about whether or not her different body accounted to her being receptive to Splendid's offers of 'comfort' after I'd gone off to sulk.
Unfortunately, the day was almost over, and the guests were arriving. I had no clue who would be attending, though. While I'd assumed that the Gala was Society only, apparently it was more than simple revelry and excess. It was an opportunity to invite important outsiders and bedazzle them with demonstrations of all that the Society had to offer. I supposed the point was so their guests would return home and sulk all year long that they weren't as good as the Society.
Hoity arrived, looking quite pleased. Glory excused herself, muttering about a bathroom. "It looks as if this is going to be the greatest Gala in generations. Almost everypony invited is attending." I supposed the Gala was the best social event in the Hoof, and he flourished at social events. "So, Your Majesty, there is just one last tiny detail to cover. Have you selected your regent?"
"I have," I replied, and opened my mouth.
He quickly raised his hooves before I could speak, though. "And please don't say me. I won't do it. I'll support whoever you select, but I have no desire to put my undead derriere on the throne and my excellent coiffeur in the crosshairs. I am a majordomo par excellence, but many ponies have difficulty taking my advice straight and undiluted."
Hmmm... well... that killed one idea... "Can I make three ponies my regent?" I asked.
"Only if you want two of them dead," he replied casually. "Triumvirates don't last long."
And that spiked that idea. "Can I make one regent and have the other two swear an oath to help them out or get kicked out?" I asked in a huff.
He pondered it a moment. "Yes, I imagine that might work. For a time, at least. Who did you want as your regent?"
I told him.
He blinked. "Really? That's quite... are you certain?"
"I am. And I expect you to do everything you can to help," I replied with a smile. "With luck, this will be a turning point for the Society."
"Yes... well... I'll go make the proper arrangements," he said and trotted out.
I had to take a quick trip outside to take care of one last bit of work. Deus was parked next to the reservoir, his cannons pointing out over the water. "Hey, how are you doing?" I asked, tapping his armor.
Something in him released a wheezing sigh. "Yeah, I hear that," I said with a smile. "I need to ask a favor." The engine emitted a low grumble. "Yeah, I know I'm the last pony you want to do any favors for, but I need your help. We're going into the sky soon, and there's no way we can take you with us." Silence. "I need you to stick around the Society a little while." He swung his turrets towards me, and his engine snarled, the cannons waving back and forth.
I raised my hooves defensively. "Hey, I know you don't like it. I don't like them much either. I put the fear of Rampage into them, but I'm afraid that when she and I go, they're going to resume their old bullshit games. So I want you to stay here. If anything deadly happens to the regent and Hoity Toity, I give you full permission to take over and give this place to Big Daddy, the Collegiate, or the Finders; whoever you want. If this place stays sane for a couple weeks, go back to Chapel and keep it safe. Just keep a radio ear open. You can travel faster and safer than almost anypony."
I think it was the word 'pony' that did it. His cannons raised and dropped, and then the turret pointed back over the water. Call me crazy, but the image seemed so... lonely. I tapped his armor again and he swiveled a camera at me. I reached out and hugged his tank tread; it was too wide for my legs to fit around, but it was the thought that counted. "Thanks. I mean it. You're a better pony than the one I met in 99."
That started his engine rumbling softly.
One last bit. The Society's jail was a cinder block-walled storage shed built into the side of a hill. Despite the heavy metal door, I suspected that the occupants inside could have escaped if they wanted to. The power-armored guards outside might have been a bit more of a challenge, though. I stepped through the door and looked over at Lancer sitting quietly in the corner. While I'd wanted him released, Hoity had convinced me that letting a zebra sniper go was simply asking for trouble. I hoped he might get me more of those anti-magic bombs and give me more time away from the Goddess, but apparently they were exceptionally rare, even for zebras. I walked up to the large gray minotaur. "Hey," I said, noting that he'd yanked the chains right off the walls. There were others I could have asked, but I'd seen what passed for loyalty for most of the Society.
"You," his eyes glittered in the dim light.
"You let Scotch go without a fight, and I appreciate that. I've come to make you a deal," I said as I sat before him. "You've been working with the Society for a while, haven't you?"
"I was in that king's menagerie for years before they shut it down," he said with a low growl. "There's always folks that need muscle, though. I'm guessing that's why you're here, too. Ponies only talk if they want something."
I took that in. "I do want something. I want you. You seem a decent enough sort. You let Scotch go and knew a stupid plan when you heard one. You've also seen what passes for bodyguards in this place. Mine let a squad of five Harbingers in to kill me. I don't want to pick a regent only to have them slaughtered because someone makes a deal. I want you to protect my regent."
His dark eyes bored into me. "And if I say no?"
"Then you go home. Or I'll write you a letter of recommendation for the Reapers, if you want. If they let Gorgon fight, they should let you." He let out a snort. "Isn't that what you want?"
"Ponies..." He slowly rose till his horns scraped the ceiling, and despite myself I took a few steps back. It was silly; I'd faced far worse things than him, but there was something about the sheer presence of him. "Do you think I really care about fighting? My kind were a strong race, removed from your petty war. We had no interest in either side; your war and the things you battled over were trivial. We're not catcrows like griffins. We were not mercenaries peddling our strength to the highest bidder. We simply wanted to be left alone. And now you come here and assume I'd want to... that I would choose to... continue to be wrapped up in your petty conflicts."
My, he was much more talky than I recalled. "Alright then. What do you want to do?" The question seemed to surprise him, and he scowled in thought a moment.
"What I want is respect. What I want is to find another of my own kind. To know whether or not my species is doomed to extinction or not. To learn if my home still exists. Fighting. Politics. Petty squabbles for transitory power." He turned his head and spat to the side. "None of these matter to me."
I looked up at him and smiled. "You're right. It is stupid. And that's exactly what I've been thinking since I got here. All this backstabbing and scheming... it's insane. It's the exact opposite of what the world needs. So I need someone who can rise above it. I need a person who isn't going to be bribed. And if you stay, well, word will get around. And if any of your people hear of it, they might seek you out. At the very least, you'd be in a position to hear news of abroad for when you decide to leave."
The minotaur pursed his lips as he looked down at me. "This is a bad place," he finally said in his low, slow voice. Lancer's eyes watched me with a silent stare, but thanks to the little pink pony in my head, I caught his minute nod.
"Oh, I know the Society has a lot of rot to it, but--"
"Not the Society. Are you so removed from your roots that you can't feel it?" He snorted, and his muscles flexed powerfully. His fist smashed right through the cinder block wall. Two more punches and he'd pulverized a hole. I started to think that he might have gone easy on me our first battle. From the hole he pulled out wet earth and muddy pebbles. "This land is poisoned. All of this land. It is a poison seeped into the very stones," he said as he turned them over. He turned the pebbles over and then met my gaze. He seemed to be searching for some comprehension from me, and when it didn't arrive, he snorted, "Pah. I don't know why I bother."
"No! Please. Continue," I said, as I stepped closer. "What do you mean?"
He seemed to consider me, working out if I was serious. After a moment, he answered, "This land is poisoned. A sickness seeps away its life. My kind has felt the cries and weeping of the earth for centuries. Since before your war." He smashed a pebble between his fingers. "They are dead. Lifeless."
"The stones are... dead?" I asked in bafflement.
"Stones contain a life and spirit all their own. Strength beyond mere rock. Some ponies once cultivated the life of stones, encouraging the growth of gems and strong bones of the world. But the very bones of the world here are rotten." He snorted and flung the dirt away. "I came here as a young bull to discover the source. More the fool, I."
I began to scoff, but then stopped. "You're talking about Enervation. You're saying that it's sucking life out of the rocks?" He scowled at my question, then nodded. I frowned, idly rubbing my chest. I remembered... was it a dream or a memory? "A long time ago, something happened to Equestria. A disaster. Do the minotaurs know anything about it?"
Now he appeared surprised, but gave a small nod. He lifted a rock. "The stone remembers. Eons and eons ago. A calamity from the skies that fractured the very earth. But how do you know?"
"Because we found it," I said, frowning. "A machine... or... something else. Something powerful. We found it and tried to use it. I think it's generating the Enervation."
His harsh glare relaxed a touch. He seemed to be reassessing me. "Never have I heard your kind speak of important things. It has always been war, power, and greed." His earlier scorn was now giving way to sincere consideration. "Our world is dying. It is more than the radiation. More than the taint. Such poisons eventually fade. This is growing. It chokes the life from the very stone."
"Can the world be restored?" I asked, remembering layers of stone and trapped bones. The glowing gems above the fossil-bearing layers.
He looked troubled. "I... don't know." Pain Train knelt and stared into my eyes. "You seek to end this?"
"I just want to save ponies," I muttered, at a loss. "That's what Security does."
"Just ponies?" he asked with a scowl.
"No. I mean... not just ponies. I want to save the lives of everyone I can. Griffins. Minotaurs. Zebras. Everyone," I added and then looked at the pebbles he held and levitated one out of his grasp. "Even little rocks, if they're alive." Lancer looked up at me, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
The words made Pain Train actually smile... a little. "Very well. If you can be selfless enough to protect my kind, and little rocks, I will do the same and protect yours. For now," he replied.