Fallout Equestria : Monarch of a new world - Chapter 1 - First breath

Who knows, this might all be a dream after all! You’ll wake up for the first time and live your true life.

Hello?

        My eyes shoot open in an instant, my body flexes, my mind races, and adrenaline courses through my veins. “Shining!” I look around me, only to be met by a translucent wall of pink. I turn my head and see more pink around me. “Are you there? Anypony? Please, somepony answer me!”

Goddess? Goddess, it is you! You have come back to us!

        I look around, searching for the origin of the voice. “H..Hello? Who is that?” I wait for a response, but nopony answers.

I stretch my legs in the small space I have, but I can’t seem to get them in a good position. I push on the pink barrier, but it strains against the force and my hoof pops through to the other side to feel a wet dribble. I push some more and my entire leg slides through. A little more struggling and my head pops free.

        The remains of my old home greet me along with a gloomy rain that wets my mane. I scramble out of the pink cocoon and flop on the ground with a groan. My beautiful carpet has been turned to nothing more than a soggy mess of pink goo. The ceiling has fallen in on itself, opening up to a night sky that is full of dark clouds. My body aches and my head throbs, but the soothing rain does wonders to calm me down. I stand up slowly, wobbling from the lack of use on my legs, and stretch my wings as far as I can. I let loose a groan of pleasure from being able to stretch muscles that haven’t been used in what feels like years.

        I ignite my horn with a glow to get a look at surroundings, but it lets out a quick spark only to go dark. Before I can try again, the glow of five different horns pop to life in front of me, revealing five ponies standing in between me and the shattered bedroom window. The light from their horns burn my eyes, only leaving a silhouette of their form in the dreadfully dark night. I raise my wing in front of my face and squint away the light, but I can see almost nothing about them other then their very similar and above average height.

        “Hello?” I say hesitantly, fear etching its way onto my face. “What is going on here, what happened?”

        Goddess they say... but it doesn’t sound right. Something’s odd about the way they spoke that I can’t put my hoof on.

        “What do you mean goddess? I am an alicorn but I am nowhere near the same level as Celestia or Luna.” I say, taking a step backwards in fright. The ponies walk towards me in unison, each one an eerie mirror to the pony beside it.

        Goddess, you have come back to us! They continue to walk toward me until I’m backed up against the door of the room. I trip on a piece of cloth and land on my side, fear pulsating through my veins.

        “Stop! Step back this instant!” I scream at them. The figures halt mid-stride, some even back away in defense or crouch down submissively. The light on their horns cut out also, returning darkness to the room. I use this moment to stand up, regain my posture, and glare at them. I attempt to spark my horn again, succeeded in lighting the room with a cyan hue, and stare at the alicorns in front of me.

        Alicorns? I think to myself. I scream at them. “How.. but you can’t be.. What is this?”

        The alicorns glance at each other fearfully, until finally the one in the center speaks up for the group. Whatever do you mean Goddess? Except, her mouth doesn’t actually move, instead the words just... appear in my head.

        “Stop that!” I shout, closing my eyes and backing into the door again.

        The alicorn that talked previously glances nervously at her group mates before opening her mouth. “Ye..yes Goddess, if it pains you for us to talk normally, we will.. speak verbally.” She fumbles with the words as they come out. The alicorn that is talking is a dark shade of violet with a similar eye and mane color and no cutie mark on her flank. Her wings are draped at her side and she has a look of fear on her face, but I can feel something more radiating off of her.

        I stand up, facing the group of alicorns and look at them in full. What I assume is the leader of their group stands at the head with everypony else slightly behind her in a V formation. Each of them ranging from a shade of light blue, dark green, or a similar violet of the leader and all of them mares. “How are you all alicorns?” I ask, almost accusingly. I step forward to try my best to intimidate them. My hoof lands in a pink puddle, splashing water which they scuttle away to avoid. Oddly enough, I have no fear for the ponies in front of me, and I only feel a lonely sadness emanating from them. I do feel bad about acting so aggressive towards them, but they are in my house after all.

        “We are as you made us,”  the violet alicorn answers.

What kind of answer is that?  “Stop with the riddles, just tell me who you are and what you are doing here.”

        The alicorn looks towards her group, making no attempt to hide their inaudible conversation, then turns back towards me and says,  “We... I was once named Night Wish, and for your second question; we are here for you.”

        I admit, my mane stood on end at her last few words, but I don’t let it show. I keep my poise and stare Night Wish in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I am going to find Shining Armor, and get the guards.”

        Night Wish stares at me for a second before glancing back at her group. After another silent conversation she turns to me. “We do not know of this Shining armor you speak of, but we do know of one who was once a guard of Canterlot. We can lead you to her, but we wish you to be careful as you go, and watch of what you say.” Without another word, or even a second for me to rebuttal, the five alicorns turn and fly out of the window into the downpour.

        I glance around the ruined room, looking for any hint of where to go, something to tell me where Shining Armor has gone, but everything in my house is covered in a thick layer of dust and debris from the collapsed roof. My eyes start to water, but I scrunch up my face in an attempt to fight off tears. My only hope to get answers is to find somepony who knows what’s going on. I rush to the window, opening my wings once I clear the glass, and chase after the disappearing figures into the night sky.

(((((())))))

        The Canterlot that I lived in is ruined, nothing left of the beautiful and majestic city that I was raised in other than the skeletal remains of buildings, the husks of burned out or decayed carriages that clog the road from end to end, or the propaganda billboards that line up on every rooftop.

        The alicorns fly in the same V formation they stood in earlier, majestically gliding only a few feet above the old-fashion rooftops. The rain makes it very difficult to see more than a hooves reach in front of me, and from what I can tell the streets are flooded with a constant stream of pink goo. The air smells of decaying wood and sulfur, similar rotten eggs. “Keep close, Goddess, for if you where to get lost in your current state, you would be helpless to the ghosts of this city’s past.”

        “What’s happened to Canterlot?” I say, mostly to myself too quiet to be heard over the storm. My head is foggy, and I can remember very little of what happened before waking up. The only thing I can recall is my beloved Shining Armor and myself holding each other and a constant feeling of sadness, followed by an endless pink void.

        We pass by more and more destroyed and rotten buildings, but none of it looks to be caused by anything other than decay. No bullet holes, explosions, or anything of the sort from what we thought would be the end of Canterlot, the end of Equestria itself. Only... time.

        After around half an hour of flying through the deserted city the alicorns come to a small building set in a row of shops, nothing more than a corner store from long ago, and land outside. Night Wish walks up to me while the rest of her group enters the building. “Please, follow us inside Goddess, and come meet the one that calls herself a guard of this city.” She says.

        I glare at her behind the soggy curtain of my mane. “What’s happened to Canterlot? Why is everything destroyed, and where is everypony?” I ask. These seem like simple questions to me, questions that a pony can ask when she wakes up to find her world in ruins and everypony gone except for five alicorns that appear in her half destroyed house. But still she turns away without an answer and walks into the small storefront, having to duck underneath the door frame because of her freakishly large height. “Why don’t you answer me!” I scream at the now empty street.

        I glance around, looking for something to point me in a direction, but all I can do is follow the alicorns with a look of defeat and a hope that I can see Shining again before the day’s end.

(((((())))))

        As I suspected the interior of the building we enter is indeed a store, a clothing store from what it looks like, and as I also thought (but didn’t say aloud because of the pure pessimism of it) it too would be a destroyed heap of rubble and mold. Yeah me.

        The other 4 alicorns had already disappeared from sight before I got into the store, but I was able to see the violet one’s tail round a corner by the time I entered. Following my newfound and hopefully temporary companions I weave through the piles of clothing that had fallen off the stands. The models that desplay the clothing are lined in rows like guards, alert against intruders.

When I make it to the back of the store there is a hallway that leads off to the right. Along the hall are two doors, one to the left after you first enter and another one at the end which I hear a horrible deep throated growl coming from. It sounds as if the pony making it yelled their throat raw and was making any noise it could in an attempt to put fear into the enemy. There are other voices coming from inside, but one screams, also sounding as if they yelled their voice raw, “I TOLD YOU TO GIT. I DON’T SELL TO NO AL-I-CORNS AND I WON’T NEVER DO IT.”

        I round the corner in a hurry and enter a room filled with the five alicorns I followed in, but standing on the other side of them is... quite a disturbing sight. Sitting on a crate in the center is a horribly disfigured... what I can only guess is a mare unicorn in a ruined Canterlot guard uniform. Her face is scarred and burned beyond any type of comprehension with pieces of flesh hanging off or bone entirely exposed in certain areas, and she is floating three different shotguns towards my companions. Two ponies are on either side of her with similar physical conditions chained to the wall by the neck and foaming from the mouth. Their eyes are almost completely white with pinprick black centers and pink veins streaking throughout them. Their hooves stretch as far as they are able to, grasping at air trying to get at the alicorns that don’t even flinch at their lunges. Tufts of hair (few and far between) flop in the air as the ponies pull at their chains.

        The disfigured mare in the center groans in annoyance before aiming a shotgun at my head. “Oh great, now you got’s another one. And dis one be all fancied up.”

        Each of the alicorns step forward, horns ablaze with their own beautiful coloration, and Night Wish shouts, “Don’t you DARE point the weapon at the Goddess!”

        I step back, a fresh dose of adrenaline coursing through my veins once again in this heart stopping day. “Wait!” I shout. I can feel the tension in the room, feel that if I let this proceed as it is there will be blood. “How about we just calm down, okay? We came here to talk, and that is all we want, there is no need to start a fight over a.. a misunderstanding.” I force out the last words as they hitch in my throat.

        “But Goddess, she is threatening-”

        I cut Night Wish off, “I don’t care. There is no reason to fight over something as silly as a misunderstanding. So, can you please put down those.. guns so that we can talk reasonably. And stop calling me that!” I say, glaring at Night Wish.

        “Heh, yeah right missy, let me just lower my weapons when there are six of the most powerful creatures flashing dem fancy horns at me. I will get right on that.” Sarcasm, Luna’s weakness.

        “Okay.” I say, putting a hoof up in defence. “How about if these five wait outside and I speak with you alone.”

        Night Wish inhales dramatically. “Goddess, no! We would never leave you alone with such beasts!”

        “Who yah calling beasts, yah freak?” The burned pony asks, pointing all three of the shotguns at Night Wish’s head. Night Wish ignores the guns and continues to look at me in surprise.

        “Okay, okay! Again, we are civilized ponies, so lets not start shooting each other. Night Wish, you can stay if you want but the other four of you need to leave.” I say.

        After a long moment of staring at the back of Night Wish’s head, the mare finally lowers two of the three shotguns, and lets out a grunt of agreement. I sigh in relief and motion my head to Night Wish who lead out her companions, leaving me alone with a shotgun to my face.

        My knees wobble a little underneath me at the sight, but I keep my composure to the best of my ability. The two ponies that are chained up seem to calm down once the alicorns leave and go to either corner of the room, which helps me relax the slightest bit even if the larger of the two continues to stare at me.

        The mare sitting on the crate catches me looking at her.. friends and grunts in annoyance. “Don’t pay no attention to my boys, they only bite if I let ‘em. You don’t act like any of dem other al-i-korns, and my little colt Sunshine here seems to think the same.” She slides off the crate and walks over to the pony in the left hoof corner, no larger than a foal, and scratches behind his bitten off ear.

        “He is your son?” I ask, hiding my fright as best as I can.

        “Well, dis one is. The lump over there was my husband before he went all crazy headed. Used to be on the guard just like I did.”

        Night Wish walks back into the room and stands behind me. “The other’s wish you to hurry. We... They wish not to be separated from me for too long.”

        I nod my head to my companion then turn back to.. “What is your name?” I ask.

        “Me? Names Long John. Father, the idjit that he was, made a vow to name his first born after his best friend. Just call me John, you wouldn’t be the first.” John (That is the oddest name for a pony, and a mare at that) continues to scratch behind her son’s ear until his leg is tapping the ground in unison with each scratch. “The son of a mule over there,” she pointed to the other corner where the pony was... licking himself, “his name is Redwind, call him whatever foul language that comes to mind if you can. My little stallion here, sunshine of my day, is named Sunshine, after our beloved Celestia who BETTER GET HER ASS DOWN HERE AND HELP ME WIT DEEZ HERE FOOLS.” John yells at the ceiling, shaking a hoof.

        “Okay... John,” I say her name with a doubtful hiccup. “How exactly did you and your.. family get like this?” I ask, hoping it doesn't sound rude.

        John raises an eyebrow to me. “Wow, you’re new here ain’t cha?” She looks over at Night, “How exactly does that happen to an alicorn anyway? She get bonked on the head or somethin’?”

        Night Wish gazes at Long John before shaking her head. Well, I guess that is something.

        I lay on the dirty ground with a sigh. “I woke up only an hour ago in some type of cocoon, and those five were waiting for me outside of it. I tried to ask them what was going on, but all they did was talk in riddles. It wasn’t getting me anywhere. Finally I said I would get a guard if they didn’t leave. They must have thought you were one so they brought me here.” I rest my head on my hooves, caring little about if my ruined mane gets dirty or if it looks undignified.

My stomach growls loudly, and I notice how hungry I am. Scratch that, I’m starving! I can’t believe I have been moving with such little food in me.

        John chuckles to herself. Night Wish looks down at me in concern. “Is something wrong Goddess? Your torso seems to be making a noise.”

        I am able to lift my head up from my hooves. “I told you... stop calling me Goddess.” I growl at the alicorn beside me. I look up from the fetal position towards Long John. “It is dreadfully rude of me to ask, but do you have any food?”

        John reaches behind her into the back of a crate and pulls out a box of sugar apple bombs and floats them over to me. “Here, eat up. From the sound of it, you’re gonna be fallin’ over if you don’t get nothin’ in that stomach of yours.”

        I graciously and tactfully devour the sugary goodness as quickly as I can, caring more about my impending death by starvation rather than how terrible I might look scarfing down the box of cereal. I empty the box in little over a minute, only to up-end it in an attempt to fish out any crumbs. My stomach growls again, and I sigh in agreement.

        I place the box beside me and look back over at John who is staring at me wide eyed. “Do you have any more?” I ask, quite ashamed of myself for acting as I did.

        John reaches into the box behind her, not taking her eyes off me as though I was going to eat her, then takes out another box of sugar apple bombs.

        I eat these a little slower, making sure to forward the conversation before I gorge myself on food I haven’t paid for. “So, what’s happened to the Canterlot?”

*   *   *   *   *

Footnote - Level up! Level 2 reached! Each level you are granted 1 perk that is decided through your actions.

New perk - Pacifistic diplomat : You hate violence. Whenever a fight or conflict is likely to break out you gain +1 charisma and unique dialogue options such as: Begging, pleading, crying, and complaining (don't let that be confused with whining).

((For the origonal story of FOE please go to http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/04/story-fallout-equestria.html written by katt. It is an amazing story. If you have any comments or critiques post them in the comments below or send me a personal message. I write to improve, so if you liked the story or hated it entirely tell me what I could do better))